Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies-Chapter 57 : Impressed
The dojo was completely silent.
Arthur lay sprawled across the polished wooden floor, his body motionless after the brutal kick that had sent him crashing down moments ago.
The faint creaking of the wooden boards beneath him was the only sound echoing through the hall.
Julia stood a few steps away, looking down at him.
Her expression was calm.
Cold.
She spoke quietly under her breath.
"He was no different than the others after all."
She turned around, clearly intending to leave the center of the dojo.
But before she could take another step—
Yuna’s voice echoed through the hall.
"Now, now... don’t be so hasty, Julia."
A smirk slowly formed on Yuna’s face.
Julia paused.
Just as Yuna had spoken—
A faint groan came from the floor.
A muffled one.
"Ghh..."
Arthur’s fingers twitched.
Then slowly—
He began pushing himself up from the floor.
Julia’s eyes widened slightly.
Arthur groaned in pain as he forced his body upright.
"C’mon... where the hell are you going?"
His voice was rough and strained.
"I’m still conscious..."
He wiped a small line of blood from the corner of his lip.
"So don’t you dare look down on me."
Julia stared at him in surprise.
"You survived that?"
Arthur slowly got back on his feet.
His body still swayed slightly from the impact.
But he lifted his fists again.
"Let’s go... one more time."
However—
Inside Arthur’s mind, the situation was far less heroic.
’Fuck...’
’She almost broke my jaw...’
Arthur winced slightly.
’If it wasn’t for the Voidmorph Carapace absorbing most of that impact...’
’I would’ve been knocked out cold.’
The system’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[You are cheating and she still knocked your ass out cold, Host.]
Arthur immediately replied internally.
’Shut up.She’s the one cheating with that ogre-like strength.
And besides... she has been trained since childhood.’
’She’s in a completely different league from me... and her rank is much higher than mine too.’
Arthur exhaled slowly and steadied his stance.
Just as he fully stood up again—
Julia spoke.
Her voice was calm but firm.
"You should give up."
She looked straight into his eyes.
"You cannot defeat me.Can’t you see that?"
Arthur looked at her.
Then he shrugged slightly.
"That doesn’t matter."
Julia frowned slightly.
Arthur continued calmly.
"If sparring with you helps me grow even a little...Then I’m all for it."
For a moment—
Julia remained silent.
The dojo once again fell into a tense quiet.
As Julia spoke, her voice steady and confident, she said, "Then come. I’ll show you the difference between us."
This time, Arthur made the first move.
He slid his feet forward. His body stayed low and steady. He bounced lightly on his toes like a boxer, constantly changing his angle.
He did not look at Julia’s face.
He watched her shoulders.
He watched her hips.
He watched her balance.
𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣.
Arthur’s left fist shot forward.
𝗝𝗔𝗕.
A quick punch toward Julia’s face to test her speed.
Julia did not flinch.
Her eyes followed the movement of his shoulder before the punch even arrived. She tilted her head slightly to the right.
The punch cut through empty air.
Arthur was already watching her weight shift.
He stepped closer, moving inside her defense. His right shoulder rotated.
𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣.
𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦.
The straight punch fired toward her jaw.
Julia’s eyes flicked to his hip. She understood the punch before it arrived.
Her hand rose calmly.
She brushed his wrist and guided the strike past her shoulder.
"Your punches are fast," Julia said calmly. "But they are easy to predict."
Arthur noticed something important.
Her shoulder turned before she attacked.
Before he could pull his arm back—
Julia stepped forward.
It was not a normal step.
She closed the distance instantly, moving inside his guard. Her open palm drove forward toward the center of his chest.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
Her palm slammed into him.
Arthur felt the force travel through his ribs and down his spine. His feet lifted slightly off the mat. His balance broke.
He stumbled backward two steps.
The air rushed out of his lungs.
Julia’s eyes watched his feet.
She saw his weight shift too late.
So she attacked again.
Her hip rotated.
Her leg snapped upward.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
The kick smashed into Arthur’s ribs below his raised arms.
Arthur saw the movement a fraction too late.
The impact shook his side like a shockwave. Pain spread across his ribs and down his hip.
His legs collapsed.
He dropped to one knee, grabbing his side.
His breathing became shallow and sharp.
"Down," Yuna said calmly from the side.
Arthur dragged in a painful breath. The air burned in his lungs.
His arms trembled as he forced himself back to his feet.
Julia studied him carefully.
His posture.
His breathing.
His guard.
"You should stay down," she said.
Arthur raised his fists again.
His left eye was already swelling.
"I’m still standing."
Arthur began circling slowly.
His eyes followed Julia’s body carefully.
Not her fists.
Her shoulders.
Her hips.
Her center of gravity.
He searched for patterns.
Julia stepped forward again.
Arthur attacked first.
𝗝𝗔𝗕.
His fist snapped toward her face.
Julia watched his shoulder rotate and slipped smoothly under it.
Arthur kept moving.
𝗝𝗔𝗕 — 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦.
The second punch flew toward her jaw.
Julia raised her forearm and blocked it, absorbing the hit.
Arthur turned his hips sharply.
𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗞.
The punch curved toward her head.
Julia ducked under it easily.
Arthur had expected that.
The moment her head lowered—
He attacked the opening.
𝗧𝗛𝗪𝗔𝗖𝗞.
His leg snapped outward.
The kick struck her thigh solidly.
Julia slid back slightly.
She glanced down at the impact.
Then looked at him.
"A boxer who kicks, huh?"
Arthur kept his guard high.
His arms were starting to feel heavy.
