With their swords still in a deadlock, the 'NPC' was the first to act pushing Lorien back and taking the initiative to counterattack

Lorien took advantage of this and used the force from the push to launch himself back gaining some distance

He then imidiatly activated the Transparent World he had just gained earlier wanting to test it

And as soon as he did, Lorien's Vision transformed, everything slowed down considerably, and the NPC in front of him became 'transparent'

He could now see the inner workings of Npc's body, his muscles contracting, blood flowing, his breathing, and his joints moving

Looking at this Lorien felt repulsive, this is the first time he used it on another being, and what he's seeing now isn't really a pleasant scene

But the 'NPC/Projection' didnt give him any time to adapt quickly bolting towards him, and slashing down incredibly fast

*Swishh*

This happened so quickly that Lorien barely had the time to raise his sword and block this incoming blow

*Claang*

Blocking this attack Lorien parried it to the side and struck back with a blow of his own, which was also blocked

*Clang*

*Clash*

*Clash*

The two figures quickly disappeared from their spot, only the vague flashing shadows and the sound of sword clashes resounded in this place

The battle quickly heated up with the NPC quickly gaining the upper hand

But as the fight continued Lorien was slowly getting used to this fast-paced battle and started trying to push back

The more he fought the more proficient he became in using his different skills

Of which is the Transparent World, he is now able to predict the Projection's movements by observing the inner workings of its body

Thanks to this he started slowly gaining ground as he could now anticipate the direction of the upcoming attacks and then have time to defend and counterattack

*Clang*

*Clang*

The more they fought the more the battle became balanced as none seemed to be able to overwhelm the other side and give a finishing blow

*Swish*

But then just as they were clashing the Npc's speed suddenly increased a bit, pushing Lorien back and then quickly attacking from an angle

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But thanks to the Transparent World Lorien was able to quickly react and defend

But just as their blades were about to collide the Npc abruptly stopped its attack just a couple of inches away

This happened so quickly that Lorien wasnt able to respond, even with the Transparent World he didnt notice any prior muscle or joint movements that would indicate such an action happening

It all happened instantly, the attack paused in an instant, as NPC's body came to a complete halt nearly defying the laws of physics

Then following this abrupt stop, it exploded with greater speed and strength than earlier

Quickly changing the direction of the attack mid-swing showcasing the perfect use of the concept of 'Extreme' in control and attack

This completely disoriented Lorien as in his vision there were no signs of such movements at all

The body that had just abruptly paused exploded again with greater power and speed, it was a complete 'from 0 to a 100' action leaving no time for Lorien to prepare

*Swiiish*

*Splasshh!!*

The attack instantly hit its target, a huge wound emerged on Lorien's chest causing blood to slash everywhere

Only then did Lorien finally register what happened as he looked down at the wound on his body and then at the indifferent-looking 'Npc'

"'HAHAHAHA!!!"

With the 'Projection' and the wound on his chest disappearing slowly as if they were never there, Lorien suddenly burst out laughing as he fell back on his back looking at the sky

"So that's how it is!!"

"I actually fell for something like this!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Recalling the details of the fight Lorien quickly noticed something he didnt pay attention to while in the heat of battle

He had actually forgotten that the NPC could also use the 'Transparent World' and because of its convenience in battle Lorien also relied too much on it

And the NPC also noticed this and created a trap for him

The NPC could have used its phenomenal control over its body and not allow Lorien to predict its movement by simply going from 0 to 100 in every movement it does

The Transparent World predicts the opponent's movements based on the inner workings of their bodies

A muscle or joint tensing or moving in a certain way represents a future movement in a certain direction, so by observing this a prediction could be made

But if the muscle tenses instantly at the moment of the movement it won't give any time for the opponent to predict anything

But this requires absolute control over one's body, be it muscles, joints, and even blood and breathing

But both Lorien and the NPC are actually capable of such control thanks to the new gains they got from the 'Extreme Breathing technique'

The word 'Extreme' isn't there for nothing, and this is fully demonstrated In the 'Extreme' control over one's body

But even knowing this the NPC actually didnt do this as it allowed Lorien to predict its movements and get used to doing it

All of this was for the final attack which was sudden and ruthless, not allowing Lorien anytime to react, ending the battle in a heartbeat

Fully understanding this Lorien didnt know how to feel, this was the first time he had actually lost while trying his best since he began his journey

'But at least I lost to myself hahaha!'

Shaking his head Lorien stood from the ground and patted away the none existent dirt on his clothes

He now has the urge to just stay here and train for months to gain experience, this loss taught him the importance of battle experience which he now severely lacks

Previously he was going to train with the Hashiras to gain experience but now that he has a better option he gave up on them and decided to just fight 'himself'

After all, even though the Hashiras had ample battle experience they were severely lacking in the strength and skill departments when compared to him, so its best to just fight 'himself'

But he still held back this urge as he didn't want to stay here alone for months, he wanted to at least have a companion to stay with him and talk, as to not get lonely

Thinking of this he remembered Saigai who was still practicing swordsmanship, so he decided to drag her here with him

On one side she could quickly finish her training here and even master a breathing technique, and on the other side he'd have company so he won't be bored

Deciding on this he quickly left the Dream and appeared in the Backyard where he had just left moments ago

'Hmmm, let's find Saigai then!'