Cid - Sweeps away Aurora's tendrils

After you, I imply.

The very next moment, I yank back my front leg.

As I do, something like a red spear explodes from the ground where my foot was.

I retreat half a step. Gotta say I wasn’t expecting her first move to come from below me.

The red spear splits into two, rushing at me from both sides.

The first step is to observe.

I want to judge its speed, mobility, and destructive capacity.

For these reasons, I dodge the spear on my left, then block the one on my right with my katana. The impact has weight to it. It’s definitely enough to kill me.

The dodged spear proceeds to split again. There are probably a thousand red wires now, and they all look sharp as needles.

Then, they converge on my position.

I gather magic in my blade and sweep the lot of them away, obliterating the red spear completely.

***

Suddenly, the silence is broken when a series of spears as thick as logs burst out of the ground.

There are nine of them in total.

I’m able to dodge the wide ones, but they can change their shape like tentacles and keep coming—trying to stab at me with spears, wrap around me with string, chomp at me like jaws.

That’s the way she likes to fight: a lethal, one-sided game with those shape-shifting tentacles.

I continue observing. As I watch how the feelers operate, I refine my movements.

By doing so, I’m able to remove any unnecessary motion when I dodge. Full steps turn to half steps. Two moves turn to one.

Even if I avoid them forever, I can’t win, but evasion is a necessary first step to counterattacking.

The less I have to move to dodge, the faster my subsequent counterattack can come.

Eventually, my evasion and my counterattack will coincide.

***

Volume 2, Chapter 1