Before Trixx could fully register what she heard, the battle began as Vex started firing her machine gun at Kai and Trixx, who quickly dodge the bullets. Kai uses his Soul Seer ability to assess Vex's movements and spots an opening. He charges towards Vex while deflecting a few bullets and charging up kinetic energy gloves before delivering a powerful punch which releases a powerful shockwave that knocks Vex straight onto a wall.
Meanwhile, Eclipse charges towards Trixx, and they engage in a fierce sword fight. Eclipse's black lightning skills give her an advantage, but Trixx's blood manipulation allows her to form a shield to block Eclipses attacks. The two of them clash swords for several minutes, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Vex recovers and her machine gun transforms and starts firing missiles towards Kai and Trixx. Trixx quickly forms a sword out of her blood and deflects the missile towards Vex, causing an explosion. Eclipse takes advantage of the chaos and charges towards Kai, but Kai uses his Soul Seer ability to predict her movements and counterattacks with a powerful roundhouse kick.
The battle continues, with each of them using their unique abilities to try to gain the upper hand. Vex switches to her machine gun, and Eclipse unleashes a barrage of black lightning strikes. Kai continues to use his Soul Seer ability to predict his opponents attack pattern and evade them accordingly.
Eclipse chants a spell and raises her blades in the air, a massive lightning strikes down and disperses into multiple directions like a lotus flower blooming. The massive lightning lotus halts the attacks from both teams as they regroup and catch their breath, but only for a moment.
The crowd cheers with excitement once more. Kai and Trixx took a defensive stance, while Vex readied her machine gun and Eclipse charged forward with her blades.
"So we don't kill them!? Didn't Asura say they would be sacrificial lambs for us!" Trixx huffed in annoyance since this meant she had to hold back.
Kai was briefly thrown off by the "sacrificial lambs" comment before he replied. "No we won't kill them," he stated firmly, his voice dripping with cold determination. "Remember, Asura's words hold weight. I'll have a word with him once we get that shard. Right now focus on subjugating them, it also counts as an elimination."
A glint of mischief sparks in Trixx's eyes, she leaned closer to Kai. "No mercy, no regrets," She whispered, her voice cold as ice. "Let's slice them off our path."
Trixx was cut from making another remark as Eclipse interjected with a smirk. "Something's off with you two, got something to prove?"
Kai's gaze turned sharp and spoke with a low, chilling tone. "We don't need words to prove ourselves." Kai grips his sword tighter and braces himself to launch at his opponent. "Our actions will speak louder."
Trixx's lips curl into a wicked smile as she locked eyes with Eclipse. "I'll cut you up!"
Kai and Trixx emanated an air of deadly resolve, ready to face their opponents. Vex opened fire, spraying bullets towards the duo. Trixx quickly created a shield out of her blood to protect them, while Kai used his Soul Seer ability to assess Vex's movements.
Meanwhile, Eclipse darted around the arena and charged at Kai, her black lightning crackling around her blades, Kai tries to evade it but she was too fast, delivering a powerful blow that sent him flying. He let go of his sword as he smashed onto a pillar.
Vex aimed her gun at Kai seeing an opening, Trixx swiftly sprang into action as she launched herself underneath Vex's stance, executing a quick handstand evasion. In an instant, Trixx used the momentum of her handstand to launch a devastating counterattack with her legs. The move known as the "Lifeblood Reversal," effectively kicked the machine gun right as it fired upwards, disarming Vex and leaving her vulnerable temporarily.
'She's strong, not enough time to grab my weapon!' Kai looks around before remembering the gloves he was wearing.
Kai gets back up and charged towards Eclipse, before he gets hit, he blocks it with his gloves but still gets knocked back. Eclipse was overheating as she sent a barrage of attacks in Kai's direction, lightning bolts shot out of her hands as she roared in fury. Kai tried his best to dodge most of the attacks but had to take some hits which charged up the Gloves he wore.
