Chapter 673: A Little Clash (2)
Liam came from Mabel’s rear right, both daggers flickering in and out of sight as his shadow trailed unnaturally beneath him. He attacked with no obvious rhythm—high stab, low slash, reverse grip thrust, a sudden spin that brought the butt of one dagger toward her temple. It was not elegant swordsmanship in the traditional sense. It was murderous adaptability. Every angle chosen to exploit the split-second attention she had spent on the others.
Mabel met him with terrifying calm.
Her blade moved like an extension of instinct. She parried one dagger, turned her shoulder to let another skim past, trapped his wrist briefly against the flat of her sword, then forced him off line with a burst of water from under his feet. Liam adjusted in midstep, shadow spilling beneath him as though it wanted to drag him back into balance, but Mabel was already pressing.
Her strikes came tighter now.
Cleaner and faster.
Each movement of her sword was paired with water magic so seamlessly it became difficult to tell where the technique ended and the spell began. Sometimes the water coated her blade, extending its reach by inches. Sometimes it wrapped her arm to enhance a deflection. Sometimes it pooled under her boots to give her impossible changes of direction, letting her slide, pivot, or stop with almost unnatural precision.
She fought like someone who had turned long experience into instinctive artistry.
Liam, Nyxie, and Smoke fought like a coordinated pack trying to tear down something that refused to break.
Smoke circled wide, forcing Mabel to split her attention. Nyxie harried from above and from blind spots, her wings letting her change elevation unpredictably. Liam stayed closest, constantly entering and exiting the pocket around Mabel’s sword range, testing, drawing reactions, baiting habits.
Again and again, they denied her space.
Smoke lunged—Mabel sidestepped and slashed across his shoulder, drawing a spray of dark blood.
Nyxie descended—Mabel spun beneath her and sent a pressurized stream upward that clipped one wing and forced her into an awkward landing.