The greatsword, the Zweihander, came crashing down towards me.0

Clang!0

I deflected the blade with my own sword, diverting its path outward. Twisting my blade, I transitioned into a half-swording stance and thrust my blade towards my opponent’s neck.0

If he had been a clumsy opponent, it would have been the end, and my blade would have found his throat.0

However, my opponent was far from clumsy. Despite his foul temper and apparent fury, his skill was undeniable.0

He angled his deflected blade back up, hooking my blade with the parrying hook of his Zweihander and pushing it away.0

It would be foolish to enter into a contest of strength with him and push against the weight of his weapon.0

Clang!0

I disengaged my sword and created some distance, and Haulman quickly adjusted his stance.0

Clang! Clang! Screech!0

We exchanged several more blows. My opponent maintained his distance, using his longer reach to keep me at bay. If his attacks landed, great; if not, there was no risk to him.0

There was no reason for him not to exploit his overwhelming advantage. He was simply doing his best.0

The one with the longer reach always had the initiative, while the one with the shorter reach had to suffer the disadvantage and look to close the distance.0

That was why using a sword against spear wielders was always a nuisance. During the preliminaries, I had simply overpowered them with my physical...0