“Luther Williams, you have gotten slower in sword fighting,” Maximus casually commented.
“No! That’s impossible! How did you manage to strike me? It must have been dumb luck!” Feeling. indignant, Luther turned around and launched his attacks again, even though he was injured. This time, he did not hold back and put in his 100%, evident from his frenzied and merciless attacks that were hard to dodge.
During the ninth move, he switched it up and aimed his blade at Maximus’ throat with the intent to kill. However, Maximus didn’t shun the attack and instead slashed Luther in the abdomen with greater speed and accuracy.
Luther stumbled backward, aghast. He would have been gutted had Maximus’ sword slashed upward. “What’s going on? Where did that punk learn the trick from?” He pressed against his bleeding abdomen in shock. He could not wrap his mind around how Maximus had recovered from the grave injury with significant improvements to his skills all within a few days.
“Luther Williams, it’s my turn to make a move now” Maximus didn’t give his mentor any room to breathe. He swung his sword and charged at his opponent.
Luther hurriedly collected himself and raised his sword in defense. At this point, he lost his confidence and was forced to put on a defensive play due to his injury. In contrast, Maximus was getting stronger by the second and demonstrated great sword-fighting skills, bringing Luther to his knees.
“This is a good chance!” At the twenty-sixth move, Luther suddenly gathered all his internal energy, huffing and puffing as he made his final move in a bid to turn the tables. Just when he was about to gain the upper hand, he found a blade pressing against his neck. If he made the slightest move, he would be killed on the spot.
“Huh?” Baffled, he dropped the sword onto the floor. He still didn’t understand how the three flawed moves he intentionally taught Maximus had, in turn, contributed to his own downfall.
“Why? Why did it turn out this way?” The crowd gasped at the sight of Luther’s defeat. No one had expected to see the second-in-command lose to his mentee in record time. Throughout the battle, Luther seemed to be put at a disadvantage.
“I-impossible!”
“How could Maximus Kane beat Dad? I thought Dad was the one who taught him all the moves.” Brody, Oliver, and the other disciples were covered in cold sweat. They had been proud and confident in Luther’s victory, but they were surprised to witness Maximus’ prowess which sent Luther into a defensive position, and the way Maximus ended the battle with a decisive sword
move.
“Our last-minute prep works.” Dustin looked amused. Upon hearing the remark, Brody and his gang looked shaken to the core. Did Maximus win with the few moves that Dustin had taught him? That would have been frightening!
“W-who did you learn the moves from?” Luther sweated profusely as he pressed against his bleeding abdomen.
“That is not the point. The point is that I will do the same to you based on how you destroyed my core in the past.” While speaking, Maximus drew his sword again.
“Hold on!” Luther pleaded in panic, “Max, I am sorry for what happened earlier, but it was a careless mistake. Please give me another chance.
“A chance? Did you give me a chance when you decided to destroy my core?” Maximus looked
grim.
“Max, I know I’m in the wrong! Please have mercy on me-we shared years of relationship!” Then, Luther fell onto his knees. “I have a lot of enemies If you destroy my core and my skills, I will not survive a day. Please spare me!”
Maximus fell silent at the sight. Despite his urge to seek revenge, a voice in his heart held him back. After all, he had learned everything in sword fighting from Luther, even though Luther had done so with an ulterior motive. At the end of the day, Maximus owed his swordsmanship to Luther’s teachings. Even though Luther was a merciless bastard, Maximus decided to be the bigger man.
