Chapter 52: The Anti-Magic Gauntlet

My power had been countered.

The lightning surrounding the Doom Axe had vanished, leaving my attack harmless against whatever Thors had done.

I stared at the dwarf for a moment before shifting my attention to his hands.

The runes engraved on his gauntlets were gradually fading, their dull glow growing weaker until only faint traces of light remained.

So that was how he had done it.

When my axe had collided with his weapon, the strange power in his gauntlets had interfered with the lightning.

It hadn’t destroyed the mana itself, which was a relief, but it had disrupted the energy I was using to control the lightning long enough to prevent my attack from taking effect.

I could still feel the mana flowing through my body, and the Doom Axe remained responsive to my commands.

Whatever Thors had done, it hadn’t stripped me of my abilities entirely.

His gauntlets possessed something resembling an anti-magic effect, but it clearly wasn’t true negation. Or was it?

I couldn’t be certain without testing it further.

Considering how easily Thors had defeated Orgrun, I could finally understand why the chief’s magic had failed to turn the battle in his favor.

If the dwarf could interfere with spells and magical attacks whenever they threatened him, he would have a significant advantage against a mage.

Orgrun might have been powerful in his own right, but his abilities had probably been far less effective against an opponent who could disrupt them at the right moment.

Still, that raised another question.

Could Thors use that counter every time I attacked?

Unlikely. An ability without meaningful restrictions would make him far too difficult to defeat, even for someone stronger than him.

If his gauntlets could continuously neutralize any form of magic, he wouldn’t have needed to rely so heavily on his weapon’s reach and his own combat experience.

He could simply block my attacks and let the effect do the rest.

Yet that wasn’t what he had done.

He had dodged my first Thunder Cleave, avoided several of my swings, and only countered my lightning when I finally forced him into a direct clash.

That suggested he had to choose when to activate the ability. Perhaps he couldn’t maintain it continuously, or perhaps the effect was limited to the point where his gauntlets or weapon made contact with an incoming attack.

Either way, he couldn’t use it carelessly.

And if he had to be careful, I could use that against him.

I just had to get the timing right.

The dwarf noticed that my attention had shifted toward his hands.

He glanced at his gauntlets, then looked back at me with an amused expression.

"What are you staring at, goblin? Like what you see?"

I didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, I slowly rose to my feet, keeping my eyes on him.

My shoulder still hurt from the earlier impact, and my stomach hadn’t entirely recovered from the blow he had landed with the blunt end of his axe.

However, neither injury was severe enough to stop me from fighting.

Thors tilted his head, apparently interpreting my silence as hesitation.

"Why? Are you ready to give up?"

I let out a steady breath and adjusted my grip on the Doom Axe.

The weapon’s familiar weight settled into my hands, and I could feel the mana within it responding to my presence.

"Quite the opposite," I replied. "Based on what I’ve seen, I’m certain I can win this fight."

Thors’s amused expression disappeared. His eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere around him seemed to grow heavier as he tightened his grip on his long axe.

"Oh? I don’t think you’ve seen everything."

"Then...show me."

I charged toward him before he could say anything else.

Thors immediately brought his long axe forward, positioning the shaft to intercept my weapon.

He was clearly expecting another lightning-infused attack, and I could see his attention shift toward the Doom Axe as I closed the distance.

However, this time, I didn’t channel mana into the blade.

I kept my power in reserve and swung using nothing but my physical strength, putting my weight behind the attack.

Our axes collided with a deafening clang.

The impact jarred my arms, but I held on and shoved forward.

The dwarf grunted, clearly surprised by the sudden change. He twisted his weapon and forced mine downward, attempting to open my guard, but I released the pressure and stepped back before he could follow through.

I swung again. He blocked.

Again. He blocked that one too.

I kept attacking, changing the angle of each strike and refusing to give him enough time to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

My technique was nowhere near his level, and he still managed to redirect most of my attacks, but I noticed something each time our weapons met.

His gauntlets glowed whenever he prepared to disrupt my lightning.

Without the lightning, that glow was unnecessary.

And when I continued attacking without using my elemental power, he had to rely on his actual skill to keep me at bay.

The dwarf finally caught my axe against the shaft of his weapon and shoved it aside. He stepped in, bringing his knee toward my stomach.

I twisted at the last moment, taking the blow against my hip instead of my gut. The pain nearly buckled my legs, but I swung the Doom Axe upward as he pulled away.

He blocked it with the lower end of his weapon.

I released the lightning.

A violent crack split the air.

The electricity burst from the Doom Axe and raced along his long axe, catching him before he could fully activate the power in his gauntlets.

His arms stiffened.

He stumbled backward, and for the first time, his grip on the weapon weakened.

I didn’t let him recover.

I rushed forward and brought the Doom Axe down with both hands.

He twisted aside, but the blade still tore through the edge of his armor, leaving a deep gash across his side. He staggered, one hand pressing...