He only made up for it by stepping forward and extending his arm, which in turn created a huge opening. Failure meant that the man’s blade would be deflected. Parrying the giant blade with the thin blade of the estoc was out of the question.
The man was confident in his footwork. Perhaps a little too confident. It was a unique style that allowed him to avoid swords and move in to stab his opponents. However, he knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t help him today.
He was up against an overwhelming aura—he felt it the moment he saw Zig. Despite having this much power, he maintained his defense with persistent vigilance. His eyes were old and seasoned like an experienced assassin.
That monstrous strength was just plain cheating. However, it wasn’t like the man was completely at a disadvantage.
The man who had seen a blade go past his eyes came to a conclusion. The pressure of Zig’s blade would’ve been enough to cause the average person to flinch, but the assassin was different.
Unfazed, he quickly made his next move. Sliding his front foot to advance, he unleashed the built up power in his right arm. The point of the estoc was now a blur as it targeted the gap in the twinblade’s swing.
Large weapons were powerful and had superior reach, but in exchange, they had large openings when they attacked.
There were ways to compensate for this, of course, but the man was so confident in the speed of his thrust that he thought he could slip through. He needed to land the first blow.
The man thought he would tear through Zig’s arm, but his eyes widened when a shrill sound rang out and he felt his own arm being lifted.
“Huh?!”
Zig didn’t bother changing the direction of his top blade. Instead, he lifted his bottom blade to deflect the man’s estoc.
“Urgh!”
Before he could think, the man jumped backward, avoiding a left roundhouse kick. He was rattled, but only for a moment. He regained his composure immediately as he landed and adjusted his view of his opponent’s power level.
The big man was faster than he looked.
He initially thought his heavy weapon would hamper his speed, but now he understood why the double-edge was so dangerous. Although it was difficult to wield, being able to wield it properly granted its user incredible power and reach while covering his openings.
However, that came with costs.
“You’re so occupied with physical enhancement that you can’t use any other spells.”
Having missed his kick, Zig dug his bottom blade into the floor to stop its momentum. The wooden floor now had a crack in it; the top blade was still pointed at his opponent.
“He’s not too far off the mark,” Zig said to himself, keeping an eye on the man who had dodged his kick.
The precision of his opponent’s attack had surprised him. Even he couldn’t produce that kind of speed without a running start.
The attack would have been impossible to deal with for longswords and greatswords, but the twinblade had been able to manage. While his unique footwork was dangerous, the warriors of the Jinsu-Yah moved in a similar fashion, so it wasn’t Zig’s first time seeing it.
Zig had the advantage when it came to close quarters combat. However, his opponent knew that too. The fact that he hadn’t retreated meant that he had something up his sleeve. It was clear that his opponent’s strength didn’t lie in one-on-one combat.
The man moved. Unlike his earlier sliding motion, he stepped forward as if to strike.
The change in movement alerted Zig, and he smelled the pungent odor of offensive magic. He kicked off the floor and jumped backward just as a stream of flames shot past his face.
The flamethrower temporarily separated the man and Zig. The mage the man protected earlier used a powerful fire spell to support him, not really caring about burning the wooden building to the ground.
“That’s reckless.”
Zig changed his target to the man who chose the wrong spell.
The twinblade swung, trying to eliminate the disruptive mage. The wall of flames he produced kept the estoc wielding man from helping him.
As far as Zig knew, anyway.
“Eh?!”
There was a stinging smell and bloodlust. As the wall of flames raged next to Zig, two small holes opened. He instinctively swung his gauntlet at them and instantly felt something scratch its surface.
“Ha ha!”
The wall of flames split, and the man earlier emerged from it. The dagger in his left hand, which he used to dissipate the flames, was glowing faintly. It appeared to be a magic item and the source of the stinging smell. Meanwhile, mana was being poured into the estoc in his right hand. He wanted to unleash its power.
“Tch!”
Zig’s left hand wasn’t on his twinblade after he defended himself. His weapon was currently over his shoulder, only supported by his right hand. Using the twinblade to defend himself in this position would be impossible.
As the man lunged at him, Zig quickly pulled out the hunting knife at his waist to parry the estoc’s trajectory. His arm rattled from the impact as a shrill metallic clang filled the room. The attack was far too fast and heavy to be an ordinary thrust.
The hunting knife was advertised for its durability, though it already served its purpose after a large crack formed on it. The combination of skilled swordsmanship and powerful magic items was so dangerous that it left Zig without words.
Although he managed to stop the estoc’s attack, its maneuverability could not rival the twinblade. The man wasn’t shocked to see his lethal blow parried and pulled back his estoc for another attack.
Zig threw the cracked knife away and blocked the tip of the sword coming for his chest with the flat of his twinblade.