Chapter 29: No Time Like The Present
...
It was then that Tang Ya proposed an idea. "Hey, now that we've eaten." She began, grinning, "How about we celebrate properly with a little spar?" She said sweetly.
Bei Bei raised a brow, half-amused. "Now? But you just absorbed a thousand-year ring todays."
"Exactly!" She stretched her arms, scales glimmering beneath the moonlight. "What better time to try it out than right here and now." Ever since gaining her third ring, she's been aching to use it.
She didn't realize it, but her personality had taken a subtle change after absorbing the variant Datura Snakes. She was open before, only now it was increased a tad bit.
"You can't be serious?" Bei Bei said, but the look of burning fighting spirit on Tang Ya told him otherwise.
Yuhao didn't respond at first. He had been staring at the fire. But when he looked back at her, the faintest smirk tugged at his mouth. "I'm up for a fight."
"Yay!" The head of the Tang Sect cheered, clapping her hands together. "You heard him, Bei Bei. You're outvoted!"
The violet-haired youth sighed helplessly. It's not like he didn't know where she was coming from. He could vividly remember the times whenever he got a new Soul Ring and was dying to try it out.
They cleared a space in the clearing. They decided that the first spar was going to be with Bei Bei versus Tang Ya, with Yuhao acting as ref.
Bei Bei rolled his shoulder. Crackles of purple-blue lightning danced down his arms. His right arm expanding, scales and claws forming as his three rings rose around them. Tang Ya answered in kind, her Blue Silver Grass unfurling like a nest of serpents, coated in a faint toxic sheen.
Yuhao looked to both of them. "The fight will begin at my signal and will end when either of you admit defeat." He then raised his arm. "Are the both of you ready?"
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Having known each other for a long time, they knew each other's skills relatively well. "I know I am." Bei Bei smirked as electricity gathered.
Tang Ya's eyes shifted to purple. "Always." She sent him a predatory look as her green scales appeared, and Bei Bei couldn't help but involuntarily shiver.
"All right then. Ready...and...begin!" Yuhao shouted, dropping his arm.
Tang Ya struck first. Her Blue Silver Grass whipped through the air in a coordinated assault like serpents, sharp and quick as they maneuvered to slam down.
Bei Bei countered even faster. First Soul Skill: Thunderous Dragon Claw.
*ELECTRICITY!*
Bei Bei's attack erupted in a plume of black smoke, shredding through the incoming ropes of Blue Silver Grass, but it stood strong and still. Sparks of blue lightning crawled along the vines as he disrupted their momentum.
'So, she can fend off one of my attacks.' Bei Bei grinned, excitement coursing through him.
*SWISH!*
He tilted his head just in time, a dagger whistling past his cheek. More vines came snapping toward him, but he twisted between them with precision, using his Martial Soul to deflect the ones getting too close. Still, one vine managed to slip behind and coil around his arms and legs.
In a blink, Bei Bei was completely restrained.
"These are really tough now." He grunted, feeling his movements getting more and more constrained by the second. Before, he was able to break them down with pure force alone with ease, but now that was going to be tough.
*ZAP!*
A wave of discharged electricity released from his body, destroying the Blue Silver Grass sent his way and the ones binding him. Another wave was already on its way, but Bei Bei anticipated this and responded with his Second Soul Skill: Vigorous Thunderbolt
The large net of electricity captured the vines. That's when Bei Bei used his first Soul Skill again. First Soul Skill: Thunderous Dragon Claw.
*ELECTRICITY!*
Lightning-coated claws slashed forward.
*BOOM!*
It hit; however, Tang Ya encased herself within a cocoon of her Blue Silver Grass. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Bei Bei." She smiled from inside the cocoon.
Bei Bei sprinted in, lightning striking off his feet with every step, but Tang Ya wasn't going to make it easy for him. She pressed harder, controlling her vines more aggressively while throwing some hidden weapons, but her first disciple slipped through them like a phantom, using the Tang Sect movement art Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to close in on her.
He was closing the distance and fast. Tang Ya tried to back away to get some space. "Alright, no time like the present!" Her eyes gleamed as she activated her third Soul Skill.
