Elsewhere, Xenia descended a staircase into a large underground training room. The room was massive measuring over 200 yards in both length and width. The ceiling also loomed high overhead 50 yards above. Bella Domina had an imposing presence above ground with a square footage to impress; however, underground Bella Domina was more than twice the size of its above ground counterpart.
Nero walked the perimeter of the room placing stones which had been infused with ki. After placing nearly thirty stones, he activated them all forming a barrier of ki around the room to prevent the room from crumbling or an earthquake forming while they fight.
Nero wore an all-black gi with a black belt tied around his waist. His black belt had 9 red stripes upon it as he had recently ascended to the 9th degree under Xenia’s guidance and training.
He stood waiting for Xenia who reached the bottom of the staircase and walked to stand in front of Nero with approximately 10 yards separating them. She wore a crimson red gi with a black belt which had 10 red stripes upon it.
She took a fighting stance, “Just remember, Nero. You asked for this.”
He assumed his own fighting stance, “It is essential for me to know where you stand on the scales of power.”
“I am happy to show you!” She summoned a ball of ki in her hand and threw it at Nero. Nero batted it away with relative ease sending it slamming into and exploding against the ki barrier surrounding their arena.
He grunted and leapt forward towards Xenia throwing a kick at her which she blocked with her forearm; however, he didn’t stop as he continued to launch punch after punch at her. She continued to expertly block each punch; however, with each punch she slowly lost ground as he backed her into the barrier slowly.
Nero then infused each punch with an enormous amount of ki. Nero thought to himself, “You can block these punches, but you will take a toll for doing so!”
Xenia found herself at a disadvantage as Nero’s speed and strength continued to pummel her as she lost more and more ground.
Suddenly, Nero felt a powerful surge of strength behind him. He instinctually turned to block an attack catching a powerful ki blast just in time before colliding with him.
He stood partially turned guarding against Xenia who he had on the ropes; however, he now noticed he had to guard against two Xenias as he looked to another behind him thinking to himself, “How annoying.”
He called out to her, “You can use your bloodline powers, but never forget… there is no substitute for raw power!”
He gathered a massive amount of ki and used it to increase his speed for just a moment. He charged and grabbed the Xenia closest to him and immediately head butt her square in the face. With what he was sure to be a doppelganger hanging by the throat in his hand now, he looked back to the other Xenia, “Ready to fight me head on now?”
She smirked at him, “No.”
Nero then crushed the neck of the doppelganger in his hand allowing it to fall dead to the floor.
He charged after the real Xenia firing ki blasts; however, each blast exploded well before reaching her.
She stood confidently as she summoned ki to activate her bloodline power Void Shield. An invisible sphere encircled her which lit up with a flash of black void every time Nero’s attacks landed against it.
Xenia smiled to herself in thought, “My mother described this shield as nearly indestructible though it can’t last forever. I believe she said by her calculations it takes my infused ki and multiplies it by at least ten-fold to form a barrier made of a mysterious energy called Void.”
Nero laughed, “A powerful shield! It’s too bad that the most powerful shields last for such a short time! Let’s see how long this one lasts!”
Immediately after he shouted, the void shield disappeared and along with it, Xenia did too. Nero found himself standing in the arena to an unnerving silence. He layered his body with ki and cautiously inspected his surroundings until suddenly a void portal opened behind him.
Xenia jumped out firing a volley of ki blasts which hit Nero along his back and neck. He spun in anger only to find that Xenia had already once again disappeared back into the void.
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This sequence took place several times annoying Nero as her attacks were barely strong enough to cause him meaningful damage. He grit his teeth, “At this rate, she will win, but it will take a full day!”
Nero was at his limit in tolerating her games. He diffused his ki and stood in a meditative posture leaving himself completely open to attack while waiting for her to appear again.
A portal opened and Nero immediately took note. Xenia came flying out with a kick aimed directly at Nero’s face; however, in anticipation, Nero grabbed her leg and held on firm. He then slammed her on the ground face first and yelled, “These skills and tricks are useful, but they do not show me your power!”
Xenia stood and grimaced at him. She then rushed in to fight him in hand-to-hand combat. She clearly had the upper hand landing punch and kick after kick. She was a master of technique and a master of the world around her allowing her to both dodge incoming attacks and strike with her own whenever she pleased.
