During my third week of training, I decided to kick things into hyper-gear. I was up hundreds of pounds on all my lifts, and my training at the Danger room was getting more complicated and frantic.
I'd spamd Burst so much that I knew I was close to reaching the upper limits of the Basic tier. My control over Ophion was also getting masterful. I practiced swinging around the city, yanking enemies close, pulling myself to them, and using them as a tool to incapacitate.
I rounded the week off by cornering Wolverine and demanding an actual spar from the combat master of the X-n.
When I'd initially approached him about the training he'd 'promised,' he pointed out that he said no such thing. I'd asked for it, and he'd answered my question with another.
That left slackjawed for a mont before I recovered.
I pointed out that I needed to see where I stacked against a true master, and the flattery finally got Logan into the Arena.
Throughout my entire ti teaching with Logan, he'd only used as promised-- a demonstration partner for all his strikes, parries, throws, maneuvers, and submissions. And he hadn't gone easy on . But it was nothing my regeneration could not handle.
His sessions, however, cented Logan's reputation as one of the most skilled fighters in the Marvel Universe. He'd demonstrated flawless mastery of multiple martial arts and a technical understanding that bothered genius, even if the man couldn't explain it in so many words.
We were in the Arena alone. Our only audience was the teaching staff watching from behind the caras.
Logan was a simple shirt with an old Katana, and I clutched Rebellion, shifting nervously.
I did not delude myself that this was going to be an easy fight.
Logan had decades of experience on , and his healing factor and endurance ant he wouldn't be tapping out anyti soon. While I was stronger than when I first arrived, Logan had bones made of Adamantium. It’d take a small miracle to win.
“I’ve got to be a miracle worker then,” I muttered.
"Co on, bub," Logan said with a co-hither gesture. "I haven't got all day."
Instead of trading barbs with him, I let my actions speak for . A potent Burst brought within striking distance of Logan, and I slashed at him. He raised his blade to block the attack, but I unsummoned Rebellion, ducking into an athletic roll. Mid-way through, I summoned five of the then fingers of Orochi and pelted Logan's back.
"Argh," he grunted and swung around. I leaned back, dodging the cut by re inches. A knuckle duster ca out next, and I punched with a Burst. The blow did not move Logan, but he definitely felt it.
His legs angled out, but he was slightly slower than he would have otherwise been. The blow swept by as I used clever footwork to glide past Logan, using my Adept skill, but before I could lay into him, his elbow shot out, blocking my liver shot, but my other hand was wide open, and it summoned Ophion.
I fired as I stepped back with Demon Pull. It latched onto Logan's leg, but before I could yank him off his feet, the 5 foot 5-monster batted the claw away with the flat of his blade.
The move stole a chunk of flesh, but Logan surged forth anyway, unleashing a flurry of strikes. I summoned Rebellion to deflect them, but the strength of it pushed back. I was strong but not nearly strong enough, and Logan's swordplay was miles ahead of mine, even though he should be in crippling pain because of the fingers of Orochi.
I made up for it by rapidly repositioning Rebellion. Because of the nature of my power, I was never truly locked in a position. With a shift and a pivot, I could attack from a whole new angle, switching my sword for a bo-staff or axe, and that was what I did.
Logan scored more cuts on than I did him after sharpening my unpredictable style against him. I decided to get serious.
A burst of demonic energy put so distance between and Logan, and I fired at him using Ebony and Ivory.
Logan charged , deflecting so of my shots, tanking the others with his arms, legs, stomach, and head.
"Quit hiding behind your guns like a pantsy!" Logan roared as he leaped at with his sword, giving the opening I'd been looking for. Burst carried forward faster than Logan could react, and I slamd Rebellion into his gut just as he ca down.
The acceleration and the suddenness of the strike were powerful enough to throw him back, and I followed after him, stabbing him over and over again with a furious roar.
My hands moved so fast that my blade beca a blur.
'Trillion Stabs!'
Logan was barely standing when I was done, and I was panting. Large parts of his chest and stomach muscles had been hacked off, leaving his ribcage exposed.
