As the blade swung down, a purple-black blade of light shot from its tip and collided with the silver-white pillar of light.
The purple-black blade of light seemed to tear silently through the silver-white pillar.
The pillar split down the middle into two halves, swept past Qi Wu on either side, and slammed into the protective barrier behind him.
The barrier shook violently, its three innermost layers shattering at once.
The purple-black blade of light broke through the pillar and struck Layton head-on.
Boom!
Layton was sent flying and crashed hard into the protective barrier. The barrier trembled as he slid to the ground and dropped to one knee, a deep blade wound carved into his metal body.
The wound stretched from his left shoulder to the right side of his abdomen, its cut as smooth as a mirror, exposing severed wiring and flickering sparks.
Layton lowered his head and stared at the wound across his chest, at the smoking wires and shattered metal skeleton within. He fell silent. His left arm hung limp, its fingers no longer moving.
The joint in his right leg had locked up completely, and a wide gash split the metal plate over his knee.
The metal plate over his chest had been cut open. Though his heart remained intact, all the wiring around it had been severed.
Qi Wu drew back the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade, angling its tip toward the ground. His breathing was slightly labored, and fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, but his mismatched eyes remained as calm as still water.
"Your heart is still intact. Concede."
Layton raised his head and stared at Qi Wu.
The politician's smile was gone from his azure eyes, as was their icy composure. Only something impossible to put into words remained.
In their place