Tap, Tap, Tap.
My footsteps were steady and light on the ground beneath me. I knew that I had to calculate my every move if I wished to beat a member a tier above me.
Gray dragged his sword across the ground behind him as he approached. The blue energy that circumferenced the blade let out a constant dull hum.
I had to be careful. Not only for the skills I had seen but for the ones he had not yet shown me.
Before stepping into the distance, Gray paused and thrust his weapon, pointing forward.
The sword wouldn't reach me. Of that I was certain.
But the man activated a skill, which increased the length of the weapon even further, as though it were a spear.
I watched as the sharp point approached me, but just before it was able to penetrate my eye, I dodged to the side.
My reflexes were fast from my boxing experience on earth; I'd have to rely on them.
Whilst the blade was still extended, I slashed at it with my glass shard, which sent it parrying to the side.
Gray was caught by surprise, unsure of how mere glass could generate such power.
I was surprised myself.
I closed the distance and ducked low, aiming a slash for my opponent's leg. But my weapon only swung through the air as he stepped backwards and just barely out of range.
I stepped forward and swung again, this time aiming for the stomach, but once again, Gray Leapt backwards to dodge it.
He knew about Touch Of Blood, as he had watched my initiation battle. If the weapon managed to cut his skin, the battle could be over, even for a Tier 2 gang member.
But what Gray wasn't aware of, was my second skill that I had only learned that morning.
Dance of Swords I
I activated my new skill, and paused for a moment, allowing Gray to gather his bearing and retract his sword to normal length.
Then, I swung again.
It was an upwards slash, aimed at the man's chin. If it landed, it would tear through his jugular and kill him instantly.
But to no surprise, Gray raised his blade and defended.
CLANG
The ring echoed through the morning air.
I felt a jarring vibration shoot through my arm, as my strike was deflected away, but at the same time, I felt my body become invigorated.
A hum sounded through my head, and my body began to glow a faint blue. The glow powered me, hastening my movements and trajectory.
I swung again, aiming for the chest. My speed was doubled.
Gray was caught entirely off guard, but his reflexes were still incredible. He just barely managed to raise his weapon and defend the strike with the handle of his sword.
As my attack was parried again, my body was invigorated even further.
The Dance of Swords had a property that made it incredibly powerful against opponents inclined to block.
After landing an initial strike with a bladed weapon, whether blocked or not, the user enters a combo stance that doubles the speed of their consecutive strikes.
My combo stance was fierce, and my speed was now 8x faster than usual.
I swung my blade a third time, and this time, my arm moved so quickly that even I struggled to process it.
Gray couldn't react.
SHHKKK
The sound of a blade tearing through fabric rung through the air, followed by liquid splattering on the ground.
I looked down to see my shard dripping with blood.
Then, I looked up at Gray.
The man was squirting blood from his chest profusely onto the ground and my face.
He looked down at his wound, eyes wide and face pale.
It wasn't deep, but due to Touch Of Blood, it continued to bleed, and wouldn't stop until I dropped my bloody shard.
Gray snarled in pain, and then he vanished again.
I looked around frantically, preparing for the man to let off a strike in his injured form.
And then I heard his voice come from around me.
"You don't understand, Red. You don't understand the ways of the Heartless!"
The words were distorted and seemed to be coming from every direction.
I constantly spun around, trying to face where the sound was coming from, but my movements were to no avail.
"Not just the Heartless." The voice came again. "But all four of the Great Gangs. We have it all wrong!"
As the voice continued, I finally started to notice something.
A trail.
Blood from Gray's wound was leaving a trail, scattering a red circle around me. I could see it as it fluttered through the air.
I could see where he moved.
"The Defenders will make things right. They will stop the generations of gang violence that have trickled through the ages of StoneCity!"
The blood stopped circling and rapidly began to approach me.
Gray's figure suddenly appeared, leaping through the air towards me, sword held behind him, ready to strike.
His teeth were snarled as he growled.
"Bleacher's death was just the beginning!"
WOOSH
The blade swung down at me. A vicious overhead strike.
But I had predicted his moments. His blood had given it away.
I was able to prepare myself.
As time felt like it slowed down, I watched the blade come towards me before stepping to the side. The strike cut a strand of my red hair, before continuing and leaving a bloody gash in my shoulder.
The pain was sharp and real. But it was only a wound. I could still move.
Gray's sword crashed into the ground, sending stone tiles scattering through the air. Before he could recover, I switched the glass shard to a backhanded grip and drove it into the man's neck.
It entered his body with no resistance. Like a hot knife through butter.
I felt the shard lodge itself into his neck with a squelch until my hand was pressed up against his skin. Gray's eyes went wide as he dropped his sword and instinctively brought both hands at his neck.
Silence hung in the air until I yanked the shard out of his throat.
Gray remained standing for a few moments, choking on his blood as it poured from his neck and mouth.
And then, he slowly fell onto his back.
The fight was over.