Xiong-Lizhu stood across from Xing, his chest puffed out and his arms raised in a fighting stance.

“Flame General… where fire?” Xing muttered, stretching the metal threads between his fingers.

“You still use the language of the west now do you? What a shame when our culture is so great! We’ve ruled this continent for thousands of years over many wars and kingdoms! Dynasties have risen and fallen on this very land speaking the same tongue we do! It is an insult to our ancestors to not speak their poetry!” Lizhu argued.

“No more speak, only fight.” Xing Said jumping at Lizhu with a kick.

“Ha!” Lizhu grunted, throwing his arm up blocking Xing's kick. “Is this all the strength you have in that little body!?” Lizhu chided as he threw Xing backwards.

“No need to punch when already won.” Xing smiled, lifting his hands into the air.

“!”

Lizhu grunted in surprise seeing the threads extend from the hand of Xing to his own arm.

“Heh.” Xing laughed, closing his hand.

The threads around Lizhus right arm constricted digging into his skin. Blood formed around the threads as his skin turned purple.

Lot of muscle… thread not strong when so small… Xing frowned.

“You’re quite fast to wrap this around me Xing, but speed will never overcome true strength!” Lizhu called out, flexing his arm.

“!”

The metal threads around Lizhus arms snapped as his muscle grew flexing with veins.

“Surprise…” Muttered Xing squinting one eye.

“Gurrah!” Lizhu charged forwards and smashed his fist into Xing's chest with a pop. Xing was sent flying backwards with a heave crashing through a small wooded part of the courtyard and Lizhu followed close behind. “Is that all you’ve got, mighty warrior!?” He laughed.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Zipline]

Xing shot out two threads from each hand which wrapped around two tree branches. As Xing flew back further the threads acting like a slingshot and snapped him forwards. As he came into contact with Lizhu he slammed his knee into Lizshus nose.

“Damn!” Lizhu grunted, falling backwards.

As they fell Xing wrapped a thread around Lizhus neck pulling it tightly with crossed arms. Lizhu fell to his back and Xing pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his arms. The thread dug into Lizhus neck drawing blood as it threatened to crush his windpipe.

“!”

Sensing something incoming Xing released Lizhu and used [Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Zipline] to retreat onto the roof of a nearby pavilion. Almost immediately after Xing moved large spikes made of molten metal shot out of the ground where he’d just been.

Almost die if slow… Xing thought as Sweat dripped down his brow. He silently mapped out the threads he’d laid so far, counting a little over forty in total, many wrapped around the wooded area and the small structures nearby. Not enough… need more. He thought, placing his hand on the pavilion's shingle roof.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Sijiyaing]

The Shingles shook as they became metal threads which Xing wrapped around his arm and chest. Can’t turn liquid into thread only solid… Lizhu smart…

“It's a shame you made me reveal my technique this soon but that only proves your strength!” Lizhu yelled. The motel metal which floated behind him began to writhe around changing shape and little bits of it formed into chunks of shrapnel.

“!”

Xing's observation flashed red and he threw up his arms casting threads around him as the motel liquid shot out a storm of bullets.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Chojou!] The threads Xing cast before him clumped together and the shingles on the roof joined in creating a large shield which the bullets pelted against.

“Hmph.” Lizhu snorted, seeing Xing's shield dent and break apart from his storm of bullets. They seemed to never end as the molten metal amount was replenished by Lizhu conjuring more.

“!”

Suddenly Lizhu, seeing something out of the corner of his eye, flipped his head around and saw Xing jumping towards him with his arms crossed.

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[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Death Binding] Xing pulled his arms apart and two threads which had been wrapped around nearby trees snapped, whipping Lizhu and splitting his skin open with a spray of blood.

“Shit!” Lizhu grunted as he tried to heal his injuries. Xing, not letting up, wrapped the metal threads around his own leg and used a roundhouse kick slamming his shin into the side of Lizhus stomach.

“Gah!” Lizhu wheezed, Xing's thread enhanced kick split his skin open like barbed wire and tore at his muscle threatening to reach his organs.

“You rat”! Lizhu yelled, forming a sword of the motel metal and swinging it at Xing.

“!”

Xing leapt back but the edge of the sword snagged his arm slicing into his flesh with a shallow wound. “Too slow.” Xing laughed, sliding backwards.

“Reee!” Lizhu Roared, chasing after Xing and firing a barrage of bullets behind him.

Xing responded with [Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Chojou] however this time he used cloth threads which bent inwards from the bullets and bounced them back towards Lizhu.

“Otsu!” Lizhu grunted, smacking the bullets out of the air with his hands and feet.

