He blocked another hit as his mind finally took note of a peculiarity with the copy he had failed to notice earlier. Its body had the Overlord brandings just like his, but there was a difference he noticed as he blocked its punch.
The markings that had spread up to its hands were not dark like his, they glowed with a violet light as if the markings were made with a fluorescent ink, that was powered by the body itself.
Dumm!
Rex received a strong kick to his head, he had been slightly distracted with his discovery, As he slid backward, he noticed the feet he had been hit with were once again lit up by the fluorescent markings just like that the hand.
"That's just not fair!" Rex spoke with irritation as he placed his hands on the floor to slow his slide backwards. The copy gave him a wry smile as it walked towards him in confident strides, a contrast to its rapid blur of movements, the silence it maintained as it approached was also in contrast to its preferred proud talk self.
Rex stood and summoned, the only skill he could use with all of his being.
He burst into purplish fame.
With infinite stamina active, Rex was urging the cool energy of Rageborne with everything in him, the skill responded loyally. It activated with an intensity unlike whatever it had before.
Fwooshhh!
He shot forward.
What followed was an exchange with quality similar to what Rex had often observed between Big-Boned and his Awakened seniors' duels. An exchange that could not be followed with an unadvanced eye.
An exchange one of the current initiators was barely winging through. Rex's body was moving with such speed he could barely control, he was receiving several strike in-between his moves, due to the quality of his loosely controlled strikes, but he did not relent.
He had infinite health; he took the beating like the Big-Boned student he was, Big-Boned had grilled him well in 'beating-taken', and with the infinite health he had no bother about protecting his vitals.
His mind entered a unique state in which only two things existed; his flurry of amateurish moves he was trying to gain control over, and his opponent he was doing his best to block more of his moves.
Rex was so invested to notice that the hourglass had gone past the half mark, too invested to have noticed the moment when sand flew in reverse from the lower chamber to the upper chamber for the first time ever.
He had landed a strike.
He didn't even fully appreciate the moment he began to block more and more of the proud strikes of the copy. Or when the flames of RageBorne condensed into violet streaks that coated his body.
His trance was only broken when a forceful kick from the copy sent him shuttling backward.
"IMPRESSIVE" The haughty copy spoke with a smile as it put its two hands behind its back in a commanding pose.
"You do possess the qualifications of an aspirant," It spoke with an impressed smile as it slowly walked toward Rex.
However, Rex was hearing static amidst all its praises, the feminine announcer had just made an announcement that deeply pleased him.
"RAGEBORNE MASTERY INCREASED"
He could see the veiny threads of violet magma that ran all across his body, signifying the mastery increase. He did not pay the haughty copy any mind as he stood.
Responding to his desire, the veiny threads of violet accumulated in his hand, slowly transforming from veiny threads into a glowing violet glove that completely covered his right hand.
His confidence shot up as he turned to look at the proud copy. He looked into its eyes with a defiant gaze.
'Yes, Even if you are much stronger than me, You will still end up defeated by me.' Rex declared loudly to himself in his mind as a smile spread across his face. His recent advance was making him overly optimistic.