The Magician anticipated the stranger’s next move as the sword flew toward him. 

The stranger, frozen in place, was cut by the sword as it slashed across his forehead and deflected off his skull.

Blood rushed down one side of his head. The stranger fell to his knees.

He looked up at the Magician as he approached the stranger.

Magician: (While walking up to the stranger cautiously) “Didn’t see that coming, to be honest. Thought you would be stronger.”

The stranger lowered his head away from the Magician.

Magician: (Crouching to get on his level) “Oh, come on. Don’t be so down. Honestly, I don’t know why you ever thought you could beat me. I am at the top for a reason.”

Magician dropped the cocky act for a moment.

Magician: “You’ll never reach my level... not without the training. The pain. The loss. It does disappoint me, though; you had the potential to be one of the bes—”

Vwip.

The stranger interrupted the Magician’s final words and snuck past his detection again. The stranger stopped behind the Magician and lifted his sword high.

The Magician tried to turn around in time, but the giant greatsword struck his side. His face instantly went blank as he gasped for air. 

The Magician fell to all fours beneath the stranger, his ears ringing. He spoke to the stranger.

Magician: “W-why? Why wait? You could’ve...” 

He struggled to speak, cutting himself off by coughing up blood, which fell from the sky onto the street. Civilians looked at the blood in utter horror as they watched their hero on his knees.

Magician: “Ended this f-fight when I was hardly trying. You can flip that switch so fast. So why?”

Stranger: (Looking down on him) “You fool. You still don’t see it? I don’t want to simply end you… No, no, no. I want to humiliate you! Make you feel helpless.” 

The stranger kicked the Magician, sending him tumbling through the air. The stranger followed his limp body and stood over him. 

Stranger: “Once you lose all hope in your soul, and that damned cockiness, I will rip you from his grasp and kill you myself.”

The Magician attempted to get up, but he fell. He pushed through the blow he suffered and forced himself to one knee to face the stranger.

Magician: (A smirk growing on his face) “Is that so? Well, too bad, because I know our strengths, and I know you won’t walk away from this alive.”

The stranger raised his greatsword to finish the Magician. Before the stranger could strike, the Magician quickly duplicated his sword and held it between them. 

The Magician let go of the blade, and it remained suspended in mid-air. He struck the handle with his other sword, sending the blade spinning like a buzzsaw.

The stranger’s greatsword struck down the buzzsaw, but couldn’t break through.

The spinning blade blocked the stranger’s view of the Magician. The Magician used the cover to swipe at the stranger’s legs.

The stranger jumped back and observed the Magician.

The Magician stood up straight and inhaled deeply. He slowly exhaled and snapped his left arm straight. He reached into the center of the buzzsaw and caught the sword’s handle. 

They faced off, gazing at each other. The stranger didn’t move.

The Magician took one last deep breath.

Magician: “Okay…”