Taming: Path To Be The Strongest

The arena was almost empty now, with only Vell, the guild masters, and a few of the braver guards remaining on the bloodstained floor.

The silence felt heavy after all the chaos that had unfolded.

Sara watched from her hiding spot behind a massive pillar, her mind still reeling from the display of power. 'I should leave,' she thought, but her feet felt rooted to the spot, a mix of curiosity and terror keeping her in place. She needed to see how this absurd situation would end.

Vell's sword hummed with a strange power as he spoke, "Now then, shall we finish this properly?"

The guild masters slowly pushed themselves to their feet, their fancy clothes torn and their proud faces showing clear signs of pain, but their eyes still burned with a deep, furious anger.

"You have made a terrible mistake," the shadowy master said, spitting a glob of blood onto the ground. "Even if you manage to kill us, the other sections of the city will not stand for this blatant disrespect."

Vell laughed, a cold and empty sound. "You think I care about the other sections? They are next on my list after I am done with you."

The righteous master's eyes went wide with disbelief. "You are completely insane. The combined might of all sections would crush you without a second thought!"

"Would they?" He moved so fast he seemed to dissolve into the air, only to reappear directly behind the righteous master with his sword already at the man's throat. "Just like you are crushing me now?"

The other masters flinched back, their hands flying to their weapons, but Vell simply shoved their friend away, not even bothering to follow through.

"I am getting bored of this," he announced, his voice echoing in the near-empty arena. "I will give you one last chance, kneel before me and accept me as your new leader, or you will die. It is a simple choice, really."

The big master roared, his fists glowing with a volatile energy as he charged forward. "I will never kneel to scum like you!"

Vell sighed, a sound of genuine disappointment. "Wrong choice."

The next thing Sara knew, flashes of light filled the arena, followed by the sound of breaking metal and a sharp scream, and when it was over, the big master was lying motionless on the ground.

"Anyone else want to be stupid?" He asked, casually cleaning the blood from his sword.

The remaining masters stared at their fallen comrade, then exchanged horrified glances. Slowly, one by one, they dropped to their knees.

"Good choice," he said with a nod. "Now, let us talk about the new rules around here."

But before he could continue, a new voice cut through the air, calm and authoritative. "That is quite enough."

Everyone turned to look. A man dressed in pristine white robes stood at the main arena entrance. He was not particularly tall or muscular, but the aura he projected made Sara's skin crawl with an instinctual fear.

Vell's casual smile disappeared instantly. "Well, well. I was wondering when you would finally decide to show up… Guild Leader."

The man in white walked forward, his steps unhurried and silent. "I must admit, you have exceeded all of my expectations. Taking down all five of my masters at once? Truly impressive."

"Save your praise. Are you here to try and stop me?"

The Guild Leader shook his head, a small, knowing smile on his face. "Stop you? No, no, nothing of the sort. I am here to congratulate you." He spread his arms wide, a gesture of grand welcome. "Welcome to the inner circle. You have passed the test."

Sara gasped from behind her pillar. 'Test? What the hell is he talking about?'

Vell's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What game are you playing at?"

"There is no game," the Guild Leader replied, his smile unwavering. "Did you truly think we did not know what you were? That we could not sense your true power from the very beginning?" He laughed softly. "We have been watching you since the moment you arrived. We were just waiting to see if you had what it takes."

"Takes for what?"

"To join us, of course. The real rulers. The ones who stand above even the sections." The Guild Leader's smile grew wider, more unsettling. "You have proven yourself more than worthy. Together, we could-"

He never finished his sentence. Vell's sword flashed, and a thin red line appeared across the Guild Leader's throat.

"I am not interested," he said coldly.

The Guild Leader touched his neck, looking at the blood on his fingers with a look of genuine surprise. "You… you dare?"

"I dare a lot of things," Vell replied. "Like this."

His next strike was a blur of motion that should have decapitated the Guild Leader. But the man was simply not there anymore. He had moved faster than even Vell could track.

"Oh?" Vell's eyes lit up with real interest for the first time. "Maybe this will not be boring after all."

The Guild Leader's white robes fluttered as a torrent of power began to pour from him. "You have made a terrible mistake, boy. Allow me to show you what real power looks like."

Sara finally decided it was time to leave. As she sprinted from the arena, she heard the first of many explosions behind her, and she felt the ground shake violently beneath her feet.

For the first time since arriving in this section, Vell felt pain.

The Guild Leader's fist crashed into his chest, sending him flying through three of the arena's solid stone walls. Before he could even try to stand, another hit caught him squarely in the face, smashing him into the ground with enough force to create a small crater.

"Surprised?" The Guild Leader's voice came from above, his white robes still perfectly clean. "You are not the only one with great power."

Vell spat a mouthful of blood and smiled. "Finally, someone interesting." He pushed himself up, wiping his mouth. "But do not get cocky just yet."

He charged forward, his sword becoming a blur of motion, but the Guild Leader dodged each strike as if he were moving through water. Then his hand shot out, catching Vell's sword arm with impossible speed.

"Too slow," he said, before throwing Vell into the air like a toy.

The next few seconds were a whirlwind of pure agony. The Guild Leader appeared above, below, and all around him, hitting him from every conceivable direction. Each punch felt like being struck by a mountain.

