What Gods had Tetsue faced to think that this meager form was comparable? Had his power  grown so much that just one extension of his will alone was god-like? No. The frame of reference is different, something was off abut Tetsue's perspective of gods. 

It didn't matter, he might press the question at a later date. For right now, the battle had truly begun. What Tetsue believed balanced their odds, equalizing the amount of force they give and take, was just another trick to be dealt with just like any other trick used against him.  

The divine's mind couldn't help but bounce back and forth between the battle and his musings. How weak have gods gotten in his time away from them? 

He boasted more and more, claiming his title's legitimacy by explaining his ability in detail. Resistance to an ability is built on the foundation of understanding how it works. So giving him an entire speech about how it works would ultimately contribute to his downfall. "You remove only your power, what you don't understand is that I hold far more than strength!" Most notable among these traits that the Baron was concealing was the blade hidden behind his heel. 

The Baron rushed forward, crushing rubble beneath his feet as he stampeded towards Tetsue. The distance between them closed rather quickly, the matching of their swords was in short order. It would become quite evident why he had created such an enormous blade as the two clashed. 

The Baron bent his arm at an unnatural angle, turning his left elbow downwards to allow for a much smoother crescent swing from his left hip all the way upwards to his head. To catch his foe's blade and drag it up with the sudden movement. How? Normally a blade wouldn't simply catch hold of another blade. 

But these aren't normal blades. 

Tetsue's blade cut cleanly into the Baron's blade as it made contact, and buried itself into the bulk of the sword. Though it would inevitably pass through, for a scarce moment it would still be trapped within. 

The Baron would immediately follow up by delivering a kick with his right foot into Tetsue's left kneecap. To strike at him as harshly as he could, with as swift a blow as possible while he was exposed.