The Warden surged forward.
Chains snapped tight as it drove itself into the edge of the light, pressure spiking as it tried to force its way through the field Roberto had laid down. The air bent around the impact, stone grinding under the strain.
Roberto didn't move.
He didn't brace. He didn't shift his stance. He just stood there, shoulders loose, weight balanced, like this was no different from waiting for someone to finish talking.
Light thickened around him, subtle but immediate. The boundary pushed back, not violently, just enough to make the Warden's advance stall, its momentum bleeding away as if it had stepped into deep water.
"…Right," Roberto muttered, almost bored.
The Warden swung anyway.
A heavy strike, chains and reinforced mass coming down with enough force to shatter what was left of the plaza. Roberto lifted one hand.
The blow stopped.
