BOOM!
An earth shattering sound echoed like a clash of weapons; it resonated as if the very sky were collapsing.
Valeria's blade had already descended, aimed with surgical precision at Riven's throat. But just before steel could meet flesh, his hand moved.
It wasn't fast in the usual sense; it simply appeared along the path of her strike. His fingers, encased in a rune-etched metallic glove, clamped down around her sword with a force that twisted the air and shattered the ground beneath them.
The impact sent ripples outward in concentric waves, a monstrous shock front rolling across the ruined battlefield and beyond, pulverizing distant ridges and sending clouds of dust roaring into the sky like a volcanic eruption.
The earth caved beneath their feet, stone compressing and exploding simultaneously. When the pressure finally stabilized, a crater hundreds of meters wide had formed, its edges jagged and molten.
