The moment Max's golden palm met the monstrous fist of the Ascendant, the battlefield seemed to pause for the span of a single thunderous heartbeat. Blazing ripples of luminous energy erupted outward in concentric waves, lighting up the blood-drenched field like a sudden sunrise cutting through a storm.
For an instant, a brilliant sphere of golden radiance encased both Max and the towering creature, crackling and shimmering as light and darkness warred at the point of impact. Then, with a deafening crack like the splitting of a mountain, the sphere burst apart, sending the Ascendant hurtling backward as though fired from a divine cannon.
