Another specialist.

The fight went at speeds that Will’s brain had trouble following. He was being overwhelmed and had to move by instincts and reactions he had yet to hone to a level that let him keep up.

Johana was brutal. The previous attacks had really just been a greeting. Her halberd seemed to create small storms of wind with every swing, and all of those were swings he had to dodge.

His new strengthening technique wasn’t flawless. He could resist hard blows, but every attack he tanked shaved away at it, making it weaker. On top of that, though his speed and strength had also increased, Will didn’t have the technique, reactions or skill to make proper use of it against an experienced fighter.

The punches and kicks he landed felt solid, but Johana took them with little more than a flinch and that savage smirk of hers before retaliating with a backfist of her own.

Will ran, jumped and dashed away and after Johana, and the amazon purposefully matched him move for move, playing with him. It felt frustrating and patronizing, but it was hard to hold it against her.

This was a lost fight. He was still standing, still struggling, but it was clear he couldn’t win. He had nothing that could guarantee victory. Then why, in the second of respite Johana granted him, did he catch himself smiling in between heavy pants?

Just one thing. Just one move that would catch her off guard. A small victory in a lost fight to feel good about. There was nothing he had that could get past her defenses. Johana wasn’t underestimating him. She had her guard up.

…

But if so, then what about…?

Will dashed in again, throwing left and right punches that Johana easily dodged with compact sways of her upper body. But right at the end of one of those punches, Will didn’t fully retract his fist to prepare another hit. Instead he moved it down and groped Johana’s big, firm breast over her black tank top.

It was an opportunity for a point-blank blast of aether, but in the time it would take to get it ready and shoot, Johana would have her elbow deep inside Will’s face. No, there was something faster than any proper attack.

The pleasure was instant. Will’s aether, his sexual energy, completely caught Johana off guard.

“Ahn!” She flinched and slightly bent forward with an erotic-sounding moan. It was such a nice sound that Will had to forcefully remind himself he was in a fight.

He took the split-second chance and delivered a knee directly to Johana’s stomach, making her bend forward even further with a groan of pain. And yet before he could continue the ****, Johana stretched her hand and grabbed him by the back of his head in a firm **** grip.

The amazon lifted her head and looked up at Will with a wide smile. “Oh, that was dirty,” she said, rising. “Your style was so straightforward I totally forgot I was fighting sexual energy. Fuck, you got me good with that.”

Johana leaned in closer, her face right against Will’s, and he could recognize the signs of lust in her eyes a mile away. Then, without warning, she planted a hard kiss on him and licked his lips. What caught Will by surprise was not the kiss itself, but rather how genuine it felt.

Of course that made the punch to the gut feel twice as heavy right after.

“Gah!” Johana let him go and Will felt on his knees holding his stomach, unable to breathe properly. He tried to tell his body to move away, that the finishing blow was coming and he had to do something, but he was paralyzed. Time seemed to stop as Will waited for this all to end, resigned to whatever fate Johana had for him.

…

But the final blow never came.

Instead, Johana sat down on the floor beside him, legs crossed. She put her hand on his back and gently rubbed it.

“Okay, we’re done. I win. Now breathe, William. Relax and let go of that form.”

The words sounded far away at first, but as he began to breathe again, his senses began to come back as well. Will released the strengthening technique, his aura dissipating. Johana continued rubbing his back until Will felt awake again. Then she laughed and threw her arm around his shoulders.

“Oooh, yes! That was good, kid! You had me on my toes! That last move was perfect, too! And that was you fighting, wasn’t it? Not the princess. Holy crap! How long have you been at this? Not for long, right? Your moves are clumsy but there’s a foundation being built there. You have insane potential, William. And you can trust an amazon’s eye. That said… Mind if I ask you something way too personal?”

Will’s head was still spinning a little, and having this strong, beautiful woman so close and speaking highly of him wasn’t helping to settle it down.

“Um… Sure, I don’t mind,” he answered.

Johana nodded and bluntly asked her question. “Why so little love for yourself?”

“Hah?” he exclaimed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I asked. That you don’t seem to love yourself. It looks to me like you tie your own worth to what you’re able to do instead of, you know, being yourself.”

Will’s jaw dropped slightly. He didn’t know what to say to that at all.

“W-Wait, why would you think that?” Nanami asked Johana as she approached them along with her aunt.

“Hm? Because I could tell while we fought, of course,” the amazon answered.

“Ah, that’s right,” Aoi said, eyes widening in realization. “Amazons are specialists as well. Just like succubi and incubi are specialists in sexual magic, amazons are specialists in combat magic.”

“Yep,” Johana said with a nod. “If a succubus can read minds through intercourse, we amazons can understand a person’s character, weaknesses and strengths through fighting them. ‘Two crossed swords say more than a thousand words’ is a common saying amongst my people.”

“And… Why do you say Will doesn’t love himself?”

“Well, he was having fun fighting me. Didn’t you see? But he’s not like me. I love a good fight, but my definition of a good fight varies. Sometimes I want to beat someone up to relieve stress, sometimes I want a good challenge against someone stronger, other times I want a fair duel… It’s like food, in a way. But this kid? He was having fun, but the satisfaction came from knowing he was keeping up with someone stronger, and as such, that maybe there was worth to him. Not sure I can get behind a reason like that to enjoy fighting.”

The three women went quiet, now waiting for Will to say something.

But Will didn’t know what to say.