Rovan struck before Iven reached the last step.
The winch-driven bar came across the stair mouth at knee height. Iven planted against the solid side, sprang past its moving end with a short turbine release and landed on the upper walkway facing the wrong way for the blow that followed.
He had expected that.
He turned behind his raised right guard, braced the plate through his rear foot and met Rovan’s gauntlet with the full width of the steel.
The impact drove him sideways into the rail.
His boots stayed on the walkway. The rail rang against his hip. Rovan followed at once, left hand pushing at Iven’s shoulder while his heavy right arm drew back for another committed strike.
Iven went low and forward.
His shoulder caught Rovan beneath the lifted arm. He drove through his legs, forced a step back and escaped the narrow pocket between the man and the rail.
