The Titan made the first move, an overhand chop that shattered the stone where Karl had been standing until a split second earlier.
The skill continued until the ring of spectators, where it was stopped by a barrier ability, protecting the majority of the city from the fallout of two peak Mythic combatants.
Karl charged forward, forcing the Titan to parry with all four hands on the axe. The giant slid backward with the brute force of Karl's hit, but his defensive spells were unharmed.
Karl hadn't used anything more than brute force to test the strength of his opponent, and found that despite the size advantage, his buffs gave him a distinct edge in physical prowess.
That was bad news for the Giant, as Karl added [Chaos Blast], an innately Immortal Ranked skill, to his next series of attacks. The Fundamental Rule of Chaos destabilized the area around the Sword of Champions, causing barriers to fail on contact, and the Giant to retreat at a run after his weapon was dispelled.
