Raising a brow at the standing woman, I snorted as I pushed back my chair and stood up as well, meeting her scarlet gaze and asking "Aren't you Beliali's meant to have a sharp tongue? That was rather childish and blunt, Satanya."
She sneered at me further, though I just shook my head as I looked to the side, where the center of the hall was; I had been hearing the sounds of wood scraping against the flagstones, but upon turning my head I could see that the Demons were clearing out a space for Satanya and I to fight, making me wonder just how deeply fighting was ingrained into us Demons...
Not that it mattered, since my knuckles were currently itching for the familiar burning pain of a fist fight, while my heart had already begun to beat quicker inside my chest, warming my entire body up as adrenaline began to course through my veins.
Walking around the table, the Demoness glared at me and shrugged off her leather coat, tossing it to one of the Demons standing around the open space that had been made and revealing her thin, yet toned arms, the woman still having the sharp aura of a warrior around herself.
That sharp aura that was made even clearer as I took in the sleeveless black top that was clad to her torso, putting everything on display without an ounce of shame, while the Demoness in question unbuckled her various blades and handed them away as well.
I mirrored her, unstrapping the Gladius that hung on my hip as well as taking the three extra daggers I had hidden away out, handing them to Anput as my Jackalkin fiancee stood behind me, her serious expression as she stared at Satanya with a neutral gaze making me snort quietly.
In fact, both Kat and Leone had neutral gazes as well, their eyes locked on the red skinned Demoness as they prepared to watch the fight, though I could see both of their fingers twitching as they held themselves back; Kat was even more obvious for me, the smoldering anger that burnt deep inside herself made known to me thanks to our bond, though I gently sent her a reassuring bout of love to help her restrain herself.
I also warned her to keep out, even if that made the Dogkin switch her stare from Satanya to myself, clearly dissatisfied with that 'order'.
But, I didn't think on it too much as I turned back to Satanya, who had taken a few steps forwards and lowered her stance slightly, the muscles in her calves bunching up noticeably.
"Well, let's get this over with then, shall we? Go ahead. Make the first move."
I took a step towards her as well, and upon hearing my dismissive words the red skinned Demoness snarled "Don't get too fucking arrogant now, reject."
"Reject? For not being amongst the Clans? I do believe the history books make it quite clear why the Asmodia's are not here."
Satanya didn't reply, and most of the crowd frowned at the light jab sent their way, though no one said anything as they watched Satanya closely, wondering if she was going to make the first move or not.
She didn't disappoint, launching herself forwards at an incredible speed as she swung her fist forwards; not towards my face, nor towards my upper chest, but instead towards my kidneys.
The Demoness fought 'dirty' and with explosiveness, and she was damn quick; almost too quick, but as I stared at her closely I felt like she wasn't moving as fast as she actually was.
A benefit of training with not only Mom but also Lady Fenryas was making itself apparent more and more as I got into close quarters combat; few could match their speed, and since I had been blitzed by them multiple times before...
Stepping back and to the side, I felt her fist slide just past my stomach, the Demoness stumbling forwards as her momentum carried her forwards, past me.
Momentum that I aided as I grabbed her wrist and yanked backwards, adding some more and resetting the fight as we flipped sides.
Spinning on her heel, the Demoness lunged back towards me like a feral animal, but even as she snarled at me she kept her body under control, using that explosiveness to leap up towards my head this time, her fist arcing towards my cheek.
I winced slightly as I reached up and caught the punch, only to wince again as Satanya grinned at me, her other fist slamming into my abdomen once, twice, three times in quick succession, each punch holding an incredible amount of power for the short amount of distance they traveled.
Squeezing her smaller hand in mine, I made that grin disappear as her metacarpals began to fracture and break, while her fingers slipped free from their sockets, making her hiss in agony as I destroyed her hand.
As I let her hand go, I felt her knee slam into the same spot on my abdomen, only for her to go flying as I swung straight against her jaw, the woman traveling a few feet before sliding across the ground.
Rubbing at the spot on my side, I grimaced as I felt one of my lower ribs move freely, while the pain coming from the organs inside continued to grow; even with the immense pain flaring from my side, I continued to walk over towards the other Demoness, who had barely managed to get to her feet, her eyes slightly hazy as blood trickled from her lips.
I towered over her, and as my shadow fell across her face, Satanya looked up before finding herself on the ground again, with her knee bent an odd way as I slammed my boot into it before my fist collided with her jaw again.
Taking a knee beside her, I dragged her up by her horn and wrapped my arm around her throat, flexing the muscle as I muttered "Three taps... If you surrender, tap my arm three times. Otherwise..."
Squeezing her neck tighter, I placed my other hand on her shoulder and pushed gently, making her eyes widen as she felt her cervical vertebrae begin to distance themselves from one another, the muscles and discs beginning to strain as I applied just a bit more pressure, the threat obvious.
If she didn't surrender, I would yank upwards and end her life swiftly, the damage done to her spine sending the rest of her body into failure swiftly thereafter...
She tapped my arm three times quickly, and I released her and stood up, looking down at the Demoness indifferently as I said "You're quick, certainly, but without a blade and some surprise, you're weak. Understand that, accept that, and perhaps you'll learn how to become stronger... or don't. I don't care either way."