I moved forward the next instant, without any room for hesitation.
My sword cut through the air with full force, carrying all the accumulated pressure of the previous exchanges.
He responded with the same intensity.
The impact between blade and axe sent out a shockwave that swept the sand around us, further tearing apart the already devastated terrain.
There were no more tests between us.
Every strike now carried a real intent to defeat the other.
I twisted my body and attacked in sequence, alternating angles, trying to force a flaw in his defense.
The Second General moved with absurd precision, blocking, evading, and counterattacking without wasting a single motion.
Every action he took seemed calculated at the exact limit.
I increased my speed.
My mana circulated with greater intensity, reinforcing my muscles and reflexes.
I began to disappear for brief moments, reappearing in different positions to attack.
He kept up.
Not perfectly, but enough to avoid being decisively hit.
The axe came down with brutal force.
I blocked.
The impact pierced through my defense and pushed me backward.
My feet sank into the sand, carving a long trail until I managed to stop.
Before I could stabilize, he was already coming again.
I tilted my body and narrowly dodged the next attack.
I felt the heavy wind pass by my face.
I responded with a direct slash, aiming for his arm.
He stepped back and spun his axe, deflecting the strike.
No pause.
The exchange continued.
The rhythm increased even more.
It was no longer just speed—it was constant pressure.
Every second demanded a perfect response.
A single mistake would be enough to end the fight.
He advanced with a heavy sequence.
Three consecutive attacks, each one stronger than the last.
I blocked the first two, but on the third I felt the impact fully break through my defense.
My body was thrown backward.
I crashed into the sand, rolling several meters before stopping.
A metallic taste rose in my mouth.
Blood.
It wasn't serious, but it was a clear warning.
I stood up immediately.
He didn't advance.
He stayed still, watching.
"You're starting to feel it," he said, without arrogance—just stating a fact.
I spat the blood to the side.
"Expected," I replied.
I took a deep breath and stabilized my body.
The pain was manageable.
My endurance was still far from its limit.
But the difference in raw strength between us was obvious.
So I adjusted my approach.
Instead of attacking directly, I began circling him, analyzing every movement more carefully.
I reduced my pace for a moment, trying to better understand his pattern.
He noticed.
"You're going to change strategy," he commented.
I didn't respond.
I moved in again, but this time without rushing.
I attacked with precision, not maximum force.
He blocked easily, but that wasn't the goal.
I continued.
Shorter strikes.
More technical.
Searching for small openings.
He responded at the same level, adjusting his defense.
The exchange became more controlled, less explosive—but still dangerous.
Then I saw it.
A small delay.
Not in his movement, but in his recovery after blocking a specific attack.
It was minimal.
But it existed.
I prepared the moment.
I attacked again, repeating the same pattern, forcing him to react the same way.
He blocked as before.
And then I changed.
I accelerated mid-motion.
My sword slipped through his partial defense, cutting lightly across his side.
It wasn't deep, but it was the first clean hit.
I immediately stepped back.
He looked at the cut.
Then at me.
And smiled.
"Finally," he said.
The pressure around us changed.
This time, clearly.
His presence intensified, as if he had decided to stop limiting his own power.
The air grew heavier.
Even the sand around us began to tremble slightly.
He moved forward.
Much faster.
I could barely track the beginning of his motion.
My body reacted on instinct, raising my sword at the last moment.
The impact was brutal.
I was thrown backward again, this time with greater force.
I barely touched the ground before rolling aside to avoid the next attack.
The axe struck where I had been an instant earlier, creating an even larger crater.
I struggled to stand for a moment.
He didn't give me space.
A sequence of attacks.
Fast.
Heavy.
Precise.
I blocked the first, dodged the second, but the third landed.
Even with the armor absorbing part of the impact, I felt it pass through my body.
I was sent flying once more.
This time, the pain hit harder.
My breathing faltered for an instant.
My vision trembled slightly.
But it wasn't over yet.
I forced myself up.
The armor responded, stabilizing part of the damage.
Still, I knew I couldn't keep this pace for long.
He stopped again.
Watching.
"Now we're fighting," he said.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
My mana began to rise more intensely.
I couldn't hold back anymore.
If I kept only reacting, I would lose.
So I decided.
I activated more of the armor's power.
The golden aura exploded around me, denser than before.
My presence changed as well.
The weight of my own power began to expand outward.
I moved forward.
This time, there was no analysis.
I attacked with everything.
Speed increased drastically.
Every strike carried far more power.
He responded, but this time he was forced to retreat more.
The exchange became balanced again.
Strike against strike.
Impact against impact.
The ground could no longer withstand the pressure.
Parts of the terrain began to collapse completely, forming deep cracks and uneven surfaces.
He dodged one attack and tried to counter.
I anticipated it.
I blocked and immediately counterattacked.
The blade passed near his face again.
Closer this time.
He retreated.
I advanced.
For a brief moment, the pressure shifted to my side.
But it didn't last.
He stabilized quickly.
And then, without warning, he increased his power even further.
His axe glowed with intense dark energy.
The next attack was different.
Heavier.
Faster.
More destructive.
I blocked.
But this time, it wasn't enough.
The impact completely broke through my defense.
My body was violently thrown, crossing part of the terrain before stopping several meters away.
I knelt for a second.
Breathing heavily.
Feeling the accumulated damage.
I slowly stood up.
He was watching me again.
"You're at your limit," he said.
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
My energy was still there.
But I knew it.
If I continued like this, I wouldn't last much longer.
He knew it too.
Silence returned for a moment.
Short.
Heavy.
The difference was now clear.
I had power.
But he was still above me.
Even so, there was no retreat.
I tightened my grip on the sword again.
My mind became completely focused.
If there was a limit, I would surpass it.
If there was a gap, I would break it.
I stepped forward.
He mirrored me.
And in the next instant, we both moved at the same time—determined to take this battle to an even higher level.