Chapter 469: Rumours
He had been hit twice, on his side and on the back of his knee, however the damage was negligible. The issue was not of damage, but of how effortlessly Vilhelm had dropped Nero onto the ground.
The moment his knees hit the arena floor, Nero’s instincts kicked in. Vilhelm was moving too fast, attacking too furiously, taking Nero entirely by surprise. In that split second, there was no time to even process what was happening - he needed to act!
Nero rolled forward, barely managing to dodge the chop that was aiming for the back of his neck. Had he been even the slightest bit slower, the match would have been over.
Vilhelm was slightly surprised that Nero managed to dodge, but he didn’t take it too seriously.
He had replayed all of Nero’s moves in his mind enough times that he could completely see through his fighting style. If one opening was not enough, he would create another. With his advantage of speed, and his knowledge of Nero’s fighting style, the match held no actual suspense for him.
Maybe if Nero was in a better state he may have surprised Vilhelm, but it seemed unlikely now.
That was the last thought in Vilhelm’s mind before he took a punch straight to the face, not only throwing him back, but shocking him!
"Predictable," said Nero as he took a stance completely unfamiliar to Vilhelm. The blonde teenager looked at Nero, confounded by what was happening. "You fight in your mind too much, relying on your predictions and patterns instead of what’s actually happening around you. That’s why it’s tough for someone to beat you a second time. But for anyone who realises your bad habits, it’s too easy to take advantage of it."
As new understanding dawned on Vilhelm, he looked at Nero with respect and admiration. This was something no one else had ever noticed before - or at least, no one had vocalised before, his professor’s included.