Sword clashed against sword in the wilderness.
The endless screams of steel were both piercing and clear. Whenever slashes faster than sound tore through the air, ripples inevitably colored the world.
How many blows had we exchanged already? It was not a particularly meaningful question. Hundreds or thousands of sword strikes passed between us each second; what purpose would there be in counting every exchange?
I merely thought,
I had prepared myself for this, but my opponent was no pushover.
He even felt somewhat overwhelming. Then again, how could he not? A glance at the man swinging his sword at me was enough to understand.
A black shadow shaped like me.
Only its golden eyes emitted light like will-o’-the-wisps within the darkness. An opponent identical to me in outline, attire, and weapons.
If there was any small difference, it lay in his ferocity.
Perhaps it should be called more bestial.
His trajectories were rough and unrefined. If I retreated one step, his offensive immediately followed by one. I deliberately had to retreat two.
Even so, his blade forced its way into every opening.
I twisted my upper body slightly and evaded it, but my opponent was ‘me.’ As if it were only natural, the sword’s path bent like a…