"What is wrong?" The Guild Leader taunted as Vell crashed to the ground once more. "Where is all that confidence from earlier?"

Vell tried to stand, but his legs were shaking. His body hurt in ways he had not felt in months. "Shut up," he growled.

"Make me." The Guild Leader appeared in front of him, his hands casually tucked in his pockets. "Oh wait, you cannot."

Rage filled Vell's eyes.

He swung his sword with all his might, but the Guild Leader simply leaned back slightly, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly by his face.

"Too angry. Too sloppy." Another punch sent Vell skidding across the arena floor. "Is this really all you have? Did I expect too much… tch."

From their kneeling positions, the remaining guild masters watched in awe. They had never seen their leader fight so seriously before.

"He is toying with him," one whispered.

"Like a cat with a mouse," another agreed.

Vell heard their whispers, and his anger grew hotter. He had come too far to be humiliated like this. His predator eyes began to glow brighter as he gathered his power.

"Oh?" The Guild Leader raised an eyebrow. "Finally getting serious?"

"You wanted to see my real power?" Vell's voice became deeper, more inhuman. "Fine. Let me show you."

The air around him began to distort, and the ground cracked under his feet as his sword started to emit a black, smoky aura.

The Guild Leader's smile faded slightly. "Interesting… Very interesting."

"You have not seen anything yet," he snarled, and then he moved.

This time, his strike was too fast for even the Guild Leader to dodge completely, and a thin cut appeared on his cheek.

"Better," the Guild Leader said, touching the small wound. "But still not good enough."

Their next clash shook the entire arena. Vell's newfound speed and power met the Guild Leader's overwhelming experience and skill, and each impact made the air itself scream.

But slowly, very slowly, Vell began to understand. Each exchange taught him something new about his opponent's style, and each failure showed him a new way to attack.

The Guild Leader noticed it too, and his smile grew smaller with each passing moment as his attacks became more serious and less playful.

"You adapt quickly," he said, blocking another of Vell's strikes. "But…"

His hand moved in a blur, grabbing Vell by the face. "You are still too young!"

He slammed Vell into the ground with enough force to create a massive crater, then raised his other hand as a blinding white energy gathered in his palm.

"Let me show you the difference between us."

The energy blast that followed was like nothing Vell had ever seen before. It was not just powerful, it seemed to bend reality itself.

As the light engulfed him, Vell had only one thought, 'This might actually hurt.'

The explosion that followed could be seen from across the entire city.

The dust settled around the massive crater, and the Guild Leader stood at its edge, looking down at where Vell had been. His white robes fluttered in the wind, stained with dirt and blood for the first time in decades.

"Well, that was disappoint-"

A laugh cut through the silence. It started low, almost quiet, then grew into something that made even the remaining guild masters step back in fear.

Through the settling dust, a figure rose. Vell's clothes were torn and burnt, and blood was dripping from various wounds all over his body, but his eyes… his eyes had changed.

"You know," Vell said, his voice distorting slightly, "I have not heard that warning in a while." He cracked his neck, and the sound echoed unnaturally. "The last time was… ah yes, when I destroyed that pesky guardian that tried to kill me… just like you are trying right now."

The Guild Leader's confident smile wavered. Something was different. The air around Vell had changed, becoming heavier, more oppressive… dangerous.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, but there was a new edge of uncertainty in his voice.

Vell's smile grew wider, showing teeth that seemed sharper than before. "Let me tell you a secret," he said, taking a step forward as the ground cracked beneath his feet. "All this time, I have been holding myself back so badly. Safety measures, you might say, to keep me from… breaking things too badly."

Another step, and the crater's edge began to crumble under the pressure.

"But you," his smile became something inhuman, "you have earned a proper fight. System, execute limiter removal."

[First Limiter: Disengaged]

[Warning: Power surge detected]

[Caution: Host body entering enhanced state]

The change was instant and terrifying. Dark energy erupted from his body, forming patterns that looked like ancient, forbidden symbols. His wounds began to heal rapidly, steam rising from his skin, but it was his smile that truly changed the atmosphere, it was the smile of a predator who had just spotted a particularly interesting prey.

For the second time in his long life, the Guild Leader felt a chill run down his spine.

"What… what are you?" he whispered.

"Now that is a better question than before," Vell replied, his voice carrying echoes that should not be possible. "But I think it is more fun to show you than to tell you."

He vanished.

The Guild Leader's instincts screamed. He threw up a barrier of pure energy, his strongest defense. It had stopped powerful attacks before but…

Vell's fist went through it like it was made of paper.

The impact sent the Guild Leader flying through the arena's outer wall and into the city beyond, and he crashed through three buildings before managing to stop himself.

"Impossible," he coughed, wiping blood from his mouth. "That barrier was-"

"Was what?" Vell appeared before him, still wearing that terrible smile. "Strong? Unbreakable?" He leaned closer, his predator eyes now swirling with dark energy. "You have not seen strong yet."

The Guild Leader tried to jump back, but Vell's hand shot out, grabbing his pristine white robe.

"Where are you going?" His smile widened even further. "Come on, play with me more."

Fear overwhelmed him.

"Now then," Vell's voice carried an almost gleeful tone, "shall we have some real fun?"

The dark symbols around him pulsed, and the very air seemed to scream in anticipation of what was to come.