The clash of steel echoed through the courtyard as War Woman and Knight Lugh collided in a storm of movement, their strikes and parries executed with an almost supernatural speed and precision. To any onlooker, it was not merely a battle but a deadly dance, graceful, hypnotic, and fearsome in its flawless execution.
War Woman spun on her heel, her blade carving arcs of silver light as she deflected Lugh's attack. He responded instantly, pivoting and lunging, his sword a golden blur slicing through the air. Sparks erupted with each clash of their weapons, briefly illuminating their faces, hardened, determined, and resolute.
Every movement served dual purposes, blending offense and defense seamlessly. A thrust transformed into a feint, a dodge shifted into a counter. Their boots barely grazed the fractured stone below, each step calculated and deliberate, yet swift as a tempest. War Woman vaulted over a horizontal slash, twisting mid-air to bring her sword crashing down. Lugh caught it just in time, his muscles taut like coiled springs, propelling him into a spinning strike aimed at her flank.
"You've gotten better," Lugh remarked, a trace of admiration coloring his voice, even as he launched a barrage of relentless blows meant to overpower.
War Woman grinned beneath her helm. "I've had plenty of practice." Her reply came in a flurry of sharp, deliberate strikes, each probing Lugh's defenses for a vulnerability. He deflected one, two, three attacks in quick succession before she retreated with feline grace, only to surge forward again, circling him like a predator sizing up its prey.
The ground beneath them quaked with the ferocity of their duel, their blades meeting with thunderous force, sending shockwaves rippling through the debris-strewn courtyard. Dust swirled around them, mingling with the sparks and flashes of steel, forming an otherworldly haze through which the relentless rhythm of their battle unfolded.
Lugh lunged with a sudden overhead strike, but War Woman pivoted beneath it, her blade flicking upward to intercept his next thrust. They were close now, mere inches apart, their movements a blur, strikes flashing faster than the eye could follow.
In one fluid motion, War Woman twisted, her foot catching on a fragment of broken stone, propelling her upward into a spinning leap. She arced above Lugh, her blade aimed at his shoulder, only for him to duck and roll beneath her sweep, coming up behind her in flawless counterbalance. He slashed, but War Woman anticipated it, dropping low to catch his blade on her forearm and wrench it away in a swift, calculated motion.
Steel clashed against steel, the sound ringing out like a chaotic symphony of speed, strength, and precision. Every calculated blow War Woman delivered was met with an equally precise counter from Lugh. The two combatants were evenly matched, a whirlwind of technique, instinct, and unrelenting fury.
War Woman's eyes narrowed, assessing her opponent. He's fast… but not fast enough. Feinting left, she pivoted sharply to the right, her blade slicing upward in a precise arc. Lugh managed to block, but his footing faltered on the uneven stone. Seizing the opportunity, she pressed forward, spinning low to deliver a sweeping kick that sent him staggering backward.
Lugh recovered instantly, rolling and springing to his feet as if time itself bent to his will. He lunged again, faster and more aggressive, his strikes nearly imperceptible in their speed. War Woman countered, blocking, parrying, and weaving with perfect timing. Her hair whipped around her face as if alive, her body flowing effortlessly with the rhythm and intensity of the battle.
The two met in a violent clash at the center of the courtyard, swords locking as their faces hovered mere inches apart. Lugh's breathing was rapid yet controlled, his golden eyes ablaze with unyielding determination. War Woman's fierce gaze burned with the promise of unstoppable power behind every strike. For a brief moment, the world around them ceased to exist, reduced to the sharp clang of metal, the electric tension in the air, and the almost preternatural anticipation of each other's moves.
With a sudden burst of breathtaking agility, War Woman vaulted over Lugh's shoulder, landing behind him in a low crouch, her blade poised to strike the back of his knee. Lugh reacted instantly, twisting in mid-motion to deliver a backhanded counter that forced her into a flipping retreat. She landed heavily on the cracked stone but remained coiled and ready, every movement a testament to her unrelenting readiness.
They resumed their deadly dance, circling each other with precision, each acutely aware of the other's skill, each pushing the boundaries of reflex, speed, and tactical brilliance. Every strike and parry, every feint and pivot, was a wordless exchange, a conversation of motion where a single mistake could bring about a fatal end.
