Inside the ring where Jaden, Kenzo, and Sera stood, the future hero didn't seem discouraged at all, even though he hadn't achieved his goal yet. He knew that on his path to the top, there would be almost insurmountable obstacles, and Sera was just that kind of obstacle—a challenge he would overcome soon.
Instead, Kenzo was even more motivated. Motivation was crucial for a hero. As he took the lead, Jaden assumed a combat stance.
"Let's see what makes you so confident, mommy's boy." Sera taunted Jaden again, wearing that unforgettable smile.
Jaden was completely taken aback. If her goal was to get on his nerves, she had succeeded, that's for sure.
'I wonder what the girls at her school had to endure.' Jaden mused, sympathizing with the poor girls who had Sera as a classmate. With Sera around teasing was certainly not mild – someone has to sympathize for these poor girls, maybe for the boys too.
Jaden inhaled and exhaled, making the air in the ring shift slightly, resulting in a slight surprise from Karim.
"Oh!?" Karim was now intensely curious.
He wasn't alone. Even though they were quite far from the training room, the CREDHOS in the Conclave room could sense this subtle but noticeable change in aura.
Yet, all Jaden did was concentrate – at least in his view – he had just begun to give his all. He still wanted to test his theory personally, so he had to put in the effort.
Jaden took the lead by launching a rapid spinning kick toward Sera's midsection. Although it was slightly faster than before, Sera anticipated the movement with incredible foresight.
She dodged by stepping back slightly, avoiding the kick with bewildering ease.
Sera's movements were fluid and anticipatory, as if she foresaw Jaden's attacks, just like in the beginning, but this time it was more apparent.
Determined to break through her defense, Jaden tried to vary his attacks by feinting a punch. However, Sera wasn't fooled. She remained still, reading Jaden's micro-movements.
As the battle intensified, at least from Jaden's perspective, he attempted to catch Sera off guard with a rapid combination of strikes. He launched a series of punches and kicks, but Sera moved with impressive agility.
Her predictive movements guided her out of the path of Jaden's attacks. The battle continued under this dynamic for a while, before Sera started landing blows again, sending Jaden flying from time to time.
After being thrown around a bit too much, Jaden took his time to ponder the data he had collected.
'She's actually fighting by taking into account her opponent's entire body.' Jaden thought with a very serious expression.
How do you fight someone who predicts what you're going to do based on tiny changes in your body?
'Breathing, eyes, heartbeat... Furthermore, she's exceptionally skilled. She knows the movements of everything that makes up my body. She knows the norm, and when a certain part of the body reacts in a certain way, she knows her opponent will likely strike at a particular place.'
It was beyond unfair. Could you really beat someone like that? Jaden was increasingly perplexed. He couldn't imagine there were people capable of surpassing this tigress.
'Her senses are supernatural. Thanks to her meticulous analysis, she has combat almost in the palm of her hand.' thought Jaden with a more serious expression than before. It gave him chills.
After a few attempts, it was Kenzo's turn again. While Kenzo was taking the beating of his life, Jaden was thinking of a strategy.
At one point in the fight, Kenzo saw an opening, and as if by intuition, as if it were just natural, he launched a rapid and powerful kick towards Sera.
Sera was caught off guard for a very brief moment, but just before the blow could hit her, she executed a skillful dodge by pivoting on one foot and leaning backward.
'That kid learns pretty quickly; that last kick had no call in it at all.' thought Karim about Kenzo's last move.
Zixe's attention was briefly piqued.
Rei and Rush were focused on the fight, not saying a word. They had never seen Jaden fight, but he must have something special if he could take down several HOUM on his own.
The battle continued while Kenzo received blow after blow.
As he contemplated, Jaden's attention was drawn to Kenzo's body, which flew for a moment before landing abruptly on the ground with a thud.
'Poor Ken.' thought Jaden, feeling exasperated. However, before he could dwell on his thoughts, he heard something.
"Hahaha, the ancestor, after I hit you, I'd like you to train me," Kenzo said, emerging from his daze with enthusiasm.
'And here I was worrying about him. He seems to enjoy getting beaten up. Could he be a masochist?' Jaden wondered after his teammate's extraordinary reaction.
"Oh, kid, I like you. As a reward, I'm going to add a little more oomph." Sera said, looking delighted to see the kid, who seemed to be improving ever so slightly with each fight.
She was happy, even after being call an ancestor? but more importantly…
'What... does she mean?' Much of the conversation between Kenzo and Sera might have held many secrets, but Jaden only retained what his brain found most important, and it was something very frightening.
'Was she... just having fun? Are the CREDHOS really that strong?' Jaden thought, implying Sera's words, she wasn't putting in any effort; she fought effortlessly. And even with that limitation, Jaden had to use Kenzo and himself just to except to finally land a hit – just one hit!
'After all, it makes sense. I believe we'd be dead if she didn't hold back.' Jaden pondered.
