Kassie's words hung in the frozen air like a death sentence. Altharion's smile didn't waver, but something flickered behind his eyes… Perhaps it was recognition or the first crack in his composure.
He rolled his shoulders, axes spinning once more.
"Maintain what, exactly? I'm simply enjoying a good fight."
Kassie didn't reply anymore. She simply exploded into more motion.
Her greatsword came down in a vertical strike so heavy the air screamed. Altharion crossed his axes to meet it, but this time Kassie didn't lock and struggle — she poured everything into the blow, red haze surging like a tidal wave.
The impact drove him down to one knee, the stone beneath him shattering into a crater. Before he could push back, she ripped the blade free and hammered a horizontal cut across his chest. He barely deflected it, the force still spinning him halfway around.
