She moved to the center of the training ground. "Attack me. Full power. I'll defend, and you try to land that theoretical killing strike. Let's see if you can do it when someone's actually fighting back."
What followed was an hour of intense sparring. Lilith was skilled—centuries of combat experience showing in every movement. She didn't let Satou have any easy openings, forcing him to create opportunities through speed and technique.
By the end, Satou had landed three "killing blows"—strikes that would have opened Lilith from shoulder to hip if Void Fang had been live instead of deliberately pulled.
"Better," Lilith admitted. "You can actually fight under pressure. That's important. The Reaper won't stand still while you line up your perfect strike."
"Thank you," Satou said, breathing hard. "For this. For helping me prepare even though you think I should be staying out of it."
