He had taken a new fighting stance after gaining some distance, lowering his center of gravity with hands outstretched towards me and fingers relaxed.
Counter?
Are you seriously underestimating me?
-Hmph!-
I quickly closed the distance leaping towards him a swift and powerful high orbital heel kick leading my mid-air pivot.
My intent? To destroy viciously.
Head on!
To my surprise he easily deflects it without even moving from his spot.
Completely ignoring all my powerups.
Pushing me away with my own momentum, causing me to land awkwardly, very nearly meeting the floor in an awkward embrace.
"Era! Is this all you have?" He scoffed "this can't be your limit can it?"
-Ugh!-
His taunt grinded at my nerves but something else had pulled my attention.
-What the fuck was that?-
My resistance seemed to disappear the moment he parried. It was almost as if he suddenly wasn't there anymore!
However my surprise didn't last long. With each attack, the backlash from the bloodmark boost showered my body with shocking pain.
I have to find a way to settle this fast!
The earlier attack was just much too wide!
-I need to make my attacks smaller! Tighter!! More compact! -
Less straining.
I dashed in again quickly eliminating the distance.
My years of practicing martial arts have made my movements smooth and fluid.
Graceful, powerful, swift and efficient.
Methodically precise and dangerously entrancing.
I would compare it to dancing.
Each step playing a vital role.
Each time I'd pivot on my heels to deliver a crushing blow, smooth movements would color my attacks a violent shade of beautifully lethal.
I needed an opening attack however. One that can make him lose his footing after which I'd follow it up with a quick blow to stun and a finisher to end it.
But even though his stance looked simple I couldn't find a single opening!
-Playing turtle huh?!-
In that case.
I'll just have to go through your 'perfect' defense!
I pulled back, intentionally telegraphing my next move.
I wanted it to seem big and full of openings, As to why? Core disciple Kang , with his aptitude and martial talent would definitely see this as a feint.
However it's anything but!
The attack I was performing now was the result of pushing myself to my utmost limit.
I call it ultimate zero as it possessed none of my usual flair or grace. It was just a straight right punch.
Thinking back…..
After years Of pushing myself. Cultivating my martial art, which was mostly an extreme variant of kick-boxing. I had broken through to a new level. But shortly afterwards i found myself at a bottleneck for further advancement.
My attacks are always lightning fast and precise. Efficient and confidently placed. My footwork and transition especially smooth, flawless and powerful. That meant that I could defeat strong opponents given enough time and effort however, what if none of my attacks could reach?
What if they were all subdued, deflected or even dodged before any of them could hit?
Didn't that just mean that my fighting style is flawed?
Especially in a place where weapon usage is common.
Having such a flaw could easily lead to a fool's death on the battlefield!
But after butting heads with this particular problem I came up on a solution.
Do I actually need to hit, in order to hit?
The idea plagued me for many nights and days. Sure the idea contradicted many of the physical laws and limitations of the dragon kind.
But really…
What is a punch but force derived from an object with inertia?
I had an idea.
And given my understanding of the old elemental and physical laws it could be easily implemented.
A punch.
A punch with force many times over.
A punch without restrictions.
A punch that passes through in order to reach.
A punch that generates force by displacing air.
A punch that hits without hitting.
Without flair, or martial technique.
Without strength, without effort, without rational thinking , without recoil.
Without self.
A purely instinctual punch.
:Ultimate zero:
The punch followed an impossibly simple yet complex motion.
-/
Feet planted firmly, shoulder width apart, right in front of left.
Lowered center of gravity.
Heel pivot, left foot - Ball pivot, right foot, simultaneously counterclockwise.
Waist twist following through with a straight right punch.
All in one fluid movement.
\-
For all intents and purposes, a simple straight right, with perfect form.
Except allowing what the old laws describe as weakforce to saturate the area between the fist and target to create a soft resistance with air.
This is key. Where the old laws dictate that the rupturing of resistance creates an implosion. And, as nature corrects implosion, explosion occurs.
Core disciple Kang being the super martial arts genious that he is, most definitely sees my attack as a feint.
With such a big and obvious attack why wouldn't it be?
->~
The resulting shockwave rips at the air.
The extremely loud bang, pulled a few startled gasps from the crowd.
"Kheukk!!" Kang- dae chul coughed as the force from the small ball size explosion pressed hard into his lower abdomen.
The blast wave pushed us apart by a few feet!
-Now!-
A swift side step then a quick forward dash put me in line with his now defenseless right side.
My immediate advance did not give him time to reestablish his defense and so another shockwave cut through the air.
And another!!
The quick flurry of strange attacks didn't give him much time to even breathe but strangely enough….
-It's as I thought.-
A single attack like that should've left him disoriented at the very least not to mention it taking four of them to the ribs. But even so he was barely showing signs of being hurt.
What the hell Is happening?
Mean-while, I can't keep forcing my heart aperture open for much longer.
The taste of blood in my mouth, this was a bad sign and it ment that I am nearing my limit. As such I maybe able to do two more minutes, maximum.
My opponent charged me after recovering, a palm attack ready. I had tasted one before. Knowing that it's no joke and not wanting another, I instinctively lashed out again.
But this time I saw something that shocked me.
The moment I attack, he reaches out. As if to catch my fist with both his hands.
But where there was supposed to be an incredibly loud and thunderous crack and shockwave, only a low thump escaped.
That's!!!
-No it can't be!-
I pivoted, violently launching a low starting, diagonally upward round-house kick. Jumping lightly at the last moment to put my entire weight behind the kick!
There!!! But how??
That was a direct attack with my full weight behind it. But even before touching me he manage to dampen the force of my attack before dodge-rolling.
This was obviously my own ability! One of the abilities my own cultivation method combined with my mastery of the old physical laws afforded me.
This was -weak force-.
I could feel it.
So…
"How do you know that?" I asked in low monotone. I completely deactivated the blood mark boost. Letting my body return to normal.
Audible gasps escapes the now quiet crowd. Probably at the sight of me physically turning into a woman.
Core disciple Kang didn't seem surprised however.
And I didn't really care about this anymore. After all The sect master basically told me to take care of myself. And that he wouldn't do it anymore.
So male or female, what does it even matter?
My loose fitting uniform immediately became uncomfortable as I filled them out.
The mysterious feeling from before returned.
I had been holding the blood-mark boost at minimum activation for the last few days.
Not deactivating it once.
The moment my body returned to normal state I just knew that I'd have to break through again before I could use the blood-mark boost again. I'd also have to do it soon or else my cultivation could be heavily affected.
At this point I was extremely pissed but not because of the blood mark.
How did this guy know my parent's cultivation technique?
When did he even?!
The manual itself is always kept safely at my home.
So…
Just how much did he know?
8 years prior….
I had finally found something that belonged to my parents.
The book was old. It's pages bound by the tanned hide of what I suspected to be a thunder claw wolf-lion.
These animals while they are alive are extremely sensitive to blood and it's accumulated sensitivity to blood makes it perfect material for the blood sealing rune.
It was definitely something my parents, who disappeared when I was only 5, had left for me.
But…
It had taken considerable effort to get it. Afterall it was sealed by blood. Meaning only blood could Unseal it. So if you had designs on it. Forgetting about it entirely would be better since without my or my parents' blood, it would be impossible to open it. Let alone obtain the method described on its pages.
So how did He obtain the technique?
Surely he didn't steal it.
I still have it in my possession after-all.
Present…
"No sense in hiding it anymore." He sighed , before letting a smile grow on his face, breathing out a condescending hmph! "I have YOU to thank for my strength."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked my rage at an all time high.