Street Cultivation, page 10
"Huh. So are you seriously gonna get something flashy?"
"Not for now. I've done a little research on it, and it requires a substantial investment in a new core. I don't think it makes any sense to do that until I've improved my foundation and gotten rid of the aura leeches."
"So you're just going to run around punching people, huh?" Melissa smiled over at him. "You're not dressed for it. Doesn't this underground fighting ring have some sort of dress code? Bunch of S&M-looking gear or something?"
"There's no dress code, but I might have to expand my wardrobe."
"Or you could go the other way and kick ass in a frilly pink tutu. That'd definitely give you a psychological edge in a fight, wouldn't it?"
"I think they'd get over it way before we started fighting."
"Nope, that's why you'd wear one of those big flasher coats. You'd really freak them out thinking you were some kind of pervert, then you'd throw it off to reveal the tutu and they'd know you were a huge pervert. That'd probably be enough to take them out on its own, no punching needed."
Though he stayed alert for any further complication from her condition, the night passed without incident. Despite the brief scare, it was actually quite relaxing, and he felt better now that he'd told Melissa about the fights. A cynical part of him said that it was necessary, since there might come a day when he couldn't come home, but all he could do was keep working as carefully as possible.
On his next fight day, he headed out earlier than usual in order to catch Henry's fight. His coworker had been skipping more days at the House of the Cosmic Fist lately - Jimmy wasn't happy, but apparently Henry was starting to make enough money from some of his fights that he could afford fewer hours. It might be interesting to check on his progress.
By now the route to the Underground was familiar. Nobody really recognized him, but he had the confidence to walk through the neighborhood with no more than normal caution. Ever since the first time, he'd entered via a different secret entrance that led directly to the main arena, though the procedure was basically the same.
Inside, he discovered that he was a bit late. Pushing through the crowds, Rick searched through the melee for Henry. Odd that there were so many people for a simple brawl like this. Though Henry wasn't on the trash tier like he was, the melees generally didn't get a huge audience. Perhaps there was someone popular taking part.
At that moment a yellow light pulsed through the underground complex, briefly illuminating even the upper boxes. Rick tracked the source and finally found Henry, his eyes glowing yellow and his body encased in phantasmal yellow armor. He struck out and sent one of his opponents flying, then tore into the others.
Huh, maybe Henry was the one people had come to see.
Though the armor was definitely powerful, it wasn't enough to completely dominate the match. Henry seemed to know that, choosing his opponents intentionally and avoiding getting mobbed. As he watched the fight, Rick realized that it wasn't exactly armor: instead, it was more like a ghostly shell in the shape of a rather stereotypical demon.
That might explain how he'd gained so much strength so quickly. The bell rang to end the match and the remaining fighters all cooled down, giving Rick a chance to check Henry's profile:
[Name: Hendog69 (pseudonym)
Ether Tier: 16th
Ether Score: 216
Lucrim Generation: 27,500
- Demonic Bond: 10,000
Current Lucrim: (private data)]
The demonic bond seemed to be working quite well for him. Though his encounter with the aura leeches left Rick unwilling to even consider anything of the sort, he had to admit that his friend had made far faster progress than he had. No doubt the power available through the bond made it even easier for him to expand his natural generation rate as well.
With the match ending, Henry caught sight of him and loped up to the stands. "You finally caught one of my matches, huh? What did you think?"
"That's a strong technique. You manage that yourself, or did you get it through your bond?"
"A bit of both - they upgraded my bond, by the way, which is nice." Henry flexed his fingers, eyes unfocusing as he looked within himself. "I figured I've always trained with martial arts, so there's no point trying to gain an entirely new skill. But the shell basically just enhances all my physical abilities, so I don't need to relearn anything."
"Smart. I'll consider that, once I actually get some lucrim to spare."
"You'll get there, man. Especially if you keep doing well." Henry sat down beside him, staring out as the arena was cleaned. "You fighting yet tonight? I'll stick around if you are."
"Yeah, I'm fighting. But it will be a bit, yet, so I'm guessing there will be other matches first."
They stuck around to watch, since there was no point trying to go somewhere else. The melee was followed by two one-on-one matches, but they proved disappointing. One was ended almost at the beginning by a powerful technique, while the other dragged on with two durable warriors pounding on each other.
The audience was getting restless... troublingly so, Rick thought. He'd grown used to the types of crowds at the Underground, and they were usually only as raucous as the audiences at normal sporting events. But the crowd tonight seemed bloodthirsty in a way he couldn't interpret.
