At the last instant, Solomon moved his head. The beam flew by his ear. He turned slowly on his heels. Cade expected him to explode at her. No matter who he was, that beam would've killed him if it hit. Only a madman wouldn't be mad at that.

"Is that all?" Solomon asked, the slightest hint of a frown on his lips.

Cade snorted as she enhanced and reinforced motionlessly. Then she hopped up and landed smoothly on Solomon's high ground. The distance was about ten paces. The howling wind blew on her trench coat as she glanced up at the stars.

'A beautiful night for some good old violence,' she thought.

Solomon smiled and put a hand forward. Then she signaled something along the lines of 'come at me'.

Cade bounced lightly on her toes a few times. Suddenly she went low and dove in. An ethereal blue blinked into existence in the form of blades as extensions of Cade's hands. What followed was a torrent that would've ripped any other man to pieces in seconds.

Cade swung one blade, kept her momentum, and spun around, swinging the other at a slightly varied angle. She continued the movement into a spinning kick. Going further, she telegraphed another kick only to cut the motion with a sharp turn she used to stab at Solomon.

Solomon dodged everything. His old body moved with the wind, so natural and fluid it seemed like Cade's strikes were written in stone and in a language only he could understand.

His smile had faded into curiosity. Seeing his nonchalant eyes glide across her figure as if analyzing her every mistake made Cade strike out more sharply. Solomon seemed to enjoy that even more.

His dodges were minimal. It was like he was trying to be as close to being hit as possible.

Cade did away with her blades. The blue illumination left behind a darkness. She put her hand behind her back while in motion. Streaks of essence began gathering over her palm.

She stomped on the snowy ground. Ice was crushed beneath her foot. It spread to Solomon's footing. He wavered ever so slightly. That's when Cade took her chance.

She wiped her hand to the front. The ball of compression shined in the darkness. She brought it closer for Solomon to see. Aiming for his chest, she slammed it forth.

Solomon spun, more rapid than fluid but plenty of both. He evaded the ball of compression, and before Cade could react, he was behind her. For some reason, they were back to back, Solomon holding the wrist of her extended arm.

"Let's not play with fire," he reprimanded. "You could get burnt."

To Cade's amazement, the ball of compression in her very own hand unraveled without her seeming to have any say in the matter.

'So this is what Auelius was talking about!' she realized.

Solomon was amused by her reaction. She promptly sent another reaction his way. With a spin, she shot a back elbow at the side of his head. Due to the proximity, it was as instantaneous as she could manage. And while they were connected, there was little room for telegraphing, as there was no other excess movement.

Nevertheless, Solomon evaded it as well. At that point, Cade had to wonder if he was going strictly based on instinct instead of observation. And while she wondered, Solomon twirled her and took her other wrist as well. He got her arms crossed and held on firmly.

Cade tore her body in different directions, trying to get out of the humiliating hold he had on her. She couldn't. Not even a budge. She screamed in frustration and was about to headbutt Solomon.

Right then, he pushed her forward and tripped her. She fell onto her hands and knees. Staying there for a seething breath, she spat onto the ground in front of her.

"Quite the fighting style you got," Solomon mocked.

That did it. She turned with unprecedented fury and lunged at him. She dodged her strike and kicked her foot. She slipped but kept her footing. Solomon seemed a little surprised to find a blade coming at his throat right after and leapt back.

Cade didn't have the energy to chase. She was satisfied to be able to insult him. "Where's the mythical technique? Did you forget it at home?"

"You simply aren't doing a good job at making it necessary," he replied, cracking his neck loudly just by turning it abruptly.

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"Soldier of God, my ass," Cade sneered. "All you do is dodge."

"Oh?" Solomon seemed to shed his playfulness. Cade felt her blood chill, but her fury made it boil again.

For the first time, as Cade rushed forth, Solomon met her properly. Some progress at least.

However, he did so just to mirror her movements. He met her palm with his own before crossing blades with her. When she shifted low, attempting to curve her blade aroind his, he shifted with her. Their blade remained crossed.

Cade looked up to see Solomon's flat eyes staring at her. Without a change in expression, Solomon moved faster than Cade had ever seen anyone move. Unfortunately for her, that movement was a kick aimed at her ribs.

When it hit, her reality shook. The pain shot through her all at once, almost making her black out. Her whole body curved as she hurtled sideways. Her body skidded across the terrain, ragdolling. Snow all up in her clothes. She toned down the enhancement of her senses to counteract the pain.

She gagged and spat phlegm. It had been a long time. It seemed she was a little rusty. She smiled a little painfully as she got up, holding her side.

