The moment Razeal sensed the Empress standing that close to him, he did not waste even a fraction of a second trying to understand how she had crossed that distance without him noticing. His body reacted before thought.
Instantly, he moved out from beneath the arm resting across his shoulders and appeared several meters away in one clean motion. His posture changed immediately. Guard raised. Eyes sharpened. Every part of his attention locked entirely onto Nerrisa. At the same time, his hand moved toward his waist and caught the handle of Dark Star.
The decision came naturally. Right now, that sword was one of his strongest trump cards. If they compared speed, strength, experience, understanding, combat ability, and almost every category of power he lost. And not by a small amount. The difference between him and her was larger than the difference between an ordinary person and a Supreme.
