The stage was quickly set, though it was strange that these things seemed to be conveniently prepared in advance, no one stopped to think about such details for the time being.
Why was that? Simple, it was a ceremonial Agni Kai that would take place, and the participants were somewhat familiar figures, so it attracted the attention of many sailors and people living near the village.
The fight could not be held on the ship, so it was held on the beach. Illumination was achieved by placing tall torches that marked the battlefield. Shisui paid attention to these sources of fire for a moment before concentrating on Cao-Cao.
The boy was indeed fit, his bare torso and red pants representing his affiliation with the Fire Nation. Strangely enough, he had his eyes closed and Shisui could sense that Cao-Cao wasn't stupid despite his loss of inhibition.
He was preparing for this fight.
Shisui did the same, but he felt a strange sensation at that moment, then he waved his hands and everyone around him changed. People quickly realized that some strange things had crept into reality.
"Shisui... Did he make a reflection of the Spirit World like that time?" asked Zuko, feeling the strange sensation just like that time in the past.
"It seems so, the Spirit World is so colorful according to my memories," Ty Lee said, looking curiously at everything going on around her.
Zhao was near them, listening to what they had said, and it made him afraid. Did Shisui seriously involve the spirit world in this matter? Just as he was about to say something, they all looked in a certain direction.
Something huge was approaching. Not just huge, but hot and extremely powerful. All of the Firebenders felt the inner flames in their bodies seem to pulse with excitement at the spiritual being approaching them.
"Lord Agni, I call your attention to this Agni Kai so that you may be the impartial arbiter and uphold justice in this ancient ritual duel," Shisui's voice cleared everyone's minds, but only attracted more confusion... and fear.
Agni is generally represented in Fire Nation culture as the 'protector' of Firebenders, the dragon of dragons, and the personification of the Sun Spirit.
The dragons of the real world are its vassals, spreading the concept of firebending, just as the Badgermoles of Gaea did in the real world.
The being became clearer to all. A colossal golden dragon, resembling the midday sun. It was a cross between a western dragon and an eastern dragon.
Especially the long neck and tail, head of an eastern dragon, but with wings and claws of a western dragon. Its golden scales looked like molten gold, twisting in strange patterns, but Zuko, who watched the spirit with interest, noticed something special about those patterns.
He didn't know why, but he made a special effort to memorize those patterns so he could replicate them later. Agni landed, shaking the earth with great weight.
The spirit noticed Zuko's gaze with its huge golden eyes but only glanced at him before looking down at Shisui. It craned its long neck and studied the Waterbender closely before speaking.
"Sage and Enlightened One, I accept your invitation to judge this Agni Kai," his voice was particularly thick and booming.
The giant spirit looked at Cao-Cao, and golden flames erupted from his nose as he snorted, but he didn't say or do anything else, just moved his body before opening his mouth.
Golden fire was spat out by the dragon, the flames were unlike any other in this world, they were exaggeratedly hot, but at the same time, they did not cause any discomfort or harm. The flames formed a large circle that contained Shisui and Cao-Cao.
Even though Agni was in the spirit world and his reflection was projected into the real world because of Shisui, everyone could feel how powerful those flames were that seemed to block the area. They knew that no one could interfere with the battle.
"No one is allowed to intervene, the fight ends when someone uses self-created fire to burn the other. Any action after I announce the end of the duel will incur my wrath," Agni said, giving Zhao a glare that made the Vice Admiral particularly uncomfortable.
"State your names, titles, and what you wish to accomplish with this Agni Kai," Agni said, and Cao-Cao stepped forward to begin his statement.
"My name is Cao-Cao, I am a Lieutenant Commander of the Fire Nation. I want Shisui to break off his engagement to Princess Azula upon my victory," the boy's rude request was far from what Zhao had originally intended.
Zhao only wanted Cao-Cao to win, he would demand that Shisui teach him his signature chi technique, a much milder humiliation that would ruin his 'specialty' and remove him from his pedestal.
Now Zhao simply shook his head in genuine disappointment, no pretense. He felt pain at the stupidity of his familiar's actions and already had it in his mind to expel him from the Navy even if he won.