Xing frowned and thrust his hands forward, [Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Wire Missile] From Xing's hand formed a missile out of threads which he shot out with a blast towards Lizhu.

Lizhu grunted in Response and returned fire with a cannon ball of his molten metal.

Boom!

The two projectiles clashed with a shockwave, the missile exploded and when it did so it unraveled into a large web of threads which flew at Lizhu.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: All Encompassing Thread Domain!]

The web snapped around Lizhu who sprayed blood like a fountain. The threads dug all the way down to his bone as it contracted.

“Me wi-!” Xing was silenced by the urge to vomit, he hunched forwards ripping his mask off as bile flew from his mouth to the floor. At the same time blood began to trickle from his nose. “Poison!?” He growled

[Lead Manipulation: Spike Projection!]

Spikes of molten metal shot out of the crowd towards Xing who jumped back to dodge. Though he avoided most of the spikes, one managed to stab him through the forearm, putting a hole in it and filling his body with lead.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Zipline!]

Xing swung up into a tree and rested on a branch, his arm throbbing in pain. “Damn you.” He growled.

“It’s over Xing!” Lizhu laughed, pushing against the net which constricted him. “Gurrah”! He cried as it snapped apart with a crack. The threads whipped the ground, shattering it and sending rubble into the air.

“Over? Yes, over for you.” Xing hissed, rubbing his gaping wound. The blood from his injury spun around congealing itself into a thread.

[Blood Threads] Xing’s most powerful offensive technique. Through the risk of his life he turns his blood into threads as he bleeds creating deadly weapons stronger than even threads made of the strongest metals.

[Lead Manipulation: Rapid Fire!]

Bullets rained on Xing who snapped at them with his blood threads, easily ripping them apart and sending the shrapnel back at Lizhu.

“!” Lizgu grunted as he formed a shield made of motel lead and Xing leapt down from the tree with his arms crossed.

[Thread Manipulation Extension Technique: Death Binding]

The blood threads snapped around Lizhu and constricted him. They tore into his flesh and sliced straight through his right arm, slicing it off completely as well as his left foot, ear and tip of his nose.

[Lead Manipulation: Prosthetic creation!] Molten lead formed a new arm and foot for Lizhu and he flexed against the blood threads screaming as loud as he could.

The ground trembled from his cry and leaves fell from the tree.

“No way…” Xing muttered watching his blood threads snap.

“Don’t underestimate those of us who take pride in our country!” Lizhu said, charging Xing and smashing his lead arm into Xing's stomach.

“!”

Xing hunched forwards vomiting blood all over Lizhu. “I said me win.” He laughed as sweat dripped down his body.

[Blood Threads: One Thousand Deaths]

The blood which Xing vomited congealed into threads which shot through Lizhu like arrows.

“Ack!” Lizhu gagged as his organs were pierced.

“Not done yet.” Xing said, snapping his finger.

[Blood Threads: Rupture]

The threads which pierced Lizhu exploded inside of him shredding his organs.

“Urk -, Damn you…” He said garling on his own blood and falling forwards. Lizhu fell to the floor with a splat a large pool of blood forming below him.

“!”

Xing had no time to celebrate as he too fell forward kneeling down and vomiting.

“Lead inside me… need to heal.” He muttered, taking a hand full of his blood and squeezing it in his hand.

[Blood Threads: Stitch]

Threads formed from the blood which Wrapped around Xing's body. First they stitched together the gaping wound in his arm, closing it shut. They then moved to the rest of the cuts in his body and then his damaged organs and bones. Finally they moved into his bloodstream and attacked the bits of lead which had been poisoning him.

“Low on mana and blood now..” Xing sighed, raising to his feet he felt light headed but his major injuries were healed.

Suddenly there was a boom and when Xing flicked his head to look for the sound source he saw a figure flying towards him. He took a fighting stance and shakily watched as the figure began to resemble someone he knew very well. His best friend you could say.

“Grrrrah!” Goken screamed as he flew past Xing and slammed into a Pavillion which collapsed on top of him.

“Goken?” Xing yelled confused.

“That stupid troll bastard!” Goken cried jumping out of the rubble. “I’ll kill him- Oh hey Xing!” Gokens focus changed as he saw his friend and he turned to look at him with a wide toothy smile.

“What did?” Xing asked, squinting his eyes in confusion.

“That Wood General dude threw me over here and-” Goken was interrupted by thundering footsteps which approached them quickly. They both looked to where Goken had been thrown from and saw the large green haired man sprinting at them with his massive log weapon overhead.

“He’s too fast for how big he is!” Goken complained running at Gou with his sword raised over head.

“No time to rest.” Xing grumbled following behind Goken with threads spread out between his fingers.