"Tsk!"

Achilles clicked his tongue, his expression far from someone giving up. He raised his shield, pushing the stick away before rushing toward the spot where his sword had fallen.

"Not yet!" he shouted, anger and humiliation mixed in his tone. "I'm far from done with you!"

"Seriously?"

Xu Tao, however, was starting to get tired of it.

No matter how they looked at it, Achilles had no chance of winning. Still, his stubborn pride refused to let him back down. Thus, here he was, charging forward once more.

'This will definitely continue until he's satisfied with the result,' Xu Tao thought, sighing mentally.

As such, he decided to change his methods.

Toward the charging Achilles, Xu Tao... charged forward too!

"...!"

Not expecting such a thing, Achilles widened his eyes. However, a beat later, he realized this was actually in his favor. After all, this meant Xu Tao was no longer focusing solely on countering attacks and was instead going on the offensive!

"Watch my blade!"

Focusing all his nerves, Achilles swung his sword horizontally. It was a casual sweep, limiting the ways Xu Tao could defend against it. As expected, Xu Tao stomped hard, moving his body back for a beat to dodge the attack, before resuming his charge.

It matched Achilles' prediction perfectly, allowing him to launch his planned counter.

"Right here!"

Similar to Xu Tao, he stomped hard, stopping in place before spinning on his pivot leg. His shield swung around, almost a complete 360, heading for Xu Tao's face.

"Hmm!" Xu Tao hummed and flicked the stick in his hand, deflecting the incoming shield.

Achilles' entire arm flew up and away from his body—completely exposing his left side. "You're wide open!" Xu Tao shouted, stabbing the stick toward the opening...

"Naïve!"

But Achilles' next action was already in motion. His sword thrust forward, meeting the stick accurately, splitting its end in one hit.

"...!"

If Xu Tao forced his attack, he would lose his weapon. Thus, he had no choice but to retreat, simultaneously dodging the thrust.

Finally, Achilles felt satisfied with their exchange. After all, his predictions were finally on point! Riding his momentum, he continued with a series of attacks, not giving Xu Tao even the slightest breathing space.

The stick and wooden sword clashed numerous times, bits and pieces of both weapons scattering around.

At a glance, he appeared to have the upper hand.

This alone made his lips rise into a confident grin. 'I can win!' he thought...

"Huh?"

Until he noticed Xu Tao's expression.

Instead of panic or frustration, his expression was calm, with a faint smile on his lips. That alone planted a seed of doubt in Achilles' mind.

Their exchange was flawless—reading each other's next move and preparing accordingly. A battle not decided by brute force, but by technique and experience.

"...No!"

But he failed to notice one detail soon enough.

Xu Tao... had been doing all that at a level Achilles could not even imagine.

He had simulated the battle using Achilles' actions as a guideline and created a "play" where their exchange looked extreme and intense. But in reality, Xu Tao was barely exerting any force. It was no longer a fight, but rather a "stage" right now—a performance to deceive the onlookers. A favor to Achilles, who clearly didn't want to lose one-sidedly—

"Don't mess with me, you bastard!"

Yet, instead of appreciating Xu Tao's effort to enliven the battle, he became enraged.

"How dare you look down on me, pulling your punches?!" he spat, eyes red and veins bulging on his forehead. "Fight seriously! It isn't a spar if you don't!"

"Seriously?" Xu Tao took a step back, shaking his head. "If I fought seriously, this spar would end instantly. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want that."

"...!"

Achilles could tell Xu Tao wasn't joking. During their initial exchange, he had already "lost" twice—and that was with Xu Tao still taking it easy.

"Don't spout nonsense!" Even so, their previous exchange gave him much-needed confidence. "I'll defeat you, no matter what stratagem you pull!"

Xu Tao's expression darkened. He played with the stick, bending it lightly as he commented,

"Confidence is a good thing. But push it too far and it becomes arrogance. And arrogance is a poison that will pull you down at the most important moment."

"Huh?! So what?" Achilles clearly didn't intend to heed his words. "My arrogance is rooted in my confidence and supported by my strength! Like that, it's no longer arrogance—but a fact!"

"...I thought I taught you better, Achilles."

Xu Tao sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his atmosphere had completely changed.

"Alright then. I'll take you on seriously this time," Xu Tao declared, raising his stick forward and returning to his initial stance. "Don't blame me for this."

Achilles' smile widened as he lifted his shield and readied his wooden sword. "Stop babbling and fight me! I'll beat you to the ground—!"

"Then, here I come."

Xu Tao's words were so casual they didn't feel threatening at all. Achilles watched his figure closely, locking on. But as he blinked, a change occurred. Xu Tao, who had been a dozen steps away, suddenly stood before him, stick raised high in the air.

'Too fast!'

He had closed tens of meters in a blink!

Achilles didn't panic and raised his shield, one eye peeking through the semi-circular depression on its edge. He watched as the stick in Xu Tao's hand slammed against his shield—

CRACK!

—and shattered it into a hundred fragments.

The attack didn't just destroy his shield. It even connected with his left arm. Despite hitting after breaking a shield, the stick still had enough strength to shatter the bones in his arm instantly!

"Ugh!"

Achilles groaned, but didn't lose focus.

The moment he lost his shield, he abandoned defense and focused on launching a parallel attack. His sword swung, aiming for Xu Tao's neck. He wasn't planning to stop it an inch away, either—he intended to go through with the swing.

"DIE!"

He growled like a wounded beast, watching as his sword touched Xu Tao's neck... "Huh?"

Xu Tao simply lowered his head, letting the wooden sword slide across his neck, toward his nape, and away to the other side, neutralizing the attack without using a weapon.

It was executed so cleanly that even if Achilles were using a real blade, it wouldn't have damaged a single strand of Xu Tao's hair.

"Monster..."

That was Achilles' last word before the stick slammed into his forehead, releasing a sharp noise.

Thwack!

The force wasn't enough to crack his skull, but the impact rattled his brain.

With one hit, Achilles fell forward, landing face-down on the ground.

"..."

Xu Tao, seeing the aftermath, simply sighed.

"Told you it'd end instantly."

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