A few minutes after Rila left, Aurora was finally called to fight. Her opponent was a somewhat older woman, perhaps in her late twenties, maybe even thirty. But what was troubling was her level. She was at the tenth level of the Energy stage. She couldn't be described as anyone extraordinary, as she was still at the Energy Storage stage at her age. She only had five, perhaps seven years left at a glance, before she had to become an outer elder unless she managed to break through. Most disciples ended up as outer elders, making this woman an average figure.
But it was difficult to tell since she looked like she was in her mid-twenties, which could put her actual age in a ten-year timespan from there.
Still, she was two levels above Aurora and around ten years her senior. If she was a skilled combatant, this would spell the end of the line for Aurora. Aurora faced her opponent down in the arena, both holding a sword of their own. Swords were popular weapons all over, but in the Blossoming Sword sect, it was even more popular, as it was a graceful weapon. Something the beauties of the sect valued.
The two women faced off, Aurora's icy glare clashing with her adversary's hardened countenance. The bell rang, and Aurora lunged forward with a flurry of agile strikes, her sword glittering like stars in the night sky. Her opponent was stunned by the sudden onslaught yet still managed to parry and dodge each strike with practiced precision.
Aurora was relentless in her attack, dodging and weaving and somersaulting through the air as she unleashed a flurry of strikes and kicks from all directions. The woman was pushed to her limits by Aurora's agility and strength, but she still found openings to counter each strike and dodge every kick.
Just as Aurora prepared to deliver an almighty strike with a dropkick, her opponent caught her ankle mid-air! She held it firm, tightening her grip and stealing away Aurora's balance. In a split second, the woman tossed Aurora onto the ground and moved in for a decisive attack. Aurora scrambled back desperately, screaming in fear as the woman's sword came crashing down toward her stomach. With perfect poise and balance, Aurora sprang up from her roll just in time, ready to continue the fight, but the moment she was upright, her opponent came for her.
Aurora could feel her heart racing as the woman struck relentlessly at her defenses, each move barely blocked as she frantically searched for an opening. She gritted her teeth, determined to find an advantage, and finally, in the blink of an eye, she saw her chance! With a cry of rage and defiance, Aurora kicked her opponent with fierce judgment, spinning and connecting with the woman's abdomen. But luck was not on Aurora's side; the woman was well-versed in defense and absorbed the blow without sustaining much damage.
Aurora lunged forward with a savage slash of her blade, narrowly missing the woman's face. The woman stepped back, unfazed by the near miss; then, lightning fast, she lifted her shin to block Aurora's kick and protected her head with her arm. Inches away from each other, their bodies glistened with sweat, and Aurora could feel the heat radiating off the woman. In one swift motion, the woman grabbed Aurora's top straps and tried to twist her off balance. But Aurora's agility was unrivaled as she slipped out of her top just in time, exposing her upper body. With a bone-rattling roar, she slammed into the woman and drove her head into her stomach.
The veteran grappler was not to be outdone; she bent down and grabbed Aurora around the waist before trying to throw her to the ground. In mid-air, Aurora spun gracefully yet still lost her grip on the woman; both flew apart and tumbled hard onto the unforgiving earth!
A stare-down ensued until the woman pointed at Aurora's top.
"You can put that back on," she said. Aurora looked at the piece of fabric on the ground, did as suggested, and got redressed before turning back to face her opponent.
"Thanks. Ready to continue?" She said.
"Let's fight!"
The woman took the offense this time, swinging her sword down. Aurora's blade clashed against her opponent's, and she felt the formidable strength pushing her down. The woman chopped down on her repeatedly, forcing her to keep blocking. Her muscles strained as she struggled to maintain her guard.
