11 Violence is fun.

Seven. Fucking. Times.

In the last twenty four hours, I was approached by an elder seven goddamn times. Each and every one of them, after me, simply because I was cultivating the Flesh of Violence Sutra. Apparently, one of the three previous practitioners was the sect's patron saint. I got a ridiculous deal when I turned in the Bone Strengthening Pill for cash. I was even notified that the current patriarch was willing to assign me a support detail, if I just asked.

Problem was, I didn't. I didn't want to meet any of these guys, or join any of their mountains, or become any of their direct disciples. I just wanted to get stronger, so I could get to see Nemu again. Having my fame appear literally overnight was just irritating. I mean, sure, they could help me out with gathering resources, but... I made a promise to the Sixth Elder. I was going to consider joining his mountain. It didn't hurt that he was interested letting me join before this whole debacle. Hell, he hadn't even been one of the guys who just randomly barged into my room to recruit me. And really, I felt he was a kind-hearted old man, and way more cunning than he let on. If the need ever came up, I was gonna join his group, no doubt.

But right now, I had things to do. In my hands, I held a pristine purple box, tied with a golden ribbon. My [Apology Gift], as it were. No matter how I shook or tilted it, I got nothing. It felt like I wasn't holding anything at all, really. Bracing myself, I simply tugged on the gold ribbon, feeling the entire box fall away as it came loose.

The box vanished, and in my lap was now... A note? I read it aloud.

"Dear beloved son, I am sending you this present as an apology for the actions of your elder sister Lilian. She was unaware that you were due to cultivate that method, and her sacred duty entails the preservation of the Primordial Way. If it were anyone else, she would have executed them and been done with it. So again, I'm sorry for her actions. As recompense, I delved your memories, to craft you a gift. Due to the special... predilections that your Sutra will develop within you, you may come to quite love the mess it can make. Turn around."

I did so, and I saw a daunting sight. A massive, heavy weapon. I recognized it immediately. The Masseter. A thick metal handle, atop which sat a thick blade with the appearance of a crankshaft. Right now, any fool would mistake it for a kanabo. But once this thing started going... It would shred a man to pieces like nothing else could.

With a firm hand, I picked up the monstrous bludgeon. It was definitely heavy. I felt a connection to the Masseter, and with a simple thought, my energies flowed into the weapon. This started up the crankshaft blade, as it began to slowly move and spin.

"Sick..." I couldn't help but smile. I am holding my favorite weapon from my days playing warframe. I always defended that the Masseter would be one of the strongest weapons among the lot, if you just brought it into real life. Even now, I couldn't believe it. Saying that I was understating it was just dumb.

I withdrew my energies, and the crankshaft blade returned to a resting position, returning it to the appearance of a formidable club. I still felt a connection, though, and my instincts guided my energy again. A flowing feeling left me, and the Masseter glowed, transforming into a bracelet. It wrapped around my left wrist, looking rather ornate as it was made of bronze, and inlaid with a topaz.

...

With things settled, I was wandering the sect. Tat was on my shoulder, clearly relishing in my increased height as I walked. He had to be the most arrogant squirrel around. I was aimless, but training grounds held some appeal, and I felt an itch in the back of my mind telling me to go. So I indulged it, ending up in front of the arena used for sparring.

Several people were around, and when they noticed my goliath form appearing in the sparring area, whispers were abound.

It took less than five minutes before I was approached by a group.

"Hey, you're that Adam fella, yeah? Name's Isabelle. Everybody's been wondering when you'd show up to flaunt the fabled Sutra. Guess I'm the lucky gal who gets to see. Wanna fight?"

I raised an eyebrow, and Tat jumped down from my shoulder and rushed to a nearby tree. I looked the girl over. She definitely didn't look weak. If it weren't for me, she'd easily be the biggest person here. The word amazonian came to mind. Dark skin, muscular body, incredible height, thick dark hair, beautiful... Ok, that was strange. In my last life, I never really had an interest in, well, anybody. Those of my own sex, those of the opposite, I generally just felt apathetic. But now... Well, she was definitely attractive. Guess I'm starting to develop some tastes, and I guess they lean in her direction.

As toward her offer... I was definitely feeling like a fight, right about now. With this new Sutra, my body had changed so much... I felt like I needed to test the limits of what I could handle. Finally deciding, I nodded.

I stepped into the ring, followed closely by Isabelle. A group of other disciples gathered, like usual. Isabelle dropped into a stance, about forty feet away from me. Her stance was like a boxer, and she gently bounced on her heels as she waited to start.

I entered my own stance, and my aura began to spread across the arena. I watched Isabelle, and I saw an odd expression cross her face. It looked like a mix between anger, excitement, and a tinge of fear. I guess that was my Aura of Violence. Interesting...

I channelled my energy, and used my Battle Step. In an instant, I was in her face. On a strange impulse, I just tapped her nose with my finger.

She seemed shocked, though I doubt it was because of the light tap. We were the same stage, yet she couldn't even track my movement until I was right in front of her. She took a step backward, throwing a right hook at the same time. I felt the dense Mortal Energy inside her fist, but a part of me was curious. I took the punch, straight to my cheek. It knocked my head, making me spit a bit of blood from my now busted lip. I saw a second punch coming, and I threw one of my own. She struck my neck, while I struck her ribs. I heard a groan leak from her mouth, as I stepped back and put a hand to my neck. I stretched a bit, feeling my neck pop as I did.

"You hit pretty hard, Izzy."

"Do NOT call me Izzy. Only my dad gets to call me that."

Guess I touched a nerve, cause she was frowning, and she extended two fingers. Around those fingers, I saw lightning arc and dance around the tip. Looks dangerous.

She thrust her fingers forward, aiming for my chest. I met her extended arm with my foot, kicking vertically and throwing off her entire attack.

When did I get such reflexes for fighting? I'd never been in a fight in my past life, and here I've only been a glorified punching bag until now. Was it my Sutra doing this, or something Nemu did for me? Either way... I felt the most comfortable with someone trying to physically harm me.

Another three minutes passed of Izzy and I trading blows, and I was satisfied. My stamina and energy reserves weren't pitiful anymore. I could actually stand a chance! I then looked Izzy dead in the eyes.

"As much as I'd like to keep playing, beautiful, I've pretty much adjusted to this body by now. I'm gonna push it a bit from here."

Before she could register, a light engulfed me, and I was clad in my Nidus form. In my hand, I held the Masseter, unpowered.

"Assault Style, Fourth Form: Trench Cutter."

I gripped the Masseter with both hands, and Mortal Energy surged around the exterior, becoming like a dense shell. In an instant, I was swinging the beastly thing vertically from the bottom, and Izzy barely managed to avoid the strike by falling to the side.

The destructive force was... ridiculous. It tore apart the tile as the energy moved at a slight downward angle, and it gouged itself deep into the soil nearby before it dissipated.

Izzy was still sitting, staring with disbelief at the strike she barely avoided. That one hit would've hospitalized her, possibly worse. Yet... He knew she was already moving to dodge. Why did he not adjust? If anything, his strike was a bit further away than it was originally aimed.

The amazonian lady was left with questions as I left, content with my new power and weapon.

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