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Malice looked at his brother as the challenge was issued. Removing his helm, his smirking and confident face was revealed for all to see. "Your challenge is accepted," Malice said, removing his cloak and powering down his armor. Removing the Mandalorian suit from his body, he stepped into the Battle Circle wearing naught but his closely fitting under robes.

"As you have issued the challenge, I will set the terms. We will battle unencumbered, and will not use the saber. Our battle will be with bare hands, and any force techniques may be used. Knight Janlu will serve as our watcher, and will decide when this contest has reached it's end. As you know, stepping out of the circle will be a loss, but if no clear victor is apparent, it will fall to her judgement on who has succeeded. Do you accept these terms, Jedi Master Naku Kurosaki?"

Malice removed the hilts of his sabers, striding to the edge of the Battle Circle to place them reverently at Janlu's feet. He looked up at her and smiled, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Turning back to Naku, his gaze shifted, losing any semblance of familiarity. His features were calm and calculating, and it was easy to tell that at this moment, Malice did not consider the man before him brother, but rather a foe. His face was that of a predator, one who had stalked similar prey time and time again.

"Well, Jedi? What will it be?"

"Very well, then let us begin," Malice said as he darted forward, a blood red aura settling into place around his body. Striking seven times in quick secession, five punches aimed at the sternum and rib cage, two striking for the head, Malice finished the opening assault by rolling to the right. Using the momentum to come to a standing position, he threw a vicious whip-kick at his hopefully unprotected flank, aiming to bruise or break a rib or two in order to end the fight quick. Finishing his opening sequence, Malice used the momentum from his kick to drop low, spinning his body into a leg sweep, hoping even if his previous attacks had all been blocked that this would catch Naku off guard.

Each lightning quick blow he had thrown had been bolstered by the force, turning the normally damaging attacks into a near deadly barrage of speed and power. Even blocked, his strikes would do damage, bruising a defense, or drawing on an opponents force reserves as they expended precious resources to defend themselves. It was a technique he had developed long ago, using the same ideas and talents that drove Juyo to such heights. He liked to refer to it in his writings as the Dance of Death, a term that altogether summarized what such a technique was capable of. The motions were fluid, elegant, refined, and graceful. But for all the beauty apparent in a fighter using the technique, not a single person could argue it's effectiveness. The punches could heavily dent thick starship grade durasteel. Kicks could topple full size trees. Against an unarmored opponent, one who could not use the force, the strikes would be fatal, pulverizing bone and muscle tissue beneath the surface of the body. The Dance of Death was, often times, even more effective against someone knowledgeable in the Force, siphoning the opponents residual Force energy to fuel the technique. Though the strikes could be more easily defended against by one who was Force sensitive, the attacks would quickly leave the opponent fatigued and sloppy. Easy prey...

Malice couldn't help but wonder as he threw the leg sweep, if his brother had come up with an effective way to combat the effects yet. It had been his undoing on numerous occasions in the past, and Malice knew that Naku had been trying to dream up an effective way to counter the debilitating effects of the technique. With blades, it was true that he and his brother were near equal, but hand to hand combat had never been Kurosaki's strong point...an effective reason for why Malice had chosen the terms as such. It was not to display his superiority, no. Malice was not so petty as to claim victory in such a way...but rather to push his brother to his limits, forcing him to focus on what Malice considered to be Naku's weakest skill. He hoped his brother could attain victory here, it would mean that his time as Malice's apprentice was truly at an end, that Malice had finally taught him all that he could. This was a goal...that every Master wished to attain, and Malice was no different. Not to say that he was going to make it easy. No! His brother was in for one hell of a wild struggle. Just as things should be...

Naku remembered from the last time they fought, and it was something he was learning to overcome. This kind of fight would test Naku's control as much as speed. Malice was fast, and strong too, both in hand to hand and in the force. Although in the force sense, Naku was stronger, Malice's technique was the kind to drain Naku of his strength and use it against him.

As Malice rushed in, Naku quickly defended himself, using the force as a shield, as well as an enhancement, allowing two hits to the stomach, which with the force he was able to feel it as if he was hit by normal punches instead of bone crushing hits. As Malice went to punch his face, Naku blocked with his hands both attacks. as Malice went for the kick, Naku ducked, then in quick session, Naku did a spinning side kick, avoiding the low sweep while attacking with his feet towards Malice, aiming to hit him in the face. Once he recovered, Naku went on the offensive, attacking taking advantage of Malice while he dealt with Naku's last attack, to deliver a few enhanced force strengthen blows that would just as well bend durasteel used by capital ships. striking 3 on the body, 1 in the face, a low sweep to throw Malice off balance and to finish off with a force push while Naku finished his sweep.

Despite the fact that Malice would be able to avoid most of these attacks, the push would definitely push Malice back. Naku did learn Malice's technique of siphoning Malice's own force powers to him, with a little help from Thanatos's attempt to siphone power from himself while he had shown Thanatos how to use the Dark Transfer. Naku's force was as much mimicing Malice's force as Malice was Naku's. This would be a fight of stamina now, as much as skill and strength of will.

Naku was ready for Malice, already set to fight him as soon as Malice recovered. He knew his brother too well to know that this was far from over, and Naku for once will be happy to see how far his training has come through for him.