Chapter 11: Aurelian Kata Shows Its Power

Chapter 11: Aurelian Kata Shows Its Power

I subtly nudged Sierra back toward Big Greg. Greg caught my signal immediately and stepped forward, shielding her behind his massive, three-hundred-pound frame like a brick wall.

I stepped out from behind Greg, my gaze turning icy.

I took three slow, deliberate strides forward.

Just as Ethan’s crew expected me to open my mouth and plead, I shouted, “Screw you!”

My body shot forward like a released spring.

The Aurelian Defensive Kata activated instinctively within my muscle memory.

I raised my palm, swept my lead foot, hooked his front leg, and drove a open-palm strike directly into the chest of the lead delinquent!

The movements were impossibly smooth and direct. Ethan’s crew never expected me to strike first. In their eyes, my lean, average frame looked like an easy target.

In less than three seconds, six of the seven delinquents were sent sprawling onto the pavement, groaning in agony as their momentum was turned completely against them!

Everyone standing around frozen in pure disbelief.

What the hell just happened? Is this kid some kind of secret martial artist?

Ethan and his remaining crew clearly hadn't anticipated this level of lethal skill. The arrogance on their faces evaporated, replaced by genuine shock.

Behind me, Big Greg and Sierra's classmates burst into loud, victorious cheers.

Furious at being humiliated in broad daylight by a single guy, the sprawling thugs scrambled to their feet and reached into their jackets, pulling out weapons.

Iron pipes.

Serrated pocket knives.

They pulled out every street weapon they had.

My eyes narrowed as my fists tightened.

Facing steel with bare hands...

My pulse quickened. I wasn't entirely sure how far fifty percent of Chloe's talent could take me against cold metal.

The six thugs charged at me all at once, screaming insults as they lunged.

Running wasn't an option with Sierra behind me. Taking a deep breath, I raised both hands into an open guard, centering my weight.

The internal principles of the Aurelian Defensive Kata circulated through my consciousness.

As the martial discipline took over, something extraordinary happened: the combined cognitive processing of Chloe’s Intermediate Learning Ability seemed to merge with the kinetic awareness of the Kata.

In my perception, the chaotic strikes of the six attackers suddenly slowed down.

It felt as though I was watching a high-definition, slow-motion sequence in a film.

So this is what the Kata means by redirecting speed with composure!

If you can read the trajectory of an attack before it even reaches its apex, dodging it becomes as effortless as stepping out of the rain.

Chloe’s talent wasn't just a physical martial art—it was a masterclass in combat mechanics and spatial awareness.

A thug thrust a pocket knife directly toward my collarbone. I pivoted on my heel, shifting my shoulder an inch to the left as the blade grazed harmlessly through empty air.

Another swung a heavy iron pipe down toward my temple. I extended my left palm, catching his wrist at the pivot point, redirecting his momentum into the guy beside him, and delivered a swift open-palm counter to his chin.

Within a blur of motion, all six weapons clattered onto the asphalt.

One by one, Ethan’s thugs collapsed onto the sidewalk, bruised, disarmed, and thoroughly beaten.

I stood in the center of the pavement, untouched—though my jacket had a few long slices torn through the fabric.

Fortunately, the blades hadn't even scratched my skin.

Even I could barely process what had just transpired.

I looked down at my palms, feeling the lingering kinetic warmth in my fingers.

This was only fifty percent of Chloe's talent.

Just how terrifyingly strong is she when she's serious?

“Hmph. So you’re actually trained in martial arts. No wonder you’re so arrogant!” Ethan said coldly as he stepped forward, watching me with narrow, calculating eyes.

Arrogant?

Wasn’t I the one being jumped by seven of his guys?

Ethan had been standing by the entire time, carefully studying the techniques I’d used to dismantle his crew.

However, the surge of muscle memory from the Aurelian Defensive Kata filled me with quiet confidence. I opened my mouth to respond, but someone behind me shouted a hasty warning: “Zach! Be careful! Ethan is a senior black belt in the Vanguard Striking Art!”

Vanguard Striking Art?

I paused, looking up at him. Ethan’s face was filled with arrogant contempt, his eyes dark and hostile.

Was this guy really a formal martial artist?

Vanguard Striking was a aggressive, high-speed combat style that dominated regional tournaments. It boasted explosive kicks, relentless pressure, and flashy acrobatic entry moves.

I sneered inwardly. After personally experiencing the subtle, kinetic mastery of the Aurelian Defensive Kata, I couldn't help but feel a thread of disdain for Ethan's loud, force-on-force style.

“Vanguard Striking?” I said, my voice steady and firm. “What’s so special about that? It’s all aggressive posturing. The Aurelian Kata is true kinetic redirection—the pinnacle of hand-to-hand defense!”

“The Aurelian Kata?” Ethan scoffed, his lip curling in utter disdain. “What a joke. That slow, ancient choreography is practically performance art! It’s meant for old men in community parks, not a real fight.”

“Performance art?” I sneered back. “The Aurelian Kata is engineered to subdue and dismantle an opponent using their own momentum. Your Vanguard style is just flashy acrobatics designed to look intimidating. In a real combat situation, it falls apart.”

Ethan’s face twisted in fury. “Fine! Then let’s see how your precious, slow-motion choreography holds up against real Vanguard speed!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ethan exploded forward. He took a massive, heavy step and launched a brutal, high-velocity side kick straight toward my chest. The wind whistled as his boot cut through the air.

Sierra gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in terror. Ethan was notorious across Bellevue High, and his aggressive martial arts background meant very few people ever dared to cross him. Even though my earlier performance had far exceeded her expectations, she still couldn't believe I could stand toe-to-toe with an experienced striker like Ethan.