I Can Copy Curses

Orion simply blocked the attack with his sword. "I don't want anything. Just spar with me. Use your full strength," he said as he activated the curse of Berserk Body and sent Mark flying back.

"As you wish." Mark couldn't take it anymore. He had been boiling with rage all this time, and Orion's provocation only made it worse.

Purple lightning began to surge from his body, crackling in all directions. The bolts scorched the ground black, and wherever they struck, a portion was completely obliterated by his lightning.

Orion smiled at the sight and activated the curse of Supreme Gravity and Blinding Speed in Curse Transformation mode.

At that moment, a purple light flashed, and a massive explosion erupted in the city, attracting everyone's attention.

They turned toward the source of the explosion and saw Mark, his body releasing lightning in all directions, standing in a stalemate with Orion.

Mark's sword was pressed against Orion's, but he couldn't push Orion back, nor could he make him budge.

Mark's eyes narrowed as he realized Orion was standing still, withstanding the attack head-on.

Gritting his teeth, Mark increased the power of his lightning, causing the ground beneath them to disintegrate into nothingness, creating a small crater.

Seeing that they had become the center of attention, Orion pushed Mark away and moved out of the crowd.

Using the speed of the curse of Blinding Speed and masking it with the wind from the Stormcaller curse, Orion quickly vanished from the other participants' sight.

In an instant, Mark caught up with him, his form a blur as he flashed forward like a bolt of purple lightning.

Orion smiled at this and increased his speed, with Mark following closely behind.

The other participants in the city were stunned by the display of speed. They could tell that the two were nearing platinum rank in terms of speed. If they pushed themselves further, they might even break through to platinum rank in speed alone.

"They're fast!"

"It'll be tough for anyone to face them in the final assessment."

"Nah. I think they've just been stacking their agility stat, and their talents boost their speed. They're probably average in strength and other areas."

"Maybe, but we should still be cautious around them."

They murmured among themselves as they watched Orion and Mark's speed.

"Big brother went to fight with Mark?" Tracy said in surprise.

Erza frowned. "Seems like he thinks I'm not strong enough to be his sparring partner," she said teasingly.

"I-I don't think that's the case," Tracy said with a worried expression.

"Tracy, just because he's your brother doesn't mean you have to defend him all the time," Erza said solemnly. "Also, he's your big brother, not the other way around. So, forget about him and tell me more about Ray. What was he like when he was a kid?"

Reluctantly, Tracy glanced in the direction Orion vanished before beginning her sparring session with Erza, while sharing some fun stories about Ray.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Victor quietly followed behind Orion and Mark. He wanted to know what was going on between them. Others might not notice, but he had always felt tension in the air whenever the two looked at each other.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but the moment in the void shuttle, where Orion returned first and Mark came back some time later, told him there was more between them than met the eye.

***

Green fields stretched out in all directions outside the city, with only a few scattered trees breaking the landscape.

At that moment, two blurs of light raced across the plains. One seemed to move with the wind, causing gusts to rage wherever he passed.

The other was a streak of purple lightning, scorching the ground in his wake.

Orion taunted, "Even with lightning, you can't catch up to me?" He sneered as he looked back at Mark.

Mark frowned. No matter how fast he went, Orion always stayed just ahead, frustrating him further.

"Alright, this is far enough!" Orion suddenly stopped, turning to face Mark, who halted a short distance away.

"What do you want?" Mark asked gloomily. He wasn't foolish enough to not understand why Orion had led him so far outside the city.

"I want nothing," Orion said with a smile. "I just want to be friends with you."

"Friends?" Mark chuckled darkly. "Don't think that by—"

"I told you to watch your words," Orion interrupted before Mark could finish.

"How about it?" Orion asked, extending an olive branch. "I don't hate you. You might hate me for what I've done, but there's nothing you can do about it."

He added, "You know the worst that can happen... You know how things would end. Just use your talent and wipe it clean. It'll be like nothing ever happened."

"You?! Do you hear yourself?" Mark said, his voice trembling with anger.

"Yeah, I know what I'm talking about," Orion replied solemnly. "You should know that when I did what I did, I had no idea about her. She was recorded as dead in the research I did. I even had documents from her guild declaring her deceased. That's why I chose him. He was the most suitable candidate at the time, and because of time constraints, I went with him in the end.

I was just as surprised as you when I saw her alive."

Mark frowned, listening intently. It wasn't hard to believe Orion, especially considering he had only learned about Tracy recently. Their guild had been tracking geniuses around Masturi City two months ago, and Tracy was one of them.

He had been shocked to see her alive and well, but something about her had changed. Her name was no longer Tracy Wiser; it was Tracy Lin.

It was then that Mark realized her death had been staged by the Black Reaper Guild to mislead the public.

That same day, he did some research and even secretly entered the Black Reaper Guild's headquarters to check on Tracy, only to find that she had been living a busy but uneventful life.

Although she was being held by the Black Reaper Guild against her will, they treated her well for reasons Mark couldn't determine. She laughed, talked, and sometimes played with others, but Mark could see the helplessness in her eyes.

He guessed that Tracy had accepted her situation and adapted to life in the Black Reaper Guild.

Seeing her like that, Mark had wanted to take her away, but he resisted, using all his strength.

With Ray dead, he knew that if he brought Tracy back to her home, she would only suffer more once she learned of Ray's fate.

So, he decided to do nothing. She was living a decent life in the Black Reaper Guild, and for reasons he didn't understand, they treated her well. He left quietly, deciding to let things remain as they were.

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Some gifts would be appreciated as well, but up to you....