Valencia swung downwards, aiming to slash Rel horizontally.
He quickly stepped back to avoid the attack.
But as her sword reached the ground, he realized that what he had seen was a mirage, a fleeting afterimage created by her incredible speed.
The real Valencia wasn't in front of him but to his side.
BANG!
Valencia's wooden sword struck Rel directly in the stomach, sending him reeling backward towards the padded edge of the sparring arena.
She isn't the type to pull her punches in a spar, huh...? he thought, wincing in pain. Damn, that really hurt.
"Don't predict what you see, predict what you feel," Valencia advised.
Rel tried to understand her cryptic advice as he recovered and adopted a new stance, mirroring the one Valencia had used at the start.
Valencia tapped the floor once, twice, thrice. Her movements created mirages of herself, each leaping towards Rel.
What?!
