The distance between them closed in an instant.
Aiden's fist shot forward, the wind groaning from the sheer force behind the attack.
Kai retaliated with equal force. His katana swung in a horizontal arc aimed at the incoming fist.
Both sides collided, sending a sharp gust of wind that spread through the room, but they were far from done.
Aiden withdrew, punching forward with his other hand.
Kai was not to be outdone. He retracted his katana, sidestepping in the same movement to avoid the attack.
As if it were locked on Kai, Aiden's fist stopped mid-air and turned to the left.
Kai ducked instinctively, only managing to avoid the attack by a narrow margin.
Before Aiden could recalibrate his attack, Kai pushed backward, creating a gap between both of them.
Aiden's fist stopped. He turned to Kai slowly.
There, he saw Kai, his body fully coated in a silver-gold sheen that extended to his blade.
But it was as if he was not done. His aether was pushed further, exploding outward in a burst that dug a deep crater into the tiles beneath him.
Kai emerged from the haze, his form beyond recognition. His eyes were hollow, and his hair shot up, flowing under the ethereal aura of aether. Behind him, ethereal silver wings of aether shot out.
Aiden was not surprised by what was happening. "I know you mastered the Galewing transformation technique even before you awakened," he said calmly.
In the same instant, his own body burst with aether, much more concentrated and overwhelming compared to Kai's.
His form grew bulkier, sharp purple claws extending from the gauntlets. At a glance, one could tell that the claws were made using aether. But it was also obvious that they were more unique than normal aether.
They did not exchange speeches. Words could not express anything at the moment. The only thing that mattered was strength.
And as if they were eager to express themselves, they shot forward.
Kai was far faster than before, his body seeming to drift slightly above the floor as he shot through the air.
Aiden, on the other hand, ran with the momentum of a bulwark, slow but with each step decimating the tiles beneath him into rubble and magma.
Both sides collided. Kai's sword swung forward in a precise arc, Aiden's claw tearing forward towards the katana.
Sparks flew as both weapons clashed, but neither fighter relented. Kai followed swiftly with an overhead strike.
Aiden parried with his claws, driving his other claw forward in the same movement.
Kai was caught off guard by the counter. The claw tore through his chest like scissors through silk.
Blood splattered to the floor as the wound ripped into his chest.
Pain shot through Kai's body as his senses began to blur.
"Try, Kai. You can't always be this reckless on a battlefield," Aiden said, creating space between them.
His gaze drifted towards the timer, noting only 5 minutes had passed since they started.
Kai did not reply. He held the katana tighter, aether flooding into its blade under his control.
Swoosh.
As he swung forward, a razor-thin arc of wind shot towards Aiden.
Blood splattered to the floor as the wind blade grazed Aiden's arm.
But he was fine. Damage of that scale was not enough to injure him.
But it had given Kai all the time he needed. His body flickered forward from the sheer speed at which he moved.
Appearing behind Aiden, he leaped up slightly, just enough for him to reach his neck.
"Gotcha," Kai murmured, swinging his blade at Aiden's exposed neck.
"Okay, you are finally trying." The words came, unhurried and terrifyingly cold.
As the blade neared, a thick plating of pure magma appeared over Aiden's neck, wrapping tightly around it.
The blade smashed against it, sending sparks flying into the air.
The blade's edge cracked from the sheer force of the collision.
But Kai couldn't care less. He backflipped, using Aiden's shoulder as a pad.
Before he could land, the floor beneath him shook violently. His gaze narrowed, then widened.
A burst of magma shot from the floor, burning through his boots in an instant.
Aiden had triggered the explosion perfectly. It only burned one of Kai's legs.
"You wouldn't be so lucky next time," Aiden yelled.
"Say that after you dodge this," Kai said with a grin.
Hundreds of wind blades appeared behind him, each one pulsing with enough power to rip an elephant to shreds.
Aiden's eyes widened. "How do you have so much aether?" he asked.
But Kai did not reply. He let his wind blades do the talking.
The wind groaned under the combined power of the blades.
Aiden did not know whether to be proud or scared.
But he adapted. His frame pulsed as he deactivated his transformation. In the same instant, he changed again.
As the wind blades neared, Aiden's form flickered, leaving trails of white afterimages in his wake.
Kai remained calm through it all. He was able to catch brief silhouettes of Aiden's form, but that was only if he focused.
He returned his katana to its sheath. The last wind blades shot into the tile, tearing a deep gash into it.
Aiden's flickering form began to slow before he came to a halt.
But Kai was already there. He drew his katana from the sheath, the blade flashing forward towards Aiden's neck.
His eyes widened in terror as the katana stopped just a few inches away from his neck.
"I told you, I don't need the weapon training class," Kai said with ragged breaths.
Sweat dropped from his head to the floor before he collapsed into Aiden's hand.
A quiet smile formed on Aiden's lips. Checking the time, it was exactly 15 minutes.
"I will clear this later," Aiden said, carrying Kai's unconscious body upstairs.
"At stage 5, Kai should be able to defeat a stage 7 cultivator."
Although Aiden had held back against Kai, that didn't mean he went down to his stage.
Aiden only went down to stage 8 in the fight.