Chapter 575: The Borrowed Hand
Leon ran the sequence for a third time.
Same opening step. Same roll through the shoulder. Same starting angle of the sword, following the line the Sentinel had already learned.
The construct took the bait completely.
Its blade drove in to intercept the attack it expected, committing to the counter before Leon's cut had fully formed. Leon let the setup remain convincing for one more instant, then abandoned it. His point dropped, his feet shifted off the learned line, and the Sentinel's sword passed through the place his attack should have occupied.
The pattern had told it what would happen.
The pattern was wrong.
That alone wasn't enough to end the fight. The construct recovered with frightening speed, dragging its weapon back into guard before Leon could finish it. Still, the exchange had given him what he needed.
From then on, Leon stopped letting it learn anything cleanly.
