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The horn was back after a one week break from use, at least in the outer court tournament as the inner court and core competitions were still chugging along, and now the first semi-final match was underway. Right out the gate Phlo silently casted an art that enabled his team to move around a bit more freely. It was an art Ares was unfamiliar with, so he couldn''t exactly understand what he was seeing perfectly, but it looked as though Phlo had created a cluster bomb of shadows that blew up in mid air and scattered a bunch of darkness everywhere. Shadow splotches dotted the ground at regular intervals and anyone else with an affiliation for the darkness pillar could travel between them instantaneously at will. Phlo was the mobility / support specialist of the group so an art like this was right up his alley as he could enable Scowl or Job to get in close without having to waste time and effort casting their own arts. Plus the other two non-descript disciples also benefitted from this as it didn''t seem like they had any method of moving around quickly whatsoever. Was Phlo just here to pick up dead weight and chuck it across the finish line now that half the team had been replaced with crappy cultivators? Maybe... He was still capable of putting up his own fight even if only Scowl and Job could really make full use of his magic, it''s just that he was going to severely underperform compared to usual. Still, his magic wasn''t any less functional than it always was so, although the quality of people utilising it was lower on average, the value of the art itself hadn''t decreased at least. One of the non-descript cultivators, wearing a full ninja get-up, had taken a ride through his shadows and appeared directly next to Ares. It seemed like the Glimpse group were all avoiding the talisman and gunning for their main target. If they could at least kill Ares then losing wouldn''t even matter to them anymore. They were prepared to throw literally everything, kitchen sink included, at this guy just to redeem whatever scraps of their reputation they could.
The ninja came out of the shadow slinging a wet knife. Ares wasn''t too familiar with the darkness pillar, hence why he couldn''t identify Phlo''s art, but he knew this art definitely wasn''t a part of it as he''d actually heard of this one before. Liquidation was a combination art of the flow and negligent toxicology aspects. It was essentially a free-flowing water whip, that came out the tip of a knife, filled with toxins that were highly poisonous. If the knife cut you, you''d be poisoned. If the whip lacerated you, you''d be poisoned. It was basically a weapon and an extension of a weapon simultaneously, both of which could leave some really nasty scrapes that would inflict you with a slow-acting poison that eventually put you out of commission or maybe even outright killed you depending on the dosage. As the whip was partially constructed via the flow aspect its shape was pretty malleable and almost functioned like a tentacle with a mind of its own. It was generally better to try and destroy the water whip first then deal with the poison dagger normally afterwards as the whip was annoying to fight against but pretty frail. It was really good at ambushing people and pressing an advantage but, other than that, was a relatively simple art to render null and void with a few well placed attacks.
The ninja in question had made no effort to get closer to Ares, instead opting to try and take him by surprise and hit him with the whip before he could untangle himself from Enyo''s waist and pull a weapon out. He ended up looking like a right fool, however, when his whip harmlessly bounced off off of Enyo''s barrier. She''d set one up the second the match started because she didn''t want to get involved or let Ares get involved either. In fact, right now, the slippery mutt somehow managed to free his hands and was wagging a scythe at the ninja unsuccessfully. He was trapped under Enyo, stuck inside the barrier, and too far away to hit the guy so his pointless floundering was like watching a child swing an oversized toy. Enyo had been mistaken, this idiot hadn''t given up! If it weren''t for her barrier this mongrel might have actually tried to sneak out from under her and go assault this dumb Glimpse clan idiot. Clearly stricter measures needed to be put in place to prevent any of his unruly behaviour so Enyo turned around and wrestled Ares to the floor, leaving a bewildered ninja wondering what he was supposed to be doing right now.
Should he interrupt them?
As far as he was concerned, two of his opponents fighting each other was a good thing, no? Also, could he even interrupt them even if he wanted to? He was an assassin, not a demolitions expert! How was he supposed to break this impossibly sturdy, borderline imposing, barrier sitting right there before him. It was condescendingly lording over the nearby area, daring him to throw another paltry strike at it but what was the point? The ninja did not have the tools, raw strength, or arts needed to deal with it in any way, shape, or form! Yes Yvonne, Aejaz'' mother, wanted Ares dead this match but come on! The ninja would have an easier time completing a task that required him to go and swim to Xasca with nothing but the clothes on his back and even that would take at least two weeks straight of strenuous physical exertion... And yet it would be a breeze compared to this! Maybe if Yvonne gave him a pick axe and a couple hundred years he might make a dent in the barrier at most... This all just went to show how hopelessly outclassed the Glimpses were. Sure the ninja was a weaker member of the team but it''s not like the difference was particularly staggering between him and the main branch brothers nor was it like anyone on their entire team had it in them to break a barrier like this.
