SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will

Chapter 256: A Quiet End to the Day

Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Ryn move.

Something had changed.

His timing felt tighter now, and every follow-up came faster than before, like he was already preparing the next move before the current one even finished. She stepped back just enough to reset the distance, then tilted her head slightly.

"That’s not it."

Ryn smirked a little.

"...Impatient?"

"Or you’re stalling," Lyra replied calmly.

A few people nearby laughed quietly, but Arthur just shook his head.

"...He’s waiting."

Selene glanced at him. "For what?"

Arthur kept his eyes on the fight.

"...You’ll see."

Ryn rolled his shoulders once and relaxed his grip slightly.

"Don’t worry," he said.

Then his smile widened a little.

"I’ll show you."

Lyra shifted her stance again.

"Then do it."

The joking stopped there.

Ryn moved first.

This time, he came in much faster, his blade cutting toward her side in a sharp angle. Lyra reacted immediately, bringing her defense up naturally after reading the attack.

And that was exactly what Ryn wanted.

His eyes sharpened.

"...Got you."

A grin appeared on his face.

"Jackpot."

Arthur’s attention locked onto him immediately.

"...Now."

He felt it the moment it happened.

That shift.

That read.

Ryn moved again, but this time it wasn’t a normal step. His body burst forward in one short, precise movement, almost like he disappeared from one position and slipped into another instantly.

Lyra’s eyes widened slightly.

"...What?"

Too late.

Ryn was already inside her guard.

Closer than she expected.

His body twisted sharply, and his strike followed right after. It wasn’t wide or powerful-looking, but the impact carried a strange weight behind it.

A dull hit echoed out.

Heavy.

Compressed.

Lyra felt her balance shift slightly as the force pushed into her defense.

"...He broke it," Arthur muttered quietly.

Torren blinked hard. "Wait... what just happened?"

"He slipped through her guard," Selene said, narrowing her eyes.

"And that hit felt weird," Nox added.

Lyra stepped back once, smooth and controlled, but the fact that she moved at all already said enough.

Ryn didn’t waste the opening.

That was the whole point.

Pressure.

He moved again immediately, attacking from another angle, forcing another read, another prediction. Then that same burst of movement came again.

Short.

Sharp.

Precise.

He slipped past her defense a second time and forced her to turn awkwardly instead of blocking cleanly. Another compressed strike followed right after.

Lyra blocked it.

But her rhythm changed again.

Arthur smiled slightly.

"...Yeah. That’s nasty."

Nox stared. "He’s actually forcing her back..."

Torren shook his head slowly. "...He’s ruining her timing."

"He’s controlling the pace," Selene added quietly.

That was exactly what was happening.

Ryn wasn’t just attacking anymore.

He was dictating the flow of the fight.

Every successful read gave him another burst of movement. Every burst gave him a better position, and every position let him apply even more pressure.

Lyra adjusted quickly, but each adjustment came a little slower than the last because Ryn kept disrupting her rhythm before she could fully settle.

Arthur exhaled softly.

"...Tempo advantage."

He could see it clearly now.

Ryn stepped in again.

Another read.

Another burst.

Another strike.

But this time Lyra was ready.

Her mana shifted first.

Denser.

Stronger.

Arthur noticed it instantly.

"...She’s reinforcing."

Selene nodded slowly. "She’s serious now."

Ryn saw it too, but instead of backing off, he pushed harder.

He made another prediction and burst forward again, but when his strike landed this time, Lyra’s defense absorbed it cleanly.

The disruption wasn’t there anymore.

Ryn clicked his tongue softly.

"...Tch."

Then Lyra countered.

Fast.

Sharp.

Heavy.

Ryn barely got out of the way in time.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...There it is."

The gap was showing again.

Even with the skill, even with the pressure, Lyra was still Lyra. The longer the fight continued, the smaller those openings became.

Nox let out a breath she’d been holding.

"She adapted..."

"Of course she did," Torren replied.

"But he still pushed her," Selene added.

And that mattered.

A lot.

Ryn kept attacking anyway, changing angles, mixing his timing, looking for another opening. When he finally found one, he used that same burst again and drove another strike into Lyra’s guard.

But this time—

She didn’t move.

She held her ground completely.

Her reinforced mana absorbed the impact without breaking.

Then she stepped forward.

And Ryn immediately felt the difference.

He pulled back just in time to avoid the counterattack, but even then he was forced to give up space.

Arthur nodded slowly.

"...That’s the limit."

The skill was dangerous, but it depended heavily on prediction, timing, and accuracy. Against someone like Lyra, those advantages became harder to maintain the longer the fight dragged on.

Ryn finally stepped back, breathing steadily with a small grin still on his face.

Lyra lowered her stance slightly.

"...That’s it."

Ryn shrugged.

"For now."

Silence settled briefly before Nox suddenly clapped.

"That was insane."

Torren laughed loudly. "Seriously, what was that movement?"

"You actually pushed her," Selene said, still sounding surprised.

Arthur smirked.

"...Told you."

He looked toward Ryn.

"That skill fits you way too well."

Ryn chuckled.

"Feels natural."

Lyra straightened fully again, calm as always, but her eyes stayed focused on him.

"You improved."

Simple words.

But everyone there understood how much they meant.

Ryn nodded once.

"I had to."

Lyra crossed her arms.

"That movement."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Explain it."

Ryn smiled slightly.

"...Figured you’d ask."

Arthur leaned back with his hands in his pockets and let out a quiet laugh.

"...Here we go."

Ryn scratched the back of his head as everyone stared at him expectantly.

Even Lyra waited.

"So?" she said. "Explain it properly."

Ryn let out a small breath before speaking.

"It’s simple."

Arthur almost laughed hearing that.

Nothing about what they just watched was simple.

Ryn continued anyway.

"If I read the attack correctly before it happens... I get a burst of movement for one step."

He paused briefly.

"And if I attack right after moving, it disrupts the opponent’s rhythm."

That was it.