Forged Destiny [Book 1: Ch. 5]

"This will be a temporary curse," she explained. "It will cause any damage you inflict to add an additional status effect which simulates the damage you would have received in combat. It will also cause complete paralysis when you reach 40% of your aura reserves, at which point the fight is considered over.

[...]

Yang was on me in an instant. The first blow rained down on my shield. For a moment I thought I'd blocked it but the smile on her face, along with the agony that rocketed down my arm, told me she was actually trying to take it out of the equation entirely. A follow-up blow hit the side of it, jerking my arm to the side and letting her place an open-palmed strike to my bicep.

[...]

I blocked her left hook with my jaw, before quickly grabbing her right with my stomach and flipping myself over her head to slam into the hard ground. Yang didn't even give me the time to try and stand up, driving her shin into the side of my ribs and knocking me onto my side. My shield came up at the last second, deflecting some of her attacks as I staggered back up.

[...]

My Constitution was fairly high and I still had around 65% of my aura remaining, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to hers – which would obviously still be full.

[...]

A blow hit my stomach, driving the wind from me as she spun and delivered a kick to the side of my head. When I fell back she kept the pressure on, unwilling to give up the momentum as she sought to bring me down.

[...]

One of her knees hit my back but I ignored the pain, sitting up on her stomach and punching her in the face.

[...]

She recovered quickly, however, bringing up her hands to block before launching a counter-attack herself, catching the side of my neck.

I was losing aura still, 55% now and approaching the point of defeat, but my attacks were having an effect on her too.

[...]

Yang's grin widened, "Bad move," she whispered. Her face flicked to the side as I hit, but it seemed to bounce back as if elasticated – her eyes flashing bold crimson as she smiled, all teeth. An open palm struck up towards my chest but I ignored it. My armour should have blocked it, and from her position on the floor the attack couldn't have had any real force behind it.

Which was why I was caught so unaware when the blow hit hard enough to crack my armour, denting it inwards as air exploded from my lungs. The force was so great that it lifted me a good four inches off the ground before I collapsed back down atop her.

"The match is over!" Miss Goodwitch called, quickly stepping forward lest Yang decide to continue the assault. I'd lost, and pretty badly too. Yang pushed me off her, my limp body falling to the side. I couldn't move and for a second a spike of panic shot through me, had she broken my spine!? I managed to wriggle on the ground, in what must have made for a ridiculous sight, as people started to laugh and point. Light footsteps came closer, before from the corner of one eye I noticed a bushy brown tail and white robes. A cool sensation washed over me, easing the terrifying paralysis, though my limbs were still sore and stiff. The curse, of course… in my panic I'd forgotten all about it.

—Forged Destiny [Book 1: Ch. 5]