Rebirth-Transcending All Beings

Chapter 87: Practical [2]

Vergil stretched his arms, letting the tendons pull and relax, his shoulders rolled in circles, preparing for the battle.

The air around them tensed, the world narrowed into this small area with dozens of watchful gazes.

Yet none of it reached him.

He didn’t bother drawing the sword or his bow in his inventory. It would result in questions and he wasn’t particularly good in both — but he trusted something else for this matter.

Martial Arts.

He was more confident in his fists than his other weapons. His instincts burned sharpest when he fought bare-knuckled.

He knew where to hit, how to move and how to position himself. Although he knew they could be better. Right now wasn’t about winning or losing.

But showing potential.

He slid his left foot behind his right, inhaling air into his lungs. His muscles eased into motion.

’If I’m going to take this seriously, I’ll just have to give it everything I have.’

His right arm positioned as defense rather than offense. His right arm was made of the Angel of Death. And though it remained normal, it was far from ordinary.

Even now, it wasn’t fully awakened due to his lacking physique.

Two percent. And yet he felt it was enough to do more than enough.

The question is, do I want anyone to see it? Definitely no. It was basically asking for an execution. But one day...

But for now, he would keep it hidden.

Before he could continue his train of thought, instructor Rael snapped him out with a shift into his stance — boots rooting into the ground like iron stakes.

His eyes never leaving Vergil.

"Are you ready?"

Vergil didn’t answer right away, instead he also shifted stance. Left leg to the back, left arm raised and right hand open to intercept strikes.

He adjusted his footing till he was satisfied, his breathing even.

Then, he nodded.

That was all the answer Rael needed.

The silence around the Training Ground deepened.

Vergil didn’t blink.

He was ready.

"Begin," Rael shouted.

[Mana Affinity activated]

Vergil moved. Surging forward with caulcated speed, his feet digging into the ground and stirring dust. His left arm shot forward, aiming at his side.

He didn’t try to end the fight, but wanted to test the waters, as if asking how good are you.

Rael answered back, stepping slightly to the side and parrying the punch with his forearm, not even blinking.

Vergil was pushed back by the deflection but he recollected his thoughts — reassuring his stance.

Then, he lunged again.

This time, his punch came in low, but it wasn’t real. A feint. His real strike came from the follow up. A twisting kick aimed for Rael’s stomach.

Rael however, wasn’t just an aura instructor. He was a veteran. Someone who had seen thousands of styles and their attempts to catch him off guard.

The moment the kick came close, he caught it with both hands, spun, and flipped Vergil over his shoulder with ease.

But Vergil didn’t give up. He tucked midair and twisted, landing on his feet like a seasoned fighter before pivoting backwards and back into stance

Rael raised a brow. "Not bad," he muttered.

On the surface, Vergil seemed to be the overconfident type. Although this would have been true a while ago, he had changed. He was developing a facade. A mask to lower guards.

Rael didn’t fall for it.

A small grinned tugged at Vergil’s lips

The battle had only just begun.

Vergil shifted his stance, lower, more grounded. Like the Orc Brawler. His muscles tensed as mana flowed through his veins and he tapped into the Brawler’s technique.

Bone-Cracker.

He surged forward, ducking under Rael’s jab and twisted behind him, hands shooting to grab Rael’s arm. For a split second, his grip tightened, he intended to snap the elbow joint, and slam him down.

But Rael rolled his shoulders, breaking the hold before elbowing Vergil in the ribs.

Vergil grunted, but he didn’t slow down.

Pummel Flurry.

He came in low, jabbing forward with short, brutal punches.

One, two, three.

Followed by a quick elbow to the gut and a rising forearm smash aimed at Rael’s chin. All his moves were blurs of motion, each faster and hard than the last.

Rael deflected most of them, but the elbow grazed his ribs.

A small win.

Rael stepped back, nodding once. "You know the basics."

Vergil breathed, wiping a bit of sweat off his face. "Good to know I’m not completely hopeless."

Vergil leapt forward.

Vaulting Strike.

Using Rael’s thigh as a springboard, Vergil vaulted into the air, twisting his body midair. His right knee crashing down for Rael’s shoulder.

Rael sidestepped, raising an arm to block. The impact rang out like a drumbeat. Vergil clicked his tongue before pivoting backwards.

He was breathing harder, each second taking its toll on his body. But he didn’t relax.

