The lightning seemed to turn into a long whip, leaving a lengthy electric trail through the air as it shot straight toward Rhode.
Sparks crackled along the "whip." Even from some distance away, everyone could feel the astonishing power contained within it.
"Is this Maltin's power? No wonder he ranks among the Defias Brotherhood's top three!"
Marin's expression changed despite himself.
He doubted he could withstand even this single strike. The strength of the Defias Brotherhood's elite far exceeded his imagination.
And Maltin was only ranked third. How strong were Morgann and VanCleef, then? Marin hardly dared to imagine it.
He also could not understand how these men, who had still been construction workers in the Stonemasons' Guild only a year ago, had gained such tremendous power.
Whatever the reason, wiping out these bandits would undoubtedly be a difficult, lengthy undertaking for Stormwind City.
"Oh, a Lightning Whip! It snapped right over here. Pretty quick."
Yet Rhode remained unruffled in the face of this thunderous strike, even finding time for a quip. A Magic Shield formed directly between them, and he turned to Lilia to add, "He picked a fight with me this time. I'm not stealing your opponent..."
Boom!
The Lightning Whip collided with the Magic Shield.
An explosion like a thunderclap echoed through the mountains. Countless arcs of electricity and waves of mana spread outward, forming an electric ring dozens of meters in radius.
Although everyone present was an expert, they all felt the tremendous force of the collision and stepped back several paces to avoid the shock wave.
"So powerful," Garrick said, clicking his tongue.
He was one of the Defias Brotherhood's finest, which was why he led this group of a dozen or so experts.
Yet compared with Maltin's lightning strike, he felt that he still