Satellite - Part 1

Astrid tried her best to remain conscious, repressing the annoying buzz inside her head. The last hit had knocked her to the ground, forcing her to look closely at the droplets of blood on the floor, dripping from her forehead. "Bloody bastard…" she muttered, spitting.

At that very moment, she wished for nothing more than to glare at her enemy directly in the eyes, instead of staring at that stupid beast-shaped helmet.

"Come on, Comet!" her enemy shouted before stomping over Astrid's head. "Give me a reason to fear you!"

The stomp tore through the building floor and the one below them consecutively. When they finally reached the ground floor, a thick dust cloud hid them from each other's sight.

Despite Astrid's best efforts to be as non-destructive as possible, their battle had reached another dense area, and the collateral damage was inevitable.

Walls in their path could not slow them down. Houses, building apartments, and retail stores collapsed all around them.

After powering up, their steps were as heavy as any mythical creature, and the shockwave created from their physical contact broke every crystal and nearby window.

We could really give that dragon a run for its money. Hopefully, this area is fully evacuated, because it's bloody difficult to hold back against someone that fights as if they were a natural disaster… Heh… With that in mind, she can endure if I go all out, right?

Astrid emerged from the dust cloud and punched the enemy in the gut with a fire-engulfed fist. The sound of the armor cracking echoed through the entire building.

"S-Splendid… You really are something," the Warrior said, trying to push Astrid back. Blood ran down from under their helmet. "D-Despite all this damage, you keep fighting as if the Safe Zone was a joke…"

Astrid snickered. "I'm not done yet…" Gathering her strength, she pushed her fist further into the enemy's stomach, piercing the skin. Soon, her knuckles would reach the enemy's organs. "I'll burn you from the inside!"

"I'll p-pass…" the Warrior breathed before performing a headbutt with all their strength.

Astrid's sight blackened for a second as she felt how half of her body made a hole in the ground. Since the height difference was significant, Astrid wondered if she had been driven into the ground like a nail.

Which sounds quite humiliating…

Memories of people calling her 'short' exploded all at once inside her head.

"Quick-F-CLASS FLARE!" Astrid cast without previously channeling, catching the enemy by surprise.

A pillar of fire as intense and powerful as the two-headed dragon's beams of doom fired from Astrid's palms. The spell crossed the street and reached the Thermasis river 650 feet away, evaporating the water in its trajectory instantly.

Finishing that, Astrid gasped for air while getting out of the embarrassing human-sized hole. "Serves you right," she mumbled as the smog cleared, revealing the building's new entrance: A 50-foot half-oval-shaped gap. In front of Astrid, a still-standing silhouette.

"D-Did y-you quick-cast a G-Greater-tier spell that easily?" the Warrior quietly moaned inside their helmet, sounding ecstatic. "A-Amazing…"

After saying that, they went silent. Curving their body forward, arms hanging low.

Did they die on their feet?

Astrid examined the enemy's heavily damaged and melted armor, which looked ready to be discarded.

But something's not right. I'd broken their fist, made a hole through their stomach, and burned them to a crisp…

And yet…!

With a sudden gasp, the Warrior seemed to have come to life. "Oh, what a delightful experience! I wonder how much time I'd have lasted if you were at your full capacity!"

You're kidding me…

Astrid threw a quick punch, but the enemy blocked it as if it had come from a mile away.

Astrid did not let her surprise show for a second longer and tried a somersault kick, but the unknown warrior stepped aside calmly.

Astrid's feet cracked the tiled floor and the monument in front of her, depicting a fairy boy, was cut in half instead. Astrid could picture the Warrior smirking inside their helmet during that infinitesimal pause.

Are they faster despite their multiple cumulative injuries?! That's impossible! It's as if they have… healed already… Huh? W-Whatever! I'm wide open now, so they should hurry and punish me…

I would if I were in their place…

The enemy's fist radiated a fire aura, just like Astrid's from moments ago. That's it? Idiooot. Powering that up will give me the time to step back!

Astrid knew how to deal with such an attack since she had perfected it in the last two years. What she did not expect after dodging the first punch, was that a second and third fist threatened to hit her face.

Oh, you little shit…

"Fire Style, Meteor Fall Punch!" the Warrior announced as they maniacally laughed. "Come on, Comet! Don't tell me you didn't see this coming!"

Four, six, ten, fifteen hits, all seemingly thrown at the same time to the naked eye. 

Although I can see each one of them coming my way, I won't be able to dodge and block them all.

One punch hit Astrid in the belly, another in her right bicep, left breast, right side of her ribs, and nose. That last one sent her flying through walls and caused the inevitable collapse of the four-story building.

Although more than a hundred tons of debris fell over Astrid, that was nothing compared to the pain caused by that Special Move. She could feel the affected skin and injured muscles swelling, and her 'Pain Endurance' Passive Skill seemed to do nothing.

It's a nice kind of pain, regardless. The kind that causes a pleasant, itching sensation…

Astrid checked her HP bar. She could theoretically survive a punishment two times stronger than that.

But my gut is telling me that this wanker is still holding back…

After vomiting blood, she thanked in silence that her enemy had not seen that.

Let's see, what do I know about them? They heal fast. So fast, in fact, that their regeneration is comparable to that of a Mythical Beast, something I've never seen before. Could that be their Unique Talent? And there's something more that is constantly increasing their strength and speed. Hmm… I wonder if...

Astrid kicked aside large blocks of concrete as if they were made of cardboard and fixed her broken nose.

Above her, the still-gray Londorus sky greeted her.

"This sucks!" Astrid cried, pouting and stomping the ground without a care in the world if she looked childish in front of the enemy.

This debuffed state blows! It's difficult to grasp what my current limits really are! If it wasn't for my Libra, this battle would have ended right when it started…

Frustrated, she wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at the enemy. "You knooow, it's boring that you don't have a name! So I'll call you Crimson from now on due to your red armor. I'd call you Red for short, but it reminds me of a certain bitch that I'd rather not think about for the moment."

"Fine, I'll let you have that," the Warrior said hoarsely, making Astrid pout again.

"What is it, Crimson? You sound disappointed. Is mopping the floor with me not as satisfactory as you thought it'd be?"

The Warrior sighed loudly as if something Astrid said had struck a nerve. "Screw it," they muttered and placed both large hands against their helmet to remove it. "I'd rather you call me Scarlett," the young woman under the armor said. "And I can't say I'm happy with this match since you're still holding back…"

Astrid promptly used her 'Eye of the Sage' Active skill, hoping to get any info out of her enemy, but the System gave her no results.

A complete stranger… I know the face and name of every single registered Guilder in the top-ranking lists, and she's not there. What the hell is going on? I refuse to believe that a User this strong has remained unknown this whole time.

People have egos. They want to be on the top and be admired by everyone…

Astrid bit her lower lip for half a second before beaming. "Look at you! There was a cute face under that thing all along! What about your mission? Is it okay for you to show your face just like that?"

"We're supposed to be anonymous, but screw that," Scarlett said, glowering. "That was my partner's idea anyway. As I've already stated, my primary objective is to learn from you."