"How is this possible?"
Anasterian was stunned.
Even Antonidas had only relied on his superior mobility to hold his own against him back then, rather than meeting him head-on like this.
"Let's try that again!"
Anasterian shouted, then turned his palm into a blade and slashed again.
This time, the blade's radiance surged to twenty or thirty meters in length, like a brilliant rainbow piercing the sun.
This strike revealed Anasterian's true strength.
Dense arcane light enveloped the "blade," descending on Rhode in an overwhelming wave that seemed ready to swallow the entire tower roof.
Yet Rhode remained unhurried. He gathered his Fire Orbs again and answered the Sun King with a slash of his own.
This time, the blade formed from the Fire Orbs was not long, but it looked far more solid than its counterpart. Flames seemed to dance within its radiance, nearly condensing into a golden thread.
Rhode raised his blade and slashed.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the blade of light, only five or six meters long, cleaved Anasterian's enormous, twenty-meter blade energy in two before his disbelieving eyes.
It was as though Rhode had felled a towering tree with a small knife.
And the terrifying arcane force felt like nothing more than a breeze against Rhode's face, failing to shake him in the slightest.
"As expected of Mage Rhode." After collecting himself, Anasterian actually laughed. "You're telling me that when shaping mana into a weapon, bigger isn't always better. Hahaha..."
Still laughing, he extended his right hand, and a small staff appeared in his palm.
It was called a staff, but its short shape made it look rather like a hammer.
"This is the Sun King's Scepter. I seldom use it," Anasterian told Rhode. "But it seems you're worthy of facing it. Your magical attunement