Gericht, Revered Duelist

The Eidolon tries to get the measure of me, evaluating me in a slow back and forth from left to right, showing me only its profile. As for me, I'm not even on guard. My blade rests along my body. This is all part of the ritual, of the dueling game we play. As Tomoe told me: The fight always starts in the opponents' heads. Having claimed victory over each champion of the fencing schools, Gericht had established himself as the master of his discipline. He slowly unsheathes two of his sabers, then remains motionless. I try to read his mind, watching each of his tensing muscles to work out how he'll attack. Then, before I can understand how, he's already upon me, drawing circles with his weapons. It's his signature attack! Ember! I jump back at the very last moment, but he's already there to intercept me where I land. I survive only because of a reflex dodge, which forces me to jump to one side.

I can't let myself be pushed around. Taking advantage of the natural imbalance of my body, I turn around and immediately counterattack, preparing to slash him with the edge of my blade. But my sword just finds his. There's another clash of metal, then a feint. I'm reading his moves, and he reads mine. We settle into a bout of sparring as we try to land blows on each other. It seems to last forever. I face some unexpected combos, which I just barely manage to counter. Gericht is a virtuoso, a master of the steel dance. But how do I seize the upper hand? For a moment, I consider using my secret strike, but I resist the temptation and dismiss the idea. I don't need it yet. I want to know how long I can last. I face attack after attack. I suddenly spot a gap in his guard. But is that really what it is?

ATSADI