Shade struck first, this time without holding back. His knife movements blurred into a pattern that was sharper and faster than anything he'd shown earlier. He aimed for Xavier's throat, ribs, and legs in a near-continuous sequence, cutting angles with so much precision that it felt like he had fought in this forest a hundred times before.
Xavier countered the first barrage, rolled through the second, and deflected the third with the flat of his blade, but Shade kept coming, breathing harder but smiling like this was what he wanted from the start.
Then Shade changed forms. His stance lowered, his shoulders relaxed, and his movements shifted into a style meant for killing, not sparring. He vanished from Xavier's line of sight for a split second and reappeared behind him with a slash aimed directly at his spine.
