Hajin kept his eyes open while he flew toward four waiting fists, his mind detached from the immediate possibility of death.
"Aegis Barrier," he muttered while channeling mana through the interface against roaring wind.
A hexagonal grid of pale blue light formed a fraction before the fists struck home.
The barrier flashed, buckled, then held long enough to redirect the force of the blow.
Hajin still flew backward, boots skidding over gold veins until his heels dug into fractured stone.
Numbness crawled up both arms while the surviving hexagons cooled from white back to blue.
The impact shattered the air and sent a shockwave rolling across the whole plateau.
Vella surged forward with her aura flaring, only for Hajin's raised hand to stop her cold.
"Stay back. This fight belongs to me alone," Hajin ordered while wiping fresh blood from his nose.
"I need to see what this new mana can actually do," he added while keeping his attention on the gorilla.
