Closing her eyes and stilling her mind, Mila took a deep breath, reached for Balance, and reviewed her plan to defeat this fearso foe.
Fighting at range was not to her advantage. Better to get in close to put her superior strength and technique to good use, except she lacked the tools needed to advance quickly and safely. Balance on Windy Leaf into Pierce the Horizon was Mamas favoured Movent to close distance fast, but Mila never did figure out how to perform that particular variation. Having long since mastered the skill himself, Rain tried explaining it to her many a ti, drawing up diagrams and physically guiding her through the motions, but the pieces never truly fell into place. The premise was simple, to stiffen your body and fall forward like a toppled tree, only to recover your balance at the last possible mont and use the gathered montum to shoot ahead at breakneck speeds. This wasnt the only advantage the movent offered, because when viewed from the side, Mama and Rain werent moving all that fast, or at least not so fast as to deny a Martial Warrior the opportunity to react. According to Rain, the trick lay in a deficiency of the human eye, which was exceptional at tracking horizontal movents but less adept at tracking vertical movents, especially when high changes in acceleration was involved. Thus, when performing Balance on Windy Leaf, Rain and Mama were literally dropping out of their opponents sight and using that split second of confusion to close the distance.
How he knew this he would not say, only attributing it to a book hed read and long since forgotten the title of, an excuse he used many a ti before and no one ever believed. Regardless of where he learned this from, he demonstrated the chanics behind his theory with help from Rakky, who did so love to climb to the roofs and pounce upon his favourite rubber ball. One second, the tiger would be crouched in plain view, and the next, hed be rolling about in the grass and kicking his back feet in a playful attempt to disembowel whatever animal he imagined the ball to be. If watched from head on, Rakky all but disappeared in the blink of an eye, but she could easily track him when watching from the side, which she did many, many tis since Rakky only enjoyed chasing the ball when he had soone to throw it for him.
Adorable as it was, Milas heart ached for how far the mighty hunter had fallen, though she worried Rain mightve had the sa effect on her as well. All he had to do was flash his charming smile and emit his Loving Aura to make her go weak in the knees, a strong, independent Expert of the Empire and Divine Blacksmith reduced to a moon-eyed fool every ti he showed his face. She couldnt even be mad at him because he wasnt purposefully targeting her, as he still had yet to rein in his rampant Emotional Aura from revealing all his innermost emotions no matter what they might be. It was a boon at tis, as it ant others were aware of his unchecked emotional mood swings and could better help him manage them, and it made for so incredibly intimate and emotional lovemaking sessions, but there were tis when she wished she could block his Aura out, if only so she could stop simpering in his presence every ti he was in an amorous mood.
Which was always. Mother in Heaven, Mila was glad she had two sister wives to help her share the burden, else she feared she would have no ti or energy left for other pursuits after satisfying Rains desires.
Inwardly grumbling at her lacking concentration, Mila exhaled and opened her eyes to refocus on the task at hand, which was devising a plan to defeat her opponent. Balance on Windy Leaf was an option for so, but she had yet to master it and would only end up humiliating herself. It required perfect coordination and pinpoint timing to pull off, variables even Rain couldnt explain in any detail for her, which ant she needed to explore other options.
Like Bull Traverses the Mountain, a bounding leap that would send her sailing through the air at her opponent, a foolish opener if there ever were one. So might be caught off-guard by her unexpected rush, but not her foe here today. He was quick to act and even quicker to react, assuming he didnt read her movents in advance. If he did, she would count herself blessed if he rely dodged, as she would be in mid-air and unable to avoid any counter attack he might try.
Wolf Leads the Pack was another option, not so much a charge as a rapid advance, closing the distance in a rather mundane manner by simply walking over with defences raised. Against almost any other opponent, this would be Milas first choice, but for this foe in particular, doing so was all but inviting him to counter-charge and forfeiting the upper hand. Action was better than reaction, offence easier than defence, rules that held true for all Martial Warriors from base soldier to Peak Divinity.
