Megan steadied herself in the air after being forced backward by Tessandra's elbow. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the woman before her, and for the first time, the playful expression on her face began to disappear.
She folded both fists and drew them close to her body. "Supreme Transcendent Series."
Megan launched herself forward.
She crossed the distance between them in an instant and drove a punch toward Tessandra's face. Tessandra calmly rotated her body and redirected the incoming fist toward the right. Megan's momentum carried the attack away from her, and the force behind it descended toward the ground below, tearing through the earth and creating an enormous hole.
Megan didn't stop.
She unleashed a rapid barrage of punches, each one aimed at a different part of Tessandra's body. Tessandra's movements remained calm.
"Soft Touch."
She shifted her hands with precise movements, redirecting every punch rather than meeting them with force. Each redirected attack descended toward the battlefield, destroying more of the land beneath them until the entire region became a field of craters and broken earth.
Megan suddenly threw another punch. Tessandra moved to redirect it.
But there was no impact. It had been a feint. Megan twisted her body and drove her leg into Tessandra, sending her falling from the sky.
Tessandra crashed into the ground. The impact created a massive crater. Dust and debris rose into the air before Tessandra slowly floated out of the hole. A few bruises had appeared across her skin, but her expression remained composed.
She looked toward Megan.
"Your martial arts is really good."
Megan smirked. "Thanks for the compliment."
Tessandra raised both hands, one pointing toward the sky and the other toward the ground.
"I'll let you see what my Circuit can do."
Her aura changed.
"Martial Series — Eight Laws of God."
Tessandra folded her right fist.
"Root."
She punched toward Megan from a distance.
There was no visible projectile.
Yet Megan was suddenly struck by an overwhelming force. Her body was knocked out of the air. She spun violently before crashing into the earth and creating another enormous crater. Before Megan could recover, Tessandra appeared above her.
Megan looked upward.
"Sacral."
Tessandra punched downward. Megan immediately dashed to the side. The punch missed her.
The ground beneath Tessandra's fist was obliterated by the force, sending a violent shockwave through the battlefield. Megan's expression tightened. Every other attack is stronger than the last. Tch.
Tessandra appeared directly in front of her.
"Don't get distracted."
Her fist moved upward.
"Solar Plexus."
Megan crossed both hands in front of herself.
The punch struck her guard. Her entire body was lifted from the ground. The force didn't simply move her—it traveled through her body. Blood escaped her mouth as she was launched into the air. Tessandra followed.
She raised her leg high above Megan.
"Heart Gate."
An axe kick descended. Megan was driven toward the ground. The moment Tessandra's foot connected, space itself cracked around the impact.
Megan crashed into the earth, creating an enormous sinkhole that swallowed the surrounding terrain. For several seconds, nothing moved. Inside the crater, Megan remained motionless. I didn't know she was this strong. Her fingers tightened.
It's embarrassing getting thrown around like that.
Then Megan's aura exploded.
"God's Will."
A purple halo appeared behind her head. Six stars burned across its surface. Megan floated out of the enormous crater, her eyes glowing with renewed intensity.
Tessandra immediately dashed toward her.
"Crushing Point."
Her fist drove toward Megan's face. Megan caught it with one hand.
Tessandra's eyes narrowed. She immediately threw a right hook. Megan used the same hand to block it.
Then Megan opened her palm.
"Supreme Quake."
A tremendous force erupted from her hand. The energy passed through Tessandra's body.
Tessandra coughed blood and was launched backward through the air. She flew several hundred meters before finally stabilizing herself. Megan lowered her hands. Then she began laughing.
She covered her face with both hands before looking toward the sky.
"Yes…"
Her laughter grew louder.
"This is the feeling. I'm not weak. I'm just not trying hard enough. How could I be weak?"
Tessandra stopped herself in midair. The calm expression she had maintained throughout the battle disappeared. She had been holding back. No longer.
Her voice carried across the battlefield.
"Ultimate Apex Arts — Martial God's Might."
The Circuit mark across Tessandra's back began glowing. The markings spread across her body with tremendous intensity.
Her aura surged outward. The surrounding atmosphere trembled. Megan's smile slowly faded. Tessandra lowered her body.
"Desolation."
She kicked. Megan's eyes widened.
The force behind Tessandra's kick traveled across the battlefield like an invisible catastrophe. Megan raised one hand to block it. Then she realized something. "If I take this directly, I'll be injured."
She immediately moved away. The kick passed through the space where she had been standing. The force continued beyond her. It reached the sun.
For one impossible moment, the enormous celestial body was divided by the pressure of Tessandra's attack.
Then the sun split apart. The battlefield was plunged into darkness. Megan stared at the divided sun in disbelief. Tessandra remained suspended in the air.
Megan's expression hardened.
"You will have to die today."
Tessandra looked at her without fear.
"You should consider yourself as the one death pays a visit to. And I heard you earlier. You might be strong for some people, but I know a few utterly stronger than you. So, in a sense…you are weak."
Megan's face twisted with anger.
"How dare you say that to me?"
Her purple halo blazed. The six stars intensified. Megan's aura erupted across the battlefield with overwhelming force.
The darkness surrounding them seemed to tremble beneath her growing power.