"Sorry for the wait."
The air cracked with tension.
Then—
SWOOSH!
Lucavion vanished.
The space between them collapsed in an instant, his black estoc already driving forward—sharp, relentless, a needle of death aimed directly at Thaddeus' throat.
CLANG!
Thaddeus barely caught the thrust, his longsword angling just in time to divert the lethal strike. But Lucavion didn't stop. His wrist twisted, redirecting the estoc mid-motion—
SWISH!
A feint. A second thrust, sharper, aimed for the gap beneath Thaddeus' ribs.
THUNK!
Thaddeus dodged—just barely. But before he could step away—
Lucavion moved.
He twisted low, his foot sweeping out—
CRACK!
The Duke's knee buckled slightly, his balance thrown off for the first time.
Lucavion's smirk widened. That's more like it.
His estoc flashed upward, carving toward Thaddeus' exposed side—
CLANG!
Thaddeus intercepted at the last second, but his guard had slipped—his grip slightly off, his weight uneven.