Yan wouldnt even bother trying to advance, because she held the advantage of range. Instead, her foe would be forced to advance upon her while weathering a storm of Wind Blades, to say nothing of her six-pointed shield which she hurled with unerring accuracy, even when wielding a mundane replica. Mila would love to do the sa, but despite her embarrassing bout of Imparted Insight that took place within the bath-house, she had yet to duplicate her success and discharge a second beam of concentrated light. She could throw her spear, but these were practice weapons and she lacked the ability to recall it back to hand, and thus would be left without a weapon. As for throwing her shield, she would sooner throw her boots at her foe since it wouldnt feel right fighting without her shields reassuring weight on her arm.
As for Song, she would advance using Tiger Stalks the Dragon, an elegant set of footwork that allowed her to almost glide across open ground in any direction without turning away from her opponent. While similar in execution to Wolf Leads the Pack, Tiger Stalks the Dragon was more flexible and therefore more difficult to read, affording Song more options to act and react depending on how her opponent moved. Again, not a movent Mila had mastered, and therefore would be lacking if put to use against this foe, so she discarded this option as quickly as the others.
All of these thoughts and more flitted through her Enlightened mind in less ti than it took to blink an eye, but as she had yet to co up with a proper solution, she changed tack and considered the battle from a different angle. Though keeping her distance would play to her opponents advantage, that didnt necessarily an she had to charge in. Instead, she could offer up a tempting target and lure him into approaching her, as her foe was surprisingly aggressive and hotheaded in battle. And in bed, but Mila banished the thought from her mind and forced her gaze down just a centitre or two, fixating on her opponents cute nose rather than his dazzling amber eyes or the charming smile sitting underneath. Yes, all she had to do was make it look like she intended to circle around and leave a minor opening to tempt him over. It ant giving up the initiative, especially if he didnt take the bait, but it was the best option for now. Nothing too obvious, else hed sense sothing off, so she readied her practice shield in a guarded stance and held her blunted spear overhead, ready to throw or thrust as needed.
Begin.
The call sounded and she shot forward like a cannonball, moving diagonally towards him so as not to charge in head-on. In his mind, she will have weighed her options and settled on a compromise, to close the distance without fully committing to offence or defence. Not the first ti shed done so, and while hed punished her for this half-hearted approach before, he knew she was stubborn and liable to get stuck in her ways. His lips pursed in an effort to keep his smile from turning into a grin, and he responded to her aggression by circling around to her left, veering into a collision course to et her shield head-on. A feint, one she read in advance, and thus she was not surprised when he executed the footwork hed conceived so many years ago and perfected since. Even then, she still almost lost track of him as he changed headings mid-stride, speeding left one mont and then suddenly shifting to her right the next, his toe-heel, slide and step allowing him to dance about in all directions without slowing in the slightest.
Yet another combination of movents Mila was unable to grasp, because even though she understood the movents well enough and the order in which to do them, every attempt to execute the series of movents in the midst of combat had ended with her tripping over her own feet. That said, she was familiar enough with the footwork to predict where her foe would appear, and her spear lanced out towards his chest in a powerful over-hand thrust.
Which he neatly blocked without so much as breaking a sweat, while simultaneously trapping the blade of her spear between the protruding twin tusks of this replica mammoth-skull shield. Technically, the actual weapon had been forged from the skull of a ng-Zhua, but as far as Mila could tell, the only difference between the two beasts was one of size, with mammoths being much larger than their mountain-dwelling cousins.
