Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Kaizen and Ryeis faced each other in the Valkyria Arena, eyes locked, neither of them willing to risk losing sight of the other for even a second.

The sounds of the crowd’s sighs and cheers mingled with the clash of swords as the minutes ticked by.

After a series of quick strikes to test Ryeis’ defenses, Kaizen took a more defensive stance for a minute to see if he could withstand Ryeis’ attacks. However, Ryeis did not advance, as this change in Kaizen’s fighting style seemed to be a trap.

Seeing no other choice, Kaizen advanced with a horizontal strike. The Næġling Falske sliced through the air with a single, low humming sound that seemed shrill at the same time. Ryeis deftly dodged, throwing back his back and then laughing teasingly.

“You’re fast, Kaizen, but you’re still a long way from beating me.” He said calmly in the midst of his dodging.

Kaizen smiled, beaming with confidence. “We’ll see about that!”

The two fighters moved with grace and agility, and it was satisfying to watch their swords collide in a series of swift blows. Ryeis’ crystal sword glowed with an intense blue-green glow, while Kaizen’s glowed with a silver light.

Kaizen tried to surprise Ryeis with broader and longer attacks, but Ryeis skillfully blocked with no apparent effort, and his crystal sword resounded with a crystal sound with each defense.

“You’ll have to do better than that! Hurgh! I can’t believe Teshi lost to someone like you.”

Kaizen raised an eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes, determined to make the smug man shut up.

“Okay, then I’ll pick up the pace!”

The psyker advanced with a diagonal blow from below, but Ryeis defended with a quick movement and countered with a powerful horizontal blow. Kaizen narrowly dodged, feeling the wind from the blow pass close to his face. The fight continued, with the two fighters moving all over the battlefield, their swords sparking with each clash and with increasing consistency. The crowd was in ecstasy, screaming with excitement at each blow.

Kaizen tried several times to use his agility to find an opening in Ryeis’ defense, but the crystal swordsman was more than up to the challenge, blocking each attack with precision. So Kaizen knew he had to do something for the world. He lunged forward with a vertical strike, and in the milliseconds between the swing and the strike, Kaizen could see Ryeis’ sword move to block it again. This was the first time that Kaizen had been able to see this movement rather than just predict it, and it was quite different to know that his attack would be blocked before he actually attacked.

In Kaizen’s opinion, Ryeis had already blocked this next attack and since his guard was open, Ryeis would probably counterattack.

No use to waste energy like that. Kaizen thought.

So, before the Næġling Falske collided with the side of Ryeis’ crystal sword, Kaizen slowed down the swing of his sword so that it stopped just a few centimeters from touching the crystal sword.

The spectators in the audience of the Valkyria Arena were confused, not understanding why Kaizen had stopped his attack. Their eyes shone with a mixture of excitement and mystery.

“What is he up to?” whispered some of the spectators, curious to know Kaizen’s strategy.

Ryeis, for his part, was momentarily stunned, not expecting Kaizen to interrupt his attack like that.

Kaizen smiled at Ryeis and looked directly into the crystal swordsman’s eyes.

“Interesting…” He said in a provocative tone. “You still don’t understand how this fight works, do you?” Kaizen took a few steps back, moving away from Ryeis, his sword raised in a defensive position.

The psyker’s opponent clenched the hilt of his crystal sword tightly and gritted his teeth. “What are you talking about? I still have the upper hand in this fight.”

Kaizen laughed, further provoking his opponent. “Do you really think so? You wanted me to keep attacking nonstop, knowing that you can defend against my common attacks, so that I would use up all my energy while you would conserve much of yours. You were just saving your energy for the right moment, that’s not mastery in my opinion.

Immediately, Kaizen began to move, circling around Ryeis and studying him intently. Ryeis didn’t react, because what Kaizen said was exactly what he intended to do, he just didn’t expect the Psyker to figure it out so quickly.

“You want to know what mastery is? Well, I will show you, Kaizen!”

Ryeis advanced with a horizontal strike, but Kaizen dodged with a backward leap and quickly returned with a precise counterattack after a sword thrust, which Ryeis blocked with a skillful defense. The two fighters continued to exchange blows, but this time it didn’t feel like a one-sided fight. Ryeis not only countered, but also had the proactivity to attack. Suddenly, Ryeis increased the pace of his attacks, using more kinetic movements that made Næġling Falske’s blade tremble, trying to find an opening in Ryeis’ defense. The two fighters moved in a dangerous choreography, dodging blows and blocking attacks with mastery.

Kaizen then made a risky decision. He unleashed a series of low blows, aiming for cuts at the level of the abdomen, pressuring Ryeis with intensity and forcing him to defend with all his skill.

This time, Ryeis was busy blocking Kaizen’s attacks without having a chance to counter, not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t.

Kaizen then changed his strategy, slowing his speed and letting Ryeis attack, then skillfully dodging each blow while keeping his guard up. He watched Ryeis’ attack patterns and waited for the right moment. Finally, Ryeis made a mistake, leaving an opening in his defense as he attacked with a side strike. Kaizen saw the opportunity and seized it, sliding his sword through the opening and landing a sharp blow on Ryeis’ shoulder.

Ryeis almost let out a cry of pain and quickly backed away, his crystal sword now glowing faintly.

…

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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