"Oh, this is nice. Look at these shoes." One of the young cultivators called, showing Luna a set of high-heeled women's shoes with a frilly top.
She looked down at her own feet, safely encased in a pair of well-fitting rangers boots that laced to the knee, and then shook her head.
"Not enough ankle support. That pointy heel looks like it could be pretty good if it hit a delicate part, but I don't know a style that fights like that."
That made Cain and the Sect Elder chuckle. The concept of fashion totally escaped Luna. She wore whatever was comfortable and practical and didn't really care what it looked like.
"You have a point. The lady in the window of that shop was wearing them though, and they looked nice." The young cultivator explained.
"Oh, this shop is actually good. Three spiced veggie kabobs for a silver coin."
The boys all looked at Luna in shock. They literally just finished eating, how could she be hungry again?
Luna handed the man a few coins and tossed the bag full of kebabs in her inventory for later, whistling happily as she thought about having a new food to try after the sparring matches.
"There is the arena. It looks pretty quiet today, so we should be able to get a few rounds in before challengers start arriving." The Sect Elder nodded happily.
"So you can just stand here and wait for people to challenge you to a sparring match? That's a bit strange, but a good way to make new friends." Luna observed, looking at the few people having breakfast in the lower bleachers.
"Should we draw straws or does someone want to go first?" The Elder asked his group.
"Bentley is the easiest to fight, he should go first." One of the cultivators volunteered his compatriot.
"I'm not the weakest. But I will go first, and show you all that you're wrong." The boy in question said proudly.
"Luna, remember, just the Blood Sands Style, and try not to burn too much energy." Cain reminded his daughter.
Being Spirit Awakened, he wasn't too scared for her safety, but she was still a baby Lamia at heart and was likely to go overboard at some point.
"Also, this is a sparring match. If they're not as strong as you, don't hurt them too much." Cain added.
Luna nodded, then gave him a thumbs up and jumped into the ring with a Scimitar in each hand, twirling them idly to get used to only having two arms.
Her opponent jumped down to meet her, and the people in the stands whistled over to someone outside the arena, bringing dozens of locals over.
"Is it a grudge match, a duel, or a sparring match?" A burly woman with a tattooed face asked Cain.
"Sparring. The young fellows needed experience against a dual-wielding fighting style, so they will be facing my daughter there."
The Woman looked down at Luna with a concerned frown. "I hope she doesn't get hurt too badly. These sparring matches often end in real violence, and the rules forbid the Elders to interfere."
Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, it would be good to leave here on decent terms with at least one group in this new world.
A referee in golden robes wearing an armband marking his job entered the ring. "This is a sparring match with blunted weapons, fought to first blood or forfeit. Do you both understand?"
Both contestants nodded, intensely observing their opponent, waiting for a chance to strike. The referee used an ability that coated their blades in energy, dulling the edges without changing the balance, and signaled the fight to start.
"Good. Begin. "
Luna was never a patient person, and a split second later, her blades were streaking for both sides of the boy's neck. He swayed back and parried the attack as Luna frowned at her lack of reach. She had momentarily forgotten she had legs right now.
But she followed up with a series of gracefully flowing strikes that kept her opponent frantically dodging and evading. He was totally overwhelmed, but so far he hadn't taken a hit.
Luna was holding way back on her maximum speed though and had realized that despite being a similar level, she was many times faster while merging with Oath Breaker on top of possessing a much stronger and faster body, to begin with.
"I had thought she was going to be a Magic Type fighter, but she isn't. That level of physical prowess is impressive." The Elder congratulated Cain.
"She is a born natural. You should see her when she really gets going." Cain agreed.
Luna made a double overhand chop that everyone but her opponent could see through the moment she started it. But nobody warned him when the foot flicked up at his tender bits.
He managed to sway his hips back to save his family jewels, but that put him off balance and the swords drove his upper body down into the kick which Luna had turned into a knee strike, knocking him out cold.
Nothing would be damaged but his pride and the crowd roared in appreciation of Luna's victory.
She was basking in the glory, so Cain decided to increase her difficulty level a little bit for the next fight.
