Gods Speed 3

almost lost my life on the first strike, but was able to dodge only from the fact that his body gave away his next attack.  With the amount of experience that I had with fighting and dueling from my past life and this one, I was able to somewhat anticipate what the opponent would do next based on his posture and movement.  This skill worked less depending on how capable of a fighter the opponent was, but Taci, while well-versed in his clan’s form of martial art, was still lacking in fighting experience.

Unlike fighting with Kordri, who had no openings or flaws in any of his micromovements, Taci was basically telephoning his next move.  Dodging, however, was a whole different problem.  While his attacks had openings, they were still at a level above anyone that I have faced.  If it wasn’t for the amount of experience I had over the kid, I would’ve been thrown out of the soul realm already.  The power and sheer speed of the onslaught could make any S-class adventurer curl up in utter subjection.

The force of his strikes caused the air around him to whistle and every time I parried his blows, my arms would throb in pain.

Clicking my tongue, I ignored the pain and persisted.  It wasn’t enough to just be fast.  I needed to be faster than him.  In order to do that, I needed to lessen my movement.  The only way I could dodge successfully without using mana was to cut down my maneuvers to the bare necessities.  If I couldn’t do that, I would soon be overwhelmed.

“You should go back to your kind instead of wasting my Master’s time,” Taci cursed as he unleashed another barrage of strikes.  Much like myself, he seemed to want to hit me squarely instead of merely tossing me to the ground.

I didn’t have the same luxury to respond so I just gritted my teeth and focused even harder.

Faster.

“My mother and father had told me how weak lesser beings were; it looks like it’s true.  I don’t understand why we asuras were given the awful job of looking after you guys,” he growled as he turned, releasing an upwards knee jab.

I felt a sharp pain in my ear as I was barely able to dodge the full brunt of the attack with a simple turn of the neck.

Faster.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed; I was used to sparring for hours with Kordri, but this seemed much longer.  As Taci continued his relentless assault, my body soon became a canvas of cuts and bruises.

Not enough, faster.

The asura child was obviously growing frustrated as he began trying to go for throws as well.  I could see his hand extend out in a claw, hoping to grip at a weak point.  By now, however, I was beginning to grow accustomed to his movements so dodging became easier.  His strikes that once passed by me in a blur, were becoming apparent.

“If it weren’t for the Vritra Clan and their disgusting half-breeds, my master wouldn’t have to be stuck here teaching you, hoping a dog could learn something meant for asuras,” the brat spat venomously as he grew more annoyed.

Even faster.

Sweat began stinging my eyes, impeding my vision.  Blades of grass flew around us as our steps and movement lifted chunks of dirt into the air.

Faster, damn it!

My body was beginning to protest as my mind grew dull. It was beginning to make sharper movements due to the fatigue in my body.  Each time I dodged, my body jolted in pain.

What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t used to fighting for this long and dodging attacks of this caliber was wearing me down at an even greater pace than usual.

If I lowered my speed, then I would bear the full brunt of Taci’s childish rage, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could continue to hold out.

My mind whirled trying to think of an answer.  Think, Arthur.  What had Kordri stressed this whole time?  Conservation and proper distribution of mana and energy.  Taci’s form of fighting wasn’t as concise as Kordri’s but since he was reinforcing his body with mana, he wasn’t tiring as easily as I was.

Fluidity.

Yeah, fluid.  Arthur, you dumbass, Kordri had given you the answer.  Be fluid, but stay fierce.  Like a cyclone.

Even with a clear idea in my head, it was horrifying trying to implement it when one mistake could easily be the death of you.  Even in the soul realm, it was still scary.

Taci was also showing signs of wear as his once smug face became lined with a tensed exasperation.  His bombardment never slowed, however, as he continued his storm of strikes and grabs.

Don’t just dodge.  Do more.  Look for an opening in his attacks.  Follow his movements and go along with it, not against it.

Another cut appeared on my cheek from Taci’s strike as I failed to execute the movement I had thought of  in my head properly.

Not fast enough, Arthur.

His kick from the side landed squarely on my rib, spinning me off balance.

I bit down on my lip to keep myself from buckling in pain. I knew that a few ribs were broken, which meant that an organ or two were probably punctured.

Faster.

Don’t go against his movement.  Conserve energy.  Be fluid.

Taking advantage of the fact that he had finally landed a solid hit, Taci immediately followed up with a right straight, his fist reinforced with a purple aura.

“Say good night,” Taci’s snide voice rang.

My brain screamed for my body to duck, to cover my vitals, to avoid this hit. But if I merely dodged, it would be impossible to avoid his next attack.

I Ignored my instincts, using the momentum from Taci’s last kick, whirled my body counterclockwise, as his fist headed towards me.  At the same time, I raised my right hand, timing it so that it would meet with his.

If I failed in grasping the right timing or speed of this maneuver by a millisecond, my head would probably get blown off, but I buried those thoughts and focused.

Time seemed to slow as my right hand grasped his right wrist.  I immediately lowered my center of gravity and slung his arm over my shoulder as I maintained the spin of my body.  I could feel the force of his punch as Taci was hopelessly lifted from his feet.

Using the power of his own blow, I redirected his attack and propelled him to the ground.

What I didn’t expect was my throw to produce a crater the size of a house.  There in the middle of the devastation was Taci, sprawled out and gurgling blood, with the whites of his eyes showing.

I collapsed to my knees trying to catch a breath, as I realized that the broken ribs had punctured one of my lungs.  While I normally don’t condone bullying someone younger than myself, looking down at the sorry state of the brat, I let out a satisfied grin.

“Good night.”