The two stepped forward with complete composure, separating themselves from the others, who immediately backed away to give them room.
Orion left his corner and hurried to Kyle's side, clearly eager to see Na-Ri's fighting abilities when she was not facing beasts. Kyle, however, remained preoccupied with thoughts of how to break through quickly before the impending danger, a threat only he seemed to fully understand.
The pretty boy assumed the role of a spectator without Kyle requesting it.
It quickly became clear that Orion's main intent was to irritate him.
Recalling that one of the residents had called him a clown, Kyle could not help but be surprised by this behaviour and wondered how Orion had managed to reach such a level with such lax attitudes toward the requirements.
How could he be so devoted and still manage to achieve all of that, or was there perhaps an easier way to meet the requirements...?
Orion began explaining the capabilities of the two figures now in the centre of attention, his tone full of delight:
"What you are seeing here is a serious battle about to unfold, and yes, both of them are extremely skilled. Na-Ri is undoubtedly the stronger of the two. She has mastered more than forty-eight martial arts, while the other person, whose name I honestly do not care to know, is a master of the old Karate style. It is technically useless against beasts, but it does give him a solid edge in this kind of duel. Among all of us here, there are three fighters considered the very best. I am not one of them.
"Na-Ri holds the number one rank, while the nameless fighter stands at number three. We will not debate who is number two, but as you can see, Na-Ri will clearly win. She is someone who prefers to take her time and enjoy the process, watching how things unfold."
Kyle looked down and then back up at Orion, who was nodding proudly, as if he were a father watching his daughter become a world star.
It was immediately clear that the pretty boy was completely biased in favour of Na-Ri, despite the fact that Mr Vincent, the instructor, had explicitly mentioned the other boy's name.
Kyle paused for a moment and realised he could not even recall the other boy's name. He understood it was because his mind had been preoccupied with too many things.
This current situation provided a strange relief, a momentary pause from everything that had been thrown at him.
The instructor addressed the two standing at the centre with his indifferent tone:
"Both of you are free to use any martial art you have learned, but this is only a spar and there are two simple rules. First, neither of you may inflict injury upon the other. Second, the first person whose back touches the ground loses the match."
The boy, whose name scarcely seemed to matter, placed his hands behind his back and stood upright with studied composure, fixing his attention entirely upon Na-Ri, who retained her detached air throughout.
The space between them carried none of the animosity of sworn adversaries.
It resembled instead the poised stillness of two fighters: one intent on prevailing within the bounds of propriety, the other regarded as victor long before the first movement was made.
Kyle watched with muted anticipation. He had little doubt as to the result.
Na-Ri's advantage was self-evident.
Even without particular refinement in martial skill, her standing as a Tier 3 ensured greater speed, stamina, and strength than her opponent, who lingered at Stage One and also Tier 1.
The crowd waited under the slow strain of expectation until Mr Vincent at last gave the signal for the match to commence.
The boy moved first, driving forward in a sudden lunge.
Dropping into a low stance, he pressed inside Na-Ri's reach and delivered an oi-zuki aimed squarely at her midsection.
However, Na-Ri did not shift her stance.
Her gaze tracked the attack with faint impatience before she inclined her body to one side, allowing the fist to pass her ribs.
In the same instant, she answered with a backfist that caught his jaw cleanly.
He staggered backwards but caught himself before falling.
The residents muttered with amusement.
It had become apparent that she was merely toying with him, prolonging a contest that ought to have ended in a single instant, given her superior speed.
'There she goes again, looking down on everyone. Typical of her,' Kyle remarked inwardly, his gaze remaining on the pair.
Mr Vincent was not blind to what was taking place, yet he chose to overlook it.
After all, she had broken none of the stated rules.
Moreover, her method offered its own value: it tested the composure of her opponent.
If he truly claimed mastery of karate, he would not permit emotion to cloud either his movements or his mental balance.
Should irritation govern him, then he was not prepared for the next stage of training.
The boy regained his stance, though irritation had already settled upon his features.
This time he surged forward with a mae-geri, the front kick snapping upward towards her torso.
Na-Ri merely pivoted, caught his shin in her palm, and with a smooth sweep of her rear leg executed a textbook de-ashi-barai, knocking his supporting foot aside.
Once more she allowed him to regain his balance, her expression remained as detached as ever.
Kyle felt a flicker of pity for the boy, for he was being publicly embarrassed, each failed exchange underscoring his lack of control due to emotional outbursts despite his growing effort.
The boy quickened his pace, stringing together more fluid combinations: a ura-zuki directed upward, followed immediately by a kagi-zuki hook.
Na-Ri permitted the first strike to slice through the air, slipped past the second with a slight lean, and punished his overextension with a short, snapping elbow that drove across his ribs.
He wheezed but pressed on with dogged determination, sweat was already streaking his brow.
Na-Ri's movements never lost their languid quality, and it was almost difficult to follow her transitions.
Her speed was genuinely astonishing.
She shifted seamlessly between disciplines: a Wing Chun pak-sao parry that brushed aside his strike, a low Muay Thai teep kick that checked his advance, and a sharp judo foot reap that nearly toppled him once more.
Every technique she borrowed was delivered with smooth precision, but it was deliberately restrained again and again.
The boy, who was now desperate, lowered his stance and drove forward in a committed rush, his arms sweeping out in an attempt to grapple her into a clinch.
She drew in a measured breath, brushed her hair back from her face, and prepared herself.
For the first time, Na-Ri's gaze truly settled on him.
She permitted the grab to close, then pivoted on the ball of her foot, dropped her hips, and executed a crisp seoi-nage, the classic shoulder throw.
The world spun for him as his shoulders lifted, and then he slammed flat on his back.
His eyes rested on the dusty floorboards as the breath jolted out of his lungs in a single grunt, and when he blinked, Na-Ri was already walking away with her hands tucked behind her back.
The boy remained where he was for a moment longer, dazed, the match concluded before he had even realised how thoroughly she had been holding back.
Orion leapt up in delight, while Kyle stayed as stunned as the boy on the ground, whose name only then returned to him.
'...She's a monster. I never doubted it,' Kyle muttered, staring at the fool beside him who was still bouncing in celebration.
Mr Vincent merely shook his head.
He did not bother to announce the victor, for it had been plain to all. Instead, he moved directly to the next stage of the day.
'That was a fine challenge. We will now proceed to the new martial art training: Systema. Most of you will not even know what this is, I am certain…'