Undefeated opponent

"If anyone dares to face me, come on out, try and take my title!" Twilight called out to the crowd, their voice seemed as though it was deepened by force like a kid pretending to be a man.

I smirked at the opportunity, my hand resting on my claymore as I stood out of the crowd.

"You're on, kid." I declared, the crowd dropping to nothing but whispers and murmurs the minute I stepped on the field.

I couldn't see much but i could tell the smirk peaking from that kid's hood.

"O-oh, what's this? Seems like Twilight had gained a new adversary! Will this finally be the day they lose their title as the undefeated flower warrior!?"

My grip tightened on the hilt of my claymore, the friction almost digging into the skin of my hand.

Twilight got into a stance one leg positioned ahead of the other, their knee bent, the other leg extended behind them as they hung their body low to the ground, sword gripped in a deadly vice, ready for attack.

"That's some style…" I commented, my eyes focused on their movement and positioning, I've never seen a style like this before, and now that I'm up close, I can actually tell for myself.

I let out a toothy grin as I got into my stance.

"This'll be fun."

[System protocol: Learn and adapt.]

[System adaptive protocol downloaded! Proceeding adrenaline intake…..]

"Thr-" Everyone stopped as they saw me squirm on the floor. My body slowly started to get more and more energized, my consciousness coming back and pain fading into obscurity.

"Still at it huh-" Twilight muttered, turning to me when they noticed a soft sigh escaping their lips.

"I'm still breathing ain't I?" I hissed with a panting breath, ready to take this fight to its second phase.

 I could tell my words irritated them, their actions more rash than before as they closed in without caution.

I get ready to send out a strike to their face before they get to do anything, though something popped up in front of me, that halted my actions.

[System adaptive protocol, uploading downloaded data!]

I see a semi-luminescent image of Twilight, getting low and dodging my attack, getting ready to sweep my feet, and surely that they tried, just as I saw it.

I dodged the attack, my mind left in awe of what I had just witnessed, shaking my head violently before focusing on the battle once more, it was no time to be distracted.

They got up and raised their legs to a harsh and fast degree, the tip of their shoes grazing my chin as I stepped back.

I attempted a roundhouse kick, but that was easily negated with their arm, a mini shockwave flowed through our bodies at the impact, both of us panting like dogs.

Fists flew, colliding and clashing with each other, my offense and defense.

They attempted to kick the side of my leg during the commotion, hoping to stagger me off my feet though I lifted my knee as fast as I could. Their balance was thrown off causing them to fall, quickly recovering with a backflip, their hands pivoted against the floor until they got onto their feet, reaching for their discarded sword before charging again.

I stepped back, trying to get to my claymore, but it was too far. My eyes darted back to the fight ahead of me.

Twight's movements were erratic and their form was completely messed up as they attempted a downward slash, their arm wide from their torso and legs too far apart.

[System adaptive protocol, opening found!] Their body grew riddled with circles. My hand flew for their arm, the collision causing the blade to fall from their grasp, I then quickly swept the legs, grabbing onto their robe before they fell.

"Seems like we have a winner!!" the announcer shouted, the crowd roaring with excitement as they saw someone beat the running champion.

As I stood there, the hood from Twilight started to fall, my eyes widened when I saw it.

A girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, their face soft and delicate…. Like a doll.

"Where is he…." Ayla murmured as she walked through the town, her gaze scanning every face. "We were supposed to look at the festival together... did he ditch me?" Sadness plagued her thoughts at the idea of being forgotten. Suddenly, the murmuring crowd caught her attention.

With curious eyes, she ventured forth, squeezing through the crowd. Her eyes widened when she saw me fighting my new opponent.

"Is he serious?" she muttered, clearly upset by my actions. "He just got out of the hospital!"

The crowd was tense, watching us intently. I could feel their prying eyes on my back, my blade above my head, and my gaze locked onto my target. My opponent flashed a quick smirk before charging. My eyes widened at the sudden movement; I stepped back, but they were already on top of me, a horizontal slash aimed at my flesh.

I blocked with the hilt of my sword, the blade grazing my fingers, and my breath hitched from the close call.

"Risky move there," they commented as they stepped back, letting me regain my composure before adding.

"Why are you stopping?" I asked, poising myself for battle once more.

"I'm sick of swordplay…" They groaned, tossing their blade to the side, and beckoning me to charge, clearly mocking me.

"Tsk-" I hissed, the gesture striking a nerve before I too tossed my claymore to the side, cracking my neck, and knuckles, feeling the tension beginning to loosen.