"I use whatever works."
Julia’s expression hardened.
Her eyes sharpened.
She stepped forward again.
But this time—
Her speed exploded.
Her hips rotated.
Her leg shot forward.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
Arthur saw the kick racing toward his ribs.
He raised his forearm to block.
But the impact still shook his entire arm.
Before he could reset—
Julia stepped inside his guard.
Her fist drove into his ribs.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
Arthur felt the air leave his lungs.
Then—
Her elbow rose sharply.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
The strike smashed into his cheek.
Arthur’s vision blurred instantly.
The world tilted.
He collapsed to the mat as the breath exploded from his body.
"Down," Yuna said.
Arthur lay on the mat gasping.
The lights on the ceiling spun slowly.
The taste of blood filled his mouth.
Julia stood over him.
Her breathing was calm.
She wasn’t even tired.
"You cannot keep getting up."
Arthur rolled slightly and forced himself upward.
His legs trembled.
But he stood.
Julia frowned.
’Why... does he keep standing?’
She had fought hundreds of matches.
Champions.
Challengers.
No one of her genration came even close to her.
Most people gave up the moment they saw her standing as their opponent.
Julia had been called a genius her entire life.
A genius.
A monster.
A natural talent.
But no one saw the endless training.
The nights when her hands bled.
The repetition.
The pain.
They only saw the result.
Julia looked at Arthur again.
Blood ran from his lip.
"You cannot win," she said.
Arthur nodded.
"I know."
Julia narrowed her eyes.
"Then why continue?"
Arthur wiped blood from his mouth.
"Because this is how I improve."
Arthur stopped bouncing.
He planted his feet firmly.
His eyes focused on Julia’s shoulders again.
His mind replayed every movement she had made.
’Before the palm strike... her shoulder turns. A small opening appears.’
Julia attacked again.
Her palm drove forward toward his chest.
Arthur didn’t block.
Instead—
He copied her technique.
His hand brushed her wrist and redirected the strike slightly off line.
Julia’s palm hit empty air.
For the first time—
She paused.
Arthur stepped forward into the opening.
His fist slammed into her ribs.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
Julia stepped back slightly.
She looked down at the impact point.
Then back at him.
"You copied that."
Arthur nodded.
"Well... I’m a fast learner if i do say so myself."
Julia attacked immediately.
Her leg smashed into his thigh.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
His leg went numb.
Her elbow rose again.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗠.
Arthur collapsed to the mat.
"Down," Yuna said.
Julia stared at him again.
’Why... does he keep getting up?’
Most fighters would have quit already.
Arthur forced himself upright again.
His breathing was rough.
But his guard lifted again.
Julia spoke quietly.
"You are badly injured."
Arthur nodded.
"I can still move."
Julia stepped forward again.
Arthur’s eyes locked onto her shoulders.
’Now.’
Her leg lifted for a high kick.
Arthur stepped inside the kick instead of retreating.
He sacrificed defense to gain position.
His leg drove forward.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
The kick struck Julia’s ribs.
She stumbled slightly.
Arthur saw the opening.
He attacked immediately.
𝗝𝗔𝗕.
His fist snapped toward her face.
Then—
𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
The punch landed squarely on Julia’s jaw.
The sound echoed across the room.
Julia stepped back two full steps.
For the first time—
She had been pushed backward.
Silence filled the room.
Julia slowly touched her jaw.
A faint red mark appeared.
She looked at Arthur.
"You are learning during the fight."
Arthur nodded.
"I remember everything I see."
He looked at her directly.
"And I know something else."
Julia remained silent.
"People call you a genius."
Her expression stayed calm.
Arthur wiped blood from his cheek.
"But talent alone cannot reach this level."
Julia’s eyes sharpened slightly.
"You trained harder than everyone else."
The room grew quiet.
"I can see it in your movements," Arthur said. "They are clean. Simple. That isn’t talent alone. That is work."
Julia stared at him.
No one had ever said that before.
Arthur raised his guard again.
His arms trembled.
"That’s why you are a perfect opponent to improve myself."
For a moment—
The tension softened.
There was understanding.
But it vanished just as quickly it appeared.
Julia stepped forward as her figure blurred.
Her fist drove into Arthur’s liver.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
Arthur froze instantly.
Pain exploded through his entire body.
Her leg followed.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞.
The kick smashed into his ribs.
Arthur dropped to one knee.
He tried to stand—
But his left side refused to move.
Julia stepped closer.
’Just stay down damn it.?’
Arthur forced himself up again.
Julia spun.
Her strike crashed into his temple.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗠.
Arthur collapsed instantly.
His body hit the mat.
𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗗.
This time—
He did not move.
Only his chest slowly rose and fell.
The room was silent.
Yuna walked forward and checked his breathing.
"He will recover."
Julia stood nearby, looking down at Arthur as she nodded her h ad in response.
"He memorized my movements during the fight," she said quietly.
Yuna nodded.
"His mind adapts quickly."
Julia crossed her arms.
"He predicted several of my attacks."
Yuna smiled faintly.
"I also saw that."
Julia looked down at Arthur again.
For someone like her—
That was rare.
She had fought many strong opponents.
The ability to keep learning in the heat of a fight is something only a few possess.
"This guy has some serious potential and talent."
When those words reached her ears, a gentle smile blossomed across Yuna’s face as her smiled deepened, carrying a quiet sense of satisfaction.
As julia said looking towards Yuna.
"Master, when he wakes up, tell him that next time I won’t leave an opening."
Yuna replied calmly, "You can tell him yourself when he wakes up."
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A/N:
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