Chapter 13: Blood Art Awakening
The intense training continued. Every morning, they woke up at 4 AM and pushed their bodies to the limit. They practiced martial arts, ran up and down the mountain, and engaged in brutal workouts.
Ardyn collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"Ahh… what is this training, man?" he groaned.
But there was no time for complaints. Ezra had something even tougher planned.
"Today, you will begin learning assassination techniques," Ezra announced.
The students straightened up immediately. Assassination techniques were the core of an elite assassin. Ezra demonstrated ten legendary techniques they would train in:
Piercing Phantom – A strike that bypasses armor and defenses.
Death Lotus – A rapid multi-hit combo that overwhelms the opponent.
Silent Fang – A precision stab that numbs the enemy.
Vanishing Veil – A movement technique that erases presence.
Phantom Dash – A teleport-like movement for surprise attacks.
Silent Mirage – Creates afterimages to confuse the enemy.
Ghost Walk – Moves through shadows, becoming invisible.
Blood Thorn – Uses one's own blood as a weapon.
Razor Chain – Extends a hidden chain for ranged attacks.
Paralysis Fang – A strike that locks the enemy's muscles.
The team trained tirelessly for the next five days, but they quickly realized these techniques were not easy to master.
Steel, wiping sweat from his forehead, turned to Ezra. "Master, what about that attack Ardyn used to kill Darana? Can we learn it?"
Ezra's expression turned serious. "No killing in the tournament."
He looked at them sternly. "Some of the techniques I teach are deadly. Techniques like Soul Extraction should not be used in a tournament. Only a select few can even use it, and I will tell you more about it later. For now, keep training."
With that, they continued. The first ten days of training were finally over.
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The Blood Arts Awakening
Ezra gathered them all at sunrise. "Now, we move on to the most important thing—Blood Arts."
Vex pumped his fist. "Hell yeah! This is what I've been waiting for!"
Ezra nodded. "Blood Arts are special abilities unique to your bloodline. Some of you already have them, but you just don't know how to use them."
Vex raised an eyebrow. "Wait, so what's everyone's Blood Art?"
The group turned to each other.
Zion: "I don't think I have one..."
Vex: "No idea."
Kai: "I'm a Bloodquake user."
Steel: "I'm a Bonecrafter—I can manipulate my bones."
Ardyn: "Uh… I think I'm a Golden Blood or something?"
Ezra smirked. "That's not entirely wrong, but let me explain properly."
With his Perception Ability, Ezra could sense the nature of bloodlines. He explained that Blood Arts had different categories:
Arcanists – Users of elemental blood energy.
Vanguards – Warriors who manipulate blood for combat.
Boneforgers – Those who create weapons and armor from their own bones.
Magicians – Blood Arts that enhance spells.
Bloodlines – Unique abilities inherited from ancient ancestors.
Ezra pointed at each student, revealing their true abilities:
Kai was a Bloodquake user, able to cause localized earthquakes.
Zion... had no Blood Art, but Ezra assured him he had potential.
Vex was a Vanguard, a Hemoknight who could manipulate his blood into weapons.
Steel was a Bonecrafter, able to reinforce his bones and shape them into deadly tools.
Ardyn, however, was something different.
Ezra narrowed his eyes. "You are a Golden Blood—the rarest type. That means your Blood Art is adaptable. You can learn and manipulate multiple elements."
Ardyn's eyes widened. "Wait, so I can learn anything?"
Ezra nodded. "Within limits, yes. So tell me, which element do you want to start with?"
Ardyn clenched his fists. "I want to learn Bloodflame."
The memory of Darana's terrifying power still haunted him. If he could control that level of power, he could truly surpass his limits.
Ezra grinned. "Good choice. I'll teach you the basics. You'll start with these techniques:"
Hell Ball – A condensed orb of burning blood energy.
Hellfire Wave – A devastating wave of bloodfire.
Hell Bone – A technique that fuses Blood Arts with Bonecraft.
As Ardyn trained, he could feel the fire flowing in his blood, but he had only scratched the surface of his potential.
The Tournament Arc was just around the corner. And now, they were finally prepared to enter the battlefield.