Sparks flew as the sounds of an intense sword fight broke out in the church.
Two shadows crashed and collided with each other without ceasing. They made the spacious church seem cramped due to the speed they were running, utilizing even the walls to fly through the air.
“Haaah!”
“Hmph!”
A red twinblade and a golden crozier. Both weapons clashed fiercely, trying to defend their owner’s life and take the other’s instead. The exchange was locked in a stalemate until the scales finally tipped—
—Against Zig.
Zig and Yaesar crashed into each other again.
“Not bad, Remitter… You’re actually making me sweat!”
“I’ve remitted the sins of many sinners, you see!”
They pushed at each other’s weapons, Zig being the stronger between the two. Yaesar struggled against his herculean strength, being forced to fight back by putting both hands on his crozier.
“Why didn’t you come at me with your cronies?” Zig said as he suddenly relaxed the pressure he had been putting on his opponent. He was expecting Yaesar to stumble from the sudden lack of pressure—
“I thought you were better at handling that situation.”
—But he saw right through him.
“Ugh!”
Yaesar stepped into Zig as he let up without losing his balance. Putting his entire weight on his crozier, he used its tip to sweep Zig’s left foot. He then flipped his weapon to bring the ring down on his head.
Zig blocked the low attack with his twinblade and the downward strike with his right gauntlet. At close range, both defensive moves were good enough to fend off the crozier since it couldn’t reach its full momentum. However, he had overcommitted to his defense from the sequential attacks. It was a small gap, but one that this opponent was all too ready to exploit.
Yaesar’s left leg slithered like a snake and struck Zig’s right side. Zig’s left hand was holding his weapon, and his right was fending off the crozier. He had no hands left. Zig quickly shifted his body to receive the blow with his chest plate, but it was far more forceful than he expected. He jumped back to absorb some of the momentum and catch his breath.
Yaesar did not pursue. His robes fluttering, he brought down his foot and exhaled, resetting his battle stance. “You have the advantage in a chaotic battle. Isn’t that right?”
“Good question.”
Zig tried to give him a vague answer. However, Yaesar had seen right through him.
One-on-one fights were impossible on the battlefield, necessitating one to be fluid and adaptable. That was how Zig got so good in chaotic battles; it was how he made a living. His area of expertise was one-against-many, and he was competent enough to go up against powerful opponents. Yaesar had gathered that information by watching him fight earlier and let his followers wear Zig out first.