"Elder, this style is best against multiple targets. If you want to really see how it works, could you send three acolytes down there?" Cain asked and the crowd fell silent.
"Are you sure? It could be dangerous." The Elder hesitated.
"She should be fine. Three is the same as one with the right fighting style. You can do this, right Luna?" Cain asked.
"No problem dad. It would be a pleasure to really get to go all out." Luna agreed.
The Dark Elves Royal Guard Combat Style was indeed meant to fight while outnumbered and use both blades and feet independently.
The three strongest acolytes jumped down and helped their friend out of the ring, then bowed to Luna, who returned their greeting.
"Please teach us, Junior." They asked.
"It would be my pleasure," Luna replied happily, not sensing the hostility.
The referee started the fight and the boys all lunged forward, while Luna flipped into the air, spinning her blades below her to drive the incoming attacks to the ground, then kicking one boy in the head.
"The way the damage echoes to the others. I've never seen a Blended Mystic and Physical style like that before. I see why you said it was best against a group, they all have to defend or they all take damage." The Elder said excitedly.
Cain had a skill that could do the same, but less effectively. If the Elder really liked it, Cain might work a deal to sell their Sect a copy.
Luna dashed between blades, nimbly dodging attacks with a cat-like grace that reminded Cain of Nemu. The first shared attack made the fighters nervous, and they initially flinched away from her blades, slowing themselves down to avoid hurting their allies if they got caught.
"What a deviously beautiful style. So incredibly fast as well, it's that part of her training?" The burly woman asked Cain.
"It's essential to the style. If you're too slow you'll just get beat up before you can land a blow. It's not all physical speed though, there are skills involved as well. Just wait, she's losing the rhythm now that they're working together and she's going to either blink or cloud dance soon." Cain replied.
The big woman grinned. "Cloud Dancing with twin blades? Was she training to take on an entire army?"
"No. I have a wide variety of skills and it takes at least that much just to keep up. She's always been a Daddy's Girl." Cain laughed, making the big woman's grin turn into a warm smile.
Finally, the boys managed to get in sync and force Luna on the defensive. Then, she used the Oath Breaker's movement skill and blinked behind them, smacking two on the backside with the flat of her blades and laughing as they tried to turn around without letting her target their legs.
Two of the three fell in a tangled heap while the third disengaged and tried to get on the offensive again.
Moving at her full speed, Luna unleashed a flurry of blades and drove him to the ground, earning a whistle from the referee to mark the end of the fight.
"Excellent match. I haven't had that much fun in forever. Would you like a Kebab?" Luna asked happily, handing out some of the skewers that she bought earlier.
"You're a bit odd, but you're a really good fighter. What I don't get was how you actually damage your opponents. I didn't see any serious attacks in there anywhere." The strongest of the boys asked.
"Just add a bit of energy to the regular strikes like so," Luna said, using [Chop] and an energy blade extended around her regular sword.
"So you suddenly increase the reach, and bypass your opponent's guard? What if they don't fall for that?" He asked, eager to learn something new.
"Then you start with the advanced skills. Shield Breaker, Crushing Blow, Disarm, and such." She explained.
"So, we didn't force the Inner Sect techniques out of you. Well, at least we learned something. Thank you for the kebab." Everyone jumped up out of the arena, and a middle-aged cultivator with a mask on his face came over to talk to Cain and the cultivators around him.
"I don't suppose you would consider selling the acolyte?" The man asked Cain.
"Zero percent chance of that." Cain agreed.
"Then I challenge you to a duel. Winner takes all." The man demanded, and the crowd roared in anticipation.
[Name] Uriah
[Species] Human
[Level] 496
[Awakened] Spirit
That could be a tough fight, but Cain was quite sure that he could come out victorious, even if it meant fighting a little dirty.
"I will oversee this match since the mortals want to fight so much." A booming voice came from above and Cain saw a man riding a sword wearing the same gray robes as the Innkeeper approaching.
[Name] Ezekiel
[Sect Master of the Divine Light Sect]
[Species] Human
[Level] 602
[Awakened] Immortal
"Crap, it looks like I really will have to fight today." Cain sighed.
