My body moved before any more elaborate thought could form.
The sword was already in motion when the sound of impact echoed across the desert.
The Second General raised his axe with precision, blocking my strike without any apparent effort.
The force of the clash scattered sand around us like a dry explosion, creating an empty circle beneath our feet.
I stepped back.
Not out of necessity, but instinct.
He didn't move.
His eyes remained locked on me, attentive, calculating.
"Fast," he said with a slight hint of interest in his voice. "But you're still holding back."
I didn't respond.
I attacked again, this time varying the angle.
A horizontal slash followed by a short advance, trying to break through his defense.
The axe moved with an unexpected fluidity for something of that size, deflecting my strike and counterattacking instantly.
I tilted my body backward, feeling the wind of the attack pass just past my face.
The impact on the ground behind me opened a crater, sending sand in all directions.
Before the dust could settle, I moved again.
This time I accelerated.
My mana circulated with greater intensity, reinforcing every movement.
The sword cut through the air in sequence—continuous attacks, no pause.
He began to retreat, blocking one after another, but without losing control.
"Better," he commented, as if evaluating training.
The irritation passed quickly.
I knew that kind of reaction was expected.
He still wasn't fighting seriously.
I increased my speed even further.
I disappeared from in front of him for an instant, reappearing at his flank.
My blade descended diagonally, aiming for a blind spot.
The impact came again, the metallic sound echoing sharply.
This time I felt more resistance.
He responded.
The counterattack came faster than before.
The axe drew a wide arc, impossible to ignore.
I blocked with my sword, but the impact was different.
Heavier.
My body was pushed back, sliding across the sand for several meters until I managed to stabilize myself.
I stopped.
Took a deep breath.
He was no longer standing still.
He took a few steps forward, approaching slowly.
"Now this feels like a fight," he said. "But it's still not enough."
The pressure around us increased.
It wasn't just physical strength.
It was something else.
A presence that weighed on the air, as if the environment itself was being compressed.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
My energy responded.
I activated more of the armor.
The golden aura intensified around me, forming denser layers.
I felt my body become lighter, faster, more precise.
I moved forward again.
This time, there was no testing.
I attacked directly.
The speed increased drastically.
The sound of our strikes blended with the wind, creating a constant rhythm.
He began to truly move now, not just blocking, but dodging, counterattacking, responding.
The desert around us began to change.
Each impact on the ground left deep marks.
Sand was thrown in every direction, forming waves around the battlefield.
Small elevations appeared and disappeared under the force of our blows.
He smiled.
"Now you're starting to interest me."
The blade passed close to his face.
Barely.
He tilted his head at the last instant and responded with a direct strike.
I blocked.
This time, the impact partially broke through my defense.
I felt the vibration travel up my arm, forcing my body back again.
I didn't wait.
I rotated my body and counterattacked, aiming for his side.
He defended, but this time he had to adjust his stance.
A small detail—but enough.
I kept pressing.
Attack after attack.
No pause.
No space.
He began to retreat faster.
The distance between us constantly shifted—expanding and collapsing in an unpredictable rhythm.
Then he changed.
His posture lowered.
More grounded.
The axe shifted into a different position.
"Let's increase it a bit," he said.
In the next instant, he disappeared.
Not completely, but fast enough to escape my immediate perception.
I felt it.
My body reacted.
I turned my sword at the exact moment.
The impact came from above.
The ground beneath my feet gave way under the force of the strike.
Sand collapsed, forming a depression around me.
My body held for a second, absorbing the pressure.
He didn't stop.
Second strike.
Third.
Fourth.
Each blow heavier than the last.
I blocked them all, but the strain began to show.
My breathing changed.
Not exhaustion—but demand.
I waited for the moment.
On the fifth strike, I dodged instead of blocking.
The axe struck the ground with full force.
An opening appeared.
I moved forward.
My sword cut straight, aiming directly at his torso.
He reacted quickly.
The impact happened.
But not as I expected.
The blade connected, but didn't fully pierce.
The resistance was absurd.
Still, I managed to push him back a few centimeters.
He looked at the point of impact.
Then at me.
"Interesting," he said.
I immediately stepped back.
The distance was reestablished.
The wind continued to blow strongly around us.
The area was no longer flat.
Craters, grooves, and deep marks covered the terrain.
He slowly rotated his axe.
"You're strong," he continued. "More than I expected."
I remained silent.
My mind analyzed every detail.
Speed, strength, durability.
All above anything I had faced so far.
But not beyond reach.
He advanced again.
This time, faster.
The exchange resumed.
Now without testing.
Direct strikes.
No words.
Sword and axe collided in sequence, creating shockwaves that spread across the desert.
The sound was constant, heavy, repetitive.
My vision focused only on him.
Every movement.
Every adjustment.
Every opening.
But he was also analyzing me.
And responding.
Time began to lose meaning.
I didn't know how long had passed.
Minutes.
Maybe more.
But one thing became clear.
He still hadn't shown everything.
And neither had I.
In the middle of one of the clashes, our eyes met again.
This time, something was different.
Recognition.
Not superiority.
But equivalence.
For now.
I stepped back a few meters, creating space.
He did the same.
Silence returned for a moment.
Short.
Heavy.
"So this is how it is," he said.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
My energy began to rise again.
"Now it really begins," I replied.
And without waiting, I moved forward once more—determined to surpass that limit.