I was still some meters away from Damon when I shifted my attention from him to the tree next to him. The moment I closed the distance, I leapt and planted my feet against the trunk of the tree. Then using the momentum, I launched myself off the bark, spinning mid-air as I brought the black blade down with everything I had.
Clang!
Damon had raised his axe to block my strike.
Because his level was significantly higher than mine, he didn't shudder under the impact as much as I did.
Still, I ignored the stinging numbness that shot through my arms and immediately ducked beneath the sweeping arc of his return swing. As the massive blade of the battle axe whistled through the air just inches above my head, I shifted my weight, pivoting on the muddy ground to find a fresh opening.
I tried to immediately follow up with a heavy strike of my own, driving the black katana upward in a desperate, lunging arc aimed at his exposed ribs.