First point to him, but Mila was not one to surrender without a fight. Stepping in close to keep him from wrenching her spear away, she slamd the rim of her shield into his shoulder and sucked her teeth at the lacklustre impact. A slippery opponent he was, already disengaging even before she stepped in, as he never intended to contest for her spear in a competition of pure strength. Perhaps he anticipated her reaction and responded appropriately, or perhaps he wasnt quite used to his newfangled strength, because with his body having been Refined into a Spiritual Heart and his ability to generate a Shroud of Reinforcent, he was more than capable of contesting her in a match of pure, straightforward brawn, though she was still the stronger of the two. No matter though, because there was only so much room for him to run, and she followed through with an aggressive charge, advancing with Bull Pulls the Cart while swinging her weapons at her foe with repeated performances of Deer Parts the Underbrush. Left, right, high, low, she delivered unto him a flurry of Reinforced, Amplified, and Reverberating blows while pressing her advantage, but never wholly committing to an all-out-offensive in case he should find an opening for a possible counter-attack.
There were many ways he could turn the tides against her, too many for Milas mind to keep track of even with help from the State of Enlightennt. It took all of her focus to keep her storm of attacks from faltering, as not only was she fighting without her trusted Spiritual Weapons and forced to utilize so skills Externally, performing so many combined Chi skills in quick succession was fast pushing her limits, to the point where her attacks were less elegant than they otherwise might be. Flailing her spear about like a heavy bludgeon rather than the light piercing weapon it was, she marvelled at how readily he weathered the storm. Never once did he simply raise his guard and accept an attack like so many other Warriors would. Instead, his feet danced to and fro as he moved his blunted weapons about in a whirling ring of defence, dodging, parrying, and Deflecting her attacks with superlative skill and flawless timing. Even the attacks he blocked were actively intercepted, matching her strike with one of his own to three-fold effect. First, his active blocks threw off the timing for her Amplifications, since the impact was not delivered when expected. Second, it allowed him to deliver a Reverberation strike of his own, to cancel out the effect of her piercing reverberations. Lastly, by stopping her attacks short, it prevented her from following through with a full swing, thereby lessening the total impact delivered as well as reminding her to be careful not to let him catch her weapon again.
All this from a man who claid he didnt understand Deflection or Reverberation. If she didnt love him so much, she wouldve long since strangled him to death in his sleep for all his incessant complaining.
Even though she was guarded against a reversal of fortunes, she still missed seeing how he slipped away from her offensive. One second he was in front of her, defending against her flurry attacks with almost laughable ease, and the next he was gone, leaving Mila reeling from an attack to her left, a hamring blow she blocked through good positioning and better luck. Arm numbed from the Reverberating impact, she staggered aside three steps before righting herself and finding her foe once again, and only then did she put together the series of events. As she wound up for a wild swing, one she wouldve never delivered were she not so frantic to end things quickly, he dove forward to her left and rolled to his feet, using the sa principles as Balance on Windy Leaf to escape from her sight. The fact that he positioned himself so that her shield obstructed his final position was an added bonus, at which point he delivered a back-hand smash that should have landed on her shoulder, but a fortunate twist of her torso brought her shield up just enough to intercept the unseen attack.
And then the tables were turned as Falling Rain went on the offensive, and she weathered the storm far less elegantly than he. Whereas he was able to exchange blows while on the defensive, all she could do was raise her shield and huddle behind it, carefully shifting this way and that to keep it between her tender body and his furious barrage of attacks, each one so cleverly aid as to knock her off balance and create an opening to exploit. tal rang in a symphony of thundering echoes as she blocked attack after attack, gritting her teeth and lowering her hips so as to withstand the deluge of attacks. His speed and power had improved significantly in the last few weeks, following his miraculous recovery and subsequent marriage to Lin-Lin. Scary to think that he still had so much room to improve, for he would be a force to be reckoned with once he familiarized himself with all the new discoveries hed stumbled across, such as the aforentioned Refined physique and External Reinforcent. One couldnt forget his newfangled ability of Domain Plating either, which aided in his efforts to utilize Chi in all manner of subtle and not so subtle ways, most of which even he didnt understand, much less Mila herself.
So how was Mila supposed to contest against him? By doing sothing she was entirely unaccustod to: relying on her superior tactics and positioning to secure the victory rather than overpowering her opponent with raw strength.