Her purple Soul Ring shone. Third Soul Skill: Hydra Fangs.
Her Blue Silver Grass pulsed with a purple miasma of intense poison, and the vines became overgrown with snake heads. They went wild on Bei Bei. Just being encased in those alone would be enough to kill a fresh Soul King. Naturally she lessened the amount of poison in it, but it would still hurt quite a bit.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
They smashed the ground with reckless abandon as they went after the violet-haired youth. Some even wrapped around each other like a whip to swat him. Just this alone would pack a punch to leave him reeling.
Bei Bei's eyes widened in alert at the clear danger. Just as one of the heads was about to close in on him, he used his Third Soul Skill: Thunderous Fury.
*SPARK!*
With his ability enhanced, Bei Bei jumped just as the vines slammed down with a boom. He dashed atop the Blue Silver Grass, breaking through the ones sent after him until almost reaching Tang Ya.
Electricity exploded around him, muscles thrumming with enhanced power. He leapt upward just as her vines slammed the ground like hammer blows.
*BOOM!*
He dashed along the surface of it, but it seemed to want to make this more challenging as the strands that were in place broke free and went after him, getting him to have to cut them apart as he kept barreling straight toward Tang Ya.
Tang Ya put up a final resistance as she tried once again to encase herself in her Martial Soul, but she felt her body being attracted to Bei Bei, who held out his hand toward her, and she felt her body get pulled.
He finally reached her, and his palm met her shoulder in a flash of blue. If he were really serious about this, this would've been the point where he attacked her with his lightning and won the fight.
The head of the Tang Sect stumbled back but was caught by Bei Bei's left hand, pulling her close. "Looks like I won." He stated with a charming smile.
"I almost had you." She pouted.
"True. You almost made me go all out there." He replied with a chuckle, and she too broke into laughter.
Yuhao watched silently over the battle from beginning to end. His eyes tracked every strike, every pause, his mind dissecting the flow of their Soul Power, breathing, and footwork. While they weren't serious, he saw enough to gauge their abilities and study their rhythm. Tang Ya herself especially improved and was able to make Bei Bei exert a bit more power into deflecting her Martial Soul before it became an issue. That third soul skill of hers was undeniably dangerous.
When the match ended, Tang Ya turned to him with that same lively spark in her eyes.
"Alright, little Yuhao, it's your turn now." She pointed at him. "Show me what you've got, ok?"
"Naturally." He stepped into the clearing as Bei Bei switched with him. "But don't expect me to go as easy as Bei Bei. You already know your poison won't work on me, so don't hold back either, Miss Tang Ya."
He didn't care if she went wild. In fact, he'd prefer it. It was his belief that you couldn't have a proper fight by half-assing it. Of course, he would hold back. His strength and abilities were far too much for her to handle even with her third soul skill.
"Naturally." She shot back with a cheeky smile as she brought out her Martial Soul, to which Yuhao reciprocated with a low, forward-weighted CQC stance with clawed open hands, built for explosive strikes and rapid close-range attacks.
It was his own brand when it came to barehanded combat.
Noticing this, Tang Ya, with a confused look, asked, "You're not going to use your dagger?"
"I don't depend on a single weapon." He responded calmly. "You should be more worried about yourself. My hits hurt." He assured her, and Tang Ya took a step back on reflex.
"Are both of you ready?" Bei Bei asked, his arm up.
"Yup!" Tang Ya answered, shaking off her nerves and stepping forward again.
Yuhao only gave a short nod, gaze sharpening as his fingers flickered just the tiniest hint. He already had his Martial Soul active, evident by the Soul Ring tilted atop his head.
"Ready, set... and begin!" Shouted Bei Bei.
Tang Yas vines lashed first, faster this time, dozens of them, weaving in patterns meant to overwhelm. To a person with only a single Soul Ring, this would've been overkill, but she doubted it wouldn't be enough, and right she was because Yuhao, with his Martial Soul, treated her attacks like child's play.
His body moved with quiet precision, each motion efficient, almost surgical, as he maneuvered around the Blue Silver Grass with the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track as if it were second nature. He dismantled her assault with almost insulting ease.
