"There are no deep slash wounds—"
SWCTAKKK!
Leon immediately launches a swift counterattack.
"—I truly believe this is Loki's doing."
SLWHAAAAAAAAHMNH!
Avoided once again.
Albert immediately prepares to retaliate.
SCLHAAAHMNHH!
His sword swings from the side.
"What happened to him?"
SCLWHAAAAHMNHHH!
The attack is avoided again and again.
"Did he hesitate, just as I did?"
Albert gives him no room, preparing another attack and increasing the pressure.
"Is he alright?"
SKLWHAAAAHMNHHH!
"Ehmph," Albert murmurs.
Avoided again. Again. And again.
Albert furrows his brows.
SLHAAAHMNHH!
The sword is drawn back immediately, leaving no opening.
SWHAAAAAHMNHH!
The blade thrusts straight forward.
Albert grits his teeth.
"What did you do—"
Leon suddenly launches himself backward, creating a large distance between them.
"—TO HIM?"
SCKTHAAAAAAAHMNH!
Avoided again. Again. Again and again.
The blade slices briefly through the air before striking the ground.
Albert grits his teeth.
Leon prepares to counterattack.
"Damn it," he mutters.
Leon charges.
"I truly am—"
Leon leaps briefly into the air.
One arm is drawn completely behind him.
"—worried about him."
The attack is unleashed—
"And there is no point in..."
—Avoided.
"...a battle between brothers that only ends in death."
However—
CKAK!
One foot steps forward.
"But who is going to stop you from moving according to Johan's will?"
SCTAK!
The blade rises from the ground.
The distance between them becomes dangerously close.
"What am I supposed to do with you?"
SCWLAK!
The blade fully tears free from where it had been embedded.
SWLHWHAAAAHMNHH!
The sword swings backward, preparing to rotate forward in a devastating arc.
Leon freezes in place.
He cannot step back in time to defend himself.
He cannot draw back his arm quickly enough to attack.
"Should I kill you?"
The reach of death belongs to Albert now.
Albert prepares to rotate and unleash a straight slash toward Leon—the friend who was once like a brother to him.
It cannot be avoided.
Leon's death stands before him.
"Be that cruel?"
In a single fleeting moment—
Leon furrows his brows, his pupil-less eyes staring sharply at Albert as he watches—
—Albert leave the slightest opening within his swing.
And Leon finds an opening in the attack.
His right arm has no time to move into a defensive position against Albert's incoming slash. His left arm, however, is fast enough to intercept it. Taking advantage of the tiny gap created by the slight opening in Albert's swing, he acts before the blade can reach him—
CPTKHAAAAAAAHMNH!
Leon unleashes an explosive thrust forward and snaps his arm back instantly, creating—
Albert grits his teeth and furrows his brows.
—A violent shockwave between them. Leon is dragged backward while Albert is blasted briefly into the air before him.
But that is not all—
Leon has already drawn back his right arm, both feet pressing firmly against the ground.
CKRTAAAAAAKT!
The earth beneath his feet cracks under the immense force he exerts—
SKHWAAAAAAHMNNH!
He suddenly charges straight toward Albert before Albert's feet can fully touch the ground again—
Albert opens his eyes, staring sharply at Leon's face before shifting his gaze toward Leon's hand.
All of Leon's fingers are fully extended as the arm swings from behind his body,
SHLHAAAAAAHMNH!
—and continues its arc sideways before thrusting directly toward Albert's heart, now only inches away—
Albert raises his brows and closes his eyes once more. His sword is already moving through the air, ready to collide with Leon's attack, which is now only inches from piercing his heart—
PKTHAAAAAAAAHMNH!
Tactile Sense.
A powerful explosion of air erupts between them. Albert deflects Leon's strike, while Leon lashes against Albert's slash—
Through the skin and palms gripping the sword's hilt, Albert feels every vibration and every ounce of pressure.
Albert furrows his brows.
"Adapted?!" he murmurs.
—Both of them are thrown far away from one another.
SKRRSHHHSLSHH—
Their feet drag across the green grass,
SKLASH!
—and stop.
Through the sword's hilt, his tactile sense clearly tells him the truth.
The pressure is equal to his own.
"DAMN IT."
The two of them are now evenly matched.
Leon has completely adapted to his attacks.
"Can't you just stop moving and surrender already?"
HLASHHH!
A gentle breeze blows softly through the heavy and tense atmosphere.
No expression appears on Leon's face beyond a blank, emotionless stare. His eyes remain fixed on Albert without wavering as he stands motionless, steady and unmoving in both stance and posture.
KRRTK!
Albert tightens his grip around the hilt of his sword.
He lifts his head, gazing at the blue sky beyond the clusters of white clouds.
"Huft." He exhales heavily.
Albert's eyes remain closed.
DUK!
Leon begins to walk forward, staring sharply at Albert.
"This is incredibly difficult," Albert mutters quietly.
DAK!
Leon continues approaching at a slow pace, his breathing slightly heavy.
Albert slowly lowers his head and opens his eyes, looking deeply into Leon's.
Tilting his head slightly, Albert speaks.
"It is exceedingly difficult to face a genius in any field—especially in a battle like this."
Albert raises his brows.
"Hmph?!" he murmurs.
CRAK!
Leon's feet press into the ground, causing it to crack.
SKHWAAHMN!
Leon suddenly charges straight forward at tremendous speed.
Albert lowers his head slightly.
DUK!
He begins walking calmly toward the oncoming Leon.
"I don't know what I should do," he murmurs.
DAK!
He continues moving closer.
"Should I..."
He raises his head once more.
DUK!
Again, he looks at Leon with sincere eyes.
"...stop you?"