Though his defensive expertise made it difficult to defeat him, those skills had yet to transfer over to his offensive capabilities, which ant Mila could take her ti and choose her mont wisely. Barely able to see him over the rim of her shield, what little she could perceive was still more than enough to read his rhythm. Seizing upon a lull in the symphony of tal, she rushed forward into the storm to limit his avenues of attack and create an opening for herself. Fortune favours the bold as they say, and it was true here today as she slamd shield first into her opponents chest and sent him staggering away. Though not expecting such a fortuitous turn of events, training took over as she sent her spear lancing forward in a basic thrust, one he cleanly intercepted despite still reeling from the tackle. Though her spear failed to connect, the wild strike bought her the much needed ti to sidestep around to his right flank, giving her the initiative in the battle once again.
Then it was just a matter of keeping the pressure up and giving him no ti to think, forcing him to constantly react and keeping him on the back foot. Stuck in the mud, is how Mama phrased it, aning Rains footwork was a ss with Mila dictating their pace, delivering blow after blow to his defensively weaker right side while circling around to keep him off centre. To the civilians in the audience, it would appear as if they were dancing in circles, but even the most lacklustre soldier could see that Rain was at a marked disadvantage, unable to put his shield to good use and struggling to get his feet back under him. Though this wild offensive rush seed similar to Milas initial plan, she clearly held the upper hand and she used it to good effect, targeting his sword and feet to keep him off balance while sticking too close for him to slip around her.
Even though Rain was stronger, faster, and more adept at utilizing certain popular Chi skills than she was, none of this was enough to make up for his greatest weakness, his lacking foundation. Despite Demonstrating the Forms each and every day, he still had yet to even touch upon the myriad of secrets hidden within the depths of each and every Movent. Not only did he first set foot on the Martial Path much later than most, familiarity with the Forms ca slowly to him, so outside of those admittedly effective thods hed copied or co up with himself, like Mamas charging dash and his curiously deceptive footwork, he had precious few tricks to work with, and Mila was keen to them all.
The sa could not be said in reverse however, because even though theyd sparred countless tis before, he had yet to familiarize himself with the full extent of Milas arsenal of movents. In fact, few Martial Warriors could match Mila when it ca to the sheer breadth and depth of familiarity with regards to the Forms, but that was because most were not trained by a Peak Expert and Living Legend who possessed over four centuries of combat experience and demanded nothing short of perfection. There were many Movents Mila was not yet adept enough to use, but those were easier to count than the number of Movents she could draw upon. Thus, in order to defeat him, she pulled out all the stops and used a myriad of Movents and combinations hed never seen before, not firsthand from her at least. Stalking the Dragon into Uplift the Sequoia saw her drop low before delivering a smashing uppercut with the rim of her shield. Gliding Wing into Twitching Tail cut off his path of retreat, but only just as he almost fought his way out of the mud. Following up with Hanging Branch Grasp into Darting Fang, she feigned a thrust to the abdon that transford into a real one targeting the chest, which he sidestepped by the thinnest margins imaginable, but she was not yet done. Devouring the Horse into Circling the Grass kept Rain spinning about in search of her true attack, one that he realized all too late was coming from above.
Thus far, all her movents were ones taught by Mama, but in order to ensure victory, Mila pulled sothing from her bag of tricks that she borrowed from Papa. Fluttering Raindrops into Standing Fury, a powerful combination Rain affectionately terd the Husolt Papa Smash.
Though Rain had seen it before, he never expected to see Mila use it against him, and that minor mont of surprise allowed her to bring her spear haft down hard on his shoulder, eliciting a muted groan and an audible crack of fractured bone. Withdrawing her attack a second too late, she rushed over as he dropped to the ground and quickly helped him back on his feet, for it would not do for the crowd to see their Legate down and defeated. Youre fine, she said, more to reassure herself and the crowd than a statent of fact, because she knew that his refined physique took much more Chi and effort to Heal than before. Youre fine.
