Onslaught. That would be the word that most fit Dan’s current situation. If he had a moment to think words, that might have been the one he chose. Instead, all of his attention, strength and intelligence was being used to avoid the absolute demolishing being wrought by Guan Po Daiyu. Her mana was a shock of purple, but that was the only difference between her’s and her father’s. The arena was being torn to ribbons as her slicing mana jumped from her arms in arcs of violet light.

There were cheers, gasps and general amusement from the crowd. It stung. Dan was being laughed at while his life was on the line. Elder Baba had not said how the combat should end, so his adversary had chosen to go as hard as she pleased. Which, it turned out, was ridiculously over the top. Dan was guessing, but from the sound of her laughter and the careless way she was attacking, she was enjoying being able to let loose.

Dan had wanted that emotion for himself, and was chagrined that the violence being levied at him was so wanton. It was frustrating. Before his time in the forest, he would not have lasted five seconds, even with Guan Po Daiyu being as lazy about the fight as she was. Instead, he was able to dodge and avoid, but that was all he could do. He needed something to turn the tide.

Yet, Dan had no such weapons. His clear - empty - soul badge was a constant reminder of that. If only Dan had been given time to explore his new potential before being thrust into a deathmatch. If he lost, he might lose more than just the fight. He might lose his life, right when it was starting properly. He couldn’t allow that, surely. Fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to allow that.

So, caution needed to be thrown to the wind. As Dan bounced from cover to cover, a huge moss-covered rock gave him sanctuary for a precious few moments before it was shredding like anything else which stood in Po Daiyu’s way. Dan realised he was shaking, both with adrenaline and exertion, while also fear was stealing some of his strength.

The thought of being caught by one of those purple blades of power, Guan Po Daiyu’s laughing face as she claimed victory, was a horrifying image. One that felt increasingly likely, as the battlefield became a wasteland with nowhere to hide. A particularly close attempt at his throat, neatly dodged but dangerous, served to turn Dan's fear towards anger.

It didn’t make sense. He had nearly died in the forest, and because of that he now had to fight for his life again? It wasn’t fair. Dan tensed his legs as he tumbled through the air, a cross shaped blast screaming through the air beneath him. He pushed with all the might he could muster as his feet connected with the final tree still standing, right on the edge of the battlefield that Guan Po Shang was behind.

Po Daiyu hesitated. Dan was praying that this moment would come and it arrived exactly as he was ready. Luck, fate, preparation, whatever it could be considered, Dan would take it. That one moment, where the woman’s face became worried, where she couldn’t unleash her attack without some modicum of caution, was what Dan needed.

He leapt from the tree, breaking the trunk with the force of it. That was as far as it could be argued preparation. The rest would be pure chance. As he had been dodging, Dan had been trying to mould his mana. The breakthrough he had been so close to had been an understanding of the ratio needed. Dan had realised that he had been trying to do it backwards, because it felt more natural and stable.

However, what Dan needed wasn’t stability, nor his natural self. He needed change. He needed a vessel. Where previously Dan had been channelling one side of his four sided core, keeping most of his mana outside of himself as something of a buffer, Dan now allowed himself to spin all four at once. His core ignited like a firework. His perceptive mana was all internal now, so he had to pray that his jump had been true, and that he would still have his arm as he finished his swing.

To his immense delight, Dan’s palm connected with his one-time teacher’s core perfectly. His springing jump had compounded her moment of surprise, throwing Dan squarely into her blindspot. Still mid-air, he pushed forward hard as he connected and the woman was thrown back with impressive force. Right as she was launched away, Dan expelled his mana as he would to cast his web. It worked. Dan felt it work. Finally, Dan had a chance. He looked at his soul badge.

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A purple cloud was emerging within, confirming what Dan could feel inside himself. Within his core, the purple mana bounced around like a needle. It wasn’t painful, but it wriggled uncomfortably. Again, Dan was slightly floored at the feeling. He assumed that it was because this wasn’t his natural mana, but did they feel this? This mana would make anyone irritable and sharp to deal with. It would explain Guan Po Shang, his daughter, maybe a lot of things.

