The Gwenna Corps Clash: Merill vs. Barna (2)

Barna, the demon wielding a spear, concentrated all his attention on its tip and resolved to defeat Merill with this one strike.

But this entire sequence of movements had gone exactly as Merill intended.

With his first move, Merill had cut off Barna's left thumb, limiting him to thrusts. Deliberately taking him on with an inferior spear had also been part of Merill's subtle guidance.

Those who excel at technique can become intoxicated by it. When shown a lousy spear, anyone confident in their skill would want to finish the fight with a thrust, eager to demonstrate how a true thrust was meant to be delivered.

He would settle the match with an all-out thrust. Every one of Barna's choices had gone according to Merill's plans.

But the real gamble began here.

Merill's task was to somehow withstand Barna's full-power thrust, which was about to be unleashed. It was a make-or-break, high-stakes gamble.

Even so, Merill believed he had no talent for gambling.

Winning barely pleased him, while losing drove him mad with frustration. He was not especially lucky to begin with, and his temperament was simply unsuited to gambling.

Ah, I really shouldn't have taken on a contest like this...