Tang Ya wouldn't have believed her eyes if she hadn't witnessed it. He had only just learned the Tang sect techniques and could already use them as if he had for years. What made it worse was his physical ability combined with it. Even with her Purple Demon Eyes, she struggled to track him as he simply danced.
"Oh well, I knew it wasn't going to be easy." Her eyes became purpled and slitted along with her scales appearing at full power. "Let's see how you like a taste of this!"
Her third Soul Ring glowed as she switched to toxin-coated strands at their full power, trying to encircle him. She wanted to end this fast. Her Blue Silver Grass darkened into toxin-laced strands that melted the ground. They lashed all around wildly and encircled him.
Yuhao narrowed his eyes at the incoming onslaught before advancing forward. He was only in this spar for a single minute, and he already figured her out before her rhythm even stabilized.
*SWISH!*
More than one hidden weapon was sent his way, but he merely caught two and used them to deflect the rest before shooting them back at Tang Ya with far more speed and strength than her.
They both whizzed past her ears and struck the tree behind her. Tang Yas gasped in shock. They didn't make contact. They didn't even graze her, but that was on purpose. If he wanted to, those would've landed and cut her ears off.
'His skills… they're unreal!' She gritted her teeth as she summoned multiple giant strands intertwined around each other to smash him. It used up more than she would've liked, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight.
*BOOM!*
They slammed doors like houses, but those didn't stop him. Just as Bei Bei did, he used them as leverage. Her offense proved useless as he drew closer and closer.
Reaching her, they clashed briefly in close-quarters combat, Huo Yuhao with his bare fists and Tang Ya with her daggers in hand. The exchange was fast but hopelessly one-sided. The daggers were taken away when she tried to use them, and it ended with a clean leg sweep that sent her tumbling back in a controlled fall, and Yuhao halted his strike just shy of her chest.
"That's it." He told her. It wasn't meant to be mockery. It was a blunt assessment. She lost.
Tang Ya pouted dramatically, brushing hair from her face as she stood up. "Aww, and I wanted to win."
From his spot, Bei Bei chuckled. "Looks like you lost to our junior, Tang Ya."
"Hey, what was that!" She shot back with a glare before scrambling to where he was as Bei Bei did the same. "Hmph, Yuhao, kick his butt!" She shouted, getting a sweat drop from her first disciple.
"I suppose it's my turn now." Bei Bei stepped forward, and the mood shifted instantly. His eyes locked on Yuhao.
He had already seen a glimpse of Yuhao's true capabilities during their fight with the variant Datura Snake… and his instincts told him not to underestimate him. Even knowing Yuhao only had one Soul Ring, treating him like a typical level-11 Soul Master would be a stupid mistake.
Though they had only known each other briefly, Yuhao proved he was special time and time again. If he wanted to find out what else he had up his sleeves, then he needed to press him. "I'll be putting a bit more effort into this. That fine with you?" He asked as lightning laced his arms again, more intense this time.
"I'd be disappointed if you did." Yuhao replied as he went into the same stance as his eyes lit up. "Let's dance."
Tang Ya glanced between them and swallowed the excitement in her throat. "Ready? … Begin!"
The attacks came fast. Bei Bei's first strike cracked the ground, sending shards flying, but Yuhao met the attack head-on and blocked it with his own.
*PUNCH!*
*PUNCH!*
*BOOM!*
A compressed shockwave burst out from the clash.
Bei Bei staggered a couple steps, blinking. A faint numbness crept up his right arm. "Wow… that was a food hit." He breathed out, grinning despite himself as he stared into those calm, silver eyes.
This was going to be fun.
Bei Bei staggered, feeling a small bit of numbness in his right hand. "Wow, that was a hard hit." He complimented as he stared back at Yuhao's silver eyes. This was definitely going to be interesting. "Let's see what else you've got!" He smirked, and the silver demigod was more than happy to oblige.
*ZZAP!*
*PUNCH!*
They traded blows like thunder and steel. Yuhao's movement was fluid yet unyielding, a dance of control and instinct, while Bei Bei's lightning surged in combination with his use of the Tang Sect techniques. They weren't going full throttle, but it was damn well close.
