As the spear whistled past Ares'' hair, it even had the nerve to take off a strand or two. Of course retaliation was swift and Ares promptly slashed off a small chunk of skin on his opponent''s hand. Although his foe''s cultivation was way higher than his, it still wasn''t that bad compared to Sadie''s training. She had actual experience and a well-trained body over however many years. The person in front of Ares was strong, there was no doubt about that, but Ares had experienced a higher plane of existence than this already, so he was doing ok for himself. he''d taken way more hits than his opponent had, and he was bleeding here and there, but most of it was a result of his confidence in his revenant bloodline healing him when he traded blow for blow. Still, the most awkward issue right now was the spear''s reach. Counterattacking was becoming more and more difficult as time went on and his opponent accustomed himself to Ares'' erratic movements. Ares was starting to get fed up with this game of cat and mouse so he took some steps back and pulled out his Biome Eagle. If his opponent was going to keep his distance, then he would learn that Ares could keep an ever larger distance without breaking a sweat! Of course, that was just what Ares wanted the spear guard to think...


    "Adaptive Shot."


    SCREEEEE


    Fully completing the destruction spectrum, the eagle that rose out the barrel of the gun this time was a deep, pulsing red. As per usual, the eagle scouted the area before letting out a disappointed cry and going about his work. Ares was seriously considering getting this bird a plush weasel or something to calm him down. The bird swooped in loop de loops to make his approach against the spearman trickier to gauge as per the orders of his master, Ares. The spear-wielding guard retained his focus and followed the bird''s trajectory with the tip of his spear, readying himself to thrust out at a moment''s notice and skewer the magic. With one final cry, the bird came spiralling down towards his midnight snack. The spearman lunged with his weapon, taking a stride forward as he did so to catch the bird by surprise. The eagle was only just barely in the nick of time to flap his wings a single time. This small action didn''t save him entirely, as he''d still been run through by the spear, but the important part was that he wasn''t dead yet. Instead of piercing a dangerous location, it mostly just damaged his lower half. Thanks to that, it could live and carry out its orders. This version of the eagle didn''t exist to hurt the opponent, it''s function was something entirely different. It was just supposed to get close and let Ares do the rest. The spearman''s eyes widened and he grunted in shock when the bird disappeared and, in its place, was Ares running down and along the length of the spear. The nothingness magic fuelling the bird acted as a mobile waypoint for Ares to Shift to. Ares wasn''t trying to take control of the range advantage, he was baiting his opponent into ceding it. Sure Ares had ranged weapons but, realistically, they weren''t going to kill an opponent as strong as this unless he had all day to whittle him down. Given that he didn''t have the time or mana for that approach he opted to get up, close, and personal to try and finish things off. The spearman''s reactions were quick and Ares could tell he wasn''t going to get much out of this, but he wasn''t too fussed so long as he could at least kick his opponent in the face after the colossal nuisance he''d been up until now with that damn spear.


    "Stamp Out!"


    The last thing the spearman saw before briefly blanking out was Ares'' golden boots connecting with the tip of his nose. The sound of cracking echoed in the open yard and some of the other guards visibly winced at the sound. Naturally Ares would have much rather cut off a body part or left an open wound, but this was arguably more satisfying for him and demoralising for his opponent. It was also better than nothing, so he wasn''t going to fuss over his win being a minor one. It was somewhat of a problem though as now a card of his had been exposed and he couldn''t really use it again in the same way. One of his methods of getting in against the spearman was now benched, so he was going to have think of other solutions to deal with this annoying guard. He was tempted to just let Dominus rip and tear until the deed was done, but Ares wanted to get used to fighting people with a higher cultivation. He wasn''t losing and his life wasn''t at risk, so this was as good a chance as any. If the situation devolved, then he would rely on his revenant ancestor. Ares even still had his God summon waiting in the wings if things went disastrously, but Ares couldn''t see it getting that bad so he wasn''t worried. As for what to do right now... Ares looked around and thought long and hard about his next move. There were still some petals scattered around from when he used Black Blossom earlier. Unfortunately he had to ditch the art as it wasn''t doing much against a spear that could poke and retreat effortlessly. He had no way of making use of these fallen petals so they were more like kid''s building block pieces right now. They''d hurt like hell if anyone stepped on them, but otherwise they were completely harmless. No, wait a minute! What if I did that... Ares grinned as he retreated backwards. He made an effort not to let the spearman see his grin or his intentions because he was really curious to see how his scheme would play out. This was something completely untested prior to today so if it didn''t work he would be wasting his time doing something utterly pointless. If it worked, however, Ares was about to do something even he hadn''t seen coming, something he didn''t even know he could possibly create. Part of the joy of being a revenant was that they weren''t wired properly in the brain department so, even if they had stupid ideas on the fly, they had no hesitation in throwing them all at the wall to see what sticks. Someone like Enyo or Aejaz in this situation would make no effort to indulge their spur of the moment whims, but Ares would and he wouldn''t hesitate either. When the spearman slowly inched into the centre of the fallen petals, Ares turned and threw out his splayed fingers.


