The air screamed as the two energies clashed, the black tiger's spiraling flame gnashing against Asriel's violet inferno. For a heartbeat, it looked as though her blast would swallow his attack whole, its sheer size dwarfing the serpent's coils. The violet blaze pushed harder, burning away the edges of the black flame, inch by inch, threatening to consume Stephan entirely.
His body shook, blood dripping freely from his nose and mouth. His arms trembled, his sword nearly ripped from his grip as the tidal wave of her power pressed him down. The weight was unbearable, the heat blistering his skin even through the armor of souls.
But then, deep within him the souls answered.