Whilst the ninja was debating his next move, Ares had managed to shove his scythe back into his Blade for storage as he smugly gloated to his wife who was giving him a narrow stare after failing to confiscate his weapon. He stuck his tongue out, and had to immediately retract it lest Enyo''s two fingers caught and restrained it, before looking over at the ninja and giving him some free advice. "I know I must look like a juicy steak to you right now, and everyone seems to want a slice, But you might want to deal with him first." With a neat little reference to his first meeting with Aejaz, that nobody else here other than his brother would even get, Ares pointed out the real threat to to the ninja... By using his middle finger. Highly unnecessary but if people were gunning for him this hard then rubbing their failure in their faces was the least he could do!
The ninja, as he was in the middle of turning around, felt a drop of sweat in his empty palm. The ninja swivelled around just in time to watch his own poison-tipped and water-whipped knife come slashing at him from a rough angle to dodge. This belligerent strike had come from his own weapon so it was painfully clear to him who was responsible. There was only one person here capable of stealing a weapon right out of another person''s hand without even being directly next to them. The ninja wanted to cry because he''d essentially just given Aejaz access to a combination art he wouldn''t have been able use otherwise! But again, what was he supposed to do exactly? The three brothers had warned him about this but Yvonne had also warned him about doing nothing. He couldn''t not use the art but he also couldn''t use it! He was stuck between a rock and a hard place so he picked the lesser of the two evils, choosing not to offend Yvonne by doing as she asked, and it had still not worked out for him.
The ninja was able to jump away and save himself from a fatal wound but he was still grazed in a few different spots. Aejaz'' swing had been pretty incredible, actually, and was aimed at multiple body parts along a single trajectory. He''d hit the ninja''s arm, chest, knee, and foot all in one swipe. The ninja was floored because that was something even he himself could only do against a motionless training dummy after a good warm up. For Aejaz to nick his weapon and do it first try on a real human being was a serious eye opener. The brothers had assured him that Aejaz was barely competent and couldn''t kill a person if he tried. Obviously the recent matches had dispelled that notion somewhat but they still believed he wasn''t particularly great at dealing offensive blows. Aejaz had always been ok at dodging but hitting anything back was a talent he didn''t possess at all throughout his childhood. For him to now be whipping that talent out of thin air, almost literally, was a worrying sign that, actually, they were completely wrong. Aejaz had clearly grown a lot and it was evident just from a single swing. Unfortunately the ninja had realised that too late and was now poisoned in multiple locations. The spread of the poison would be pretty quick, as it was all over the place, and he could feel himself slowing down already which was all but sealing his fate as Aejaz came sprinting after him to deal another devastating blow. Aejaz was really fast too so the poisoned ninja was going to struggle to get away if nobody bailed him out of this situation. The ineffective Aejaz, incapable of killing even a fly, was no more and now a bloodthirsty killer was on the ninja''s heels, showing no remorse as he swung the whip with deadly precision.
Aejaz may not have been going on any missions for Hans lately but that didn''t mean those experiences weren''t still deeply ingrained in him. He had become an assassin through and through so treating him like anything less was a death sentence. Despite Hans not calling upon him, Aejaz hadn''t become rusty in the slightest. If anything, he seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood right about now. Ares could tell Aejaz was enjoying a chance to assassinate people again after a short break. Although his brother wouldn''t ever come out and admit, it was looking like he actually really enjoyed this life. He always had a fondness for one upping people with his magic so throwing in a bit of murder to really seal that deal was working for him. Using his magic to slowly strip away everything from a foe, cornering them with their own weaponry, and dealing the fatal blow in a grand display was very much Aejaz'' style. Ares had said it before that Aejaz could sometimes be a silent fraudster who conned you blind before you even knew what hit you as well as a showman openly showcasing his spectacular feats. Now Aejaz was doing both of those things in sequential order and ending it all with a knife to the gut. He was enjoying himself but not in a twisted sense. Aejaz didn''t enjoy the murder, he enjoyed everything that led up to it. Stealing away every form of hope his enemy could muster in a sadistically cruel and taunting way was a trait that had been bubbling away underneath the surface for a while with this guy. Today was not going to just expose that to everyone present, it was going to take over his brother.
