Solomon plunged the tip of Eden's Penance directly into the rocky floor. He stepped away from the sword and grabbed the unmarked iron longsword dropped by the impaled thug. The lightweight metal felt perfectly balanced in his grip.
He turned to face the rushing crowd of dark-robed martial artists.
He anchored his boots against the dusty floorboards and twisted his hips. A martial artist lunged forward with a curved saber aiming for Solomon's neck.
Solomon initiated the first deflection arc of the Azure Crane Blade. He let the enemy's momentum slip entirely past his guard. He stepped into the newly created blind spot and drove the iron longsword through the man's ribs.
Chaining the movements together, he transitioned into the second and third forms of the technique. He redirected a spear thrust and carried the kinetic force into a sweeping leg trip. The attacker crashed into the rubble.
