Count Halden was a late third-phase powerhouse, with peak combat prowess of that phase, in both direct and indirect combat; his senses as a powerful assassin had few equals. His mind went through multiple shocks, one after another.
Though the Duchess did consider the possibility that Axel Nomrad might actually possess the runic eyes and was hiding them, after all, apart from that, his overwhelming combat prowess as a runecaster didn't make sense.
But for it to be actually true was a terrifying prospect—something which he could now see with his very own eyes. The ability to perceive magical and even non-magical attacks to the most significant degree, as well as analyze and decode them.
Then perform attacks that achieve results far beyond the ordinary, someone who can come up with a counter to almost any sort of attack. The very reason why Damien Nomrad was an unmatched powerhouse of his generation, someone even the king had to respect.
