The arrow sliced through the air.
Bharam did not move.
Not a single step.
Only when the arrow was about to strike his shoulder did he twist his torso slightly.
That was all.
The arrow missed.
"First mistake," he said calmly. "Commit to the strike."
I had already nocked the second arrow.
Using my beast footwork, I began moving—fast, erratic steps forward and backward, changing rhythm to disrupt his perception.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't turn his head.
Didn't even adjust his stance.
How?
Fine.
If the shoulder was too precise—
The stomach wasn't.
Larger target.
Higher probability.
I sprinted forward and released.
As expected, he shifted left.
I had already predicted that.
The second arrow was ready before the first had fully cleared.
I released instantly toward his new position.
For a moment, I was certain it would at least graze him—
But Bharam bent down.
Effortlessly.
The arrow cut through empty air.
"Good attempt," he said. "But predictable."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"Do you think all monsters are dull and slow?"
Silence.
"Some are stronger than you. Some are smarter."
His head tilted slightly under the blindfold.
"And not every enemy you face will be a monster."
The words landed heavier than the arrows.
"You may fight bandits. Soldiers. Humans."
He paused.
"Do not train your mind to kill only beasts."
My frustration spiked.
My vision flickered again.
The earlier backlash hadn't fully faded.
My eyelids felt heavier.
My breathing thinner.
But I refused to stop.
Two arrows left.
Distance.
That was the problem.
I was giving him reaction time.
I needed to close it.
Not inside the circle—
But at its edge.
Close enough that reaction would be instinct, not calculation.
I began circling again, maintaining speed.
Gradually.
Quietly.
Each rotation slightly tighter than the last.
He shouted once.
"Second mistake."
But I didn't stop.
While circling, I released an arrow upward.
Toward the sky.
A distraction.
An unpredictable descent.
Wind.
Angle.
Gravity.
He would need to calculate where it would fall.
He tilted his head upward slightly beneath the blindfold.
Still not moving.
Using that moment—
I closed the distance.
Not directly.
Still circling.
Still masking my approach.
The arrow from the sky began its descent.
At the last second, Bharam stepped backward to avoid its landing point.
The instant his foot shifted—
I was already in position.
Close.
Edge of the circle.
I released toward his lower abdomen.
Even if he bent—
Even if he jumped—
It would hit.
I was certain.
The arrow cut forward.
Bharam did the unexpected.
He simply dropped sideways.
No hesitation.
No pride.
No dramatic movement.
Just a clean, controlled fall.
The arrow passed above him.
Missed.
He lay on his side for a brief moment.
Then removed the blindfold.
Looked at me.
"You are out of arrows," he said calmly.
"And you missed every one."