He fights without batting an eye, at first. His breathing remains steady, even as he vaults over Rider, steed and all. The small smirk has faded, replaced by a look of quiet concentration. It’s more like following a script than a true fight, as if his body is reacting to cues on instinct. There’s no emotion behind it.
But Rider isn’t satisfied. He’s quick to learn Yuan’s patterns, and a feint that nearly sends him sprawling quickly ignites the spark once more. The light returns to his eyes as he realizes that he has to actually think about this one – Rider is a clever foe, and he soon finds himself relying less and less on that automatic response and more on his wits.
True to his word, he’s careful not to let his blade connect. Instead, he goes for glancing blows and displays of his agility, dancing around charges and ducking beneath Rider’s weapon with centimeters to spare.
He manages to land a solid kick on Rider’s chest with enough force to nearly topple him, and he lets out a triumphant, breathless laugh as he lands. There’s not a lot of time to celebrate, though, as Rider recovers quickly and grins brilliantly with the promise of another attack.
Finally, when he feels the beginnings of exhaustion creeping into his muscles and hears his heart pounding in his ears, he stabs his blade into the earth and uses it as a support for his weight.
He looks up, tossing his head to shake his sweat-soaked hair out of his face. He’s flushed and disheveled, unable to keep a smile of his own off his face.
“I think we’re good here.”
It’s more of a challenge than he anticipated. It’s good to work his muscles this hard again. What he lacked in dexterity he made up for in accuracy, and when he jumped from Bucephalus, he could begin to battle anew. He was a hulking mass of a man, with the strength forty times that of a human. Even so, his attacks did not deter Yuan for long, and he was amused to be knocked backward.
He could still fight, but felt he need not. Seeing that look of glee on such a stern face was a far better reward than victory itself. When Rider walks toward him, laughing from his belly, he gave him a smack of congrats on the other’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know you were so versed in battle! I admit, you surprised me! Why do you not challenge yourself more often, if it makes you so happy?”
Oh well. Questions for later.
“I still owe you that drink, eh? If you laugh when you’re tipsy like you do in battle, it would be music to my ears.”
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