The spar didn't start loud, it almost didn't start at all.
Sirzechs looked over Sam's stance, staying relaxed. "Hmm. You seem different than this morning."
Sam's jaw clenched. "Is that so? Then it must've been a good breakfast."
That caused Sirzechs to snort. "If you say so, Brother-in-law."
Sam widened his stance slowly, shifting to his back leg.
Sirzechs' smile widened as he caught the adjustment in Sam's stance. "You're not as aggressive as I thought you'd be for a test."
"Well, it's a test, so I should try my best."
Sirzechs snorted again, looking over to the audience. "He thinks he can beat me."
Sam took that moment to launch forward, much more controlled than earlier in the day.
Sirzechs was taken aback as his attention snapped to Sam, stepping out of the way as Sam's elbow tore through the air.
Sam didn't let the moment slip, immediately planting his feet to use his momentum into a spin kick.
Sirzechs caught it with a suspicious look as he studied Sam. "You're almost like a different person than the you from the Rating Game."
His grip tightened on Sam's leg as he threw Sam back to his starting point in a casual swing.
Sam's hands were the first to hit the ground, his body already working the throw into a roll.
As he came to his feet, Sirzechs gave a single clap. "Fantastic recovery. Now try again a little more seriously."
Sam huffed but knew that Sirzechs was right. This was a test, not an equal spar. Sam felt it vividly through that casual throw.
His stance shifted back into Muay Thai as silver armor started snapping in from nothingness.
Unlike Exoskeleton, this armor seemed to sit on Sam for a moment as more silver pieces snapped into existence.
Each piece was more angular, more aggressive as if projecting a new identity separate from Sam.
As the final piece slotted into place, gold accents flared to life following the connecting plates as if covering the gaps.
Sam's vision narrowed into place as the helmet manifested, then widened as the armor integrated, snapping to his form as if a second skin.
From the outside, all the audience saw was the gold glow fusing the armor together as if it was one entity.
Back in the spar, Sirzechs stopped for a moment, eyes narrowing as he took in the new armor.
"That's new."
Sam moved before Sirzechs' words could settle, blurring forward faster than before.
But the strike never made it past Sirzechs' guard.
Using both hands, Sirzechs caught Sam's foot in the air, a few inches from his own midsection. "Now-"
Sam didn't let him finish as his free foot pushed off the ground to strike.
Sirzechs had to let go of the foot he was holding as he ducked back, the blow missing his head.
That let Sam spin in the air, tucking his legs to change his momentum as he landed low on his feet.
Sirzechs opened his mouth only to be answered by Sam's burst of electricity.
Sam's armor lit up, lightning arcing off his form as the next blow connected to the man's jaw.
The spar halted for a moment as Sirzechs slowly looked back to Sam. "That's a good one."
Then Sam was already airborne, a sharp pressure hitting his stomach before he fully realized Sirzechs had struck him.
Before he had time to recover, Sirzechs was there, a single hand open to catch him.
Sam gritted his teeth mid tumble as lightning claws flared into existence from his clawed gauntlets.
They caught the ground, anchoring his body out of the tumble, feet away from Sirzechs.
Even his recovery didn't last long as Sirzechs closed the distance.
Sam caught it then—Sirzechs was holding himself to Sam's level, not crushing him outright.
Each blow tested Godspeed's enhancement, and when that failed, Draconic Frame took the impact.
Sam strikes missed more often as Sirzechs used movement efficiently. "Wow, Brother-in-law. You're making me use more than I thought when I started."
The faceplate opened at the jaw letting a charged lightning breath free.
Sirzechs just placed a palm in front letting the lightning be reduced to nothing by the Power of Destruction with little fanfare.
Sam grimaced through the opening before it snapped back into place.
The palm went down, Sirzechs' tone becoming calmer. "One more."
Taking a step back, Sam took a deep breath concentrating on Sun breathing. Warmth filled his chest and sat there for a moment.
The glow that held his armor together washed over the silver plates in waves, turning them gold wherever lightning arced across them. Holy Hero Energy becoming the source of his abilities in real time.
Fire ignited along his gauntlets, flowing along with the lightning as the warmth from his chest spread out.
He raised his fist in front of him. "You want one more?"
Sam punched forward, the warmth in his limbs was reinforced with Touki as his movement became efficient.
Sirzechs stepped forward to match, his own energy surrounding his fist as he met Sam's attack.
What Sam immediately felt was a portion of his flame just stopped functioning as the fist met in a deafening blow.
Then he activated Smite, holy energy flared as it pushed back against Sirzechs for a moment.
"That's it, Brother-in-law!" Sirzechs said as his energy stayed consistent.
Sam's only response was a grunt as Energy Regeneration converted his stamina into more Holy Hero Energy to add to his draining pool.
The warmth in his arm spiked as he took another breath, pushing further into the clash.
Sirzechs' fist fell back as Sam finished pushing through, making him fall a few steps back.
"Huh…" he said looking at his own fist. "I was expecting a draw with that one."
Sam's helmet slid off as the golden glow receded to the gaps. "You shouldn't expect that much against me…"
Sirzechs laughed, clapping Sam's armored shoulder. "And being too humble is unattractive. You're much stronger than you were against Riser."
Sam sighed, letting out the heated breath that fogged the air before his armor disappeared all together.
"I know I am."
Sirzechs smiled. "Now that you've passed my test, welcome to the family, Brother-in-law~"
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Quick P*treon note:
The $5 tier has been updated. It will now have access to 10 chapters ahead of public releases across my active novels.
The current active novels are:
DXD: Hero X Gacha
MHA: Bond Resonance
P*treon: https://www.p*treon.com/Alex_DLC000
Thank you all for the support.