The training hall had barely cooled from the chaos of yesterday's Azure Spark eruption. Sparks still lingered in the corners, drifting like fireflies in the dim light. Vemy's muscles ached, his chest still tight from exertion, but he refused to rest. Every fiber of his body screamed for motion, and his aura… it hummed, waiting.
"You've improved," Samaki said from the shadows, cloak flickering. "But there's someone you need to face. Someone who will test your control, your strength… and your pride."
Vemy's pulse quickened. He had been warned about rivalries, but nothing could prepare him for Aruto Samaki—a prodigy of the Crimson Path, whose destructive energy was already infamous in the Aether Circle.
The doors to the arena opened, and a wave of crimson fire swept in. Aruto stood tall, his aura blazing red, fists glowing like molten metal. His sharp grin met Vemy's tired, blue-flamed gaze.
"So, this is the little Zero?" Aruto's voice dripped with mockery. "They say you're a freak… a boy with a girl's body trying to fight men. Hah. I'll enjoy shattering that fantasy."
Vemy's chest flared with Azure energy. He didn't respond. Words were useless. His first lesson with Samaki had taught him one thing: control your aura, control your ring, control the battlefield.
Aruto charged. The arena shook with his footsteps, the floor cracking beneath the raw intensity of his crimson aura. Flames licked his arms, forming jagged spikes that radiated pure aggression. Vemy braced himself, letting his Azure Spark flow along his body. His hair shimmered silver-blue, eyes glowing bright, aura steady.
The first clash was violent. Fists collided, sending shockwaves that shattered stone walls. Aruto's brute force met Vemy's controlled energy, sparks flying like deadly fireflies. Every blow from Aruto forced Vemy to adapt, moving in ways that twisted his slender body through the air, curves highlighted by the flickering azure aura.
"You're fast… for a Zero," Aruto growled, backing off to reassess. His smirk never left his face, but his crimson aura flared nervously.
Vemy responded with a surge of energy, his first controlled strike of the Azure Path. A blue blade of condensed fire shot from his fists, slicing through the air and forcing Aruto to leap back. The strike left a faint trail, illuminating his body in a dangerous, alluring light.
"You'll have to do better than that," Aruto hissed. He slammed his fists together, creating a sphere of red fire that expanded outward, scorching the arena.
Vemy's heart raced, not with fear, but exhilaration. This was what he had trained for: control under chaos, beauty in destruction, mastery of the ring's essence. The two collided again, crimson and blue sparking violently, energy bending the air.
Aruto sneered. "You're holding back!"
Vemy's lips curled into a faint, confident smile. "I'm not holding back. I'm learning."
The battle escalated. Every strike, every block, every motion left trails of glowing fire, a mesmerizing dance of gender-defying beauty and raw destructive power. The spectators from the Aether Circle watched in awe, whispers spreading like wildfire: the boy with the feminine body, glowing blue, facing the unstoppable Crimson prodigy.
Hours passed, or maybe minutes—the scale of time blurred under the intensity of their powers. Both fighters were pushed to their limits. Finally, with a controlled roar, Vemy tapped into his second ring: Azure Surge.
His aura flared brighter, the blue flames coalescing into a sharp, flowing blade that extended from his arm. It hummed with raw energy, slicing through the air with precision and leaving trails that danced along his form. Aruto staggered, eyes widening at the sudden display.
"You… you've awakened it?" he gasped, staggering back.
Vemy's chest rose, aura still crackling, body glowing in both deadly power and seductive beauty. "I told you… I'm learning."
The arena went silent for a moment, both fighters catching their breath. Then Aruto smirked again. "Interesting. Let's see how far you can go, Zero. Let's see who truly burns the arena."
The clash was far from over. And deep inside Vemy, a spark ignited—the thrill of rivalry, the addictive pull of power, and the whisper of something greater. Something legendary. Something that would make the world remember the Blue Inferno.