Arcturios' for a very slight moment, tensed his arm. He did not expect his foe to be capable of movement at such speeds; it was his own fault for not properly evaluating the situation. However, it did not take long for the Worldwalker to regain his composure and surety of mind. Distance was his ally in this fight, alongside degrees of attack and defence. Balance was effective at range normally, but would be able to gut an opponent who was close up should the polearm be retracted to his body as it was now.

'[i]And then, without a second thought, he spun incredibly fast on his heel, retracting Balance to his body, creating a deadly circle of cold steel around him[/i]'

He let his now-entraped arm fall loose, allowing him a small degree of movement between the ensnared limb and himself. He twisted with Ryu, turning with his hips instead of his shoulders, dragging Balance towards the belly of his opponent before he could fabricate any further deadly situations. This would, at least in Arcturios' head, force Ryu to release and evade the swipe or risk being gutted by the wicked weapon. Though whether his attacker had more tricks up his sleeve was another question entirely. Should he release his arm, Arcturios would bound backwards and fall into a defensive stance once more, watching, waiting, evaluating silently.