Seasoned hoonter here who embarrassingly needs a little advice. How do I deal with the executioners in the early game?

I can deal with them mid to late game no problem, but early game makes me pull my hair out. They are armored and require multiple attacks to break their guard. The damage they deal is crazy and the range of their attacks is insane. Finally, I try to parry them but I can't figure out the window to do so. I almost always fail.

Any advice for fighting them in the early game?