"Begin"!
As soon as Agni Igris gave the signal, both Rudra's leaped at each other! The sculpture threw a punch at Rudra which he dodged without moving back!
*Whoosh*!!
He dropped to the clone's side and pivoted before unleashing a kick into the clone's stomach! The clone caught the kick before smirking at Rudra and using the leg to leverage him to the ground!
*Thud*!!
As he was falling, he used the momentum to trip the clone and it also hit the ground as Rudra did! As soon as they hit the ground, both rolled slightly and hopped to their feet as soon as they could!
When he used to fight their father, falling to the ground meant losing and pain! He subconsciously couldn't stay on the ground!
Rushing at each other, they each threw a punch that hit the other on the chin, throwing their heads back from the impact!
*Bam*!! *Bam*!!
They both caught themselves by planting their back foot before glaring at the opponent in front of them.
They continued trading blows for 5 minutes, hit after hit, miss after miss, they were equal! However, there was one difference!
"Hah, Huah," Rudra panted as he and the clone separated for a brief moment. Rudra knew that he would lose at this rate if it kept going like it was.
The clone had infinite stamina, after all!
"The conditions are equal, was it?" he spoke with a slight chuckle, not taking his eyes off of the clone.
"IN THAT CASE…" he bellowed and narrowed his eyes. He had come up with a plan but he didn't know how to put it into action.
So, he locked in and felt the world melt away. He saw only his opponent, he felt cold, zen, and ready for war!
Feeling the moment, they both once again rushed in but Rudra was on the back foot now! He focused on dodging and blocking blows, barely attacking at all!
Rudra waited for the clone to get confident, to leave an opening. And eventually, it did!
Rudra knew himself and knew his mindset. He knew that if he was fighting someone who he thought was weaker than him, he would try to overwhelm them rather than tactical defeat!
So, he waited for the clone to lose patience and use the same attack pattern twice in a row!
As it did, Rudra finally erupted and delivered an explosive {Draconia Art: Twin Claw}!!
*BAM*!!
It hit the clone's stomach and sent it flying to the ground! Rudra didn't let up as he mounted the clone and delivered blow after blow!
*Bam*!! *Bam*!! *Bam*!!...
Eventually, he saw the clone disappear!
"Haah, ha, Huah," He smiled as he panted because he knew that meant that he won!
Agni Igris was impressed. It was technique or skill. It was the way Rudra beautifully played to his strengths while turning his opponent's strengths into weaknesses! The boy's battle IQ was at a prodigal level!
He was, without proper training, good at combat, what to look for, what movements he needed to use to get a hit, to not get hit, etc.!
'This kid could become a real monster given enough time!' Agni Igris thought as he smiled, watching Rudra walk back to them in pride!
"Very well done, Rudra" Agni Igris praised him with a smile as he said, "You can stay to watch their fights or go to sleep, your choice"
Thor and Iris turned to look at Rudra, silently asking for his decision.
However, he was nowhere to be found!
"..Thor and Iris felt betrayed! So that's why he wanted to go first! That traitor!
Rudra truly did want to watch, however, he wanted to sleep more. He had absolute faith in his sibling's strength and knew that they would win!
What he didn't realize was that it was extremely hard to defeat yourself! You know everything about yourself, and to face yourself in battle as the conditions are equal is almost impossible for most at any level!
In fact, if Rudra wasn't as arrogant as he thought he was, he would've lost!
Iris's battle was next! It wasn't as heated as Rudra's and she seemed to not have the same lust for battle that Rudra had! She still liked fighting, but she appreciated it more as an art form than anything else.
Iris and her sculpture fought gracefully and formlessly! They would dodge and strike, flowing from one movement to the next without pause or transition!
Rather than a fight, it looked like a deadly dance against splashing waves. Iris had infinitely better technique and skill in a battle than Rudra!
However, she didn't understand how to go beyond anything but a draw! She didn't know how to force herself to do something when everything flowed and neither could interrupt it!
Unfortunately, Iris inevitably lost because she ran out of steam, too tired to continue.
Agni Igris wasn't disappointed, it was quite the opposite actually! She was simply not on the same level as Rudra!
He had seen the way she fought and it reminded him of a battle art that he had in the treasury!
'I'll start her training with a sword now and give her the art when she awakens' Agni Igris thought as he clapped for Iris.
"You did well, you may rest or watch Thor's match," Agni Igris told her as he patted her head.
She was upset because she didn't manage to defeat her clone while Rudra did! However, she knew that sulking wouldn't get her anywhere so she sat down and watched as Thor went up to the stage!
Thor fought a bit like both Rudra and Iris! He danced in a swift and precise barrage of strikes. As he and the clone got comfortable in their cadence, they would both switch it up!
Thor struck powerfully and quickly, his reactions saving him from taking hits! However, this style of fighting was rather a dangerous one.
He didn't plan which way he would change the rhythm of the fight, it simply came to him. He was a prodigy but didn't know how to apply that practically!
He lost to the clone because he simply got unlucky that the clone switched the cadence well enough to win!
Thor didn't even understand that this was the case, he was confused about why he lost!
'Hmm, this kid is a great fighter just lacks practical experience' Agni Igris analyzed as he encouraged Thor who felt down after his loss!
Afterward, he took the kids to bed and let them rest. They had a hard day, after all.
Early the next morning before the kids woke up, Agni Igris was seated on his throne. He narrowed his eyes as two shadows appeared outside the waterfall to his home!
All of a sudden, he vanished from the throne room! In the next second, he stood in front of the two shadows!
The two figures wore shocked expressions as they saw him appear in front of their eyes. These two were powerful Ki Purifying stage warriors, so they were surprised when their senses failed to detect anyone nearby!
"You two are Albert and Mira" Agni Igris commented as he nodded his head in approval.
Mira was a very tall beastkin from the Cheeta race. She had bronzed skin with dark oak-colored hair and similarly colored cat-like ears coming from the top of her head. She also had glowing yellow eyes and wide shoulders but compacted and rigid muscles. She was very beautiful as her muscles only added to her amazonian and slender figure. She also had brown patches of spots covering her skin and a tail that hung from her pelvic bone through her armor!
The human instructor, Albert, carried a distinguished demeanor and a confident aura. He had long flowing brown hair with a neatly shaved brown beard. His eyes, calm and confident, matched the rest of his face.
He was very tall and had a strong, filled-out physique ripped with muscles. He wore a brown leather suit with jean pants and a blue robe on his broad shoulders.
He typically carried around a brush and walked with a pearl of calculated wisdom.
For the roles he had designed for them, their strength and demeanors made Agni Igris believe that they were qualified!
As they nodded in response, Agni Igris explained what their roles would be, their payment, etc. He also had them sign strict Ki contracts that forbid them from harming him or the kids in any way.
Although, neither Mira nor Albert had any intention of doing so. Agni Igris' passive aura alone made them understand that the moment they tried would be the last moment they lived.
At last, Agni Igris invited them into his home as he parted the waterfall. He informed them that the kids were still sleeping and that they would be awoken shortly for breakfast.
"You two go get accustomed to your rooms and join us so that I may introduce you" Agni Igris stated with a smirk as he disappeared again.
*****
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