"Ah," Solomon put a hand on his mouth. He was quite far away. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"With a kick like that?" Cade asked as she took her first steps. "Keep dreaming," she spat.

Solomon burst out into manic laughter as Cade burst at him.

"You are one peculiar woman," he said right before she closed in.

"Thanks." She said, raising a hand above her head and erecting a broadsword from it. "I get that a lot." Then she swung diagonally at his shoulder.

Solomon blocked the swing with a hand coated in essence. It was like he'd made a glove out of essence. Almost everything he did with essence was out of another realm for Cade.

She didn't linger, though. She positioned her feet subtly to allow her to rotate 360 degrees at max speed and went for it. The broadsword she swung at Solomon's feet next, going into a crouch with one hand on the ground.

Solomon simply stomped down on the humongous sword, though it must've been moving faster than even he could clearly see.

"I thought you said you didn't like fancy things," Solomon smirked.

She glared at him as he held his foot firmly on her materialization. "Do you always talk like this when you fight?"

Solomon's smile only widened. "Only against vastly inferior opponents."

"So yes?"

Cade clicked her tongue, letting the sword dissipate and launching back into close combat. This time she emphasized in-and-out movements. Solomon was far too nimble and spatially aware to be fought at close proximity with knees and elbows. She went in with a series of attacks and backed off.

Solomon caught her with a palm strike seemingly only to get a few words in. "Do not misunderstand; one does not get my proficiency at combat by fighting inferior enemies. All my life I inhabited a golden era of supreme warriors—those who are called 'heroes.'"

"Then how come nobody's ever heard of anyone besides the Hero of Zalfari and the Soldier of God?" Cade quipped and rushed back in only to stop at Solomon's next words.

"That's simple." Solomon raised a finger, talking in his barren monotone. "We killed all the rest."

At that point, Cade realized the ridiculousness of what she was doing. The barefoot man of some 60 years stood there so casually he seemed to float as he bathed in the freezing wind. Just by looking at him, it was obvious she didn't have a chance of touching him with something orthodox.

Solomon had grown up and spent his life on the front lines of a country at the center of the continent and had a total of two noticeable scars. He wasn't fazed by refined technique, nor was she ever going to match his power or speed.

She needed something he hadn't seen before.

Suddenly she heard her father's voice in her head. 'I've never seen that before.' It all came back to her. The happiness she'd once tried to forget. How his father would laugh at her way of fighting as they sparred when she was little and just learning the fundamentals.

'She's a natural,' he would tell her mother. 'Sometimes I worry that she's having a seizure when we fight because she switched from movement to movement so fast. I never have any idea what's next. It's like she would do anything to get a hit in!"

She remembered the joy that erratic style gave her. At constant flux, her heart relaxed. But at some point, as she grew stronger and no longer had her father there to push her, she shed that style from her fighting, becoming sharp and straightforward.

Only now, after a decade, did it call to her once again.

She took a step. Then another. Solomon shook his head, seeing her keep trying, but quickly became intrigued. Cade's steps were irregular in rhythm as well as weight. She weaved, moving her upper body in mismatch with her feet.

Then she picked up speed and danced against the wind as she struck. Solomon was ready to block but realized it wasn't even a proper strike. She turned the punch into a setup for a push. But instead of pushing with all her might, she pushed just enough to get resistance before spinning out of the way.

She used the spin for an elbow aimed at his ribs. Solomon blocked it, but she used her position to turn him by the arm and get behind him. She materialized a knife, expecting him to sense it, and he did. He turned sharply to fend off the knife. It was already gone, and Cade was punching him in the face as he turned. Or trying to. Solomon had caught the punch in his hands right at his cheek.

Solomon twisted her hand. Instead of trying to get free, she flipped sideways. Solomon, of course, swung her down, but she was ready. She landed on her feet and made streaks appear in her free hand. Solomon let go of her hand as expected, and Cade let the streaks disappear.

Then she made her hand straight, her fingers pointing at Solomon's chest. Solomon must've thought a blade was incoming. Cade twisted at the hips and balled her hand into a fist; Solomon realized it was a simple strike. Then she transferred her momentum and threw an uppercut elbow.

'There it is," Cade thought as she felt a hard contact.

Just before it hit, a skin-tight barrier of essence had come into existence. Cade stepped away, satisfied. Solomon's head was tilted, his eyes looking at her weirdly.

"I have not used that for over a decade," Solomon said slowly, rubbing his chin in a trance. Then he just turned and walked away. Cade stood still, the wind filling her ears. "I see that the boy's praise for you wasn't unwarranted." Solomon mumbled before turning back to face her from a distance. "I might just make the world's most skilled combatant out of you."