Eventually Eclipse gets fatigued from her onslaught of attacks and lowers her guard down just enough for Kai to close the gap between them and deliver a crushing blow to Eclipse's chest which sent her flying straight at Vex who was too preoccupied with Trixx to see her comrade crash onto her.
But Eclipse wasn't out of the fight yet. She quickly got up and unleashed another barrage of lightning bolts at Kai, forcing him to dodge and weave through the arena.
Trixx saw her chance and launched a surprise attack from behind, slicing at Eclipse with a sharp blood blade. Eclipse dodged the attack, but Trixx was unrelenting, continuing to strike with deadly precision.
As the battle raged on, the crowd roared with excitement, cheering on their favorite competitors. Blades clashing, blood spilling, hearts pumping, anything and everything a warrior would experience in battle was felt throughout this entire frenzy and even the crowd could feel the full force of this battle.
Vex got back up, her eyes pulsing rays of white as her hand was stretched out. The machine gun disassembled itself and reformed itself into a massive sledgehammer. The weapon glowed brightly as Vex grabbed it with both her hands and slammed it onto the ground, sending shockwaves towards Kai and eclipse.
Before the dust and debris could settle, Vex rushed in and tried to take out Kai who was focusing on Eclipse.
Trixx leaped into the fray, She and Kai attack Vex and Eclipse in tandem, their weapons clashing with a metallic ring. Eclipse unleashes a barrage of black lightning, striking Trixx and Kai with pinpoint accuracy, throwing them up in the air.
They manage to land and get back up but still feeling the damage from that last attack.
"Nice moves," says Trixx, grinning despite her wounds. "But you can't keep this up forever."
"She has a limit to her attacks! Taunt her into using her deadliest attacks!" Kai said, his eyes narrowing as he focuses his Soul Seer ability. He sees an opening in Vex's defenses and charges forward, striking a series of precise blows. Vex swings her machine gun and knocks Kai away and counter attacks with a hail of gunfire, but Kai dodges and weaves through the bullets. Some graze past him but he doesn't lose his cool for even a moment, his eyes on his enemy and her alone.
Eclipse is locked in a fierce battle with Trixx, the two fighters exchanging blow for blow.
Trixx deflects another lightning slash before leaping a few feet backwards. "You know everyone can see your ass when you jump around in that short skirt right! Were you planning on distracting your opponents like that?" Trixx snickers.
Eclipse suddenly blushing red full of embarrassment which soon turned to rage, channeled her black lightning into her blades, creating a deadly aura which she used to slash out lightning waves, burning through Trixx's defense's and hitting her hard.
Trixx staggers, her blood sword dissipating. "You're good," she says, grinning despite the pain. "But I'm not out yet."
"Trixx cover me!" Kai yells as he cover Trixx's back from a distance.
She summons a new weapon, a whip made of blood that lashes out at Eclipse. Eclipse dodges and strikes back with her own blades, but Trixx is too fast. She lands a powerful blow that sends Eclipse flying.
Vex sees her opportunity and takes aim at Kai, who seemed to have been hit multiple times on his back, But Trixx halts her attack on the downed target and intercepts the gun fire, transforming her whip into a shield that absorbs the blast.
"Nice try," she says, smirking at Vex. "But we're not going down that easily."
The battle was coming to an end, this could be seen by the audience as they noticed the combatants were looking exhausted and slowing down a bit however an ominous aura enveloped the arena, casting a chilling shadow over his opponents. The air grew heavy with a palpable sense of dread, and a bone-chilling silence descended upon the battlefield. The spectators watched in awe and trepidation as the contestants suddenly froze in their tracks, their faces contorted with fear.
The oppressive energy seemed to seep into every crevice of the arena, penetrating deep into the hearts of his adversaries. It was as if time itself had come to a standstill, and the once fierce combatants didn't dare move an inch, their weapons slipping from their trembling hands. The crowd, though unable to feel the direct effects of this strange phenomenon due to a barrier that protected them, could still sense the tension in the air and a small chill crawling down their spine.
