"Everyone! Move back!" Zeke barked, his voice cutting through the cold forest air. " Shit, I didn't know what to say so I told him to come at me, why did this idiot actually do it."
The big group students scrambled, feet crunching against the dirt and leaves as they widened the space, forming a rough perimeter some thirty meters back. All eyes locked on the two figures now standing at the center of a ghost-silent battlefield. Zeke, calm as still water, and Kaito, a storm barely held together.
Kaito moved first. The jagged, obsidian-sword fused to the stump of his arm sliced through the air in a violent arc. Zeke met it with his blade, parrying cleanly, the movement fluid like water folding around stone. He twisted, turned, sidestepped a dance of control and grace.
The battle had begun.
Slash! Stab! Slash!
Kaito came like a beast unchained, roaring, lunging, tearing through the distance. His swings were furious, his blade wild yet deadly. Zeke was always a second ahead, his movements, a breath away. His left hand met each attack with cold precision, fingers curling and shifting like a master conductor leading an orchestra of violence.
A slash came high. Zeke ducked low. A thrust followed. Zeke twisted, knocking the blade away.
Then kaito feinted a swing and punched.
His fist slammed into Zeke's chest. The impact cracked like thunder. Zeke staggered back a step, the wind knocked from him. He coughed once… then laughed.
Kaito's eyes burned with a mix of rage and desperation. "Don't laugh at me! This isn't a game, Zeke!" he snarled, breathing ragged. "My sister's out there, and we're wasting time with this bullshit!"
Zeke tilted his head, grinning even as he rubbed the spot where the punch landed. "Wasting time? You're the one swinging like a lunatic. I was joking I didn't actually want to fight you."
Kaito screamed, rushing forward again.
But this time, Zeke let his sword fall to the ground.
Gasps rippled through the onlookers.
Zeke moved. No blade. No shield. Only his feet and his body. He stepped through Kaito's swings like he belonged between them, unbothered and graceful. Every motion displayed the growth of his footwork over the past week: duck, weave, sidestep, pivot. The wind seemed to bend for him. He didn't block anymore. He just wasn't there.
Kaito shouted in frustration, "Do you only know how to dodge, coward?!"
Zeke let out a low chuckle and finally raised his fist. Slowly.
From the side, Rian's face drained of color, although he knew this whole thing was just to help Kaito calm down he still thought Zeke was going a bit over the top..
"Oh no," he whispered. "Ahhh, not this again... Kaito, you idiot, MOVE! Look, He's gonna 'delete' you!"
Kaito faltered. Mid-charge, he blinked, clarity piercing the haze. His gaze shifted to Zeke's hand, pulled back and coiled like a serpent ready to strike. Zeke stared at him, eyes dancing with amusement.
A look of realisation flashed as he remembered what happened in the training hall. his rage crumbled into fear. "Z-Zeke… wait. I'm awake now. I was out of line. Please..."
His voice cracked.
"Please don't."
He sounded… young. Scared. Like a child on the edge of punishment. Every student around the field froze. Even the wind stopped, as if unsure how to carry the sound.
...
Professors watching from above on the observation platform shared looks of stunned disbelief.
"The hell?" one muttered. "The boy was a wild animal moments ago."
"All he did was raise his hand," said another, eyes narrowed.
"He seems quite timid," another whispered. "Theres no mana in that hand its just a punch."
...
Rian understood, one of the only few present who could. And suddenly, he pitied Kaito, even more than before.
Zeke's gaze softened. "I'm not good with words," he said slowly. "So take my fist instead."
Kaito panicked. Mana exploded around him as he screamed, forming a shimmering, half-solidified shield in front of his trembling body. It was crude, unstable, but it was something.
...
A silver-bearded professor nodded. "Impressive. He formed a mana shield instinctively"
Another adjusted their glasses. "He's scared out of his mind, but I don't detect any mana fluctuations from Zeke's arm."
"Right? It looks like a normal punch."
That's when the man in the center, quiet until now stepped forward.
The aloof speaker. The one Zeke presumed to be the Headmaster.
His expression turned serious.
"This energy…" he murmured. "Hmm, so he is one of those, interesting?"
...
Back on the ground
Zeke punched.
Nothing happened.
"Huh?"
A student in the back blinked. "Why did Kaito react like that?"
"Hey, Rian, why are did you say all that only for nothing to ha-"
Boom!
The speaker was cut off by the explosion of air and sound.
Heads snapped back to the fight. Every pair of eyes widened.
Zeke stood, arm still extended.
Kaito stood across from him, untouched.
But behind Kaito…
The trees.
Every tree in a straight line from Zeke's punch had been obliterated. Splintered. Erased. For atleast 20 meters, the forest had been turned into dust.
Gasps echoed.
One boy dropped his staff in shock.
One girl sat down, legs giving out.
...
A professor's monocle fell slightly before he re-adjusted it.
"Third-year level… at least in strength," one murmured.
"No… higher. But what energy system was that? I saw no signs of mana, was it internal energy." The crowd of professors turned towards an asian man sitting in the corner of the room.
"Fuck all of you, I use mana too you racist pieces of shit, do you think everyone from asia uses internal energy?" the professors coughed lightly before continuing their conversation.
"It wasn't a chant. Or rune, I thought I felt mana for a second but I must be mistaken."
The Headmaster chuckled. "Of course not. That's because it wasn't mana." He smiled knowingly, eyes twinkling. "Well… not just mana. Keep watching."
...
Zeke slowly lowered his arm.
The gesture alone made everyone flinch, as if it was a cannon.
Rian exhaled finally. "That's good," he muttered. "He didn't go too hard."
Zeke looked at Kaito, with a smile, something that made everyone shiver.
"Have a good sleep, Kaito. Cool off."
Kaito, still standing, eyes glassy and face pale but a bitter expression present, still frozen in place.
Then-
He swayed.
His lips twitched.
"…F-fuck you, Zeke."
And he collapsed.
Unconscious. But utterly defeated.
Zeke turned to the watching crowd, scratching his head lightly. "Umm..anyone mind fixing him?" He gestured lazily at Kaito's crumpled body A few students laughed nervously but most were still eyeing the destruction.
Zeke noticed the silence, then added with a faint smirk.
"Come on. He's not dead, just sleeping."