Elsie’s eyes could barely follow what happened next. Oh, she could replay the video recording, one that she remembered to activate just a bit too late to catch the start of the spar, but even so, she was doubtful that she caught everything that happened. From what she pieced out later, Sifu Lao’s punch managed to bypass Yuriko’s block, but as soon as his fist slipped past the girl’s wrist, she retracted her extended hand faster than Sifu Lao could extend it.
Half folded, she twisted her torso to the right and used the force to deflect the punch with her forearm. This time, the block connected properly. But redirecting momentum and using it for both offence and defence was one of the cornerstones of the Armoured Arts. Sifu rolled with the deflection and rotated his body in midair. It looked as if he was weightless and the surprise showed on Yuriko’s face.
Sifu Lao tucked in his legs and his other arm, accelerating his rotation. Halfway into his twirl, he extended his leg into a brutal axe kick aimed at Yuriko’s head, But the girl barely reacted. The same hand that deflected the punch moved to block the kick. But once again, the force of the block was harnessed and used to launch his body up three storeys. He spun around and around, gathering even more momentum, and at the apex of his leap, he turned his body and transitioned into a spiralling dive.
Elsie saw little flaps of metal rising from his arms and legs, which manipulated the airflow expertly and completely harnessed all of his momentum. He rocketed downwards, a spiral shockwave preceded his body as he sought to strike at the same target. Yuriko used the same hand to catch the falling fist, but this time, instead of trying to slip past the defence, Sifu Lao used the contact point as a fulcrum. He contorted his body and aimed a kick to the back of Yuriko’s head.
The girl tilted her head just barely enough for the armoured boot to swish less than an inch from her ear. The captured fist vibrated then flexed, breaking the grip, though Elsie had the feeling that she had not been trying to keep a hold of him in the first place. The explosive opening of his fingers gave him a bit of distance, just enough to use his acrobatic prowess to launch a simultaneous punch and kick, one aimed at her neck, and the other at her side.
Yuriko bent her waist to avoid the punch, then used the elbow of her left arm, the same limb that she used to deflect both attacks, to kick. She pushed the attack away, but that only fed on his growing momentum, and he rotated to strike from the opposite side.
Yuriko straightened up and used the same hand to block the chop.
This time, she didn’t push back and simply absorbed the kinetic force. Her aura rippled from the impact point towards the ground where it was easily transferred. However, that had not been enough to negate all of the built-up momentum. The strike itself did not deliver all of its force. A bit of it was used to rebound Sifu’s body, and this time, he chose to retreat.
Two seconds had passed according to Elsie’s internal clock. She swallowed roughly, her mouth suddenly dry. Yuriko had not even moved her feet. Sifu Lao settled into a neutral stance five paces away.
“I am overwhelmed,” he said softly and Yuriko nodded.
“I will match your physical might.”
“My thanks.”
The next moment, the two of them moved at the same instant. Sifu Lao performed the same punch, while Yuriko’s movements were as graceful as a waltz. She deflected his blow, not quite as forcefully as before, pressed forward while Sifu Lao harnessed the counterforce, and struck with her right hand.
Sifu’s rebuffed attack did not lead to a counterstrike but to an evasion. The harnessed momentum gave him enough leeway to position himself to catch and reflect Yuriko's punch. Left palm met fist, elbow and shoulder locked. The momentum gained and was channelled into a right hook. Yuriko’s left hand caught the attack and this time she closed her fingers over his hand, trapping him in place. But the Armoured Arts was not so simple.
Sifu shifted into the second stance, and the caught fist became an anchor point to strike. He stomped down at her torso, channelling as much momentum as he could. Elsie knew that when he was in the air, some quirk of his Mystic Arts allowed him to become practically weightless. She had no idea how it worked, but even a child would have been able to bear his weight should he Will it.
The second stance reversed that reality and his weight returned threefold at the moment he struck, amplifying his attack speed and the damage in the process. Both of Yuriko’s hands were occupied and she had no limbs to block the attack.
The boot hit her chest, but her bosom did not deform under his blow. Instead, ripples of force spread from the impact point and the cement under her feet cracked. Dust and sediment created a small puff, and Sifu used her torso as a springboard to propel himself away. He landed on his feet a dozen paces away and looked warily at the girl.
Other than a restrained snort, Yuriko hadn’t moved. Instead, there was a small grin on her face, which both transformed and enhanced Elsie’s impression of her.
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Cold and aloof, turned into naughty and excited.
“That blow would have penetrated through my condensed aura if we were at the same Anima strength,” Yuriko said, more than a hint of surprise and delight in her voice, “I am humbled and impressed.”
“I am unworthy of your praise, Lady Davar,” Sifu Lao said, though there was unmistakable pride in his stance. “I cannot reach the heights you’ve taken, hence the comparison is moot.”
“You are constrained,” Yuriko said sadly, “I do not have the power to remove it. But…perhaps if you reach Actualisation…”
“Actualisation…” Sifu Lao murmured, before shaking his head, “Forgive me, but you are not enlightened with unarmed fighting styles.”