Because what Cao-Cao had said was a direct affront to the royal family's decision, even if it was done with 'romantic' or 'honorable' intentions, it didn't change the fact that it was a great stupidity to say such things in such a way.
"My name is Shisui, Sage, Enlightened One, Captain of the Fire Nation Army. If I win, all I want from you is an apology," Shisui declared, making people look at him with more respect.
Even though Cao-Cao's words were particularly rude to Shisui, the latter kept his humility and decided to simply apologize, how magnanimous! This thought spread through the minds of many people at that time, going even more against Zhao's original intentions.
"Since they have already declared what they wish to win, let the Agni Kai begin!" the giant spirit declared, giving way to the battle.
Demonstrating his mastery of his element, Cao-Cao propelled himself toward Shisui with jets of flame shooting from his bare feet. Shisui crouched like an animal about to charge.
Moths of white chi erupted from Shisui's body and swirled around him. Many people knew this was a basic application of energy, but it seemed no one could duplicate the Waterbender's exaggerated control of these chi motes, for that reason this technique is his 'specialty'.
A jet of flames was shot at Shisui by Cao-Cao, who used his hands to compress the flames into a flaming missile. Shisui's golden eyes seemed to dim slightly as he activated his gift.
His body acted, going from inaction to action in an instant, managing to dodge the jet of fire that curved to continue chasing him as Cao-Cao leaped, spun in the air, and threw several flaming arcs at the sage.
Shisui steadily backed away as he dodged, ever mindful of the flames and Cao-Cao's proximity, though at first he worried that Cao-Cao's stray attacks might hit someone unsuspecting, his fear quickly vanished.
The golden flames blocked the spread of Cao-Cao's attacks, so everything would be contained within the battle arena. Agni took care of the safety of the spectators, so Shisui could concentrate on the fight.
No matter what kind of attack he tried, Shisui dodged them all, which began to frustrate Cao-Cao, who began to launch long-range attacks, but Shisui's movement speed was inhumanly high.
Because Shisui used chi to strengthen his body, and although Cao-Cao did the same, it was obvious that Shisui's speed was higher. Soon, Cao-Cao stopped attacking and struggled to breathe, but his breathing recovered quickly.
"Why do you only dodge? You only know how to do that!?" shouted Cao-Cao, visibly frustrated.
All the sand on the beach had charred or glazed patches, showing the intensity of the flames that had fallen on those places. The temperature had risen quite a bit, but there was no sweat on either of their bodies, both of them had good resistance to the temperatures.
Cao-Cao because he was a firebender, and Shisui because he was a descendant of one. Shisui just stood there, staring at Cao-Cao's disturbed aura with his gift, then decided to be more serious.
"Fine, I won't dodge," Shisui said, smiling broadly for some reason. Cao-Cao felt fear.
'Why does that smile scare me?' the firebender thought before he pushed himself even harder towards Shisui with the flames on his feet, his hands creating a jet of fire that, to Shisui's surprise, he didn't dodge.
No, why should he? Shisui's arms were engulfed in the motes of chi that swirled around him, circling both limbs. Then he struck forward with a clenched fist.
Cao Cao's body seemed to be hit by something invisible and was pushed back, leaving two marks in the sand, while the flames he threw at Shisui were dispersed by an invisible force.
"Oh, did he manage to do that? I guess he was already able to calculate the damage of that technique," Ty Lee said with interest, but she noticed that Shisui's aura seemed a bit strange, and then she noticed the arm he used to attack.
"Azula, Shisui is hurt," Ty Lee said, making Azula focus on Shisui's arm, indeed, there was a nasty bruise on his limb, and there was even a little blood gushing out.
"Are you really going to use something like that in a fight?" asked Azula with some reproach and concern in her voice, but she knew there was nothing she could do, this Agni Kai would only end when it had to end.
"Shisui has always been a guy... who likes to go different ways," Zuko said, knowing Shisui quite well since they practically grew up together.
"Too radical, if it were anyone else, using shockwaves as a technique would have left permanent injuries long ago. For him... it's just a full moon bath, isn't it?" said Petra with some envy because of Shisui's way of 'cleansing' his body.
