A spear? The thoughts of everyone began to run wild.
Much like Amory, they had assumed that Ryu had a dominant hand, much like everyone else did. It was impossible to escape this universal truth, or so they thought. But, even more importantly, they were certain that Ryu was a master of the glaive. And, was he really not blind?!
Yaana's eyes opened wide, an indescribable happiness coming over her. It pained her to see Ryu in such a state, but she suddenly felt herself overwhelmed by a calm when she stared into his eyes. Although it was only through a screen, it was as though she was enveloped by a gentle warmth.
However, while Yaana felt this way, Bhishak couldn't have disagreed more. That mighty weight on his chest only seemed to grow with each passing moment. Time lengthened, placing him in an agonizingly slow loop that made a single second feel like hour. And then, Ryu shot forward.
As things stood now, Ryu's condition had worsened considerably. Although he had done his best to dodge the arrows while retreating, two still pierced his back, both landing on his right shoulder blade, making that entire arm all the more useless.
Still, he didn't seem to notice. It didn't take more than a moment for those spectating to realize that not only was Ryu's left had just as proficient as his right, but he was also a spear master!
[Pierce] attack after [Pierce] attack rained down upon Bhishak. As a dagger wielder, he was at a complete disadvantage, unable to close the distance. To make matters worse, Ryu's style had completely changed. If before his attack pattern could have been described as imposing and straight forward, now, his strokes were clever and irritating.
Of the Tatsuya Saintly Weapons, the glaive was known to manifest the War God. This was a man of character and imposing will, unwilling to take even a single step back. His attacks were simple, but powerful, causing his enemies to quake where they stood. However, the spear manifested the God Emperor. This was a man of war and character as well, however he was also a ruler of a nation, not a tyrant like the War God. He didn't rule solely by strength, but also by the power of his mind. While he was no less imposing, his strikes were swift and well thought out, cornering his enemies like animals.
Ryu's use of the glaive made Bhishak believe that he had him pegged. However, this switch was so abrupt that the veteran assassin was immediately placed on his back foot, continuously deflecting the deadly strikes with his daggers. It didn't take a genius to understand that while the glaive's strongest strike was [Sweep], the spear's strongest strike was [Pierce]!
Ryu executed a series of [Advances], pressing Bhishak backward. With him controlling the flow of the battle now, even with a single arm hanging loosely to his side, Amory was in no position to launch another assault of arrows. If he did so, he was practically asking to get taken advantage of.
Bhishak's daggers glittered under the moonlight. Despite his situation, he didn't panic. In his long life, how could he not have faced his fair share of medium ranged weapon masters? If all it took was a long weapon to win, why would anyone even choose the dagger or the sword? They might as well all become archers!
Suddenly, Bhishak's deadened eyes lit with a sparkle, the side of his right blade cleverly caught the side of Ryu's spear tip, gliding across the side of it and pushing it outward. In that moment, as Ryu's spear was pushed off course, Bhishak's speed erupted, closing in the three-meter gap between them.
How could Ryu not realize what had happened? This was exactly the reason why spear wielders hated this move, but dagger wielders loved it. Bhishak has just executed [Skim]!
Though he was far less proficient than Ryu at it, causing him to need to take his time to find the right opportunity, it was still beyond effective. In an instant, it seemed that Ryu's ranged advantage would come to an end. With his left arm still in the middle of attacking, and his right arm completely useless, what chance did he stand to stop this attack? His only option was to abandon his weapon and block with his left, but if he did that, he'd end up with yet another useless arm.
However, who would have known at that moment, that Ryu's eyes would calmly stare into the dark abyss that were Bhishak's. A line of qi extended from his lips, entering Bhishak's ears.
"You're too unskilled."
These words hurt Bhishak more than anything else ever could. He had spent his whole life refining his skills. From the moment he was born and found to have a rare Earth Skeletal Grade, he was taken in by the Tor Clan and nurtured into their Death Guard. He knew nothing but training and killing, even women didn't interest him.
After putting his whole life into this one craft, to listen to a fifteen-year-old tell you such a thing, how could he withstand such an insult? But, Ryu's eyes didn't seem to care for his anger, he looked down on the Death Guard with absolute disdain, like a bug he was only waiting to crush with a single step.
At that moment, Ryu took action. His left wrist flexed with all its might, waiting for the perfect moment before whipping ferociously.
Ryu's spear reacted at that very moment, bowing uncontrollably. Its wooden polearm curled beautifully under the moonlight, its reddened aura wafting with a will to kill.
Since defensive techniques like [Skim] could be used in all sorts of angles, in all sorts of situations, why couldn't Ryu apply that same level of flexibility to his other basic stances? This attack of Ryu's was something he comprehended on his own, [Whipping Pierce].
Bhishak immediately noticed the spear curling, curving around the curvature of his [Skim] and aiming directly for his head. Should this attack land, he would die without a doubt. But, was he not a veteran of combat?
He reacted without hesitation, pulling back his left-handed strike aimed for Ryu's throat and changing its course toward the polearm of Ryu's spear. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. Even though daggers allowed far more freedom in changing attack angles, how could it be perfect? Ryu's spear tip managed to clip the edge of his nose, even while Bhishak pushed the spear away, it dug into a part of his skull, slicing across the top right half of his face and taking his eye with it.
Ryu followed up with a kick to Bhishak's knee, crippling him into filling the night air with blood curdling screams.
Without mercy, Ryu's spear found Bhishak's throat, pinning him into the cobbled road. Cold, silver eyes watched as the Death Guard slowly bled to death, his life force dissipating with each passing moment.