Khan evaded Drazhar's attack and countered with his curved blades. Neither could completely overpower the other in their clash.
"Kid, your technique isn't bad, but unfortunately, you're not strong enough! Not fast enough either!"
Drazhar rose to his feet and gave the demiklaives in his hands a few swings, saying nothing more. During their previous exchange, Khan had done everything possible to avoid letting his clawed blades directly collide with the demiklaives.
As he dodged, his entire body seemed to become a machine made for battle. At an extremely subtle moment, he released the hand gripping his clawed curved blade and swiftly punched Drazhar.
He forced back Drazhar's attack, then immediately regripped his blade and pressed toward him. Drazhar felt as if he was not fighting a two-armed man, but a four-armed war god. Khan wielded blade and fist with uncanny mastery.
Drazhar gave Khan a slight bow, showing that he had learned from him. Then he resumed his stance and charged at Khan, whose hands were clasped behind his back.
It was the same familiar attack pattern. Twin blades swept toward Drazhar, sealing off his room to dodge, while two fists shot straight for his chest like afterimages.
If he used his blades to block the curved blades, he would inevitably be struck by the fists. Likewise, if he blocked the fists, the blades would cut off his head.
It had been a long time since Drazhar had felt this alive. In his past battles, he would empty his mind, turn himself into a blade, and begin cutting by instinct. By the time he came back to himself, all that remained before him was a field of corpses.
But now, when he emptied his mind, all he received was Khan's powerful kick straight into his chest and abdomen. That