Darkness swallowed everything.
The magical veil created by Darkness could not be pierced by darkvision, but Renato's Dragonkind Senses let him thrive within it. His three-hundred-and-sixty-degree blindsight projected everything around him clearly into his awareness.
Yet his opponent seemed to possess an ability akin to blindsight as well.
Darkness had not affected the Drow swordsman's swordplay at all. That bright silver longsword still thrust unerringly at every opening Renato exposed.
The angles, force, and timing of his attacks were all perfectly judged. Soon, Renato was once again overwhelmed by the fierce offensive.
His opponent's sword was too fast. The instant Renato's longsword was knocked off the centerline, an unexpected flying knee struck him in the chest.
The timing of that unarmed strike was exquisite, catching Renato precisely as he stepped sideways to deflect the attack with his pauldron.
While Renato was moving of his own accord, Mountain's Embrace could not activate the stabilizing effect of its runes. His body was forced to slide more than a dozen feet backward, his boot soles leaving two long scrape marks across the stone slabs.
The veil created by Darkness dissipated with him.
Light from the magic lamps flooded back into the path. The Drow warrior remained where he stood, expressionless, the white magic power on his blade shining as brightly as before.
His breathing was steady, and he was completely unharmed.
As a seasoned swordsman, Renato needed only a dozen or so seconds of fighting to understand how enormous the gap between them was.
It was not merely a matter of swordsmanship and combat experience. The Drow before him possessed physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.
Explosive power, precision, reaction speed... all surpassed Renato's.
Perhaps strength alone was evenly matched between them. But in sword fighting, even one physical advantage, coupled