    "Not Even Light!"


    Black ooze leaked out of a crack in the air and gradually became the blackhole blob it always was. Why was Ares using a defensive art here? Well the answer was simple; all anyone had to do was look at the black star of death with an orbiting ring of black petals to understand. Like a deathly planet that brought plague and misery, the blackhole swallowed up and spat out all the petals. They couldn''t be disintegrated, after all, so they were stuck in a perpetual ebb and flow as they were drawn in and pushed back out. The petals formed a curved ring around the blackhole that swept through all the nearby guards and sliced them in half; some by the waist, some diagonally at the shoulder, and some straight down the middle. Of course some of the luckier ones lost less body mass but there were very few people that weren''t caught in the black swirl whatsoever. However, to think they were safe just because they were out of range was foolish. Ares had a secret in his back pocket regarding Not Even Light. It had never been relevant, so this detail had never been showcased, but the blackhole could move. it was generally effective enough to suck up any and all magic without needing to move due to its massive radius, but now there was a reason to have it haul ass! Ares guided the cannibal star to gobble up the guards, namely the spearman who was his main target. Ares started cackling the second the spearman made a fatal mistake. It would seem he hadn''t done his research and he didn''t know what the blackhole was or did because the spearman casted Haste on himself to try and escape. Casting a self buff was suicidal against Not Even Light. Instead of gaining ground, the pull of the black hole was now targeting him and he lost it instead. In a desperate bid to save himself, the spearman casted Aletheia and threw the spear in his hand in a last ditch attempt to destroy the death-star. It was possible, Ares had seen Sadie do it so he knew that it was doable for certain. Still, the difference between an incredible cultivator like Sadie and a slightly above average cultivator like this was immense. Piercing the blackhole was a pipe dream that didn''t come to fruition as his magic disappeared into the dark abyss without so much as a trace. The spearman stopped casting Haste but it was too late for that now, he was already in range of the petal storm that was eating him alive. He lost chunks of flesh, notably in his ankle which prevented him from escaping. A few of the other guards, the handful that manged to escape the blackhole, tried to save their comrade by chucking magic at the blackhole, but it was about as effective as spitting in the ocean. The spearman was slowly devoured by the petals and his screams grew hoarse until they stopped entirely. Ares didn''t particularly care about the dead cultivator, he hadn''t been that impressive. His spearman-ship was character defining but that was really all he had going for him. He wasn''t adept with magic, he wasn''t strong, and he wasn''t fast. Ares had no reason to complain ''cos his life would have been way harder had the cultivator been any better than he was, but Ares still couldn''t help but be somewhat disappointed that this was how his bout ended. He didn''t have anything left to do other than go on clean up duty but, even then, the guards looked like they had given up, so there was no real need to shed any more blood. Unless reinforcements arrived, or Slick started losing, Ares was done for the day. Dominus was being bitchy and complaining about not having had a chance to have any fun, but Ares promised him he would find another chance for him and the whining ceased. A two way conversation wasn''t really possible in this state whereby Dominus'' words were like an echo in his head, but he could at least placate the revenant by speaking his thoughts aloud. The rough gist of their intents could be shared and that was good enough for now. It was also good for Ares to know that Dominus would recharge once every couple of weeks. Presumably that amount of time would shorten as he got stronger, but it was still useful to know. Ares took a seat on the ground and watched Slick go about his fight. If help was needed, Ares wouldn''t be able to do much, but he could act like a cheerleader, maybe? "GO, SLICK, GO!"


    Bastard... Slick grumbled inwardly as he went back to concentrating on his fully bronzed opponent. Slick''s fists weren''t dealing out any major hurt, but Flare''s follow-ups were burning the guard so progress was steady. Actually, Slick was having an easy time of things compared to before. It wasn''t really a matter of one slick plus one flare equals two. Scrapyard Meltdown was more multiplicative in terms of raising his power. Slick raced around to the guard''s blind side and launched a straight at the back of his head. The guard ducked but received a metallic foot to the face as Flare punished his inattentiveness. Slick flicked some oil wantonly at the guard and watched his face start burning as the small ember Flare had left behind became a great blaze. It wasn''t strictly necessary for Slick to hit first to get the desired effect, it was just easier to manage if he did. Slick was going to pummel the guard now that he was defenceless but some of the other guards that Ares ignored earlier stood before him to prevent Slick from getting any hits in while their boss was struggling. Slick just sighed as he bent over and grabbed Flare''s legs. He straightened his back and put all his strength into spinning on the spot in a similar fashion to what he''d done back during Lightning Guy''s trial. As Slick spun, oil was launched off him in every which direction while Flare let out intermittent bursts of fire, setting the oil ablaze. Even those who weren''t hit by the oil were roasted as the two robos formed a fiery cyclone that tore through their ranks, leaving behind a scorched trail and flaming corpses. When reaching their goal, Slick let go of Flare and threw him straight at the head guard.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    THUD


