Wilhelm's flurry of blows get him nowhere; the man's style is not congruent with such barbarism, and James' speed knock blow after blow harmlessly into his chest rig. I've got him now, James thinks. He's losing his cool.
But then, in the next pass, James over-commits once the second's blades are pulled away, and he's stung with another surgical riposte, barely a millimeter below the last cut. James follows up with a hard circle parry, knocking Wilhelm's blade wide to the outside and sending a spec of blood across the unnamed man's jerkin before delivering his own cut to the bridge of the adept's nose, and then the second's blades are between the pair again stopping any further action.
During the break, James centers himself. Wilhelm's good off the line, his style, which relies heavily on blade contact, is hard to break through even if the man can't use the footwork he's most likely accustomed to, and his ripostes are too fast for even James' cyber eyes to keep up with.
"He's too damned fast," James says to Adelard, as the surgeon tends to his new cut
"No, no, James. You are faster. Make him pay for that, no?"
When the next pass begins, James thrusts his sword off target to the side of Wilhelm's head, but the adept parries it on target, and as James thrusts out his elbow to give more angle to the hilt of his epee, the oncoming riposte sticks against his guard, and not his face while James own cut lands just below his right eye. For the first time in the match, James has the lead.
Both combatants take a moment to read the other. James is still not used to the constant blade contact of Wilhelm's Spanish style, and allows his epee to be bound before a beautiful extension clips James just under the chin.
Halt is called again, and the judge calls out, "Vier, und vier. La belle!"
James and Wilhelm salute again, a show of respect to their opponent, and an acknowledgement that the next cut, whichever way it will go, shall define the bout. James settles his feet, and balances his core, before raising his hand, and stepping off the line. "Pardon," he says, and hands the epee to Adelard before shaking out his right hand. He grabs the epee again, this time with his left hand, and approaches the piste as a southpaw, in UCAS vernacular.
"This is better, no?" he says with a wink, and the crowd first gasps, and then applauds.
"Alle!" the judge calls, and James attempts a beat attack followed by a coup, but Wilhelm's parry holds. The left-on-right fencing creates a different set of parries and potential attacks, as now both combatants swords are on the same side, and as Wilhelm fights for blade positioning, James lashes out with another clean extension. Wilhelm parries, or tries to at least, but the attack rings true, as does Wilhelm's riposte, which catches James' forehead.
He has maybe a second before the judge and their seconds intercede again. James wonders if that's enough time for another cut, as he attempts to bind Wilhelm's blade.