What's New Pussycat?[Amaranta, Ryo ]

"All's fair. I know the saying. At the end of the day, a victory's a victory. However, you win doesn't matter as long as you earn the victory. That said, I'm used to dirty tactics by now. I know of this guy with a gorilla brain who specializes in shit like that."

Referring to Sola momentarily, reflecting on how he defeated her by using her criminal lack of intelligence against her, Amaranta swept the dust away from her eyes as she observed her next move. Instead of following up with further offense, Ryo pulled a blade from its scabbard, drawing energy unto herself. In return, Amaranta grinned from ear to ear, grinding her fists together as spiritual energy pulsed around her fists, embers of friction-formed flame sparking around them.

The conviction in her eyes was admirable. She hardly intended to strike with full force, but she wasn't going to discard all her energy together. In proportion to her crimson opponent, she would match her energy. Shifting her feet forward until only a few meters were separating them, she beckoned Ryo forward.

"Come."

Throwing the scabbard first was a respectable strategy. It displayed that Ryo wasn't a total novice as their first clash might have led her to believe. Distract the enemy with an object and strike them with your weapon. Not bad. Of course, Amaranta's stance, prepared in advance, allowed her to shift her body low enough for the scabbard to soar over her head.

Dropping toward the ground ever so slightly, she caught Ryo's blade and swept her foot outward to disrupt her balance. In the event her tactic earned purchase, she would shoot her fist forward against her blade arm in an attempt to rob her of her weapon. Given the difference in size, it was entirely likely she could evade, but that'd only make her pursue the redhead even further.

"Come on! Try again!"

Manipulating the soil to advantage momentarily impeded her intent to follow up with an offensive rush. Discarding the sword since it served no purpose here, Amaranta violently dashed forward to meet her crimson opponent head-on.

Ironclad though she is, the relentless bravery displayed by Ryo elicited a proud grin. What sensation did her fists experience at the point of impact as they clashed with her bronze skin? Did it hurt? Or was any measure of pain merely ignored by sheer force of will?

Voicing each unspoken question in her mind, she decreased the overall effectiveness of Hierro to allow Ryo an even greater opportunity to earn some measure of damage on her resilient frame. After all, such an ambitious act deserved to be rewarded. Light sparks of fire crackled around her fists as she towered over Ryo, drawn back as though she were attempting an attack.

Of course, there was no such intention at the moment. No, she was merely challenging the woman's will with her own, daring her to strike true with a blow that could leave an imprint on her unyielding form. Aiming to intimidate her and drive her backward, she continued to step forward amidst the flurry of blows to her body. Wherever she struck, she stepped forward.

"Using the environment to your advantage, huh? Didn't expect that one, Ry-Ry. Impressive stuff. Now that you're on the offensive, what else are you going to do with these fists? As you can see, I'm not going down any time soon! Show me how far you can go when you're pushed to the edge!"

It was indeed true that Amaranta wasn't taking this spar seriously to any degree. Of course, that wasn't to say she wasn't engaged. Ryo's sheer tenacity was simply so goddamn exhilarating that she wanted to draw the fight out to see what else she was capable of. In terms of overall ability, even those beneath her presented their own form of entertainment.

She was in Ryo's position in the past, after all. Someone who fought against the insurmountable no matter how great the gap in ability and physicality was. Thus, in the space of a moment she was caught unawares, her neck seized, her face smashing into the woman's knee, Amaranta felt a jolt of what could only be described as battle euphoria. Knee met mouth.

Blood was drawn... and the bronze woman felt a genuine sense of joy raging within her heart. Ah, there it was. It was such a rudimentary attack, a basic offense with little note, but it was effective enough to draw blood. Of course, now that she was here, the leonine woman had no intention of allowing her to escape. Winding her arms about her waist, Amaranta hoisted her body up in an attempt to slam her onto the ground.

"There it is! Hahaha! That's what I'm looking for! What a damn good blow, Ryo!"

"Hell no. Like hell I'll let up on you now! Playtime's over, Ry-Ry!"

Gaining the advantage now, Amaranta had zero intention of allowing her a moment to regain her footing. There was nowhere for her to escape now. At the next moment, Amaranta reeled her fist back, as though she were about to hit Ryo with a ferocious haymaker, one that portended true bodily harm... only to lightly tap the woman on her face with a wide grin as she remained atop her frame, using her full weight to keep her in place. A simple action. As much as she welcomed the thought of hitting her, she didn't believe she was capable of suffering a direct blow with even half of her force behind it.

"I win~"