Alden looked at Elva calmly.
The silence between them stretched.
Then,
CRACK.
The chamber floor shattered as both fighters moved at once. Their weapons met mid-air, sending a wave of shockwave outward.
Sparks exploded between them.
Alden pressed forward, his strength overwhelming, each strike driving Elva back.
With a twist of her spear, she redirected his blade just off-center.
Then her knee slammed into his ribs.
CRACK.
Pain shot through his chest as he flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing into the stone wall with a thunderous impact.
BOOM.
Dust and rubble exploded outward.
Elva looked at the dust calmly, her posture relaxed but ready.
"You have strength," she said, her voice echoing through the chamber, "but your attacks lack rhythm."
There was no mockery in her tone.
It wasn't a taunt.
It sounded more like a teacher correcting a student's stance.
Her instincts screamed before she could think.
"Who are you talking to, Elva?" A voice came from behind her.
