Chapter 16: 2 months before the present 

2 months ago, within Whale Forest on Zou.

A large figure was seen flickering through the forest area and constantly putting heavy pressure upon their opponent.

Cat Viper did not go easy on Alyssia and continued to put her under greater pressure because he found that the greater she had to endure, the faster her growth speed was when it came to progressing in her Martial path.

Even without the use of Electro, Cat Viper still had the upper hand in the fight because of his fast speed which made him difficult to hit, but there were times when Alyssia was coming close to hitting him so he couldn’t slack off during their sparring anymore.

She stood motionless in place and focussed on her surroundings as he leapt from tree to tree in order to ambush her, but her senses had been honed over years of training her Detection ability, so she was able to keep track of him.

For years she had suffered under the Cat, but while doing so, she had been forged into a tough warrior mink who would be ready to leave Zou soon. In a couple of months, Zunesha would reach the closest that it could get near the Red Line before it changes its route again so she wished to leave at that time.

Her pointed kangaroo ears perked up as she listened intently for any signs of movement, even the tiniest movement when all of a sudden, she changed her stance to perform a Roundhouse Kick while turning her body around to gain more spin on her kick.

Just as her kick was about to land on the Cat, he cleverly jumped back to avoid it and could not help but show a look of approval. 'If it wasn't for my Observation Haki~nya, I would have been hit ~nya.'

He used this miss of an attack to exploit an opening on her quickly and break through to her, but before he could do so his Observation Haki told him to wait patiently.

His move became as if he was stepping into the fight, but stepped back at the last moment when the roundhouse kick was about to land. The kick passed him, but continued to spin in a circular motion and this time her other leg was lifted up into the air as her heel was going towards his head If he attempted to step forward again.

No longer willing to give her any more opportunities as he knew that her gaps were lowering as her skills improved, he used his Observation Haki to the best of his abilities to find a chance to break through her defence with his faster speed.

After missing her two defensive sweeping strikes on her opponent, she fixed her position and was still on the defensive thanks to the pressure that he put on her like a predator stalking its prey.

Her left leg landed behind her as the other was placed forward, facing her opponent, and just as she was about to push herself forward to hit him, he stopped before getting hit by her previous hit but she closed the gap with a front kick with her left leg bought forward.

If it were another opponent, it may have landed but against a Haki user, she had no choice but to risk it and not use feints as her opponent would know of her intentions and exploit that moment to turn the tables.

She had no choice but to be straightforward with her attacks and go all out without any tricks as she had learned this lesson many years ago through many painful experiences, either she could find a way around it or she could master the same Haki, so she could also read her opponent’s movements just like they are reading hers.

Sadly, reality would not allow her to land a hit again as the Cat narrowly avoided the kick and moved within her defences. He swiftly dealt a heavy punch towards her stomach, which sent her falling back like many other times, but this time she was able to change her stance after her front kick with the help of her tail.

As she brought back her left leg, her right leg was lifted to guard with the knee and shin as her body weight was supported by her tail.

Surprisingly, she blocked the attack with her leg instinctually after experiencing the Cat’s devastating punch several times before and began to counter after blocking, but before she could bring her other foot back to restrict the Cat or hit him, he had already moved to attack her only support.

He moved quickly before she could gain a firm footing and attacked the tail keeping her balanced and as she fell back, he landed on top of her with his claws at her throat smiling widely. "Nice try~nya! You have gotten better~nya!"

Like many times before, Alyssia had walked the road of defeat and built upon what she lacked and overcome the tougher opponents, but this Cat was one of them that could never be underestimated.

However, even the firmest wills can be shaken if beaten down enough times…

If anything, at that moment, she did not feel satisfied with just blocking his attack, but instead felt unwilling to lose yet again.

She lay there with the Cat above her who had once again won and that feeling of not wanting to give in to the impossible odds against her sparked something. 'No…not again. I must win! If I cannot even last that long then how am I ever going to reach the top of the world?! Get up body! Up! Up! Up!'

The weight of the Cat pressed her body down and his claws at her throat made him the winner, but suddenly he felt a change in the air and noticed Alyssia's fiery eyes full of determination and defiance.

Suddenly a shockwave-like presence spread out from her body which made others close by be intimidated, kneel or collapse while in her presence.

Some young minks that were training nearby got swept up in the feeling and collapsed to the ground losing consciousness, while others felt a heavy pressure on their bodies for a moment.

After releasing a wave of Conqueror’s Haki, Alyssia passed out too, unlocking Conqueror’s Haki and exhaustion from fighting and training for most of her time in the forest was too much for her body.

Looking at her sleeping body which had no idea of what she had just done, Cat Viper whispered. "It is just like Master Oden~nya. To think that one of my own people would possess the disposition of a King~nya."

He looked a little troubled over what had happened, as he knew that such people were a rarity in the world and they would either die early or would go on to do great things. He had no choice but to accept the reality in front of him. 

"Now that she has shown potential~nya, I will have to teach her what I know of Armament and Observation Haki~nya but I cannot help her with that~nya… what a shame~nya. Hopefully, she can find someone when she leaves Zou to teach her further~nya."

Little did he know that, now that she had unlocked her Haki, she could just purchase the Knowledge necessary to train in it from those that have a high Mastery but she still needed to meet a Conqueror’s Haki user.

Cat Viper picked her up and carried her back to her home to rest. "After unlocking Haki she will feel a little drained~nya. It would be best if she gets some rest for now~nya."

The next morning Alyssia opened her eyes and then closed them to check something.

The system no longer showed N/A on the Haki panel, but instead showed the Haki that she could train in, purchase knowledge of or upgrade to the next rank which also included the option of Conqueror’s Haki.

Upon seeing this, she shut and opened her eyes several times before getting up on her bed and bouncing up and down while cheering happily. "Ahahahahaha! Finally!"

Finally, her long stubborn pursuit had paid off and she had unknowingly not only awakened her Haki skills, but also acquired the very rare Conqueror’s Haki.