A grin spread beneath War Woman's helm, her adrenaline coursing. At last… a foe worthy of her strength.
Lugh's expression hardened into a grim smile. "You've only seen the beginning of my fight."
At his words, they lunged at each other once again, blades moving with lightning speed, their forms a blur of relentless motion and gleaming steel. The courtyard became the stage for their brutal, elegant battle, a perfect storm of war, savage and beautiful in its deadly artistry.
War Woman feinted left before spinning low, aiming a rising slash toward Lugh's midsection. He deflected it with a precise snap of his wrist, the force reverberating through her arm. She gritted her teeth but transitioned smoothly into a spinning back kick, momentarily catching him off balance. It was just enough to press her advantage, her blade slicing through the air in a horizontal arc designed to disarm, or worse.
Lugh barely twisted in time, the tip of her sword grazing his armor and sending a spray of sparks flying as he stumbled but quickly regained his footing with feline grace. The courtyard echoed with the harsh clash of their blades, the pace quickening into a crescendo of controlled chaos.
War Woman's attacks became a torrent, a relentless storm meant to overwhelm. Lugh danced through the onslaught with his golden blade, parrying, twisting, and countering with precision. Yet, despite his skill, sweat streaked his brow, a testament to the energy and focus required to maintain his razor-sharp timing. Her unyielding assault was beginning to expose cracks in his stamina.
Seizing a fleeting hesitation in his guard, she lunged with a spinning thrust aimed at his chest. Lugh twisted to evade the lethal strike, but the motion left him unbalanced. War Woman capitalized on the moment, using his momentum against him and driving him toward the broken fountain in the courtyard. He collided with the shattered stone in a grating crunch, his armor denting, but he rebounded almost instantly, eyes blazing with renewed determination.
"You won't break me so easily," he growled, his voice tight with controlled fury.
A grin spread beneath War Woman's helm. "I don't need to break you. Just enough to make you bleed."
The next exchange blurred into a whirlwind of motion. War Woman moved with liquid precision, her blade slicing through the air in arcs too swift for the eye to follow. Lugh met her strikes, but her accuracy forced him into constant defense, each block and redirection sapping his energy. A powerful kick to his midsection sent him staggering backward, and this time, a thin streak of crimson marked his golden armor.
Though unsteady, Lugh did not falter. His eyes sharpened with focus, his grin replaced by a grim resolve. With a sudden spinning overhead strike, he caught War Woman off guard for the first time in their duel. She rolled beneath the attack, but the tip of his blade grazed her shoulder armor, slicing through to the flesh beneath. Pain flared sharply, but she barely reacted, answering with a savage upward slash aimed at his side.
Lugh twisted his body, allowing the blade to graze him as sparks flew, countering with a backhand strike toward her ribs. War Woman ducked low, her form coiling tightly before she sprang upward in a spinning leap, her sword descending in a crushing vertical blow. He blocked the strike with a grimace, the impact reverberating through both their arms.
The courtyard bore the scars of their clash, shattered stone, broken weapons, and streaks of blood attested to the ferocity of their battle. Every move was a calculated risk, a perfect blend of elegance and deadly intent. Despite the chaos, the two combatants remained evenly matched, their skills refined to an almost superhuman degree.
War Woman vaulted backward, landing with the precision of a predator, her gaze locked on Lugh as he regained his footing. She noted the faint sheen of sweat on his brow, the tightness in his jaw, and the slight irregularity in his breathing. He was relentless, precise, lethal, and formidable, but she could see the cracks beginning to form, subtle but undeniable.
"Almost… there," she murmured under her breath, her blade steady and poised.
Lugh, sensing the change, responded like a predator recognizing the stalking of an equal. His golden eyes narrowed, his movements shifting to become more deliberate, less fluid but brimming with raw force. He would not falter, not now, not ever.
The duel intensified, each strike and counter delivered in near-perfect rhythm, a brutal dance where every motion held the potential for finality. War Woman feinted low before striking high; Lugh parried, countered, spun, evaded, and lunged, each action calculated, every blow testing the limits of their endurance. Neither yielded ground, yet both understood that the first mistake, the first misstep, would seal their fate.
