Duel

Alex and Yuki took their positions opposite one another. Both kept their swords sheathed, though they were clearly paying attention to one another.

One proponent of fighting is a ritual that one might go through while preparing to fight. Most didn't understand the importance of that, but Alex always took a second to clear his mind and imagine some music. He would just listen and vibe to the imaginary music, allowing himself to flow.

That was what he was doing now as the countdown began.

"3... 2... 1... Begin!"

Immediately, Yuki stamped her foot, creating a layer of ice beneath there feet. As a yukionna, she could easily navigate the ice, but most would have trouble keeping their footing. However, Alex just smiled and stayed still, keeping his footing. Most didn't know this, but he actually preferred the slippery footing, it made his footwork more fluid and allowed him to use more of his body.

Yuki saw his expression, but disregarded it as his expectation. This was a common technique that one would expect from a being such as a yukionna. Rather than draw her sword however, she raised her non dominant hand. Her power worked faster if she raised both hands, but that would lower her reaction time so she typically only used one hand.

Most would begin to move at this point, not letting their opponent cast whatever technique they were utilizing, but Alex just continued to stand still, bobbing his head to the imaginary music.

Keep in mind, Alex was not entirely confident. Their wasn't such a difference in power where Alex could afford to stand still and guarantee a win, but the ice had changed that. When faced with a new opponent, he liked to surprise them. It worked best for people who didn't know how he fought.

A cold aura rose, one that would cause even a cultivator such as Alex to shiver. It was an unnatural cold, one that penetrated the body's defenses and caused it to tremble. Yukionna's were very good at debuffs.

Yuki began to move, her technique completed. Visibility became bit more limited and the cold would limit Alex's arms and body while the ice limited his feet. She started to move, gliding across the ice like a professional ice skater as she circled him.

This continued as Alex slowly turned his body to face her as she circled, losing sight would mean losing.

*Shhaaaaa!*

Yuki cut in sharply, using her feet as ice skates to stop and turn herself. She swept in, drawing her sword and cutting directly at his shoulder. Normally, she would go for the neck, but on the off chance he wasn't as skilled as she thought he was, she didn't want to kill him.

However, Alex just slid back, allowing the blade to narrowly miss him. The wind swept his face and all spectators couldn't help, but appreciate his precise movement. A second late would have resulted in an injury and he seemed to have calculated the length of the sword to allow it to just glide past him.

Most would attack after this, seeing an opening, but this wasn't good enough for Alex. Yuki was prepared. So as she continued slashing and he continued narrowly dodging, he waited for her to get used to his movement.

He used the ice as naturally as she did, another surprise.

Minutes passed as the fluid motions of the two opponents continued until suddenly...

Alex stepped in, sliding one of his legs between Yuki's, bending his body backwards and his other leg's knee forward and grabbing her sword hand with his non dominant hand.

He smiled, the motion was complete, as he grabbed his sword from his sheathe for the first time and slashed.