Gideon Ironmaw studied Arthur Nightingale with the kind of analytical precision that had served him well through countless battles, his burning eyes taking in every detail of his opponent's stance and energy flow. The young man before him possessed a ridiculous level of strength for someone this young—not only had he killed the Axe King with apparent ease, but now he was able to challenge him.
That grey energy flowing around Arthur's blade was particularly fascinating. It had effortlessly erased his miasma and the concept-infused mana from the Infernal Armis, cutting through forces that should have been absolute according to the artifact's accumulated knowledge. When Gideon attempted to analyze the energy more deeply, pain spiked through his skull like his brain was being torn apart at the molecular level.
