According to many, the start is the most important, be it for a match, or for anything that takes a certain amount of time. The chance of letting your anxiety or the feeling of being overwhelmed stop you from performing, or delay you, that chance is just far too prominent to ignore.
Dio was definitely not the kind to get nervous or anxious, not for such an event or situation at least. Hina, on the other hand, was the challenger here, at least that is how she felt. Dio was the final boss, who retained his position for centuries and she was the only survivor left to overthrow the boss. Naturally, with such a thought process, there was no doubt that she would let a part of her be consumed by a little anxiety.
That was the issue with mental strength, even though she claimed to have a strong mind and spirit, she allowed Dio's presence to poke her, even if it was just the size of a pinhole.
"You may begin!!"
Her body wished to move, but there was a hint of hesitation that ruined her initial movement, her chance to claim the first strike. When she tried to dash forward, she lost her balance, causing her entire body to nearly tumble down forward. Fortunately, she was capable enough to make critical decisions, she wouldn't and couldn't risk dashing in such an awkward position, the only sensible option according to her was to halt halfway through, and that was exactly what she did.
A fireball whistled past her with barely a hair's gap, turning the few unfortunate strands into a crisp. Her heart was in her throat as she rolled sideways to dodge another one that flew at her with frightening speed.
'Fuck…' she cursed internally as she looked up with laser-like focus, her unwavering eyes fell upon Dio who just snapped his fingers and made overly elegant gestures for each spell he cast.
'Not like this…not to him..'
She shot forward and closed the distance in no time, thanks to her already inclined and low posture she had gained enough momentum to strike his stomach.
'Got you…'
Or so she thought, but since when were things so easy? Were things that simple? Would it do justice to the duel if the fight simply ended in such a way? There were some things in life that just had to adhere to the norm, and that goes even for duels of such a stature.
She was far from "getting him", matter of fact, she was nowhere close to striking him. Of course, physically speaking, she was close enough to touch him, but again, certain things were just not meant to be. At least, Dio didn't allow them to be as such.
He knew he wasn't as skilled as her in close combat, considering she was so obviously proficient in martial arts, Dio had no doubt that he couldn't keep up with her. His memory palace, it was quite literally a palace, perhaps even that word wouldn't do it justice.
His mind was like an abode that nothing could match up to. Even the hypothetical Olympus would be nothing in front of his vast mental space. Of course, the majority of it still remained untouched. Matter of fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call his mind-space limitless or infinite, who knows the chances of it being as such were extremely high.
(A/N: I know. I am aware of his mental capabilities. Only me.)
Her hand was an inch away from connecting with his stomach, just then, she found herself unable to move or push her body any further, to make things harder, Dio had already jumped back a step, even then, he could feel a strong wave of wind desperately trying to push him back.
'Vines…..? B-but…when?'
She looked down in disappointment only to see her entire lower body trapped in green creepers, they weren't visibly strong, and that was the case, however, it was more than enough to stop her from moving.
Now, the question of her momentum being enough to tear through the vines definitely existed, however, Dio wasn't just an object with perfect memory, he was smart, not as sly or calculative as Alex, but at the same time, he wasn't naive enough to overlook the obvious factors.
He watched her matches closely, paying attention to every detail, thanks to his analysis, he came to the conclusion that there was a single moment where the energy moved from her legs to her hands, and that was just when she was about to strike. It was a close call and a risky move, but if it worked, it was something that would give him a huge advantage.
The step back and the spell to trap her legs, he barely avoided her strike, but it was enough to immobilize her for the moment. Horror slowly consumed her as she realized how vulnerable of a position she currently was in.
"So far… yet so close.." Dio nodded as he looked at her struggling to push her hand forward. Before she could do anything else, Dio moved to the side and slapped her face with a wind sphere, sending her flying towards the side.
The world from her point of view was no longer the same, everything was spinning, and nothing went according to her plans. Desperation slowly crept upon her, the question was, would she let it overwhelm her?
'No! Not yet!' she put all her energy into regaining stability. The damage she had just suffered sent her entire body into a shock. Dio had no plans of stopping there, he formed a wind sphere in his hand and rushed forward to shove it into her stomach.
'Move…' perhaps it was a common occurrence amongst those who fought Dio, time slowed down for her as she saw his incredibly handsome self moving towards her.
'Move….' The desperation that had just revealed itself was now working itself up to her mental stability.
'Please…move…' A few feet away. The sphere in his hand now looked more menacing than ever. She could feel the urge to let loose, the urge to break out, the desire and the need to absolutely go all out and destroy him, but at the same time, the annoying feeling of giving up and letting his strike connect.
'Hina...don't let anyone get to you. You deserve more than that…' A few words from a distant memory echoed in her head. She clenched her jaw and tightened her fists as the world now made sense to her.
"MOOOVEEE!!" She roared as she put her entire life into dodging the attack.