Funny definition of fine you have there, Rain said, grinning without a care in the world for his own public image. Damn near shattered my shoulder with that final Papa Smash there. Didnt know youd picked that up, or any of those other combinations either. Chuckling wryly as he took advantage of her concern to slip an arm around her waist, he feigned outrage and said, There will co a day when I defeat you woman, and then I will teach you the true aning of regret.
Nonsense. Smacking his roving hand away, her cheeks heated as she considered dragging him away to a dark corner instead, but he still had much to do before the day was done. Youre already far stronger than I am in terms of raw combat capability, as I would not stand a chance against you if you used your Guided Sword, Honed Domain, Emotional Aura, Cloud Stepping capabilities, Concealnt, the Mountain Collapsing Stomp, or any number of the advanced techniques youve recently picked up. Not to ntion all the effort he put into mastering his Blessing, which had progressed by leaps and bounds since his wedding with Lin-Lin. The opponent Mila faced in her spar today was Falling Rain at his worst, one limited by self-imposed restrictions to make this a fair fight, aning hed all but handed victory over to her on a silver platter.
Not without reason though. Father-in-Law Baatar was well aware of Rains lacking experience and suggested he spar like this more often to shore up his weakness, though the pool of equally skilled opponents who made for a good match was limited, to say the least. Song was a good opponent for Rain, but Yan could no longer keep up, having devoted too much of her recent efforts towards Forming a Natal Palace and Developing her Domain. Once she achieved these two significant milestones, Yan would be like a tiger given wings, but even with so much help and support from family and friends, she had yet to find success. That being said, even without a Natal Palace or Domain, Yans familiarity with her Blessing was second to none amongst her peers, as not even Rain could co close to her level of mastery without relying on the Elental Spirit of Water.
Aside from Song and Mila, Rustram, Wang Bao, Ulfsaar, and a few others from his retinue were surprisingly decent opponents, though Rain won those matches handily each and every ti. The only other Warriors to defeat him in this style of sparring were several years older, like Sister-in-Law Alsantset, Tursinai, and Ryo Dain, though Zian, BoShui, Fung, Ishin Ken Shibu, and Tam Taewoong all ca close on several occasions.
Of course, none of the aforentioned Warriors would be able to even touch the hem of Rains robes if he were to fight seriously, as he would soon demonstrate once his next sparring opponent arrived.
How is your shoulder? Mila Sent, worried shed ruined his chances of securing his much desired victory. Can it be Healed in ti?
Yea, though I might have a headache tomorrow. His amber eyes flashing in wicked promise of later reparations, Mila repressed a shudder of naked desire to atone for her impudence. If word of her perversion were to slip out, she would die of pure sha, but there was sothing about surrendering to her husbands whims that left her so satisfied and sated. Yan enjoyed a different dynamic with Rain, one of equals and partners, while Lin-Lin was unsurprisingly incredibly aggressive and assertive in her affections, but Milas greatest desire was to simply submit to Rains desires and let him do as he pleased, and she hadnt the foggiest idea why.
Cheeks heating from the re thought of what was to co, she shoved him ever so slightly and smiled as the fiendish glint in his eyes deepened. Leaving him to Heal his injury in silence, she retreated to Yans side and ignored her sister-wifes wicked grin in favour of greeting her actual sister Li-Li with a hug, though Mila was grateful Lin-Lin was still fast asleep and thus not here to tease her about her depraved perversion. No, there was nothing depraved about it, Mila was a strong and confident woman wholly capable of standing on her own, but she simply enjoyed playing the part of ek and dutiful wife in the bedroom. This attitude didnt extend anywhere else, which was perfectly fine, as what happened in the bedroom, stayed in the bedroom, so long as Rain rembered to keep them all Concealed from prying eyes and ears.
