The blade came out through his jaw, tearing away a piece of flesh. She finished off a wounded man with a pommel strike to the chest, shattering his sternum and piercing his heart.
" They never stop... " he growled through clenched teeth. He who only wanted to neutralize them understood that in this situation, it was better to put them out of commission for good.
Katelyn kept thinning the ranks before her. She dodged a metal claw by ducking, spun to avoid a second strike, then drove her rapier into the neck of a man trying to take her from behind. The blade came out through his jaw, tearing away a piece of flesh. She finished off a wounded man with a pommel strike to the chest, shattering his sternum and piercing his heart.
She parried a spear thrust, let the point slide along the opposing weapon, then slashed the spearman’s wrist. The man screamed as blood sprayed out.
She didn’t wait. A second attacker came from her left; she ducked, passed under the spear’s trajectory, and drove her blade into the man’s thigh before rising with a knee strike to his face. A third one rushed in. She spun on herself, her rapier tracing a perfect arc that opened the attacker’s throat.
She had to push her First Sense and Second Sense to their limits to avoid being outmatched.
" Kris, you good over there? " she shouted without taking her eyes off her own fight.
" Could be worse! " he replied, blocking a strike that barely missed his throat.
Kristian felt frustration building. Against Daugrs, he would already have unleashed his cutting Chi at range and mowed down half his attackers in one move. But projecting Chi here risked cutting through several of Kellen’s men at once, an escalation the Sword Clan couldn’t politically afford. After all, killing an heir would undoubtedly mean war. And Kellen knew it, except whether there was war or not, he didn’t care; he’d almost welcome a war if it meant killing swordsmen to soothe his father’s soul. That was why he’d trapped them in an enclosed space, surrounded by men Kristian couldn’t slaughter indiscriminately.
’ He’s cornered me... I have to take them down one by one, by hand... Damn it... if this keeps up, it’s the Sword Clan that’ll end up guilty! ’
He activated his Second Sense.
" Second Sense of Sword: Steel Breath. "
Chi condensed around his two blades, a bluish veil that froze the surrounding air. He fell upon the nearest spearman, his swords tracing symmetrical arcs. The first sliced the man’s shoulder, the second sank into his chest, and the cold of the Chi sealed the wound even as it carved it open, cutting short any reaction from the victim, who collapsed without a sound.
The activation immediately drew Kellen’s attention.
" Interesting. So that’s your mastery of the Second Sense... " He stepped forward, unhurried. " But you’re burning through your Chi way too fast for a fight this size. That’s not a technique built to last, Young Master Kristian. "
Kellen finally stepped in himself between Kristian and the next spearman, his spear sweeping in a quick arc toward his opponent’s ribs. Kristian blocked with his two crossed blades, but the force of the blow drove him back several steps, his boots scraping against the stone.
Kellen pressed on without giving him any respite, a series of rapid thrusts that Kristian barely dodged, each one closer than the last. The Spear Clan heir wasn’t trying to kill him yet, only reading his reactions, mapping his reflexes to see if they matched what he’d studied so closely about Sword Clan swordsmanship.
" You always block on a rising diagonal when you’re cornered. Your weapons master drilled that reflex into you too well. It’s predictable. "
Kristian gritted his teeth and changed his parry angle at the last instant, catching Kellen off guard for a breath. He used the opening to counterattack, his right blade aiming for the Spear Clan heir’s flank. Kellen stepped back fluidly, the point barely grazing his tunic.
" You’re not the Sword Clan’s genius for nothing, unlike your washout of a cousin. "
Meanwhile, Katelyn had just brought down her sixth opponent. She was breathing hard, sweat on her brow, but her pace didn’t falter. One last spearman on her side attempted a desperate attack, aiming straight for her throat. She dodged by spinning, letting the man stumble forward, carried by his own momentum, then finished with a thrust that ran clean through his chest.
" Gaus, deal with her before she reaches Young Master Kristian, " Kellen ordered without turning around, still trading blows with Kristian.
A spearman taller than the rest, wearing different armor, broke from the group and charged at Katelyn. Unlike the others, his movements were more methodical.
" You’ve slaughtered half our men, Lady Ravenna. Lord Kellen’s right hand won’t let that go unpunished. "
Katelyn activated her Blade Perception again, eyes narrowing. " I’m not here for pleasantries. "
Gaus attacked with a series of quick, precise strikes, far more disciplined than the rank-and-file soldiers. Katelyn had to fall back, parrying each assault with growing difficulty. This man wasn’t just muscle, she sensed it immediately.
" You’re stronger than the others, " she noted, dodging a strike aimed at her ribs.
" The son of the Clan’s Third Spear can’t afford to be weak, " he replied with a cold smile.
Kristian felt his arms trembling. He’d already activated Steel Breath several times, and each activation drained a little more of his Chi core. Kellen, across from him, showed no sign of fatigue, every spear strike landing at the same height, the same angle, as if he’d been fighting for hours without ever pushing himself.
’ He’s not tiring at all... He’s waiting for me to collapse first. ’
Kellen chained a low strike followed by a backhand toward Kristian’s face. Kristian dodged the first by leaping back, but the second grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood running down to his chin.
" You’re starting to slow down, young master. "
" Shut up... "
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