Old Man had it rough. He truly had not expected new talents to keep emerging, with the next wave already about to leave him dead on the shore.
Just before his head struck the ground, he curled up and shielded his vital areas with his arms, doing his best to cushion the impact. Only that kept him from breaking his neck or being knocked senseless by the fall.
His armor stopped the metal Petal Whips, barely keeping them from piercing his flesh. Old Man rolled on the spot while using his short blade to flick the whips aside, then flipped back to his feet as he untangled them from his body.
By then, Yuno's whip was already lashing down at his head. It was fast and vicious, but Old Man twirled his short blade overhead and easily deflected the lash, guiding it into the ground and sending sand flying.
Not meeting flexible weapons head-on was Old Man's wisdom. A rigid block would only make the whip fold midway, allowing its tip to strike his back instead. Only by flicking the whip aside and letting it strike the ground could Old Man neutralize the threat perfectly.
That was also why Yuno found Old Man troublesome and had to resort to a few dirty tricks. Old Man certainly had a wealth of combat experience. Apart from people using shields, Yuno had never seen anyone handle his whips correctly.
Yuno flickered and vanished again. This time, Old Man did not pursue him, but stood where he was and quietly awaited Yuno's attack.
Now, he would drag Yuno into his own rhythm rather than play along with Yuno's. Then he would make Yuno expose an opening and take him down in one stroke.
That had only been a warm-up. Now it was time to