Following the two quick matches there was a brief pause, two staff members talking to Alger. He was looking glum after the disappointing matches, but perked up and suggested something. After some time reorganizing, he clapped his hands to signal the start of something different.
Instead of either a duel or a melee, the next match appeared to be a battle between four different warriors, all of them rather strong. Rick hadn't seen any of them before, so he eagerly watched their skills as the match started.
In the beginning they watched each other cautiously, but the crowd began to jeer and scream. The noise pushed one of the men to lunge at the others, his aura expanding into a spiky shape that threatened anyone who came near. It seemed to be a strong technique, because it pushed back the first man who tried to strike him.
Without warning, the spiky aura split in half. For a second Rick didn't even know how it had happened, then he caught sight of one of the women in the match. She stood nearby, one of her arms encased in a purple aura that extended beyond her hand in a long blade. Not only had she crossed the distance immediately, she'd cut through the man's aura in a single blow.
The crowds roared in approval and the other fighters immediately converged on her, but she had clearly been expecting that. With her aura blade slicing around her, she could threaten a huge area, effectively preventing them from using their numbers against her and even turning the momentum back on them.
Rick gave her a closer look. She wore shapeless gray slacks and a dark hoodie, like someone going out of their way to look unremarkable. But she had a lean, pretty face, and her dark hair had a streak of blue in it. He had to wonder just who she was.
More importantly, how she was fighting so effectively. He judged her lucrim generation rate to be around 85,000, which was nothing to sneeze at, but all four fighters had at least that much and one of the men had 125,000 or more. Were her cores that efficient? If so, the fact that she could ward off multiple opponents meant that she was even better at punching above her weight than he was. There weren't any major flaws in her movements, though she wasn't too much better than him. Yet he couldn't help but feel that it was something else he was missing...
"Noticed her, huh?" Henry elbowed him hard in the ribs. "I'm shocked that you would cheat on poor Lisa."
"I thought you were done with that joke." He took his eyes away from the woman to stare at Henry. "She's strong. Do you know who she is?"
"Her name is Emily and she's one of the mid-tier fighters. Not so famous because she only participates in matches occasionally, but I noticed her because she's smoking hot. But before you ask, I'm pretty sure she's a lesbian or something, so don't even try."
"Lesbians can't discuss lucrima techniques?"
"Oh, haha. Don't pretend you aren't interested."
Rick didn't bother, instead focusing on the match. Emily fought to a draw with one of the others before the time ran out. The crowd cheered when they left the arena, but there were a few yelling angrily as well. He was starting to get uncomfortable with the whole thing, yet at that moment it was announced that the next match would be his melee.
Since he was in good shape and his schedule called for another fight, Rick headed out to the arena with the others. It looked like a mix of people he'd seen before, along with some new candidates, only a few of whom looked dangerous. His mind was running hot with ideas to improve himself, but he resolved to play it safe and stick to battle-tested strategies. There would be time enough to take risks later.
Once everyone was in the arena, Alger rose to his feet. It was rare that he announced the matches, but now he spoke loudly, audible even without a mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for a very special event! All of our noble fighters enjoy these melees, but their warrior's spirits call for more. Can they be satisfied with these simple matches? I tell you, no! True warriors must be forged by true challenges! They must be forged in blood!"
At that moment, one of the new arrivals threw off his cloak, revealing that he had jagged metal claws attached to both hands. But far more dangerous than his weapons, the man's aura intensified rapidly, taking him from an average 25,000 fighter to a generation rate of over 150,000. Rick's first instinct was that this must be a mistake, but even as he thought it, Rick knew that wasn't true.
The crowd sat forward, fixated on the arena, hungry for spectacle. Henry was on his feet, eyes wide, but there was nothing they could do. As the man with the claws began hunting, the chain link barriers around the arena solidified with lucrim and all of them were locked inside.
Chapter 13: The Slayer
"Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!"
The crowd was chanting the name over and over again as the man with the jagged metal claws raised his hands to either side. Most of the other fighters in the arena looked confused, but they were rapidly understanding that this was not another simple melee.
Rick tested the chain link fence, found that the reinforcement made it much too strong to break, and cursed under his breath. He glanced toward Henry, but his friend could only shrug helplessly. This was going to be ugly. It probably wouldn't end with dead bodies, but that didn't mean he could survive the injuries from the match.