Ares had wanted Aejaz to grow even more but it seemed today was going to go above and beyond his expectations as Aejaz'' confidence in himself was already soaring and he hadn''t even killed anyone yet. The hopeless look of fear in the ninja who had everything taken from him and was being outdone at his own profession was awakening something within Aejaz. He''d known before now he was good, his successes with Hans reflected that, but now that he was outright toying with some of the highest calibre assassins in the land it was really drilling itself home into his thick skull. There was a difference between an ''I can outclass every other assassin in the world'' mentality and a ''I AM outclassing every other assassin in the world'' attitude. This was the spark he needed to set his life down the correct path and it was happening right this very moment. It''s not that his cowardly demeanour would disappear, Aejaz was always going to be a hesitant person who would rather not have to trudge through annoying tasks like fighting people who were decently strong, it''s just that, now, that demeanour was intentionally misleading rather than an accurate summation of his current feelings. Underneath that wry smile and pretend weakness was a murderer who would stab you in the throat if you so much as blinked, and he would do it with your own weapon just to rub salt in the wound and make it clear you never stood a chance.
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Hans was busy taking control over Red Sun at the moment which was why he wasn''t watching the matches anymore. The remnants of the old leadership needed ousting and, right now, what he needed was all hands on deck to manage the city and not assassins to clean up small time messes. Death didn''t need dealing, paperwork needed sorting so he was working overtime on trivialities. One day, when he finally fixed up the most pressing issues, he would go back to hiring cold-blooded killers and naturally Aejaz would be on that list. The shock he would receive at Aejaz'' newfound efficiency, as a result of today, would not be small, to say the least. Aejaz would go on to start taking multiple missions per day and even actively get a kick out of hunting people, a characteristic that had seemingly spawned out of nowhere. As far as Hans was concerned, Aejaz would, overnight, have become a brutal ripper who took joy in ending lives. A slight misunderstanding but not so far off the mark that he could be blamed for getting it wrong. Aejaz was learning about the thrill of the hunt, and what it meant to be so overwhelming compared to your opponent that they could only pray you weren''t going to slaughter them, but that wasn''t why he was having fun.
It was because this was all nothing more than a perfect chance for him to go completely hog-fucking wild with his magic.
He was free and unrestrained to unleash his uniqueness on the world for once. He''d always been seen as an annoying pest who''s magic would trouble people if he ever so much as sneezed any mana in their direction. He couldn''t train without getting dirty side-eyes from everyone around because nobody had any faith in him not to steal from them. Aejaz had been burdened throughout his entire life with a magic nobody respected or tolerated. Even the elders kept watch of him which just made him more spiteful, inclining him to pilfer from them just to annoy them the way he annoyed them. Now that he was up against his family, some of the main culprits in spitting on his passion, the exhilaration he felt running them down, as he used the magic they hated to their core to enable this massacre, was brilliant.
''Your magic is weak.''
No it isn''t.
''Your magic is pointless for an assassin.''
No it isn''t.
''Your magic is no better than anything a petty thief can do, it''s boring.''
No it isn''t.
''Your magic can''t kill anything, it''s worthless.''
No it isn''t.
For so long Aejaz just had to accept that others would never think highly of him because of his second rate magic but what now? Who had the guts to stand up to him in this crowd? Other than Ares, who could walk up to Aejaz and look him in the eyes when he was running rampant? Who could stop his supposedly ''pathetic'' magic? Nobody. And even if they could, Aejaz would just take that ability away from them and watch them squirm. Unique aspects were strong but Aejaz'' wasn''t comparable to the rest of them, he''d come to learn his magic was infinitely close to being just as capable as a fundamental pillar. He''d stuck with his ''pathetic'' magic and it had rewarded him for his loyalty and dedication with absolute power that he was going to proudly show the world through the course of this match. What he was doing to this ninja now, as he kept tearing at his flesh, was just the beginning. There was so much more to this match and his blood brothers were going to have to learn that the hard way. Nobody in this coliseum would leave this place today thinking of Aejaz or his magic as some kind of parlour trick, they would all leave and feel a chill down their spine whenever they walked down an alleyway alone for the rest of their life. The threat of Aejaz would be greater than the threat his entire clan combined posed, now and forever.
As for the ninja, he was seriously starting to wonder why no one was coming to his rescue. No, he wasn''t important in the grand scheme of things but there was literally only one person on the other team making any effort right now. If his own team just ganged up on him surely they could remove one obstacle and make their lives so much easier! To his horror, when he turned to look at his teammates, he saw them all standing around in a line waiting for the match to start?! What was happening? They heard the horn, Phlo had even cast an art, so why were they not moving? Better yet, why was Scowl kissing his teeth at Lex and tapping his wrist like he was getting inpatient for the match to begin?! The ninja kept getting whipped and he was starting to feel himself dying so he attempted to call out to the other members of his team but his cries were completely silent as Aejaz kept abusing him in a corner of the arena. Aejaz was looking down at him with a fake smile and whipping him to a slow, gruelling death as his wordless gasps weren''t reaching the ears of his comrades in arms. His voice had been stolen... When he realised that, everything fell into place. The other members of the team had their memories of the start of the match stolen. They all thought the match hadn''t kicked off yet and that Lex was taking his merry time, all the while Aejaz was free to casually assassinate the ninja in the background. Not even twenty feet away from the starting line, the ninja was being broken down into a collapsing pile of purple flesh as his clan stood stock still, impatiently waiting for a fight that had already begun... But wasn''t that the point of assassination at its core? To end a fight before it had even started? Aejaz was exemplifying that to a very real degree. He''d started the fight then restarted it at his own convenience. Aejaz could start the fight whenever he wanted by manipulating everyone''s memories, controlling the entire pace of the engagement and giving himself unlimited retries. The one solace the ninja had, as his vision was fading to black, was that the crowd were yelling at his team and they were finally starting to turn around and look behind them. Technically the spectators shouldn''t have done this but it no longer really mattered as the ninja''s life was reaped the second his team were made fully aware of the situation. All they saw was the ninja disappearing from the arena and a flash of white before everything went right back to ''normal''.
