Noah raised his sword one more time, gathering the last of his mana reserves. Fire and wind combined into a spiraling vortex around his blade—a technique that represented the pinnacle of what his current skills could achieve.
The Manticore charged one final time, everything it had left committed to this last attack.
WHOOSH!
They met in the center of the clearing.
SLASH!
Noah's sword, empowered by combined elemental manipulation and master-tier technique, met the Manticore's descending claws and venomous tail in a catastrophic collision of power.
For a heartbeat, they were locked together—human and beast, master and grandmaster, each refusing to yield.
Then Noah twisted his blade with perfect technique, redirecting the creature's momentum and opening its guard just enough.
SLASH!
His sword found the Manticore's throat, the superheated blade carving through muscle and windpipe in one decisive strike.
GROAN!