The worst part was that, despite all these realizations, it still seemed impossible to touch this person, let alone hope to defeat her.
"Jaden!" Kenzo called, snapping him out of his thoughts. Then they locked eyes for a moment before Jaden nodded in agreement.
The two of them retreated. They both knew why they couldn't touch their opponent. However, they had each tried in their own way to overcome this problem but without the desired result.
After a moment of silence, they both ran toward Sera.
"Oh?" That's all she said before she bent down a few inches and added. "You decided to attack together, Kids?"
While continuing their run, just before reaching Sera, they changed their positions, creating an X-like pattern during their approach, so that each took the other's position.
Once in front of Sera, Jaden was at the bottom right, and Kenzo was at the top left. Kenzo's extended foot descended to the bottom, aiming to crush the person just below – Sera.
The blow was powerful and fast, with much less anticipation than before. Sera stepped back, Kenzo's foot landed on the ground with a resounding and firm thud.
'It's not just you who can predict movements.' Jaden thought.
Just as Sera was about to take her stance again, he was in front of her, launching precise punches and kicks. Like with Kenzo, it was a bit harder for Sera to dodge, but she still managed to evade them.
Inside the conclave room Karim touched his glasses and then said.
"Not bad, these kids have learned to fight by holding back basic impulses, in such a short amount of time." He was impressed, but it was it – he was just a little impressed – there were too many things that can have the same effect on him.
Basic impulses were everything related to emotions – the desire to harm, the thirst for victory, and everything that came with it. It couldn't be taught in a normal way; the apprentices had to be put in complicated situations to learn to let it go – and not everyone could.
While Jaden and Kenzo saw the finish line, everything changed because Sera began launching fluid and powerful attacks. The two were amazed by the precision of her movements, but they reacted quickly with synchronized dodges and counterattacks.
The battle was intense. Sera's extraordinary ability and Jaden and Kenzo's perfect harmony made for a beautiful spectacle – "the two warriors facing the goddess of combat" – if there were a painter, this would be the title of his canvas in this context… or something related.
Jaden, determined to touch Sera, moved with increased confidence after taking a second breath, enhancing the aura change he had caused earlier.
The CREDHOS were amazed, some more than amazed, they were in shock. If Jaden had seen these reactions, he would probably be speechless right now. He had returned from the world of the dead, and these guys had barely reacted.
And now, for a simple aura change, they were making such a fuss? Karim and Zixe had more than just curiosity; they were a bit surprised by this change. Zixe – it was impossible to tell what he was thinking exactly.
Karim, on the other hand, had a face that said: "He's much more than I thought, this Lavender." He looked like a scientist who had discovered something new and fascinating.
Jaden and Kenzo didn't know what was happening outside the ring; they continued to give it their all inside the ring.
Jaden landed a powerful punch toward Sera's face. However, she anticipated the blow and leaned backward with agility, letting the punch nearly brush her face.
As Jaden executed this attack, Kenzo adopted a strategic position behind Sera and, at the right moment, launched a quick circular kick toward her back.
Sera, while avoiding Jaden's punch, didn't expect the surprise attack from Kenzo from behind. However, her mastery of combat allowed her to react quickly.
She turned sharply to the side, using her foot to block Kenzo's kick before it reached her completely.
Meanwhile, Jaden had reacted to Sera's dodge by adjusting his position. He feinted a low punch, then made a quick lateral move to deliver a roundhouse kick. His foot aimed at Sera's face as she straightened up after avoiding Kenzo's kick. However, Sera remained alert.
As Jaden kicked, she leaned to the side in a graceful dodge, narrowly avoiding Jaden's kick with an incredibly thin margin.
Kenzo's kick, on the other hand, missed its mark, being blocked by Sera's skillful movement. Sera, despite evading both simultaneous attacks, found herself momentarily off balance due to the swift dodge.
It was during this moment of imbalance that Jaden managed to adjust his movement and launch a quick and precise punch.
His fist finally reached Sera's chest, and at the same time, Kenzo had regained his position and struck Sera in the back with a kick. These two blows created a sensation of impact.
The battle froze briefly as Sera's eyes were fixed on Jaden, he looked at his fist and then at him and repeat. Kenzo, on the other hand, had his eyes on Sera's back, which seemed to be massive.
Just after this brief moment, the two of them said in unison
"Hit." There was no excitement; only determination in their voices. It was a victory, but could they do it again?
During this entire moment, the three of them had not moved an inch, and then an irritated voice was heard.
"Huh?" It was Sera's voice, and she was obviously getting angrier, but she was also blushing.
'Why is she blushing during a fight? Oh, right, the fight is over.' Jaden thought as he looked at his opponent's face.
"Oh, his... his hand is..." In the Conclaves room, someone said as if they had seen someone do one of the most taboo things in the world.
"I think he's dead." Right after that, another exasperating voice rang out, and before Jaden could even notice what was happening… he lost consciousness.