Trixx was confused as to where such a ghoulish and heart piercing wave of energy came from, until she noticed Kai. Eyes void of life, body marked with strange symbols and the source of this nightmarish aura. Before she could scream his name, everything disappeared in an instant. Kai's body let out a steam/mist of black, but his attention was brought back as he signaled her to attack while their opponent's were still reeling from whatever it was that they had experienced.
Trixx swiftly transformed her blood shield back into a whip, its crimson strands crackling with energy. With a swift flick of her wrist, she propelled Vex into the air, sending her hurtling towards Kai. As Vex soared through the air, Trixx expertly maneuvered her whip, retracting it at the perfect moment to ensnare Eclipse's wrists, immobilizing her.
Kai took this opportunity to use a finishing move using his Kinetic Gloves. He rushed towards the rapidly falling silhouette of his opponent before launching himself into the air and ricocheting off of the roof of the magical dome surrounding the battlefield with astonishing speed and precision. His fists crackled with kinetic energy as he rapidly fell towards Vex, who was descending towards the ground.
With a resounding impact, Kai's punch connected with Vex, unleashing an explosive shockwave from the amount of energy being shot out from the gloves into Vex's body which reverberated through the arena. The impact force sent Vex crashing into the ground, creating a massive crater with cracks cover a solid portion of the arena.
The dust settled and the deafening roar of the crowd erupted, filling the arena with thunderous applause in amazement of such raw power displayed before their very eyes. Kai stood tall, his gaze unwavering, while Vex laid unconscious in the wake of his devastating blow. Eclipse, still trapped by Trixx's whip, struggled against her bonds, her expression a mix of frustration, defeat and worry for her unconscious partner. The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, proclaiming Kai and Trixx as the victors of the first bout, their names resonating throughout the arena. The crowd was left in awe, witnessing the prowess of The Harbinger of Shadows and The Scarlet Bladeweaver.
-Back inside the underground chambers.-
Trixx half giggled. "Woo-hoo! that was intense. I can't wait to fight again. That was a tough one huh Hoody."
Kai was slightly annoyed. "Yes, and it would have been a bit easier if you weren't swinging your blood whip around like a maniac."
Trixx was baffled. "What do you mean? You look perfectly fine!?"
Kai turns his back to her and lifts his outfit, showing his back. "When I said cover my back, I didn't mean with scars."
Trixx eyes widens as she sees a couple of whip marks on his back, this shock soon turns into a burst of laughter as she devilishly smirks at him as he turns around. "You do look hotter with battle scars."
Kai covered his back and faced her direction. "THESE. ARE NOT. BATTLE SCARS. THEY'RE THE AFTERMATH OF FRIENDLY FIRE!"
Trixx passively threw an Ice pack for Kai with an awkward laugh. "My bad. I'll be careful next time."
Kai and Trixx took a moment to rest, finding a brief respite in the dimly lit chamber. The flickering lights cast shadows on their weary faces, creating an air of anticipation and curiosity. As the sounds of battle echoed above them, Trixx's eyes were filled with genuine intrigue as she broke the silence.
"Hey, Hoody," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been meaning to ask you something. Your ability... what exactly is it? I know your secretive and stuff but why do you hide it? Why don't you use it to it's maximum or anything else other than that "Soul Seer" ability?
A weighty silence hung in the air, and for a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. Kai's gaze pierced through Trixx, as if he were looking into the depths of his own forgotten past. His expression carried a mix of emotions—revelation, sorrow, and an ancient wisdom.
Realizing she had hit an old wound Trixx tried to franticly make up for it by trying to explain herself while waving her hands out. "Uh not that you need it to beat people mind you nor do i think your weird or anything but ok how about just your name then!"
Memories long buried resurfaced within Kai's mind, bringing him back to the darkest chapter of his existence. The day he escaped the clutches of a nightmarish realm, a realm that had consumed him for countless centuries. A realm from which his power had emerged, shaped by pain and sacrifice. "Do you really wish to know?"