Rael flexed his arm where the blow landed. "That’s enough posturing. You’re holding back."

"... you think so?"

Rael didn’t respond with words, adjusting his footing and motioned with one hand.

Come.

Vergil exhaled, the air around him trembled as his body shifted forward.

And then his thoughts processed.

Only 2% could be unleashed. A fraction of what it could do. Was there any way he could do it?

He wanted to fight, but not in front of everyone.

’If I show this arm... there’ll be problems.’

His gaze sharpened and his breath slowed. ’Perhaps I can show, just a little.’

Rael watched him carefully.

Vergil lowered his center of gravity again. He raised both hands into a tight, almost boxer’s guard. His right arm forward this time and left arm closer to his body. It wasnt perfect. But it was good enough.

He didn’t speak. Didn’t grin.

Just nodded.

He lunged straight at him.

Vergil pushed forward like a fired bolt in his stance. Every muscle moved with precise intent, yet something buried deeper threatened to erupt.

Rael’s lips tugged at a small smile as he braced for the attack, shifted his feet slightly and tightened his core. He was a seasoned aura user, and nothing about Vergil’s earlier movements had indicated something beyond his control.

A charge? Predictable. A straight punch? Standard.

Still, he had seen enough fights to never fully let down his guard.

But when Vergil’s right arm moved, Rael felt it.

The punch wasn’t grand. Or anything special like the others — laced with spiritual flames or qi.

Danger.

His breath hastened. Eyes widened. His years of combat experience took over. In a flash, Rael flared his aura to its absolute limit, encasing his entire body in a shimmering field of dense golden-orange light.

It was overkill, the kind of defense one used when facing a magical explosion or a spell atleast the 5th circle, But he had no time to think.

The strike landed.

A dull thud rang. Mundane. Simple. There was no explosion or shockwave. Rael didn’t move an inch.

Vergil, on the other hand, stumbled.

His breath hitched. His legs trembled.

He blinked once. And slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. A quiet gasp spread through the crowd as his body hit the ground.

Rael blinked. ’What?’

He looked down at where the punch landed. No bruise. No damage. He felt the impact, yet it barely stung. The punch was powerful for a student of his caliber, but nothing special.

"Maybe a mistake..." he muttered.

He turned his gaze to Vergil. The boy was unconscious. Not from injury. He hadn’t even been countered.

One of the assistant instructors rushed forward.

"Nurse! Take him to the infirmary," Rael called, voice laced with disappointment. "Overexerted himself. Should’ve known better."

The applicants whispered again as Rael turhed his back to the scene, already preparing for the next fight.

And then. It all hit at once.

A strange pulse, ran through his spine. He staggered, but clenched his jaw. Firming his stance.

’No... that wasn’t nothing.’

A subtle ache worked its way into his chest. A pain he had not experienced in a very long time. He closed his eyes, extending his aura throughout his body.

That’s when he saw it. A hairline fracture, not in his ribs or muscle. But his soul.

Just a crack, a scratch someone else would say. But to anyone of his caliber, it was like seeing a tear in his foundation.

Rael’s face paled.

He turned to another instructor. "Taro, I need a minute. Take over the group."

"Is something wrong?" Taro asked, blinking.

"I said take over," Rael snapped.

The other instructor nodded and stepped in.

Rael walked away from the grounds with measured steps. But inside, his thoughts spiraled into chaos.

He pulled a pill from his belt pouch and downed it. The bitter taste melted down his throat; numbing the pain.

It wouldn’t fix the problem but it would keep his soul from cracking further.

’A little brat did this.’ He chuckled.

He stepped to the side, watching Taro take over.

The moment the punch landed. He had acted as if he were in mortal danger and his instincts had been correct. Yet he went about it wrong.

He didn’t do anything unique. No transformation or spike in energy. But the power behind the limb.

It wasn’t human.

’That wasn’t martial arts. That wasn’t aura. That was something else entirely.’

Rael glanced at his hand. It trembled slightly. Not from fear, but from respect.

’He held it back. That wasn’t even its full output. If it had been... I might be lying in the infirmary half dead. Or better yet two feet under the grave.’

He looked back toward the field, where applicants were still sparring, cheering, and shouting. A normal day.

But deep in Rael’s mind, a warning had been etched.

A monster was walking among them.

(A/N- Even Rael can’t detect Vergil’s divine energy. After all he is wearing the armband.)