Would it be best to play dead? Yet judging from the crowds, he had a feeling that might backfire on him. This match had been sprung on them, so he had no idea what the conditions were to end it. Plus, this might be a rare opportunity to face a trained warrior more powerful than him. If he could avoid permanent injuries, then this could work in his favor.
Then there was really only one good option: he had to fight. As Rick turned back around, he saw that it had already begun.
One of the fighters let out a scream and tried to sprint for one of the locked exits. In a flash the Slayer was behind him, jabbing him in the back with one claw. He stabbed his other claw in as well, then tore them in opposite directions. Not a killing blow, but it opened a large gash in the fighter's back and flung strings of blood in both directions.
Around them, the crowds went berserk, pulsing with a bloodlust that had been held back until now. Rick swallowed, wished one last time that he hadn't taken this risk, and then focused wholly on how he was going to make it through.
Realizing that running wasn't an option, several of the long range fighters began to hurl aura spheres at the Slayer. But he had clearly expected this, ducking the first set and then sprinting directly toward one of the ranged fighters.
She only had time to release a single sphere, which the Slayer dodged, before he was on her. One claw caught beneath her armpit and the Slayer jerked up, sending her flipping into the air. After colliding with the barbed wire above, she dropped heavily, screaming in pain and clutching her arm. It was intact, but it wouldn't be functional soon, or maybe ever.
After raising his arms to the roaring crowds again, the Slayer lunged for the next ranged fighter. Before he arrived, a bolt of lightning shot through his chest, knocking him back. He landed lightly on his feet, mostly uninjured, and rushed toward his newest attacker.
It was the huge man who usually wielded lightning. Rick had seen him several times since his first match and he was a formidable opponent. But he wasn't equal to the Slayer, who sprinted at him with a loud laugh.
The next bolt of lightning shot out, and though it should have been impossible to react, the Slayer somehow intercepted it with one claw. He stopped for a moment, grinning to let everyone see the electricity dissipate harmlessly, then lunged for the kill.
Rick rushed in low and kicked him in the knee.
Though it felt like kicking solid steel, the Slayer did wince in pain and slow down. Then he turned on Rick, eyes blazing. Rick tried to leap back, but his opponent was simply too fast, following him quickly and raising a claw to strike into his chest.
Before it landed, two other fighters tackled him from the side. They actually drove the Slayer to the ground and one of them began stabbing with a shiv, but Rick saw that the point was failing to penetrate the man's defensive aura. With no way to help while they attacked wildly on top of their opponent, all he could do was retreat before the inevitable happened.
One of the Slayer's claws snapped up, going through the neck of one of his attackers. The Slayer burst to his feet, throwing the body into the others attacking him and sending all of them tumbling into the ground. As soon as he was back on his feet, another bolt of lightning shot at him, but he absorbed it into one claw and then roared for the crowds again.
They erupted in response, chanting "Slayer" over and over. Only a few looked at the man lying on the floor, blood bubbling from the holes in his throat.
Forcing down panic by sheer willpower, Rick considered his options. Strangely, the most recent bolt of lightning had come from beside him, which meant its user had changed location. He saw the huge man from the corner of his eyes, but the man wasn't attacking.
"My bolt hurt him," the man said, "but now that he's wise to them, they're not going to hit."
Rick nodded grimly. "Could you land another one if he's distracted?"
"I doubt it. My control isn't good enough to avoid collateral damage or target shots well enough to take advantage of it."
"Could you hit him if you ignored collateral damage?"
That got a dark chuckle from the man. "The bolts aren't strong enough to go through someone, not and pierce his aura. But... I could transfer the power. It'd hurt, but you might be able t-" At that moment they were interrupted as a body flew toward both of them, hitting the chain link fence and scattering blood in all directions.
Before they could return to finish their conversation, the Slayer rushed in their direction. They had no choice but to split up and sprint in opposite directions. Though the Slayer went after the larger man, by this point the others had begun working together, hurling ranged attacks to slow him down.
Several teamed up to rush him at once, giving Rick a chance to analyze their opponent as he tore through them. This "Slayer" was definitely strong and experienced, with most of his strength in offense. His defenses were average and if he had any weakness it was speed - he was faster than most of the fighters in the arena, but given how much he outclassed them, he should have been much faster.
