The military man staggered, but his stance never broke. His head snapped up, eyes sharp, jaw clenched. Blood trickled from his lip, but his expression was cold—colder than tempered steel.
Prominent Leg's twin swords shrieked through the air—one angled for his throat, the other for his ribs. A clean kill.
But the military man moved.
His broadsword, still recoiling from the earlier clash, wasn't in position to parry. So he didn't.
Instead, he surged forward, slipping inside the arc of the blades. His bare forearm slammed into Prominent Leg's wrist, knocking the high slash off course, while his free hand clamped down on the hilt of the second blade, halting it cold.
For a heartbeat, they were locked. Chest-to-chest. Breath to breath. The iron scent of blood clung to the air between them.
Then, the military man struck.
CRACK.