Seeing the axe inch closer and closer to his face, Azriel released a disappointed sigh.
Then, relaxing his body, he did something unexpected.
He dismissed Void Eater.
The weapon vanished from his grasp in an instant. Azriel guided the mana inside his body toward his right hand, then wrapping the gauntlet with his aura like a sheath of invisible energy. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
What happened next made the two knights — and everyone witnessing — freeze in place.
With just his fingertips, Azriel caught the axe mid-air, stopping it dead in its tracks. His fingers dug into the silver blade, applying pressure until thin cracks spiderwebbed across the metal.
Then, with a final squeeze, the blade crumbled to pieces.
Only the wooden handle remained. It dropped to the mud with a hollow thud.
The eyepatched man stared at Azriel, then at the broken handle. His gaze grew colder, more composed.
In a tone like falling ice, he spoke to the knight with the crossed phoenix crest.
