The blade came within a hair's breadth of his chest.
A heartbeat more, and Gon's sword would have pierced straight through, but in that instant, with a hiss of metal and a sharp clatter, the mage did something unexpected.
The chains that had moments ago floated like deadly weapons now snapped inward.
With a speed that was almost unnatural, they coiled around his body, not in an offensive strike, but a defensive cocoon.
They encased him from head to toe in a fortress of gleaming steel, the links interlocking with sharp, mechanical precision.
The sound echoed around the arena like the doors of a vault slamming shut.
Gon's blade struck the barrier with a shriek of friction and a burst of sparks, the steel-on-steel contact jarring up his arm.
The resistance was absolute. The sword rebounded with force, and Gon was pushed back a step, scowling.
For a second, only the sound of his breath filled the space between them.