The time for academic study was not now. His blow had been exciting to look at, drawing a few “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd, but it hadn’t done anything like real damage. If anything, now she was serious. If Dan had a more deadly attack, or if he had been concealing a weapon, she was thinking, that could have been her life. The air around her sparkled as it fractured apart under the stress of her mana, her palm actually digging into the ground like a sharp knife as she pushed herself to her feet.

“So it is a fight?” she spat. She began stalking as she spoke, circling the battleground like a predator looking for an angle on her prey. “Some fire in you, maybe? Though we all know there is nothing in there, Empty.” Dan couldn’t help it, the smile came to his face regardless.

His own mana was able to observe everything right now, none of it needed to fill his core. The trickle he had accidentally taken from Guan Fa Lian was amusing to Dan now, given the torrential force that he could feel from this mana. Dan knew how to throw the attacks because he had been watching Po Daiyu attack for minutes. He knew that he needed to gather the mana on his hands until they were dripping and then fling it.

There was a massively pleasing moment as Po Daiyu actually screamed while dodging Dan’s pale lilac projectile. It was less sharp than her’s, but Dan had wanted that. It would pack a punch regardless. As the attack careened past her, confusion mixed with anger and produced rage. Yes, Dan thought, not bothering to actually answer her taunts, this is definitely a fight now.

The battlefield exploded into a light show of brilliant amethyst. The gasps were now made with fear for themselves, this was no longer some exhibition and joke. Something strange was occurring, and the unexpected was dangerous. The only people not shocked, Dan could tell, were the Guan family elders. Po Dia, Po Shang, elder Baba and a few others did not show the telltale signs of shock in the others. A small part of Dan’s mind realised his mana was touching them, something he had avoided before, but he had no restraint available for them right now.

So they fought. Two roaring explosions of purple corona blasting around the large arena. Dan was exhilarated, now it was him laughing instead of Guan Po Daiyu and the crowd. He allowed himself to whoop, to be elated. It had worked, and he deserved to feel pride in that. Even as he swooped and dove around to avoid potentially lethal attacks, Dan felt more excited than he ever had.

He was doing it. With every punch of his clenched fists that erupted with lilac light, Dan’s heart swelled more and more. Every time that look of surprise and anger reappeared on Guan Po Daiyu’s face, or her father’s, Dan’s laugh grew louder, his smile wider.

Not only could Dan compete. He could win. There had only been one chance for him to seize victory, one gamble that might work. It had come to fruition, now all that was left was to see it out. There was an immense difference between Dan and his adversary now. She had her mana, experience and anger. Dan had his mana, allowing him to watch her movements so closely he could steal her experience, and he had her mana on top of that. Not only could Dan sense her movements and react beforehand, his reactions now packed a punch.

After a few quick clashes, the general trend of the battle was clear. It was evident on the pained face of Guan Po Daiyu, in the bruises that were shining on her exposed midriff and arms, in the stagger of her steps as the ground was mulched by their battle. She started to become frantic in their battle, leaving herself open to Dan’s blows in attempts to reach him with her’s. The match up wasn’t so favourable as to allow that though.

Dan did not have much experience in dealing damage, but he was an absolute master at avoiding it. In a one on one fight, especially now that she was slowing and Dan himself was full of extra mana. With each passing moment, her chances of victory fell away. Rage at her own actions became clear, frustration at letting Dan get his footing… fear at the prospect of losing. As Dan pushed her back inch by inch, her eyes darted to her father more and more. It was costing her chances to dodge.

With two quick snaps of his wrist, Dan loosed a blast of energy at each of the woman’s shoulders. There was a solid thunk as the first one collided, before a sickening crack on the second one. Guan Po Daiyu shrieked in agony, her right arm falling limp as the collarbone was shattered. Dan kept his battle stance but felt his stomach churn more than his mana normally did. The crowd of the Quiet Combat lived up to the name, and the only sound was the howling of Dan’s furious enemy.

“Enough.” Dan pleaded, his eyes on the wounded animal before him, but projecting his words to the elders. “I want to cause no more harm to a member of the Guan family.” Dan chose respect as his appeal. He felt that being prideful and gloating would not serve anyone’s ideals here. His eyes found elder Baba, and saw her with a soft smile and eyes that seemed filled with pride. A moment passed between them and Dan smiled back.

He was so distracted by the heavy emotions that overcame him that he didn’t see the purple slash coming until it was too late.