Our swords clash in a quick shock as we exchange hundreds of blows that scatter sparks everywhere, and I'm pushed back a little, finding myself impressed by Mikael.
"Mikael, you've improved tremendously — an almost absurd improvement!" I tell him, putting some distance between us with nimble footwork so he can't predict my movement, my steps extremely silent and precise as he advances on me with a horizontal slash.
"Naturally! I wanted to get stronger so I could face you again, so I've been training a lot, Pandora," he says, barely managing to hit me. I feel the blade sink slightly into my flesh, though I manage to stop the strike before it cuts too deep into my stomach.
Since I'm at level 100,000, I didn't expect him to be able to fight me on equal footing, but to my shock, he's actually pulling it off — though I'm not using magic, and I'm also not using Violet, while he's wielding Mesumari.