In a desperate attempt to escape, Aurora lifted her leg, stretching it as far as it would go. The woman smirked, sure that the kick would miss its mark. But at the edge of Aurora's foot was an unseen, un-sensable force of energy. Even though the strike should have missed, it connected with her chin without even touching her, sending the woman reeling back. Seizing the opportunity, Aurora swung her blade in a flurry of swift strikes. The woman was a skilled fighter and the most challenging adversary Aurora had faced so far. More importantly, she had boundless experience compared to Aurora. She immediately realized what was going on and used her sword to block each of Aurora's blows with ease. Her reflexes were so quick that she dodged any attacks that Aurora threw at her with a graceful dance of steps. She had long years of experience fighting, and no matter how hard Aurora tried to be unpredictable, the woman could anticipate her moves. She deflected any attack that came close with her sword and evaded anything else.
But that did not mean she had an easy time. While the woman was physically stronger than Aurora, Aurora outclassed her in skill.
The woman fought with all her might, desperately struggling to stay afloat against Aurora's relentless onslaught. The clash of their weapons was a symphony of destruction, the blades and bodies of the combatants weaving together in a deadly dance. Aurora's long black hair whipped around her like a hypnotic fog as she lashed out with punches, kicks, and sword strikes. The woman valiantly returned every single blow, never allowing herself to be defeated. Her long tresses rippled like cascading silk as she leaped and spun away from each attack, her agile form keeping pace with Aurora's formidable technique. Sparks flew each time Aurora's aggressive strikes were repelled by the woman's sword or deflected by her arms. Every second seemed to play out in slow motion as their graceful movements painted pictures in the air - music, and art blended together in a fight for survival. Aurora was the angel of agility, darting through the air in search of victory, every strike executed with calculated precision. Aurora was slightly weaker in power yet far more powerful in skill - a titanic difference that kept them almost evenly matched. Their blades clanged, and their bodies ached as they traded blows for what felt like an eternity; neither one able to gain any significant advantage. Finally, after what felt like hours of intense fighting, Aurora stepped back, her chest heaving with exhaustion.
Before anything else could happen, Aurora started using her Streamline Sword. Lines of white energy shot out of her sword, forcing the woman on the move. If Aurora couldn't penetrate the woman's defense, she'd just have to force her on the offensive.
The energy waves of the streamline sword were mighty, so no one could afford to take them head-on. The woman had to dodge if she wanted to win. Thus, she went on the move. But then something unexpected happened. The woman swung her sword in a straight line, and another white wave of energy appeared. Aurora had not expected it and had to jump out of the way. Three more of them materialized, but they seemed different from Aurora's. For one, they didn't exude the same power, but they were much faster and thinner.
It wasn't the Streamline Sword, but some other, more troublesome technique. Since it was faster, it was also more challenging to dodge.
The two women started shooting waves of energy at each other to keep the other busy as they edged closer, maneuvering the energy sword strikes. When they were within two meters of each other, the woman sent one more wave of energy at Aurora and charged at her immediately after. Distracted by the energy attack, Aurora struggled to block her opponent's sword. As the weapons clashed, Aurora kicked, her leg moving like a second sword, hitting the woman in the side!
But as the leg connected, and the other one was already in the air, the woman sliced into nothing, sending another line of energy at Aurora. For the first time in the fight, the energy attack landed! It landed squarely on Aurora's chest, tearing her top to pieces and sending her flying! If that attack had been as powerful as Aurora's Streamline Sword, she would have lost.
But it wasn't. Aurora rolled on the ground but got back up before even two seconds had passed. Her sports bra had been obliterated, and her breasts were red from the strike, but she was fine. A thin line of blood leaked from her lips, but she was fine. She had to be. She was a genius, goddamit, and she would not lose!
"Do you give up?" The woman asked, but before she'd even finished the sentence, Aurora pounced on her! She spun in the air, her sword going in a wide arc as it attacked, and both legs kicking simultaneously. The woman blocked the sword and dodged the first kick, but the second landed on her temple, sending her stumbling several steps to the right.
Aurora continued the attack and chopped at her again, followed by a butterfly kick and a spinning heel kick! The woman struggled but blocked the first strike and dodged the other two, but then another foot came towards her like a spear, landing on her stomach. The woman almost puked but still retaliated with another sword strike of her own!
