"Catch."
The word was barely a whisper, yet in the deathly silence of the arena, it cracked like a thunderclap.
Prince Gorn didn't hesitate. He was a 5th Order Warlord, fueled by a lifetime of rage and the absolute certainty of his own dominance. He swung Stormcleaver down with enough force to split a mountain.
"Die!"
The axe descended, a blinding arc of white lightning and Star-Metal aimed directly at Leona's skull.
Leona didn't try to block it with a weapon. She didn't try to deflect it.
She thrust her left hand, the black, mechanical claw of the Void Gauntlet, straight into the path of the blade.
CLANG.
The sound wasn't the sharp ring of metal on metal. It was a dull, heavy thud, like a hammer hitting the depths of an ocean.
The axe stopped dead.
Gorn's eyes bulged. He pushed down with everything he had, veins popping, his golden aura flaring wildly.
But the axe wouldn't budge. It hovered inches above Leona's head, caught in the vice grip of black metal fingers.
