Ethan's palm slammed into the barrier with a thunderous boom. The air cracked around them as the shockwaves rippled out, shredding the wind shield in an instant. His hand recoiled from the impact—but only for a second—before he brought his staff down in a clean, brutal arc.
Thud.
The blow landed with a sickening crunch. The man's head snapped back, and a grotesque welt swelled on his forehead, ballooning as if someone had inflated it.
Ethan followed up with a sharp slap.
Smack!
Then another staff strike, hitting the lump squarely.
Thwack!
He spun and backhanded the other side of the man's face, balancing the swelling so comically that the once handsome, arrogant youth now resembled a lopsided vegetable.
"You dare—"
Before he could finish his threat, a violent explosion rang out from the cliffside. Ethan stepped in, drove his foot into the man's chest, and sent him soaring toward a group of seven approaching figures.
