"Is this happening again?" Khan whispered while wearing a fake smile at the sight of the approaching Ef'i.
"I have no control over this," Lieutenant Unchai said in an apologetic tone before spreading his arms and raising his voice. "[Teco]!"
"[It's not a case that the kid won the last time]," Teco exclaimed before turning toward Khan to speak in a bad human accent. "I'm glad to meet you again."
"[Honor are mine]," Khan said as best as he could.
Teco didn't hide his surprise to see Khan speaking his language. Khan's performance was poor at best, but he still managed to make the Ef'i understand what he meant.
Meanwhile, Khan simply felt glad to understand the Ef'i's language. He needed to replay the words in his head at times, but he confirmed that he wouldn't remain in the dark when conversations happened near him.
"Khan," Someone spoke from the center of the group. The Ef'i opened a path, and Khan soon could see Eztli stepping forward to stand at Teco's side.
Eztli had grown taller during that year. More muscles had also appeared on his slender figure and the tight yellow tank top that he wore only highlighted them.
"I think a rematch is mandatory before the tournament starts," Teco said in a bad human accent. "I hope your candidate doesn't mind."
"Khan was born ready!" Lieutenant Unchai proudly announced while patting Khan's shoulder.
Khan rolled his eyes before stepping forward. He knew that escaping that situation was impossible, and part of him even wanted to test his strength against the Ef'i. Besides, that fight could work as a preparation for the tournament.
Eztli also stepped forward and revealed a confident grin. His tail slammed on the ground as his nails stretched and his muscles bulged. Khan could sense the mana moving inside the alien's body to create a defensive layer that fused with his pale-brown skin.
Khan caressed the sheath to his left before closing his hand into a punch. Piercing that defense through the Divine Reaper would be easy, but he couldn't use his weapon during the tournament, so it was pointless to wield it now.
'I wonder if that can work this time,' Khan thought before bending forward and waiting for the two leaders to give the order.
"Fight!" Lieutenant Unchai shouted as soon as both fighters appeared ready.
"[Fight]!" Eztli followed, and Khan promptly shot forward.
Eztli had become a first-level warrior during that year, but his limbs remained unable to follow Khan. However, the same didn't apply to his tail.
Khan saw the Ef'i's pointy limb shooting toward him as soon as he entered his range. The attack would have made Khan change direction one year ago. Yet, he had gone through countless battles during that period. His experience went far beyond his age.
Khan bent forward even further. The tail touched the upper side of his head before sliding past it. A cut opened under the relatively short hair, but that wasn't enough to make him stop.
The ground seemed incredibly close as Khan kicked with both feet to launch himself forward. His torso went back as his legs moved forward and bent. Eztli didn't even have the time to cross his arms before Khan's knees slammed on his abdomen.
Khan's airborne attacks carried the entirety of his weight and momentum. They were final blows in the Lightning-demon style. His last technique didn't express his peak battle prowess due to the lack of rotations, but it remained among his strongest moves.
The Ef'i were above the humans in terms of pure physical prowess. They didn't reach the Stal's insane levels, but they compensated that through spells and martial arts.
Eztli slid on the terrain for two meters. His toenails dug the ground to interrupt his momentum, and his tank top shattered due to the impact.
The tail slid over Khan's head for a second before Eztli decided to retract it. The attack didn't break the alien's posture, but Khan had every intention to continue with his offensive. However, a peculiar sight appeared in his view and made him stop. The piece of Eztli's tanktop that had fallen had revealed a foot-shaped scar.
Eztli understood the reason behind Khan's surprise and decided to stop too. He smirked as he glanced at his scar. His sharp nails went on his tank top and tore it apart before he slammed his palms on his chest.
Khan also smiled but for very different reasons. He had actually read something about that in one of the books obtained on Ecoruta. The Ef'i weren't bad in the medical field, but they often decided to retain their scars to remind themselves of their defeats.
Instead, Khan's smile carried a bit of longing. The scar had reminded him of who he was when he first came to Onia. He recalled the fear toward his own power and aggression and compared it to his current confidence and coldness.
"[Stop holding back]," Eztli said while Khan was busy inspecting the scar.
Khan raised his head to glance at Eztli's four eyes. He could see pure happiness on the alien's face. The latter approached battles in ways that Khan had never considered. Eztli was having fun exchanging blows with an opponent at his level.
Khan had learnt to lose himself during his battles, but that new approach tempted him. His thoughts started to disappear as he tried to enjoy the fight without minding all its negative aspects. His mind began to cut away everything to leave a simple desire behind. Khan wanted to win for the sole sake of bathing in a victory.
'I guess it's pointless to test him any further,' Khan thought as his sensations started to fill his mind. 'He can defend against my kicks, so I have to rely on my mana.'
Khan shot forward again. Eztli threw his tail toward Khan, but he dodged it completely at that time. The relatively ample movement prevented him from reaching the alien before he could remove the openings in his guards. Still, Khan wasn't aiming to exploit his speed to land clean blows now.
A fast rotating kick landed on Eztli's right arm. The alien had used it to protect his side, and the lower power contained in the attack also allowed him to remain in his position. Yet, red-purple energy came out of Khan's shin right after the impact.
Eztli felt that something was off, but his arm worked fine, and nothing seemed broken, so he proceeded to wave his left arm at Khan. His tail also rose above his head as it waited for Khan to dodge.
