Elias moved like water flowing around a stone. He didn't block; blocking required absorbing force. Instead, he parried. A gentle tap to the inside of Julian’s wrist sent a heavy punch sailing wide. A subtle shift of the hips made a spinning hook kick miss by a millimeter. Elias was always exactly where Julian wasn't, his hands moving in small, precise circles.
Julian was panting heavily, swinging with everything he had, looking like a man trying to punch a ghost. "Stand still!" Julian roared, frustration bleeding into his voice.
"You are too angry," Elias murmured, his voice appearing right next to Julian’s ear. "Anger makes you rigid. Rigidity makes you break."
Julian let out an incoherent yell and threw a massive, telegraphing right cross. He had committed his entire body weight to the strike.
This time, Elias didn't just evade. He engaged.