Er, perhaps relying fully on instinct without thinking did work against you like that. Zero pulled away, and waited for Kiyotaka to recover. It'd be best if he got himself a real sword soon... and not a double edged one.

Still, he must've had some measure of insight to know that the final strike of the combo would be the strongest. Or had that been just a fluke? He'd certainly become a bit more flexible while on the defensive - still rough, but it was a much better showing than his stiff excuse for an offensive assault. There was something to work with.

Thank goodness, too, because Zero knew he was not nearly competent enough of a teacher to nurture a completely hopeless case. (There were some people who weren't cut out to fight, that was just a fact.)

Watching his would-be student with an expressionless stare, Zero asked, "Do you need a break?" How long did a human's stamina last, anyway?