"Seems like we have ourselves a fist fight, ladies and gentlemen!!" the announcer roared and the crowd's hype was evident, watching as we both charged and clashed.

Bones against bones, flesh against flesh, they coiled their torso, sending the energy straight to their arm as they sent it toward my face. I swiftly blocked with my arm, their knuckles digging into me. Their movements were swift, like a raging tide, and I was barely keeping up with the splashing waves.

I pivoted on my left foot, sending my right in a roundhouse kick, their arm pressed against my leg, blocking it from their face. Before giving them time to react, I dropped to the floor, both of my arms holding myself up, my fingers stiff against the ground, supporting me as I sent the other leg flying towards them, hitting them in the side.

They grit their teeth, grabbing onto my foot and elbowing me in the knee, my eyes dilating in pain as they let it go. A swift kick to the gut caused me to skid across the battlefield.

Blood trickled from my lips as my vision went hazy. I tried to stand and continue the fight.

The smell of fresh crimson entered my nose, and a rush of adrenaline started to kick in. I got into my stance once more, this time one of my palms was outstretched to them while the other was balled into a fist.

We both pivoted around each other, circling the battlefield with the intent to win in our eyes.

Their movements started to become unreadable, their legs skidding short distances across the field before pushing off, spinning rapidly before outstretching their leg to strike my skull. I blocked it with my arms, but the force caused the soles of my shoes to dig into the pavement, breath hitching under the pressure.

Twilight smiled, landing on their feet before striking me with a series of roundhouse kicks without break. I started to sweat, my arms couldn't keep up with the constant strikes, they started to feel weak, and I couldn't take much more.

"What's wrong? You're starting to waver?!" They mocked me. My teeth gritted together as I endured it. Eventually, their attack came to an end, leaving me an opening. I tried to strike at them, though my knee collapsed on itself, the previous assault rendering me slow.

Twilight drove their sole into my chest, fluids spewing from my lips as I let out a silent cry of agony.

I groveled on the floor as I tried to regain myself. Twilight turned to the crowd and let off an arrogant smile.

"Wait!? Is- Is it over?!" The commentator pondered, watching the fight closely.

I breathed slowly, my eyes hazy as I slowly started to lose consciousness, catching one final thing.

"Start the countdown!!" He demanded, raising three fingers into the air as everyone started the count.

"One!" The crowd chanted as they watched me with hopeful gazes.

[System adaptive protocol, downloading….]

"Two!"

[System adaptive protocol downloaded! Proceeding adrenaline intake…..]

"Thr-" Everyone stopped as they saw me squirm on the floor. My body slowly started to get more and more energized, my consciousness coming back and pain fading into obscurity.

"Still at it, huh-" Twilight muttered, turning to me when they noticed a soft sigh escaping their lips.

"I'm still breathing, ain't I?" I hissed with a panting breath, ready to take this fight to its second phase.

I could tell my words irritated them, their actions more rash than before as they closed in without caution.

I got ready to send out a strike to their face before they could do anything, though something popped up in front of me that halted my actions.

[System adaptive protocol, uploading downloaded data!]

I saw a semi-luminescent image of Twilight, getting low and dodging my attack, getting ready to sweep my feet, and surely that they tried, just as I saw it.

I dodged the attack, my mind left in awe of what I had just witnessed, shaking my head violently before focusing on the battle once more, it was no time to be distracted.

They got up and raised their legs to a harsh and fast degree, the tip of their shoes grazing my chin as I stepped back.

I attempted a roundhouse kick, but that was easily negated with their arm. A mini shockwave flowed through our bodies at the impact, both of us panting like dogs.

Fists flew, colliding and clashing with each other, my offense and defense.

They attempted to kick the side of my leg during the commotion, hoping to stagger me off my feet. I lifted my knee as fast as I could. Their balance was thrown off, causing them to fall, quickly recovering with a backflip, their hands pivoting against the floor until they got onto their feet, reaching for their discarded sword before charging again.

I stepped back, trying to get to my claymore, but it was too far. My eyes darted back to the fight ahead of me.

Twilight's movements were erratic, and their form was completely messed up as they attempted a downward slash, their arm wide from their torso and legs too far apart.

[System adaptive protocol, opening found!] Their body grew riddled with circles. My hand flew for their arm, the collision causing the blade to fall from their grasp. I then quickly swept the legs, grabbing onto their robe before they fell.

"Seems like we have a winner!!" the announcer shouted, the crowd roaring with excitement as they saw someone beat the running champion.

As I stood there, the hood from Twilight started to fall. My eyes widened when I saw it.

A girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, her face soft and delicate…. Like a doll.