Chapter 143: Undefined
The air stung.
Every slash, every clash left behind more than just sparks. It carved pressure into the walls, heat into the stone, and a gnawing tension into Jin's chest that didn't let up. His opponent didn't tire. He didn't flinch. He just kept smiling, like chaos was oxygen and Jin was finally breathing it in.
The weapon lashed out again.
A crack of light, curved like a scythe, split the air from the left.
Jin twisted, pivoting with a grounded heel and letting Muramasa catch the edge at just the right angle—his blade shook, the shock running up his arms, but he didn't let it throw him off.
Too close. Again.
The energy from the strike sang through the floor, rippling through the twisted stone of the maze. Jin gritted his teeth and slid back, forcing himself into a new stance—not one of the forms. Something looser.
The other man stood about ten paces off, one hand flicking his weapon in a lazy arc. The curved blade shifted again, breaking apart mid-air and returning in smaller spinning fragments, like orbiting moons waiting to be called home.
"You're adapting faster than I thought," the man said, rolling his shoulder. "Guess they weren't lying about you."
Jin didn't answer. His breath fogged faintly in the cool air, and Muramasa pulsed with residual heat.
He wasn't just dodging anymore. He was reading. Reacting. Learning.
Not just him, either.