Chapter 16: City of Knights (VII)

’I just need to find the foundation of his attack patterns…’

Bang!

Kael’s feet barely touched the sand as he skipped backward like a dancer, those twin short swords spinning loosely in his hands before snapping into a reverse grip again.

“You’re a overthinker, aren’t you?” he called out, his voice lilting and quite playful, deliberately mocking Gray.

“Calculating, careful, a bit boring… but still fun to poke~”

Gray didn’t respond to him.

His black eyes tracked every subtle twitch of Kael’s ankles, the light shift in his shoulders, every slight motion.

His own breathing slowed, his chest rising and falling steadily, ignoring the sting of his earlier injuries.

[Watch his shoulders more than his feet, Gray. He disguises his center of gravity with footwork, but his real tells are in the hips.]

Jasmine’s voice hummed in his mind, and now, at this situation where Gray could potentially die, she stopped with her teasing.

[If you underestimate him, you’ll be a corpse before the next heartbeat.]

Gray let out a faint breath, narrowing his eyes.

“Got it.”

Kael flicked his wrist.

Clink—!

Something small hit the ground near Gray’s boot.

He looked down and saw a tiny, flat dagger, almost as thin as a needle.

His pupils shrank immediately.

CLANG!!!

Kael was already above him.

His short swords came crashing down like twin fangs, aiming to rip open his skull from both sides.

Gray twisted his body, raising the flat of his rapier at an angle!

KRRRK!!

Metal clashed in a violent screech. Sparks exploded between them, and the force threw Gray back a step, but unfortunately..

Not far enough.

SLNK—!

One of the short swords had scraped across his shoulder, not deep, but enough for blood to spill down the fabric.

“Dammit!”

“Ah~ that sound… That pain~” Kael purred as he landed on one foot like a feather.

“Let’s hear more of it, shall we?”

He dashed again, this time low to the ground.

Gray watched his right shoulder twist slightly…

“There!”

He sidestepped at the perfect angle, but Kael suddenly flipped mid-lunge.

SLASH!

A shallow cut bloomed across Gray’s left thigh.

“Ahahahah~ You thought I’d go right, didn’t you~?” Kael giggled, licking his lips.

[Dammit! He faked it mid-motion! His core is strong enough to pivot in the air! That means that he actually trained acrobatics, and should be pretty versatile in his movements!]

“…Fuck…”

Gray clicked his tongue, breathing more heavily now. The wound throbbed, but he gritted through the pain.

His grip tightened.

This was going to be much more difficult than Rufar, because Kael didn’t rely on brute strength or sheer pressure.

He was fast, deceptive, and actually had a brain.

And worst of all, he enjoyed it… But he wasn’t as sadistic as Jasmine…

Well, that was already something.

[His heart rate’s calm. Even now. He’s not trying to win yet, Gray… he’s toying with you.]

Gray gritted his teeth.

“…Then let’s stop playing.”

He surged forward.

Kael blinked once.

“Oh~? Finally getting serious?”

Gray didn’t answer.

His feet slid across the sand as he thrust the rapier forward with lightning speed, not straight at Kael’s chest, but to his left shoulder, the off-hand side.

Kael raised his sword to deflect, but…

CHINK!

The blade twisted slightly mid-thrust, redirecting just in time to nick Kael’s ribs.

Splurt!

Blood splattered.

“Oh my~” Kael whispered, staring down at the small wound.

“You do bite back.”

Gray’s expression didn’t change.

Kael lunged again, this time spinning low, his sword slashing toward Gray’s knees.

Gray jumped back, but suddenly, Kael threw something!

Fwip!

’A dart?’ Gray frowned.

THWIP!

It sliced into Gray’s arm, shallow but annoying.

Kael grinned.

“You’re not bleeding fast enough, so I thought I’d help~”

[Gray! He’s testing your reflexes. Stop reading him reactively. Start predicting.]

Gray’s eyes narrowed further.

“…Yeah.”

He raised his rapier again, his eyes noticing that Kael was circling now.

No more straight attacks.

He was shifting angles constantly, waiting for Gray to blink or falter.

Gray crouched slightly, adjusting his balance, breathing through his nose.

Every step Kael took echoed in his head.

Left foot first, longer stride.

Right foot, slower, shorter.

And he always spun clockwise.

’So when he spins again… he’ll end up on my—’

Gray moved first.

He leapt forward and swept his foot at Kael’s left ankle, exactly where he’d land if he spun clockwise.

And just like that…

Kael’s leg was there.

CRACK!!

Kael stumbled for the first time.

Gray’s rapier came down instantly, slashing toward his back, but Kael twisted, raising both swords in a cross block.

CLANG!!

Steel clashed again, louder this time.

The force drove Kael back three steps, and for once…

Kael’s grin faded.

[That’s it… Now he knows you’re not prey.]

Gray’s breath hitched. Blood still ran from his side, his thigh, and his shoulder. But his eyes gleamed with something new as his lips curled up.

He had successfully dissected Kael’s rhythm.

’Next time, I go for his dominant eye… then the tendon in the left wrist… and if he spins again, I’ll..’

Kael chuckled.

And then something dark crept into his smile.

