"Thank you." I straightened my posture. "You made me realize a mistake… so I will repay it by taking this fight more seriously."
His composed smile cracked into a sinister grin. No wonder they called him the Smiling Buddha.
"I like that expression more," I added. "It's less pretentious."
SWOOOSH!
He did not even say anything and just appeared in front of me.
His speed was way faster than before, revealing he had been holding back too all along.
"Death River Mirage!"
I saw him swing vertically, but instinct screamed that the real attack was aimed at my stomach.
Using both tips of my spear, I managed to block multiple strikes at once.
clang!
His blows hit twice as hard too. If he unleashed this from the start, I wouldn't have lasted a minute.
We exchanged blow after blow, but I stayed entirely on the defensive, blocking, parrying, and retreating whenever he pressed forward.
I waited, watching, until a single gap opened.
