Chapter 254 Beatdown

"Senior Sister, please! You shouldn't have to do this," the Shay-Hade appealed anxiously. Marie noticed that his accent was a bit similar to that of the man from the Jehakan Confederacy that fleeced her out of those silver coins for a measly doll. Though his appearance did not match the turban-garbed man. Shay-Hade was tall for a seventeen-year-old, he was towering over Mage Maddi by at least two heads. He had a bulky build, his ebony skin accentuating the bulging musculature as the sunlight reflected off of it at the correct angles. His ankle-length hair, which was showing silver shades at its roots, was tied into dreadlocks that formed a tight bun on his head before cascading to his upper back.

"This spar happens to be called in my name," Mage Maddi pointed out. "Why must others represent my interests when I am capable of doing it myself."

"That's not it!" Shay-Hade quickly waved his hands in denial. "This is just beneath you."

"It is beneath me. Which is why I will make this quick," Mage Maddi noted offhandedly.

"Aren't we being presumptuous-"

"Shut it, Royce! What was the decided upon format for the bout?"

Mage Royce scoffed and said, "It was going to be Freestyle. But the gentleman that I am, I will offer you a mulligan."

"Aren't you a generous one," Mage Maddi scoffed back with an incisive tone. Then, her lips quirked upwards deviously. "I called for a Chained Pugilism."

The crowd gasped in unison. Evidently, this type of bout was common knowledge here, though not so for Marie.

"What's Chained Pugilism?" Marie nudged the person next to her and asked, but she did not receive a response as the person just growled and moved away.

Mage Maddi and Royce approached each other and extended their left legs forward. A third person entered the ring and got on their knees. They tied the two left legs together with a heavy chain. The moment the chain links revolved around the legs, they fastened and tightened to match the girth. The duo tried pulling their legs apart and were met with insurmountable resistance.

"The spar will follow standard Sect protocols. Victory conditions are through the admission of defeat or knockout."

A pause.

"Begin!"

The moment the fight moderator called the start of the bout, the sound of flesh colliding against flesh (though both were reinforced with mana) rang out from the field. Mage Maddi's fist struck Mage Royce's lower rib, right over where his stomach would be. She in turn received a haymaker to her left cheek. Marie flinched at the brutal upper body strike, but Mage Maddi did not even twitch.

The attacks continued. Fists connected against bodies emitting sounds akin to the booming of a leather drum. There was no flashiness, no embellishment, no outward displays of magic, just pure and unadulterated violence. The exchange went like a choreographed dance, each side's punch and infrequent open-palm strikes and swipes followed an implicit beat. And since their proximity was close due to their tethered legs, there was a limited range of movement - one had to either body the attack, dodge it with minimal movement or parry it with split-second decision-making.

Marie was completely enthralled by the heated brawl. As it grew in intensity with each passing second, she found it harder to keep track. And then it happened, an inaudible but visible groan escaped Mage Royce's lips as, for the twentieth time since the start of the fight, another jab connected with his stomach. Although Mage Maddi was the one that looked worse for the wear, while Mage Royce looked relatively untouched, she wasn't the first to break.

"Mage Maddi knows the location of one of Mage Royce's Standard 12 Meridians," the man next to Marie exclaimed.

"What is that exactly?" Marie probed. The man tried to repeat his growl and retreat tactic, but Marie inched closer to him and repeated her question.

It didn't take long for the man to acquiesce. "To advance into the Foundation Establishment Realm, we need to form and connect the Standard 12 Meridians that are positioned at key points of the human body. The locations of these points are determined by the state of the celestial bodies at the exact time and date of one's birth AND other factors. Each individual's Standard 12 is located at different configurations."

"What is its significance here?" Marie interjected with a hurrying gesture.

"The Meridians distribute the mana from the core around the body making it easier to release said mana at any instance at any part of the body and amplify the overall mana capacity of the body. Resultantly if one knows the location of another's Meridians, it can be possible to overload the Meridian by forcefully injecting foreign mana into it. It seems Mage Maddi is exploiting that with Mage Royce," the man expounded with a haughty raise of his nose.

