The duel had transformed from a contest of champions into a public lesson in humility. Baron, the self-proclaimed future of the sea, was being dismantled.
Alvian didn't attack to kill. Not yet. He attacked to break.
"Too wide," Alvian said, smacking Baron's wrist with the lance shaft. Baron dropped his spear.
"Clumsy," Alvian commented, kicking Baron's legs out from under him. The Prince crashed into the sand.
"Get up," Alvian ordered.
Baron scrambled to his feet, his face purple with rage and humiliation. He grabbed his spear. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
He activated a hidden mechanism in his armor. A panel on his chest opened, revealing a dark, pulsing crystal. A Syndicate Mana-Cannon.
"BURN!"
A beam of concentrated red energy shot out, point-blank range.
The crowd screamed. It was a cheap shot. A dirty trick.
Alvian sighed.
"[Void-Mirror Aegis]."
A small, violet shield appeared in front of his chest, no bigger than a dinner plate.
"ZAP-BOOM!"
