It didn't break.
But the resistance wasn't stable.
The domain around pressed against it, the surface of its fra cracking slightly where the energy settled, and I followed through imdiately, the second strike landing before it could recover, the axe biting deeper this ti as the accumulated force broke through its structure, the impact driving into its core and splitting it apart from within.
The next one was already moving.
Two blades ca in from opposite sides, their timing precise, ant to pin between them, but I stepped forward instead of back, the movent carrying through the narrowing gap as the domain pressure forced their trajectories slightly off, just enough to avoid a clean hit.
I drove the axe forward into one, the impact staggering it before I pivoted into the other, the motion continuous as I kept moving instead of holding position.
Behind , I could feel the shift of Lyrate's energy as roots broke through the ground, wrapping around the legs of another puppet and locking it in place while Knight slipped past its reach, his blades cutting into the joints where the armor thinned.
The formation tried to close again.
I didn't let it.
"Impact Burst." The skill drove forward into the next line, the ground cracking beneath as I entered their space, the axe coming down with force that didn't just strike, but carried through, the energy detonating on contact as the structure of the puppet gave way under it.
"Annihilator Cleave."
Energy surged through and coated my axe in another yellow glow and lightning flashed across it. Without waiting I was all over the formation as I began cutting through the fras of the puppet with trendous efficiency.
The last of the golden constructs fell apart under the combined pressure of movent and force, its fra splitting at the joints before collapsing into a heap of tal that no longer held shape, and for a brief mont the space in front of the red do cleared, the ground marked with scattered remains and deep cracks that traced the path of every strike. I straightened slightly, letting the axe settle in my grip as the energy around stabilized into that constant weight, the domain pressing outward without needing direction, and just as I began to step forward toward the barrier, sothing shifted inside the city.
It wasn't subtle.
The surface of the red do rippled once, like sothing had struck it from the inside, and before the distortion could settle, a shape burst through, forcing its way out with a violent displacent that tore through the barrier's surface before sealing behind it. It landed hard in front of us, the impact driving into the ground with enough force to push debris outward in a sharp ring.
It was another tal giant.
Its fra was built from black tal, darker than anything else in the area, absorbing light instead of reflecting it, and the sword in its hand carried a dull grey tone that looked heavier, denser, like it had been forged for a single purpose.
I heard its fra groaning slightly and then it vanished.
The distance between us disappeared faster than the others had managed, its speed cutting through the space as the blade ca down in a direct strike aid at my position, and I brought the axe up to et it, the collision sending a sharp shock through my arms as the force behind the strike drove back a step before I could stabilize.
"Yeah," I muttered under my breath as I adjusted my stance, "that's more like it."
It didn't respond.
The next strike ca imdiately, the blade cutting across in a horizontal arc that forced to shift backward, the edge passing close enough to carry the weight of the impact even without contact, and before I could counter, it stepped in again, the follow-up coming from above as the sword dropped in a vertical strike that drove further back.
The pressure was different.
The domain pushed against it, but instead of cracking like the others, its surface held, the black tal absorbing the strain without breaking, and each movent it made carried weight that didn't fade after impact.
I moved forward again, bringing the axe across in a heavy strike, but it t head-on this ti, the grey blade intercepting mine mid-motion, the clash holding for a fraction before it pushed through, forcing my weapon aside and driving a strike into my side that sent sliding across the ground.
Knight shifted in from the side, trying to create an opening, but the construct turned with him, the sword cutting across its path and forcing him back before he could land anything clean, and when Lyrate's roots surged upward to bind its legs, the blade ca down once, severing them before they could fully tighten.
"This one is much stronger," Knight said, keeping his distance now.
"Yeah," I replied, rolling my shoulder once as I stepped forward again, the impact settling into my body without slowing down.
The next exchange ca faster.
I closed the distance, Radiant Drive carrying in as the axe ca down in a heavy arc, but it t again, the blade intercepting with precise timing, the force of the collision pushing back through my stance as it followed through imdiately, the return strike catching across the chest and driving back once more.
The impact hurt.
Which ant sothing else started building. A faint shift ran through my body as the energy responded.
"Alright," I said quietly.
"Berserk."
The shift was imdiate.
Strength surged through , faster, sharper, the stored energy rising alongside it as the domain around tightened slightly, the pressure increasing as I stepped forward again without hesitation.
The construct moved to et .
This ti I didn't give it space.
The first strike ca low, the axe cutting across with enough force to force it to block rather than counter, the impact ringing out as tal t tal, and before it could push back, I chained the second strike imdiately, reversing the motion and bringing the blade up from below, the force carrying through its guard and cracking the surface of its fra for the first ti.
It adjusted.
But I was already gone from its sight.
The third strike followed without pause, the axe coming down again with everything I had gathered, the impact landing cleanly as the accumulated energy detonated through the point of contact, the black tal finally giving way as the force broke through its structure and drove into its core.
The fra staggered.
I stepped in.
The final motion was clean.
The axe ca across its neck in a swift arc, the edge cutting through the weakened fra without resistance this ti, the head separating from the body as the rest of it collapsed a mont later, the pieces hitting the ground with a heavy finality that marked the end of the fight.
I stood there for a second, the energy settling as the domain expanded slightly around again.
"Now we're done."
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