Chapter 35: Humiliation in Red
Joren spat on the dirt.
"Don’t act proud. You just caught Deon off guard. Let’s see how you handle all of us."
He dropped low into a stance, arms wide.
Halsey grinned, stepping up beside him.
"I’ll crush her ribs. You take her arms."
Marek hesitated, then moved in slowly, trying to circle around to her side.
Dahlia exhaled, lowering her center of gravity.
Three on one... fine. Master’s training was harder than this.
Joren lunged first and closed the distance in a heartbeat, his palms reaching for her shoulders.
Dahlia sidesstepped and drove her forearms into his chest, forcing him to stumble, but he caught himself and grabbed her sleeve.
Dahlia then twisted, broke his grip, and hooked his arm. With a sharp pull on his elbow and a turn of her hips, she...
Wham!
Joren was flipped over her shoulder and crashed to the ground while Dahlia quickly stood over him.
"Your form is still too sloppy, slow, and heavy."
Before she could take and crush his token, Halsey barreled in, roaring and swinging his fists wildly at her.
He managed to graze her cheek, but Dahlia quickly ducked low, letting his second punch pass over her head.
She then stepped in close and shot her knees up into his stomach.
Thump!
Halsey coughed, spat, and staggered back, gasping for air.
Dahlia spun and kicked him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.
Marek panicked, rushing in with both fists.
His trikes came quick, like a flurry of jabs, but Dahlia only raised her arms and blocked each one of his blows.
But the fourth one managed to graze her side, quickly slipping into his space, grabbed his wrist, and twisted.
Marek shrieked as his body bent forward.
Dahlia pressed him down, locked his arm, and took the jade token from his belt.
His eyes quickly went wide as he shouted in panic.
"NO!"
Crack!
Light quickly swallowed him and in an instant he was gone.
Dahlia only smiled, wiping sweat from her brow.
"One down, two to go."
---
Halsey roared from the ground as he rolled into his knees.
"You think that makes you strong?!"
He charged again, but Dahlia didn’t back away.
She slipped aside and smashed her elbow into his jaw, whipping his head sideways.
But it was not over as she followed with a front kick that sent him tumbling.
Before he could rise, she pounced, pinning him down.
Halsey threw desperate punches, but she caught his wrist and slammed it to the dirt.
She leaned down, smirking as she whispered.
"You rely too much on power and not on control. That’s the reason you lost to me."
Dahlia then took his jade and crushed it.
Light quickly engulfed him before he could even curse Dahlia.
"Two down."
---
Joren groaned on the ground, clutching his ribs. He forced himself up and frowned.
"You little bitch! You think this is enough to break me?!"
He quickly changed into his stance, but still his breath was shallow, his legs shaking.
Dahlia only smiled as she stepped forward and reminded him.
"Stand tall if you want, but in the end, I’ll still knock you down."
He roared and rushed to her again, trying to lock her arms.
Dahlia moved in, planted her feet, and let him come.
At the last second, she twisted, hooked his arm, and threw him over her hip.
He slammed into the dirt again, and this time, he was coughing up some blood.
Dahlia didn’t hesitate as she stomped on his chest, pinning him down.
She then bent down and forcefully took his jade token.
"WAIT! DON’T...."
Dahlia only smirked as she tightened her grip.
Crack!
The last one was gone.
---
Garion leaned back in his seat, a wide grin tugging his lips as the screen replayed all of Dahlia’s fights.
She had basically dismantled all four of them without even breaking her rhythm.
"She didn’t even go all out. She is still hiding under that robe. If she took it off and moved freely, those boys wouldn’t have lasted this long."
He flexed his fingers once, imagining the frustration boiling in the elder seats.
Sure enough, when Garion looked at him, the man’s face was stiff with rage as he stared at the same screen.
Garion tilted his head and chuckled softly.
Your little disciples had just been beaten by my disciples, and not only one but four of them. It’s really interesting to see your face.
Around the elders, other elders from other sects whispered.
"Four of his disciples, eliminated so quickly?"
"Embarrassing. And by one girl, no less."
"She doesn’t even fight with mana. Just what sect she is from?"
The red-robed elder’s face went hard as stone.
His hands gripped the armrests until they cracked, and the elders around him began to whisper something.
But he didn’t hear them. All he could hear was the dull thud of his own pulse and the angry words in his head.
He glanced once at the emptiness on teh screen where his four disciples had fallen before standing up and leaving.
As he left, he quickly muttered to himself.
"This girl... whoever trained her... has no right to humiliate my disciples."
He clenched his fist in anger, and his eyes flashed cold.
"I will find the sect that had raised her. If it is just a small sect, I’ll grind it to dust."
Those who managed to hear him fell silent. Some offered a careful nod while others shifted uneasily.
Garion watched him go, and a slow, satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"If he’s looking for trouble, let him look. Still, I’m curious though... he’s angry enough to ack. That means our little girl really made an impression."
In the clearing, Dahlia yawned and stretched, still oblivious to the one she had angered.
She blinked toward the sky and tightened her robe, thinking only about the next stage.
Far above, a plan began to form in the elder’s mind on how to take this revenge in the best way.