Damian looked at the spear buried in his shoulder, and then he looked at Aurelian.
"Yes," he said calmly. "But it does not stop cutting."
His left hand closed around the spear's shaft. Aurelian's eyes narrowed, and Damian stepped forward instead of retreating, allowing the spear to sink a little deeper as his sword rose from below.
"Sword Sovereign Heaven, Sixth Edict, Bleeding Sword Severance."
Aurelian tried at once to withdraw, but Damian's hand pinned the spear in place for that single fraction of a breath, and that fraction was enough. The sword light flashed, Aurelian's radiant spear was sheared in half, and in the same instant a deep sword wound opened across Aurelian's right arm.
Aurelian retreated sharply, and his expression finally broke. Damian pulled the severed spear tip from his shoulder and let it clatter onto the stage. Blood ran freely down his arm, yet his sword remained perfectly steady.
The arena went silent once more.
