Theory vs Practice

"Alright," Itsuki said, drawing his blade. "But don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Olivia replied, raising her staff. "Show me what makes you so legendary."

The moment stretched between them, both fighters taking each other's measure. Olivia's staff began to glow with swirling wind currents, while magical energy gathered around her in visible streams. She held herself with the confidence of someone who genuinely believed in her abilities.

She actually thinks she can win.

Olivia moved first, sweeping her staff in a wide arc. The air pressure around them shifted dramatically, dust and debris swirling in intricate patterns as temperature gradients formed visible distortions in the atmosphere.

That's not how wind magic worked in the game, Itsuki thought, dodging the primary current while feeling secondary wind streams tugging at his armor. She's manipulating actual atmospheric conditions.

"Pressure Cascade," Olivia announced, following up with a gesture that sent multiple wind currents spiraling toward him from different angles.

These weren't simple projectiles. As the currents moved, they interacted with each other, creating vortices and downdrafts that affected the entire battlefield. Dust clouds provided visual feedback for airflow patterns, while the shifting temperatures created mirages that distorted his vision.

Itsuki found himself genuinely impressed. This was magic that operated according to real physical laws, not simplified game mechanics. Each of her spells had logical consequences that rippled through the environment.

"Fascinating approach," he said, testing her defenses with a straightforward sword strike.

Olivia smiled and created a wind barrier, angling the currents to redirect his momentum. The deflected force sent him sliding sideways across the rocky ledge.

"Elementary physics," she replied smugly. "Force applied at an angle creates predictable vectors."

She's right. But she's fighting like someone who learned combat from textbooks.

Itsuki decided to test that theory. He launched into what appeared to be a standard three hit combo, his blade moving in the familiar pattern that every player knew by heart. As expected, Olivia recognized the sequence and prepared to counter after the third strike.

Itsuki canceled the animation mid swing, instantly transitioning into a completely different attack sequence. His blade reversed direction without any recovery time, catching Olivia completely off guard.

"What?" she gasped, barely managing to block. "How did you interrupt your own attack's momentum?"

Itsuki chained the canceled move directly into another impossible combination, his sword strikes flowing together in ways that should have been physically impossible. Each attack canceled into the next without the normal recovery frames, creating a relentless pressure sequence that gave Olivia no time to counterattack.

As he moved, phantom steps flickered him in and out of visibility, making it nearly impossible for Olivia to track his position. When she tried to counter one of his afterimages, he was already wind walking above her, running on invisible air currents to attack from an unexpected angle.

Animation canceling combined with dimensional movement. This should be overwhelming for someone who's never seen it before.

Olivia was forced into a desperate defensive pattern, her wind barriers appearing faster and faster as she tried to keep up with his nonsensical combo chains. But every time she thought she had him pinned down, blade echoes would confuse her vision, afterimages of his sword making it impossible to tell which strike was real.

"This violates basic principles of kinetic energy!" she protested, sweat beading on her forehead. "You can't just stop and reverse a sword swing without losing momentum! And how are you creating multiple images of yourself?"

Itsuki was already moving to the next phase. He deliberately positioned himself in the path of one of her Gust Bolt spells, timing it perfectly. At the exact moment of impact, he activated a dodge roll.

For a split second, he became completely intangible, the wind magic passing harmlessly through his body as if he didn't exist.

"Impossible," Olivia breathed. "Matter cannot simply phase out of reality!"

I-frames. Invincibility frames during dodge animations. Another thing that makes no sense in a real world but works anyway.

He continued the pattern, using precise timing to become briefly invincible during specific moments, walking through her attacks as if they were illusions. Each perfectly timed dodge left Olivia more bewildered.

"Your magic is impressive," Itsuki said, studying her growing frustration. "But you telegraph your techniques."

He noticed her preparing another Pressure Wave, the same spell she'd used twice before. The moment she committed to the casting animation, Itsuki deliberately whiffed an attack, creating an obvious opening.

Frame trap. She'll try to punish my recovery.

Olivia saw the opportunity and launched into a Wind Cutter aimed at his apparent vulnerability. Itsuki had expected this exact response. The moment she committed to the counterattack, he was already moving, his "failed" swing transitioning seamlessly into a devastating follow up that caught her mid cast.

"How did you know I would..." Olivia stumbled backward, her spell fizzling out. "That opening was perfect!"

"Only if you don't know it's a trap," Itsuki replied.

Option selects and frame traps. High level PVP concepts that exploit human psychology and game timing. She's smart enough to recognize optimal punishes, but not experienced enough to spot the bait.

Olivia regrouped, creating distance with a powerful Wind Burst. The spell caught Itsuki squarely, launching him backward across the ledge with significant force.

Itsuki did something that made Olivia's eyes widen in disbelief. He used the collision with the rocky wall behind him as a springboard, the impact propelling him forward at an impossible angle.

The environmental physics worked exactly as they should. Force plus collision equaled redirection. But no sane fighter would deliberately get hit just to use the knockback for positioning.

Using blowback for movement. Something only someone with extensive combat experience would think to try.

Itsuki rocketed toward Olivia faster than any normal dash would allow, the bizarre trajectory taking him directly into her blind spot. She spun to face him, but she was still in the ending lag of her Wind Burst spell, unable to defend or dodge.

At point blank range, with Olivia completely vulnerable, Itsuki executed a technique that would have been useless in any normal situation. He placed his palm against her back and activated Void Touch.

The spell was designed for direct contact, requiring the user to actually touch their target. Most fighters ignored it because getting close enough to use it was nearly impossible against competent opponents.

Olivia wasn't expecting it. The technique activated instantly, severing her connection to her magical energy reserves.

Her wind currents died. Her staff stopped glowing. The swirling atmospheric effects collapsed as her magic simply turned off.

"I..." Olivia stared at her powerless staff in shock. "My magic is disabled?!"

She turned to face Itsuki, who stood calmly behind her, his hand still extended from the palm strike.

"How did you move like that?" she asked, genuine confusion in her voice. "The trajectory you used defies physics. And that touch technique requires precise contact, but the setup is impossible. No fighter should ever be able to land it against someone who knows it exists."

"You're right," Itsuki said, lowering his hand. "In a normal fight, these techniques would be impractical or impossible. But they work anyway."

He gestured to the ledge around them, marked with the aftermath of their battle. "This world follows rules that go beyond what most people understand. Your magic is incredible, more sophisticated than anything I expected. But you fight like someone who learned from books."

Olivia's magical energy slowly began to return, her connection to her powers regenerating. She made no move to resume the fight.

"I concede," she said quietly. "Your techniques make no academic sense, yet they're devastatingly effective. I've never seen anything like them."

She looked up at him with newfound respect and curiosity. "Where did you learn to fight like that? Those methods aren't in any combat manual I've ever studied."

Itsuki sheathed his blade. "That's a long story."

"Well then," Olivia said, her trademark smug smile returning despite her defeat, "it's a good thing I promised you a consultation. Looks like we both have questions that need answering."