Immediately after closing the gap, the puppet threw another ferocious jab.
It was twice as fast as its earlier attack. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Leon hadn't anticipated it, that he was caught off guard by the sudden increase in its attack speed. But he had plenty of combat experience on his side, and this experience wasn't accumulated through spars; it was accumulated through countless virtual life and death battles so it was as rare as it was helpful.
Even in this situation, he knew what to do to come out unscathed.
Using every ounce of his strength and every bit of agility that his battered body could muster, Leon narrowly evaded the puppet's bone-shattering jab, escaping its crushing force by mere inches at the last conceivable moment.