Still, Logan didn't even look like he minded. Right before my eyes, muscle tissue regenerated, and flesh covered them.
"You're better than I give you credit for," he said, tossing his Katana aside and ripping off what was left of his shirt. "You've earned my claws."
I gulped. I went on and did it.
Logan gingerly pulled the Fingers of Orochi slowing him down and leaped at with his claws bared.
I ducked to the left, slightly winded, but he followed closely behind , pivoting and sprinting a second after he landed. Logan had gone from barely keeping up with my speed to outpacing in all categories.
His claws moved like a hurricane, shredding everything in sight. Sections of the Arena were covered in adamantine claw marks. I didn't even try clashing blades with him. I knew Rebellion or Ophion wouldn't survive it, so I focused on keeping my distance, strategically using Bursts, and lashing out with punches and kicks.
But my Demon energy bottod eventually.
8/350.
I realized that only after Burst's command yielded no instant transportation. My heart was at my throat as Logan's claws inched closer to my neck. In a herculean feat of effort, I twisted and bent as rivers of sweat poured from my soaked tanktop.
I tapped into my demon energy pool when I saw that I would not make it out entirely unscathed. And then sothing happened. A wave of energy surged from every pore in , exploding in a sustained fla of red and black.
Logan leaped back, digging his claw into the Arena floor, surprised by my sudden transformation.
A notification flashing onto my screen confird what I'd already suspected.
Congratulations: You've Unlocked Demon Dodge (Basic)
Increase your next attack by 2x for 5 seconds.
Costs 20 Demon Energy
Fuck .
This was not how I imagined learning this skill, but I wasn't about to go looking a gift horse in the mouth, so I surged ahead, eating up the distance between and Logan suddenly before my five seconds ran out.
The man reacted with a double claw strike, which I vaulted over and ca down with a summoned Rebellion, twisting like a top with my blade extended. My attack shredded his neck, and most of his upper body, but by the end of it, the fla cloaking was gone. Logan let out a frustrated roar.
A kick slamd into the mont my legs touched the ground, ragdolling sideways. My body ca to a stop at the very edge of the Arena, dizzy and groaning from the pain, but I blinked just in ti to see a bloody Wolverine coming down on with his claws extended.
I had one of two options: roll out the Arena and concede, or dig even deeper and bounce back sohow.
I might've been out of demonic energy, but I still had over half of my angel energy left. I hadn't needed to heal often in this fight, so I had the energy to spend and experint. Pulling on the wiry Angel energy, I guided it through my body, and tried not to force it this ti, watching in marvel as it wrapped around my entire body.
Logan crashed into , but I was already gone, standing halfway across the Arena, my body bleeding blue vapor.
Logan's body bounced over the arena edge and ca to a stop outside bounds, which technically ant I won the fight.
I let out a sigh of relief, instantly deflating. That fight took a lot out of .
"Good work, kid," Logan said as he stepped back into the Arena. "You made fight seriously."
He cracked his neck. "Been a while since that has happened. You're not half-bad. Let's do this again in a few days."
I fell on my ass as Logan walked off, weariness seeping into my very bones.
I read the description of the new skill I'd just acquired.
Angel Evade
Phase through Limbo, allowing Dante to evade an additional distance and render him invulnerable to attacks.
10 DE
That looked about right. And it did confirm my suspicions. Limbo was real in this universe, and I'd have to deal with it eventually.
But for now, I focused on the outco of the fight. I'd barely co out ahead. I had a feeling Wolverine would not fall for my tactics again. I needed new moves.
Logan's Adamantine claws were too much to deal with. I needed to figure out an effective way to neutralize them in our next fight.
I took one final look at my status before I continued my training.
Na: Dante Sparda
Species: Nephilim
Class: None
HP: 100/570
SP: 340/560
AE: 50/350
DE: 60/360
Strength: 32
Dexterity: 35
Endurance: 56
Vitality: 57
Angelic Energy: 35
Demonic Energy: 36
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