His style was a bit hard to pin down. Though he played up the brutality for the audience, Rick thought that he was well-trained. The technique actually reminded him of a perverse form of aikido, throwing his opponents via injuries instead of normal throws. That was going to be difficult to deal with.
The huge man was across the arena, waiting for a chance to strike. Actually, he was trying to get Rick's attention. Presumably he wanted to continue the plan from earlier, but what had he been trying to say? Then there was no more time to think, because the Slayer threw aside his nearest opponents and rushed at Rick.
That claw lashed out at his face with terrible speed, but Rick desperately swept aside his opponent's arm. Just deflecting the attack made his forearm ache, but he'd managed to hold off the Slayer for one second. Unfortunately, no one else came to help. The claw lashed out again and he managed to deflect it with his other arm, but now both of his arms felt heavy and he knew he couldn't raise them in time to block the next attack.
Then the lightning bolt hit Rick in the back.
For an instant everyone was shocked. Rick trembled in pain as the lightning coursed through him, wondering if his ally had misfired. Yet the large man was now firing a second bolt, distracting the Slayer, and instead of passing through, the lightning continued crackling in Rick's body.
Rick struck the Slayer in the chest with his palm and all the lightning exited his body, blowing straight through his opponent.
The Slayer staggered backward and then fell to one knee, taken completely off guard. For a moment the crowd was quiet, then they let out another huge roar. Screaming back at them, the Slayer leapt to his feet, but at that moment several other fighters attacked him from all sides.
Which was good, because all Rick could do was collapse.
Redirecting the lightning had been a smart move, but it had taken more out of him than the Slayer. Even just holding the power in his body for a moment seemed to leave every part of him singed. Having felt it directly, he realized that the technique wasn't actually lightning, but lucrim charged to follow similar patterns. Rick considered that with mild curiosity until his brain snapped back into gear and he realized he was still in the middle of a potentially deadly fight.
Barely managing to crawl back to his feet, he discovered that the fight was going poorly. There were only three or four of them left standing. At some point while he had been down, the Slayer had struck the lightning user to the ground, though he seemed to be getting back to his feet while the Slayer was distracted.
Realizing that he would only be able to fight a short while longer, Rick tried to consider his best options. His aura was burned by the lightning, but his defensive core was still in good shape. Unless he could team up with someone else, the only way he could land another hit was to leverage his defense.
"Not for now. I've done a little research on it, and it requires a substantial investment in a new core. I don't think it makes any sense to do that until I've improved my foundation and gotten rid of the aura leeches."
"So you're just going to run around punching people, huh?" Melissa smiled over at him. "You're not dressed for it. Doesn't this underground fighting ring have some sort of dress code? Bunch of S&M-looking gear or something?"
"There's no dress code, but I might have to expand my wardrobe."
"Or you could go the other way and kick ass in a frilly pink tutu. That'd definitely give you a psychological edge in a fight, wouldn't it?"
"I think they'd get over it way before we started fighting."
"Nope, that's why you'd wear one of those big flasher coats. You'd really freak them out thinking you were some kind of pervert, then you'd throw it off to reveal the tutu and they'd know you were a huge pervert. That'd probably be enough to take them out on its own, no punching needed."
Though he stayed alert for any further complication from her condition, the night passed without incident. Despite the brief scare, it was actually quite relaxing, and he felt better now that he'd told Melissa about the fights. A cynical part of him said that it was necessary, since there might come a day when he couldn't come home, but all he could do was keep working as carefully as possible.
On his next fight day, he headed out earlier than usual in order to catch Henry's fight. His coworker had been skipping more days at the House of the Cosmic Fist lately - Jimmy wasn't happy, but apparently Henry was starting to make enough money from some of his fights that he could afford fewer hours. It might be interesting to check on his progress.
By now the route to the Underground was familiar. Nobody really recognized him, but he had the confidence to walk through the neighborhood with no more than normal caution. Ever since the first time, he'd entered via a different secret entrance that led directly to the main arena, though the procedure was basically the same.
Inside, he discovered that he was a bit late. Pushing through the crowds, Rick searched through the melee for Henry. Odd that there were so many people for a simple brawl like this. Though Henry wasn't on the trash tier like he was, the melees generally didn't get a huge audience. Perhaps there was someone popular taking part.
At that moment a yellow light pulsed through the underground complex, briefly illuminating even the upper boxes. Rick tracked the source and finally found Henry, his eyes glowing yellow and his body encased in phantasmal yellow armor. He struck out and sent one of his opponents flying, then tore into the others.
