Point-of-View: Ariella Velle

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"Yay, this is so exciting! I've wanted to fight you for ages, it's about time!" Grinned Ciel, as the barrier formed around us.

"So, are you sure you want me to go all-out?" I responded, feeling a bit concerned.

"Yeah, of course! Don't hold anything back, give me everything you've got and then some!"

"Alright, then, if you insist. Here I go...[Blaze Ignition: Flare], [Descent]!" I chanted, an intense burst of heat erupting out as streaks of Negative Energy swirled around me, a fiery glow emanating all over my body as my Demonic wings, tail and horns extended out.

I let out a slow exhale as I cracked my neck, before turning my attention to Ciel. I gave her a nod, prompting her to make the first move, a bright gleam appearing in her eyes as a dark red glow shone around her hands, as she raised her arms and took aim at me.

Here it comes...

I swiftly zipped away as a barrage of explosive projectiles came shooting towards, several deafening explosions ringing out as her attacks peppered the ground, clouds of dust rising up.

"Woah, you're so fast! In that case, let's try this...[Explosion NOVA]!!!" She chanted gleefully, her face flushed as she formed a massive sphere of swirling explosive energy above her head.

Huh. Well, that's gonna inflict a fairly tremendous amount of damage if it hits.

As she swung her arms down and hurled the large explosive globe towards me, I whipped my right arm up, firing out a rapid, vertical slashing wave of Negative Energy with immense force and pressure, slicing the sphere in half as it barreled towards.

I then proceeded to get blown away as my slash triggered the energy, which promptly exploded devastatingly, a fierce shockwave bursting out and large chunks of dirt flying out all over the place as I got sent hurtling back through the air.

I braced myself for impact, gritting my teeth as my back slammed against the wall of the barrier behind me, the barrier shaking and rippling violently as the space filled with a massive, thick cloud of dust, a stifled gasp escaping my lips.

The entire area was rumbling, and I could hear alarmed cries ringing out from outside the barrier.

As the explosion began to settle and peter out, I let out a slight cough as I inhaled some dust, before letting out a slow exhale as I focused on the heat detection ability I get when I use Blaze Ignition.

She's on the other side of the space, the force of the explosion must have blown her away too. Considering the sheer force it generated, there's no way she could've avoided getting caught up in it.

Her fighting style really is self-destructive...seriously, how has she survived this long?

Several explosions then began ringing out all around the space, the dust cloud growing thicker and thicker with every blast.

Is she firing off explosions at random? I think I hear laughter...I think she's just having fun blowing the place up.

Yeah...I should bring this fight to an end before she wrecks the training area any further.

I quietly flew up as I focused on my heat detection, locking onto her position, before rapidly and silently swooping down towards her.

As I closed in on her, I whipped my arm across, unleashing a slashing wave of Negative Energy before she even noticed me, her heat signature abruptly vanishing.

"Huh? Wait, no! It's already over?!" Her voice rang out from outside the barrier, sounding dismayed.

The dust cloud began to clear and thin out as the barrier faded, before I floated back down and landed, the ground completely devastated.

As visibility returned, I glanced in the direction get voice had come from, to see her standing with her shoulders slumped, a disappointed look on her face.

And, sure enough, even the area outside of the barrier had taken some damage. When the Union turned this place into a training ground, they dug up the area and filled it with a synthetic sand that was built for shock absorption, in order to minimize how far impacts travel.

Looks like that massive explosion she set off exceeded the amount of force the sand can absorb. That attack, it packs even more of a punch that X-Aces can manage to pull off...

"Was Explosion Nova really necessary?" Sighed Rex in exasperation.

"I-I know I'm not supposed to use it except as a last resort and all, b-but...but I rarely ever get to use it, and this seemed like a rare opportunity to set it off," Responded Ciel with a grumble.

"Come on, you can't just go wrecking another Guild's training ground...though, I am surprised at how muted the damage was. Maybe we should have a training ground like this constructed for our Guild too," Mused Zian thoughtfully, before glancing at Kai and adding as I approached them, "I'm very sorry about this, and it goes without saying that the Demonsbane Guild will cover the repair costs-..."

"Nah, don't worry about it. All we need to do is run a heavy roller over the place and it'll be good as new," Replied Kai with a thumbs up.

"Yeah, this training ground was built primarily because Kai and I wanted a place to spar at full power without worrying about causing any structural or collateral damage, so it can tank a fair bit of damage without a problem," I added with a smile.

"I see...yeah, we're definitely going to need one of these too," Sighed Zian, adding as he glanced at Ciel, "Either way, you shouldn't have fired off such a powerful explosion so recklessly. Go on, say you're sorry."

"Hmph...fine. I'm sorry," She muttered, looking pretty dejected.

"Oh, we should probably get going soon, it's gotten a bit late," Remarked Zian, as he glanced at the time.

"Wait, I still have one more fight!" Protested Ciel, before looking at me.

"You're not the least bit sorry, are you?" Sighed Zian in exasperation.

"Nope, she's just upset that the last fight ended before she could set off more explosions," Responded Rex, earning a glare from Ciel.

"Hey! Don't tell him that!"

I mean, it was kinda obvious anyway.

"Okay, then...I'm going to need you to reflect on this, and that isn't going to happen if I let you have your way. Instead, I'll be sparring against Kaivel," Decided Zian, before adding as he glanced at Kai, "Assuming you're okay with that, of course."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine," He nodded in bemusement, before glancing at Ciel, who had an incredulous look on her face.

"W-Wait, so you're...you're cucking me?!" She exclaimed indignantly.

"Uh, not quite how I would've phrased it, but sure, yeah. Maybe after this, you'll be more careful about how you let loose with your explosions. I hope."

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