'Hopper had but one advantage over the massive beast of a man he was challenging. He wasn't subtle.

It might sound obvious, especially after the bit where he rained down lightning, but now instead of sending him running for dear life, it's saving his hide. To 'Hoppers experienced eye, from the moment his opponent grabbed that axe to the time he hurled it at 'Hopper, the giant was telegraphing every nuance of the throw.

Because of 'Hoppers experienced eyes, he probably knew where the axe was heading even better than the giant did! From there on out, it was a simple matter of not being there!

'Hoppers movements weren't hurried or panicked, he moved only enough to let the axe whiz by, mere inches from his chest. Despite the lack of physical impact, 'Hopper still felt the force of it ripping through the air. So powerful was the throw, so great was the difference in physical strength between 'Hopper and his opponent that even a near-miss like that was enough to leave him breathless.

His opponent clearly never intended for that to finish him off, just keep him busy long enough to get into a fighting stance. 'Hopper hated that it worked.

But, with his opponent on the defensive, it did give 'Hopper the chance to size up the situation. Soddin' Hells, one lil' tap from 'im an' all the bones in me body'll be ground up like flour ta' make 'is bread with! This ain't quite a beanstalk, but I sure as Stygia know how Jack musta've felt... S'not fair, never is, I got'im hard as I could, piker should be havin' trouble jus' walking now. Instead, he's flippin' end-over-end better 'an before! AN 'is blood is makin' Styx not better 'an a metal club. He's not so good at swordplay as I am, but he don't have ta' be, all I gets is one more hit 'afore Lucky gets an' acid-bath, an' it's all over. Can't hurt him none with that either, iffin' that nasty piece of work what used ta' be his leg is any clue. I'm outmuscled, outmagicked, totally outclassed. Powers, I haven't 'ad this much fun in years.

'Hopper grinned.

He tossed Styx away, it was useless now, and probably more dangerous to 'Hopper than to anyone he might hit with it. Old muscles were screaming at him from the recent stress, he could ignore them for a few moments longer. This wasn't going to take long, now that 'Hopper made up his mind to stop playing fair.

Once again, 'Hopper lunged into the fray. He moved like a wild animal, scrambling up branches to gain the height he needed to leap down on the giant from above; a raging berserker with the golden sword Lucky arcing directly for the giant's forehead.

But it was a ruse, a trick, a mad gambit to draw attention away from 'Hoppers left hand, where another of his many rings was in position. 'Hopper knew that even if Lucky struck true, he probably couldn't deal a fatal wound through the giant's thick, brutish skull, and there were any number of parries or counters that he could respond with, and if this didn't work, 'Hopper would soon be wholly shattered.

When everything was perfectly in position, the true nature of 'Hoppers attack would become apparent. At his mental command, the anti-magic field lowers, and his force shield turns on, especially placed to:

A. Leave a barrier between 'Hopper and the giant's impossibly strong counterattack, whatever it might be...

B. overlap with the giant's neck.

There was no guarantee here, the giant could do something unexpected, and powers knew the ring was never meant to be used as a weapon, there's really no telling how effective it could be. But if this works, he'll decapitate his opponent, and move on to the next.