Lin raised her hand with the ceremonial gesture. "Begin."

Liu's vampire launched itself upward with a burst of wind that created a visible pressure wave against the arena floor.

It was a powerful beast completely adapted for nocturnal hunting. Body slender but muscular, covered in dark black fur that absorbed light and made it harder to track visually against the night sky. On the membranous wings were blood runes, and each beat of those wings generated powerful wind gusts that enhanced aerial mobility beyond what anatomy alone should provide.

It reached fifty meters altitude in two seconds through explosive ascent that spoke of its exceptional power-to-weight ratio.

But the mantis also disappeared from the starting position instantly, vanishing before most observers could track the movement.

The vampire was already emitting sonar pulses from the beginning rather than waiting to establish position first. Invisible waves mapping the arena space, finding the mantis despite its invisibility that fooled normal vision completely.

The "small" beast had to cover a diagonal distance to reach its airborne target, a greater distance calculated to intercept mid-flight. But even with superior speed that exceeded her rank, that straight trajectory made its path predictable, more so for an opponent using sonar tracking.

The vampire rotated in the air fast, orienting toward its invisible prey with certainty that came from the echolocation feedback.

And screamed with a sound that was weaponized.

The sonic attack descended like a concentrated shockwave that distorted air itself through raw kinetic force.

Yet the mantis beat its wings and propelled itself laterally with explosive speed that left a transparent afterimage in its wake visible even to normal observers. Wind element enhancing movement faster than her Bronze rank should have made possible through normal flight mechanics.

The scream impacted the empty space where it'd been milliseconds before, continuing downward to strike the ground near where Ren stood calmly. Earth exploded in a small crater from kinetic force that would have been a devastating direct hit for most. But Ren didn't even flinch at the near-miss that demonstrated the vampire's power.

The vampire tracked the invisible mantis's movement through sonar return that painted a clear picture of its location.

Adjusted its orientation with precision that suggested perfect spatial awareness...

Attacked again with a second scream aimed at the new position where calculations said it should be.

But the mantis had already moved again before the sound could reach its predicted location. Ascending this time with a vertical thrust that changed its elevation rapidly. Its wings beating the air so rapidly they generated insane propulsion despite not having optimal design for sustained flight, a speedy straight movement amplified by elemental wind gusts that launched it forward.

The second sonic attack missed by meters that felt too close in aerial combat.

Third attempt.

Fourth.

Fifth in rapid succession as the vampire tried to pin down the slippery target.

All dodged with narrow margins but sufficient clearance to avoid damage that would have been crippling.

Liu frowned while processing the combat data and adjusting strategy. "Faster than expected by a significant margin."

The vampire changed tactics in response to the failed attacks that weren't connecting. Ascended higher, gaining superior altitude that would make diving attacks more effective through gravitational acceleration.

But the mantis was already close after those evasive maneuvers had closed the distance too. Approaching too rapidly for the vampire to escape without abandoning the hard-won altitude advantage.

The mantis's blade-arms manifested with concentrated mana as it entered optimal attack range, becoming briefly visible through power concentration.

They cut upward in a strike aimed at a vulnerable wing membrane that would cripple flight.

Impacted the vampire's side instead as it twisted defensively. Clean cut that opened a deep wound through flesh and muscle that sprayed lots of blood.

Significant blood loss that should have been severely weakening if not soon fatal.

And yet… the vampire still tried counterattacking despite the wound, jaws snapping toward where it sensed the mantis through sonar...

But the mantis had pulled away instantly, beating its wings furiously to create distance before retaliation could land and turn this into a losing mutual exchange.

The audience inhaled collectively at the sight of the first blood drawn. First successful hit connected against a Gold-rank opponent that many had assumed was untouchable by the Bronze-rank beast whose defenses should be too high for the smaller beast to break.

The win against them should have something to do with the mana in the blades…

But then something unexpected occurred that made several observers lean forward in confusion...

The wound stopped bleeding immediately as if flow had been turned off.

No… the blood itself floated impossibly against gravity and returned to its source like being pulled by invisible strings. The wound edges drew together through a force that shouldn't exist. Flesh regenerated before their eyes through a fast process that defied normal healing rates.

Five seconds. The wound disappeared completely as if it had never existed, leaving unmarked flesh where the deep cut had been.

Blood control at mastery level. The vampire manipulated its own vitality, closing physical damage almost instantaneously through complete dominance of its own life essence.

It was an ability that made the vampire extremely difficult to defeat through conventional damage accumulation. Each wound would simply close unless you could inflict damage faster than regeneration could repair it.

Ren observed this regeneration with a small knowing smile that suggested he'd anticipated this capability. "So they already control blood better than before... Simple cuts won't work anymore."

He'd explained to Liu how to develop that ability a long time ago. Knew its limitations and strengths intimately.

Which meant he also knew how to overcome it when necessary.

But standard cutting attacks that had demolished high Silver-rank opponents wouldn't be sufficient here.

He needed something more than physical damage that could be regenerated.

♢♢♢♢

A Bronze-rank beast should never be capable of injuring a Gold-rank opponent through any normal means. Selphira observed the absurdity of Ren's beast with growing fascination that bordered on disbelief... But it wasn't just the beast itself that made this possible, it was the mana control being demonstrated.

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