The eastern training dome on Sky Boys Island was one of Ema's proudest creations. It was a massive, self-contained arena enclosed by layered curse-resistant alloy walls and an energy barrier system that could simulate almost any environment. Today, the dome was set to a dense, humid jungle — thick trees with hanging vines, uneven moss-covered ground, dim shafts of sunlight filtering through the canopy, and the distant sound of artificial birds and insects for atmosphere. The air felt heavy, alive, and slightly oppressive, exactly the kind of setting that forced fighters to adapt or get overwhelmed.
The entire team had gathered on the elevated viewing platform that circled the dome like a spectator gallery. Orced stood at the front, arms crossed, white hair glowing under the artificial lights.
Macker was sprawled on the railing with a bag of snacks, Nix was leaning forward with wide-eyed excitement, Ema was already inside the arena, and Sano stood quietly like a mountain.
Aftor was stretching in the center of the jungle floor, knife in hand, a small, dangerous smile on his face.
Kruna leaned against the railing beside Orced. "You sure you want to go first against him? Aftor's been acting weirdly confident lately."
Orced's smile was calm. "Let them fight. I want to see what they've both been hiding."
Orced's voice echoed through the dome's speakers, clear and commanding. "Arena locked. It don't let lethal damage. Begin when ready."
Aftor and Ema faced each other twenty meters apart in the middle of the simulated jungle.
Ema had his bow ready, arrows glowing with faint blue energy. Aftor twirled his knife once, then gripped it tightly.
"Ready?" Aftor called, voice playful but sharp.
Ema nodded, eyes focused. "Always."
They moved at the same time.
Aftor dashed forward in a blur. Ema fired three glowing arrows in quick succession, each one trailing light. Aftor dodged the first two with fluid grace, then suddenly slashed the blade across his own left palm. Blood welled up instantly, bright red against his skin.
"Poisoned Expansion," Aftor muttered under his breath.
The blood didn't fall to the ground. It exploded outward in a violent burst, transforming mid-air into thick, writhing vines covered in glistening purple thorns. The vines shot toward Ema like living whips, growing longer and thicker with every meter they traveled. Thorns dripped with a glowing, viscous toxin that sizzled when it touched leaves or dirt.
Ema's eyes widened. "What the hell is this?!"
He leapt backward, firing arrows rapidly to cut the incoming vines. The arrows sliced through several, but the severed pieces simply regrew almost instantly, even thicker than before. One vine wrapped around Ema's ankle and yanked him off his feet with brutal force. He hit the ground hard, moss and dirt flying up around him. Another vine slammed into his chest, thorns piercing through his training vest and injecting the toxin directly into his body.
Burning pain exploded through Ema's veins. His muscles seized, vision blurring at the edges as the poison spread like fire in his bloodstream.
"Shit, I underestimated that mf!"
Ema gasped, rolling desperately to the side as more vines whipped toward him.
Aftor laughed, a low, satisfied sound. "Too slow, Ema. You always rely on range. Let's see how you handle close quarters."
He charged, the vines following him like loyal extensions of his body, whipping and slashing from every angle. Ema fired point-blank arrows, severing several vines, but Aftor was relentless. A thick vine slammed Ema against a tree trunk, thorns digging deep into his shoulder. Ema cried out as the toxin burned hotter, his left arm going numb.
From the viewing platform, Macker leaned forward, eyes wide. "Holy shit, look at those vines! Aftor's gone full plant monster mode!"
Nix was practically bouncing. "That's insane! He just cut his own hand and turned blood into ivy weapon? I need that in my gauntlet somehow!"
Kruna watched silently, but his eyes were sharp, analyzing every movement. "He's been practicing in secret. Those vines aren't random — they're controlled and precise. He's using them like extra limbs."
Sano rumbled. "Painful technique. He's willing to hurt himself to gain the advantage."
Orced remained quiet, watching with a small, thoughtful smile.In the arena, Ema was breathing hard, sweat mixing with blood on his face. "Not… bad… but you're not the only one who's been working on something new."
He activated his technique.
"Twice Shadow!"
Two perfect, solid duplicates of Ema suddenly appeared on either side of him — identical in every way, each holding a glowing bow. The two Ema shadows moved in perfect synchronization, firing a devastating storm of arrows from three directions at once. The vines were shredded in mid-air.
Aftor was forced to retreat, laughing as he dodged and weaved through the arrow barrage. "Not bad at all!"
Aftor shouted, clearly enjoying himself. "But I've been practicing too. A lot."
Without warning, he drove the knife deep into his own stomach — a deliberate, brutal self-stab. Blood poured out in a heavy stream.
The team on the platform gasped.
Aftor grinned through the pain, eyes wild. "Advanced Gunfire."
The blood didn't just flow. It erupted from the wound like high-velocity bullets, shooting toward Ema and his two shadows in a deadly crimson spray. Each drop was hardened by curse energy, moving faster than normal arrows and exploding on impact.
The real Ema and his shadows tried to dodge, but the gunfire was too widespread, too relentless. One shadow was shredded instantly, dissolving into energy. The real Ema took multiple hits to the shoulder, side, and leg, stumbling backward with a pained grunt as blood sprayed from the wounds.
Aftor pulled the knife out of his stomach. The wound was already closing thanks to his curse regeneration.
He was breathing hard, but the smile on his face was triumphant.
"Got you."
Ema dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, blood trickling from multiple wounds. But he was still grinning, eyes bright with respect. "Damn… that was nasty. When the hell did you develop those techniques?"
Aftor wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Been working on them in secret for months. Didn't want to show my hand too early. Poisoned is self-blood control turned into living vines with toxin. Advanced Gunfire is turning blood into high-velocity projectiles. Still needs refinement, but it's getting there. Painful as hell to use, though."
Ema pushed himself up slowly, wincing. "Respect. That was actually impressive. You almost had me there for a second."From the platform, Macker was staring with his mouth open. "Wait — how the hell are you not dead?! You just stabbed yourself in the stomach twice! That should have killed you!"
Kruna reached over without looking and smacked Macker hard on the back of the head. "Idiot. This is the special training dome. Nobody actually dies here. The barriers suppress lethal damage. You feel the full pain, but your body doesn't take permanent injury. Pay attention next time before you embarrass yourself."
Macker rubbed his head, still staring. "Ow… okay, okay. Still looked scary as hell though."
Aftor looked up at the viewing platform, breathing heavily but clearly satisfied with the spar. "Alright. That was fun. Who's next? Anyone want to spar with me?"
The team exchanged glances.
Kruna pushed off the railing, a dangerous little smile on his face as he drew his twin blades. "I'll go."
Aftor's eyes lit up with genuine excitement. "Oh? The blade master himself. This should be very interesting."
Orced's voice echoed through the dome again, calm and commanding. "Arena reset. Kruna versus Aftor. Begin when ready."
The jungle simulation shifted slightly, giving them more open space between the trees. Kruna stepped into the arena, blades held low and ready. Aftor twirled his knife, already healing from the previous self-inflicted wounds, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The two dangerous fighters faced each other in the middle of the simulated jungle.
Aftor grinned. "Let's see if your blades are faster than my blood, Kruna."
Kruna's only response was a small, cold smirk.
"Try me."
The dome fell into a charged, electric silence as the two prepared to clash.