As noon tiptoed close, Kestrel moved to the next technique: rhythm breaking.
This one Lancet liked immediately, which was probably why Kestrel made him practice it until his legs gave out.
The style centered on interrupting his own tempo in an intentional attempt to make an enemy misread the next strike.
For example; Lancet would step normally, suddenly delay the blade, then fire it forward from an angle no one expected, then break his own pattern again before it could become predictable.
The technique looked simple on paper, but in the hands of a true swordsman it was nearly invisible.
Lancet began to understand why Ugbard had valued it so much. There was a serenity to it, yes, but also a cruelty. It made the opponent doubt their own read of reality. It made the sword appear inevitable, as though the strike had already happened in the enemy's mind before the body finished moving.
