But she was still faster.
Ten seconds passed.
Just as she was about to close in, Ray leapt with everything he had, summoning his two Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers.
"Wu—"
The flute sounded again.
His movements slowed. His turn was incomplete.
She was already there.
This time, she didn't strike immediately.
She grabbed his shoulder, yanked him forward, and swept his legs out from under him.
Ray crashed down.
He swung wildly, but she danced around him like a phantom, landing two more clean strikes into his abdomen even as she evaded.
"Bind!"
"Wu—!"
Slowed again.
His Bind skill crawled uselessly through the air. She seized a vine and flung him upward.
Ray curled instinctively, protecting his head and vital points.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
He became nothing more than a living target.
Then—
"Thirty seconds elapsed. Second trial complete."
Warmth washed through his body. Pain faded. Strength returned.
