"Yaksha Princess"
Drake watched as Ikki Kurogane was carried away; his condition required immediate treatment in a regeneration pod.
Drake had used only the fantasy form of his spiritual armor; he hadn't inflicted real damage. Ikki's injuries were solely from One-Sword Asura's side effects.
Though Ikki lost, Drake didn't underestimate him. He made Drake's time at Hagun Academy interesting.
Suddenly, Drake's body stiffened—a primal response to danger. He turned to see a small woman in a kimono with a large bow in her hair. She smiled mischievously, wielding a folding fan.
She was barely 1.4 meters tall—a child. But she was a legitimate cute, a contemporary of Kurono, and the current world's third-ranked KOK League fighter, Nene Saikyo, known as Yaksha Princess.
Before leaving, Drake researched Japan's top fighters; Nene was one of them; her destructive ultimate technique was banned. The last one with this treatment was Kurono.
Nene was a stat monster like Drake—all A-ranks except for E-rank magic control. But Ikki had shown that sword master rank wasn't absolute; Drake was wary of Nene not because of her stats but because she was a Desperado who'd transcended fate.
Nene said, "Oops, discovered!"
Drake said, "You weren't hiding! The famed Yaksha Princess; your aura is too obvious. Don't tease me! I heard you're a temporary teacher at Hagun Academy this year; should I call you Professor Saikyo?"
Nene covered her face with her fan. "So polite…"
She vanished, appearing near Drake. Drake retreated. Nene was surprised; she'd underestimated him.
Drake said, "Is that Torajirou Nangou: Trackless_Step?"
Nene nodded. "Yes! You reacted quickly."
Trackless Step, created by Torajirou Nangou, the Fighting God, was a martial arts technique. Nene, his disciple, had learned it.
The principle was simple, but the execution was magical. The brain can't process too much information at once; it prioritizes information based on subconscious ranking.
Someone pointed at with a gun focuses on the gun; who notices the button type? Trackless Step made the user's movements unimportant information, slipping into the opponent's subconscious.
Countering it wasn't difficult; focus on the desired information, but this is hard to do under pressure. One could also use magic perception, ki, or smell to counter it.
Nene wasn't surprised Drake countered Trackless Step; it was a minor technique against top fighters. Also, Nene relied on abilities, not martial arts; she'd mastered, not perfected, Trackless Step.
What surprised Nene was that Drake resisted the causal influence. As a Desperado, Nene's presence could affect ordinary sword masters' destinies. An ordinary student would've been affected, but Drake resisted. This intrigued Nene.
Nene stepped forward; each step increased her presence; Drake felt heavier.
Nene's ability was gravity manipulation; Drake felt several times the normal gravity. Ordinary people would suffer severe injuries under such gravity.
Drake sensed no malice; Nene wanted him to bow. But Nene's magic control was E-rank; she couldn't control her A-rank magic; she accidentally used dangerous gravity.
Drake, however, was only slightly uncomfortable.
Nene, more interested, was about to increase the gravity when a hand-knife struck her head.
"What are you doing to my student?" Kurono said displeased.
"Ow!" Nene cried, touching her head.
"I was just greeting a student! You worry too much, Kuro."
Drake thought, What teacher greets students like that? He didn't say it aloud.
"If you two have something to discuss, I'll leave," Drake said politely.
Nene approached normally, lifting Drake's chin with her fan. "So considerate! Want a special reward?"
Kurono grabbed Nene's collar, ignoring her pleas.
"Stop it! You're committing indecent assault!"
Drake, uninterested in Nene's history, left. Kurono and Nene became serious.
"Kuro, that young man…" Nene said pointedly.
Kurono nodded. "I know. He's recommended by the Fighting God; he should be reliable."
Nene scoffed. "That old geezer wouldn't do that; it's suspicious!"
Kurono smiled; Nene was only this blunt when mentioning her teacher.
Nene said, "Kuro, I'm serious. You might not notice, but he resisted my causal influence. He's either a Desperado or as strong as me! Either way, it's troublesome!"
Kurono said, "If you stopped smiling, I might think you were worried about me."
They were contemporaries, rivals, and close friends. They were similar—talented, hardworking, and mischievous.
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