Aurora jumped over her opponent, kicked into both shoulders, and landed behind her. She gave her a final strike with her sword, hitting her in the back!
The strike sent the woman to the ground for a single second before she scurried back up and went on the offensive. Standing several meters away, she blew several energy strikes at Aurora as she closed the distance and then attacked with her sword! Aurora dodged the energy strikes before blocking three sword strikes.
The two warrior women continued trading blows. Both were injured, but neither could gain the upper hand for more than a few attacks. Aurora struggled. She was getting tired, but so was her opponent. Aurora had landed several good blows on her just now, but that energy strike had done a number on Aurora. She'd probably be done if she got hit by another one of those.
Aurora went back on the offensive! In a few seconds, she attacked ten times, and one of those attacks would hit. Meanwhile, for every third hit the woman suffered, she gave one back. Back and forth, the women fought until, finally, things were leaning in the right direction. Aurora's opponent was getting battered at a much faster pace than Aurora. Yes, she was physically stronger and quicker, but she just couldn't land as many hits as Aurora.
And as she received more and more blows, she grew sloppier. Both women had lost much of their finesse during the battle, but it had finally reached a crescendo!
Both women were drenched with sweat, their muscles quivering as they fought with savage intensity. Aurora unleashed a flurry of martial arts moves, her feet slicing through the air, her hands and sword striking viciously at her opponent. In two spectacular feats of acrobatics, Aurora leaped into the air and kicked the woman with her heel. The final move arrived as she spun mid-air and smashed her knee into the side of the woman's temple, finally felling her. Without hesitation, Aurora pressed on, leaping onto her foe's neck and delivering a merciless barrage of stomach punches that made the woman retch and gasp for air. The fight was over when the bell rang out its judgment, though Aurora had already won long before when the older woman puked her guts out.
Aurora collapsed to the ground by her opponent's side, taking a few moments to catch her breath before turning her head to look upon the woman she had just battered down. Those fifteen minutes of battle had felt like an eternity.
"I'm sorry for making you puke. I just wanted the fight to be over," Aurora said. The other woman turned her head, meeting Aurora's eyes. Both women were bruised, but Aurora actually looked a bit worse for wear since she was topless.
"It's alright," the woman responded.
"Can you walk?" Aurora asked.
"Sure. Let's go."
The woman who just became an adult six months ago and the woman who'd been in the sect for more than a decade walked off the arena together. In the end, the eighteen-year-old had been proved the victor over the thirty-year-old. After one final look, the two turned away and walked to each their own.
When Aurora returned to her friends and family, she covered her bare nipples with one arm while waving with the other.
"Well, that was our group's last fight of the day. Shall we go home to have some lunch before the competitions begin? I want to show you guys where I live," Aurora said, looking toward her uncle and aunt. Of her family that lived in Rose city, only Dawn had seen her home. Actually, out of her entire family, only Dawn had seen her house.
"Sounds good. I'm famished," Aurora's uncle said. Before they left, Koren gave his tank top to Aurora.
"Funny, it took my top getting ripped to shreds for me to wear the most I've worn since I got here. None of my clothes cover my belly or all of my boobs," Aurora commented.
"Yes, your sect does like to show off the female body. I still can't believe they make you do those things you have to do with the filming and the brothel. And they make my daughter work topless," the aunt said.
"They don't make me do anything. I work there because it pays well and we need the money. Showing my breasts off is a small price to pay if it means we can live more comfortable lives. Aurora is much braver for doing what she does, even if she has to do it," Dawn said.
"I know, and we're thankful for your sacrifices," Dawn's mother said.
"You better not get any ideas like selling your body, or going into pornography, though. If you did, I would no longer be able to live with myself," Dawn's father said.
"Don't worry, I won't do porn. I'm just serving tables with my boobs out. That's a long shot from doing porn," Dawn said.
"I know you won't."