"Wow." Tang Ya looked in awe at the sight of these fast-moving Soul Masters. She herself was, but this was on a different level.
*ELECTRICITY!*
*ZAP!*
When Bei Bei launched some of his Thunderous Dragon Claws, Huo Yuhao moved inside their arc, shocking Bei Bei because he had incorporated some Tang Sect techniques, making it so that they would have a suction force to pull Yuhao in, but the demigod simply planted his feet on the ground and stood still. Such strength.
Yuhao burst forward, jumping high before bringing his heel down toward Bei Bei's shoulder.
*KICK!*
Bei Bei blocked with his left forearm. He winced slightly by the power behind the attack. 'Welp, now's as good a time as any.' Bei Bei thought as he released his Third Soul Skill: Thunderous Fury. His blue-purple scales spread over his chest, enhancing his abilities.
He didn't believe his second soul skill would prove strong enough to affect his junior brother much, so he opted for a more grounded strategy. "Haaagh!" He punched Yuhao back, sending him skidding on his feet.
His hands burst with electricity much stronger than before. "I wonder how you'll handle this!" He shot two Thunderous Dragon Claws at Yuhao. Their power behind them was enhanced. Of course, he lessened the power a tad bit so he didn't accidentally injure Yuhao too much, but he did make sure it would be felt.
Seeing the incoming attacks, the son of Poseidon raised both his arms and prepared to defend. What Tang Ya and Bei Bei did not notice were the small balls of light in his balled fists. Neither knowing that the demigod was casting a spell at that exact moment.
*ZAP!*
*BOOM!*
The explosion that followed left smoke and silence. "Don't you think you overdid it, Bei Bei!" Tang Ya hollered.
Bei Bei thought he might've overdone it just a little, but his worries were unwarranted, as out of the smoke Yuhao came out unscathed with only a few scratches and ready for more as he ran at him. He had defended himself using a lightning rod spell of his own making, sending a majority of the attack on the earth.
Smiling, Bei Bei faced him with equal enthusiasm as they both cocked their fists back.
*PUNCH!*
*PUNCH!*
A small shockwave occurred, but the two weren't done there. In fact, they were only beginning. Haaaah!" They shouted as they threw their fists forward.
*ZAP!*
*PUNCH!*
More small shockwaves ensued as the two clashed, but it didn't last long as Yuhao grabbed the opposing fist and proceeded to Judo flip Bei Bei.
*CRACK!*
Bei Bei winced lightly, feeling his back kiss the ground, but didn't have the chance to worry about that as he had to move away from a foot stomp.
*STOMP!*
Rolling away and getting up Bei Bei couldn't help but take notice of the small hole on the ground before being met with Yuhao again. Bei Bei met the exchange head-on.
*KICK!*
*ZAP!*
*PUNCH!*
*ELECTRICITY!*
Tang Ya looked on in awe as the two continued like this for a short while, neither giving an inch as they did their levelheaded best to bring the other into a corner. It got to the point where Bei Bei had to use more and more strength to keep up with Yuhao, but his attacks kept missing, forcing him to block more, and it promptly ended with a punch to the gut for Bei Bei.
*PUNCH!*
"Ugk!" Bei Bei grunted, holding his stomach, and, in his eyes, a small spark of golden lightning appeared, but instead he raised his hand up in surrender, his lightning fading as he withdrew his Martial Soul just before Yuhao could land another hit.
"Alright, I've seen more than enough." He kneeled, panting a bit. It's your win." He chuckled as he rose up. That hit did a small number on him, that's for sure. It almost made him use his full power.
"That was really amazing, Yuhao." Bei Bei breathed, half in awe, half in disbelief.
"You weren't so bad yourself, Bei Bei. I had to put a lot more effort than I thought I would to keep you on the ropes." He said quietly.
Bei Bei only laughed softly at his lackluster attitude, shaking his head. "You really are something else, you know that." He replied, receiving a shrug.
"That was awesome, you two!" Tang Ya called out as the two made their way to her.
...
..
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(When reading fights, I'm like Gruncle Stan from Gravity Falls. Fight! Fight! Fight!)