“Hmmm, not so much,” Yuriko grinned, “and your style is interesting. I am enlightened with the sword, but the foundation of martial conflict is the same. I will endeavour to show you.”
“Please.”
Yuriko nodded, then finally took a stance. She took a step forward and twisted her body sideways. Her right foot was ahead, and she raised her right arm in front. Her left rested near her waist. She raised her right hand until it lay just under her eyes, closed it into a fist. Then, slowly, she extended her index and middle finger.
The very act made the air around her shiver, and it was as if those two fingers were sharp enough to cut steel. Elsie could feel it as if her eyes were about to be stabbed, and she nearly wet herself.
“Come.”
Sifu Lao roared and lunged, fist cocked back. He launched his blow as soon as he came within range, but before he could reach, Yuriko’s sword-fingers struck.
Ptang!
Sifu’s fist was flung away, but he harnessed the momentum of the strike and chained it into a kick. Yuriko’s sword fingers moved.
Ptang!
The kick was deflected, but he still harnessed the strike. However, Elsie could see his countenance stiffen. She estimated the optimal rotational direction he should have taken, but he couldn’t. It was off by a couple of degrees, and that slowed down his counterstrike. Before he could get his limbs into play, Yuriko’s sword fingers moved.
Swish!
The fingertips jabbed into Sifu’s centre of mass, and he was flung back. She didn’t move afterwards, but the large metal man flipped over and over before he landed smoothly on his feet. Sweat soaked his brow.
“You may use any weapon you wish,” Yuriko said calmly and Sifu Lao nodded. He reached into the small of his back and retrieved a large combat knife, the blade was twenty inches long and he held it in a reverse grip with his dominant right arm.
“Be careful,” he said and he crouched down and launched himself like a runner. He soared into the air and spun his entire body like a bullet leaving a rifled barrel. Elsie didn’t know how he could possibly control his trajectory, but he did. His attack didn’t go in a straight line but moved around almost erratically. He even went around Yuriko’s position and curved around behind, only for her to easily turn to face him. His attack actually came from above, but Yuriko’s sword fingers moved.
Ptang!
And deflected the knife and Sifu Lao away. The man bounced off the ground and returned with a vengeance.
Ptang! Ptang! Ptang!
Nearly countless strikes were exchanged over the course of ten seconds. Yuriko had not moved from her position, shifting around only to meet Sifu Lao’s attacks head-on. None of the cutting, thrusting, or chopping attacks made it through the woman’s iron defence, and Elsei could swear that those sword fingers met the knife edge directly and were not cut. There was no sign of shockwave ripples either, and she guessed it meant that none of Sifu’s attacks actually landed.
Then Yuriko stopped merely defending. Her eyes had drifted close but the grin had not left her face. She took a step forward and thrust with her right arm. Sifu deflected the sword fingers, but as soon as his knife touched hers, it was knocked aside.
Elsie’s eyes widened as that simple attack struck Sifu’s shoulder. He flinched, even if the point she struck was his ‘chronian gear. Elsie knew that with his Mystic Arts, he could feel through the metal as if it were his flesh. It had its perks but also the disadvantage of feeling pain where it should not have been possible.
He tried to retreat, and probably to utilise the momentum imparted with the blow, Yuriko followed his retreat, pressing her fingertips against the alloy. He tried to strike her with his blade, but she used her elbow and upper arm, as well as her shoulder to control the angle of his attack, causing it to miss entirely.
He tried to punch at her with his other hand, but his attack came from across his blade-wielding limb, and she simply used the contact point to shift his balance and made him miss. Finally, he kicked at her knees, and she raised her leg to block, making him hit her shin instead. But that had been his goal as his other kick struck at her standing leg. He was in midair at the moment, but fighting in such conditions was Sifu’s Armoured Arts’ speciality.
The hit caused the girl to pull back when her aura rippled from the blow. She smoothly flowed back to her original position, smiling all the while.
“You have another stance?” Yuriko asked.
“I do,” Sifu Lao answered, “but I’m afraid it is not for sparring.”
“I see.” Yuriko nodded. “Are you satisfied?”
“I am.”
“Then please show me your third stance.”
“I…”
“Not in this spar,” Yuriko said, “but against a foe you wish to kill.”
“I have no such enemies.”
“The Scourge?”
“I…yes, I use it to fight the Scourge.” Sifu shook his head, “But Scoruge do not come out to answer our calls. Not without expensive lures.”
“Hmmm, but I think I sense them a few blocks away. One of them anyway. It is moving slowly.”
“You can sense Scourge?” Elsie gasped.
“I can, in a roundabout way,” Yuriko admitted.
“Sifu?”
Tiger Lao nodded, “I will show you, Lady Davar.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them walked off, with Elsie trailing behind. She half thought to retrieve her motorcycle from where she parked it, but it would be rude to ride while one of the others had to walk. In the end, they crossed several blocks, with most of the apartments condemned and abandoned. The streets and alleys were piled high with rubbish, though most of them came from above, in the spaces that were still livable and secure. When they crossed the third block, Sifu’s current students came running around the corner. All of them but the littlest girl, Matsumi.
“She’s fighting the Scourge!” The eldest said, and Elsie’s guts grew cold.