Ema's most cherished invention was the eastern training dome on Sky Boys Island.
With layered curse-resistant alloy walls and an energy barrier system able to recreate practically any setting, it was a large, self-contained stadium.
The air on dome felt surprisingly alive, and a little heavy, just the kind of environment that pushed fighters to either adapt or be crushed.
All of the team members had assembled on the raised viewing platform that encircled the dome like an audience gallery. Orced is stands in front, crossing his arms
Macker was lying on the railing with a bag of snacks, Nix was leaning forward with wide-eyed excitement, Ema was already in the arena, and Sano stood silently like a mountain.
His knife in hand, Aftor was stretching in the middle of the jungle floor with a tiny, deadly smile on his face.
Kruna rested against the railing next. "You actually sure you want to go first against him? Like damn, lately Aftor has been behaving unusually confident"
Orced's grin was steady. "Let them duel. I would like to find out what they have both been concealing."
Clear and powerful, Orced's voice rang over the speakers in the dome. Locked arena. It is not permitted deadly harm. Start as soon as you are ready.
Twenty meters apart in the heart of the fake jungle, Aftor and Ema faced each other.
Ema had his bow ready, arrows shining with a faint blue light. Aftor gave his knife one spin before holding it firmly.
"Are you ready?" Aftor called; his voice was sharp but playful.
Ema nodded, gaze fixed. "Yeah, as always. Come here baby."
Aftor shot forward, blurred. Ema shot three dazzling arrows rapidly one after the other, each one trailing light.
Aftor gracefully dodged the first two before abruptly cut across his own left palm with the blade.
Blood welled up right away, brilliant crimson against his skin.
"Poisoned Expansion!" Aftor murmured behind his hand.
Blood didn't drop to the ground. It burst out violently, turning into thick, writhing vines covered in shiny purple thorns right there in the air.
With every meter they covered, the vines shot towards Ema like living whips and grew longer and thicker. Thorns oozed with a brilliant, sticky toxin that sizzled as it came into contact with soil or leaves.
Ema's eyes opened. "What the heck is that bastard doing?"
He jumped back, shooting arrows quickly to cut the vines coming at him. Though cut apart, the arrows quickly grew back virtually thicker than before, almost like magic.
One vine encircled Ema's ankle and pulled him off his feet violently. Moss and dirt flew up about him as he landed hard.
Another vine crashed into his chest, thorns piercing his training vest and delivering the poison straight into his body.
Burning agony shot across Ema's veins. As the poison seared across his veins, his muscles clenched, his eyesight blurred at the edges.
"Dang, I underestimated him so bad!"
Ema gurgled, frantically rolling to the side as more vines flew at him.
Aftor laughed a deep, happy sound. "You're so sluggish, Ema. Let's examine your reaction to tight quarters."
He dashed, the vines following him like devoted extensions of his body, whipping and slicing at every direction.
Ema shot point-blank arrows, breaking a few vines, but Aftor kept going.
Thorns digging deep into Ema's shoulder, a thick vine hurled her against a tree trunk. Ema yelled out as the toxin heated up more, his left arm going numb.
From the viewing platform, Macker arched forward eyes wide. God damn those vines are amazing! Aftor has turned into a complete plant monster.
Nix was almost bouncing. "That's wild! He simply sliced his own hand and converted blood into ivy weapon. I'd want that in my gauntlet"
Kruna watched without saying anything, but his eyes were sharp as he studied every gesture. "He has been quietly honing his skills. Those vines are deliberate. He regards them as additional limbs."
Sano murmured. "Unpleasant method. To get the advantage, he's ready to harm himself. I don't think I ever seen it, like.. exceptionally impressive"
Orced stayed still, watching with a tiny, careful grin. Ema was panting heavily in the arena, blood blending with sweat on his face. "It's a really impressive technique. However, you're not the only one developing something fresh."
He began his approach.
"Twice Shadow!"
Two perfect, meta copies of Ema materialized at once on either side of him, each clutching a brilliant bow and identical in every manner.
Firing a lethal storm of arrows from three sides at once, the two Ema shadows shifted in perfect synchronism. The vines were cut in mid-air.
Laughing as he ducked and weaved amid the arrow storm, Aftor was driven back. "Not bad, but.."
Aftor yelled, he was obviously having fun. "I have always been working for more."
He drove the blade deep into his own belly without any warning, a deliberate, painful self-stab. A great stream of blood flowed out.
The team on the platform gasped.
Aftor grinned through the anguish, eyes wide. "Advanced Shooting"
The blood did not only circulate.
It shot toward Ema and his two shadows in a deadly crimson spray from the wound like high-velocity bullets.
Ema and his shadows sought to escape, but the shooting was too pervasive, too continuous.
One shadow vanished into energy right away.
Blood spurted from the wounds as the real Ema stumbled backwards with a pained grunt, having received several hits to the shoulder, side, and leg.
Aftor withdrew the knife from his stomach. His curse regeneration was helping the wound to heal.
Though he was breathing heavily, his grin was victorious.
Gotcha.
Breathing heavily, blood dripping from several cuts, Ema sank to one knee. He was still laughing, though, eyes sparkling with respect. "Damn..that was something I can't imagine. When in hell did you acquire those skills?"
With the back of his palm, Aftor brushed blood from his mouth.
"Worked on them covertly for months. Not keen on revealing my cards too soon. Poisoned is self-blood regulation transformed into live vines containing poison. Blood is being converted into high-velocity projectiles by Advanced Gunfire. It's almost there but still needs some work. Though using it is really unpleasant."
Ema forced himself up gradually and in all respectfulness. "That was quite remarkable. For a little while, you nearly killed me." Macker was staring with his mouth open from the platform. "Wait, how on the earth did you fucking survive?! Twice you just stabbed yourself right in the stomach! That might have killed you!"
Without glancing, Kruna reached across and struck Macker sharply on the rear of the head. "Are you retarded? This is how his technique works, plus this is the special instruction dome, not a single person here truly dies. You suffer the whole pain though."
Macker massaged his head while still looking. "Ah... Alright, alright. Still quite frightening as hell, nevertheless."
Aftor peered up at the viewing platform, panting but clearly happy with the spar. "That was enjoyable. So... who is next? Does anybody want to spar with me?"
The team turned to look at one another.
Kruna pulled his twin blades, a tiny wicked grin on his face as he pushed off the railing. "I'd like to show myself"
Aftor's eyes flashed with real joy. "Oh seriously? The blade master himself. This ought to be quite intriguing."
Once more, Orced's voice reverberated around the dome. "Arena reset. Kruna against Aftor. Start when you both are ready, show your potential."
The jungle model changed somewhat to provide them extra free space between the trees. Kruna entered the arena with blades low and ready.
Aftor spun his knife, eyes bright with excitement already mending from the earlier self-inflicted injuries.
The two lethal fighters squared off in the middle of the fake jungle.
Aftor chuckled. "Kruna, let's check whether your blades move quicker than my blood or not"
Kruna just responded with a chilly smirking.
"You defeated Ema but just try me for once. Warning.. never underestimate"