Wakatta.
The word settled in Asuka's mind as she stepped away from the ropes and turned to Eliza.
She raised both arms above her head, fingers interlocked, and stretched upward until every muscle along her spine tightened. Then she arched back before shifting to the right, then to the left, loosening the stiffness left by Eliza's kick.
A slow breath left her lips as she shook out one leg, then the next, forcing the last traces of tension from her body.
Her feet shifted across the canvas as her body flowed into position. One hand drew close to her chest while the other extended forward, open and ready. Her knees bent slightly, her weight balanced between both legs, one light and prepared to move at an instant, the other planted firmly like a coiled spring, keeping her grounded.
Then her gaze became fierce, completely focused.
With her lips curving into a smile, Eliza brought a finger to her mouth and bit it.
"Hm…"
How exciting!
"Hmph. You should have taken this seriously from the start," Lili muttered, rolling her eyes.
Eliza began to move. Her steps were slow and deliberate, falling in time with the classical melody drifting through the gym. Rather than approach directly, she moved to the side, circling Asuka.
"Let us see how you handle my sœurette…"
The moment the last word left her lips, her pace changed, her body dropped low.
FWSSH!
She surged forward in a sudden slide, closing the distance in an instant. Her hand lashed out, fingers extended in a sharp strike aimed at the side of Asuka's torso.
PAK!
Asuka's left hand snapped across, knocking the attack away before it could connect. In the same motion, her right leg drove upward.
WHAM!
The knee shot toward Eliza's face with brutal precision.
Eliza jerked her head back at the last instant, her hands dropping to the canvas to steady herself. Using the momentum, she twisted the body and swept her leg low across the mat.
FWSH!
Asuka sprang backward into a back handspring, her body flipping cleanly through the air as the kick sliced through the space where her legs had been. She landed lightly on her feet and, without wasting a second, moved again—bursting forward before Eliza had any chance to recover, closing the distance in an instant.
Dropping low, she twisted sharply, her body turning almost horizontal as her left leg snapped around in a vicious circular whip.
"HA!"
FWSH!
Eliza had no time to react. She threw one arm up beside her head, elbow raised high, while the other braced against it.
TCHACK!
"Gh—!"
The kick slammed into her guard, knocking her sideways and forcing her body to tip hard to the left.
Yet instead of collapsing from the force, Eliza let her body flow with it, rolling across the floor before rising gently onto one foot, the other extending behind her for balance.
"My… were you trying to kill me?"
"..."
"Very well, then."
The two surged forward at the same time. As they closed the distance, Asuka swung a hook toward Eliza's side, but Eliza slid low and struck the incoming fist aside with the palm of her hand.
PAK!
Capitalizing on the movement, she launched herself upward while twisting her body and delivered a straight punch to Asuka's face.
THUD!
"Tch—!"
Before Eliza could pull back, Asuka seized her extended arm and yanked hard, dragging her forward as she drove her head toward hers.
Before the headbutt could land, Eliza placed her free hand on Asuka's shoulder and stepped hard onto Asuka's hip. Kicking off that leverage point, she launched herself into a mid-air flip, breaking Asuka's grip instantly as she soared into the air, positioning herself to crash down on top of her.
But Asuka stepped forward, letting Eliza drop behind her. The instant Eliza's feet touched the ground, Asuka whipped a fast kick toward her back.
FWSH!
Even without seeing it, Eliza reacted instantly, dropping into a full split just as the kick sliced through the air, passing right over her.
Outside the ring, Kaido approached Lili and stood beside her without taking their eyes off the intense exchange. He kept his eyes locked on the ring, his face clouded by a frown.
"She's fighting exactly like you," Kaido remarked, nodding toward Eliza. "It's like looking at a mirror image. She's using your exact techniques."
Lili didn't look back at him. She merely brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, maintaining her poise.
"It is nothing extraordinary, mon cher… Eliza helps me train. It's a rather convenient arrangement."
A sly, knowing smile then played on Lili's lips as she tilted her head.
"En fait... I almost wish Asuka manages to defeat her."
Kaido's face lit up at the words. A genuine wave of relief and satisfaction washed over him. He discreetly clenched his fist, a silent gesture of support for Asuka.
"… good to hear that," he said, unable to hide the warmth in his voice. "Honestly, it'll be great for her."
Lili found his reaction amusing. A soft chuckle escaped her lips, though her eyes quickly narrowed back down toward the arena.
"Oh, don't start celebrating just yet," Lili warned, her tone shifting to a sharp, playful tease. "Because the real trouble begins the moment Eliza stops playing around."
- - -
Inside the ring, Asuka drove a heavy heel drop straight toward Eliza's exposed shoulder.
THUD!
Eliza collapsed flat against the canvas, letting the attack slice above her. Pivoting on the floor, she whipped her legs low in a counter sweep, forcing Asuka to leap back, both bouncing to their feet instantly.
What followed was a violent exchange at breakneck speed—a collision between Kazama precision and the refined, almost theatrical grace of Lili's style. Strikes met parries, kicks met evasions, neither side allowing even a breath of control.
PAK! WHAM! TCHACK!
But, as the seconds ticked away, Asuka's instincts kicked in. She had fought Lili too many times. Beneath the visually perfect imitation, she caught a familiar flaw—an old, predictable delay right before a specific transition.
Anticipating, she ducked underneath the strike, stepped into Eliza's blind spot, and unleashed a brutal wave of pressure. Punches and heavy hooks rained down on Eliza, shattering her borrowed rhythm and forcing her entirely onto the defensive.
PAK! WHAM! TCHACK!
To Asuka, it was familiar… the same pressure. the same rhythm. The same overwhelming elegance she had faced before—Lili in their last exchange.
And yet… something was off. A hesitation, buried so deep it barely existed. A fraction of delay between transitions, subtle enough but not to her.
Her body moved before thought could settle. She slipped beneath the incoming strike, stepped into Eliza's blind side, and detonated forward.
PAK! PAK! WHAM!
A storm of punches shattered Eliza's rhythm, heavy hooks tearing through the borrowed elegance and forcing her entirely onto the defensive. She staggered, her posture breaking for the first time, her balance tipping dangerously off-center.
Asuka dropped into her stance, gathering everything into a single point of release, and drove upward with a fully charged Demon Slayer.
"HYAH!!"
Her fist cut through the air with explosive force and slammed clean beneath Eliza's jaw.
CRACK!
The impact lifted Eliza off her feet. Her body arced through the air—
THUD.