Alus had made the mud adhere to the sword in order to delay the release of its ability by a fraction of a second-quicker than a flash of light.
All of this was premeditated in order to ensure that Toroa grabbed a different sword.
"Wicked Sword-"
As he scorched Alus with the Burning Blade's heat wave, his other arm held Wicked Sword Selfesk.
The maneuver to effectively utilize the wedges was simultaneous assembly. The wedges that had been fired into the stone crag to provide Alus with footing peppered the Star Runner from all directions.
The metallic shards became embedded in Alus's spread wings, and the magnetism dragged him in along with them. This was how Toroa was trying to close the distance.
Toroa couldn't stop his forward momentum. If he stopped his
legs now, they would never move again.
"You're...different. You're not Toroa the Awful."
"No, I'm still Toroa the Awful!"
Alus had deployed the mud blades and Ground Runner's flames.
He lost a finger and an eye as he persisted. With his body wreathed in flames, he pushed forward. His prioritization of autonomous magic items was proof that he didn't have any reprieve to aim his musket.
If Alus was prepared to take any attack thrown at him, Toroa had to be ready for the very same. If he took a moment to defend himself, his legs would stop entirely.