War Crushes All

Decision made, Momo walks out onto the arena. "Please don't be too mean to me. I'm not as strong as Cifer is, but I am confident in my ability to win." Several of the guys forgot all about Cifer as they stared in awe at Momo's gorgeous beauty. The Intermediate Broken Originations almost fought each other for the right to spar with such a peerless woman who even made Sana look ordinary in comparison.

One of the Inner Disciples smiled winningly at Momo. "If you don't manage to pass the test for entrance you can always marry into the Sect. For a woman like you, I don't doubt you could have your pick of almost any suitor."

"Thank you for the information, but I will pass or fail on my own merits." Momo answered stiffly. "I will not seek to marry above my status in such a shameless manner." She could feel the heat on her face from both embarrassment and fury at his shameless manner. "Besides, who do you think Cifer's main sparring partner has always been?"

That shut them all up. Sana spoke up with curiosity. "Are you saying you can give him a decent fight?"

"I have slowed my Cultivation in order to focus on progressing a unique Power technique that my father found by chance. It places immense strain on the body and has to be started extremely early. Out of all our Clansmen who tried it I'm the only one who wasn't crippled, and that because I have a modestly strong Bloodline to rely on." Momo explains as a way for people to believe her strength was not reproducible easily and to prevent people from prying deeply into her secrets. "I always end up losing, but I can fight him if I have to."

Hearing this, almost everyone felt like she was full of it. Most likely Cifer was holding back while sparring with such a beautiful woman. Most men certainly would, which is why a woman went up to be her partner for the exam.

Mizuki was the weaker of the present Intermediate Broken Originations, but she didn't trust the next up to actually do his job. She was still above the average for her Stage in the whole Skull Sect, but with a sample size of the only two after Kaito was taken off to get healed Mizuki was left looking weak comparatively.

What happened when Mizuki and Momo fought under the condition of Momo using her War form was a pure and simple case of the strong bullying the weak. Mizuki was rendered unconscious from the first blow alone.

"Sorry... I think I overdid it." Momo apologizes sincerely. She'd anticipated Kaito being an example of the average from the Skull Sect, but now Momo was left to wonder if Mizuki was on par with her Tyranny form.

Rin was livid. She though Momo was being sarcastic and cruel and wasn't about to let go of the matter. Mizuki was a good friend of hers, and Rin felt like Momo didn't even stop to consider how she was mistreating the other girl. "You can't even be bothered to try to let her save a little face can you? Even if you are strong enough to take her out like that, do you really think nobody will take you to task for bullying her so ruthlessly? I'll teach you some manners bitch."

Rin leapt into the arena with a towering rage as her War Essence throbbed in the air. A Manifestation of a Battleax appeared in her hands as Rin charged at Momo with a wild and reckless abandon. An absurd amount of Essence was gathered into her Manifestation as she swung it down with both hands in an attempt to split Momo's head wide open.

Momo panicked, retreating from the intimidating attack as the Battleax chopped full length into the stone floor of the arena. Seeing an opportunity as Rin recalled her Manifestation, Momo punched with stunning speed.

When Rin stood back up and wiped the blood from her mouth she found that she had been launched clear out of bounds. "The hell? Isn't she just an Intermediate Stage?" Rin could see the strongest of the Transformation Stages present going up to fight Momo.

"Itsuki! Be careful! She's way too strong for some reason." Rin called to him. Itsuki was similarly ranked among Transformation Stage as she was in Advanced Stage, so things should be remarkably different as long as Itsuki didn't let his guard down.

Momo smiled at him as he came up. She'd decided to use her War form expressly to make this fight possible after all. Lacking a Manifestation she could show people herself using as a weapon, and lacking unarmed Techniques, Momo would have struggled with Rin before winning.

If Rin could give her a close fight, than nobody would believe her beating Itsuki. Now she just had to drag this long enough before winning and people still wouldn't question it as too easy and this would all be over.

Itsuki stopped in front of Momo. "I'd rather not hurt a beautiful flower like you, but if you insist on fighting I will make you more miserable than Mizuki and Rin. Surrender."

Momo shook her head. "I refuse." She was not ready for the sneak attack Itsuki launched instantly. It barely pushed her back a few steps as the pain was covered up by shock.

Almost everyone objected to the unsporting move on a girl two Stages lower, most failing to realize that Itsuki had used a Technique when he hit. "What on earth is your body made of?" He asked softly, ignoring the crowd.

"Well trained flesh and blood." Momo answered, throwing a ordinary punch at him. Itsuki met the attack with a stronger Technique in his arsenal. Blade of War, which concentrated Essence around the finger like a sword and boasted immense sharpness and overwhelming strength.

In her War form, Momo possessed the physical attributes of a Initial Bottom Origination, surpassing Itsuki by a Stage and a Tier. This meant that in terms of strength, toughness and speed she was so far beyond him that her ordinary attacks seemed like Techniques and if she had a Technique it would be simply unstoppable. But Blade of War deserved it's reputation, and was able to overcome that difference for a single blow.

Momo's fist was bleeding from the cut along her hand after the attacks met. Itsuki had paid the higher price as Momo's attack broke his finger. In the moment after that attack, Momo had punched with her other hand, and succeeded in crashing her fist into Itsuki's side.

Face pale, Itsuki felt his ribs threaten to break from the attack as his inside violently absorb the force of Momo's attack. He attempted to gain distance with his Fleeting Steps movement Technique, but Momo kept pace with her new Bull's Rush Technique. She hit him again in the ribs.

Itsuki was truly miserable. Momo's Manifestation was on the same level as his, yet he couldn't stand up to a couple hits from her when she was below him by 2 Stages! It was one thing if the Azure Manifestation Cifer beat him, but if he lost to Momo he would never live it down.

Yet no matter what he did, Itsuki would end up getting hit in the ribs as his body started to shut down from the beating. Unconsciousness was far from him, Momo refused to throw him from the arena, and surrender was not an option. So Itsuki had no other choice than to be a punching bag for Momo until the older woman decided he'd done enough.

Eventually Momo did conclude she'd made this believable enough and gave Itsuki a merciful ring out. Stepping down, Momo wondered why everyone was looking at her so strangely. It was like they thought she was a demon or something!