"Luther Williams, you have gotten slower in sword fighting," Maximus
casually commented.
"No! That's impossible! How did you manage to strike me? It must have
been dumb luck!" Feeling. indignant, Luther turned around and launched
his attacks again, even though he was injured. This time, he did not hold
back and put in his 100%, evident from his frenzied and merciless attacks
that were hard to dodge.
During the ninth move, he switched it up and aimed his blade at
Maximus' throat with the intent to kill. However, Maximus didn't shun the
attack and instead slashed Luther in the abdomen with greater speed and
accuracy.
Luther stumbled backward, aghast. He would have been gutted had
Maximus' sword slashed upward. "What's going on? Where did that punk
learn the trick from?" He pressed against his bleeding abdomen in shock.
He could not wrap his mind around how Maximus had recovered from the
grave injury with significant improvements to his skills all within a few
days.
"Luther Williams, it's my turn to make a move now" Maximus didn't
give his mentor any room to breathe. He swung his sword and charged at
his opponent.
Luther hurriedly collected himself and raised his sword in defense.
At this point, he lost his confidence and was forced to put on a
defensive play due to his injury. In contrast, Maximus was getting
stronger by the second and demonstrated great sword-fighting skills,
bringing Luther to his knees.
"This is a good chance!" At the twenty-sixth move, Luther suddenly
gathered all his internal energy, huffing and puffing as he made his
final move in a bid to turn the tables. Just when he was about to gain
the upper hand, he found a blade pressing against his neck. If he made
the slightest move, he would be killed on the spot.
"Huh?" Baffled, he dropped the sword onto the floor. He still didn't
understand how the three flawed moves he intentionally taught Maximus
had, in turn, contributed to his own downfall.
"Why? Why did it turn out this way?" The crowd gasped at the sight of
Luther's defeat. No one had expected to see the second-in-command lose to
his mentee in record time. Throughout the battle, Luther seemed to be put
at a disadvantage.
"I-impossible!"
"How could Maximus Kane beat Dad? I thought Dad was the one who
taught him all the moves." Brody, Oliver, and the other disciples were
covered in cold sweat. They had been proud and confident in Luther's
victory, but they were surprised to witness Maximus' prowess which sent
Luther into a defensive position, and the way Maximus ended the battle
with a decisive sword
move.
"Our last-minute prep works." Dustin looked amused. Upon hearing the
remark, Brody and his gang looked shaken to the core. Did Maximus win
with the few moves that Dustin had taught him? That would have been
frightening!
"W-who did you learn the moves from?" Luther sweated profusely as he
pressed against his bleeding abdomen.
"That is not the point. The point is that I will do the same to you
based on how you destroyed my core in the past." While speaking, Maximus
drew his sword again.
"Hold on!" Luther pleaded in panic, "Max, I am sorry for what
happened earlier, but it was a careless mistake. Please give me another
chance.
"A chance? Did you give me a chance when you decided to destroy my
core?" Maximus looked
grim.
"Max, I know I'm in the wrong! Please have mercy on me-we shared
years of relationship!" Then, Luther fell onto his knees. "I have a lot
of enemies If you destroy my core and my skills, I will not survive a
day. Please spare me!"
Maximus fell silent at the sight. Despite his urge to seek revenge, a
voice in his heart held him back. After all, he had learned everything in
sword fighting from Luther, even though Luther had done so with an
ulterior motive. At the end of the day, Maximus owed his swordsmanship to
Luther's teachings. Even though Luther was a merciless bastard, Maximus
decided to be the bigger man.