A fist shot towards me, and I dodged just in time, feeling the rush of air as it narrowly missed my face. Before I could catch my breath, another punch came at me with blinding speed. I ducked, the force of her swing passing harmlessly overhead. Seizing the moment, I reached out to grab her arm, but she swiftly retracted it, evading my grasp.
She then lunged, trying to grab my head and smash my skull against her knee, but I managed to evade her by stepping back just in time.
She charged at me with relentless speed, closing the distance in an instant. Gathering my wits, I swiftly countered with a sweeping kick aimed at her side, intending to catch her off guard. But she reacted with lightning reflexes, blocking my kick with her forearms, the impact reverberating through the air.
Not wasting a moment, I spun around, launching another kick towards her head. She anticipated my move, deflecting the blow once more with her arm. In a swift maneuver, she seized my extended leg, attempting to hurl me off balance. Digging my heels into the ground, I anchored myself firmly, refusing to be lifted.
With determination, I twisted my body, entwining both legs around her arm. Using my weight and momentum, I spun low to the ground, aiming to unbalance her and send her crashing down. Yet, she countered my effort with unwavering stability, standing firm against my maneuver.
I quickly disengaged, stepping away and resetting myself in a fighting stance. She cracked her neck with a sharp tilt, then mirrored my stance, her eyes locked onto mine with fierce determination.
We charged at each other again, our feet kicking up clouds of dust. As we closed the gap, we unleashed a relentless barrage of punches. Some were blocked, others dodged, and a few landed squarely on our faces, each hit stinging with raw intensity. But we didn't stop. Instead, our punches came faster and harder.
The sheer force of our impacts pushed us back, our feet skidding against the ground as we struggled to maintain our footing. Yet, neither of us relented, driven by an unyielding resolve to outlast the other.
However, her punches were more powerful than mine, and I realized that continuing this barrage would only end in defeat for me. Desperate, I focused all my mana into one hand, concentrating it until it became a potent force. I aimed a strike at her, hoping to turn the tide of the fight.
Unfortunately, she anticipated my move. She caught my arm, her grip like iron, and held me firmly in place. Before I could react, she swung her fist at me with incredible force. The impact was so intense, it felt like my neck was on the verge of snapping.
I managed to break free from her grip, stumbling back a few steps. Something felt wrong inside my mouth. Rolling my tongue around, I found something hard. Spitting it out, I saw a mix of blood and my tooth hit the ground. I glanced at the tooth for a moment before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, smearing blood across my knuckles.
"You certainly hit me pretty good," I said, my voice gritty.
"You're not bad yourself," she replied, a smirk playing on her lips. "You've landed some solid punches too."
"Not as good as yours," I admitted, my body aching from the exchange.
The woman countered my onslaught with remarkable poise, using her arms to shield her face from the barrage. My attempt to break through her defenses with an uppercut was met with swift adjustment, as she deftly shifted her arm to block it. With each passing moment, my confidence waned, yet I refused to back down.
Despite the mounting odds, I pushed myself to the brink, unleashing a relentless storm of punches upon her.
"Ugh, this shit's getting boring. Let's cut this crap," she muttered.
The moment I heard that, my vision suddenly shifted, and I found myself gazing at the night sky. It felt like I was floating, weightless and untethered. No, it wasn't just a feeling—it was real. I was literally off the ground. What had just happened in that blink of an eye, or even faster than that, was an idea I could not comprehend.
Then, my body crashed violently to the ground, and a sharp pain shot through me as if my bones were being crushed under a heavy weight.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaah!"
What had she just done to me? I couldn't comprehend it. The attack was executed with lightning speed, leaving me no time to react or even see it coming.
"It's way too easy. And here I thought you would put up more of a fight, being the skilled martial artist you are. You're a disgrace to martial artists," she taunted. "No martial artist would lose composure like you, or make rookie mistakes like that."
She approached me with a predatory calm, her grip on my chin firm and unyielding as she stared into my eyes.
"I had hoped for more fight from you. What a disappointment," she uttered coldly. "Oh well. Time to die."
I shut my eyes.
***
It was dark. I felt weightless, as if I were flying. Was this the sensation of dying? Or was I ascending to the place where the dead rest?
I slowly opened my eyes and saw the night sky above me, moving. No, it was me who was being moved. Someone was carrying me. That someone... resembled the dashing prince I had always hoped would sweep me off my feet.