The Phoenix Nest's training yard stretched out in perfect lines of polished black stone. The golden light of the torches reflected off the floor, highlighting every mark left behind by past battles. The air carried the scent of heated metal and fine dust.
Nojiko moved with calculated precision, her body wrapped in crackling bursts of electricity that pulsed in a rhythmic sequence. Each strike unleashed against the stone target came with a sharp snap, leaving deep, scorched marks.
A few meters away, Kalifa crossed the yard with quick, measured steps. Every distortion of the air around her revealed the opening and closing of translucent portals, controlled with near–choreographic grace. A leap, a spin, and she appeared behind a target, only to vanish before her strike could cross the space.
The cadence between them was silent but constant. No words, only the shared awareness that each blow was a step toward mastery.
Sitting on the edge of a rune–reinforced crate, Alvida watched. Her club rested at her side, its weight supported by the reinforced wood. A bottle tilted between her fingers, the amber liquid catching the light of the yard. Her eyes, though seemingly lazy, tracked every detail of the other two's movements.
She drank another mouthful, letting the heavy flavor slide down her throat. The faint smile on her lips wasn't approval—it was the smile of someone waiting for something to break the monotony.
The rhythm of the training carried on until a new presence crossed the yard's threshold.
Robin appeared under the archway. Her steps were controlled, steady, but there was a new weight in her stride. The light touched her red eyes, freshly awakened, reflecting the quiet intensity she had carried since the transformation.
The movement in the yard shifted almost imperceptibly. Nojiko slowed her electrical sequence, Kalifa closed her last portal with a soft snap. Both cast a quick glance at the newcomer.
Alvida, however, didn't turn her head. She only tilted her wrist, raising the bottle for another long drink. When she lowered it, she finally lifted her gaze, meeting Robin's.
The silence between them was far from empty. It was heavy, like the air before a storm.
Alvida's smile widened, but it held no softness.
"So... you finally stopped playing human."
Robin kept walking, steady, eyes locked.
"Took longer than I expected. I thought you'd stay in your room forever, pretending to be useful."
Her tone carried provocation, delivered with the calm of someone unconcerned with the immediate effect.
Robin stopped just a few steps away. Her face remained impassive, but her eyes hid something unreadable.
"Maybe I took my time. But now, I'm here."
Alvida shifted slightly, resting an elbow on her club.
"Yes, you are... but being a vampire isn't just about fangs and strength. It's about surviving at the top. And in that, Robin... you're years too late."
The silence that followed felt like space carved out just for the answer.
Robin's voice didn't rise.
"Then teach me."
The words fell calm, almost friendly.
Alvida raised a brow, skeptical.
"Teach you? And why would I do that?"
Robin stepped closer, her tone unwavering.
"Because you're a good vampire. One of the best. And if I have to learn from someone... it should be the best."
For an instant, there was even a trace of respect in her voice. But the firmness in her eyes told another story.
Alvida drank again, the liquid slipping down without haste.
"Hm... I could show you plenty. But training with me isn't like training with the Master. I don't pull my blows. And I don't have patience."
Robin inclined her head slightly.
"That's exactly what I want."
Inside, the plan was already set. Training with Riser had molded every reaction, every defense, every strike. Asking Alvida wasn't submission—it was opening the stage to prove, in front of everyone, that she had already surpassed what her rival expected.
Nojiko and Kalifa exchanged glances, stepping back discreetly. They knew the yard was no longer just for training—it was becoming an arena.
Alvida dropped the bottle onto the crate with a sharp clunk. Her fingers closed around the club.
"Then let's see, Robin... did you come to learn, or just to waste my time?"
Robin adjusted her stance, body relaxed, but her eyes glimmered with calculation.
"I didn't come to waste time, Alvida."
[Start – Kalifa PoV]
I knew that look. It wasn't someone asking for help. It was someone who already knew exactly what she was going to do. Robin might speak softly, but her body was too steady, too ready for someone who came to "learn."
Alvida didn't see it. Or maybe she thought it was just the new confidence of a freshly turned vampire. But I'd seen people hide their true intent before a fight, and Robin was hiding it well.
She didn't just want to prove she could fight. She wanted to make Alvida pay for the way she had always treated her.
I glanced at Nojiko from the corner of my eye. She seemed to notice too, but stayed quiet. Good. This kind of scene isn't meant to be interrupted.
Alvida was still smiling, thinking she was in control. But I knew that smile was about to disappear.
And I wasn't going to warn her. Not at all.
[End – Kalifa PoV]
Robin didn't move right away. Her stance stayed neutral, as if she were waiting for a formal invitation to strike first. Her red eyes, however, tracked every micro–movement Alvida made, calculating angles and distance.
The club lifted with an ease that spoke of years of use. Alvida twisted her wrist, warming the grip, the gleam of the metal catching the torchlight.
"SUBE SUBE SPRINT."
Her body slid across the floor as if friction didn't exist. In an instant, the distance vanished.
SHHHHH!
The first strike came from above, heavy and fast, aimed at the side of Robin's head.
BAM!
The impact exploded against the floor when Robin sidestepped with minimal movement. Stone shards scattered, but Alvida was already spinning into her second strike.
"SUBE SUBE WHIP."
The club swept the air in a wide horizontal arc.
WHOOSH!
Robin blocked with her forearm, Busoshoku Haki flashing into existence only at the moment of contact. The shock vibrated through the air, forcing her feet a few inches backward.
THUD!
Alvida grinned wider.
"You're quick... but not quick enough."
She shifted back half a step, sliding in a perfect circle around Robin, using the slick surface her fruit created. The club lifted again, this time carrying the momentum of rotation.
"VAMPIRE CRUSH."
CRACK!
The ground split under the weight of the strike, fragments scattering. Robin retreated two steps, but her eyes never left Alvida. She still hadn't struck back.
"Just defending? I expected more from you, rookie."
Her tone dripped with mockery. The veteran vampire savored every second of control.
Robin drew a deep breath, lifting her hands slightly. The dark mantle of Busoshoku began to form over her fingers, slowly, as if she were measuring time.
Alvida charged again.
"SUBE SUBE IMPACT."
BOOM!
The strike fell like a hammer, Robin crossing her arms to absorb it. The pressure bent her knees, cracked the stone beneath them, and sent the air bursting outward.
But even in retreat, Robin's eyes never lost that calculating gleam.
Her body spun sharply, her right foot planting with force on the fractured floor. The black energy of Busoshoku surged over her arm, from fingertips to shoulder, forming a dense, opaque layer.
FWOOOSH!
Her fist shot forward in a straight line, no wasted movement. The impact struck Alvida's abdomen with surgical precision, the force compressing everything inside before her body had time to react.
THOOM!
The sound rang through the yard, sharp and heavy, like solid wood splintering. The air burst from Alvida's lungs, followed by a red spray splattering the floor.
KHAAA!
She stumbled a step back, eyes wide in shock more than pain, gripping the club tightly to keep from collapsing.
"You bitch..."
The words came hoarse, dripping with hate.
"I'll rip your head off and wear those new fangs as a necklace, mutt."
Blood trickled down her mouth, her breath ragged. Yet her gaze burned, growing more feral by the second.
"You think you're better than me just because the Master gave you attention? I'll show you what real suffering is!"
She raised the club again, ignoring the pain, every muscle taut like a cord about to snap.
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