The first of many.
The construct didn't wait. It surged forward with unnatural speed, claws extended and mouth gaping wide with spiritual flame.
Asher didn't flinch.
He simply exhaled.
A ripple of Soul energy burst from him, and the air bent unnaturally. His foot slid forward, and in that instant, the world seemed to tilt.
Then he moved.
The attack that was meant to rend him apart was already behind him. With a flick of his wrist, the space between him and the creature twisted—and he appeared directly above it.
His palm shimmered with overlapping layers of Astral(mana) and Soul energy, swirling in perfect sync. When it descended, it didn't just strike the construct's body—it struck its will.
The guardian shattered without a sound, reduced to fragments of bone and light that dissolved into the ground.
Asher landed softly, crimson eyes burning brighter now.
"Cute trick," he said quietly to the realm itself.
