The open field behind the workshop was typically used for testing weapons—scorched earth, craters, and burn marks testament to countless experiments. Now it would serve as an arena for something far more intense.

The group spread out around the perimeter, giving the two fighters plenty of space. Jerry stood at the edge, arms crossed, his experienced eyes already assessing how this would unfold.

Akhil walked to one side of the field, the Blood Fang resting comfortably in his grip. The weapon felt natural now, like an extension of his own body. The system's 98% compatibility rating wasn't just numbers—he could feel the connection, the way the glaive responded to his slightest intention.

Ryan stood opposite him, thirty feet away, fists already beginning to glow with that red energy. His expression was calm, focused, showing none of the hesitation or concern the others felt.

"Are you certain about this?" Akhil called out, giving his friend one last chance to reconsider. "The poison—"

"I'm certain," Ryan interrupted firmly.

"Then at least let me—"

"And don't hold back," Ryan added, his voice taking on that stern quality that brooked no argument. "I won't be holding back either. Test all the abilities of that weapon. Use everything you've got."

Akhil studied his friend carefully. This new confidence—this absolute certainty—was different from Ryan's usual demeanor. Something fundamental had changed in him over the past two days. Something that made him willing to face a poisoned legendary weapon with nothing but his fists.

'Strange,' Akhil thought. 'But if that's what you want...'

A smile spread across Akhil's face. "Very well then. If that's what you want."

He shifted his stance, the Blood Fang moving into a ready position. The cores along the blades began to pulse, responding to his anticipation.

Jerry raised his hand. "Remember—this is a test, not a death match. First blood, incapacitation, or surrender ends the fight." He paused, looking at both of them. "Ready?"

Akhil nodded. Ryan's only response was to drop into a fighting stance, energy crackling more intensely around his fists.

"BEGIN!"

What happened next took less than a heartbeat.

Ryan moved.

One moment he was standing thirty feet away. The next, he was simply gone—a blur of motion so fast it left afterimages in the air.

Akhil's eyes widened in shock. 'What—'

Every hair on his body stood on end. A survival instinct screamed danger from behind him.

He felt it—the displacement of air, the concentrated wave of power moving with Ryan's fist. The presence behind him was terrifying, like standing in front of an avalanche, overwhelming and unstoppable.

Ryan's fist came at the back of Akhil's head, casual but carrying enough compressed force to shatter stone.

'Too fast!'

Akhil's body moved on pure reflex, enhanced perception barely giving him enough warning. He spun, the Blood Fang whipping around in a defensive arc, both blades coming up to intercept the strike.

Fist met metal.

**BOOOOOOM!**

The collision sounded like a thunderclap. The impact point erupted with explosive force, a shockwave blasting outward in all directions. The ground beneath them cracked and split, spider-web patterns radiating from where they stood.

Both fighters were blown backward by the force—Akhil sliding twenty feet, boots digging trenches in the earth. Ryan flipped once in the air before landing in a crouch, that red energy still crackling around his unharmed fist.

A massive cloud of dust and smoke rose into the air, obscuring the field momentarily.

Akhil's hands trembled. The vibration from the impact traveled through the Blood Fang's handle, up his arms, making his veins buzz with residual energy. If he'd been holding a normal weapon, it would have shattered. Even with the legendary glaive, he could feel the raw power Ryan had just demonstrated.

"You weren't joking when you said you were going all out," Akhil called through the settling dust, trying to keep his tone light despite his racing heart. "You literally wanted to kill me with that opening move!"

"Did you have beef with Akhil or something?!" Seth shouted from the sidelines, half-joking but genuinely concerned. "That was a killing blow!"

Ryan's expression remained calm as the smoke cleared. "I was sure you'd block it."

Akhil smiled wryly, though his thoughts were less composed. 'Block it? I barely even saw it coming! Another half-second and I would've been meeting god!'

He pushed the disturbing thought aside, focusing entirely on Ryan. That one exchange had told him everything he needed to know.

Ryan was very, very strong. Far stronger than he'd been even two days ago.

This wasn't going to be a casual sparring match. This required his full attention, full effort, full respect for what his friend had become.

Akhil's eyes narrowed. Blood essence began to seep from his body, flowing into the Blood Fang like water finding cracks. The weapon responded eagerly, the crimson veins along the blades lighting up brighter, the cores pulsing with hungry anticipation.

Without warning, Akhil slashed.

