Chapter 20: First Real Fight
The scar-faced leader’s lips curled into a sneer as he watched his group being easily defeated.
"How can this be? Aren’t you two just lower-stage cultivators? How can you beat all four of them? All of them are tempering-stage cultivators!"
Garion only smirked, stepping forward and locking his eyes on the leader.
He then pointed at him, turning back to Dahlia.
"Dahlia, he’s going to be your training partner, now."
Dahlia blinked in surprise.
"Master! He’s at the tempering stage! I can’t fight him. And also, don’t forget that I have just finished working out; my energy is spent."
Garion shrugged.
"Did you forget it already? Your cultivation keeps working on its own every day. And also, it quickly healed you, so you must have recovered some of your energy."
He tapped his chest once.
"And besides, technique beats raw strength if you use it right. Now use what you’re taught and defeat him."
Dahlia could only swallow and nod, though her hands were trembling.
She could still feel her muscles tired from the workouts earlier.
But still, as her master said, her energy had recovered somewhat, and her breath was steady.
The leader’s face quickly turned to anger the moment he saw that Dahlia was the one facing him.
"How dare you send a girl at me! Are you mocking me right now?"
He then quickly took out his sword, eyes reddened in fury.
"If that’s the case, then I’ll cut your precious disciple down."
Garion only grinned.
"Mocking you? No. It’s just that your strength is only enough to be the practice dummy for her."
The leader ignored Gairon as he turned to Dahlia and sneered, stepping forward.
"Come, girl. I’ll show you the fate of the people trying to mock me."
Dahlia’s leg quickly felt like rubber.
For a moment, she staggered and nearly fell. The bandit leader only laughed.
"Is this the one who dared come and face me? Are you kidding me?"
Garion smiled as he walked behind her, placing his hand steadily on her shoulder.
"Remember what I taught you. Breathing and form first. Don’t rush. Focus and try to use the best possible moves."
She closed her eyes momentarily and let her mind slow. Then she opened her eyes and readied her stance.
"Yes, Master."
The bandit leader then rushed to her, swinging his sword in a fast arc.
Dahlia quickly knew the sword’s path, but she was too slow to duck under it, and the sword managed to slash her shoulder.
She stumbled backward, and pain quickly flared in her shoulder.
Not only was it painful, but she felt ashamed, unable to dodge it, although she already knew it.
Garion looked at her condition and smiled.
"Dahlia, do it again. This time, watch his wrist and do it slowly. This is just a practice. Don’t worry too much."
Dahlia heard it and nodded.
Master is right. This is just a practice fight, and it’s the first time I’ve fought. It’s no wonder I make mistakes the first time.
Dahlia breathed deeply and focused more. She watched how the bandit moved his whole arm from the shoulder.
When the bandit came again, she moved with her hips and slid forward, catching his hand with both of her palms and twisting.
The leader swore at her and tried to pull back, but Dahlia ignored him, using her hips and the arm twist to knock him off balance.
She then dropped low, quickly locked his arm, and pulled him down into an armbar.
The bandit quickly howled in pain as the sword dropped from his hand.
For a second, the leader fought, trying to break his arm free, but the hold kept digging deeper.
Dahlia looked up, furious and breathless. She tightened her hold just enough to deal enough pain without breaking it.
The bandit leader quickly roared in pain and begged her to stop.
"No more, please. You’re going to break my hand. I won’t disturb you any longer."
Dahlia then let go slowly, and the leader quickly scrambled back, clutching his arms.
All of the bandits were now in fear of these two.
Just who are these two? How can they defeat us easily without any mana?
Garion knelt to Dahlia and checked her briefly.
"Good, although there was a little cut, it will heal soon."
Garion then stood up, raising his thumb, approving her.
"And also, good work in doing that armbar. Just keep practicing and you will soon master all those moves I taught."
Dahlia exhaled hard, and a shaky smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Master."
---
Dahlia stared at the groaning bandits, her eyes hard.
"Master, what do you do with them? Should we make them into cadavers?"
The bandits froze. No one knew that word, but they knew it was nothing good from her eyes.
Garion dropped his hand from her shoulder and blinked.
"Cadavers? I already treated the ones in the room, so they were not smelly anymore. We don’t need to add more."
He then laughed, feeling a little proud.
"Still... how merciless is my first disciple? You wanted to kill them?"
Dahlia flushed red, smiling.
"They came to rob us. Just like you said, if we released them, they would hurt others."
Garion held up his hand.
"I get it. But still... for you to think about killing... It’s a bit too fast for you."
He then smirked, thinking about what to do.
"But still, we can’t just let them go. They needed to be punished. And also, they never did a leg day, did they?"
Dahlia’s face shifted from fierce to excitement.
"Master, can I train them? I want to teach them properly. If I correct them, I’ll learn faster too."
Garion nodded, approving her.
"Alright. Let them train until they have no energy left to do evil. Your lead."
Her grin was sharp.
"Gladly."
She stood and pulled the leader by his collar. He stumbled, swearing but not daring to fight back.
The other bandits watched, unsure whether to fight or obey.
But seeing that Garion was here, they didn’t dare to disobey and follow Dahlia.