The halberd scraped down my gauntlet and spun back toward my side. I twisted and caught it again with my forearm, letting the impact flow through my stance.
She pressed in, eyes sharp, muscles coiled with tension.
"You're fast, but lack the power."
She didn't answer.
Another strike.
Then another.
She aimed low, then high, then twisted mid-swing to catch me off-balance. I deflected every blow with a shift of my arm or a shoulder roll. My gauntlets rang like drums with each block.
Her stance was solid, and she had strength, at least four times that of a normal human.
Rather than brute force, it felt close to a more refined Stage Three Brute.
Still...
I wasn't even using half of mine.
I planted my feet and didn't budge as she swung again, and against. The halberd slammed into my forearm, but she grunted, sweat oozing from her brows.
Voices called out from below.
"Liya! What are you doing?!"
"Fall back, idiot! We don't know who he is!"
"Do you want to die!?"
