Chapter 77: The rhytm of combat
A Seeker, one who pursues the peak of martial arts. They climb a mountain with no summit, chasing a perfection that may never exist.
No matter how grueling the path, no matter how far they fall, they rise again and continue the ascent. It is a journey without end. A pursuit without finish. Yet they continue to climb the mountain called martial arts.
One of those seekers is Faust Kriegerisch, the opponent Lucen was facing. The second the announcer signaled the beginning of the fight, Lucen was slowly moving towards Faust by sliding forward, while Faust remained stationary, not even lifting a single finger.
He was simply standing there, but Lucen could not see any openings at all. Still, that did not discourage him, and instead made him feel excited to see up close the legendary martial artist from the game he used to play.
He slowly got closer, but he was not afraid to be attacked first, as he knew that Faust never initiates the first strike.
They haven’t even clashed yet, but the atmosphere was intense as the audience watched in silence.
Then, without warning, Lucen sprang forward. He did not start with a punch, nor did he do so with a kick.
Lucen’s body twisted mid-lunge, his left foot stomping to the side, not toward Faust, but at a sharp angle just past him. He dipped low, shoulder nearly grazing the ground, then surged upward with a sweeping elbow strike aimed at Faust’s ribs.
It was nothing but a misdirection.
The elbow was fast, but not the real threat. His other hand was already shifting, fingers curling into a clawed palm strike aimed for Faust’s jaw, an upward hook with enough force to dislocate a grown man’s neck.
Faust already sensed that was Lucen’s intent in the first place. Feints like that do not work on him. Faust simply swayed his body to the side, evading the strike, and was about to counter with a punch, but Lucen used the forward momentum of the palm strike to fall forward, landing both hands on the ground.
He did this the second Faust initiated his forward fist strike. Causing Faust to miss him by a hairsbreadth. Lucen, who was now doing a handstand, started moving around using his hands to stay upright and started attacking with his legs.