Not that she was jealous of the free skin treatment that came with this act, not at all. But her words did shed some light on those watching the fight, pointing out to many inexperienced people just how dangerous their actions were.
"Everyone knows about chi motes, but only Sage Shisui uses them in such a strange way, when will I reach a similar level?" muttered a Fire Nation sailor, clenching his fists in frustration.
"Dude, don't compare yourself to him, be thankful that you have the knowledge of how to use chi, you can make your own way," Mai advised when she heard the sad tone of his voice.
The sailor looked at Mai, then at the fight, and determination burned in his eyes. It was true, it had only been a dream to have access to a way to become as strong as No-Bender, but now that he had it, why should he compare himself to Shisui? It was best to go his own way.
So the sailor began to watch the battle more closely, hoping to learn something from it. Many did, drawing inspiration from what was happening in the arena.
"What was that, airbending?" asked Cao-Cao cautiously.
Was Shisui the Avatar? No, it was not him, what was that? Cao-Cao then saw the wound on Shisui's arm, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face as he quickly realized what had happened.
"A shock wave, not airbending, not even an 'element', a pure shock wave. Worthy of a Sage," knowing that Shisui probably wouldn't be able to use something like that all the time, Cao-Cao's feelings of fear subsided.
"It was just a test, but I see it's not perfect," Shisui shook his head, and knowing better than to resort to such self-destructive attacks, Shisui shook his shoulders first, then his neck, before starting to make small jumps in the sand.
Shisui's jumps had a certain rhythm to them, and a distant memory came to the Sage's mind. He had never understood martial arts in his previous life, but now he was imitating two of the most famous martial artists in this world.
Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali. The jumps that Shisui made were accompanied by the motes of chi that circled around his body, creating a strange sensation emanating from him.
Cao-Cao attacked Shisui for the third time, this time wanting to make things physical because he felt that throwing his fire at Shisui without managing to limit his mobility would be counterproductive.
He didn't know why he was making these strange jumps, but when he launched a kick against Shisui, Shisui simply moved his upper body backward before pushing himself forward, his left hand clenching into a fist that slammed straight into Cao-Cao's chest.
Although the young man protected himself with his hands, Shisui did not stop, and after a small jump, taking advantage of the short distance between his left fist and Cao-Cao's body, he made a gesture before striking.
A One-Inch Punch.
Cao-Cao never expected such an attack and was pushed back, but Shisui was the one who rushed at his enemy and used his knee to strike again at Cao-Cao's chest, whose defenses had been knocked down.
Though Cao-Cao's hand was covered in the fire he launched at close range, his body was hit with enough force to send him flying and crashing into the sand several meters away.
Motes of chi covered Shisui's face, each one vibrating intensely until the flames disappeared. There were no burns on his face, but Shisui was a bit cautious at this point.
'He's too strong to be a normal Firebender, even if he's talented, his body felt strange. It's like... he's on some kind of drug. Great, influenced and doped up, what else?' Shisui began to mentally curse, but his face showed no fluctuations.
He knew about performance-enhancing supplements, I mean, Kiyi owed her birth to some of his achievements in that field. But it seemed that Cao-Cao had consumed something quite performance-enhancing.
He could tell by the ease with which he resisted his attack, even though a normal person wouldn't be able to react and attack him like that.
And from the way Cao-Cao stood up without even bruises on his body from his previous attacks, it was safe to assume that his assumption was correct.
"Ah, aren't you so strong, Sage Shisui?" Cao-Cao asked mockingly, but Shisui didn't say anything, he just started to exchange blows with him.
Shisui and Cao-Cao fought with their bodies. Cao-Cao relied on his abnormal physical endurance to overcome the technical superiority Shisui had against him. No matter how hard Shisui's kicks, punches, elbows, knees, or head-butts were, Cao-Cao could withstand them all.
People noticed that there was something abnormal about it, but Agni said nothing, so they could only watch. The energy of both of them seemed endless, even when they had wounds on their bodies, the intensity of their attacks did not diminish.
