Amidst the crumbling alleys, a swift metallic figure moved with agility, adorned with ethereal blue-green flames emanating from its joints. Despite its speed, its fiery eyes remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings with cautious fear of any sudden ambush amidst the devastation.

Having witnessed the havoc in the town after escaping the fortress, he tried to collect himself. While he had encountered and even participated in widespread conflicts before, this was the first time he had witnessed a struggle of such magnitude, a battleground of this scale.

Determined to find the quickest route to distance himself from the place, he knew his only option was to navigate through the town's narrow alleys, blending in with the bustling crowd. Relying on his keen vision, he avoided any hint of human presence, making significant progress along his chosen path, traversing a considerable distance so far.As he rushed forward, in a fleeting moment, a swift shadow crossed his peripheral vision. Before he could grasp what was happening, he felt a jolt in his metallic arm, causing him to lose his balance and stumble to the side. Quickly regaining his composure, he turned to see the cause behind this disturbance.

There, he beheld a straight and thrusting sword aimed precisely at the spot where his hand had been just moments ago. The wielder of the weapon hesitated for a brief second, seemingly taken aback by the armored and unfamiliar figure he had attempted to strike. Both of them stood locked in an intense gaze, the armored being exuding an aura of mystery and peculiarity that intrigued the assailant.

This new person was not heavily armored with iron like the figure in front of him, but rather wore a collection of leather armor covering most of his vital areas. He didn't hesitate much when he noticed that the armored figure in front of him was unarmed. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them until only a few arms' lengths separated them.

Amidst the perplexity of the armored figure, the leather-clad person deftly directed his sword in a diagonal downward motion, targeting the gaps in his opponent's arm. However, driven by instinct or perhaps a touch of skill, the armored individual swiftly moved his arm sideways and backward, but the assailant persisted. As the sword's acceleration momentarily slowed, the attacker swiftly reversed its direction, angling it upward towards the exposed shoulder gaps resulting from the previous evasive move. This time, he succeeded in hitting his mark as the armored person found no chance to evade once more.

....

"Damn !"

He shouldn't have been affected by the sword; he lacked physical sensations and control. But he hadn't considered that he might lose his sense of direction and control over his strings. As the sword passed through his shoulder plate and chest, accompanied by searing flames, he felt as if his right hand was slipping out of his grasp. In a moment of panic, he focused on distancing himself from the attacker's range while regaining control and sensation in his hand.

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In the first encounter, driven by a powerful instinct and caught off guard, he managed to perceive the trajectory of the attack through the threads representing the assailant, allowing him to evade the first strike. However, the second strike was unexpected and faster than his ability to anticipate it, even with the assistance of the threads. Avoiding it seemed impossible.

In that moment, he observed the attacker aiming for his neck with a horizontal strike. Quickly, he raised his right hand to defend and lowered his head for protection, relying on his street fighting experience. However, he momentarily forgot that he was facing a sword attack, not a human grip. If he had a human body, such a reckless move would have cost him his hand and half his neck,Fortunately, his hand is currently metallic. When he experienced the impact of the contact, he twisted his hand holding the sword in an attempt to deflect the weapon and counter-attack. However, the attacker changed the direction of the sword, following the movement of his metallic hand, targeting his waist directly. Quickly, he halted his movement and, instead, raised his knee, delivering a forward kick aimed at the attacker's abdomen. The kick succeeded, pushing the assailant back under the force of the attack, but he swiftly regained his balance, attempting to return to the fight.But this time, the armored figure advanced and surged into the opponent's space, recalling the defense techniques against an armed assailant, denying them enough room to swing the sword freely. However, he didn't anticipate the attacker's grip on the blade's middle with their free hand, while their other hand firmly held onto the sword's hilt. The sword swung like a rising spear thrust, with the hand on the hilt acting as a driving force, and the hand on the blade acting as a guided target, directly aiming for the gaps between the armor's neck and helmet.

Amidst the armored figure's astonishment at the sudden and unexpected movement, and his inability to maneuver due to his previous rush, he couldn't evade the attack. Instead, he faced a direct strike that pierced through his neck and penetrated deep into the helmet.

In the final moment, the armor managed to exert all its strength against the attacker. However, before taking any further action, the two glowing flames symbolizing its eyes within the helmet lost their light. The fire vanished from the joints of the armor, as if the connection had been severed, transforming it into an ordinary armor. Pieces of the armor landing on the assailant.

...

In tension and panic, the armor gazed at the attacker with his metaphysical eyes, attempting to manipulate the threads to gather the armor. However, he refrained from infusing any essence to activate his body. Just in time, the attacker's attention shifted momentarily in another direction, perhaps assuming that the warrior's soul had been vanquished, thus easing his guard.

Seizing the opportunity, the armor quickly reestablished the connection with his metal hand, which was close to the attacker's foot. Before the assailant could react, the armor grabbed his leg and swiftly pulled it, causing him to stumble and fall. With lightning speed, He lunged at the attacker, delivering several elbow strikes to his face amidst cries of pain. He didn't stop the assault until the screams subsided, making sure that the adversary would not wake up anytime soon.

After a few glances, he contemplated continuing his escape since he didn't feel exhausted. However, his eye fell upon the sword his adversary had used. The thought that his opponent wasn't the only armed person in the town crossed his mind. He decided to take the sword in his hand and attempted to recall the movements of the threads when his opponent wielded the weapon. After several adjustments and ensuring he could at least execute a diagonal stroke without stumbling, he resumed his escape through the narrow alleys.