The Ark Of Flow Like Water

"A neat trick? So you've seen it done before?"

"Yes, the Duchess Midford was fighting some people and she allowed one of them to hit her. It allowed her to swing the man away, breaking his spine as she swung him onto the ground. So I thought, if I could grip your arm and bring it down, I could wound you with my blade."

"But I got thrown off course and panicked while still holding onto the weapon. I didn't even mean to hold onto the fan, I was aiming for your wrist," explained Bryan, like a boy being forced to tell the truth.

Tomoe tried to process what Bryan had said. If indeed Bryan gripped Tomoe's wrist instead of the fan and had the time to pull it downwards, it would have caused Tomoe to fall frontwards. And recalling back, he noted that Bryan's blade would have pierced his throat at the position it was in.

No matter what ways Tomoe could think of, that situation would end with him losing to Bryan. If Tomoe retracted his fan on the top, Bryan's blade would have gone for the kill by thrusting upwards. If he had chosen to take away the fan at the bottom, his chest would have been slashed.

If he took both away and backed off, Tomoe would have been wide open for any type of attack. Tomoe was shocked, the boy was smarter in tactics than he seemed. But it was such a pity that his physical body was hindering his sharp mind.

As the two continued to clash, there was still a problem. Bryan was dealing no damage to the fans. Once more, Tomoe had both fans opened out and Bryan made a very unwise decision to attack the opened fans with another great strike.

It was too late to realize his mistake as he found himself at Tomoe's mercy again. He smiled and using his superhuman strength, pushed Bryan back. While Bryan was a distance away, Tomoe leaped from his spot and had both fans opened. Bryan could only hold up his blade for defense.

Tomoe used the metal fans like a giant shield, banging both of them on Bryan's blade. This created a large shockwave and pushback since Bryan underestimated the force, causing the Slayer to fly towards the trees with a great amount of force.

If Bryan was a normal human, he would have pierced the Old Chapel's barrier. It was hard to change body posture, flying with that force. But Bryan was used to having his body constraint into a fixed pose, one of Minwoo's deadly training.

He closed his eyes and relaxed his body. He imagined that he was moving in the water and turned his body around to the position he needed. He landed at a large oak tree's base, as silent as he could be. After all, being in the Five Kings means no sound to be made during a fight.

And since no impact was heard, so Tomoe still stood guard. Sure enough, Bryan came launching out of the trees, with his sword tip pointing right at Tomoe's chest. His arm was extended out instead of being close to his abdomen, similar to a jousting position.

When Tomoe drew up his fans once more, Bryan changed his body posture and allowed his legs to fly upwards. Now, his legs were going up against the metal fans. What amazed both the fox and the Angry Man was how Bryan changed his body angle so quickly.

It looked so smooth as if the laws of gravity did not affect this particular boy. Tomoe tried to keep the fans but couldn't as he was forced to endure Bryan's powerful kick. Once the base of his feet made contact with the fans, Tomoe could feel one of his fingerbones break.

The ground shook and a shockwave was felt around the two men. Baldwin stood up in awe, he had not expected this show to be so full of twists and turns. Truly, the boy that Mavislin had hired was remarkable. With his kick strength, Bryan could have easily killed a low-ranking Mage.

But the Slayer was up against a Familiar, a being that cannot be killed within this realm. A being that draws its Elemental Energy and Aura from its owner. And Tomoe's owner was a Time Mage, making his power equivalent to the potential of Raiyen.

It would take more than a kick from an overhyped Human Mage to destroy Tomoe's fans.

Tomoe was flung back and landed nicely on the grass. Tomoe was genuinely surprised that his fans hadn't broken yet. If he hadn't used his War Fans, he would have broken more bones than just his finger. He gazed at his hands, particularly the one with a limp finger.