She ducked under a sweeping right hook and countered with a precise elbow aimed at his ribs. The bounty hunter twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike but not fast enough to avoid her knee, which slammed into his abdomen. He grunted, his body folding slightly under the force, but he immediately retaliated, throwing a punch to her jaw.
Celestia's head snapped back, the impact sharp, but she quickly regained her balance. "Damn, he's strong," she thought.
Celestia wiped the blood from her lip, her eyes narrowing with determination. "He's strong," she thought, feeling the heat of the fight surging through her veins.
As the bounty hunter surged forward again, aiming a powerful right hook, Celestia ducked under the swing, her body moving with the grace of someone who had spent years honing their instincts. Her hands were already in position before he could react. She quickly twisted her body, stepping to the side, and unleashed a devastating "Blossom's Whirlwind Strike"
Her elbow shot forward, aiming for his ribs with deadly precision. The strike flowed seamlessly into her next move. Before the bounty hunter could react, Celestia's knee rose sharply, landing squarely in his abdomen. He gasped, his body folding under the impact, but Celestia didn't give him a moment to recover.
With a sudden spin on her heel, Celestia brought her leg up in a swift arc, faking a high strike. The bounty hunter braced himself, preparing to block the incoming attack. But just as he raised his arms, Celestia executed the "Blossom's Petal Sweep." Her leg dropped low, sweeping beneath his stance, taking his feet out from under him.
As he stumbled backward, Celestia's leg shot upward in one seamless motion, catching him off guard and landing a resounding kick directly to his chest. The impact echoed through the air. Without missing a beat, she pulled her leg back and, with incredible speed, drove her foot into his ribs. The blow was sharp and powerful, knocking the air from his lungs. The force sent him reeling back several feet, gasping for breath as he struggled to regain his footing.
The force of the blow sent him stumbling back, crashing into the dirt with a heavy thud. For a moment, the world seemed to still. The bounty hunter lay there, coughing for air, but Celestia didn't pause. She stepped forward, her stance firm and unrelenting.
The bounty hunter staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from his lip and taking a deep breath. His muscles ached, his chest heaving from the intensity of the fight. He looked at Celestia, his gaze filled with a newfound respect.
"I'll admit, you've got skills. I wasn't expecting that," he said, voice gruff but acknowledging her strength. He took a step back, lifting his hand in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not gonna waste any more of your time. Consider this my loss."
With that, he straightened up, a smirk on his face. He bowed low, a show of respect for the incredible fight they'd shared. "I'm Rian. It was an honor."
Celestia didn't respond immediately, her body still humming with adrenaline from the battle. She simply nodded, her chest rising and falling with the effort to remain composed. Rian gave her one last glance, a flash of something—maybe admiration—before he turned and walked away, heading south.
As he disappeared into the night, Celestia felt her body immediately begin to fail her. The moment his form vanished, her [Martial Arts] skill deactivated, and the toll of the fight hit her like a crashing wave. Every strike, every blow from Rian that had landed on her body felt as if it intensified all at once. Pain surged through her limbs, her ribs, her head—every inch of her was on fire.
Her eyes squeezed shut, and a sickening taste of blood filled her mouth. She coughed violently, a stream of blood escaping her lips as she fought to stay conscious. Lightning flickered within her body, each strike from Rian now crackling inside her, making her tremble with pain.
With what little strength she had left, she summoned the will to mount her horse. Her hands were trembling, vision blurring, but somehow, she managed to cling to the reins. Her horse, confused by the sudden movement, started heading north once more.
Celestia's grip on the reins slackened, her body finally giving in to the agony. Her rapier and sheath were left behind on the ground as the horse galloped away, the sound of its hooves pounding against the earth fading into the night.
