Lilith stepped away, creating space between them, and Xavier stretched his body, then tightened his grip on his sword and locked eyes with Lilith. Without being told, she already knew Xavier wasn't joking.

"This is a good chance to reassure myself, I'll test his power then adjust to fit, I hope I'm still good enough" Lilith spoke but she had no idea what happened next.

Lilith took a step forward, her eyes fixed on him, her body relaxed but ready for anything.

The next moment Xavier was already in front of her, far faster than she expected. His wooden sword came down toward her shoulder, clean and precise.

Lilith reacted on instinct. She raised her sword and turned her body, letting the strike slide off instead of taking it head-on.

The force still traveled through her arm, stronger than she thought. Her feet shifted slightly to keep her balance.

Before she could reset, Xavier followed up with a second strike that came from the side.

She bent backward just enough to avoid it, the tip of his sword passing close to her chest. She stepped away quickly, creating space again. Her expression changed slightly. The smile was still there, but now it carried focus.

"So you've changed," she said calmly, "Much more than I was expecting, but this isn't your peak right"

"Unfortunately, without killing intent, I can't use my full strength, I can't afford to kill you by mistake" Xavier

He stepped forward again. He didn't rush in, his movements were measured. He swung once toward her midsection, then stopped midway and changed direction, aiming higher.

Lilith didn't fall for it. She shifted her stance and blocked the real strike cleanly. The wooden swords collided with a dull crack.

She pushed back immediately.

Even with one hand, her strength was still there. She forced his blade away and moved in closer, trying to take advantage of the distance. Her sword came down toward his arm.

Xavier twisted his body and pulled back, barely avoiding the strike.

The attack still brushed against his sleeve as he stepped to the side instead of retreating straight back.

Lilith pressed forward.

She attacked in a steady rhythm, each swing flowing into the next. Without her left hand, she relied more on movement. Her body turned with each strike, using momentum instead of brute force.

Even though this was the first time fighting without her left, she seemed used to it, going purely on instinct.

Xavier blocked the first, then the second, but the third forced him to give ground. His feet slid back across the dirt.

Star watched quietly from the grass, her eyes following every movement. She knew Xavier was holding back, maybe to encourage her.

Lilith noticed it, she knew he wasn't fighting at his best, but even with all her attacks he was keeping up.

Not just barely surviving like before, but matching her pace completely.

She slowed slightly, observing him more carefully now. His breathing was steady. His grip didn't waver. There was no wasted movement in his attacks or defense.

Xavier saw the change.

He stepped in again, this time aiming low. Lilith moved to block, but he shifted mid-motion, bringing the sword up toward her shoulder instead. The strike came faster than before.

She barely raised her sword in time. The impact pushed her back a step.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Lilith exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing just a little.

"Alright," she said, her voice serious now. "I see it."

She jumped backwards and adjusted her stance, lowering her center of gravity, then she dropped the sword to the floor.

Xavier tightened his grip again, his focus sharpening as he knew she was ready to use her technique.

He had only seen one technique from the Beast God, and he knew she had more, he took a deep breath waiting for her to make a move.

Then she did, and the power radiating off her body changed completely. The area around her was shrouded in something; Xavier couldn't see it, but he knew she had been covered, and it wasn't a shield. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lilith dashed forward with explosive agility and in an instant she was in front of Xavier. However reacted accordingly as she swung her fish towards him.

The moment her fits connected with his wooden sword he felt the impact deep in his bones, if the sword wasn't cloaked by mana, it would have broken at that instance.

Lilith's speed and strength had increased twofold, and this time she wasn't using the wooden sword again, it was her bare hand.

Xavier was being pushed backwards with each attack, but even with that he still saw an opening, he planted his feet firmly, forcing himself to stop sliding backwards.

Lilith's attacks kept coming without pause, each strike carrying enough force to end the duel.

A punch came toward his chest but Xavier twisted sideways, barely avoiding it as he immediately raised his sword again.

Lilith appeared beside him almost instantly. Her knee drove toward his ribs, but Xavier blocked with the flat side of his sword, but the impact still launched him backwards across the dirt.

Lilith saw she had the upper hand and didn't stop chasing him.

The moment Xavier regained his footing, she was already there again, her hand reaching for his neck.

Xavier ducked low and swung upward toward her side.

For the first time since using her technique, Lilith reacted defensively. She pulled back slightly, avoiding the strike by inches.

Even with the explosive increase in speed and power, Lilith's movements became more aggressive. She was attacking almost entirely on instinct now, leaving small openings after every heavy strike.

Lilith dashed forward again and this time Xavier didn't retreat. The instant she threw a punch, he stepped into her range instead of away from it.

Xavier tilted his body just enough for the attack to brush past him before slamming the handle of his wooden sword toward her stomach.

Lilith coughed as the hit landed cleanly and before she could recover, Xavier turned and struck toward her shoulder.

Lilith raised her arm to block, but the force behind the attack still pushed her backwards several steps.

For the first time since activating the technique, her assault had been interrupted completely.

Xavier lowered his sword slowly, his eyes locked onto her.

"Your technique boosts your physical prowess by throwing away unnecessary thought and relying on instinct alone."

Lilith smiled despite the pain in her stomach.

"It seems I underestimated you" Lilith spoke as she sat on the ground.

"Are you giving up?" Xavier asked.

"Do you think I have a chance of beating you in a fight if we both went all out?" Lilith asked him and Xavier smiled.

"I don't want to sound proud, but I'll win every time"