Jay Dub's Testing Arena

As the orb James had corrupted fell into dust, it became abundantly clear that he would not be able to defeat this man using conventional measures. Learning the opponent was key in Way of the Fist, and this opponent was too over-confident in his own abilities. His spiritual pressure was far to powerful for James, overwhelming him completely as he struggled desperately to raise a hand towards him. If he could just... cast... a... spell...

The man's hands clasped around his throat, and James, refusing to give in clutched his blade with all his strength. It was not enough however, as the man still pulled it from him with a seeming ease. James tendrils retracted to him upon being severed. As the man reached to lift him up, James was almost in a daze, looking below him at the ground. Focusing heavily on the ground below him, he mustered enough strength to circle the entire area where he stood. Initially, he intended to use this as an attack that would paralyze the man completely, but as the man slammed him into the ground, just the instant before he hit it, James converted the dirt below into water, absorbing some of the shock from the blow. As he slammed face first into this person sized lake, his Overshield would absorb the remainder of the shock, at the very least leaving him unharmed.

Then, fighting the crushing energy of the man's spiritual pressure through sheer willpower alone, he continued as planned. All of the water would be turned into needles that were almost invisible to the untrained eye as they launched up simultaneously at Stefan with the speed of individual bullets. If he didn't release his grip on James, his healing ability would be drastically lowered, as well as he would slowly become paralyzed over the next 2 posts until his entire body could not move.

Now that he had adjusted to the crushing power of the spiritual pressure of his enemy, he would stand slowly, calling his blade back to him from where it was 15 feet away. The mana infused within his blade allowed him to pull it over to himself almost telepathically. When it reached his hands, he would grasp the hilt, and pull the blade into two separate ones, one white and one black.

"As long... as you keep.... underestimating... your opponents... You will never... succeed." James kicked off the ground and backwards onto the top of the small crater he had just created from launching so many needles at him. He could feel his lack of magical energy taking it's toll on him.

"Haha... hahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" James would laugh maniacally as his spiritual pressure flared to reach something befitting of a lieutenant class in bankai. Slowly, dark purple armor would form around his figure as his skin and muscle would be slowly torn back. His laughter would slowly turn into screams akin to agony as even with his his current mastery over pain endurance, the conversion of his entire body into pure energy could not be resisted.

He was only half in control now.

His body, being torn apart, was also being slowly possessed by the Mad Knight. His blades became energized even further, black mana creeping it's way down both of the hilts, all the way to the tips of the swords. If Stefan were to block a blow with his hand once again, he would find that his hand would no longer be able to move, as well as it's regeneration ability would be severely limited. His tendrils became semi-solid, making the shattering that had just occurred far less likely. As such, James sharpened the inner edge of his tendrils, and corrected his stance, able to stand through some mix of willpower and sheer energy.

Bursting off the ground, he kicked forward at mach two once more, and assuming Stefan moved away at the instant he sensed the attack, he would fly in the direction where he moved to. Assimilating two of his tendrils with his arms gave them a sort of armored look, increasing his strength twofold on both arms. This attack, unlike the first, had enough strength to not only stop a speeding locomotive, but to also obliterate the first car entirely, and perhaps half of the second. At the same time, he would swing his white blade at the man's shoulders, attempting to wound him and paralyze his right arm from the top down. Taking a blow from the white blade would also begin the stacking process of the blade, generating a poison that would slowly build inside the victim until their heart stops from total paralysis.

Of course, this effect would only start to manifest itself as nausea after the 5th slash, so it was unlikely Stefan would notice this poison immediately. Launching his remaining 4 tendrils once again to clutch the man at the throat, with enough force to pop a powerless human two times over, James would only hold him with the same amount of pressure equivalent in power to what Stefan had just attempted to hold James with. Though it took considerably more strength on James' part, he wanted this man to feel what it meant to be toyed with.

Then, sensing a new energy in the area, James would attempt to throw Stefan directly into the sharkish man's general area. He had no intent to retreat, and this new presence, although he could only vaguely recognize the term Vanguard as "ally", he knew he would enjoy this fight greatly.

"Wonder...ful.." He would half hiss, half yell, still not used to the excruciating pain.