Kael stood motionless.
His knuckles were sore.
Riku Virehart had left and he left with the impression.
Then Kael slowly exhaled.
"...I almost lost."
Closing his eyes, he replayed the fight piece by piece.
At the beginning, Kael had held back, relying only on his raw strength and simple movements.
He wanted to test Riku's ability before unleashing his skills. But Riku's swordsmanship had been sharp, precise, and relentless.
Each swing was his preside experience, as if every strike was meant to break him down little by little.
"His blade wasn't just sharp either but," Kael muttered to himself.
"Every slash sought out a weakness… every thrust forced me on the defensive."
For a time, Kael's bare hands were enough.
He blocked, dodged, and countered where he could. But it hadn't taken long for him to realize the truth: without his skills, he would have been cut apart.
He remembered the moment he unleashed Astral Severance.