“Oh, Gray~”

He whispered sweetly, like a lover would.

“Now I’m getting excited~”

And he vanished again.

There was no sound, nor blur, nor even a whisper in the air.

Gray turned around instantly, but it was too late.

Cling—!!

Kael’s short sword crashed against his rapier from the side, nearly tearing it from Gray’s grip.

A sharp sting exploded in his wrist.

Gray staggered back, only to have Kael’s foot slam into his stomach.

“Gh—!!”

The air was knocked from his lungs.

He flew back and skidded along the blood-soaked sand, tumbling twice before he stopped.

Kael didn’t stop.

He dashed forward with that same sickening smile, eyes gleaming with cruel delight.

“No more games now, Gray~! Let’s break those pretty legs!”

Gray barely rolled aside as Kael’s sword stabbed into the dirt, slicing through the air where his knee had just been.

[He’s faster. Even faster than before!]

Jasmine’s voice was sharp, almost worried.

[He was holding back before. This is his true speed.]

Gray winced, coughing blood as he rose.

“…That explains the sudden urge to vomit.”

Kael twisted mid-spin, launching a flurry of slashes.

Swish—!

Swish… CLANG!!!

Gray blocked one, dodged the second, took the third…

SLLSHK!

A deep cut across his ribs.

His shirt was soaked in blood now, every breath painful.

“YESSS~!!” Kael sang, twirling with a flourish.

“Now you’re gorgeous! All that blood! All that pain!”

[Gray, listen to me! He overuses his momentum. His steps aren’t just fast, they’re predictable if you—]

“I know.”

Gray’s voice was steady as he replied, his eyeslids closing slighly.

“Pfft!”

He spat blood to the ground and reset his stance.

’He spins. Twirls. Always overextends on his third strike.’

Gray counted the rhythm again.

One— slash from the right.

Two— low feint.

Three— wide arc from the left.

Gray’s body moved before Kael even reached him.

He ducked the right.

Blocked the low feint with a twist of the blade.

And just as Kael overextended—

“Too slow.”

Gray stepped in.

CLANG!!!

His rapier slammed into Kael’s side with a sharp twist, throwing him off balance for the first time.

“Ngh—!!”

Kael’s feet stumbled, his rhythm was finally broken again.

So, Gray struck again.

SSSLASH!!

A cut along Kael’s ribs.

And again…

CHCK!!

A stab in the thigh.

Kael’s breath hitched immediately, but but he grinned anyway.

Blood ran from his wounds, and strangely, his eyes sparkled in complete delight causing Gray to frown in disgust.

He was already a sadistic bastard, and now he was also a masochist?

What a ugly fucker.

“…I like you more and more, Gray.”

He wiped his lip with the back of his hand.

“You figured it out, didn’t you? My tempo. My little dance.”

Gray didn’t reply, he circled instead, slowly, his limp now visible, his ankle aching.

Kael chuckled softly.

“But there’s one more step I haven’t shown you.”

Suddenly, his feet stopped.

He didn’t move.

No spin.

No lunge.

Just a dead stillness.

“…What the hell are you—”

CLANG—!!

Kael burst forward without warning.

No footwork, just raw, straight-line speed.

“You thought I was all style! But I’ve got one more rhythm…! ’Straight to the throat!’”

Gray raised his sword, but Kael was already mid-air.

[Now!! He’s predictable again! He only has one real style—everything else is chaos!]

Gray ducked immediately.

SWSHH—!!!

Kael flew past him like a bullet.

And just as he landed, Gray lunged behind.

SSSHHHK!!

The tip of his rapier stabbed deep into Kael’s back.

“Guh—!!”

Kael gasped.

“Gotcha ya, bitch.”

TWIST!

Gray twisted the blade, pressing it between the shoulder blades.

“NO WAY!”

“…DID KAEL ACTUALLY LOSE TO A NEWCOMER?!”

The crowd gasped.

“Agh…f-fuck…”

Kael staggered forward, and Gray yanked the rapier free.

Kael spun, barely able to lift his blades now.

“…Heh… so you do have a brain… and you’re still standing…?”

Gray exhaled slowly, blood dripping down his chin.

“…Unfortunately for you.”

Then, he moved.

“So… fuck off.”

BANG!

A boot to Kael’s gut.

Kael flew back, crumpling onto the sand.

And this time… he didn’t rise.

Not immediately.

Gray walked toward him slowly.

Blood marked every footstep.

Kael lay there, gasping, blades fallen beside him.

“…This… is annoying…” he muttered.

Gray tilted his head, and Kael’s lips trembled.

But he smiled anyway.

“…Still… it was beautiful, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Gray crouched down and looked him in the eyes.

“You’re not dead… for five seconds. Be glad.”

Kael blinked, and then laughed softly.

“Hah… yeah. I am.”

And then he passed out.

“Huff… that bastard was quite tough, huh?”

Gray stood again, breathing hard, his body burning, aching, bleeding a lot, but he was still victorious.

The announcer didn’t even speak.

The crowd?

Too stunned to shout.

Until Jasmine finally whispered, breathless.

[You really are a little devil…]

Gray gave her a weak smile, blood running down his lips.

“I know.”

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