CRACK!
The left side of Ardum's head sparkled silver as Nick's spear hit him.
Nick's spear had activated Ardum's Barrier.
However, Ardum's Barrier was very different from normal Barriers.
After all, Ardum was a potential heir to the Melfion family.
The silver sparkle had been Ardum's Barrier, which had created a thin film of energy over Ardum's clothing and skin, and when the spear was close to hitting Ardum, the Barrier's shape changed.
The Barrier stretched out and angled 30° to the side.
The spear hit the angled Barrier, and its trajectory changed so that it passed by Ardum instead of hitting him.
Naturally, quite a bit of the spear's force still hit the Barrier, but it was almost negligible.
Together with the five-to-one ratio of attacking Zephyx to defensive Zephyx of the Barrier, Ardum didn't even lose 10% of his Zephyx.
Inside the alley, Nick gritted his teeth.
He hadn't expected Ardum to be first.