MAEVE POV

I sense numerous eyes fixed upon me, spectators surrounding us from the rooftops of nearby buildings, forming a makeshift battle arena. They’re all SpeedGear users, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less. All I want is to unleash hell upon the person standing right in front of me.

She remains standing there, unmoving, her smile widening as if daring me to make the first move. She will regret mocking me like this!

I dashed straight into her melee range, catching her by surprise. She quirked her eyes, astonished that I would initiate close-range combat with her. I will show her. No tricks, no fancy movements. I will overpower her with my agility right here, right now.

As her jab hurtled toward me like a cannonball, I swiftly shifted my head to evade it, simultaneously rearing my fist for a counterattack. She pulled back quickly, anticipating my move, but too bad it was merely a feint.

Rotating my entire body, I unleashed a spinning heel kick aimed directly at her liver. She saw it coming and swiftly lowered her elbow to block the strike. Seizing the opportunity, the moment my foot contacted her elbow, I twisted my body once more, launching into another overhead kick with my other leg.

CRACK!

I landed a solid blow to her head, causing her to stagger slightly, but to my astonishment, she remained standing, seemingly unfazed. I put my all into a whip-like kick aimed at her temple, yet all it elicited was a mere step back from her. What a monster.

With no time to lose, as soon as I landed, I swiftly pursued her, planting my feet between hers and initiating a series of Wing Chun kata, determined to keep up the pressure.

The days of rigorous training hitting wooden dummy targets flooded back to me as I unleashed a barrage of chain punches aimed at her face and neck. Drawing upon my training, I focused on maintaining momentum, using Pak Da (Slapping hand and punch) techniques to control her arms and keep her off balance.

Despite my best efforts, I only managed to land six strikes before she shrugged them off with ease and spun around for a backhand strike. Ordinarily, I would have continued to utilize my footwork and redirected her attack with Bong Sau (Wing Arm block), but the speed at which she swung caught me off guard—it was much faster than I anticipated.

Lacking confidence in my ability to parry without compromising my posture, I opted to jump back instead, quickly readjusting my stance for another assault. She should be shaken now, I will capitalize on her next move and go back in.

However, instead of launching another attack, she simply stood there, smiling at me.

“Ouch. Kitty got claws. Quite sharp too.”

She casually cricked her neck and wiped away her nosebleed, displaying a relaxed demeanor as if the damage I inflicted upon her didn’t faze her in the slightest. Even my elbow strikes to her arm joints seemed to have little effect. Does she not feel pain? What sort of muscle does this thing have?

Bouncing lightly in place, she relaxed her arms and hands before assuming a boxing stance, a grin spreading across her face as she locked eyes with me. “Let’s crank it up a notch shall we?”

Observing her well-guarded chin, the likelihood of catching her off guard with a surprise attack seemed slim. I straightened my stance and relaxed my fists, letting them rest as palms. My ability to read her intentions in this fast-paced close-quarter combat scenario was not yet up to scratch. Therefore, I resigned myself to relying on instinct and committing each of her moves to memory, one by one.

Here she comes.

She advanced confidently into my area, like a castle wall closing in. I don't need to read your intent to know you're trying to back me into the corner of the roof. If that's the case, I'll perform a pivot to maneuver around you once I'm cornered, turning the tables.

Rather than directly engaging her, I decided to lull her into a false sense of security. I’d occasionally try to dodge her hooks and strikes with more room than needed. Then, in a swift pivot, I’d activate my SpeedGear, instantly appearing behind her, catching her off guard.

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However, it’s easier said than done.

Each hook she threw felt like a potential knockout blow, capable of doubling me over if it connected. Even her jabs, though dodged properly, left behind a trail of thin blood as they sliced through my cheek. The sheer pressure she emanated made it increasingly difficult to maintain my footwork.

It’s like trying to fight a moving tank.

As the jabs kept coming, my arms began to numb from the relentless barrage. Despite my best efforts at redirection, I could feel the bruises spreading, turning my arms a deep shade of purple. Yet, in the end, my patience paid off.

Three more moves and I will begin my counter.

Dodging the final move with as little room as possible, I spun to her left. A swift parry to her body shot, followed by a deft sway to evade her jab and a solid block to her cross. Then, baiting with a momentary stagger, I set myself up to counter her straight with a strike to her liver, simultaneously switching places with her.

