Madam Lilith clapped her hands, and we shot forward. I was the first to get a hit, and sure, my blade slid right off her shoulder, doing no damage, but a hit was a hit. Sadly, I couldn't bask in the moment, jumping back and then blocking Ace's strike when she charged forward.
Ace began to chant a spell, and as our swords were entangled as we blocked each other, I headbutted her. In hindsight, that was a mistake as it hurt me way more, but it threw her off and stopped her focus.
Ace stepped back, giving me the space to push her. I kept striking from different angles, ensuring she couldn't focus enough to hit me with a spell and just block.
I gradually got her to the arena's edge as I focused everything on my offense while she focused on defense. Sure, a clear win of power would be fantastic, but a win was a win. Plus, I didn't want to keep this fight going longer than needed and give her a chance to win.