Kellix, wielding his massive butcher cleaver, swung with all his might, but Hielo, a blur of motion, blocked each strike with effortless grace. She tripped him, and he stumbled, but he quickly righted himself, striking again. Frustrated, he extended his hand, four clay monsters materialized from his Abi, one of them resembling Hielo.
Monkey King stood beside Ape Monger, a proud smile on his face. Nyte Fang stepped up beside them, her posture straight and her gaze sharp. "Ohh, you're finally up, Nyte Fang," the Monkey King said.
"How long was I asleep?" Nyte Fang asked, her voice still a little groggy.
"You slept the entire night," the Monkey King replied. "You must have been very tired."
"I guess I was." Nyte Fang's eyes zeroed in on Hileo. "That woman... she embodies what it means to be a demigod. It's obvious she isn't breaking a sweat."
"That is Hielo," the Monkey King explained. "She is from an earlier generation during the reign of King Jiguzo. She was right-hand to Kellix's father, Jerix."
"I see," Nyte Fang said, her interest piqued. "That means she's older than most of us here."
"No," the Monkey King corrected, his voice full of reverence. "She is the oldest person here. I'd say she's almost lived a century."
"Amazing," Nyte Fang said, her eyes wide. "That far out does any animal lifespan."
"But don't underestimate Kellix," the Monkey King added, his gaze returning to the sparring match. "He has potential like no other. He is an Artist in the Painter class. Although he lacks experience, his wits make him surprisingly dangerous, and he'll be the one to slay the King."
Nyte Fang "Indeed he is also impressive, it appears the clay boy you always speak about can not only create monsters but he can sculpt life size people while mimicing their abilities."
As if to prove the Monkey King right, Kellix summoned several more clay monsters. This time, they all tackled Hileo at once, burying her in a pile of clay. "I got you now!" Kellix shouted triumphantly.
Releyanda and Hidikai watched from a distance. "You can do it, Kellix!" Hidikai cheered.
"He's no match for her," Releyanda said flatly.
Kellix, standing over the pile of clay, pointed his blade at the buried Hielo. "Surrender, teacher, because you've finally lost! Sorry I had to do it. I couldn't let you embarrass me in front of my crush." Hielo's voice, muffled by the clay, called out, "Your crush is impressed, but not for the reasons you think."
She smiled, and with an incredible burst of force, ripped through the clay monsters' grip. In an instant, she was standing, and with a blur of motion, she grabbed Kellix's head, slammed it to the ground, and pressed her foot onto it. The monkey soldiers erupted in applause.
"Darn it, Hielo!" Kellix cried out, a comically tragic look on his face. "You could have let me win this time!"
Hielo smiled and patted his head with her free hand.
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Hidikai giggled. "Poor Kellix." Hidikai frowned.
"Told ya so," Releyanda said.
Nyte Fang, impressed, turned to the Monkey King. "I am very impressed by your demigods. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to show you what the demigods of my tribe are capable of."
The Monkey King's smile faded slightly. "Very well, but I don't think humans with no artistic talent are much use."
"You're mistaken," Nyte Fang said, a glint of challenge in her eyes. "They may not be Artists, but they are Cyborgs with incredible mechanical parts." She looked over at Releyanda and Hidikai. "Girls, what do you say we show our monkey friends here the Coyote way?"
"OMG, I'd love that!" Hidikai said excitedly.
Nyte Fang looked back at the Monkey King. "What do you say, one of yours versus one of mine?"
"I'll take you on that offer," the Monkey King replied. "Rufo and Ape Monger, care for a little sparring match?"
"I'd be delighted," Ape Monger said, cracking her knuckles.
"I usually don't hit girls," Rufo said with a smirk, "but I'll make an exception this time."
"First to touch the ground loses!" the Monkey King declared.
The first round was between Ape Monger and Hidikai. The two combatants stood apart. When the bell rang, Ape Monger swiftly rushed in with her power pole.
Hidikai evaded the pole with surprising agility but eventually used her cybernetic arms to block the attacks, even with extraordinary force.
Ape Monger was visibly surprised by her strength.
"My cyber arms are a mix of several different Delta scrap metals," Hidikai said with a confident grin. "They can take a lot of damage and they store a sufficient amount of electro to withstand powerful forces." She then gripped the pole with her right cyber hand and, with a powerful jolt, released the hand from her arm while it was still gripping the pole.
The pole spun out of Ape Monger's grip and sent her flying out of the dojo and onto the ground. The monkey soldiers all clapped, their astonishment clear.
"I didn't think Hidikai would be so great at combat," Kellix said to himself, utterly impressed.
"That's one for me and one more to go," Nyte Fang said triumphantly.
The Monkey King gritted his teeth. "Rufo, don't hold back."
"I won't, boss man," Rufo said, winking. "I'm gonna go all out. Sorry, pretty lady."
"Let's do this," Releyanda said, her voice a low, cold hum.
Both combatants stood across from each other. The bell rang. "I'm not an ordinary artist," Rufo began, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'm special because I'm in the Fisher class."
Releyanda gave him an intense stare, her body tensed in a battle stance.
"Yeah," Kellix replied, his voice full of respect. "And they're pretty damn powerful."
Rufo pulled his hand back, and a massive Abi fishing rod appeared.
With a flick of his wrist, a portal opened up behind him. He shouted, "Have a taste of Mother Nature!" Out of the portal swam several Abi electric eels.
Releyanda expertly evaded them, but one of the eels latched onto her, sending a massive shockwave through her body. She screamed in agony. Two more grabed onto her body and electorcuting her.
Rufo laughed. "That was easy."
The Monkey King smiled, a satisfied look on his face.
"Releyanda!" Kellix shouted, his voice full of concern. "Rufo, you didn't have to use that attack on her!"
"Shut it, loser," Rufo retorted, his smirk never fading. "A duel is a duel, regardless. The Royals won't show us mercy, so we need to be prepared for anything."
Hidikai with a playful tone "There is nothing to be worried about Kellix, Releyanda is a cyborg so electricity doesn't actually hurt us much, our cybernetic parts absorb most of the voltage."
Releyanda's knees buckled, but she stood up straight, a cold, vengeful look in her eyes.
Rufo, seeing her defiance, said, "I don't like your face very much, so let me fix it." He pulled his rod back, another portal opening behind him. "Giant piranhas!" he shouted.