My blade throbbed with dark energy, drinking in the surrounding void like a living thing.
The vibration running up my arm as the weapon grew heavier, denser—each pulse feeding it strength until it felt ready to explode from the pressure building inside.
I tightened my grip and steadied my stance, one foot sliding forward through the dust while I leveled the blade before me. If he didn't want to talk, that was fine. I'd carve out the conversation—beat the truth out of him if I had to.
Jael seemed to understand. His eyes narrowed, and without a word, he accepted the challenge.
He stepped forward and swung.
The motion was sharp, precise—too refined for brute strength alone. From the arc of his blade, a wave of death energy erupted, slicing through the air with a sound like ripping steel. The world dimmed in its wake, the ground wilting as it neared me.
I didn't flinch.
The moment before it struck, I activated [Swap].
