Werf took a deep breath and stepped forward, stopping a few feet away from Hild. His body ached from training, but he pushed through the exhaustion.
Slowly, he raised his fists, elbows tucked in, his posture balanced, legs positioned for movement. His stance was sharp, almost practiced, resembling that of a seasoned fighter.
Hild raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh? And where did you learn that?"
Werf shifted his weight slightly, fists steady. "I saw a guy using it in a bar fight once," he admitted. "Looked like it worked pretty well."
Hild chuckled. "So, you pick things up just by watching? Not bad. That's called the Peek-a-boo stance—used by boxers to keep their guard up while staying mobile."
To Werf's surprise, Hild raised her own hands, mirroring his stance perfectly. "Since you're using it, I'll show you how it's supposed to work."
Before Werf could process that, Hild moved.
She exploded forward, covering the distance in an instant. Werf barely had time to react before she was already inside his guard.
Instinct kicked in—he ducked, just narrowly avoiding a lightning-fast jab aimed for his nose. The wind from the strike brushed past his cheek, his heart pounding at the sheer speed.
Werf retaliated with a quick hook aimed at Hild's ribs, but she weaved under it with effortless grace, her movement precise and controlled. She was fast—too fast.
He barely saw the next attack coming.
A sharp flicker in his vision—Hild's fist shot toward his stomach.
He twisted his torso just in time, but the force of the strike grazed him, sending a dull ache through his side. Gritting his teeth, Werf stepped back, resetting his stance.
"Not bad," Hild mused, bouncing lightly on her feet. "You actually dodged that."
Werf exhaled, adjusting his footing. She's testing me.
He couldn't let her dictate the fight.
Clenching his fists, Werf took the initiative, stepping forward with a sharp one-two punch, a left jab to test her reaction followed by a quick right cross.
His fists moved with newfound precision, his body remembering the motions from the bar fight he had once watched.
Hild parried the jab effortlessly, but Werf noticed something—her stance had shifted slightly.
An opening.
His body moved before his mind did. He stepped in, twisting his hips, and launched an uppercut aimed directly at her chin.
It almost landed.
Almost.
At the last possible moment, Hild tilted her head back, the punch whistling past her face. Before Werf could even register what had happened, Hild's leg swept beneath his feet.
His balance vanished.
The world tilted—his back slammed into the dirt.
He gasped, winded, staring up at the sky.
Hild peered down at him, arms still raised, smirking. "Not bad. That uppercut was instinctual—you saw an opening and took it. But you committed too much to it."
She extended a hand, and Werf begrudgingly took it, pulling himself up. His arms ached, his lungs burned, but he wasn't done yet.
This time, he didn't wait for her to attack.
He charged.
A feint—a quick jab toward her left, baiting her to move right.
Hild reacted, shifting—but Werf was already pivoting, sending a right hook aimed at her ribs. The punch connected, a solid hit that sent a dull shockwave through his arm.
Hild let out a grunt of approval. "You're learning."
Werf didn't stop.
But suddenly—his movements changed.
Without realizing it, his body mimicked Jil's erratic fighting style. His steps became unpredictable, his stance looser. His next attack should have been a straight jab, but instead, his body twisted, turning it into a wild hook that Hild hadn't expected.
For the first time, Hild had to step back.
Jil, watching from the sidelines, blinked in surprise. "Wait… is he—?"
Werf lunged again, his body moving awkwardly yet fluidly, his strikes abandoning structure in favor of instinct. He stumbled mid-step but turned it into a spinning strike—messy, but effective.
Jil's eyes widened. "He's copying me!"
Even though his execution was sloppy, his mind had already begun adapting mid-fight, pulling from what he had observed. He didn't even realize he was doing it.
He's just like her. But different.
Hild's smirk widened. "You're talented too."
And just like that—
A quick flicker—Hild slipped inside his guard.
Werf barely had time to see her fist rocket toward his chin.
CRACK.
Everything blurred.
His vision spun.
Darkness swallowed his senses before he even hit the ground.
Jil winced. "Oof… yeah, that looked like it hurt."