Animosity

"Listen up, standard rules. No biting, no attacks aimed at the eyes, groin or throat, and also continue fighting until your opponent is no longer able to," the referee said to the two of them.

Despite being present within the cage, he wouldn't intervene until one of them wasn't moving and, unlike in an official mixed martial arts fight, he also didn't care much about the health of the fighters.

As long as they put up a show, he was satisfied, but he would also struggle to subdue one of them even if he wanted to, so if they didn't stop attacking, he wouldn't be able to do much.

That was to be expected from an illegal fight club.

And facing Nora, Achara's heart was beating rapidly.

Putting up her arms, her guard was lousy and to those that were experienced in combat, it was evident that her mind wasn't in the right place.

"You may begin!"

As soon as they were permitted to start, Nora burst over to Achara and started off with a powerful punch that Achara narrowly avoided.

But her first attack was followed up by many more, and Achara was struggling to dodge them as her arms began to be pounded by the onslaught of punches.

"What a surprise! The Unstoppable Killer, known for dominating her opponents, is being suppressed by the Iron Fist Nora's onslaught of attacks."

"Nora even appears to have broken through her guard and is currently being battered! Can she come back from this bad start to her return fight?"

The announcer wasn't wrong, and Achara truly was being overwhelmed by Nora's attacks, but it was mostly because her mind wasn't in the fight and she was hesitating too much.

She was yet to even attempt to strike back once.

"Is this really the Unstoppable Killer?!"

"She's a fraud!"

"Booooooo!"

The crowd clearly wasn't enjoying the battle and unlike the brawls that they were used to, this was much less entertaining with Achara yet to even fight back.

All until Nora, who had been striking away at her face ferociously, unintentionally pulled down her mask enough to see most of Achara's face and recognise her as the friend she had made.

"A-Achara...?" she uttered in confusion and shock.

She was thinking that it was weird for her first friend to ghost her after she told her about what happened to her brother, but now it all made sense.

Jumping back, escaping from Nora's barrage of attacks, Achara pulled back up her mask as she backed away, and was relieved that, finally, Nora knew the truth.

She couldn't bring herself to confess the truth, but at least now she knew, despite the circumstances.

"It wasn't my fault. It was an illegal fight, and he signed up for it. If you're still angry with me, I understand, and I truly am sorry..."

"Shut the fuck up, you bitch! I'll kill you!" she bellowed before Achara could even finish saying her piece.

The crowd could barely hear what they were saying, but from how wildly Nora charged toward Achara after their exchange, there appeared to be great enmity between them.

And after hearing the reason for that from the announcer, the crowd was more engaged and invested in the battle, wanting to see who would come out on top.

However, unlike before, Achara was going to fight back.

-

Of course, she felt guilty, but dwelling on the past wouldn't change anything and she finally felt ready to move on.

And with a large weight being lifted off her chest upon Nora realising the truth, she now felt ready to face her properly.

-

Dashing towards Nora, also not wanting to disappoint Xavier or herself and remembering all he had said to her, Achara clenched her fists and Nora was wary of her opponent as they closed in on each other.

Knowing how each other fought to an extent, Nora was looking out for Achara's leg and knee strikes, while Achara knew that Nora was skilled in many aspects of combat and not just punching.

And despite how angry Nora was, her precision and technique still didn't falter in the slightest and, even with Achara no longer holding back, she was struggling to keep up with Nora.

'When did she get this strong?' Achara couldn't help but ask herself, remembering that not long ago, she would be able to defeat Nora with relative ease.

She was skilled, but Achara always felt as though there was something missing from her attacks.

It wasn't technique or power, but something else.

Something that couldn't be seen.

That mighty animosity and power that Xavier spoke about that could be summoned in different forms.

In times of fear, when one would experience an adrenaline rush, they could run faster than they ever could have before, and there are even stories of mothers being able to lift cars to save their children.

That desperation, fire and desire to achieve something fuelled by strong emotions allows people to achieve borderline supernatural feats.

And in this case, Nora was filled with so much rage and desire to crush her brother's killer, that she was blind to everything else and was fighting at a level that she never would have previously been able to fight at.

'So this is what Xavier meant... She's become like me when my animosity was rampant and I would ruthlessly attack all my opponents. But she's not the only one that has more to offer.'

Thinking about all the struggles she had endured throughout her life, in poverty, during her training, and during her previous fights in the fight club, Achara's pupils dilated.

She had unknowingly entered a peak fighting state that was fuelled by both her animosity and intellect.

Unlike Nora, who was relying mostly on her instincts and natural reflexes that she had built up over her years of training, Achara was in control of herself and felt greater than ever before.

She felt as though everything around her had slowed down, and all the sounds of the cheering crowds had been blocked out by her mind.

All she focused on was her opponent, as she forgot about everything else that could distract her or cloud her judgement.

Achara's breathing slowed down, and she felt calmer than ever, and feeling her mind being still and her body light, she began dodging all of Nora's attacks with relative ease.

Using all the space in the fight cage, moving around elegantly, she almost appeared to be dancing.

And watching everything unfold, Xavier couldn't help but be impressed.

Meanwhile, the one-eyed demon was both surprised and disappointed...