[@Rai]

Like an elusive football player keeping up a full head of steam as he charged down the field with a ball in his hands, Auz feigned a weave to his left the moment he was in range to cross swords, before actually lunging to the right as Magnix's sword dropped. Magnix sure as hell hadn't been primed for a horizontal slash, so Auz had been expecting primarily a stab. A vertical cut was the only other practical move that could have been done from that position, and it could be handled the same way. Auz wasn't in comfortable reach of Magnix's body, but that had never been his goal. He wanted to take the king's hands. The king's sword was longer, but he had waited until Auz's head was in range before attacking. Auz's sword was shorter, but his target was much closer, thus nullifying Magnix's reach advantage when he attacked at roughly the same time.

He'd stream to the side of the swung greatsword whilst simultaneously bringing his weapon down to catch his opponent across the wrists to lop off those paws as they passed each other, intending to sever the hands whilst the king was still in the midst of his swing's momentum, as effortless as it may have been. Magnix might have been planning to draw in his sword to guard by pulling in his elbows, perhaps explaining his relatively shallow blow, but to do so properly would require him to have an idea of Auz's slashing speed, which at this point was far different to what it had been before. Magnix had only experienced Auz's enhanced footspeed and a jumping lunge, neither of which were competent indicators to the paladin's frighteningly swift swings. Dagger in hand and with his base 70's martial artist's speed, Auz could pass his weapon before the face of a common man so quickly that were there to be a reaction, it would be delayed by seconds before the realization that they were dead set in. Yes, Auz may have had less physical strength than Magnix, but he compensated with the benefit of having a faster swing and a sword over fifty times lighter, making it much easier to recover after and during an attack. Even if Magnix could redirect his swing, it would be an afterthought considering Auz's own attack had already been launched with a firmly rooted purpose.