Still, despite trusting her husband to keep their sordid affairs secret, Mila would feel a lot more secure once they had the manor to themselves, but the mbers of the older generation were all dragging their feet and reluctant to move out and into their new hos which Rain had built in the Northern Citadel. Much as she loved her parents and in-laws, Mila felt they were all being overly dramatic about the forced and unnecessary move considering their five manors still shared a communal courtyard, which even had a pond to make it more like a private park than anything else. Silly Taduk even threw an adorable little tantrum when Rain and Lin-Lin told them their plans, stomping his feet and huffing up a storm because he thought he would live with them just like the rest of the in-laws had. Being the soft-hearted fool that he was, Rain had yet to put his foot down and insist everyone move out into their new, spacious manors, and so Mila suffered in their presence.
Then again, his filial piety and love of family was one reason why she loved him so much, one of many qualities on a list that at tis seed without end.
Passing the minutes with idle conversation, Mila kept an eye on Rain as he Healed his shoulder and rested for his upcoming bout, one that had drawn large audiences day after day since they took Yuzhens advice to publicize their sparring matches. The contestant in question arrived without fanfare or pageantry, dropping his Concealnt only after making his way through the crowd, though Mila noted Rains eyes had opened and found his opponent several seconds before Gerel had revealed himself. Side by side, they looked so identical it was almost eerie to behold, the similarities previously hidden behind Rains gaunt and drawn features, but no matter how often Mila saw it, she couldnt help but be surprised every ti she saw them together. She still thought Rain was the more handso of the two, especially when he cared to dress up and do his hair, but alas, it was a rare occasion when he did. In contrast, Gerel was always one to look his best, a male peacock who enjoyed looking pretty for the crowd. Not the worst quality to possess, Mila had to admit, but it was difficult not to resent the man for looking so damned good each and every day.
Youre injured, the stupidly handso man remarked, his cold, yet soft-spoken words easily heard over the hushed crowd.
My fiery wifes work, Rain replied, grinning with such foolish pride that it set Milas cheeks ablaze. You know how it is. Spare the rod and spoil the husband.
The crowd laughed at his self-deprecating joke, and even frosty Gerel cracked a tiny smile, the two contentious dragons having bonded over weeks of sparring. Strange creatures, n were, able to beat each other senseless and walk away laughing and smiling with one another. Mila hated even losing to Mama, to say nothing about Dain, so how Rain and Gerel could beco closer friends after sparring each and every day was a mystery to say the least. It was more than mutual respect, but actual genuine friendship, as if they enjoyed trouncing one another until they were bruised and bloody, like pure masochists yearning for the whip.
At least Mila wasnt so far gone in her perversions, though she could have done without the knowledge of such fetishes existing. Yans fault that, as well as the image of a naked Rain and Gerel entwined in a different sort of sparring that Mila could not get out of her head, though she wasnt sure she would want it gone even if she could. She herself had no desire to lay with another man, much less one as arrogant and joyless as Gerel, but just as she didnt mind too much about sharing Rain with her sister wives, the thought of him adding a man to his harem was... intriguing to say the least.
Not that he would, but it was titillating to think about, especially given the tension in Rain and Gerels contentious relationship, so rife with sexual energy that Yan called it positively delicious...
Whenever youre ready then, Gerel offered, exchanging his Spiritual Longsword and Glaive for mundane substitutes, ones personally crafted by Papa to resemble the originals as closely as possible. Hed done the sa for everyone else, but Milas husband ca to his feet while leaving his training sword and shield behind, intent on wielding Unity against his opponent today. While Papa had been unable to replicate Unitys transformative properties in a mundane weapon, he instead made two separate versions instead, one a regular glaive and the other a nonstandard, bladed club that resembled a longsword in many ways, both of which Rain carried with him into the sparring match. It was funny how even their weapons were similar in nature, and as Rain and Gerel took their stances, Mila could not help but marvel at their similarities once more and think back to that first ti they sparred after Rains recovery.
Not even three months had passed since that day in Yuzhens courtyard, where Gerel scored first blood with an effortless swat of Rains cheek, showing just how vast a distance lay between them.
Which made Rains progress since then all the more unbelievable.