Huh, maybe Henry was the one people had come to see.
Though the armor was definitely powerful, it wasn't enough to completely dominate the match. Henry seemed to know that, choosing his opponents intentionally and avoiding getting mobbed. As he watched the fight, Rick realized that it wasn't exactly armor: instead, it was more like a ghostly shell in the shape of a rather stereotypical demon.
That might explain how he'd gained so much strength so quickly. The bell rang to end the match and the remaining fighters all cooled down, giving Rick a chance to check Henry's profile:
[Name: Hendog69 (pseudonym)
Ether Tier: 16th
Ether Score: 216
Lucrim Generation: 27,500
- Demonic Bond: 10,000
Current Lucrim: (private data)]
The demonic bond seemed to be working quite well for him. Though his encounter with the aura leeches left Rick unwilling to even consider anything of the sort, he had to admit that his friend had made far faster progress than he had. No doubt the power available through the bond made it even easier for him to expand his natural generation rate as well.
With the match ending, Henry caught sight of him and loped up to the stands. "You finally caught one of my matches, huh? What did you think?"
"That's a strong technique. You manage that yourself, or did you get it through your bond?"
"A bit of both - they upgraded my bond, by the way, which is nice." Henry flexed his fingers, eyes unfocusing as he looked within himself. "I figured I've always trained with martial arts, so there's no point trying to gain an entirely new skill. But the shell basically just enhances all my physical abilities, so I don't need to relearn anything."
"Smart. I'll consider that, once I actually get some lucrim to spare."
"You'll get there, man. Especially if you keep doing well." Henry sat down beside him, staring out as the arena was cleaned. "You fighting yet tonight? I'll stick around if you are."
"Yeah, I'm fighting. But it will be a bit, yet, so I'm guessing there will be other matches first."
They stuck around to watch, since there was no point trying to go somewhere else. The melee was followed by two one-on-one matches, but they proved disappointing. One was ended almost at the beginning by a powerful technique, while the other dragged on with two durable warriors pounding on each other.
The audience was getting restless... troublingly so, Rick thought. He'd grown used to the types of crowds at the Underground, and they were usually only as raucous as the audiences at normal sporting events. But the crowd tonight seemed bloodthirsty in a way he couldn't interpret.
Following the two quick matches there was a brief pause, two staff members talking to Alger. He was looking glum after the disappointing matches, but perked up and suggested something. After some time reorganizing, he clapped his hands to signal the start of something different.
Instead of either a duel or a melee, the next match appeared to be a battle between four different warriors, all of them rather strong. Rick hadn't seen any of them before, so he eagerly watched their skills as the match started.
In the beginning they watched each other cautiously, but the crowd began to jeer and scream. The noise pushed one of the men to lunge at the others, his aura expanding into a spiky shape that threatened anyone who came near. It seemed to be a strong technique, because it pushed back the first man who tried to strike him.
Without warning, the spiky aura split in half. For a second Rick didn't even know how it had happened, then he caught sight of one of the women in the match. She stood nearby, one of her arms encased in a purple aura that extended beyond her hand in a long blade. Not only had she crossed the distance immediately, she'd cut through the man's aura in a single blow.
The crowds roared in approval and the other fighters immediately converged on her, but she had clearly been expecting that. With her aura blade slicing around her, she could threaten a huge area, effectively preventing them from using their numbers against her and even turning the momentum back on them.
Rick gave her a closer look. She wore shapeless gray slacks and a dark hoodie, like someone going out of their way to look unremarkable. But she had a lean, pretty face, and her dark hair had a streak of blue in it. He had to wonder just who she was.
More importantly, how she was fighting so effectively. He judged her lucrim generation rate to be around 85,000, which was nothing to sneeze at, but all four fighters had at least that much and one of the men had 125,000 or more. Were her cores that efficient? If so, the fact that she could ward off multiple opponents meant that she was even better at punching above her weight than he was. There weren't any major flaws in her movements, though she wasn't too much better than him. Yet he couldn't help but feel that it was something else he was missing...
"Noticed her, huh?" Henry elbowed him hard in the ribs. "I'm shocked that you would cheat on poor Lisa."
"I thought you were done with that joke." He took his eyes away from the woman to stare at Henry. "She's strong. Do you know who she is?"
"Her name is Emily and she's one of the mid-tier fighters. Not so famous because she only participates in matches occasionally, but I noticed her because she's smoking hot. But before you ask, I'm pretty sure she's a lesbian or something, so don't even try."
