Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Where We Come From

The God of Martial Arts

"Neither. My mother was a traveling woman but I am from Konohagakure." Mana replied.

"A ninja perhaps? Taijutsu I assume, if you were one of those fire breathers the Sheikh would've executed you already and you would need ninja tricks to beat Almash." Fajal wondered when the announcer lifted his arm into the air and declared the beginning of the fight. Both Mana and Fajal did not hurry to attack one another. Mana wasn't even sure about how to approach this, technically her redirection and dodging fighting style would've been able to beat any human, no matter their degree of dabbling in martial arts but she had a bad feeling about this Fajal and she was also quite winded after the last couple of fights.

"I was. I am no more," Mana replied in Fajal's manner of speech, the man cracked a grin.

"A woman of few words? Isn't this a surprise..." He took a fighting stance breaking out of his militaristic and strict stance, slightly leaning to the side and lifting his striking left hand into the air, placing his right in front of himself and ready to block, one of his feet was slightly elevated and only his toes touched the ground with that foot, he must've been ready to attack.

Finally, Fajal leaped forward, Mana followed, for a man called the "God of Martial Arts" his speed appeared to be rather human, peak human perhaps but Mana's eyes were certainly fast enough to follow him, her body was fast enough to kick to keep him at bay. That was her strategy, use her legs to keep the man at a range where his fists couldn't reach her, she was a short girl with rather short legs, her growth was not yet completed so the man's fists would've probably reached her anyways but it'd give her maximum time possible to redirect or avoid the blows. Fajal did not attack after the first couple of elbow strikes and punches, he just blocked Mana's responsive kicks before retreating for a moment with a graceful leap back. He wasted no movements, it was like the speed that would've been a peak of human ability to most came of no effort to him. It was at that moment that Mana realized that Fajal was holding back, checking her out, measuring her skill.

"You did not beat Almash, I came here to fight the person who has," Fajal said casually closing his eyes and once again taking his lax militaristic stance, moving his arms behind his back.

"Mana, what are you doing? Do not exchange blows with him, do what you've been doing this whole time!" Bult yelled at her encouraging Mana to stop trying and take her opponent on and instead to try repeating her strategy of avoiding strikes and redirecting them, creating an opening for her to finish her enemy off like she was trained to do by her friends. The magician continued to stare at Fajal carefully, she couldn't do that, not yet. She was too tired, too hurt in her sides. She'd taken a couple of blows and unlike the time when she was still a ninja, every strike left its dent now. She needed more time to breathe freely, correct breathing was integral to her style.

Fajal once again rushed at Mana, his hands still held behind his back, his eyes still closed and his face emotionless and arrogant. The magician tried to kick him right in the face, seeing how he pointed it forward and rushed at her almost taunting her to do so but in an instant, her opponent disappeared, her kick only hit thin air.

"So fast!" Mana thought as she felt a crushing blow at her dominant leg that kept her balance during her kicks – within just a single exchange of blows Fajal had found a weakness in her offensive style and exploited it perfectly. 

A powerful jumping kick made Mana scream in pain as it slammed her tripping body to the rocky ground, the girl could hear the stone beneath her shifting and heard her own body gurgle and crack as it was brought down without any effort from this man's side, when her perception returned to the world of man the sight of her opponent with his eyes still closed and his arms still behind his back greet her. Fajal was walking away from her.