Balance on Windy Leaf into Pierce the Horizon, Rain opened with his strongest move to deliver a piercing thrust with his glaive. Parrying and side-stepping the charge with seemingly effortless grace, Mila spotted the alarm in Gerels amber eyes that signified how close to defeat hed been. During their first match, the man barely even needed to move his feet, but now, Rain stood a good chance of erging victorious should the older man fail to take this match seriously. Not that Gerel was capable of being anything else, his general disposition as sombre as the grave as he neatly picked apart Rains follow-up offensive, their steel polearms humming and clanging as they traded blows back and forth. One benefit of the larger weapons was that they were easier for Mila to track, and she marvelled at her husbands skills even as she lanted the strength of his formidable opponent.
In firm control of the rhythm, Gerel seized the upper hand with a simple but precise swing of the glaive, catching the tip of Rains blade with the base of his own and using his superior leverage to force his opponent into a poor position. A simple concept in theory, but difficult to accomplish in practice, and this simple swing showed how Gerel truly deserved to be the Number One Talent of his generation. That being said, Rain was no slouch himself, imdiately withdrawing to deny Gerel the opportunity to press his advantage and reset the match. Unwilling to give up so easily, Gerel set off in pursuit, his andering footsteps seemingly without rhy or rhythm until one analyzed the match in full. There was not a single wasted motion in Gerels movents, each step not only bringing him closer to his foe, but also threatening Rains positioning and cutting off his avenues of retreat, all without needing to actually swing his weapon. Were this a ga of chess, Gerels pieces would be dominating the board while threatening multiple of his opponents pieces and leaving options that ranged only from bad to worse.
But Rain was not one to give up, no matter how dire or bleak the situation, and now that he was facing a Peak Expert rather than his beloved wife, he was no longer holding back. To Milas eyes, Rain disappeared into thin air as he raised a Shroud of Concealnt around him, but Gerel continued advancing as he knew where his opponent was. Difficult to escape from a Peak Experts Domain in such close quarters, though Rain ntioned he believed in the existence of a Divine Sense that Martial Warriors had yet to quantify and discover despite many practitioners having developed it unknowingly. Whatever the reason, it was clear Gerel could track Rains movents even under Concealnt, though the clash of their weapons went unnoticed due to the obscuring effect of the skill.
Then the unthinkable happened. Gerel swung his glaive, and his attack cut clean through the air, missing his target entirely.
Ti froze for an instant as the crowd collectively gasped in surprise, Mila, Yan, and Li-Li included. Before the drawn breath could even finish, Rain seized this opportunity to launch his offensive, appearing out of nowhere on Gerels left to deliver a powerful thrust, one which missed the older warrior by a hair. Gliding backwards to avoid the follow up strike, Gerels Lightened body skated over the stone tiles underfoot at speeds Mila could barely believe possible, but Rains glaive jabbed out repeatedly and forced his foe to slow his retreat in order to dodge and parry. As Gerel backpedalled away, Rain chose this mont wisely to seize the opportunity he himself created, timing his low thrust to match the mont Gerel had only one foot planted on the ground, and thereby forcing the older Warrior to take to the air in order to avoid the strike.
As Rain so often loved to point out, few Warriors were well practised in aerial combat, and hed spent many a night chasing Lin-Lin about the rooftops and sparring with his father, Grandpa Du, and even Taduk who surpassed them all when it ca to aerial maneuvers. In doing so, Rain had familiarized himself with feats of acrobatics in a way few could match, but alas, Gerel was not only a genius, but a hard-working fanatic as well. As he soared up into the air, Gerel twisted about so that his feet were above his head while he wielded his glaive against Rain down below, forcing Milas clever husband to abandon his efforts to take to the skies and buying precious ti for Gerel to return to solid ground. At this showy and impressive display of control and technique, the crowd erupted into cheers for the two combatants, though the recipients themselves seed wholly unaware. Ramping up their movents to a frenzied and unsustainable pace, both n wore similar crazed smiles now, their bloodthirsty and competitive natures sparked as they sought to outdo one another in feats of aerial acrobatics. Leaping high into the air, Rain Cloud-Stepped horizontally to charge forward at a breakneck pace with glaive extended like a lance, and the resulting clash sent Gerel flying away, unable to stand strong in the face of Rains powerful offensive. Not one to be outdone, the older Warrior recovered only to charge at Milas husband in similar fashion, but Rain overturned the board once more by leaping up over Gerels head in a showy flip before Cloud Stepping down towards his foe with glaive outstretched. Twirling his own weapon overhead, Gerel just barely managed to parry the attack after putting significant effort into Deflecting it, but the impact left him unable to follow up.
