Power up finished in a showy way, Aki stepped out of his waiting room having clearly been the reason for the sudden lack of Qi in the surroundings. Though it'd been completly lackluster compared to the multicollored pillar seemingly connecting the very earth and heaven of Hades that was made when he created his perfect Qi connection, the sheer amount of energy ussed in his advancement was way more than one would expect, nevermind that it practically stripped all kinds of elemental energy from the surroundings instead of just one or two, showing that he clearly had a lot of affinities or some kind of treasure converting said energy into one usable by him.
Mostly everyone present guessed the second was true since they all knew that was possible and had some had even seen such occurences with their own eyes durring the wars, when a breakthrough was completly nescessary for the minimum chance of survival.
Stepping on the Arena, Aki murmured something almost inaldible and imediatly started to bleed from every pore, surprising those that hadn't yet fully understood his fighting, which was bassically most of the people stadium. As the blood started to cover him completly, armor started to take form. Small spikes on the knuckles, knees and elbows, sturdy looking dark plates spread across the gauntlets, boots, paundrons and torso, leaving only bright red lines over the whole thing, making it seem as if it was pulsing, and finally the helmet, a complete black piece with protuding carmine fangs carved where the mouth would be and curved horns growing from the back of his scalp, simulating what would be an old male goat's crown, seemingly perfect to pierce things durring a running headbut and to help protect the side of his head.
"Is this kind of shit even allowed?" Murmured his oponent with a bit of shock. He was a peak soldier stage genius and was expected to win or get the runner up, but his oponent on the semi finals didn't seem simple at all!
"It's made of blood, so it's gross, but allowed." Answered the judge much in the same way.
"Fuck you very much, can we begin?" Aki asked with a raspy voice for effect, getting a nod from the judge.
As both sides quickly reached for each other, Aki directly took his oponent's hit and exchanged it for his own to his side. The diference being that he was using an armor of BLOOD, so when the spikes in his hands penetrated the man's skin, it was easy enough to grow them a lot in several directions, causing massive damage to the the digestive system and the liver.
Killing someone intentionally was frowned uppon though, so instead of using the spikes as leverage to throw his oponent against the walls while gourging large chunks of his internals and flesh out, Aki instead retracted the spikes and kneed the other man in the stomach, making him cough blood as he fell to the floor bleeding a lot of dark blood.
"Want me to heal him?" He asked the judge, who was just as surprised as on the last match. While the difference in cultivation was technically the same, with the woman before being a late stage soldier, the actual battle prowess this young master bleeding to death on the floor had exibted before was more than enough to fight against an earlier warrior stage practicioner! "If he dies i get his shit, just saying." Aki declared, not refering to the man on the floor, but at the frozen judge he was pointing towards.
"Contestant Aki wins! Healing team get over here!" Screamed the suddenly overly aware man under a lot of blood lust from a certain family patriach. Needless to say he was related to the loser and would have the judge's anus handed to him on a silver plate with spikes if anything happened to his grandson because he did not stop the fight even after he'd suffered such great injure. Although he was technically councious, no one would say the man was in any form or way capable of declaring his own surrender, the pain on his face clearly saying that having a lot of organs shreded through was too much even for a well trained young master.
Having long fixed his broken jaw, Aki walked back to his room and welcomed his 3 or so million dollars by shoving them all back on the betting house.
As it turns out, his next fight didn't take much time to approach either. The other guy had ended his fight by just releasing his energy and his oponent surrended, imediatly getting third place since the previous young master was still being treated. Anyone with half a brain could guess this guy really didn't believe he could win against either of the geniuses and didn't want to try fighthing the black horse that'd literally opened his oponent a new one, but people aparently said he was just afraid of the current favorite to win for some 'unknown' reason.
Aki had to hand it that the guy was smart. He'd imediatly told Minty to try and talk to the guy before he went away. If he got to the semi finals then he should have some power behind him. He'd given her a little paper with his own words instead of asking the unstable woman try to convince any fighters he was insterested at, so there should not be any problem in getting the man as a new employee.
Already donning his armor again, Aki didn't think much of the man in front of him. He had the aura of a minor protagonist and a forgetable face, but he didn't seem to have any kind of leverage for psicological warfare hanging around nor did he seem like the kind of person that would easily be recruited by a new organisation.
"May we fight with honor" He said.
"I always fight with mine. You should find your own before talking like that." He said with a profound air. This somehow seemed to make the guy enter a deep stage of thinking.
The judge didn't seem to notice or care, telling them to begin to fight.
Aki waited a bit, but no one seemed to notice the man was having an epiphany from his bullshit, or everyone wanted him to do the same thing. He was ready to bet on a bit of both, so he did not esitate any longer on crippling the man before he suddenly became too powerful for him to beat for whatever reason.