"Lesbians can't discuss lucrima techniques?"
"Oh, haha. Don't pretend you aren't interested."
Rick didn't bother, instead focusing on the match. Emily fought to a draw with one of the others before the time ran out. The crowd cheered when they left the arena, but there were a few yelling angrily as well. He was starting to get uncomfortable with the whole thing, yet at that moment it was announced that the next match would be his melee.
Since he was in good shape and his schedule called for another fight, Rick headed out to the arena with the others. It looked like a mix of people he'd seen before, along with some new candidates, only a few of whom looked dangerous. His mind was running hot with ideas to improve himself, but he resolved to play it safe and stick to battle-tested strategies. There would be time enough to take risks later.
Once everyone was in the arena, Alger rose to his feet. It was rare that he announced the matches, but now he spoke loudly, audible even without a mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for a very special event! All of our noble fighters enjoy these melees, but their warrior's spirits call for more. Can they be satisfied with these simple matches? I tell you, no! True warriors must be forged by true challenges! They must be forged in blood!"
At that moment, one of the new arrivals threw off his cloak, revealing that he had jagged metal claws attached to both hands. But far more dangerous than his weapons, the man's aura intensified rapidly, taking him from an average 25,000 fighter to a generation rate of over 150,000. Rick's first instinct was that this must be a mistake, but even as he thought it, Rick knew that wasn't true.
The crowd sat forward, fixated on the arena, hungry for spectacle. Henry was on his feet, eyes wide, but there was nothing they could do. As the man with the claws began hunting, the chain link barriers around the arena solidified with lucrim and all of them were locked inside.
Chapter 13: The Slayer
"Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!"
The crowd was chanting the name over and over again as the man with the jagged metal claws raised his hands to either side. Most of the other fighters in the arena looked confused, but they were rapidly understanding that this was not another simple melee.
Rick tested the chain link fence, found that the reinforcement made it much too strong to break, and cursed under his breath. He glanced toward Henry, but his friend could only shrug helplessly. This was going to be ugly. It probably wouldn't end with dead bodies, but that didn't mean he could survive the injuries from the match.
Would it be best to play dead? Yet judging from the crowds, he had a feeling that might backfire on him. This match had been sprung on them, so he had no idea what the conditions were to end it. Plus, this might be a rare opportunity to face a trained warrior more powerful than him. If he could avoid permanent injuries, then this could work in his favor.
Then there was really only one good option: he had to fight. As Rick turned back around, he saw that it had already begun.
One of the fighters let out a scream and tried to sprint for one of the locked exits. In a flash the Slayer was behind him, jabbing him in the back with one claw. He stabbed his other claw in as well, then tore them in opposite directions. Not a killing blow, but it opened a large gash in the fighter's back and flung strings of blood in both directions.
Around them, the crowds went berserk, pulsing with a bloodlust that had been held back until now. Rick swallowed, wished one last time that he hadn't taken this risk, and then focused wholly on how he was going to make it through.
Realizing that running wasn't an option, several of the long range fighters began to hurl aura spheres at the Slayer. But he had clearly expected this, ducking the first set and then sprinting directly toward one of the ranged fighters.
She only had time to release a single sphere, which the Slayer dodged, before he was on her. One claw caught beneath her armpit and the Slayer jerked up, sending her flipping into the air. After colliding with the barbed wire above, she dropped heavily, screaming in pain and clutching her arm. It was intact, but it wouldn't be functional soon, or maybe ever.
After raising his arms to the roaring crowds again, the Slayer lunged for the next ranged fighter. Before he arrived, a bolt of lightning shot through his chest, knocking him back. He landed lightly on his feet, mostly uninjured, and rushed toward his newest attacker.
It was the huge man who usually wielded lightning. Rick had seen him several times since his first match and he was a formidable opponent. But he wasn't equal to the Slayer, who sprinted at him with a loud laugh.
The next bolt of lightning shot out, and though it should have been impossible to react, the Slayer somehow intercepted it with one claw. He stopped for a moment, grinning to let everyone see the electricity dissipate harmlessly, then lunged for the kill.
Rick rushed in low and kicked him in the knee.
Though it felt like kicking solid steel, the Slayer did wince in pain and slow down. Then he turned on Rick, eyes blazing. Rick tried to leap back, but his opponent was simply too fast, following him quickly and raising a claw to strike into his chest.
