An Extra’s POV

"Are you serious?"

The atmosphere was tense as silence echoed in the vast, dull expanse. The faulty lights on the ceiling flickered, radiating flashes of brilliance on the two who stood beneath it.

Trisha still tightly held her blade as she stared seriously at Rey.

The question he asked lingered in the air, and she bent a little lower, parting her lips to answer the question.

"What do you think?" As her response—another question—wafted through the air, Rey suddenly broke into a slight grin.

Trisha felt taken aback by this. She didn't know why he was displaying such emotions in front of her. Somehow, it infuriated her.

"You know I'm going to win, right?" He said. "There's no point in doing this."

"You said you wanted to talk. Well, this is what I want to do. So… do you only want to achieve what you want, or will you take your stance and fight?"

Her eyes harshly stared at him, and in response to this, he shook his head and sighed. His smile instantly vanished and he slowly began to move.

"I'm sorry. You're right… I apologize for the delay." Slowly, Rey began to take his own battle stance as well.

There was no hesitation in his movement, neither was there an ounce of weakness in his form. By the time he was done setting himself up, he gently placed his sword forward and didn't lose the stoic demeanor on his face.

"Whenever you're ready…"

Everything was set. Within the vast room that occupied them, the brewing moment had finally reached a crescendo.

It was time to explode.

~WHOOSH!~

Trisha attacked first with a sharp lunge aimed at Rey's torso. Her speed caused the very air around her to vibrate, and she moved as though she was a blur given form.

Still…

Rey deftly sidestepped the strike, his own blade rising to meet Trisha's in a clash of steel.

'Tch! He's fast.'

Gritting her teeth, she narrowed her gaze and strengthened every ounce of muscle in her body.

two circled each other warily, their footwork precise

~SWISH!~

her sword a blur as she aimed for Rey's arms and legs. Rey countered each attack with smooth parries, his wrist moving fluidly to guide Trisha's

"Guh—!"

pressed her advantage, launching a feint to Rey's left

on his heel and

momentum carried her forward, Rey took the opportunity to counter with a riposte, striking for

'No, you don't!'

avoided the strike, her reflexes sharp as she twisted out of harm's way. She retaliated with a sweeping horizontal slash aimed at Rey's neck, but Rey ducked

~WHOOOSH!~

attack just in time, her blade catching

~CLANG!~

swords momentarily, each struggling for dominance as they

Trisha…" Rey mumbled, but she wasn't having any

were worthless

it seems I have some measure of a chance. I'm sure he's

this was a battle of pure Stats

as you, Rey… but I've been practicing Martial Arts my whole life. All my experiences… all my knowledge… I'll pour them into

the deadlock with a forceful shove, and they both had to disengage, each assessing the other from a small

of aggressive attacks.

'Why…?'

would allow, concentrating her full strength in every

Why can't I

knew the answer to

he danced around Trisha's assaults like a ballerina

if he was one with the sword—no, one with everything that was happening

It was… beautiful.

the offensive. He unleashed a flurry of precise strikes, his blade darting and weaving through

Trisha, caught by surprise, tried to hold

limit as she blocked and parried each

~WHISH!~

air as Rey's blade swept over her. He

"Haa… haa…!"

strike with ease, his sword moving in a blur as he countered

'He's… getting faster!'

speed, Rey executed a complex combination of strikes—first high, then low,

She tried to maintain her stance, but