The motion was fluid, practiced, channeling power through the blade just as Jerry had explained. The blood cores activated instantly, and from each blade, circular projectiles of compressed blood energy shot forward—eight in total, spinning like deadly discs through the air.

They screamed toward Ryan, fast and sharp, capable of cutting through armor.

To Akhil's surprise, Ryan didn't dodge.

He didn't even try to evade. Instead, he stepped forward, meeting the projectiles head-on.

His fists blurred, red energy intensifying. Each punch connected with a blood disc, and the impact caused them to explode into fragments—crimson energy scattering harmlessly into the air.

**Bang! Bang! Bang!**

Eight projectiles. Eight punches. Eight explosions.

Ryan walked through them like they were nothing more than annoying insects.

'He's destroying ranged attacks with his bare hands?!' Akhil thought, genuinely shocked.

But shock created opportunity. While Ryan was focused on the projectiles, distracted by the explosions, Akhil made his move.

He twisted the Blood Fang's center mechanism. The nearly invisible seam at the weapon's core separated, and with a thought channeled through blood manipulation, he extended one blade section forward.

The chain unspooled from inside the handle with a metallic whisper. The blade shot forward, extending far beyond the glaive's normal reach, aimed directly at Ryan's exposed side.

Ryan was still dealing with the last projectile, his fist destroying it in a burst of crimson. He wouldn't see this coming. Couldn't dodge in time.

The poisoned blade caught him across the shoulder, slicing through cloth and skin.

Blood sprayed.

"RYAN!" Nyla's voice carried concern.

Akhil's eyes widened in alarm. 'The poison—'

But that moment of worry—that single instant where Akhil's focus shifted from fighting to concern—was all Ryan needed.

He moved.

Faster than before. Faster than should have been possible. The cut seemed to mean nothing to him.

One moment he was fifteen feet away. The next, he was next to Akhil, inside his guard, too close for the extended glaive to defend.

Time seemed to slow. Akhil saw Ryan's fist pull back, saw the muscles coil, saw red energy concentrate into a single point of devastating force.

Then the punch connected with his stomach.

**WHAM!**

Pain exploded through Akhil's entire body. It felt like his organs were trying to escape through his mouth. His eyes bulged, nearly popping from their sockets as the force drove every bit of air from his lungs.

He was launched backward like a cannonball, flying through the air, tumbling end over end before crashing into the ground and sliding another twenty feet, leaving a trench in the earth.

Blood filled his mouth. He coughed violently, crimson splattering the ground as he struggled to breathe, to think, to process what had just happened.

'That... that power...' His thoughts were fragmented, scattered. 'That wasn't human strength. That was...'

He forced himself up on shaking arms, looking across the field at Ryan. The concern he'd felt moments ago evaporated, replaced by something else.

Confusion.

Because Ryan looked fine. More than fine. He stood calmly, completely unaffected by the poison that should have been paralyzing him by now.

Then Akhil saw it.

Ryan gripped his injured shoulder—the one Akhil's blade had cut. And without hesitation, without even a grimace of pain, he tore.

The infected arm ripped free from his body.

Everyone gasped. Several people shouted in alarm.

But before anyone could react, before the horror of what they'd just witnessed could fully register, something impossible happened.

The wound began to close. Flesh knitted together, bones reformed, muscle regrew. In seconds—mere seconds—a new arm emerged from Ryan's shoulder, perfectly formed, completely healthy.

Regeneration. Instant, complete regeneration.

The severed arm hit the ground, already beginning to dissolve as the poison consumed dead tissue. But Ryan's new arm was pristine, untouched by any toxin.

Akhil stared, still on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth. Understanding crashed over him like a wave.

'That's why he wasn't afraid. That's why he volunteered. He can regenerate.'

"Now I see," Akhil said quietly, pushing himself to his feet despite the screaming pain in his abdomen.

Ryan flexed his new arm, testing it, confirming it worked perfectly. Then his eyes locked onto Akhil's, and for the first time, a hint of a smile touched his lips.

"Ready for round two?"

The question hung in the air, a challenge and an invitation combined.

Akhil gripped the Blood Fang tighter, recalling the extended blade section, the chain retracting smoothly. His stomach still hurt like hell, but he was already healing, his own regeneration abilities kicking in.

This was going to be a real fight.

And despite the pain, despite the shock, Akhil found himself grinning.

"Bring it."

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