Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Where We Come From

Mamoru'ing One's Pride

Gaffu leaped forward, jumping back and forth, trying to blitz around Mana only to leap back to his initial position, he kept on trying to confuse Mana with his speedy movements but the girl's eye, that was trained to track superhuman ninja, kept up. Not only that, to Mana this fight seemed quite hopeless. She merely wanted to test her opponent's skill with that last kick and she ended up almost taking him out, now she'll take him out for sure.

The man screamed angrily telegraphing his attack, a pity since he tried to hit Mana from behind, kicking her right at the back of her head, a connecting kick like that could have killed a person. Mana's body turned around lightning fast, her body was trained by her friends, ready to survive the superhuman attacks of ninja, knowing the best counters and redirection maneuvers. The brunt of the girl's foot connected to Gaffu's leg stopping the blow and with a strong push shoving it backward, opening his body.

A barrage of kicks overwhelmed Gaffu's body making the man quiver and shake, his body twitched without a halt as if it was bombarded by automated fire. For a human, it was as fast as attacks went. The magician was sure that she broke ribs, left internal bleeding wound and kicked him in the head a couple of times, finishing with a jumping stomp at the man's solar plexus that not only crushed his body to the floor but also drove all the oxygen out from his body making him overcome by pain and winded. Attacks like this caused pain and shock strong enough to stop hearts of weaker people and for a moment the magician wondered if this was overdoing it, she expected the man to deal with some attacks at the very least.

This was bad, usually, Mana just went with all of her skills, all of her abilities and didn't hold back unless she fully meant to. Her opponents deal with some if not all of her offensive barrages making them get hurt but never too bad, this man was so unskilled in terms of hand to hand that he just got crushed and tired himself out too much by his own attacks before having to defend. Mana was beginning to feel bad...

"Stop the fight," she asked the announcer looking at the pathetic ball of pain and misery that was down on the floor in front of her. Some people in the public were beginning to cheer for her, once again, the Sheikh's look was absolutely overblown, the man was on the edge of his seat licking his lips and enjoying the show. Everything that she was told of this place was true – it loved combat and martial arts skill most of all. 

There was no money, no fame or glory other than that earned through one's fists and that disgusted the magician to no end. There were people in this world that weren't bad people per se, people that found pleasure and self-discovery through combat and while the girl could begin to understand them she despised such a way of life herself and felt disgusted by the fact it was forced on people who may not have wanted it.

Gaffu stood up, slowly, peeling his ruined body off the ground he took the fighting stance.

"I cannot stop the fight if the contestant wishes to continue," the announcer shrugged. His filthy and smug face covered with makeup disgusted Mana, he was almost smiling while stroking his beard, he was taking pleasure in all of this, seeing a man getting ruined.

"Stay down!" Mana screamed at her opponent angrily. "If I kick you in the face once more – you'll die. If I kick you in the body once more your ribs will skewer your body from inside. Stay down!"

"I can't, this is the only way to achieve anything in this place... If I lose now I may as well place my head on the chopping block..." Gaffu's messed up face somehow spat out. Mana angrily lifted her hand up she was not going to take part in any of this.

Gaffu leaped up to her, she could've punched him, kicked him, elbowed him right in his almost blinded from all the blood running down it and unprotected face but that may have killed him in the state that he was in. She let him hit her but to her surprise, he didn't – he placed his bloody hand to her lips.