King Grey Skill 4

Unlike Janice, Vlair took on a much more neutral stance with his spear. I wasn’t all too familiar with forms for the particular weapon but just on instinct alone, I knew he was much better trained with the weapon than Janice was.

I tightened my grip around my weapon but kept the blade low. Vlair’s eyes narrowed, almost as if he was insulted that I hadn’t taken a proper stance.

With a scoff, my opponent dashed forward. His weapon became a blur but my body knew where it was going to be. I dodged his first thrust with just the slightest twitch of my head and I ducked underneath the quick swipe that followed after.

The following minute continued with Vlair unable to land a single hit on me. I knew that a single hit would probably be the end of me for this duel but I had to save my limited ki for when I could actually attack. Meanwhile, Vlair had a consistent aura of ki enveloping his body and weapon which was impressive. The previous cadets were able to protect themselves with ki to a certain extent, Janice more so than Twain, but to be able to extend his ki into his weapon at our age was something that came with both talent and hard work.

His blunted spear whistled past my cheek with practiced precision but I allowed my body to do its work. His movements were blurred and he seemed to be using a technique that bent and curved his spear for a wider range of attacks, but he was still slow—at least to me. Unlike the attackers that tried to kidnap Cecilia, he lacked the fear-inducing ferocity that they had.

Despite growing used to this sensation over the years, it was still odd the way my body moved seamlessly with my thoughts. I knew this was an unfair skill to have but I saw it more as evening out the playing field for my ever-shallow ki pool.

As Mr. Ambrose kept attacking, his precise combination of attacks soon became laced with emotions. Frustration and impatience took over, dulling his attacks and leaving his body more open. I took advantage of that fact and went in. Strengthening the ball of my foot with ki, I dashed forward after redirecting his spear up so his ribs were exposed on his right side.

I swung my sword, hitting him cleanly just below his armpit. Vlair’s body reeled from the impact but I could tell by the sensation just now that it didn’t do much because of the rich layer of ki protecting him.

“Enough. Match over,” Instructor Gredge declared.