The moment Veneri stepped forward and didn't reach for Calimostria or summon a Mystic Circle, I knew exactly what he was about to do and I was thrilled.
He rolled his shoulders once, flexing his hands and settled into a stance that was loose but grounded.
I have been waiting for this!
My own fighting style was martial arts at its core, refined through years of training. I had sparred with Veneri before, sure, but he had never gone all out using pure martial techniques. He always defaulted to Magecraft or Weapon Mastery because they were more efficient and in line with his genius-level spellwork. Seeing him choose to abandon both and rely solely on his body was like being handed a lesson.
I immediately began recording everything. SBlack, on the other hand, burst into laughter.
"You're going to use your fists? That makes things easier for me."
He was wrong. There was one thing he didn't know. Veneri's arms weren't flesh and most importantly, he couldn't feel pain through them.
Black lunged forward. His hand axe flew in a horizontal arc meant to bisect Veneri at the waist. Veneri didn't block. His body twisted just enough for the blade to pass centimeters from his torso and in the same motion, his right leg snapped forward in a brutal front kick that slammed directly into Black's chest.
Black's body lifted off the ground and rolled backwards across the battlefield, crashing through loose rubble and carving a shallow trench into the dirt before he finally stopped. He barely had time to push himself up before Veneri was already on him.
Veneri's fist was coated in a thin layer of shimmering Soul Energy. The punch connected with Black's jaw, snapping his head to the side. Before the recoil even finished, another punch followed where both physical and soul damage would overlap. Black swung his axe wildly trying to create space but Veneri stepped inside the arc. His prosthetic forearm rose intercept the blade.
The sound was sickening.
Metal met a sapphire-reinforced prosthetic and instead of slicing through flesh like Black expected, the axe bounced off with a jarring clang. The recoil traveled up Black's arm, throwing off his balance for just a split second.
That was all Veneri needed.
Sapphire materialized instantly around his fist that extended his knuckles into crystalline ridges. He drove the punch straight into Black's abdomen. The force traveled through both his physical form and his soul simultaneously. His regeneration was already kicking in but the soul damage was permanent.
Veneri didn't give him time to recover. He moved like water. I mean it literally, by the way.
His Water Divinity flowed around his limbs in translucent currents. The water acted as a dynamic amplifier, subtly increasing the momentum behind every punch and kick. This was his version of the Plenituse Technique in martial arts form.
In Weapon Mastery, Plenituse focused on maximizing efficiency through precise weapon movements and minimal wasted energy. In martial arts, it manifested as absolute body optimization. Every motion fed into the next. Every strike flowed seamlessly into another.
Black roared and swung his axe downward in a vertical cleave that could have split him. His Time Divinity kicked in, stretching the moment into a sluggish crawl from his perspective. The axe descended in slow motion. Veneri stepped to the side. His body dodged effortlessly past the blade.
Time snapped back to normal just as the weapon slammed uselessly into the ground. He pivoted on his heel and drove a roundhouse kick into Black's ribs.
There was a distinct crack this time.
Black's regeneration acted but Veneri's attacks weren't just breaking his body. They were bruising his soul. That was the key. Physical regeneration was fast but soul recovery was not.
Black snarled and attempted a wild backhand strike. Veneri raised both forearms to block and sapphire covered his arms like crystalline armor. The impact that would have shattered normal bones instead sent shockwaves through the sapphire, dispersing the force across his prosthetics and into the ground beneath his feet.
He slid back a few steps but he remained standing.
I couldn't stop smiling.
He was using my martial arts principles too but refined it to a level that made my own techniques look almost amateurish. His movements are so fluid in ways I haven't even considered.
Black charged again, this time swinging his hand axe extremely fast. Veneri ducked through them, occasionally letting the blade to deflect through his sapphire-coated forearms just to maintain positioning. Every successful dodge was followed by a counterstrike.
He fought like someone who had studied anatomy, energy flow and combat psychology all at once which, knowing him, he absolutely had.
A brutal uppercut laced with Soul Energy snapped Black's head backward, lifting him slightly off his feet. Before he could even fall, Veneri stepped forward and slammed his knee into Black's stomach. The water around his leg spiraled into a vortex that amplified the force of the strike.
Black crashed back into the ground, gasping. His regeneration was working overtime to repair the damage. Veneri stood over him for a moment, breathing steadily. His fists were still coated in faint sapphire dust and rippling water.
This was why he had chosen martial arts.
Magecraft was too slow for an opponent like Black, who could close distances and disrupt him in an instant. Weapon Mastery was powerful but Black's regeneration and skill with his hand axe made prolonged weapon clashes inefficient. Martial arts allowed Veneri to stay inside Black's effective range, constantly disrupting his stance and rhythm while dealing both physical and soul damage.
It was the perfect counter.
By the way, Veneri is a battle genius.
He mastered Magecraft first, reaching heights few could even comprehend. Martial arts came second, where he honed his body into a weapon just as lethal as any spell. Weapon Mastery, though still deadly, ranked third in his personal hierarchy of skill not because it was weak but because it relied on external tools rather than his own body and Divinities.
Black pushed himself up again. Blood kept dripping from his mouth as he looked at us in rage.
"You're enjoying this?"
Veneri cracked his neck slightly with water still swirling lazily around his shoulders.
"Yeah, I really am. I'm not even going all out here. I still haven't used my Plenituse Techniques yet."