With the rushing inferno persisting, the keen eyes of Archontikos never relinquished their hold of his opponent as if gauging her capabilities. From the absurd processing prowess of the beast’s mental faculties, it was as if he was watching things play out in slow motion. The majestic coordination of her movements was admittedly remarkable and very befitting of the title she claimed. He even nearly found himself taken off guard by her last minute maneuverability. Sure his mind was able to perceive things in such a way, but his body was still limited to the bounds of physiology. The moment he lost sight of her for a moment as she sprang up and behind him, his flames ceased while he pivoted his body to turn towards her.

Tiamat’s decisive strike did indeed connect. The ensuing collision would create a shockwave that rattled the entire structure and threatened to collapse it entirely. If the humanoid reptile were to look, she would see that her claws had connected with the forearm of the Godly Griffin raised at the last second. Completing a half rotation, the arm that hadn’t released the flame was used to block her strike. Only losing a bit of altitude from the impact, he remained otherwise undamaged. The impervious nature of his hide held firm and the flame still coated around the limb was somewhat used as additional protection. The durable defenses were slightly dented, essentially, but only a strike in that exact spot could whither it further, which was unlikely. The ancient warrior would look up at his adversary with that deadpan expression seemingly fixed on his visage.

“Impressive.” he would initially say, his blazing wings continuing to keep him afloat. Each beat of the fiery constructs sent embers scattering randomly and the heat only seemed to still be rising. Arch wasn’t just a master of fire, but a living embodiment of it.  He wills the flames as naturally as he draws breath.

“I am Archontikos. The mightiest of the Allagimorfis. An eternal force of nature that will endure long after you perish.” continued the fiery feline. Just then, the very wing she intended to target as well as the one beside it would bend into makeshift fists and lunge themselves towards her fleshy midsection with blinding speeds looking to deliver a plethora of powerfully burning blows.

[@Drifting Pollen]