The ice collapsed in a violent burst, shards scattering across the ruined chamber as the Frost Wall finally gave out under sustained pressure. Cold mist lingered in the air for a brief moment before heat and mana turbulence tore it apart. Noel didn't move immediately. He stayed where he was, shoulders rising and falling as he forced his breathing back under control, eyes fixed on the guardian standing across from him.
This wasn't sustainable.
He could feel it in the way his ribs protested with every breath, in the constant drain of mana required just to maintain parity, in the subtle lag creeping into his reactions. Trading spell for spell like this would end one way only, and it wouldn't be in his favor.
"…Alright," Noel murmured, voice low. "Enough."
Mana surged inward instead of outward, drawn into Revenant Fang in a sharp, focused pull. Heat flared along the blade as the weapon responded, runes igniting one after another as power flooded through its core.
"Ignition Surge."
