When Arlon finished checking over his body, his sword, and every scrap of gear in the frozen world around him, he took one last breath and swung.
The blade sliced through the air, cloaked in layers of enchantments and the gathered power of preparation. The moment after the swing started, he gave the system a mental command.
He canceled the time-stopping item.
It had been a system-gifted artifact, and system-gifted things could be used or dismissed through system control. He hadn't needed to touch it.
A quiet pulse passed through reality as the effect lifted.
And then, the world screamed.
More precisely, Asef screamed.
His left arm was no longer attached.
It spiraled through the air in a wide arc, bloodless and severed cleanly at the shoulder.
Arlon didn't hesitate. He leapt back, distancing himself as the dust kicked up from the sudden reentry into normal time.
He steadied his breath.
Asef hadn't moved fast enough. Not because Arlon had used an ability—he hadn't.
