As if my calculations were right, it reached the mouth of the sculpture just as it was about to shoot its own barrage of attacks.
And...
Just then, a familiar presence brushed against my senses. Just as warm as ever, but unpredictable.
"Muna."
I turned slightly just as she flew into the arena. Her silver swayed in the wind, and her eyes glead with a quiet challenge.
A faint smirk tugged at her lips as her hand rested on the hilt of her sword.
"Muna..." I called again. "This was not the agreent."
"In situations of this kind, agreent is void," she said softly. "Father used to say that while his presence lasted."
Before I could respond, she moved. Her sword left its sheath in a flash, infused with mana sparkling along its edges.
I turned quickly to see that the serpent statues had paused, with my sword stuck in the mouth of the statue I had shot.
Then, with a swing, she sent a crescent of glowing energy slicing toward in diagonals of X-form.
That was her sword skills she made use of.
I braced myself and ran forward, targeting the space the diagonal arcs created. Before the attack hit , I let myself loose and flung myself correctly enough to avoid the attacks.
"Thanks for showing that move the last ti," I muttered in between breaths, landing softly on the floor.
Muna ignored my gratitude and said instead. "Rember the rules, no magic in a sword fight."
"Very well."
I barely had ti to draw breath after those words before Muna appeared before in a blur, slicing her sword in a diagonal arc of molten sapphire.
My instincts scread.
I bent backward, letting the strike whistle past my chest. The heat of the mana from her sword singed the air near my face.
'She does want to kill , I see. My sword.' My thoughts blared at to collect my sword from the sculpture.
Pressing my palms on the misty ground, I flipped backwards, landing in a crouch several ters away.
In my crouch stance, I didn't waste ti.
I didn't wait for a second breath once my feet touched the ground, and I moved. With great effort, I circled Muna, leaving her dazed as she calculated to detect my current position.
In that mont, I took out my hand, and the sword that was stuck in the sculpture shot out, returning to its master.
That was when I realized how unthoughtful that decision was.
My sword, stuck in the mouth of the statue, had been what was preventing its attacks.
As soon as the sword landed in my hand, the serpents surged to life again.
This ti, they spat volleys of sword, converging on from all sides.
Even when Muna was in the arena, the attack was still targeted at . Wonderful.
Still, I couldn't hold back.
I moved before thinking further, channeling every drop of my energy into my sword's blade until its edge began to vibrate faintly with restrained energy.
"Deep Current, second form: Interval."
The world around seed to slow as I focused on my pulse's rhythm.
One... two... now.
I swung my sword horizontally, then t its arc with a vertical slash.
A barrel of light shot forward, shattering and piercing through the storm of incoming attacks.
The mont it approached and hit the sculptures, a burst of suppressed force exploded outward, collapsing the sculptures one after another.
A tremor ran through the ground as the statues landed and shattered into fragnts.
From the edges of my eyes, I could see the bright smile on Muna's face once she saw my move. But even she didn't think it was the end.
She raised her blade again, but before she could strike, I steadied myself and drew a deep breath.
"Breath of Calm, first form: Sparring Pause."
I exhaled, slowly, then struck my sword again into the ground.
Rippling waves of grey mana in the form of smoke spiralled outwards from the impact of the sword.
The last sword skill I used was not an offensive art, nor is it an attacking skill. It granted a state of stillness that allowed one to bridge the gap between chaos and clarity.
Put simply, if used correctly can be used correctly to announce one's victory.
Muna's sword froze mid-swing, her eyes widening faintly. She hadn't expected such an attack or such a sword skill.
The oppressive force she had unleashed a mont earlier dispersed into harmless notes of light.
Then, silence.
Linda and the trio began to jam their hands again into applause.
I slowly straightened, lowering my sword.
"Just when it was becoming fun, you decided to end the fight with silence," Muna said, half-teasingly, half-admiringly.
I chuckled quietly, wiping the mist from my sleeve. "And you always have a knack for turning training into near-death duels."
Her eyes softened. "If I didn't do it, you would not beco stronger."
"Then learn to expect any form of attacks from your fight," I said, reaching closer to her, then whispered into her ear. "I could have struck you in between raised hands if this were to be a real attack."
"I wouldn't hold back if it were to be ," she raised her voice as if speaking to soone far away.
"Just make sure it's you during the tests."
For a mont, neither of us spoke. The circling barrier that had bounded the arena disappeared.
The training was over.
A training that had pushed to the edge.
The last ti I'd train before getting into a real test.
I left the arena and looked down at my blade. Then motioned my hand for it to vanish.
Linda ran into my embrace as soon as I stepped out of the arena, flanked by the trio.
She let herself loose and muttered. "You must be tired. We can carry you ho."
"Save your strength for the food you will prepare once we get ho. My favorite at that."
And so, Linda vanished back into my shadow while I walked side by side with the trio and Muna. On our way ho.
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