@Anm_Elesis Despite everything, she was still stronger than him in terms of raw power.
“Impressive,” he admitted, his grip loosening around the hilt.
“Let's call it a day, shall we?”
He knew all too well that if this was a serious swords fight, he couldn't stand a chance against her.
The afternoon sun casted long shadows across the polished floor of Bruce's seemingly private dojo. Dressed in a kendo suit, he stood in the center, one hand resting lightly on a bamboo sword known as shinai.
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@Anm_Elesis Bruce braced himself as her strike came down with force, the impact jolting through his arms as he met it with his shinai. The resounding clack echoed through the dojo, the sheer weight of her blow forcing him to be pushed away quite far due to her immense strength.
“Ugh!”
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@Anm_Elesis With a quick step forward, he feinted to her left, and then he shifted facing her direction, pivoting on his heel and striking from her opposite flank.
Without another word, he surged forward, his shinai slicing through the air in a series of rapid, controlled strikes.
@Anm_Elesis He froze, the faint breeze from her shinai brushing his neck. His chest heaved, the feelings mingled with the sting of near-defeat.
“I’d call it strategy,” he said, straightening as a smirk tugged at his lips. “But sure, let’s go with rusty. For now.”
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@Anm_Elesis Bruce barely managed to pivot in time, his shinai snapping down to block her low strike. The clash sent a jolt up his arms, forcing him to dig in with his back foot to maintain balance.
He stepped back, trying to reclaim control of the tempo she had stolen.
“Not bad at all”
@Anm_Elesis Without hesitation, he launched a counterattack, a quick, calculated upward swing aimed at her wrist, testing both her reflexes and her resolve.
@Anm_Elesis Bruce reacted instinctively, his shinai snapping down to block her strike with a sharp clack. The impact reverberated through his arms, but his footing remained solid.
“Not bad,” he murmured, stepping back to regain distance. His expression remained solid and firm.
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@Anm_Elesis Bruce’s expression turned serious as he lowered into his stance, his shinai steady and angled toward her. He didn’t answer with words—his response came with a sudden, precise step forward, with a quick strike toward her right shoulder. His movements were measured and deliberate.-
@Anm_Elesis Bruce calmly answered, preparing the stance and also his shinai in his hand with practiced ease.
“Let’s call it a ‘beat up everyone’ kind of spar, then.”
He tilted his head, his gaze sharp yet playful.
“No rules, no excuses. Just you and me—show me what you’ve got.”
@Anm_Elesis For the first time in a long while, Bruce allowed himself to believe that, despite everything that had come before, there might still be a way forward—one step at a time, together.
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@Anm_Elesis The vulnerability in his gaze was laid bare now, as if he were offering her the last guarded piece of himself.
“Maybe... just maybe, we can find a little light together.”
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@Anm_Elesis it means more than you’ll ever know.” He squeezed her hands gently, a silent promise.
“I can’t promise it’ll be easy,” he admitted, his voice rough with emotion.
“I’m... not the man I used to be. Maybe I never was the man you thought I was.
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