Chapter 126: Sand
Within seconds, both Elowen and Asher turned into a blur as they moved toward one another, their frames tearing through the air as their fists collided.
This time, both of them deliberately reduced their strength to the barest minimum.
Otherwise, the beams and poles beneath them would have shattered under the sheer force of their attacks. Even the speed behind their movements was drastically lessened, but that didn’t make them any slower. On the contrary, they became even more agile, as though they had traded speed for finesse and agility.
Their bodies moved like those of wild felines, graceful yet deadly. Their feet shifted rapidly from one beam to another as their wrists clashed again and again. Simultaneously, they both weaved through a flurry of arrows that shot in from the sides.
Asher had intentionally suppressed his Omni Perception during the fight. He was training his natural instincts and reflexes alongside his hand to hand combat techniques.
Suddenly, the beam beneath Asher’s feet began to sink into the earth as though it had been caught in a quagmire, breaking him from the rhythm.
But Asher’s reaction was swift.
His muscles coiled, preparing to launch him upward. However, Elowen wouldn’t allow that. Her fist appeared in his trajectory, calculated and sharp, forcing him to stay and potentially fall with the collapsing beam.
But Asher’s senses flared at the last moment. Instead of leaping forward, he shot to the side, narrowly evading her strike. His body slammed into another beam, and Astra surged into his palm, anchoring him in place with barely a sound.
Elowen stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. The trainees had all been taught how to channel Astra into their feet, but Asher had taken it a step further. He had learned to infuse it into his hands as well, an innovation that saved him in that very moment.
Elowen said nothing, offering no comment on his brilliance. After all, Asher wasn’t the first to come up with this. Without a word, she shot forward again, her figure a blur. But Asher was ready this time. He moved gracefully and landed atop another beam.
Yet again, something unexpected happened. An arrow shot upward from below, an angle that had never occurred during the past six months of training. It nearly caught him off-guard.