The air was thick with the sounds of clashing steel, the scent of sweat and blood mingling as the shattered courtyard seemed to tremble under the ferocity of their battle. Through it all, War Woman's grin remained razor-sharp, unyielding, and predatory, prepared to shift the balance with one decisive strike.
War Woman's piercing gaze followed every subtle shift in Lugh's stance, every micro-adjustment of his grip. His speed was formidable, faster than most, but even the most seasoned fighters bore the strain of fatigue, and she was determined to capitalize on it.
She feinted low, her blade whispering near his knee before snapping upward into a sudden vertical strike toward his chest. Lugh barely managed to twist aside, deflecting the blow, but the effort forced him back, his boots scraping against the cracked stone beneath them. She transitioned smoothly into a spinning low sweep, her blade carving a precise arc meant to unbalance him completely.
He barely evaded, leaping back just in time to land with a solid thump. Yet her relentless onslaught allowed no reprieve. With a swift pivot, she lunged again, her blade targeting his exposed shoulder. Sparks flew as their swords clashed, the sharp ring of steel echoing through the courtyard. For the first time, Lugh's grip faltered under the sheer force of her attack.
"You're… relentless," he growled through clenched teeth, his eyes flicking to the faint crimson streak now staining his armor.
"And you're starting to tire," she replied evenly, her voice steady and her eyes narrowing with intent. With a sudden feint high, she dropped low in an instant, driving a ferocious horizontal slash toward his midsection. Though he blocked, the impact sent him skidding backward, shards of stone scattering as he struggled to regain footing.
War Woman moved like a whirlwind, her attacks a blur of precision, elbows, kicks, and spinning strikes, forcing Lugh into an unyielding defensive retreat. His golden blade gleamed with every desperate parry, but the strain was evident; his breathing quickened, his movements slowed, and his once-fluid defense faltered ever so slightly.
Lugh's eyes narrowed, his focus sharpening like a blade honed on the whetstone of desperation. He spun and struck in a precise arc that grazed War Woman's thigh. She flinched, though only briefly, before countering with a ferocious upward slash that forced him to duck, her blade's tip grazing his neck. Blood spattered, a vivid crimson against his golden armor, and he staggered, grimacing in pain.
The courtyard seemed to mirror the ferocity of their battle. Stone cracked beneath the force of their blows, while dust and sparks mingled in the air, creating a tempest of raw energy. Each parry and counterstrike carried the weight of a potential finishing blow, the duel teetering on the edge of resolution.
War Woman's grin widened beneath her helm as she sensed the faintest crack in his defenses, the brief lapse in his otherwise flawless rhythm. She advanced with relentless precision, every strike meticulously aimed to push him further and test his endurance.
Lugh's golden eyes glinted with unyielding determination. He pivoted sharply, feinting an overhead blow before spinning low to target her knee. War Woman twisted mid-motion, deflecting his attack and retaliating with a swift backhand slash toward his side. He evaded the brunt of the strike, but a shallow cut opened along his ribs, streaking crimson across the gleaming golden plate of his armor.
He hissed, a sharp intake of breath betraying the first real sign of pain that marred his stoic demeanor. War Woman seized the opportunity, her blade cutting through the air in arcs of near-supernatural speed and precision, each strike calculated and deadly.
"You're pushing too hard," he growled, spinning away to create distance. Yet even as he moved to recover, War Woman closed the gap, her movements unrelenting. Her strikes were probing and deliberate, testing his defenses, searching for the smallest fracture to exploit.
A sudden blur of motion, a spinning thrust aimed directly at his chest, forced him to retreat once more. The edge of her blade glanced off his armor, sending a shower of sparks to the ground as he twisted to parry. Another swift blow slipped past his guard, grazing his shoulder and causing him to stagger. He remained on his feet, still battling fiercely, but the balance of power was beginning to tilt ever so slightly in War Woman's favor.
Panting, their bodies slick with sweat and streaked with blood, the two warriors locked eyes across the courtyard. Both understood the fight was far from over, but the cracks in Lugh's seemingly impenetrable defense had begun to show. War Woman's grin widened, her expression predatory. One decisive move, one perfectly timed strike, and the battle could finally shift irrevocably to her side.
