Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 9: The Second Fight Of The Entry Exams! Miri Vs. Astran Part 1!

After walking away from Navar's hospital room, Miri returns to the arena, the fluorescent lights of the room inviting her in. Once she approaches the stage, 499's eyes flicker toward her. "Miri Okayasu, are you prepared for your battle?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You have ten minutes to warm up before the battle."

"Alright," To prepare herself for the fight, Miri goes through a series of stretches and rehearses her four-dagger fighting style, enthralled at the opportunity to finally unveil her skill. "Now is the time I can use my fighting style on someone not from Wellfort. Finally, I'll see if those years of training were for nothing."

Astran prepares for battle by taking deliberate swings of her blade, the sound of metal ringing in the air. She pauses, her gaze fixated on her reflection in the blade, her expression hardening. "Now is the time to figure out if coming here was worth it. A brand new start, a new chapter in my life. I hope I'm ready for it."

After warmups are done, 499 pivots to face the bleachers. "The second fight between Astran and Miri is about to start. The rules are the same as in the previous fight between Navar and Juyon. None of the combatants can kill one another, and if you step out of the arena during the match, it will be counted as a loss. If you feel as if you cannot continue, raise your hand. Do both fighters have any more questions?"

"No, sir," says Astran and Miri.

499 raises his hand in the air and lowers it. "Okay, start!" At the onset of the battle, Miri and Astran dash toward each other, the wind whisping behind them as they run at breakneck speeds. Miri tosses two daggers in her ankle slots and leaps, the sensation of gravity pulling her body downwards as she descends upon Astran with a downward dagger-wielded front flip kick. Astran plants her feet in the ground, then, with a grunt of effort, heaves her heavy blade upward, stymying Miri's attack and sending her soaring into the air. While Miri is in mid-air, she performs a backflip before settling onto her feet. Her eyes trace the length of Astran's blade, feeling a sharp pang of concern at its thickness. "Breaking through her defense won't be easy," Miri thinks to herself.

"Her four-dagger fighting style mixed with her martial arts is a very overwhelming offensive technique. It'd be wise to rely on my defense and counterattacks to win this battle. Then, once she's drawn out, I'll attack with a powerful attack," Astran thinks to herself.

Miri inserts two daggers in her wrist slots, then throws Astran a daring glance, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "What's wrong? Are you too afraid to attack me?"

"How about instead of standing there and running that mouth of yours, why don't you try to attack me?"

"Watch me," A rush of wind follows Miri as she sprints toward Astran.

"Here she comes," Astran's fingers curl around her sword's hilt, and she moves it leftward, brandishing a defensive stance. Miri quickly closes the gap between her and her Astran, striking with a series of dagger-wielded kicks and punches. Astran's blade moves in a blur as she swivels it left and right, blocking Miri's onslaughts. As Astran continues to block Miri's attacks, she makes a misstep and feels her balance shift, her fingers slipping from the handle of her sword. "Shit!" Astran's face becomes exposed because of her falling defense, and Miri connects on her cheek with a dagger-wielded kick slash, drawing blood.

"I need to regroup! My defense is falling," Astran bounds backward with a series of jumps, quickly shifting from left to right. Though she moves away, Miri pursues her and continues a flurry of dagger kicks and punches. She sways her blade to the right and left, her muscles straining as her sweat pours down her face in her efforts to keep up with Miri. "Blocking these attacks so much is causing me to get exhausted," Miri kicks to the left, but Astran's misread of the attack direction leaves her midsection vulnerable as she blocks to the left. "Dammit! That's a mistake!" Miri spins and delivers a powerful kick, sending her dagger flying across Astran's rib cage and causing Astran to fall. While Astran is grounded, Miri retaliates with a fierce punch, her dagger ripping through the air.

Astran moves her head to the side to avoid the attack, then she grabs Miri's arm and flings her over her shoulder. Miri gracefully twirls through the air and then, once she lands, bolts toward Astran, her feet pounding the ground with each step. "Damn, she continues to pursue me. How much stamina does she have?" As Miri sprints toward Astran, Astran adjusts her blade, feeling its weight sink below her waist and bracing for the impending counterattack. Miri leaps forward and spins in the air, her dagger glinting in the light as she executes a 180-degree dagger-wielded spin kick. Astran thrusts her sword to stop Miri's attack, but Miri quickly clambers onto the blade. Miri performs a front flip and then transitions into a downward dagger-wielded kick. Astran manages to block the attack, but the force of Miri's kick causes Astran to lose her grip on her sword. "Shit! I'm wide open for attack!"

Miri lands on the ground, and with one smooth motion, she somersaults backward, her feet sending Astran's blade skittering away. "Now I got her!" Miri springs into the air with a front flip, and as she descends, she uses her dagger to deliver a diving kick that sinks into Astran's thigh. "Agh! Damn!" Astran grabs Miri's arm and throws her aside.

Miri pants heavily, her chest rising and falling after the series of attacks she unleashed on Astran. "All those attacks I performed on her are now wearing on me. I need to get away to catch my breath,". Miri executes a series of lateral leaps, each one creating a wider gap between her and Astran.

Astran wraps her headband around her right thigh to staunch the bleeding. "It seems I underestimated her attack capability. I need to use JōKai Amplification to block it," Astran thinks to herself.

Miri dashes forward, her daggers gleaming in her wrist slots. Astran tightens her grip on her blade and brandishes a defensive stance, feeling her body strengthen. "Focus... Focus..."

Miri pulls her arm back and throws a forceful, sharp dagger-wielded right hook. Astran thrusts her sword forward, blocking the attack with a loud clang echoing throughout the arena. "Ursa Impact!" Miri takes on the full force of Astran's block, and it nearly sends her flying out of the arena.

Miri picks herself up, brushes off her clothes, and looks at Astran with concern in her eyes. "This seems like that same technique Juyon and Navar used in their battle," Miri thinks to herself.

When Navar sees Astran using JōKai Amplification, a deep sense of worry settles in his chest. "That clear aura around her is the same as Juyon, and I used during our battle. Hopefully, Miri can learn it as fast as I can. Don't get discouraged Miri, you got this." Navar thinks to himself.