Chapter 32 32
The next morning, the area around the sand pit was already crowded with people.
The gladiators had finished their training early without prior agreement and gathered around the sand pit — watching Lynx and Saxa spar was much more interesting than sweating on their own.
Saxa arrived even earlier than Lynx. She had changed into lighter gear — leather chest protector, linen shorts, revealing firm and slender legs.
The short blade was already in her hand as she did stretching movements.
Seeing Lynx come over, she stopped and grinned.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Pretty good."
Lynx put down his shield and training short sword.
"You?"
"Didn't sleep. My mind was full of that sword of yours from yesterday. I thought about how to break it all night."
"Did you think of a way?"
"We'll see after trying."
The two walked into the sand pit. This time there was no nonsense.
They started fighting directly. Saxa had obviously learned from yesterday's lesson and no longer attacked blindly.
She began using more flexible footwork, circling around Lynx, occasionally making feints to test his reactions.
Lynx was not in a hurry to counterattack either. He held the center line steadily, shield protecting his vital points, short sword pointing diagonally at the ground, eyes fixed on every tiny movement Saxa made. Danger Perception spread out like an invisible net around him.
He could "feel" Saxa's breathing rhythm, "feel" the degree of tension in her muscles, and "feel" the timing of every shift in her center of gravity.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
Saxa suddenly moved.
She didn't charge in a straight line, but in an arc, cutting in from Lynx's left rear side. Her short blade slashed toward the back of his knee! The angle was tricky and extremely fast. But Lynx reacted as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
He stepped back half a step with his left foot, his body spun with the motion, and his shield blocked to the left rear — "Clang!" Blade and shield collided. Saxa's strike missed.
She immediately changed moves. She used the reaction force of the collision to spin half a circle like a top, moving to Lynx's right side. Her short blade stabbed straight at his lower ribs! Lynx swung his right short sword downward, parrying the blade, while his left shield pushed forward, forcing Saxa to retreat.
The two distanced themselves again.
"Reaction is really fast."
Saxa caught her breath. Her eyes became even brighter.
"Who taught you?"
"I figured it out myself."
Lynx spread his hands.
"Impossible."
Saxa shook her head.
"This kind of defensive awareness can't be trained without more than ten years of actual combat experience, but you look… at most twenty years old?"
"Talent."
Lynx lied calmly. Saxa stared at him for a few seconds and suddenly smiled:
"Fine, even if you are exceptionally talented, let's go again!"
She pounced on him again. This time the offense was denser. The blade light was like a net, attacking Lynx from all angles. Slash, stab, upward cut, horizontal cut… almost all basic blade techniques were used. But Lynx defended watertight. The shield blocked left and right. The short sword counterattacked at any opening. Although most counterattacks were dodged or parried by Saxa. But the timing and angle of every counterattack were perfect, forcing Saxa to adjust her rhythm.
The onlookers watched without blinking.
"This woman… is really fierce."
Gisco said softly. "Big Brother's defense is beautiful, but continuing like this isn't a solution."
Octavius stood beside him and said in a deep voice:
"He is waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for Saxa's physical strength to drop."
Octavius pointed at Saxa. "Look at her breathing. It's more urgent than before. This kind of high-intensity offense won't last long."
In the sand pit, Saxa also realized the problem. She had been attacking continuously for two minutes.
Although Lynx had been forced to keep retreating, his footwork hadn't messed up and his defense hadn't broken. But she herself, her arms were starting to feel sore and her breathing was getting heavier and heavier.
She couldn't continue like this. She gritted her teeth and decided to gamble. After a feint, Saxa suddenly changed her rhythm. She no longer pursued continuous offense. Instead, she retreated half a step, gripped the blade with both hands, took a deep breath, and her whole body became like a drawn bow. Lynx's eyes narrowed. Danger Perception went into full alarm. Here it comes. The next second, Saxa moved. It was not fast, but… strange. Her body leaned forward, feet pushing off the ground. Her whole person shot toward Lynx as if flying close to the ground. The short blade was not slashing or stabbing, but from an extremely low angle, slashing upward toward Lynx's abdomen! This move was completely unexpected. Lynx's shield was above and his short sword was in front. His abdomen became an opening! In the spark of lightning, Lynx made a move that no one expected. He not only didn't retreat, but stepped forward! At the same time, his body twisted slightly, letting the upward slash graze past his abdomen. The short blade cut through the leather armor and left a bloody mark on the skin, but didn't injure the internal organs. And Lynx's right hand had already seized the moment when Saxa went all out and her center of gravity was forward, grabbing her wrist holding the blade! "What?!" Saxa's pupils shrank. She wanted to break free. But Lynx's hand was like an iron clamp, holding her wrist tightly. Then, Lynx tripped forward with his left foot. Saxa instantly lost her balance and fell forward. Lynx pressed down with the motion, his knee pressing on her back, and the short sword was placed horizontally against her neck. "You lost." Lynx said while panting. The sand pit fell into dead silence. Everyone was stunned. Saxa lay on the ground, panting, the wooden sword beside her neck icy cold. She was stunned for a few seconds and suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Good! Good!" Lynx let go, stood up, and retreated two steps. Saxa got up, patted the sand off her body, and looked at Lynx. Her eyes were filled with shock, admiration, and… excitement. "That move just now, how did you think of it?" She asked excitedly. "I gambled." Lynx wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your slash was at too low an angle. I couldn't defend normally in time, so I could only gamble that you would go all out and show a flaw." "What if you lost the gamble?" "If I lost, I would die." He paused, then said, "But if I won, I would live." Saxa stared at him for a long time, then nodded: "You have more guts than I thought." She bent down to pick up the short blade, inserted it back at her waist, walked in front of Lynx, and extended her hand: "Formal introduction, Saxa, Thracian, former Thracian resistance army warrior." Lynx shook her hand: "Lynx, my background… is quite complicated." "I can tell." Saxa smiled. "But I don't care where you come from. I only care that you can fight." She paused and lowered her voice: "Batiatus paid me to keep an eye on you during the performance match. If you win and want to run, stop you. If you lose… finish you with one more strike." Lynx's eyes turned cold: "Then why are you telling me now?" "Because I changed my mind. Cooperating with someone who can beat me is much more interesting than being a thug for that oily, powdered fatty." "Cooperate?" "Yes, cooperate." Saxa looked around, her gaze sweeping over the watching gladiators. "I can tell you guys are planning something. Count me in, how about it?" Lynx didn't agree immediately. He was observing Saxa's eyes — wild, straightforward, but no sign of deception. "Why?" "Three reasons." Saxa raised three fingers. "First, Batiatus didn't give much money and is stingy. Second, I like excitement. Rebelling with you guys is much more exciting than being a thug. Third…" She paused and looked at Lynx: "That move where you beat me just now reminded me of someone." "Who?" "My brother." Saxa's eyes darkened. "He was also someone who fought with his brain, but unfortunately he died, killed by the Romans." Lynx was silent for a moment and nodded: "Fine, but there are conditions for cooperation."