Nas bursts into laughter as he sprints at Jovi with tremendous speed, his movements a blur,
"You know, they told me you were dead!" he shouts, throwing a heavy right hook.
Jovi tilts his head, letting the blow pass, then hops backward with a slight smile.
"Is that so?" 'he replies, voice calm.
Nas lunges again, faster this time, but his punch plunges straight into a summoned shadow portal.
"Not this shit again," Nas grunts, struggling to pull his arm free.
Jovi cancels the shadow in an instant and drives a Mana-infused punch into Nas's jaw.
The impact sends Nas sliding across the floor.
Jovi flexes his wrist.
"That punch landed better than I expected… well done, Prince."
Nas spits blood to the side.
"Remind me of your ability again…"
Jovi's face remains composed.
"No."
Both vanish in a blur. They reappear midair and clash, sending a shockwave of force throughout the building, suddenly Jovi's right arm surges with red Mana as he closes in.
Nas's eyes widen. 'It's just like that kid! Now I remember… His ability is… ultimate copy.'
Jovi's punch crashes into him. Nas blocks instinctively, but the crushing force snaps his arms and launches him across the hall.
Hitting the ground, Nas grunts. Green Mana surges from his limbs, and his bones start snapping back together in seconds. He stretches, flexing freshly healed arms.
"… Let's make this interesting… shall we?"
He summons a notebook and pen, they materialize in his hands.
"Rule Style: Fight to the Death."
Jovi lets out a quiet chuckle.
"I see… you intend for one of us to die."
Nas writes swiftly and lifts the notebook for Jovi to see from afar.
"Breaking the rule set by the host will result in immediate death."
The notebook vanishes into shimmering particles.
"There, there… now, we won't be interrupted like last time."
Jovi raises his hand like a pistol.
"Let's see if it comes to that," he says, pointing directly at Nas.
"Shatter."
A massive shockwave explodes against Nas's face. The explosion wipes out half the auction building behind him, tearing through the marble walls and the expensive wood in a cloud of smoke, fire, and debris.
As the dust settles, Nas stands unfazed, healing rapidly.
"This is what makes my heart beat! This is how I'm meant to die! Not by some disease! COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!"
With madness in his eyes, Nas charges again. He leaps high, flipping forward with athletic poise. Jovi watches silently from below.
Mid-flip, Nas swings down a powerful heel kick,
Jovi blocks with crossed arms, grabs Nas's leg, and drags him downward, straight into Mari's shadow realm.
Trapped in the shadows, Nas laughs again. Blue claws burst from his hands as he spins to an angle above Jovi and slashes down his back.
Jovi winces and releases him.
'Those claws… they completely block Mana for a minute…' Jovi says internally,
Nas grins wide.
"This shadow realm's a bit dull, don't you think? Let's light up the place."
His body radiates white light, flooding the darkness with brilliance. Jovi shields his eyes, blinded.
Nas lunges through the glare and drives a punch into Jovi's abdomen. His Mana is blocked, Jovi can't defend himself.
Nas follows up with a flurry of lightning-quick strikes. Each blow lands heavier than the last, pushing Jovi further back, his face bruising rapidly.
"Come on! I thought we were going to dance!"
One final punch detonates with such force it shatters the shadow realm. The world snaps back to the ruined auction house.
Jovi stumbles slightly.
'No Saint. No Prince. Good job, Mela…'
Nas steps forward and plants a foot on his chest.
"Any last words?"
Jovi chuckles faintly.
"I could ask you the same."
A surge of black Mana erupts around him. His eyes turn completely white.
Nas flinches.
"What the hell is this?!"
In an instant, their positions reverse. Jovi stands above Nas, fully healed. Nas lies below, writhing in pain, now bearing the same injuries he had inflicted on Jovi.
Jovi's smile remains unchanged.
"How did you like that technique?"
Nas's eyes roll back. Blood sprays from his mouth. He steadies himself, weakly raising a hand.
"Sphinx Style: Poker Blast."
His body starts glowing yellow. A massive energy beam tears through the air.
Jovi leaps to evade, but the beam bends mid-flight, hitting him dead center.
The blast rips through Jovi's stomach with ease, but Jovi manages to heal the cut himself before getting shredded to pieces.
…
Far from the battle, the rogue team surrounds Saint's unconscious body.
"Saint? Saint! Wake up!"
He stirs, eyes fluttering open. The first thing he sees, Jane's face.
"Jane?" he murmurs, dazed. He glances down. He gets shocked as he sees his arm is whole.
Jane hugs him tightly.
"You're okay now… I patched you up… we did it."
He returns the embrace slowly, still shaken.
The others approach.
"Thought we lost you, goombah," Capone says.
"Thank god… you're okay!" Mela says,
"He's a tough cookie Mela, stop babying him…" Skai says,
"I wanna baby him…" Ivy says teasingly,
"Good job earlier, Saint." Zodiak says,
Saint is shocked at how easy he's coming into the group, he feels a sense of belonging here.
"The Don's airing it out with that Nas fella." Capone mentions,
Jane supports Saint on her shoulder. Mari walks up beside them.
"Glad to see you're okay… we got everything we came for." Mari says,
Then, Saint's eyes widen in sudden panic.
"Prince! Where is he? Is he here?"
The others avoid eye contact and keep quiet,
…
Some distance away, Jovi lands hard, coughing. Nas follows shortly after, staggering.
Both are bloodied and bruised.
"Tell me… are you not having fun?" Nas asks, panting.
Jovi steadies himself.
"I suppose I am."
He exhales slowly, eyes narrowing.
'Crap… I've nearly exhausted all my Mana…'
Then his eyes widen. A figure steps forward from behind Nas.
Jovi's lips curve into a familiar smirk.
"Prince. Glad to see you're back up."
Prince walks calmly into view, his is body restored, and his Mana is glowing golden.
"Boss, I'm not tucking my tail"
His eyes flash golden,
Nas starts laughing psychotically,
"I'm having SO MUCH FUN!" He yells,
…