Oli continued to pressure Jonon without end. He understood that controlling the tempo was best and giving Jonon a chance to breathe would only increase the odds of Oli losing.
"Why is a peak-adept afraid of me, a low-adept?"
"Because you're worth keeping an eye on," jeered Jonon, playing along. "But don't assume I'm afraid of a weakling like you!"
With a better feeling for Oli's strange dark essence and his boosted speed and strength, Jonon's counterattack began. As Oli's hammers charged ahead, Jonon's blades changed coats again, one being covered in frost and the other in condensed earth. The frost blade carved into the face of Oli's first hammer while the second, earth-crusted blade smashed into the hilt of Oli's second hammer. This finally proved useful as the top of Oli's essence hammer was forcefully dispersed by the cleaving attack.
