On cue, the two rushed at each other at full speed. If it was a fight that Kyanite wanted, then it was one she was going to get. It only took a few seconds for the distance between them as they get close. Shen was the first to initiate offense as his hand landed on the cyborg's shoulder, sending her skidding back. Kyanite grunted on impact, but she managed to recover quickly. She barely had time to react before he was upon her again, his strikes already precise and powerful. The more he struck, the more accustomed she grew with the speed at which he struck at. It felt like she was fighting with the two former Crane students except this time it was with the master. And that was the key difference. His age was prevalent in appearance, but Kyanite knew better than to try and let her guard down.

When Kyanite saw the opportunity, white electricity surged around her fist as she threw it right at Shen's chest. Shen, however, was quicker. He swiftly rotated his body to dodge the punch and countered with a roundhouse kick. The kick connected perfectly onto the cyborg's chin, causing her head to snap upwards from the impact. While her head was up, Shen then threw a quick punch at her stomach. As the fist dug into her midsection, the cyborg bent forward in pain. Without another second to try and recover, Shen took Kyanite's arm and flung her across the dojo to create distance.

The distance created an opportunity for Kyanite to swiftly readjust herself and flip back into position relatively quickly. As she recovered, Shen already closed the distance once again and began raining a flurry of punches and kicks onto the cyborg. Every offensive hit thrown at her was deflected or caught. Yet, whenever Kyanite threw an offense of her own, it was fluidly avoided by Shen. His reflexes were top tier and the cyborg already felt herself getting tired from being on the defense. She needed to find an opening, but Shen took note of what was on her mind just from her tight facial expression of concentration.

Finally, Kyanite visioned her next move. The cyborg feinted a spinning kick at what expected to be at his side, something that Shen already prepared himself to defend from. However, Kyanite switched to her other leg and threw her foot up at the master's shoulder. To even her surprise and Shen, she was quick enough to connect the toe of her foot on his shoulder! "Agh!" He exclaimed from surprise. Seizing the lucky chance, Kyanite threw a few more well-paced punches at Shen that all connected! Eventually and much to Kyanite's dismay, Shen threw himself back to recover, but Kyanite was still on the aggressive front. When she ran back after him, the continuation of her series of blows returned.

"Your cybernetics are impressive, cyborg! You've managed to land a few hits on the great Master Shen!" Shen called out to Kyanite as he resumed to dodge and avoid every single hit thrown his way. "Though, just how long could you keep up before you wear yourself out? You may be half machine, but it can never replicate a master's true skillset!" He continued. Before he could let Kyanite answer, Shen threw a brutal punch right into Kyanite's face. She yelped in pain as Shen launched a sharp elbow to the cyborg's temple. To top off the combo, he stuck out his leg and spun low to sweep Kyanite off of her balance and onto the floor.

As expected, Kyanite immediately dropped to the ground with a heavy THUD that echoed in the dojo. Shen took a moment to stare her down, almost study the cyborg. The perks of being a cyborg. Enhanced combatant features, enhanced reflexes, more strength, all given, none trained. It was a sardonic view of Kyanite, but something in him made him see some potential in Kyanite. Most students would struggle to keep up with the master the same way she did. It piqued his interest in just how well he could train her. If anything, she could be his most powerful student yet.

Master Shen approached the cyborg with his usual confident image. He opened his mouth to speak, but white electricity began to cackle around Kyanite's body. He stopped in his tracks, unfazed at what was happening initially. The surging electricity became more violent as Kyanite's white hair glowed bright as snow along with her eyes that had gleamed vividly whilst she slowly got up to her feet. The reoccurring adrenaline burst through her veins and energy ran wild from within. This time, Kyanite was completely conscious and aware of what was going on.

Kyanite and Shen glanced at each other, both facial expressions different; Kyanite grew a smirk on her face whereas Master Shen was at awe with what stood before him. Oh, oh this feels NICE! With a burst of speed, Kyanite unsheathed the mantis blades as they sprung out of her arms. She then hurtled at Shen then began to hurl slashes at at the man, leaving trails of crackling energy in their wake. Shen counters with a powerful energy blast, but Kyanite easily disperses it with a swipe of her blades.

