Shouts broke out around the training grounds. Ludwig held still, then turned his eyes toward Joanna, who stood beside him with a thoroughly satisfied expression.
"What did you do?" he asked. "I couldn't see you, and I couldn't sense you moving."
"Presence distortion," she said, withdrawing the blade. "You've become very good at reading an opponent, but that gives me something else to work with."
Ludwig looked toward the place she had occupied. "You were standing directly in front of me. I was already watching you."
"And you were expecting certain signals to continue." Joanna rested the tip of her sword against the stone. "Breathing, intent, Mana, aura, even the way someone puts their weight against the ground. A fighter learns to recognize those things without consciously separating them. Remove enough at the right moment, and the mind briefly loses track."
"You hid an entire approach inside that gap." Ludwig touched his neck. "How long did it last?"