Before it landed, two other fighters tackled him from the side. They actually drove the Slayer to the ground and one of them began stabbing with a shiv, but Rick saw that the point was failing to penetrate the man's defensive aura. With no way to help while they attacked wildly on top of their opponent, all he could do was retreat before the inevitable happened.
One of the Slayer's claws snapped up, going through the neck of one of his attackers. The Slayer burst to his feet, throwing the body into the others attacking him and sending all of them tumbling into the ground. As soon as he was back on his feet, another bolt of lightning shot at him, but he absorbed it into one claw and then roared for the crowds again.
They erupted in response, chanting "Slayer" over and over. Only a few looked at the man lying on the floor, blood bubbling from the holes in his throat.
Forcing down panic by sheer willpower, Rick considered his options. Strangely, the most recent bolt of lightning had come from beside him, which meant its user had changed location. He saw the huge man from the corner of his eyes, but the man wasn't attacking.
"My bolt hurt him," the man said, "but now that he's wise to them, they're not going to hit."
Rick nodded grimly. "Could you land another one if he's distracted?"
"I doubt it. My control isn't good enough to avoid collateral damage or target shots well enough to take advantage of it."
"Could you hit him if you ignored collateral damage?"
That got a dark chuckle from the man. "The bolts aren't strong enough to go through someone, not and pierce his aura. But... I could transfer the power. It'd hurt, but you might be able t-" At that moment they were interrupted as a body flew toward both of them, hitting the chain link fence and scattering blood in all directions.
Before they could return to finish their conversation, the Slayer rushed in their direction. They had no choice but to split up and sprint in opposite directions. Though the Slayer went after the larger man, by this point the others had begun working together, hurling ranged attacks to slow him down.
Several teamed up to rush him at once, giving Rick a chance to analyze their opponent as he tore through them. This "Slayer" was definitely strong and experienced, with most of his strength in offense. His defenses were average and if he had any weakness it was speed - he was faster than most of the fighters in the arena, but given how much he outclassed them, he should have been much faster.
His style was a bit hard to pin down. Though he played up the brutality for the audience, Rick thought that he was well-trained. The technique actually reminded him of a perverse form of aikido, throwing his opponents via injuries instead of normal throws. That was going to be difficult to deal with.
The huge man was across the arena, waiting for a chance to strike. Actually, he was trying to get Rick's attention. Presumably he wanted to continue the plan from earlier, but what had he been trying to say? Then there was no more time to think, because the Slayer threw aside his nearest opponents and rushed at Rick.
That claw lashed out at his face with terrible speed, but Rick desperately swept aside his opponent's arm. Just deflecting the attack made his forearm ache, but he'd managed to hold off the Slayer for one second. Unfortunately, no one else came to help. The claw lashed out again and he managed to deflect it with his other arm, but now both of his arms felt heavy and he knew he couldn't raise them in time to block the next attack.
Then the lightning bolt hit Rick in the back.
For an instant everyone was shocked. Rick trembled in pain as the lightning coursed through him, wondering if his ally had misfired. Yet the large man was now firing a second bolt, distracting the Slayer, and instead of passing through, the lightning continued crackling in Rick's body.
Rick struck the Slayer in the chest with his palm and all the lightning exited his body, blowing straight through his opponent.
The Slayer staggered backward and then fell to one knee, taken completely off guard. For a moment the crowd was quiet, then they let out another huge roar. Screaming back at them, the Slayer leapt to his feet, but at that moment several other fighters attacked him from all sides.
Which was good, because all Rick could do was collapse.
Redirecting the lightning had been a smart move, but it had taken more out of him than the Slayer. Even just holding the power in his body for a moment seemed to leave every part of him singed. Having felt it directly, he realized that the technique wasn't actually lightning, but lucrim charged to follow similar patterns. Rick considered that with mild curiosity until his brain snapped back into gear and he realized he was still in the middle of a potentially deadly fight.
Barely managing to crawl back to his feet, he discovered that the fight was going poorly. There were only three or four of them left standing. At some point while he had been down, the Slayer had struck the lightning user to the ground, though he seemed to be getting back to his feet while the Slayer was distracted.
Realizing that he would only be able to fight a short while longer, Rick tried to consider his best options. His aura was burned by the lightning, but his defensive core was still in good shape. Unless he could team up with someone else, the only way he could land another hit was to leverage his defense.
