Kipp's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Master Noah is fighting that monster evenly? But it's grandmaster rank! This thing is almost as strong as the king! The strongest man in Esta!"
The Manticore lunged again, its tiger head snapping forward with jaws that could crush stone. Noah rolled beneath the bite, his enhanced agility making the movement fluid and graceful, then launched himself upward with wind-assisted momentum.
WHOOSH!
He soared above the creature's back, his sword descending in a powerful overhead strike aimed at the vulnerable spine. But the Manticore twisted impossibly fast, using its lion body's flexibility to present its armoured shoulder instead of its back.
SLASH!
The sword bit deeper this time—Noah had channelled more strength and proper technique into the strike—opening a wound that actually bled significantly. The Manticore's blood was darker than normal, almost black, speaking to the concentrated power flowing through its grandmaster-enhanced physiology.