    Flare''s turbo dropkick landed directly on the guard''s chest and Slick came slugging for the fences with a brutal swing after. The guard was lit up like a bonfire as he staggered around but Slick showed him no mercy as he kept ducking around the guard and punching dents into him while Flare followed suit and got his own licks in. Slick attacked high when Flare attacked low, and Flare snuck up from behind when Slick distracted the guard at the front. They''re teamwork was impeccable and the beatdown was efficient, swift, and well coordinated. After countless exchanges, the guard''s silhouette could barely even be seen amidst the raging fire. Slick wasn''t one of the strongest cultivators around for nothing. Still, he wasn''t done just yet. Flare placed his hand on Slick''s back and let out a jet of fire. Slick''s frame, through the heat haze, looked as though it were melting away as liquid fire rolled off his body. He charged into the inferno and threw boiling hot punches one after another, each leaving burn marks wherever the fist landed. By the time he was finished striking his foe''s head and vital organs, the guard''s blackened body slumped to the floor as steam came out of every orifice. Looking around, Slick realised he was probably done for the day too as all the other guards ran away and hid inside the house... Or what was little was left anyway. Ares'' and his own rampage had chipped away at it even further and now there were barely more than a few rooms left. Slick walked over to Ares who was seated on the grass with his legs stretched out like he was about to start having a picnic. "Why do you look so bored?"


    Ares slumped back a little and shrugged. "Because I am. I thought I was finally gonna get a good fight after however long its been since my last one, but it was disappointing is all. First the Nomad team were a let down, and now this too? I''m seriously gonna cry, you know?"


    "If a hard-won battle is what you''re looking for, you''ll get one a lot sooner than you think."


    "The international? I''m sure there''ll be plenty of strong teams there, that''s for sure."


    "Even sooner than that. The inner court disciple exam is coming up, and I''ve got a feeling it won''t be the walk in the park you expect it to be. Of course, due to the way the test is set up, you''ll almost definitely pass regardless of what happens, but I wouldn''t be surprised if you died during it."


    "You''re kidding me, right? No offense to any of the other disciples, but if I can''t do it without dying, how is anyone else supposed to?!"


    "Actually, I think you might be the only person that dies. It''s just conjecture, but if things go how I think they will... Look, let''s just say you''re gonna get a bigger fight than you were bargaining for. And it won''t be like that spearman or the Nomad lot, these people will be highly competent, it just depends on whether they have their eyes set on you or not."


    "Ah, well now you''ve got me curious... Can''t tell me anymore than that, I take it?"


    "Nope. We change up the disciple selection exam year after year to make sure no one has any unfair advantages, especially those retaking the trial... What a shitshow this year is going to be... If you want a hint as to how rough it may very well end up being for you, know this... Rud''s the one who thought up this trial..."


    Ares'' eye twitched and, although he still didn''t know the specifics, the likelihood of him being the only one that suffered had just skyrocketed. "That bastard... It seems I haven''t pestered him enough recently. I''ve given him breathing room and time to think, what a rookie mistake. When we return to the sect, I shall blow up the arts library post haste!"


    "... Please don''t..."


    Now that the outside had been dealt with, alongside the security detail which which had made the decision between ''fight or flight'', with the latter winning out by a large margin, all that was left was for the heart to be brought out safely. On that end, the fight down in the treasury was kicked off when Dirk took on his gelatinous, shapeless form. A ball of blood with teeth? A river of blood? It was impossible to tell what Dirk had truly become as only the term ''monster'' could accurately depict his new state. Tides of blood that could harden into spikes or flow like a tsunami? Dirk''s form was no longer solid, he had become one with has own blood and was sweeping through Accelyn''s family. He''d single handedly split them all up by washing them away to various corners of the treasury, enabling Li Li to get one on one fights with each of the members in which her talent shined. While Li Li slowly chipped away at her first opponent, Accelyn''s father, Dirk summoned blood imps with pitchforks to pester Accelyn''s mother and brother while he himself cornered his ex. He transformed into a shark with jagged teeth and leapt at his prey. Accelyn rolled to the side but had to dodge again immediately after as Dirk sunk into the bloody floor and became a series of spikes that emerged from the ground and chased after her. As the final spike shot out from the ground, they all crumbled and reassembled in the form of a plague of locusts that hunted Accelyn down. She was completely helpless against the insects as none of her magic was effective. There were no undead to raise down here, poison would do nothing against Dirk in his current form, and the same was true of her torture magic. She wasn''t capable in hand to hand combat nor did she know how to wield a weapon so she one-sidedly had holes poked into her as she tried to escape. She managed to make it to one of the corners where her family should have been fending off the blood summons, but all she found was Li Li standing over the beaten and bruised body of her father. With Dirk''s intangible, shapeshifting body behind her, and Li Li''s brutish fists in front of her, she quickly realised she had nowhere left to go and did the one thing she could in this situation; get down on her knees and beg for pity from Dirk. She knew he was a pushover and would let her go if she begged, so that was precisely what she did. She put on her best puppy dog eyes and pitiful expression as she feigned a few whimpers and sobs.


