Adrian’s grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. The remaining three puppets didn’t hesitate. They lunged forward, their movents sharp and precise, their swords cutting through the air like extensions of their will.
But now, Adrian had a slight advantage. He had managed to reduce their numbers, even if by only one.
He sidestepped the first strike, pivoted on his heel, and unleashed another Scorching Sun Palm. The flas roared to life, but this ti, the puppets were ready. They scattered, their reflexes inhumanly fast. The fire grazed one’s shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to destroy it.
Adrian’s face was gloomy but unsurprised. He had prepared himself for such a result. He only attempted it for the sake of it.
He knew he couldn’t rely on the sa trick twice. It seems they had adapted to his previous tactic. Their rhythm was shifting, and their movents were tightening. It was almost as if the mist formation itself learned and improved from his actions.
Adrian needed a new strategy. Sothing faster, more aggressive. But also unpredictable. He clenched his teeth. He couldn’t rely solely on martial skills. They were adapting too quickly. He needed to be smarter.
The puppets attacked again, their coordination seamless. Adrian parried one blade, ducked beneath another, but the third sliced across his forearm.
Blood didn’t splatter as the sword made of mist seed to just pass through his forearm. There was no physical injury, but the pain on his face couldn’t be mistaken. He hissed but didn’t falter.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
He feigned exhaustion, letting his movents grow sluggish. His sword arm drooped slightly, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The puppets pressed forward, sensing weakness.
They approached him swiftly, intending to capitalize on his supposed weakness. However, with a sudden burst of speed, Adrian launched himself forward, targeting the puppet on the left.
His sudden attack surprised them, but it wasn’t enough to give him an advantage. His sword slashed in a high arc, only for the puppet to parry with ease.
That was fine. He hadn’t intended to land the blow. Mid-swing, he twisted, gathering Qi in his feet.
"Astral steps!" He muttered under his breath.
His form blurred and vanished, appearing behind the second puppet in a gust of wind. He struck, blade flashing.
The attack landed, though it was not fatal. It was just enough to sever an arm made of mist. The puppet faltered. Adrian took full advantage, ramming his sword into its back, piercing it completely.
The puppet began to dissipate, just as Adrian turned in ti to block an incoming strike from the third mist puppet. Sparks flew as blades t. The force of the impact drove him back a step, but he held firm.
The body of the second mist puppet had finally dissipated, aning that it was dead.
’Only two left.’ He thought to himself, trying to hype himself up and raise his morale.
His breath ca in short, sharp bursts. Sweat dripped down his brow. He could feel his Qi reserves dwindling, while his soul ached with every move he made. Still, he couldn’t stop now.
The remaining two puppets stared at him with cold detachnt. No emotion could be seen on their faces. Well, his face.
Honestly, watching the two puppets attack him with his ’face’ was a bit disconcerting for him. However, he didn’t dwell too much on it.
His mind was already planning his next moves. As the two remaining puppets closed in on him, He decided to go on the offensive, taking the initiative in the battle.
He lunged forward, trying to disrupt their rhythm. The main problem that he was facing was that they were too coordinated. He had to separate them to have a chance of killing them.
The two remaining puppets moved in perfect unison, their swords flashing in mirrored arcs. Adrian barely had ti to react; he threw himself to the side, rolling across the cold stone floor as their blades struck empty air where he had just stood.
He ca up swinging, his own sword eting one puppet’s strike with a sharp clang. The force reverberated through his arms, but he held firm, pushing back just enough to create space.
The second puppet lunged.
Adrian twisted, narrowly avoiding a fatal thrust. The blade almost grazed his ribs, making him retreat quickly. If that attack had connected, the pain he would have felt would have caused him to make a fatal mistake.
As he retreated, one of the mist puppets followed him, trying to take advantage of his hasty retreat. It wanted to press him further, trying to land a hit.
However, this situation worked perfectly in Adrian’s favor. The two mist puppets were montarily separated. Adrian didn’t waste this chance and hastily struck out.
"Fla Piercer!" He yelled out as he thrust his sword towards the incoming mist puppet. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked as if he struck out too quickly, and his sword wouldn’t reach the mist puppet.
However, as the sword was fully extended, fire Qi suddenly engulfed his sword, wrapping it in flas. The tip of the sword glowed red with crimson flas as the fire surrounding the sword suddenly increased in length.
The sudden increase in length caught the mist puppet off guard, and it wasn’t able to react quickly enough.
The newly elongated sword pierced through the head of the mist puppet before it could even get close to Adrian. The mist trembled, before eventually dissipating, leaving Adrian face to face with his last opponent.
The last mist puppet stared at him with the sa deadpan expression that he was already used to.
Adrian wiped blood from his lip as he squared off against the last mist puppet. The fight might not have been long, but it was very arduous. The only saving grace he had was his Qi reserves. Because he had been using only Bronze rank martial skills, they hadn’t been depleted much.
His muscles scread in protest, begging him to rest for a bit. Yet as he raised his sword, his grip remained firm.
The puppet mirrored his stance perfectly, knees slightly bent, sword angled at precisely the sa point, left foot forward. A perfect reflection. Adrian’s eyes narrowed. That was its weakness.
The puppet struck first with a textbook-perfect lunge. Adrian barely deflected it, feeling the vibration travel up his arm. He countered with a feint-right, strike-left combination, but the puppet anticipated it perfectly, parrying with chanical precision.
Adrian switched tactics, employing the unpredictable tactic that he had been using previously. His movents beca fluid, unpredictable. The puppet adjusted instantly, matching his rhythm. Steel clashed against steel six tis in three seconds, neither gaining ground.
Panting, Adrian deliberately left his right flank open. The puppet took the bait, but corrected mid-swing when Adrian tried to counter. A near-perfect feint... that almost worked. That told him sothing crucial.
A mist-blade grazed Adrian’s thigh. White-hot pain lanced through him, but the real damage was to his soul. His vision blurred montarily. The puppet pressed its advantage, forcing Adrian into a desperate series of blocks that left his arms numb.
In so ways, facing this mist puppet alone seed to be more difficult than when they were in a group. Rembering his earlier success, Adrian suddenly abandoned all technique. He slashed wildly, using the sword as more of a blunt weapon than a sharp-edged one.
The mist puppet’s flawless movents stuttered for half a heartbeat, enough for Adrian to land a shallow cut across its torso.
The wound didn’t slow the puppet, but its response changed. Its attacks beca more aggressive and consequently less precise. Adrian noticed this and smiled grimly. He was already beginning to see a path to success.
Adrian baited the puppet into a complex seven-move combination. On the sixth move, he suddenly reversed his grip and dropped to one knee. The puppet’s blade passed harmlessly overhead as Adrian’s sword found its chest.
The impaled puppet didn’t dissolve imdiately. It looked down at the blade, then up at Adrian. For the first ti, its expression changed, sothing almost like approval flickered across its mist-ford face. Then it vanished.
Adrian collapsed, his sword clattering to the ground. Every breath felt like swallowing knives. The mist in the passage had all but dissipated.
Not just the one that made up the mist puppets, but everything present in the whole passage.
He took so ti to rest, pondering on his recent experience. If he were to be honest. The challenge he faced in the passage was not all bad.
He was able to hone his swordsmanship against an opponent of his sa skill level. He was even able to develop unique counterasures that could surprise his opponents.
If his soul wasn’t in such danger, he would have almost wanted to retake the challenge and practice his swordsmanship more.
"Perhaps there are more challenges ahead." He muttered to himself, a bit hopefully. However, he was destined to be disappointed.
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