"Finally, observe. Don't just focus on the tip of your opponent's sword; look at his shoulders, his center of gravity, and his eyes. His true intentions often lie in these subtle details."
As he spoke, Draco demonstrated several simple offensive and defensive transitions with extremely slow movements, breaking down each movement and explaining the timing, distance, and power generation techniques. There were no flashy tricks; everything was simple and unpretentious, but it covered the core principles.
Without blinking, Windsor was processing these ideas, feeling as if she had opened the door to a new world.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a completely different scene unfolded: Hermione and Trillian were engaged in a fierce and lively battle of wits.
Both players were still beginners; their movements were stiff and full of openings. Their offense relied mainly on brute force, and their defense relied mainly on luck.
But they were fighting fiercely.
"Take this!" Trillian charged forward, thrusting straight at Hermione without any strategy. Hermione frantically tried to block, but used too much force and almost fell over. "W-Wait, slow down!"
"Hehe, Hermione, you're too slow!" Trillian laughed smugly, taking advantage of her quick reflexes, and began to harass Hermione with various irregular, rapid pokes and feints.
Hermione was being pushed back step by step, and the score became 1:4, with Trillian in the lead. Hermione frowned beneath her mask, her eyes filled with resentment—just because someone has good physical abilities doesn't mean they're superior.
Seeing that Trillian launching another swift thrust, the tip of her sword aimed straight at his face, and that he had no time to parry...
Hermione glanced around, then tensed, swiftly drawing the tip of her wand from her sleeve and discreetly casting a spell— the Impediment Jinx.
Suddenly, Trillian tripped over something invisible, causing her to falter and lose the power and accuracy of her thrust.
Hermione seized the opportunity to clumsily parry, then thrust forward, accidentally striking Trillian's arm guard.
"Beep!" Hermione scores, 2:4.
"Huh?" Trillian steadied herself, a little confused. What just happened? The ground was perfectly flat!
The rest of the match turned into Hermione's magic show.
Whenever Trillian attempted to change direction quickly, Hermione subtly flicked her fingers, casting a weak Whirlwind Charm that subtly altered the airflow around Trillian, affecting her balance.
As Trillian swung her sword with all her might, Hermione flicked her wrist, and Softening Charm inexplicably dissipated some of Trillian's strength.
Just when Trillian thought she was about to score, Hermione subtly shifted her feet, seemingly just adjusting her balance, but actually using a weak Confundus Charm. This caused Trillian to misjudge the distance at the last second, resulting in her missing her target.
The score was tied at 4-4 amidst the astonishment of Trillian and the exclamations of Hermione's incredible luck.
" Hermione!" Trillian finally noticed. She removed her mask, her face flushed with anger, and pointed at Hermione, her voice rising, "You—you cheated! You used magic!"
"Oh? Really? Where's the evidence?" Hermione asked innocently, removing her mask as well, her cheeks flushed slightly with guilt.
"You!" Trillian was speechless with anger and helplessness. "There are so many people here, what if we get discovered!"
"Don't worry, I used a line-of-sight magic. The range is very small, only affecting the area around us. Others will just think we're fighting 'intensely,' they won't notice." As a meticulous witch, she was very careful about the secrecy when casting spells.
At this moment, Trillian was speechless and choked with emotion.
Today, for a small fencing practice, Hermione actually used magic to turn the tide, and she was so calm and showed no remorse whatsoever, which completely overturned her previous understanding of Hermione.
After a long pause, Trillian finally exclaimed with heartache, " Hermione! You've gone astray! You weren't like this before!"
"Given your personality, you would rather lose fair and square than cheat with magic!"
Hermione's face flushed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, her gaze drifting to Draco, who was earnestly "teaching" her not far away. She shifted the blame without hesitation. "Ahem... it's all from your young master. If you want to blame someone, blame him."
Hermione was convinced that Draco had corrupted her, and Trillian couldn't refute this statement!
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that the young master did indeed...
She gave Draco a resentful look, then glared at Hermione: "I don't care! It's the last point! No magic allowed! Let's have a real women's duel!"
"Okay. No magic needed." Hermione nodded, her expression becoming serious. She wanted to try and see if she could beat Trillian, who had better physical abilities, purely through skill and intellect.
The two put their masks back on and got into fighting stances. This time, the atmosphere was clearly different.
The final battle has begun! Having learned her lesson, Trillian is no longer reckless, but moves cautiously, looking for an opportunity. Hermione is also fully focused, her mind racing, recalling the key points Windsor had just taught her, and observing Trillian's movements.
After several rounds of probing, Trillian seized upon a slight opening in Hermione and launched a swift thrust! This time, Hermione remained calm, anticipating Trillian's attack route. With a parry, she deflected Trillian's sword while simultaneously shifting her feet skillfully, instantly closing the distance. Her sword tip then pierced the opening created by Trillian's attack at a tricky angle.
That's the counter-attack thrust the coach taught us!
"Drop!"
The referee's instrument rang, Hermione's helmet light illuminated.
Hermione wins 5-4!
Trillian froze, removed her mask, and looked at Hermione with disbelief. She lost? Hermione didn't use any magic!
"I didn't use any magic." Hermione also removed her mask, slightly out of breath, her face flushed from exercise and filled with the joy of victory, but even more so with satisfaction with her strike.
Trillian snapped out of her shock and recalled the exchange. Indeed, Hermione hadn't used any magic; she had won purely through anticipation, precise parries, and perfect timing.
There was no way around it; Hermione's mind worked faster and her observation skills were better. Although her physical abilities were inferior, in a real fencing duel, physical strength couldn't guarantee a decisive victory.
"I... I lost." Although somewhat unwilling, Trillian said, "Okay, you win."
"You're really smart... but you only won by one point. You cheated on the previous four points! So it's not a complete win!" Trillian emphasized the part about cheating.
"Alright then." Hermione couldn't help but chuckle; she was getting the better deal anyway. "Go check on how your young master's teaching is going."
The two walked towards Draco and Windsor, laughing and joking.
That recent duel, a mix of "noob fighting" and "magical cheating," actually brought them closer together.