The Master received numerous cuts all over his body, but the cuts themselves weren't surprisingly deep enough to draw more blood than he expected. Kyanite delivered a harsh shove to his chest with her boot, forcing him back with great force. Shen heaved in pain as Kyanite then launched an uppercut at Shen's chin, knocking him upwards. She then jumped up in the air and swung her leg at the old man's side, sending him crashing to the ground.

"UGH!"

Shen had never seen anything like it. As much as he hated to admit it... he was very impressed with her performance, despite his current condition. This woman was faster and stronger than he ever expected. Was Kyanite only using a portion of her power the entire time, making him believe he had the upper hand? Was this all a game to the cyborg? If so, then he was a fool for falling for something so... humiliating. As he laid on his back, he used every bit of his strength to look up to see where the cyborg was. He spotted Kyanite slowly approaching the fallen man, her smirk still wide as her blades remained unsheathed and strutted with gleaming reliance of herself. "Heh... so you were holding back the entire time. I should've known you C.E.T soldiers had some power in you to outpace a human's own. The question was whether you could use it correctly." Shen spoke softly.

"Something like that." Kyanite finally stood tall and over the fallen master. To think she came out victorious was a shock to the woman, but she had complete faith in her cybernetics to help carry the win for her. Before him, the cyborg's hair and eyes returned normal as the electricity that surged about disappeared. She offered a hand to Shen to assist him in getting him up to his feet. Slightly thrown off by the kind gesture, Shen reached Kyanite's hand and grabbed it. He was then gently lifted up to his feet, moaning in pain.

"I, uh..." The cyborg was looking to apologize for getting carried away. Once she discovered her sudden transformation, she knew she won. She knew she became far more faster, stronger, and more aware than Shen. If she wanted to, she could've killed him in full force. But she didn't, it wouldn't look good on her nor the Red Ribbon Army, and especially when the king of earth gave her permission to interrogate the older man. At least she knew to hold back to not cause any potential life threatening injuries. "I apologize for getting a little too excited." She sighed. She should've listened from the beginning that Shen had no involvement with the Phantom Blades, but her ego and pride got the best of her. She was blinded with rage and should've known better.

Master Shen shook his head and gave a weak chuckle. "No worries. Your cybernetics as I've mentioned are impressive, and could definitely keep up with the likes of someone like me. Your power should not go to waste with how much you've displayed. Especially with your transformation, I'm presuming it was." He explained, almost admiring at Kyanite's superhuman feats.

Kyanite tilted her head in curiosity as she continued to listen. "Sounds like you're trying to recruit me into your school." She accused the man.

"It's because I am. You have great power stored in you, but you've yet to 100% tame it. I think this would be a wise opportunity for you to take if you wish to further unleash your strength in a more controlled and sustainable manner." Shen explained.

The cyborg was never into martial arts, but she never went toe to toe with someone that was a master of it. The idea intrigued her and she could admittedly brush up on her melee abilities. Her style could be compared to a brawler, though a little sloppy. Maybe martial arts could help tidy up her form and give her more variety. It was fascinating how the events transpired. It started out with Kyanite trying to interrogate Master Shen, then a fight ensued due to her ego and pride, then she gets an offer to become a student of his. "Sure. The more I can learn, the more I can add to my arsenal." She replied. This was something she couldn't refuse and had to take. Learning martial arts would be a new world for her as she relied on her cybernetic strength rather than the technique.

Master Shen displayed a small smile followed by a nod. "Excellent. We'll start your session some time tomorrow then, after classes are over in the evening. You're a million steps farther compared to my other students, so you'll be receiving one on one sessions instead." He explained. "For now, I need to tend to my wounds. I can't show up to my classes all bruised up. I have a reputation to protect." He joked.

Kyanite chuckled at the dark joke and nodded her head. "Fine by me. In that case, I'll see you tomorrow evening, then." She gave the man a halfhearted wave before she turned around and returned to her base to update the CEO of her ventures.

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WC: 1,720
TWC: 2,829