Janeus felt as if the ground had been overturned, leaving her with no sense of direction to land properly.
Ron Irus rushed in. He leapt forward and swung his right leg down over Janeus's head.
Thud.
She curled her body, using both elbows and legs to block the sudden attack.
Janeus was knocked flying backward. She landed and hopped on one leg while her body spun horizontally, unleashing a kick.
Ron closed in quickly. A low kick was thrown, but it failed to connect as Janeus had already vaulted over his head.
Janeus's kick struck Ron's neck and chin, violently twisting his head backward.
However, he quickly grabbed her ankle, gripping it tightly until blood began to seep out, while his other hand rose high, ready to smash her bones.
Janeus planted both hands on the ground, pivoted her body, and kicked with her other leg at his head, knocking him aside.
Her body was incredibly flexible, as if her limbs were serpentine.
She drew herself up and stood, assuming a stance prepared for close combat.
She recalled the one who had taught her the royal combat art unique to Janeus—one of the strongest warriors—who had said:"Your mana is very special, Princess."
Ron stood up as if the dizziness from the previous blow did not exist. He twisted his body while keeping his left foot planted, a classic stance for executing a famous leg-based martial art.
A 360-degree kick was unleashed, aimed straight at Janeus's liver—when a strange sound rang out.
Crack.
She had blocked the surprise attack with her elbow, causing fractures to appear in Ron's leg.
"Mana Mutation. It is the weakest type of mana at long-range combat, yet nearly unrivaled in close-quarters fighting."
Janeus burst toward Ron, launching clawing attacks with her fingernails at his groin, neck, and eyes.
Ron could only continuously evade and retreat using different martial arts, but Janeus's speed kept increasing, while Ron began to slow down.
When Janeus accelerated once more and attempted to punch Ron's chin, he braced himself and blocked the blow.
Crack.
Blood splattered again, and it seemed his bones had fractured once more—but the trade-off was necessary, because immediately afterward, he managed to seize her arm and her clothing.
In this world, where magic reigns supreme, close-combat strength is undervalued. People favor using mana to attack one another, which is why martial arts have never been fully developed or widely known.
The same goes for wrestling.
BOOM!
Ron slammed Janeus over his body, smashing her violently into the cold, rock-hard stone floor.
Dozens of meters around them were devastated. The sturdy flooring was shattered and sunk deep from that single blow.
Still not enough—he raised his fist high and punched down at her face, but she quickly blocked it with one hand.
"The reason is that this mana mutates the user's body—healing it, causing mutations, remodeling it, and manipulating hormones in an instant. And it can even alter another person's body with just a light touch."
Janeus's blood-soaked eyes emitted a soft glow as she looked at Ron. Then, one by one, parts of his body exploded—mostly the areas she had struck earlier.
Blood poured out like a waterfall, making Ron look like a zombie, especially since he did not stop but instead stepped back to gain momentum.
Janeus also rose calmly to her feet, nearly uninjured, aside from the blood staining her body.
Ron assumed a fighting stance, his hands relaxed and slightly curled, adopting a posture resembling that of a wrestler.
But Janeus did not approach. Instead, she kicked shattered stones toward Ron.
He knocked away the stones flying at him one after another—until a very small fragment slipped through his defense and partially obscured one of his eyes.
Though he quickly caught it with his free hand, one second of lost vision and information was enough for her.
Janeus charged straight at Ron like a raging bull, tucking her arms and clothing tightly against her chest to avoid being caught again by a wrestling move.
She rushed straight at him, leapt, and curled herself up like a hedgehog. Ron tried to block with his leg, but it was too late—Janeus was already too close, and then—
Stab. Stab. Stab.
Dozens of sharp spikes pierced straight through Ron, bringing him to the brink of death.
And yet, Ron—more precisely, Ron as recalled by the One-Eyed Imposter—remembered a piece of data it had collected in the past.
Back then, its master, the Ron of the past, had brought a stack of drawings to Lunas, and then…
"You want me to look at these childish drawings and… recreate their martial arts style?!"
What Ron had given Lunas were martial arts concepts he had seen in his previous life.
The One-Eyed Imposter decided that the next move would be the finishing blow—the ultimate technique Ron would use only once against an enemy.
Haller's special-operations killing art + a jumping knee + Lunas's finishing move.
The outcome was clear.
…
Somewhere, there existed only a pale pink void.
Within it stood a single crimson bed.
And there was me as well, having just awakened upon that bed. Ah—and one more person. A blonde-haired girl, about my age, tall, with a full and alluring figure.
Her eyes radiated gentleness, coldness, and allure all at once—enough to stir desire in anyone.
Of course, who she was needed no explanation.
"Sophia."
I spoke the first name I heard.