Not Rain though, whose blunted blade missed Gerel to pierce through the stone floor and anchor him in place, the rough and uneven edges showing that raw strength alone had enabled such a feat, rather than any sort of Honing which would have showed darker and deadly intent. Still, if the attack had hit Gerel, there was a good chance the man mightve died outright, but Rain was unrepentant as he swung about on the haft of his polearm and delivered both boots to Gerels chest. Or rather, the haft of Gerels glaive, which intercepted the unexpected and unconventional attack just in ti, but even his prodigious efforts were no match for Rains Mountain Collapsing Stomp.
tal humd, shrieked, and scread as Gerels weapon snapped in twain, and then Rains boots landed firmly on his opponents chest, but rather than flying away in a spray of blood and broken bones, Gerel stood tall with a fiery scowl etched across his handso face while Rain braced himself horizontally against his embedded glaive with his boots sitting firmly his opponents chest. The pose lasted for all of a blink of an eye before they broke off to stand and salute, but still long enough to commit it to mory and see Rains undisguised shit-eating grin as Yan would describe it, so pleased with his accomplishnt that he could hardly hide it.
For it was clear that even though both n were still standing, Rain had finally scored a victory over his rival and nesis.
Well fought, Legate, Gerel said, and despite his bowed head and Martial Salute, Mila could tell the man was furious at himself for losing even by this narrowest of margins. Had that Mountain Collapsing Stomp landed, I would be lying broken and bleeding on the ground. Victory in this exchange goes to you.
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Mila joined Yan in rushing into their husbands embrace, their combined montum lifting him off his feet and leaving him breathless in their wake. This was rely one victory out of Mother knows how many, and there was almost no chance Gerel would allow himself to lose a second ti today, but it was still a victory nonetheless, one which could not have co at a better ti.
For in a few days, after a quick sail boat ride down to the Central Citadel to tie up so loose ends, Rain was set to march out at the head of an army to retake the West, and this victory here would raise morale to record heights. Everyone from commoner to Peak Expert venerated the strong, and today, Rain proved that he was capable of contending against the youngest Peak Expert in a thousand years, a man fifteen years his senior. A rising dragon to surpass all others, many believed Falling Rain to be the Mothers Chosen Son, a destined hero who would lead the Empire to ultimate victory over the Enemy, and despite harbouring reservations aplenty, Mila was fast becoming a believer. Not necessarily because Rain was so holy figure, but because Mila had absolute faith in her husbands abilities, which were so staggering even the possibility of defeat seed impossible to imagine. No matter what trials and tribulations lay ahead, Falling Rain would overco them.
With a little help from Sumila of the People fighting at his side of course. There was no way shed let him leave her behind again, not in a campaign of this magnitude, as she had no desire to learn about his exploits through Han BoShuis flowery prose. No, she would watch firsthand as he reconquered the West and drove the Defiled out of the province, and be there for him when he finally realized hed have no choice but to put all the survivors to the sword to appease the Emperor and the other citizens of the outer provinces. It didnt matter if he could cleanse them, because enough people would doubt his ability to render it a moot point, and panic would soon ensue if so many potential Defiled agents were left unchecked. A grim fate for the poor and oppressed citizens of the West, but one which could not be avoided, not without losing the widespread popularity and support Rain now enjoyed.
That was a bridge to be crossed later though. For now, Mila hugged her husband and sister wife while enjoying this precious mont of joy and success, for the mory would be sorely needed in the dark days ahead.
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