The world spun as her body went limp, her vision darkening. The last thing she felt before everything went black was the cold wind rushing against her face, lightning surging through her body, and the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
Skill: Martial Arts
Description: Grants the user the ability to engage in hand-to-hand combat with enhanced proficiency, completely nullifying any side effects and reducing the damage taken by 5x while active. However, once the skill deactivates, all damage accumulated during its use is amplified by 10x, and the side effects are immediately triggered with an increase of 3x.
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After hours of heading north, Celestia's eyes fluttered open, the sharp light of dawn seeping through the spaces between her eyelids. Her head throbbed painfully, like a drumbeat echoing in her skull. She instinctively pressed her palm against her forehead, the pressure intensifying the ache.
Blinking away the blur, she slowly sat up, her legs unsteady beneath her as the world around her swayed. Her hand instinctively grasped the reins, feeling the cool leather beneath her fingers. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her pulse, when the realization hit her. "Wait... I'm still on the horse?"
The rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves was the only sound accompanying her as she steadied herself. Looking down at the reins, she noticed they were still firmly in her grip, and despite the disorienting sensation in her body, she instinctively guided the horse forward.
"What the hell happened?" she muttered hoarsely, her voice strained from the dryness in her throat. Her mind scrambled, trying to recall the events leading up to this moment, but it was like a thick fog, each memory slipping through her grasp. She glanced around, searching for some sort of clue, but nothing looked familiar. The world stretched out before her—endless open fields beneath a sky bathed in the soft glow of morning's golden light.
She sighed in frustration, slowly scanning the horizon for anything she recognized. Her fingers instinctively moved to her side, where she always carried her rapier.
"My rapier..." Panic spiked in her chest as she realized it was gone. "Shit". She cursed under her breath, the feeling of the loss sinking deep into her gut. The thought of being weaponless only added to the confusion clouding her mind.
"Where the hell even am I?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the breeze.
She sighed deeply, letting the weight of the situation settle for a moment. "Alright, calm down," she muttered to herself. "Let's just keep heading north and get to where I'm going. I'll get another weapon there. It sucks I lost it, but there's nothing I can do now." Her gaze shifted toward the endless stretch of land before her, the rolling fields that seemed to go on forever in the rising sun. "I'm not sure how far we made it, but since it's morning, it's safe to assume we're too far to turn back and get it."
Her fingers tightened around the reins, and she let out another sigh, her frustration barely contained. "I still have that Martial Arts skill anyway. So, I'm not completely powerless." The thought gave her a small sense of reassurance, but it didn't erase the nagging feeling of vulnerability that lingered.
She inhaled deeply, trying to steady her nerves, and then exhaled slowly. With a stretch, she arched her back, working out the stiffness from the long hours of unconscious travel. Her body ached, each movement sending a sharp reminder of the fight she had just survived. But that wouldn't stop her.
Straightening her posture, she refocused on the path ahead, her mind already moving forward.
After hours of traveling north, Celestia finally arrived in Thalora, a city brimming with activity. She guided her horse through the crowded streets, weaving through the bustling market and narrowing alleyways until she reached the inn district.
She approached the first inn she saw and entered. The air was thick with the smell of cooking food, mingled with the scent of wood polish and faint perfume. The innkeeper behind the counter greeted her with a polite smile, but as she heard the prices—thirty silver per night—she felt her stomach churn. For just one night, that was a hefty price.
Turning her gaze toward the street, she glanced at the nearest building: a brothel, one of the more notorious establishments in the area. It didn't seem like the ideal place to stay, but it was certainly cheaper, and she didn't have much of a choice.
With a reluctant sigh, she led her horse to the stables at the back, where a grizzled stablehand greeted her with a nod. "Got room for one more for the night?" Celestia asked, her voice casual though a bit weary.
"Sure, just tie her up over there," the stablehand gestured to a row of empty stalls. After securing the horse, Celestia made her way inside.
The moment the door swung open, Celestia was hit by the heady atmosphere of the brothel. The dim, low-lit hall smelled faintly of incense, mixing with the musk of perfume and sweat. Her eyes flickered across the scene as she entered, her gaze briefly catching the women who worked here.