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nShe pulled back her spear so fast that it didn’t leave any openings for Yomite to take advantage of.

nJust when he thought that he dodged it, the spear had been pulled back into her little hand. Like this, it would be aimed at him the moment he moved.

nThis little game of chicken was already going on for more than ten minutes, but Yomite had an idea how to break through this vicious cycle this time around!

n(I will have to dodge it as close to my body as possible…either that, or somehow knock the polearm out of her hands, although that’s pretty much impossible…Then again…her fists hurt equally as bad…so the spear might be a blessing in disguise…)

nHe could only do that if he wanted to get closer to Hu Tao and fight back.

nHu Tao’s spear was gradually grazing Yomite’s shoulder. Red scratches were engraved on his body.

nWhen facing an enemy with a long reach, soldiers and knights could say that a great amount of courage was sometimes necessary. If a person was skilled enough with a polearm weapon that had extensive reach over the weapon he was holding, they wouldn’t let him anywhere nearby without a sacrifice.

nJust for taking a small step forward. It was even more so when dodging the attack at just a hair’s breadth. It would become an extreme mental burden, despite being just a simple spar, Hu Tao knew that Barbara or Jean would be able to heal small injuries like scratches or fractures, so she didn’t have to worry about anything, even if she were to break a few bones…

nShe lunged forward, swinging her spear. A blur of motion shot out, the tip of the spear grazing his shoulder again, causing a sharp twinge as it scraped across his skin. The pain was almost immediately replaced by a rush of adrenaline.

nYomite barely even flinched and kept his eyes glued on her.

nHe brought up his claymore to block another swing from her spear.

nHis sword clanked against hers as they exchanged blows, neither giving an inch in their battle for dominance.

n(…)

nYomite ducked under the swing, coming around to the side. He thrust upward, sending a pulse of energy through his body and met with her spear once more.

n(…)

nHu Tao launched forward in retaliation, her spear raised high above her head as it came down to slash at his face.

n(…)

nYomite dodged backwards, the tip of the spear coming down harmlessly on the ground beside him. It wasn’t enough though.

n(…How.)

nShe leapt back, her feet slamming into the ground in preparation for another onslaught, but then, just when she thought she had him where she wanted him to be, he simply evaded once more.

n(Just how…)

nHe dodged to the side just in time, avoiding the swipe from the spear that narrowly missed him, only for another to come his way.

n(How is he able to keep up…? How did I not win yet?)

nHu Tao’s mind was dazed as she stared at his retreating figure in disbelief.

nShe swung again, aiming for another angle.

nHer opponent ducked under her swing, the momentum from her arm carrying it over her shoulder before she stopped, the weapon hitting the ground with a clatter once more.

nYomite used this chance to lift his claymore above his head, his voice raising. The instant he brought Hu Tao into his range, it was as if his weapon itself cried out as he raised it for a swing.

n“Cheeky…using my moves…”

nA moment before Yomite was about to unleash a downward strike, a blow struck his left wrist, miss balancing the huge sword in his arms. The sharp smack sent his sword flying, and Yomite’s eyes instinctively followed it.

nWhich turned out to be a mistake as in the next moment, a kick to his chest sent him flying.

nHis breath caught, and, unable to break the fall whatsoever, Yomite rolled onto the ground, the earth and the sky trading places at least a few times before he ended up flat on his back, arms and legs spread wide.

nBut he stood up in the end, as the punch was a bit misplaced and wasn’t enough to knock him out.

nThey continued to fight in this fashion for the next six hours.

nThe whole entirety of the date was ruined, as they sparred with each other the whole time, without much needed rest.

n***

n**

n*

nThe sky had long darkened. It was almost night, yet two of them were still outside in the woods, trying to determine the winner.

n*Clang!* *Clang!*

nThey stood still for a moment longer, catching their breaths.

nThe training was fun, but it had to end…

nHu Tao…

nThe ever energetic girl actually felt tired…

n“..Say… Assistant…Let’s call it…my win…’kay ‘kay? After all…those cuts on your body…need to be healed…”

n“…Ah? No way…In normal circumstances…I would have given up hours ago…but today it seems like… I might actually stand a chance for the first time in my life…we’re going…till I drop…”

nHis response was immediate, paused by a few deep breaths. His competitive spirit was ignited.

nHe was tired of being kicked into dirt all the time. For the first time ever he wanted to win over her.

nHu Tao felt her whole body filled with the exaltation of fighting after so long. Her lips twisted into a grin.

nAs he saw the grin, he had an ominous foreboding.

n(There is no way she plans to use her Vision, right?)

nContrary to his fears, Hu Tao simply dropped her spear onto the gravel.

nIt seemed as if she dropped it by accident, but that wasn’t the case…

nShe stepped forward without using any feints and led with a palm strike from the front.

nBut the power and speed that were put into it weren’t normal.

nYomite planned to lightly brush it away, but he knew had to seriously harden his guard to block the strike.

n(I always knew this, but the hell’s with this heaviness, even though her body is so small!? I sense real balance issues in this world!!)

nThe numb feeling in his left arm that blocked the attack made it feel like a blunt weapon had just struck him, making him drop his own claymore.

nHowever, he was still forced to take a few steps back because of the strong force of impact from the punch to the shoulder of Hu Tao.

nEven so, he somehow managed to block that attack with enough leeway, so he proceeded and used his free right hand to counter with a punch.

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