The grin on Akhil's face was matched by the slight smile on Ryan's. For a moment, they just stood there, assessing each other, understanding that what came next would be nothing like the warm-up they'd just exchanged.

Then they moved.

Akhil struck first this time, the Blood Fang spinning in his hands as he channeled blood essence through every core simultaneously. The weapon lit up like a crimson torch, veins of red blazing along both blades. He slashed in rapid succession—left, right, overhead, diagonal—each movement releasing circular blood projectiles that filled the air between them.

Twenty discs in three seconds, all spinning with lethal intent.

Ryan didn't slow down. His fists became blurs of motion, red energy crackling with each punch. He weaved between some projectiles, destroyed others, his movements a perfect combination of evasion and aggression. But even he couldn't block them all.

Three discs got through, cutting shallow lines across his chest and arms. Blood sprayed, but Ryan's expression never changed. The wounds were already beginning to close as he closed the distance.

Akhil separated the Blood Fang mid-swing, the chain mechanism activating smoothly. One blade section shot forward on the extended chain while he kept the other for defense. The attacking blade curved through the air like a striking snake, aiming for Ryan's legs.

Ryan jumped, the poisoned blade passing beneath him. But Akhil was already recalling it, the chain pulling taut, redirecting the blade's trajectory upward to catch Ryan in mid-air.

Ryan twisted impossibly, his compressed body somehow contorting to avoid the strike by inches. He landed and immediately launched forward, fist drawn back for a devastating punch.

Akhil recalled both blade sections, the Blood Fang reforming just in time to block. The impact sent another shockwave rippling outward, the ground cracking further beneath them.

They broke apart, circled, then clashed again.

The fight intensified. Akhil pushed the Blood Fang to its limits—spinning, slashing, extending and retracting the blades in unpredictable patterns. Blood projectiles mixed with melee strikes, the poison-coated edges flashing through the air. He moved with fluid grace, the weapon becoming an extension of his will.

Ryan matched him step for step. Each punch carried enough force to shatter stone. His speed was inhuman, his regeneration allowing him to take risks no normal fighter could afford. He let Akhil's blade cut him twice more, accepting the damage in exchange for openings to strike back.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

The sounds of their clash echoed across the settlement. Each collision of fist and blade sent shockwaves radiating outward. The field beneath them was being torn apart, craters forming, earth splitting, dust clouds rising with every exchange.

"Blood Cascade!" Akhil shouted, channeling a massive amount of essence through all eight cores at once.

The Blood Fang blazed brilliantly. From both blades, a torrential wave of crimson projectiles erupted—not just circles now, but crescents, spirals, complex patterns that filled the entire space between them.

It was like a storm of blades, impossible to dodge, overwhelming in its intensity.

Ryan planted his feet. Red energy exploded around him, so dense it became almost solid. He punched forward with both fists simultaneously.

"CRIMSON IMPACT!"

The concentrated force of his strike met the blood storm head-on. The collision was cataclysmic.

**BOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The explosion of energy was so massive it shook the entire workshop complex. Windows shattered. Tools fell from benches. Dwarven smiths stumbled, having to grab onto their forges for stability.

A dust cloud forty feet high erupted, completely obscuring the fighters.

"ENOUGH!"

Nyla's voice cut through the chaos. Ice erupted from the ground between the two combatants, forming a massive wall that separated them. Aria appeared beside Akhil in a blur, her hand on his shoulder. James materialized next to Ryan, chains already wrapping loosely around him—not restraining, but ready to if needed.

"Are you two insane?!" Seth shouted, staring at the devastation around them. "You're literally trying to bring the whole settlement down just to test a weapon!"

The dust began to clear, revealing both fighters. Akhil was breathing hard, blood essence still crackling around him, the Blood Fang glowing in his grip. Ryan stood with fists still clenched, red energy slowly fading, his body covered in shallow cuts that were already healing.

They looked at each other across Nyla's ice wall. Then, almost simultaneously, they relaxed.

"Sorry," Ryan said, lowering his fists. The dangerous aura around him dissipated. "I got... carried away."

"Same here," Akhil admitted, dispelling his blood essence. The Blood Fang's glow dimmed, returning to its dormant state. "Once we started, it was hard to stop."

"Hard to stop?!" Nibo gestured at the battlefield around them. "Look at this place! There are craters everywhere! The ground looks like it's been through a war!"

"To be fair," James observed quietly, "it kind of has been."

Aria was checking Akhil for injuries, her hands moving professionally over his ribs, arms, checking for breaks or serious damage. "Your stomach is badly bruised. You're going to feel that for days."

"Already feeling it," Akhil winced.

Seth was doing the same with Ryan, though there was less urgency since any wounds had already regenerated. "When did you get regeneration? How did we not know about this?"

"Happened yesterday," Ryan explained. "During one of the hunts. Got badly injured fighting a cave bear, and something just... clicked. The wounds started healing on their own. Tested it afterward—anything short of instant death, I can recover from."

"That's..." Nyla shook her head in amazement. "That's an incredible ability."

"It's what made me confident enough to spar with a poisoned weapon," Ryan admitted. "Figured worst case, I cut off whatever gets infected and regrow it."

"Still reckless," Aria chided, but there was relief in her voice.

While the others fussed over the fighters, Jerry had been standing at the edge of the field, arms crossed, watching everything with his experienced smith's eye. Now he approached, stepping carefully around the craters.

"Well," he said, a satisfied grin splitting his weathered face. "That was enlightening."

Akhil turned to him, still catching his breath. "Did I pass your test?"

"Pass?" Jerry laughed. "Boy, you exceeded it. I've never seen someone adapt to a new weapon that quickly." He gestured at the devastated field. "You used every function—the projectiles, the separation mechanism, the recall, even that final combination attack. And more importantly..."

He stepped closer, examining Akhil carefully. "You didn't hurt yourself once. Not a single self-inflicted cut, no poisoning, no chain tangles, no loss of control. The weapon is dangerous, but you wielded it with confidence and precision."

Jerry nodded firmly. "I'm satisfied. You can use the Blood Fang to its full potential without getting hurt. That's exactly what I needed to see."

Akhil felt relief wash over him. The chief blacksmith's approval meant more than he'd realized—confirmation that his instinct about the weapon had been correct, that the risk had paid off.

"Thank you," Akhil said sincerely. "For trusting me with your creation."

"Thank you for giving me something challenging to forge," Jerry countered. "Now..." He turned to the others, rubbing his hands together with renewed enthusiasm. "Let's get back inside before these two destroy anything else. The rest of you still need weapons, and we're burning daylight."

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