Chapter 93: A Subtle Gap
"Really, you want to spar with me?" Ronan asked as Hesa rolled her eyes.
"Do you want me to say it again?" Hesa asked as Ronan coughed.
"Let me tell the commanders. Let’s arrange one or two," Yen said with a smile.
Very quickly, the news got around as the soldiers gathered outside the base, and a small fighting arena was formed.
Although it was peaceful, it was inevitably boring. This was enough to spice up the soldiers’ day.
Especially with most of them curious about who was stronger between the adventurers.
They had seen the capability of Basha, but what about Joy? How strong was she?
So even the commanders were interested as the crowd expanded rapidly.
Those at the back could only lament their slowness, as those at the front got the best view.
Yen looked at the two. She couldn’t help but remember the feeling she had when she first saw Ronan then.
She, too, was curious... was Ronan stronger than her now?
"Everyone, welcome to this short spar. To my left is one of our noble adventurers and a One-Star Sovereign Realm being, Joy..."
"And to my right is the well-renowned adventurer who made waves in his first battle. I know him, you all know him, Basha!!!"
The crowd cheered as Peci smiled. He didn’t expect this, but even general was curious.
Because of Ronan’s actions, they were not able to see the true capabilities of these two One-Star Sovereign Realm adventurers.
Could it be they could fight above their realms too?
Alas, Peci would already know the answer to that if he knew they had two traits.
"Let the spar... begin," Peci spoke as the two fighters moved.
Ronan and Hesa had already taken a battle pose. They had changed into a new set of adventurer’s clothing, and this one looked almost spotless: the silver lining across the edges, the long robes that allowed free movement, and the tight trousers they wore.
It was very fitting for battle. One could even hide weapons in the long robes.
Boom!
The two punched out as their fists collided. The instant they did, a fierce gale was released by the shockwave of their attacks, causing those at the front to have their clothes blown back as the general narrowed his eyes.
Peci and the other commanders were stunned as the soldiers cheered.
Just this first clash was this strong?
Those two... was this the power of adventurers?
But it wasn’t over. Hesa had already begun moving, her movements sharp and precise as a kick lunged at Ronan’s neck.
Ronan felt the faint crisis as he brought out his palm to dodge, yet the force was immense as he took a few steps back to balance himself.
Hesa was already upon him once more as Ronan crossed his arms and a punch hit them.
Bang!
This time, the shockwave was much stronger as the onlookers took a step back and the ground seemed to sink.
Meanwhile, Ronan’s eyes widened. From the very beginning he had fallen into a disadvantage.
Was this the strength of Hesa? She was so well-versed in battle that a noob like Ronan could barely react.
Bang!
Bang!
Ronan was being pushed around the temporary ring. Although he was fast enough to dodge, Hesa was fast and precise. Even when he blocked, it left his body in weird angles as Ronan lost his footing one after the other.
And finally, Ronan made a mistake as Hesa’s knee landed on his back.
Boom!
Ronan brought out his forearm as he smashed into the ground, holding his entire body up as he trembled from the force.
This is...
Ronan’s heart accelerated. You must know his bones were stronger than before, not to mention the fact that he had easily killed those five One-Star Sovereign Realm Orcs.
Was Hesa really this strong?
But Ronan couldn’t think much as the air was cut and a sharp whip-like sound was heard.
Ronan hurriedly rolled over.
Boom!
Ronan took a deep breath as he felt he was actually perspiring...
Across from him, Hesa removed her leg as a few-inch-deep hole was revealed.
The soldiers held their breath in shock. Could they have actually blocked that?
They were all at the Transcendent Realm.
They couldn’t even move like Ronan had, nor could they block Hesa’s attack if it were them. They would have been defeated long ago.
As for the commanders like Peci, they were One-Star Sovereign Realm experts, yet their faces were twisted.
They, too, recognized Hesa’s strength. She was by no means weak. Her battle instinct was terrifying. The longer the battle, the more dangerous she became.
Her adaptability meant all enemies’ attacks would eventually be countered, but the thing was, Ronan could barely even defend against her.
How could he attack?
One could say that in this battle, while Ronan seemed to be giving his all to defend, Hesa was barely trying.
"Not bad... do you want to stop here?" Hesa asked as she sighed.
She really thought this would have been different. Maybe she should have asked Yen for a spar instead.
Anyways, Yen was just as strong as she was, but Ronan...
Yes, Ronan had the strength. Even his defense was great, but he was a bad fighter. One could even say he was crude. His moves were easy to see, and it took too long to even initiate an attack.
For someone Ronan was stronger than, it was not a problem, but once he fought those as strong as him, he was at a massive disadvantage.
Ronan stood from the ground, shocked that he was actually sweating hard.
These past few minutes had been torture. He had never felt that tense or focused.
Every attack from Hesa was like a life-threatening event. His body was in a constant state of alert.
Most times, Ronan only felt he would lose or die because of a lack of strength, but now...
He knew he was missing a lot.
He was but an office worker on Earth. He had no knowledge of martial arts or even basic boxing.
He didn’t know how to fight, and now, fighting someone who was roughly the same strength as him, he was at a massive disadvantage. He was like a child to her, wrapped around her palm as he was hit everywhere.
But would he give up?
Ronan, on his feet, raised two fists as he spoke.
"Again..." Ronan said as the soldiers’ eyes widened.
This... this was a real man.
Even the commanders and the general were shocked. Ronan was nowhere near weak, but Hesa was just too experienced. Even with the same strength, she was stronger.
Only Hesa’s expression turned cold. It seemed Ronan didn’t get it.
She moved. Ronan also prepared. He could see her left fist moving. All he had to do was catch it, then either punch with his other hand or drag her over and deliver a knee to the gut, but...
Wait... where is Hesa?
She seemed to have disappeared. No... wait, she was... in the line of his fist.
She appeared to have merged perfectly with his fist.
This couldn’t be.
Ronan spread out his hands to find her and then realized she was gone. Before he could think any further, he sensed a death crisis as he looked down.
Bang!
A fist hit his nose as his entire body was lifted into the air. Blood flowed out as the whole place went quiet, with Ronan in the air. He could feel his nose was broken, blood gushing out of it, and... his eyes... felt blurry.
Did he actually lose?