War Woman's blade arced through the air, primed to deliver the final, decisive strike. Lugh staggered before her, blood streaking his resplendent golden armor, his defenses collapsing under her relentless assault. Victory was within her grasp, each movement calculated to ensure his defeat.
But then—
A blinding light erupted across the courtyard, halting her swing in an instant. Her silver blade froze mid-air, held as if by an unseen force. War Woman blinked in confusion as the radiance intensified, warm yet overpowering, banishing shadows and scattering sparks into the ether.
From the brilliance, a figure emerged, tall and imposing, exuding an aura of unshakable calm. His armor gleamed with a divine luminescence, golden with a silvery ethereal sheen. He bore a sword and shield, both radiant, forged as if from the very essence of the sun's purity.
Knight Nuada.
The sight of him froze War Woman in her tracks. His pale, piercing eyes locked onto hers with unwavering authority. The sword in his hand pulsed with holy energy, a faint hum resonating through the stones beneath their feet. The shield, broad and inscribed with intricate sacred symbols, radiated a living, protective light that seemed almost sentient.
"You dare to exceed the bounds of what is allowed?" Nuada's voice reverberated across the courtyard, clear and commanding. Each word carried immense weight, a testament to centuries of discipline and divine purpose.
War Woman's muscles tightened as she instinctively assumed a defensive stance, her silver blade suddenly feeling heavier under the brilliance before her. Lugh, still recovering from his stagger, took a cautious step back, recognizing the abrupt shift in momentum.
Nuada advanced with deliberate precision, each step exuding confidence and authority. His shield tilted slightly, catching the light and scattering it in dazzling arcs across the courtyard, forcing War Woman to narrow her eyes. Her pulse quickened, this was no ordinary knight. This was a manifestation of judgment itself, arriving just in time to thwart her triumph.
Her grip on the sword tightened, her jaw clenched in defiance. "I don't care who stands in my way," she growled, her voice low and resolute, laced with unyielding determination. "I finish what I start."
Nuada's expression remained calm, almost detached, yet the air around him thrummed with restrained power. "Then you will learn that some battles are not yours to win," he said, his tone measured and absolute, like a judge delivering a final verdict.
Without warning, he moved, graceful, precise, and almost unnaturally swift. His sword rose in an upward arc, fluid yet controlled, and War Woman immediately responded, her blade swinging to intercept him. The clash of their swords erupted in a blinding explosion of light and sound, forcing her back several steps. Sparks flew as Nuada's weapon radiated an overwhelming brilliance, repelling even her most forceful strike and sending a burning ache through her arms.
Lugh watched from a short distance, his chest heaving and blood streaking his battered armor. His eyes widened in awe and respect. Nuada was unlike any adversary he had faced before, the mere presence of the holy knight transformed the battlefield itself.
War Woman's mind raced, refusing to let herself be overwhelmed or allow this interruption to halt her momentum. She lunged forward, spinning low to evade Nuada's sword, aiming to deliver a strike from an unexpected angle. Nuada, with an almost languid movement, raised his shield, intercepting her blow mid-swing. The impact reverberated up her arm, forcing her to stagger back once more.
"You rely on speed," Nuada remarked, his voice calm yet cutting, "but speed alone cannot surmount conviction. Discipline… and righteousness… will always triumph."
War Woman's jaw tightened. The brilliance of Nuada's sword, the sheer impenetrability of his defense, and the weight of his presence were unlike anything she had faced before. Yet, deep within her, that familiar fire, the one that had propelled her through countless battles, flared to life. She would not yield, not now, not to anyone.
Feigning high, she aimed a blow at his shoulder but twisted suddenly, bringing her knee up in a swift, brutal strike. Nuada shifted just in time, deflecting with the flat of his shield. The force behind his block was staggering, like striking against a wall of molten light.
Lugh, steady now, stepped forward with his golden blade raised, sensing a possible opportunity, but he hesitated. War Woman's focus was razor-sharp; she had fought gods and monsters alike. Yet Nuada radiated something entirely different, something almost untouchable. Still, the thrill of battle surged through her veins.
This was no longer just a duel. It had become a clash of wills, skill, and unrelenting determination. War Woman, despite her immense strength, knew she must adapt, or face trials that could break her completely.