The leopard stared at Sumit for a long time and said, "I don't want your food. I just wanted to look at the 'so-called' interesting guy whom my husband thinks highly of. As I am unable to see it currently, I hope I can see it during our fight. Good luck, as you will need it."
After speaking her mind, Ishita left as quickly as she had arrived.
"Who was she? Who was her husband, and why does she want to fight me?" Sumit asked himself.
"Well, she is your next opponent, that's why," Jack answered.
Sumit turned around and saw Jack standing with his arms crossed. "Oh, ok... wait, when did you come?"
"Because I am the husband she spoke of, and I was the one who brought her here to meet you," Jack said casually.
"And you wanted us to meet? More importantly, you are married?" Sumit asked.
"I thought that was unimportant so I didn't mention it. But good luck with your match. As I can see, she is quite angry. Well, enough of that. Kid, I will be going for a while and may miss the match, so do me a favor and be her punching bag for as long as you can," Jack said.
"Why?" said Sumit.
"Because if you don't, she might find me after the match and will call me unsupportive again while beating the hell out of me," said Jack.
"Where are you going? If you are that scared, you should stay and watch the match," said Sumit.
"If I were able to, I would have. Now go, the match is about to start," said Jack.
"Ok, I will try my best not to beat her from the start," said Sumit.
"Hahahaha, didn't you hear me? I want you to save yourself from her for as long as possible, because you can't beat her," said Jack.
"Well, we will see about that," said Sumit.
......
THUD!
"Tejas is unable to battle! The winner is Juju!"
WOOOOOW!
A massive roar erupted from the stadium as the announcer declared the result.
"And now, for the next match! We have Ishita of the Leopard Tribe versus Kali Bili of the Human Tribe!"
On cue, both fighters stepped into the arena.
The referee raised his hand—and dropped it.
HONNNNNK!
The horn's echo was still vibrating in the air when Ishita simply... vanished. To the crowd, she was a blur; to Sumit, she was a ghost. She reappeared inches from his face, her fist already a whistling streak of wind.
Sumit barely had time to think. He threw his arms up, instinctually flooding his forearms with shimmering golden aura.
CRACK.
The blow sent him skidding back ten feet, his boots carving furrows into the dirt. The golden light on his skin flickered but held. Gritting his teeth, Sumit lunged forward with a counter-punch, but he hit nothing but air. Ishita had vanished again.
"Where is she—?" Sumit whispered, his eyes darting. The arena was silent, save for the faint scuff of a footstep.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. A primal chill raced down his spine. Without looking, he dropped into a low crouch. A clawed hand whistled through the space where his head had been a millisecond before.
Ishita skidded to a halt, her yellow eyes wide with genuine shock. "How?" she demanded, her voice rasping for the first time. "I was completely outside your line of sight. You couldn't have seen me."
Sumit wiped the sweat from his forehead and smirked. "Why should I tell you?" he said, radiating absolute confidence. In truth, he had no idea how he had pulled it off. He had simply felt a sudden presence behind him and dodged out of pure reflex—but there was no way he was going to admit that to her.
Hearing this, Ishita grew even angrier and launched a furious barrage of attacks. Yet, time and time again, Sumit somehow managed to sense exactly where the next strike was coming from.
BAM!
Sensing an attack was one thing, but having the speed to dodge it was another. Sumit could only move fast enough to evade her some of the time. Finally, Ishita found an opening and landed a heavy punch right across his face, sending him crashing down.
Sumit wiped the blood from his lip and slowly got back to his feet.
"My turn," Sumit muttered. He drew his black wooden sword. With a sharp exhale, he channeled his energy; the dull wood began to hum, encased in a razor-thin edge of golden light that hissed against the air.
He dashed. He swung. He thrust.
It was useless. Ishita moved like water through a sieve. She was a rhythmic nightmare—dodge, dodge, counter-punch. Every time Sumit committed to a strike, she was already gone, reappearing to land a stinging blow to his ribs or shoulders.
"Ha...ha"
Minutes passed. Sumit stood in the center of the ring, heaving for air, his clothes shredded and soaked in crimson. The dust of the arena settled on his wounds. To the spectators, he looked defeated.
"I still don't know why my husband called you an interesting guy but i feel bad for you kid let's end this now" Ishita said.
"Sure, Let's end this" Sumit breathed, his voice steady despite the blood.
He did the unthinkable: he sheathed his sword.
Ishita paused, circling him like a predator. "Giving up?"
Sumit didn't answer. He planted his feet and closed his eyes. The golden aura that had been flickering across his body healing him suddenly surged, flowing like liquid metal down his right arm. It condensed, hardening into a massive, jagged gauntlet of pure light.
Ishita leaped back, wary of the range, but Sumit didn't aim for her. He roared, driving his armored fist directly into the ground.
Sumit had finally figured it out. She wasn't teleporting or appearing out of thin air—she was running. And if there was no ground left to run on, she couldn't move.
BOOOOM
The impact was cataclysmic. The ground didn't just crack; it heaved. The arena floor shattered into jagged plates of stone, sending a shockwave that knocked Ishita off her feet. As she struggled to find balance in the chaos, Sumit scooped up a handful of shattered stones, infused them with unstable aura, and hurled them.
They didn't hit her—they detonated around her.
BOOM.
A wall of dust and golden sparks erupted, blinding her. Through the haze, Ishita sensed a sudden, overwhelming heat. Sumit had diverted every remaining drop of aura into his feet. He became a golden projectile, tearing through the dust cloud.
Before she could even raise her guard, the black wooden tip of his sword rested firmly against her throat.
"My sword may not be sharp without aura but it is still hard enough to cut your windpipe. Surrender."
Staring into Sumit's fierce, determined eyes, Ishita let out a slow breath. "I yield."
"Winner kali bili!!!!"
WOOOOOW!