A moment later...
“Cough, cough! You’re truly despicable, sir…”
Mirror staggered back in tatters, pale-blue eyes like chips of ice drilling into me. His face was twisted, a storm sealed behind glass. His clothes hung like wind-torn banners; aside from a few shallow cuts, he was mostly unharmed.
Damn. My full-force strike only did that? No wonder—he’s a peak at the half-step to the Divine Realm, a heart anchored in Mirror Calm Water. He’s a mountain under snow.
“Can’t be helped.”
I smiled, unbothered by his accusation. “You’re stronger than me, and Mirror Calm Water shields your mind like winter stilling a lake. If I fought normally, I’d have zero chance to land a hit. I refuse to stop there, so I had to improvise. That kick worked, didn’t it? It cracked your Mirror Calm Water and scored two effective hits.”
The sword art Absolute Sword—Beast Hunt counted twice—the Sword Aura impact and the blast.
“Correct. Land one more hit on this humble one, and you win.”
Mirror gave a bitter smile; the earlier blaze in his eyes had cooled to frost. “Still, I never imagined you’d use something so base.”
“Heh.”
I toyed with the hair scattered over my shoulder, a willow caught by wind. “With Mirror Calm Water, any ordinary strike is a pebble tossed at a calm pond you already saw coming. You’d predict my line and range, then evade or block. If I didn’t bend the rules, nothing would change.”
“You’re right.”
Mirror nodded, recognition ringing like metal. “Battle isn’t child’s play. Many disdain ‘despicable’ moves—like your kick—but they can turn the tide, like your kick. I didn’t foresee anyone cracking Mirror Calm Water that way, so you got me.”
“Sometimes the simplest path cuts straight through, doesn’t it?”
“It does—though it hardly fits your noble birth.”
His jab curved like a thin blade. He was still salty; fair enough.
“Alright, we’re still fighting!”
We’d chatted long enough for my breath to come back, fatigue thinning like mist in sunlight. But he was recovering too; he wouldn’t have paused out of kindness.
If he fully recovered, my earlier barrage would evaporate like dew. I cut the rest, gathered Sword Aura, and dashed for Mirror. One more hit—just one—and I clear this floor.
Thinking that, my exhaustion burned off like fog at dawn. My body snapped to its best form, nerves bright as wire. Strange—but no time to dwell. End this.
“You’re impatient, sir.”
Mirror raised his ice-blue katana, no hesitation, and flashed toward me like frost wind.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blade met blade; sparks flew like fireflies and lit the Lake of Trials under our feet. Each impact bloomed neat little waves, lotus after lotus. He was still short of full recovery, his movements a hair slower—a hair was enough. My Sword Intent could finally keep pace, not just scrape along behind.
Hmm… his guard’s tighter now, like shutters drawn before a storm. He won’t let me slip through again. I need another way. I fought and thought, mind and blade spinning together. That surprise kick is a one-time trick; try it again and he’ll catch the gap.
What now…
“You think so much mid-fight. You must be comfortable, sir!”
Annoyed by my split focus, Mirror flicked the Shattered Light Sword aside and drew lake water into his ice-blue blade, the stream twining like a silver snake.
“Flowing Water—Ice Blade.”
Cold danger crushed down on me like a glacier. I looked up and saw a massive, ice-forged slash dropping fast, a winter moon falling. No time to dodge. I raised Sword Aura to counter, but Mirror pressed, denying my angle. No choice but—
“Sword Qi Storm!”
I unleashed Sword Qi Storm at full power, pouring in Sword Intent like wind into a bell, stacking force. Otherwise I’d never stop the overhead cleave or his follow-ups.
Boom!
The huge slash hit the tornado and almost split it in two; I crammed Sword Aura back in, stitching the wind like thread to cloth. His strike was too strong; the tornado wouldn’t last, and Mirror kept attacking like hail. I detonated all Sword Aura and energy within the funnel.
BOOM!!!
The falling slash vanished, and Mirror staggered back a few paces, his stance skidding on ripples. The lake shuddered like a drum; I nearly lost my footing.
Plink, plink, plink…
Tiny shards of ice rained down, pearly notes sinking into the lakebed.
This won’t do! Anxiety nipped at me like ants. If this drags on, we’ll freeze into a stalemate. He’s defending at full tilt; there’s no easy opening. How do I land the final hit? Normal attacks fail; special tricks, he’s braced for—he’s absolutely braced for anything shady.
I kept thinking, knuckles white on the hilt, while my blade work didn’t stop. Sword Aura kept flying toward him in silver arcs—useless. He slipped from each one like mist sliding off bamboo.
“Ugh! This is driving me nuts!”
I scrubbed my scalp, a headache humming like bees. Dizzy.
Forget it. It’s just one hit. I’ll go all-in and take it head-on. If I see a flaw, I’ll use any method, clean or not.
I shook off the fuzz and charged. But… Mirror refused to close again. He sucked water from the Lake of Trials, hardened each slash like ice plates, and flung them at me. They flew faster than my Sword Aura—arrows cut from snow. Hard to dodge. I had to meet them, Sword Aura against ice-blade slashes. I’d cancel one wave, and the next would crash in, a relentless tide.
So he’s set on fighting at range. Figures. With Mirror Calm Water and distance, it’s practically cheating. Up close, some lines even when predicted can’t be fully avoided. At range, he reads the angle and span, then has time to slip away like a shadow at dusk.
