It's to the side Firo goes, though not out of any grand strategy or prescience. It's not exactly an instinct either, but an impulse that's been trained into him by his Martillo teachers. It's human nature to want to barrel forward or stumble back, so you roll off that line, making for the corners out of range. That's what Firo does now, bouncing up almost immediately after his shoulder hits the ground.

Instead of moving away, though, he now darts back in, coming towards Algidus on the diagonal. He's already tried going low, so now he springs up high to try to grab Algidus's wrist as he shoots a knee at his side.