The old man gained a youthfulness about him that was hard to describe. His back became straighter, his muscles bulging underneath his robes. He had become far stronger than before.
He looked toward Alex next and charged without another word.
He left a devastating crack behind, the force of his dash destroying the ground. The hammer was much lighter in his hand now, and he swung it at Alex with not only greater speed but also greater force.
The momentum it carried now was so much higher than before.
Alex, however, seemed unsurprised. He struck back at the hammer with an equally intense force, dissipating all of the power from the strike.
The old man's face fell. "How—"
Alex sped up faster. His swords moved in a flurry of strikes that the old man quickly defended against. The strength in his strikes was much stronger now as well.
"You were concealing your strength?" the old man asked, but Alex gave no answer. His answer was his swings that were now much stronger.
