A brilliant burst of light erupted where the palm met the tip of the cane, and both sides seemed to freeze for an instant.
A thunderous boom rang out as the torn air was driven outward in jets by the overflowing force.
Amid the flickering light, the Handsome Young Man wore an unfathomable expression, his body and arm remaining utterly still.
The force unleashed by the Puppet seemed to have struck an immovable barrier. Under the collision of the two forces, his arm exploded into a cloud of blood mist and vanished outright.
The Hand Cane was sent flying high into the air.
Yet his expression did not change in the slightest. With his other hand, he reached back and caught the cane halfway through its ascent, then swung it backhandedly at his opponent's face.
This time, his initiative had never truly been focused on that accumulated strike. It had merely been a tactic, meant to make his opponent believe it was his final gamble.
This was the attack he had truly prepared. At the cost of exploding his arm, he prevented the opponent's force from spreading into his body, allowing him to seize the opening and launch an attack the moment the other side released its power.
No matter how much stronger or faster the opponent was, when delivering a full-force blow, other areas would inevitably be less guarded, leaving a brief opening.
His tactic had been executed perfectly this time. The Handsome Young Man truly had no time to withdraw and defend, so the blow landed squarely on his forehead with a bang.
However, Spiritual Fire scattered from the impact, yet it failed to break through anything at all. The Handsome Young Man grinned.
Although he had released his force, there was still a layer of Spiritual Fire