Trials of the Multiverse

I took a deep breath.

Even though I joked around a bit, seeing how much this meant to her made things awkward.

I set up this whole scheme to trick her into fighting me, but she's here thinking that winning will make some magical love revelation happen with Loid.

Love can mess with your head if you let it. That's what I'm scared of.

Despite that, I don't want to brush off her feelings.

Call me a scumbag for taking the easy way out instead of being upfront, or call me an idiot for caring about the feelings of a literal rock I have to step on to continue on my path, but...

I didn't want to disregard her emotions just like that.

I'm scared of what she feels because I don't want to end up like her, but I get where she's coming from.

Turning down someone's Determination isn't just about pushing a stronger one onto theirs, in my opinion.

My own [Determination] has to completely overshadow hers.

...Or something like that.

All these thoughts raced through my mind in less than half a second, thanks to my talents, skills, and overall Combat Prowess.

As we paused our intense exchange of blows, the loud cheers died down.

Tension settled, and all I could hear was the rapid thumping of my heart.

Without her knowing, I strained my [Photographic Memory], attempting to grasp the key concepts behind her style.

I was unsuccessful so far, as the talent required to completely understand someone's style in barely a minute is currently beyond my abilities.

Yet, it's something. I was learning how to fight properly against someone stronger than me.

After a few exchanges, I realized that [Run] is one of the most useful skills in my arsenal.

It might sound simple—ignore air resistance and run faster, right?

Not at all.

Air resistance, a reaction that occurs when you try to move air in any way, is what fatigues us when we run, slowing us down...

The details could go on, but essentially, this seemingly basic skill might become a powerhouse in the future, maybe even a cornerstone in my [Sky Sword Art].

---

As the seconds ticked down, I decided to focus solely on the fight.

Shifting from a defensive stance, I chose to take the offensive.

I closed the distance and aimed a straight punch at her abdomen.

She was ready to block and counterattack, but that's when I threw in a twist.

Before my arm fully extended, the punch changed trajectory, now aiming for her chin.

Caught off guard, she managed to dodge enough to just graze her skin as the blood on my hands smeared part of her face.

Fiona Frost still had inhuman reflexes. It wasn't going to be that easy...

This was only possible thanks to a mix of [Sky Footwork], [Run], Karate and my own understanding.

There were side effects to this, though.

Surprising opponents is good, but the recoil from such moves isn't negligible.

I cannot do that too many times. My muscles already hurts.

Despite the escalating pain all over my body, I pressed on, fully aware that the current situation could tip the scales in this battle.

Relying on my physical strength once more, I was determined to tip the scales in my favor by forcing her in a defensive stance until she couldn't take it anymore.

Yet, things took an unexpected turn.

The dull thud of a punch connecting reverberated through the arena. 

She allowed one of my punches to land squarely, catching me completely off guard.

The first time this happened, she had suffered enough damage to distance herself, but now...she withstood it with her body alone.

I did not manage to push her even a single bit.

Stunned, I failed to react in time, unable to evade her subsequent punch she threw at me that hit so hard even my [Turtle Shell] was completely powerless.

The force sent me reeling, a stark realization echoing in my mind – this wasn't good.

My chest bore the brunt of the blow, blood filling my mouth.

The metallic taste in my mouth intensified as I struggled to maintain focus.

The cumulative damage began to cloud my senses. I wasn't accustomed to such a brutal confrontation; even my first encounter with death hadn't inflicted this level of pain, which made my body not yet used to it.

Yet, amid the haze, a resolute thought emerged – I had to win this fight.

If I don't, I will die.

No matter the pain, the injuries, or anything else, a fierce [Determination] fueled me. I calculated what was left of my strength, aided by [Sixth Sense] and [Observation] as time within my mind was stretched to the maximum.

[Your [Determination] has laid judgement. You will have to win this fight. If you don't, you will lose--]

[For the Duration of this fight, your limits to [--] and...]

[Your Talen--]

[--]

.

.

.

Now was not the time.

As I let all the prompts appearing in front of me disappear, my gaze only held her in my vision, for I knew what I had done without needing to read them.

What had been limiting my strength so far?

Well, the fact I needed a sword to be capable of releasing my full strength. Without it, I couldn't exactly perform the Sky Sword Art, right?

But I was wrong.

There was something I was missing.

I did not necessarily need a physical sword.

As long as I could do what a sword did using my hands, then there was no need to use a sword...

[Your Talent [Sword]--]

Of course, the effect will be pitifully weak, perhaps even damaging my own fighting style I was developing mid-fight, but the focus had never been my future growth.

[Your Talent [Sword] strongly--]

Right now, I needed to defeat the woman in front of me.

[You have understood a core principle of your Sword Art. The Talent [Determination] has created the temporary Skill [Hand-To-Hand Sky Technique] which will substitute the [Sky Sword Technique] necessary to use the [Sky Sword Art] during this fight]

[As a price for this action--]

I quickly used the [Sky Sword Art] before she could continue pursuing the edge she had as I was finally ready for what would be my last action while remaining conscious.