'Annoying.'
Elion adjusted his weight at the last moment, earth magic rising beneath his heel in a short wedge of stone. His body turned half an inch to the side, just enough for the flaming spear to scrape across his chest plate instead of drilling into his ribs.
The armour hardened at the point of contact, Adaptive Guard activating right before impact, and the spear slid off in a shower of black sparks, leaving only a heated bruise beneath the metal instead of a hole through his body.
At the same time, he caught the jagged blade with Kurogoroshi, redirected it downward, and drove his boot into the demon's chest.
Crack!
The demon flew backward, crashed into a pillar, and left a spiderweb of cracks through the stone.
But the opening was gone, Maya had already retreated.
They didn't immediately move to attack after that exchange; it was only a moment, but it was enough for him to consider the implications of what Maya had just done.
