He brought sandbags to hit, pieces of wood to break, and old martial arts books he’d kept since his youth. He didn’t know how to apply all the techniques himself, but he knew the theory: stances, movements, dodges, and attacks.
Benedita learned quickly. Her strength was innate, but she also had instinct. This instinct fueled her with the accumulated rage of twenty-three years of violence, chains, hunger, and humiliation.
Little by little, this anger transformed. It ceased to be a blind explosion. It became movement, precision, controlled energy.
Every day, Benedita trained for five hours and then returned to work on the farm to stay in shape. Months passed. Her body grew stronger, her movements more precise, her stance more confident.
In September, three months before the tournament, Joaquim decided to test her. He stood before her for a simulation.
She took him down in ten seconds.
Joaquim stood up laughing, despite the blood in his mouth, and said she was ready.
The December Tournament
The tournament took place during the first week of December. Baron de Araújo’s estate was decorated as if for a party: colorful lanterns, set tables, live music. In the center, a wooden ring drew everyone’s attention.
Eduarda de Araújo, the baron’s daughter, was watched from the main cabin, dressed in red, her gaze lively and penetrating.
When Joaquim arrived with Benedita, the laughter erupted again. This woman, bought for next to nothing, was going to face trained men. No one took her seriously.
Nevertheless, Joaquim paid the entry fee with his last few cents.
The first match was against Benedita, a butcher from Barra Mansa, a 120 kg man with a thick neck and powerful fists. The crowd was betting on him.
Benedita entered barefoot, dressed in linen trousers and a white shirt tied around his waist. No gloves, no protection. Just his body, his technique, and the fury of a lifetime.
The butcher attacked. She dodged the blow, twisted her body, and drove a hook into his ribs. The sound of bone breaking echoed. The man fell to his knees, unable to breathe.
