In the clearing outside the camp.
Melina and Lilith stood facing each other, roughly ten meters apart.
"I'll give you a demonstration first, then. Sorry for the trouble, Princess Lilith, but please attack me," Melina said with a smile.
"Hmph, you'd better watch yourself!" Lilith raised her chin, her voice carrying its usual arrogance.
Melina nodded. "Understood. Go ahead, then. You can attack from any direction."
Lilith took a deep breath and thrust her right hand forward. A fist-sized fireball hurtled out, trailing a bright tail of flame!
The fireball was fast, reaching Melina in practically the blink of an eye.
But just before it struck, Melina shifted her body less than half a body's width to the left, and the fireball whistled past the front of her clothes.
Immediately afterward, a Wind Blade swept from her hand, seizing the opening and knocking Lilith to the ground.
Lilith froze for a moment. She looked down at herself sitting in the dirt, then back up at Melina's still sweetly smiling face. Her mouth opened, but she finally managed only one sentence:
"You... really are pretty good."
Though there was still a hint of resentment in her tone, coming from Lilith, that was already high praise.
Melina smiled faintly and offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. "It's really nothing special. There are just a few little tricks to it."
She brushed the dust off Lilith's clothes, then began explaining:
"The key is controlling your center of gravity and misleading your opponent with your gaze. When you attack, your eyes unconsciously focus on your target's vital spots. That shift in your gaze lets your opponent predict where your attack will go."
"So if you want to improve your accuracy, you need to learn to create a false impression with your