At the exact moment the giant ball of Thorns reached its zenith, just as it was about to plummet, Gaius made his move.
The ground beneath him cracked with a BOOM, and he shot into the sky like a cannonball.
He even left a visible white shockwave in his wake.
In midair, he finally gripped the hilt of the Giant Sword on his back, which he had yet to fully draw.
SHING!
The ring of a sword being drawn echoed between heaven and earth.
The Giant Sword was drawn. There was no brilliant flash of light, only a simple, unadorned weightiness.
The blade, as wide as a door plank, was covered in archaic patterns, as if it bore the weight of the very earth.
"Break."
A single word escaped Gaius's lips.
He gripped the sword with both hands. His body twisted impossibly in midair, bringing the Giant Sword down in a gray bolt of lightning that viciously cleaved toward the plummeting ball of Thorns!
The first strike!
BOOM!
