54. Pride
Endurance, Duel Cage.
Now.
.
The usually lively dueling hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Hazniel and Corinna stood at the center of everyone's attention, their half-open blades glinting beneath the ghastly white lights.
Yet while everyone's eyes appeared to be fixed upon the Duel Cage, they were actually focused on the towering figure below the platform.
The primarch sat motionless in his seat, like a corpse. White smoke slowly drifted from the censer, while yellow-green toxic fumes spilled from his gas mask with his steady breathing, obscuring his eyes.
After speaking those words, Mortarion made no further move.
The oppressive, heavy atmosphere inherent to the primarch himself blanketed the entire hall.
"Bzzzz—"
A piercing bell rang out!
Hazniel broke the silence first, charging forward in a fierce attack. Corinna assumed his classic defensive stance, raising his greatsword and waiting for the enemy to strike.
As Hazniel closed in and brought down his scythe, Corinna did not meet the blow as expected. He swiftly twisted aside to evade the scythe, while his greatsword slashed toward Hazniel's chest!
Yet the scene from Corinna's match with Joezer was not repeated. Hazniel withdrew his scythe with astonishing speed to defend himself, shifting his weight to the right and moving his vital point out of the greatsword's path.
"Clang!"
Hazniel gripped the scythe's shaft tightly with both hands, successfully catching Corinna's slash less than a handspan from his body!
Sparks burst forth. Corinna exerted force with both hands, and the shriek of grinding metal rang through the Duel Cage, but the scythe shaft remained firmly fixed in place, not shifting in the slightest.
Beneath Hazniel's feet, the high-strength composite floor had actually dented slightly!
"Clang—"
Sensing the opponent's tremendous strength and realizing that continuing the deadlock might