Chapter 46: Head On
Jia’s gaze sharpened at his casual challenge, and her fists instinctively tightened.
"You are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," she said, and her tone was laced with both irritation and intrigue.
"Let us go with brave," he replied with a smirk, and he rose to his feet and stretched his arms. "You have been itching to show me what you are made of, right? Think of it as... constructive bonding."
Yenna blinked, and her earlier confidence dimmed slightly as she realized what was about to happen.
"Wait, are you serious? You just helped me. I do not think you should go picking fights right now. Maybe you should rest a little."
"Heh, no need. This is simply a spar. No need to worry."
He walked toward Jia, stretching his fingers with a smile on his face, but his eyes had a different vibe to them.
Jia’s smirk mirrored his, though hers held a sharpness that could cut steel.
"I really hate that tone of yours. You are too disrespectful. Let us see if you can back that up without that disgusting power from earlier."
Her daggers spun in her hand with confidence.
"This is a terrible idea," Yenna muttered, and she clutched her hands tightly.
They stopped a few paces from each other, and both were not saying a word. Vell’s eye shifted to her daggers. They looked powerful, so he needed to be careful of those.
’Now how should I approach this? My cores are sealed, but I can still temporarily use the one in the air, but my control will be rough. How annoying.’
Sensing that he was distracted, she took the opening and attacked with a crescent kick, which he blocked at the last second. He tried to put some distance between them, but she closed it fast and hit him with a kick to the chest, sending him flying across the room.
’Phew, let us get started then, shall we.’
He absorbed some mana, spun in the air, and landed on the wall, using it to launch himself at Jia. He knew facing her head-on was not going to work. He needed a plan, one that would lead him to victory.
"That is so boring. I am going to try something different for once, HEAD ON FIGHT!"
"THAT IS THE SPIRIT, HUMAN, COME AT ME!"
She launched at him, and they clashed, with Vell being the one to get knocked away. He wiped the blood off his nose with the back of his hand. His grin, crooked and bloody, did not waver, though a flicker of genuine admiration danced in his eyes.
"Not bad. You really do not hold back, do you?"
She did not reply. She dashed at him again, and her daggers flashed as she aimed for his chest. He barely moved in time, and he ducked under her swing. She followed up with a sharp kick to his side, and he stumbled back, coughing.
"Tsk tsk, this is getting boring, human. Is this all you amount to?" she said, smirking. "You are going to have to try way harder."
"You talk too much," he said, and he spat blood on the ground. He then swayed his body, and he limped from side to side before disappearing from sight. Jia put up her guard, but this attack was not something she could block. She found herself in the air, flying with her chest in pain.
’What the-’
She crashed into the wall, and she let out a loud cry as her body dropped to the ground.
"Hehehe, you sure are full of surprises. Yeah, it should be at least like this for me to have fun."
Her hair began to float, and her aura became visible, a striking red energy that looked like it could burn the whole room down.
’I think she is getting a little too excited. Then shall I experiment more.’
He hit a stance he had never used before. His hands were open as if they were claws, and his tongue was sticking out like a snake. He continued to gather mana, more and more, until the ground could barely hold him.
"Heh, you sure that is enough? Because from where I am standing-"
She lunged at him so fast that it appeared as though she had vanished. She appeared in front of him, her punch charged up and ready to strike, but Vell got in closer, and he used a claw-type strike to her head, which messed up her attack.
She fell to her feet, surprised at the sudden shift in his technique. Her expression hardened, and her daggers spun faster in her hands as she adjusted her stance. She leaped, but this was her mistake, as Vell smiled.
His energy signature shifted, and the ground beneath him cracked as he planted his feet. He pulled in mana, but instead of focusing it for an attack, he released it in a quick, sharp burst. The energy ricocheted off the walls, and it caused Jia to pause mid-strike and adjust her stance to stabilize.
Taking advantage of this split moment, he shot forward, not to attack, but to reach out and pinch her nose. Hard.
Jia froze, and her aura flickered as confusion took over her expression.
"What-"
"Boop," he said casually, and he grinned through the blood on his face.
For a moment, there was only stunned silence as Jia processed the absurdity of what had just happened. Then her aura dissipated completely, and her daggers lowered to her sides.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, half-laughing, half-incredulous.
"Strategy," he replied, and he collapsed onto the floor with a groan. "And a deep respect for my own survival instincts. You are terrifying, by the way."
She stared at him for a moment, and her lips twitched despite herself. She sheathed her daggers with an exaggerated flourish and crossed her arms.
"You are lucky you are so pathetic that it is funny."
"Thank you for the compliment," he mumbled, and his eyes were closed as he tried to catch his breath.
Yenna, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
"I thought he was going to die," she muttered. "Then he pulls that."
Jia sat down, and she leaned against the wall while still looking at Vell, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
’What a really strange human.’
She thought this with a small smile on her face, which Yenna noticed.
"..."