Khan instinctively pushed himself forward while bringing his raised foot to the ground. Eztli couldn't reach him even if he rotated his body to follow those movements. However, that only applied to his arm.
Eztli's tail didn't have his arm's limitations. It descended at high speed and managed to land on the side of Khan's right shoulder. Still, he continued to move around the alien, so the limb ended up leaving a deep cut that reached his tattoo before coming out of his body.
Khan had sensed the arrival of the tail. He had the chance to use the [Blood Shield], but he decided to avoid revealing his abilities before the tournament.
After the tail came out of Khan's body, he rotated on himself to deliver a powerful kick on Eztli's waist. His mana flew out of his foot and entered the alien's body, but nothing significant happened.
Eztli swung his tail toward Khan, but he raised his arm to block it. The alien started to rotate toward him, but another kick landed on his waist and hindered his movements.
The tail rose, and Khan sprinted around Eztli again. The alien couldn't see his precise location now, so he waited for an attack to arrive. Khan didn't make him wait long. He threw a kick as soon as he stopped on Eztli's side before jumping back to avoid the descending pointy limb.
Khan took a few steps back after landing on the ground. He didn't need to check his injury to know its state. His eyes could remain fixed on his opponent, and his senses made sure to tell him everything that was happening inside the alien's body.
Something was definitely changing. Khan had already kicked Eztli four times, and his mana had entered his body during those attacks. The alien's arm had blocked the first blow, but the other three had landed directly on his waist and abdomen, which allowed Khan to notice some reactions.
The layer of mana that had fused with Eztli's skin had remained mostly intact, but the energy flowing inside his body had begun to find hindrances, especially when it passed through his waist and right arm. Those issues were still too faint to make the alien notice them, but they were definitely happening.
'It can work then,' Khan thought before falling back into his unique mental state.
The chaos element had destructive features, but they were too faint when Khan didn't use his mana for spells or specific martial arts. However, he had learnt how to change the nature of his energy on Nitis, so he could also enhance its iconic abilities.
The problems obviously resided in Khan's ability to enhance those features during his attacks. He had to add another process to his martial art, which already went beyond what the Niqols did. He wouldn't feel confident in succeeding with the Divine Reaper. Yet, the issue didn't appear impossible when it came to the Lightning-demon style.
Khan dived deeper into his special mental state and took deep breaths as he focused on his mana. He had to perform his kick correctly before enhancing the nature of his energy and releasing it. He also needed to use his movement to push it inside his opponent to make sure that it reached decent depths.
Eztli waited for Khan to move. He knew that he wasn't as fast as his opponent, so he had to adopt a defensive approach.
Khan didn't make him wait long. He sprinted forward when he felt ready to test that new approach. The pointy tail soon filled his view, but he ducked to continue his charge under it. Eztli's waist quickly entered his range, and his foot soon slammed on that area.
Eztli tried to close his arms around Khan while retracting his tail to block his escape path. Yet, Khan placed his raised foot on one of the incoming forearms and used it as a foothold to jump.
Khan slipped past the incoming arms and tail while flying above Eztli. His figure began to rotate before a heel descended toward the alien's head. Still, Eztli managed to put his tail in the kick's trajectory and block most of the attack.
Khan used the tail as a foothold to push himself outside Eztli's range. He flew backward and performed a backflip before landing on the ground and shooting forward again. His new approach required multiple attacks, and he had every intention to deliver them.
Soldiers began to gather around Khan and Eztli as their battle continued. The same happened to some Ef'i who happened to be nearby and notice the fight.
Similar scenes happened relatively often inside camps with both humans and Ef'i. The Ef'i liked to test their strength, even outside training areas, and the soldiers had adapted to those habits.
Moreover, Khan's battle was quite scenic. He danced around and above Eztli while the latter waved his arms and tail in the hope of inflicting severe injuries.
The two's endurance was incredible. Eztli endured kick after kick without showing any reaction, while Khan ended up suffering injuries from time to time. They were mostly superficial cuts caused by the restrained dodges meant to keep the alien in his kick's range. Still, Eztli also managed to stab his tail deeply whenever Khan decided that he could gain from that.
The long battle eventually tore Khan's uniform apart. He had to leave his defensive gear on Ecoruta, so all the attacks that landed on his body created bloody cuts or holes that gave a gruesome appearance to his torso. He made sure to keep his legs safe, but he sacrificed everything else as he continued to release kicks.
Lieutenant Unchai began to worry at some point. Khan never slowed down, but the injuries accumulated on his body were reaching a concerning number. He was losing a lot of blood, and even his complexion started to grow pale.
The only detail that stopped Lieutenant Unchai from putting an end to the battle was Khan's confident expression. Khan smiled during his relentless offensive, and his eyes never lost their focus. His face said that everything was going according to his plan.
The Ef'i couldn't help but approve of Khan's resilience. They had heard about him and did their research after his nomination for the tournament, but they could confirm his value now. He was a brave warrior who didn't fear pain, which the Ef'i respected with their whole selves.
Nevertheless, everyone expected Khan to lose. Eztli had yet to suffer visible injuries, while Khan's torso was covered in blood. He even appeared on the verge of fainting.
Then, during one of the usual exchanges, Khan slammed his foot at the center of Eztli's chest and used the impact to push himself away. He even took a few steps back and interrupted his offensive as he kept his eyes on his opponent.. Everyone believed that he was about to surrender, but Eztli suddenly spat a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious on the ground.
