The royal guard scrambled to form a defensive phalanx. They locked their shields together and leveled a wall of spears toward the descending warrior.
Kronos hit the basin floor and refused to slow down. He lowered his shoulder and crashed directly into the center of the phalanx.
The collision sounded like a collapsing iron forge. Steel shields buckled inward under the crushing force of his star-iron plating. Wooden spear shafts snapped into splinters upon impact. The frontline defenders were launched backward into the air, crashing into their own ranks to leave a gaping hole in the formation.
"Hold the line!" a captain screamed, frantically waving his sword to rally the scattered troops.
Kronos didn't give them a chance to recover. He stepped into the breach and swung his broadsword in a horizontal arc.
