*Poof*
Mane's small arm lodged itself deeply into Ray's chest, and even found its way out, with his hand sticking out of the Brute King's body from the back. There was no blood, since Mane's arm was occupying the space from which it would flow. Plus his arm was still on fire, so it was almost as if he was cauterizing the wound. But some blood did make its way out through the mouth of the battle god.
"How long has it been since I felt so refreshed? How long has it been since I last bled so? What a thrilling battle! You have fulfilled the conditions to win the duel. I concede." Ray laughed loudly like a madman. And he was anything but sane right now, with him laughing so heartily whilst an arm was lodged deeply inside his chest. He was immortal. Although his godspark was sealed, his vitality as a god wasn't. This meant that he was still technically immortal. So the only way for Mane to win any of their duels was to inflict a wound that would otherwise be threatening were another the recipient of the attack. And Mane had fulfilled these conditions today. The blonde haired boy had won.
Mane pulled his arm out of his father's chest with a dazed look. This was the result of using Takeover. The rampage and carnage that followed after was immense. And it took some time for Mane to get himself back to the present. In a sense, he was fighting in a semi-conscious state. His eyes returned to their sky blue colour and his hair followed suit. He slumped to the ground in exhaustion. At least he almost did. A large hand held him up and prevented him from falling. Ray smiled as he lifted up the dead tired Mane and gave him a piggyback ride. Mane was still awake. He hadn't lost consciousness. But he was too tired to do anything else. Now that Mane's arm was no longer preventing blood from rushing out of Ray's wound, it finally flowed out like a fountain. Yet this turbulent flow ceased after ten seconds, with the wound sealing up very quickly. In less than five seconds, Ray looked as good as new, with the only evidence of the wound being the dried up blood that was left on his chest.
"I need a bath. We both do" Ray commented as he looked down at his chest. With how filthy both of them looked, Alexis wasn't going to pay them any attention.
"Yeah." Mane agreed with his father. Even he wouldn't be spared a cold war against his mom if he didn't get cleaned up.
"My first win huh" Mane mumbled.
"Yes. And from the way you are improving, there will be many more to come. Restituere." Ray walked forward slowly. He didn't forget to return the room to its prior state. The melted marbles and run down walls were quickly restored to tiptop condition, making the intense battle feel like a dream. They walked towards the reconstructed door and stepped out of the training room.
"You have gotten stronger Mane." The first to greet Mane was John. The water half of the hydra twins had his face flushed in excitement as he approached his captain.
"Yeah. It's been only a week. Your progress is staggering." Abe who was right behind him was quick to point out Mane's rocketing progress. There was no jealousy in his tone, only admiration. It was strange, considering that the prince thought of Mane as a rival. It was almost as if he had been expecting such a change. Either that or he himself had gotten much stronger than he was initially.
"Did you break into the earth realm?" Frederick asked. This was the question on everyone's mind. They wanted to- no, they needed to- know how far Mane had gone.
Mane was too tired to speak, so he raised his thumb up in response.
"Stop crowding him and allow him to take a bath. You can ask all the questions you want when he is done" Alexis' voice came from behind them as she ushered the father and son duo to the bathroom at the end of the hall.
Mane sat comfortably in the bathtub as he recalled the duel from earlier. It was a hard fought victory, but his gains were more impressive than just the win. Although he had won, he only edged his way to the top due to the smouldering intensity of his fire. An intensity that seemed to leave the Brute King at a loss. His use of Brimstone was nowhere as skilled as his father's. He had only won because his father was keener on showing him how Brimstone could be used, than he was at winning the duel. He had followed Mane's movements and only performed a move after he had seen Mane execute it, just to show the young boy the proper techniques. And Mane appreciated the help, for his gains were mighty impressive.
As he relaxed in the bath with his broken bones healing under the effects of medicinal pills and his own regenerative abilities, he slowly sank into a meditative state. It wasn't a conscious decision to meditate. His body had slipped into this state on its own, giving the owner of the body no time to argue as Mane slowly digested the gains of today.
"Incredible. Absolutely incredible." Now that Mane was unconscious, the 6th couldn't keep his voice to himself any longer. He marvelled at what he had just seen. And what he was seeing now was even more impressive.
"It is indeed. He had faced off against a god- a powerful god at that- and won." The 2nd chimed in. They were all experts in their own rights. And they had all fought gods before. And yes, Ray was fighting in a state where his true power was sealed. But that didn't take away the fact that he was a god! The experience of a million fights was engraved into his bones, and nothing could take that away. No sealing could go that deep, and even if his memories were erased, his muscle memory would still remain. Not only had Mane performed brilliantly, he had won. And now the blonde haired boy was doing something even more extraordinary.
"In all my life, I was able to slip into such a meditative state only seven times. Mane is eleven years old, yet he has already done this three times. The more hurt he gets, the more he learns. It seems that the battles he has been having till now never truly tested his limits. He always held back in one way or another. But he doesn't anymore, yet he struggles so much to win. That's why he has grown so speedily." The 1st added.