Using all his modifiers raised to the max, Aki put his all into kicking the man's ribs to a point that they could not be safely separated from the pile of mush the organs on his left side would become.
For some reason, the man seemed to imediatly snap out, but it was already too late, the attack hit and was barely slowed down by the quick barrier that he tried to erect. Aki didn't believe for a second it was impossible for this fucker to have a heart on the right side or some other rare shit that would save his life, so he didn't think for even a second before throwing his short blades on his knees, again with all his buffs, fuck the cost.
"He surrenders." Proclaimed an old sounding voice sounded over the whole hall. Everyone stopped, seemingly recognizing the owner of the powerful presence even though they didn't appear personally. It was obvious from where said voice came though, since it was the most extravagant seating area and the place everyone was looking at.
Aki imediatly retracted his helmet and bowed at 90 degrees in that direction.
"This one apologizes for being too weak and having no choice but to give his all. This one hopes senior can find it in themselves to forgive his weakness." Aki didn't just stand there though, he was the first to start healing his opponent. While everyone there had some kind of background, it wasn't unexected that no one had the instincts to imediatly react after such a long period without any serious war. It wasn't the cultivator comunity that had the idea for those wars on Korea and Tailand after all, so only those that lived in said countries had any kind of involvement with it. The old had lost their fangs and the young had never sharpened them.
When a bombshell with a white mask bearing only one red dot on it's middle seemingly teleported to his side, Aki was just that much closer to pressing the 'fuck it all' button, which was already beeping in front of him, but when she simply started to heal his oponent as well he desided to get back and let the 'pro' do her job. Seemingly fixing all that was wrong with his body instantly, she scooped the young master up and nodded towards Aki before leaving.
Aki almost couldn't care about his fifteen million prize.
*****
Coming back to the east of the country completly unninpeded was unexpected as well, but Aki decided he just didn't have the time to be playing with the dogs at the moment. He'd need to reach knight rank even before the fucking apocalipse!
His mythical rank on advancing to soldier rank simply wasn't enough for more than his escape, but inversely it was actually enough for him to quickly reach a new power level, though not nescessarily in cultivation.
Luckily there was no problem with that.
*****
"THERE IS NOTHING RIGHT WITH THIS!" Screamed his patron while floating the dagger out of his hands. "How can you even think of something like this as a battle appliance?" He murmured while holding pinching his nose bridge.
"It's a new and effective enchantment, of course i'm gonna use it for battle! It may not be as effective against women, but the surprise factor would still..." He tried to explain, but was interrupted by Persephone and Persephone. "What is happening here?" Asked the taller one.
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said your mom looks exactly like you. She does look better than you with an angry face though, no offense." Aki exclaimed after quickly seeing the caralmel skinned woman furrowing her brown.
"She does have more practice." Shrugged the spring goddess.
"Shush you, or you are going to be helping them." She rolled her eyes, but otherwise didn't turn to look at her giggling daughter.
"You see milady, i am in need of more bonus rewards for my own cultivation, so i decided to practice my crafting and ended up concocting a new brew of poison that can simulate depresion and this enchantment your brother seems to dislike so much." He politely said.
"Please don't remenber me this ass is my brother. Which of the two wants to explain what the dagger does." She looked between the two. Aki smiled at his patron, who frowned, dropped the blade and went away through a door that wasn't there before, grumbling going to get coffee.
"He is embarased to say it, but this blade is literraly able to make it's victims feel like they are choking on dick." Explained a smiling Aki while catching the fallen artifact.
"I'm confiscating this." Said the woman with a straight face while her daughter guffawed and rolled on the floor behind her.
"Of course, would you like to order some more as a gift?" He imediatly handed it over.
"And to whom, may i ask, would i gift such objects?" She asked, the mirth of the situation only in seen in her eyes.
"I am sure Hecate, Hera and Hestia would know on who to use it. Though i suppose Hephestus would like such a find and Enyo would repeatly stab a lot of people with it. I'm sure plenty of sea goddesses could also use this kind of contraptions." He pointed out.
"You mean these would work on gods?" She questioned with a raised brown.
"As long as enough energy is supplied, any target with a mouth will have the fake sensation of suffocation." He nodded and winked at her with a knowing smile. There was a reason this kind of thing gave him so much XP he literraly maxed his proficiencies and reached level 90 on enchanting on one try.
*****
Affinities:
Blood: Great
Lighting: Good
Arcane: Great
Death: Average
Life: Average
Yin: Average
Yang: Average
Thermal: Average
Ash: Average
Earth: Average
Water: Average
Wind: Average
Metal: Average
Space: Average
Time: Average
Abilities:
Blood Lv 5
Titan's blood VI: Body regeneration increased by a factor of 6. Healing is 300% more effective.