    "Dirk... I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt you, I just didn''t feel ready for a relationship. I was overwhelmed by how passionate you were and I ran away. I shouldn''t have done that, and I definitely shouldn''t have taken your heart... But I swear it was a mistake. It was all just an accident. You don''t have to forgive me, but please, please let us go... My family never did anything. I really did love you, you know? I was just scared. I still am... Can you please let me go, I''ll stay out of your life if that''s what you want... I''m sorry..." Naturally, none of this was heartfelt, and that was painfully obvious to both Dirk and Li Li, but still Dirk turned away and just ignored her. Killing her here was pointless for him and he felt he didn''t have sufficient enough reason to bring upon her any harm, so, wordlessly, he left...


    He left. Li Li did not. Accelyn''s family had all been knocked unconscious so they were alone here.


    "Tsk, what do you want?" Accelyn dropped the little princess pretence and angrily glared at Li Li. "Dirk''s already gone, so why don''t you leave as well?"


    "You''re pathetic and you have no shame. Dirk deserves better than you."


    "And what? You think he''ll ever find that? A woman with a body like mine and rich as I am too? I was the only one who would ever put up with him, even if it was just to get his heart. You think I''m pathetic? You should have seen him around me before, that was really pathetic. He didn''t want to be alone and he pretty much needed me."


    "Yeah, well, he doesn''t need you anymore because he has me. Let me make something clear to you, don''t bother with him anymore. Go find someone else to swindle because I won''t let you anywhere near him again. Not that it matters, he wouldn''t want anything to do with you anyway. Still, if I find you snooping around him, I''ll kill you. I want to kill you now, but considering how influential your family is, it would just wind up being a problem if they were dead set on revenge. Consider this as being even. We got the heart back and that''s all we wanted, so if you don''t cause a fuss we won''t have to extend this petty grudge beyond this. I''ll warn you one last time, though, just in case you didn''t get it through that thick skull of yours; Dirk is mine, come anywhere near him again and I will beat you to death with my bare hands. Understand?"


    "Whatever. Go be happy together on your own time. You''re both ugly as sin anyway, I''m sure you''ll make for a picture perfect couple. if you want to stay here and rant at me because you''re jealous of my looks and that I got to Dirk first, then be my guest. It just comes across as petulant whining to me."


    "I don''t care what you think. I''m not ranting, I''m warning you. Besides, from where I''m standing, I see it as the opposite. You''re jealous, not me. Now that you know Dirk is way more talented of a cultivator than you ever knew, you want him back, don''t you? you''re hurling mud at me because you''re mad you can''t have him anymore and you know I can. If I weren''t here, you would absolutely try and worm your way back into his life again, and that''s why I''m warning you. I won''t allow it, so don''t waste your breath. Go live the rest of your life with the fact that you threw away Dirk and could never get him back. Maybe if you weren''t so blinded by your own greed and narcissism, you could have seen his actual worth when you had him all to yourself. I don''t want to hear anything about ''petulant whining'' from someone who hasn''t done anything else but that presumably since the day they were born."


    Li Li resisted the urge to punch Accelyn and left. She had originally stayed behind to kill her but figured it would be a hassle down the line for her and Dirk, so she restrained herself in the end. She ascended the stairs and smiled when she saw Dirk''s back. He seemed to be stunned in place when he saw whatever was happening around the corner, so Li Li put her hand on his shoulder and looked around it too... "What the fuck happened here!?" Her words accurately surmised every one of the myriad thoughts running around in Dirk''s head. After all, they''d only been downstairs for a couple of minutes and when they returned, calamity had descended upon the residence. The two culprits were bickering back and forth on the grass as though none of this concerned them so Li Li could do nothing but just slap her forehead and drag a stunned Dirk over to the two idiots. As she did so, she noticed Dirk holding his heart and stole it from him. Dirk recovered from his shock and looked at Li Li as she kissed him on the lips. "I''ll take good care of it because I know how much its worth..." Li Li bundled it up in her arms and leant on Dirk''s shoulder. "To me, its priceless." Dirk wrapped his arm around Li Li''s shoulder and walked with her side by side. He hadn''t been sure about giving his heart away again but, to be fair, this time, it had been taken from him. In many ways, Li Li had long since earned it.