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Why isn''t the match starting yet? Scowl was starting to get agitated with Lex. The idiot was just sitting there with a frown on his face and staring straight at him instead of signalling for the horn to blow. Was there some kind of issue with the match the C.O needed to address first? Even the crowd were starting to whisper to themselves and wonder what was up with this strange situation. Something was very clearly off so Scowl decided to take a look around and the first thing he saw was one of his teammates being stabbed in the back of the brain by Aejaz. What the fuck?! When did Aejaz get behind everyone? Why was he attacking people before the match started? Why were there only four clansmen in the arena? How did nobody detect Aejaz sneaking up on them? Why was Lex not declaring foul play for starting before the horn blew? As the second non-descript Glimpse clan member was sent packing to the respawn area, Scowl''s face became one plagued by confusion and a lack of understanding about anything that was happening. Only him and his two brothers were left standing in the arena but, for some reason, the two useless clansmen weren''t being brought back for a fair fight. This was stupid! Better yet, why was nobody in the crowd complaining about any of this either?! Where were the boos and the jeers for the brazen cheating on full display!? "What the hell do you think you''re doing you stupi..." Scowl''s interrogation of Aejaz was rudely interrupted by another white flash, not that he even remembered the first.
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Why isn''t the match starting yet? Scowl was starting to get agitated with Lex. The idiot was just sitting there with a frown on his face and staring straight at him instead of signalling for the horn to blow. Was there some kind of issue with the match the C.O needed to address first? Even the crowd were starting to whisper to themselves and wonder what was up with this strange situation... Why did this all feel so familiar? Why did it feel like he''d done this before? Multiple times, even... Scowl turned to Job and Phlo who seemed to be having similar thoughts. They all collectively happened to catch sight of their two dead teammates and Job quickly put two and two together. He''d been in this situation before, back at the party, so he knew that Aejaz was on the prowl. He sent his two brothers a mental message and all three of them quickly got into a formation standing shoulder to shoulder to shoulder to cover all the possible angles of attack. Seeing as how they couldn''t find Aejaz right now, it must have meant his bloodline ability to turn invisible was finally usable. He might not be able to use it for long but being able to hide from sight even temporarily, when paired with every other tool in his arsenal, like the Concealed Serpent, was a worrying prospect for anyone who had to go up against him. Worse still, Job was useless here as his magic would actually hamper his own team''s odds of winning. Aejaz would steal his unique art the second he summoned it, just like what happened with the Liquidation ninja, so he was basically just a disposable meat shield to his own brothers right now. Throw in the fact that Phlo was more of a support than anything and the Glimpse''s match had already come crashing down. Aejaz'' Concealed Serpent had allowed him to quietly stick a metaphorical knife in the gut of their team and twist it before they even knew they were being targeted.
Unbeknownst to the trio, a hand was creeping up on them from within their own shadows. They formed a triangular gap behind their back in which Aejaz was slowly rising from the ground. They''d mistakenly believed he didn''t have access to the normal aspects of the darkness pilar but the Prowler was very much allowing him to defy logic and move around through their own shadows. Ah but the Glimpse brothers were ''lucky'', Aejaz wasn''t going to assassinate them in such a boring way. He could but Ares had asked him to show off a bit so he was going to take his time with these three and thoroughly humiliate them... For non-personal reasons, of course. Now did that mean Aejaz wouldn''t get a kick out of it? Now now, nobody said that!
For now, a tap on the back of all three of them, causing them to scatter and run for the hills, was enough to let them know that if they thought Aejaz was still the same bulliable kid he was way back when then they were biting off a lot more than they could chew. Aejaz had removed the extras from this little play he was putting on, putting the ninjas out of commission, so now his payback was going to go full throttle. It was high time for ''Appropriate Skillset'' to make its debut.