Koganei grinned as he came up to his feet, automatically retaking his stance. The fencer came on again, fists flying. Skipping backwards, the ronin weaved in and out of the blurred green limbs, slapping them aside. He felt his shinzui awakening naturally within him, but forcibly repressed it. He wanted to drive himself to his limits and see just how long he could last against the legendary Zorlo with his physical strength alone. Koganei spread his legs wide and stooped down as an open palm blasted over the warrior’s head. His right arm snapped back and forth like slingshot, his own open hand pounding against Zorlo’s sternum and sending him flying. A blue blur replaced the swordsman’s body as he disappeared, flashing up behind the soaring fencer as he continued his attack. Turning a sharp cut on one pointed foot, Koganei’s leg snapped around, catching Zorlo across the back—no, the fencer had twisted around and blocked the kick with a forearm, though the blow ricocheted him the opposite direction.
The fencer let out a quick bark of a laugh and disappeared mid-flight, coming up behind the still posed Koganei in a blur. The swordsman half-blocked a blow to his side, tumbling through the air and sliding backwards along the ground on the balls of his feet. The two launched towards each other, furiously attacking and countering. Zorlo brought a hand down on Koganei’s shoulder, the blow almost sending him to his knees and the ground under his feet cracking. The ronin’s eyes flashed with determination, his left arm snaking up and around the extended limb, his hand closing on the fencer’s jacket and locking it in place. Zorlo’s trapped arm gripped Koganei’s clothing in return, both of their free arms pulling back.
Koganei twisted his body inside Zorlo’s attack, his own landing on the man’s shoulder. Unrelenting, his hand flew around the fencer’s body like a crazed insect, pounding against his jacket furiously. The green-haired warrior seemed to ignore the string of attacks, his own arm landing a sizable amount of blows against Koganei. Determined though he was, the ronin realized his disadvantage against Zorlo’s armor. Catching the fencer’s incoming hand in a vice-like grip, the trained warrior twisted it around with its own momentum and locked it out so that the green-haired warrior couldn’t move it without breaking Koganei’s grip. But this left the samurai without any free hands as well, so he attacked with what he had left.
His booted foot lashed up before Zorlo knew what was happening, slamming against the green-haired fencer’s shin. The ronin’s foot snapped back and forth, attacking both legs alternatively in different spots. The method of attacking unarmored areas seemed to work, for the way the fencer quickly twisted around Koganei seemed to have a bit of desperation to it. The combatants’ arms were forced above their heads as Zorlo twisted around, their gripped on each other sliding down to their hands as they ended up back-to-back, their arms held out to both sides.
Now it was a contest of pure strength, each straining against each other to pull the other over their backs. Amazingly strong as he was, Koganei felt himself gradually losing, millimeter by millimeter. Rather than waiting for the fencer to sling him up over his back and slam him into the ground, the blue-haired warrior kicked against the ground, sending himself rolling up his opponent’s back and down on his feet in front of him. Before Zorlo could comprehend what was happening, the samurai snapped his foot up between their locked arms, crushing the man’s chin and sending him arcing back as their hands slid apart.
OoC: Remember, don’t rush things. We’re going to drag this out for a looooong time.