Shisui was especially careful when Cao-Cao tried to cling to his body because he had already tried to use those moments to burn his body. And unlike Cao-Cao, Shisui had no advantage other than the unusual activity of his chi since the day of his enlightenment.
Therefore, his body showed some bruises and scratches caused by Cao-Cao, who was also a skilled melee fighter. But Shisui was not angry or frustrated, he was happy.
No, he even laughed. A fight like this had made him quite excited and he enjoyed it. He was able to try out some of the techniques he had invented and was even able to get the hang of them.
He made Cao-Cao his whetstone, which annoyed the boy, but when he was about to say something, something changed in Shisui's actions. It was a seemingly normal strike, but the specks of chi orbiting his fist indicated otherwise.
Anyway, his body, enhanced by the changing drugs he had ingested, which he now understood to be the ginseng just a camouflage for whatever his uncle had put in his food, would help him resist.
It didn't. Shisui struck at a particular point where the colors that made up Cao-Cao's aura came together, creating a strong imbalance in him and a bruise that spread across his chest.
The force of the attack caused him to fall backward, feeling pain for the first time in the fight, but along with the pain, a feeling of helplessness spread throughout his being, he even felt it was hard to breathe.
Shisui was tired of practicing.
"I know what you ate, and it seems to me it's possible that neither you nor whoever gave you that stuff knew exactly how that supplement worked, but it helped me relieve stress, just...
"I hope you can withstand my strongest attacks," Shisui said without letting Cao-Cao get up, attacking with his foot directly at his opponent's solar plexus.
The scarce air in Cao-Cao's lungs was expelled, making him dizzy for a moment, but Shisui crouched down beside him, his right fist orbiting many, many spots of chi.
"What you ingested was mixed with some plants that help quite a bit, at first I smelled ginseng on your breath, but your lack of pain and abnormal physical endurance told me that you ingested exactly that.
Congratulations, you poisoned yourself like so many other fools who ate that strange peach and thought they had gained immortality. No, they just traded their years of life for chi.
Boy, you're lucky you didn't eat all the fruit, because then your current improvements would be permanent, but your life years would only be 3, which is a good number, spiritually speaking.
The 'Deadly Peach' in any less than full dose will give you a temporary enhancement but will eliminate your ability to have children. Congratulations, now you can do what every sailor does and enjoy women without fear of leaving children, I just hope it wasn't too many.
Or you will be chemically castrated, but the rarity and legends surrounding such a fruit only make some unwary try to eat it or try it on others" Shisui's smile was rather creepy as he recounted some of his obscure botanical knowledge, but his fist fell where it was meant to fall.
A satisfying crunch reached Shisui's ears, Cao-Cao's nose was crushed by Shisui, and blood gushed from the young man's face. But the boy was scared enough now, for he remembered that he had eaten a lot of what looked like a peach during the banquet.
"You gave me an interesting fight, you know, let me return the favor," Shisui began to hit the points where Cao-Cao's aura colors met.
Even though Cao-Cao's improvements were gone, Shisui used quite a bit of power in his blows, sometimes with somewhat ugly results, such as broken bones. Shisui enjoyed his fight, so he was less drastic with the boy, especially since he knew that some of his stubbornness was not entirely his fault.
Still, he broke the boy's arms, legs, and several ribs. Then Shisui ripped off a piece of Cao-Cao's pants, then stood up, and looked directly at Zhao through the wall of flames.
Zhao felt a chill; it seemed that Shisui had learned of his actions, and even of his intentions to consume the miraculous 'Immortality Peach', of which he had managed to obtain several after much effort.
"Don't be surprised when you see this," many chi motes emerged from Shisui, making him feel exhausted, but these chi motes began to vibrate intensely and then fell on the piece of cloth in his hand.
The cloth fell apart, but a tiny piece of it began to emit a puff of smoke before completely catching fire. He then let that pinch of fire fall on Cao-Cao's chest, leaving him with a small burn, but fulfilling Agni's requirements.
"Winner of the Agni Kai, Shisui!"
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AN: Sorry for the late update, but apart from being sick, my mood is not very high, but hey! Here you have this chapter. I wrote it while listening SCP Foundation's videos.
And... read my original book(?