"Ouch! Bastard!" Rick shouted, gritting his teeth. "You can still sense me, huh!"
Lian nearly choked on his saliva. True, the dummy has no ears…
He focused again, mana pulsing from his dantian, coursing through his entire body.
"Umbra Velum, Simulacri Vani!"
A shadow detached from his body, forming an illusory clone that mimicked his movements. The clone, a blurry copy of Rick with the sword in hand, lunged toward the dummy, while Rick tried to approach from another angle.
For a moment, the trick seemed to work. The dummy turned toward the clone, raising an arm to parry a nonexistent blow. Rick took advantage, darting forward with the flaming sword. "I got you!" he shouted, aiming at the target's side.
But the dummy was smarter than he thought. The runes on its body flashed, and with a lightning-fast movement, it turned, hitting Rick with a punch to the chest that sent him flying back to the ground.