Nero grew tired of taking hits which inflicted minimal damage to him while also being unable to touch her. He roared gathering ki to his body and suddenly reached out with a hand. As he did, Xenia’s body stopped in its tracks.
“I too have new tricks.” Nero held her immobile as he used his own bloodbending against his empress. “This should never be allowed! Your power should far exceed mine! For me to bloodbend you is an offense to both of our names! Activate your Bloodlust! Show me your true power!”
Xenia stood immobilized as she tried to fight him off with her own bloodbending abilities; however, she was no match for his strength.
She called out to Nero, “I don’t yet have the power to activate my Bloodlust state, and I certainly don’t have the power to control it even if I could activate it. But I can do this…”
A flicker of a black flame appeared around her body which occasionally flared with a blue hue to it. Nero took an instinctive step back but wasn’t quick enough as Xenia extended the black flame towards his arm holding her.
As the flared and wild black and blue flame encompassed his arm, his arm disintegrated into ash almost instantaneously. Nero retreated in full and also took note of Xenia as her skin begin to turn to dust and ash under the power of her new technique.
He yelled to her, “Enough! Enough Xenia! Your healing abilities are only useful if there is something left to heal!”
She immediately deactivated the flame and fell to her knees. Her body wasn’t scorched or burned; however, large chunks of skin and organ were missing as if they had simply vanished.
Nero approached her with most of his right arm missing, “Until you gain full power, promise me you will never use that technique again. If you fail to control it, it will vanquish more than just your enemies. It will annihilate you too.”
Xenia began to heal faster than Nero had ever seen her to do so. Xenia looked up at his surprised face, “How do you know I need something left to heal in order to revive someone? I’ve never tried, and my healing abilities have never been stronger.”
“Do you know the name of the technique you just used?!” Nero’s anger had not abated after her careless use of such a dangerous technique.
“I know it well.” Xenia gave him a stern look, “It is Ashrok’s nightmare ki technique Death Domain.”
“Yes, and if you know of it, then you also know that Ashrok has never extended it past a few inches from his body. He uses it as a defensive technique. He has said that to do otherwise would be suicide.” Nero continued to sternly talk to his empress out of concern for her own safety.
Xenia scowled at him, “Then it seems I have already surpassed Ashrok in the use of his forbidden skill. And trust me, Nero. I will continue to develop it further once I have my full power back.”
Nero nodded, “Once you are back at full strength, be my guest. But for now, your raw strength alone doesn’t even match my own.”
Xenia folded her arms and gave him a displeased look although she knew it to be true. Nero then sighed and said, “But seeing as you are far superior to any warrior alive in escape techniques if needed, I can agree to take you to the masquerade ball.”
Nero hung his head as he knew his empress would demand they go regardless of his assessment of her. He fully believed it would be a better decision to stay behind and stay low, but he also knew that was not Xenia’s style.
Xenia took a few quick steps up to him and began to heal his arm, “Really?!! Oh Nero you won’t regret it! I promise it will be a fun night, and I promise I will be on my best behavior!”
After his arm was fully healed, she leaned in to hug him and buried her face against his chest in a warm embrace.
She then pushed off from him, “The party is tonight isn’t it? You are going to make so many new connections with so many important people! They will be groveling to connect with someone as powerful as you.”
She began to run towards the staircase and called back to him, “You wear your tuxedo! And I’ll wear…”
She stopped and turned around, “Well, actually, Nero. What would you like for me to wear?”
Nero thought for a moment before responding, “Something powerful. Something authoritative. An image reflective of both death and beauty. Black leather.”
Xenia moaned to herself softly, “Kinky, Nero. I love it. And I’ll make sure you love it too.” She threw him a sultry stare holding eye contact for as long as she could until she slowly turned and ascended the staircase.
Nero stood for a moment until he was sure his empress was gone. He then collapsed in a full pant as he tried to catch his breath. He thought to himself, “I can’t keep up with her speed and technique, and she very nearly overpowered my bloodbending. She doesn’t realize it, but she was only moments away from overcoming me entirely with what power she already has.”
His breathing slowed back to normal, and he stood thinking, “It is best she think herself weak for now though. She can’t afford to make a single mistake until she is at full strength. And judging by her power now before she can even activate Bloodlust, she will be a force the world has never before seen once she achieves her full power.”