With the sign of fatigue evident, Mage Maddi doubled down. The next punch that arrived towards her face connected with her elbow. Instead of the leathery sound of the carnal collision, a sharp crack resounded - Mage Royce's fist had shattered after hitting Mage Maddi's elbow. She then wrapped her left arm around his right arm while Mage Royce recoiled from the pain, and accelerated her head forward for a headbutt. Another cracking sound resonated once their skulls crashed. She then sent a stomach punch, then a headbutt, then another punch which transitioned into a vice-grip over Mage Royce's lower rib. With a sudden yank, the rib was fractured, and a pained scream gushed out of Mage Royce... who was immediately silenced with another headbutt that broke his nose. The overload of attacks finally sent him overboard and into a state of unconsciousness.

"Victory goes to Rianna Maddi," the fight moderator declared. And with those words the chains around the combatants' legs automatically disengaged.

Mage Maddi clicked her tongue derisively and spat the blood leaking from the bruises inside her mouth to the ground. As she exited the stage, she spat out "Weakling!" just loud enough for the crowd to hear.

"Senior Sister!" Shay-Hade rushed forward worriedly. He raised a thumb and flashed a fanatical smile, "That was awesome!"

"Stop getting into trouble, will you?" Mage Maddi said while scratching her head in frustration. Her eyes trailed up her junior's body with a contemplative glint.

"I-Is something wrong?" He asked sheepishly as a faint blush formed on his cheek. Marie couldn't help her lips from twitching upon seeing his child-like behaviour which conflicted with his overbearing appearance.

"Well, what do you know... The girl WAS right," Mage Maddi muttered.

"Alright, I accept," she then declared. "I am not choosing you as a backup. I do find you... attractive," Mage Maddi continued.

"It's just... I haven't courted anyone younger than me before," she added with a wry smile.

"What a coincidence," Shay-Hade exclaimed with a booming laugh. "I haven't courted anyone older than me before. Looks like we'll fit in perfectly."

Mage Maddi released a surprised squeak before joining the lad in his mirthful jubilance. The pinkish atmosphere was shattered by the clinking noise of mana crystals shaking in a sack.

"You guys don't use the Empire's currency here. Kind of forgot that the Sect isn't affiliated with any political entity. I could have made a killing otherwise," Marie grumbled.

"What is that?" Mage Maddi blurted out.

"Those idiots were betting on Mage Royce winning. Thought I'd join in on the fun," Marie said while flashing a sly grin.

"You knew this would happen?"

"Oh yeah," Marie affirmed unhesitantly. "The whole shebang! It was a bit less violent when I foresaw this, but the result is the same nonetheless."

"T-Then you cheated! We cannot take those crystals," Mage Maddi concluded righteously.

"You knew of the man's Meridian position from before," Marie pointed out. "I don't think he revealed it to you - based on my understanding no one in their right mind would do so. Thus the pertinent question remains, how did you know?"

"I-I-" just as Mage Maddi stuttered to justify herself, Marie raised her hands and said.

"You don't have to answer that question, as long as you don't ask me to return my RIGHTFUL gains," Marie emphasised.

"Senior Sister, who is this girl!" Shay-Hade barked as he stepped forward intimidatingly. "Why is she talking to you so disrespectfully."

"Woah there, lover boy," Marie raised her hands in surrender. Her eyes narrowed once again, but right at that instance Mage Maddi stepped forward and blocked her view of the youth.

"You know, hindering my line of sight won't stop me," Marie droned with her eyes wide open.

"Stop scrying, please," the woman pleaded.

"Okay, NOPE!" Marie suddenly closed her eyes and scrunched her face in discomfort. "You two are into some kinky shit. I did not need to see that."

Her eyes flared open and glazed over with the weight of PTSD bearing down on her. With a blank expression, she turned to Shay-Hade.

"Pegging? Really?" She then turned towards Mage Maddi. "You know what? It's your personal business, who am I to judge what your likes and dislikes are? Kudos to you for finding someone so compatible with yourself."

The woman and youth both flushed a bloody crimson shade in unison. The boy started to edge backwards and burst into a full sprint as he vacated the premises.

"L-Let us continue," Mage Maddi muttered before moving forward at a brisk pace.

Marie pocketed her spoils and followed the woman attempting to run away from her embarrassment. The small distraction was fun, but her destiny awaited her past the upcoming bridge, through the magical force field blocking a decadently carved and gold-inlaid entrance into the heart of the central mountain.

The Mystic Celestial Sect's Historic Archives and Celestial Records.