Chaos ruled the Abbot's "paradise."
Killian and Deandre had grown frighteningly stronger. Eight hundred and twenty dummies lay shattered around them, yet the two hadn't exchanged a word since the six-hundred mark. They didn't need to. Their movements flowed together perfectly, instinctive, synchronized, and ruthless.
The shifting floor barely bothered them anymore. It was just another surface to slam enemies onto. Another wave of dummies surged into the arena at the exact moment Silas and Zhang arrived just in time to witness a spectacle. Killian stood in the center of the storm, crackling with energy. Electric whips extended from his hands, stretching and snapping across the arena, shocking and carving through any dummy that got too close. Every flick of his wrists was precise. Controlled.
Meanwhile, Deandre massively improved since the day he unlocked his abilities. He launched himself skyward with a single leap. His foot grew huge and stone hard as he stomped down, crushing a cluster of dummies in a thunderous impact. The duo tore through the remaining waves until the counter hit 999.
One left.
The last one would obviously be special; Silas felt it in his chest.
I wonder what the Abbot has coming for us next, Killian thought.
The answer arrived immediately. The Abbot dropped down from his perch.
"I knew it!" Deandre said, puffing his chest proudly. "I knew it was going to be him."
Killian elbowed him. "Focus up. Treat this like a trial."
The Abbot said nothing. He simply raised his hand and motioned for them to begin.
Killian was the first to move, blitzing forward with speed none of them had ever seen from him. Even the Abbot reeled for half a second. Silas and Liwei exchanged a look.
In mid-rush, Killian threw a kick, but the Abbot blocked with his forearm. Killian continued attacking from shifting angles, never staying in one spot, weaving a pattern to distract the Abbot from the real threat.
Dre.
Now fully hardened, the boy-giant leaped high out of sight, crashing down toward the Abbot with a crushing downward strike-
-but a gust of wind exploded from the Abbot, blasting both of them back like ragdolls.
"It's time I take this a little more seriously," the Abbot said calmly.
He surged forward, wind boosting his speed. Dre recovered first and swung, but the Abbot launched himself upward, spinning gracefully over Dre's head. He redirected instantly, diving back down and cracking Dre with a head kick that sent even his hardened body tumbling.
Killian was already back up, sprinting around the arena while releasing bolts of electricity. The Abbot swatted them away with precise bursts of wind, watching, waiting... until Killian ran straight at him.
He pretended to leave an opening.
Killian took the bait.
The Abbot stopped Killian's momentum with one hand wrapped around his face, slamming him into the ground. A stomp unleashed a wind burst beneath Killian, launching him skyward. Then the Abbot punched the air, sending rapid-fire bullets of wind into Killian mid-air.
Deandre had finally recovered. This time he shrank down, tiny, almost invisible, creeping toward the Abbot's heel.
In one instant, Dre expanded to his massive size and hardened completely. His full-weight hook sent the Abbot rocketing backward.
Dre caught Killian mid-fall. They exchanged a look, no words, just instinct.
Killian whispered something that made Dre grin wide.
"You've always been the craziest out of all of us," Dre said. "And the most creative."
Killian took off again leaving Dre behind. This time, he started circling the Abbot, faster... faster... until he was a streak of blue light. After-images began to spawn, flickering all around the arena.
Silas's jaw dropped.
"That crazy son of a- How does he even know that'll work? That's something straight-up out of a comic!"
Dozens of Killians charged the Abbot. The Abbot cut through them effortlessly, trying to pinpoint the real one. The real Killian appeared far behind him, charging up his dash with something in his hands.
Dre was nowhere to be seen.
Liwei blinked. "Your friends are very crazy, Silas."
Silas nodded. "Yeah... they are."
"We don't have long, Dre," Killian whispered to the tiny version of him perched in his palm. "He's cutting through the clones. This is it. Do or die."
Killian charged his energy to its max to unleash Pegasus Burst. He had to do it accurately this time.
The Abbot, bored of the illusions now, unleashed a massive slash of wind that erased every afterimage.
Right then, Killian shot forward.
A blinding blue streak.
"GO DRE, GO!!" Killian roared.
Killian hurled something forward-
-and suddenly a massive, hardened Dre appeared out of nowhere, fist cocked back like a meteor.
The Abbot's eyes widened.
There was no escape. Dre's colossal fist crushed him into the wall.
The Abbot slid down, groaning but alive. He gave a thumbs up.
Training was over for him, maybe for a long time.
Deandre and Killian had passed today's training.