That is what should have happened, but in a split second, her whole intent shifted and she rushed even closer to me and began a series of short rapid punches. A Bōgutsuki Karate!?

I have been had! She had lulled me into familiarity with her boxing tempo, only to abruptly change pace with a frontal rush. Panic began to settle in as I edged closer to the end of the roof. Seizing the opportunity, she exploited my brief hesitation and delivered a punishing sidekick to my ribs.

I suppressed a scream as my body was forcefully bent and thrown to the side. My THORN worked overtime to mitigate some of the damage from the impact. As a straight came at my solar plexus, I lowered my body in a last-ditch effort, redirecting it to hit my sternum instead. The pain nearly caused me to black out momentarily before instinct kicked in, and I crouched down to dodge a front kick.

Summoning all my willpower, I countered by gripping the ground with both hands, twisting my hips, and delivering a spinning bird kick in retaliation. She jumped back, and whistled as I stood back up, ready to take a stance. However, the lingering pain that my THORN couldn’t filter out soon caught up to me.

I had to bite my tongue to stay awake from the searing pain, thankful that it was a fist that struck me. If it had been a palm strike, I would have surely been down for the count.

“Almost had me at the last second there, Kitty.”

Tch, don’t bullshit me. She knew I would try to do a turn-around the moment she came up with boxing. I paid the price for letting my guard down. Self-reflection could wait; for now, I needed to recenter my focus and shut off the constant throbbing pain from my mind. It wouldn’t happen again.

“As a thanks, let me show you what a real caged fight with SpeedGear looks like.”

She took on a boxing stance once again. Did she think I’m that gullible!?

Stop looking down on me!

Rushing forward in a dash, I readied my fist for a straight punch. Yet, before I could even contemplate landing the blow, she vanished from my line of sight.

How did she-?

Spotting her in my peripheral vision, I realized her straight punch was already mere inches away from connecting with my face.

Twisting my body with all my might, I swayed so forcefully that I could feel my spine creaking from the stress. Barely evading the punch, I found myself confronted with an incoming kick. However, I noticed she had already executed a spin before kicking. Acting on instinct, I panicked and raised both arms to block, the only thing saving me from having my guard broken and being knocked out.

Flung away to the opposite end of the rooftop, I barely had a moment to catch my breath before she was upon me again, readying a front kick. Leaning backward from a crouched position, I narrowly avoided the strike, feeling the pain train pass through unimpeded. However, there was no time to rest, as an axe kick was already descending from above.

Slapping my hand to the ground, I rolled away just in time to evade the stomp that would have flattened me outright. With my face already turning red from holding my breath, I took a gamble and transitioned my roll into a reverse sweeping kick.

My kick met only air, and then a searing pain exploded in my stomach as she soccer-kicked me into another rooftop. My rag-dolled body bounced twice on the floor before coming to a stop, lying there on my chest.

A simple act of breathing had become a piercing pain as I struggled to stand back up.

My limbs refused to obey me, and my insides felt like they were being rearranged against my will. With what little strength I could muster, I managed to lift my head just a smidgen.

There she stood, across the roof, slowly approaching me. The strength she exuded, the aura she emanated, made my teeth chatter as her intimidating visage loomed over me once more. The arms I had used to block her spinning kick refused to move, let alone support me. My THORN could barely work on my limbs as it focused on mending my core full-time. It was a miracle in itself that I hadn’t fainted from the pain.

She was strong, so much so that I couldn’t discern her limit. The agility I boasted about in the beginning was dwarfed by the explosive momentum she displayed during our last few exchanges. Her utilization of her Gear in combat resembled how Qinn used his.

I see. How foolish of me. I was never on her level, to begin with. Let alone cage fighting, I could barely complete my forms. They are imperfect at best. And yet here she is, seamlessly integrating her martial arts with her Gear as if they are a part of her.

She is much stronger than I am. Tears welled up in my eyes as the image that struck at the heart of my insecurity became clearer and clearer. Qinn and this stupid hussy are moving farther and farther away from me, hand in hand, leaving me behind.

For a moment, everything became dim as I stood still and watched them go. A thought wriggled through my mind. It would be so much easier to just drop down to my knees and give up.

A part of me wanted to muster whatever strength I had left to roll onto my back and expose my stomach, pleading with her not to hurt me anymore. But another part of me stood defiantly against the odds, as it spotted something I never thought possible on her neck.

Is that…..blood?