Blood manipulation V: Blood and related biological matter are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Bloody sight IV: Allows for the better understanding of your opponent's movements through intrinsic knowledge of blood flow.
Vampir III: You can survive injuries that would otherwise instantly kill you for a time. Twice a week while in this state, any healing directed at your body will be 150% more effective.
Blood Essence II: The blood concentrates the user's essence.
Bloodwork I: The essence concentrated on the blood raises the body's natural attributes.
Lighting Lv 5:
Lighting manipulation V: Electrical discharges are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Improved cognition IV: The electric currents on your body become faster.
Lighting movement III: By using internal energy, you are able to temporarily raise your movement speed by 150%.
Plama sight II: Allows for the better understanding of electrical currents through intrinsic knowledge over electromagnetism.
Cage I: Energy manipulation inside of your aura becomes easier.
Arcane Lv 6:
Body of stars VI: Energy regeneration increased by a factor of 6. Any use of energy is 150% more effective.
Arcane manipulation V: Arcane and related energies are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Arcane sight IV: Allows for the better understanding of your surroundings through intrinsic knowledge of the movement of natural energies.
Overcharge III: You can overperform in any mastered art through the use of more energy for more efficiency with the rate of 50% per 100% improvement.
Prelude of entropy II: Part of the magical attacks that hit you are absorbed into your own pool.
Pathway I: The body's attributes are further used to catalyze the flow of energy for any use.
Death Lv 4:
Energy absorption IV: Allows the absorption of death essence.
Dead body III: Allows for certain deadening of parts of the body.
Conversion II: Allows for the better transformation of other energy types, specially Life, into death affinity.
Death mark I: It becomes easier to take the energy of marked targets.
Life Lv 4:
Energy absorption IV: Allows the absorption of life essence.
Living body III: Allows for certain over vivification of parts of the body.
Conversion II: Allows for the better transformation of other energy types, specially death, into life affinity.
Life seal I: It becomes easier to grant your energy to marked targets.
Yin Lv 4:
Profound spirituality IV: Your soul is 40% stronger.
Divine grace III: You become slimmer and swifter.
Heaven bond II: When on or above the ground you are more dexterous.
Moon light I: It becomes easier to use the energies of the moon.
Yang Lv 4:
Imperial body IV: Your body is 40% stronger.
Divine bulwark III: You become bulkier and more resilient.
Earth bond II: You have greater balance when on or below the ground.
Sun shine I: It becomes easier to use the energies of the sun.
Thermal Lv 4:
Thermal manipulation IV: Thermal energies and it's changes are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Frey's metabolism III: Your metabolism works 37.5% better.
Logia II: You understand thermal changes better.
Double hell I: Your aura is more energy efficient.
Ash Lv 4:
Heat absorption IV: Allows the absorption and storage of heat for own use.
Ash creation III: You are able to speed the processes through which ash is formed and have intrinsic knowledge of how to manipulate Ash.
Time resistance II: You are unchangeable.
Burning blood I: The maximum temperature your body can reach before receiving damage is raised.
Earth Lv 4:
Stone manipulation IV: Earth and related matter are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Colossus skin III: Your skin becomes 37.5% sturdier.
Logia II: You understand minerals and metals better.
Standing mountain I: Your aura can be more compact and have it's abilities enhanced.
Water Lv 4:
Water manipulation IV: Water and other liquids are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Flowing scales III: Your reaction speed is 37.5% faster.
Logia II: You understand liquids and their properties better.
Deep darkness I: Your aura becomes denser.
Wind Lv 4:
Aero manipulation IV: Wind and air are easier to understand and manipulate to you.
Breeze feathers III: Your flexibility is 37.5% better.
Logia II: You understand gases and it's changes better.
Whistling gale I: Your aura can be less compact and retain its properties.
Metal Lv 4:
Sturdy IV: You are 50% more resilient.
Temperated body III: Your body's base resistances are increased.
Analysis II: You can better understand structural integrity.
Unshakable monument I: Your aura shares your body's resilience.
Space Lv 4:
Spacial awareness IV: You have a better understanding of space near you.
Center III: The space near you becomes naturally infused with your essence.
Anomaly II: A part of any attacks directed at you is neutralized.
Force I: You spend less stamina.
Time Lv 4:
Temporal awareness IV: You have a better understanding of time near you.
Center III: Time surrounding you becomes naturally infused with your essence.
Anomaly II: Attacks directed at you are slower at impact.
Parallels I: Your understandings generate more soul strength .