Chapter 50: Combat Classes IV.

Chapter 50: Combat Classes IV.

Zeke's eyes narrowed as the blonde girl continued to dart around him, her wind blades slicing through the air with deadly precision. He gritted his teeth, determined to take her down. Her affinity for wind magic made her incredibly nimble and fast, but he wasn't completely without options to counter her. It was time to put his theories to practice.

With a fierce determination, Zeke over drafted his [Perfect Body Control] spell, the blood magic coursing through his veins as he pushed his body beyond the breaking point. He felt his muscles bulge and his reflexes sharpen as he charged towards the blonde girl.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

Her lips formed into a smirk as she unleashed another [Wind Blade] to cut off his approach, but this time, Zeke was ready. He spun around the projectile in midair without losing any momentum, closing the distance between them in a split second. The girl's eyes widened in surprise as Zeke appeared before her, unleashing a flurry of punches, each one slamming into her with a force that made her bones rattle.

Her features quickly turned into a grimace of pain as she stumbled back, her wind magic faltering. Zeke pressed the attack, his fists a blur as he relentlessly pounded her. Finally, with one last powerful punch, he sent her crashing to the ground.

Panting heavily, Zeke looked down at the blonde girl as she groaned in pain. "Looks like you were not fast enough today, Melanie," he said with a smirk.

The girl glared up at him with a mixture of anger and respect. "This is just crazy! How did you make such quick progress, Zeke?" she said through gritted teeth.

Zeke grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him. It had been three weeks since his first fight with Leo, and he had improved a lot since then. He had worked hard to master his blood magic and train his body, and it was paying off.

"Come on, let me help you up," Zeke said as he offered his hand to Melanie. She accepted it, grumbling as she got to her feet. "You know, you're getting pretty good," she said, rubbing her jaw where Zeke had punched her.

"Thanks, I've been practicing non-stop after school," Zeke replied with a grin.

"Bullshit," Melanie retorted. "I know for a fact that it's not just from training after school. The way you're always analyzing your opponents, thinking of countermeasures, it honestly gives me the creeps. That's how you're improving so quickly." Zeke couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, you got me. But I can't tell you all my secrets, now can I?"

"Whatever, I don't care. Just know that this one win means nothing, you'll still have a hard time against wind mages like me," Melanie said with a smirk. "We can always outpace you if we focus only on escaping, and you would not have won that match if I had not gotten sick of running circles around you."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll figure something out eventually," Zeke replied with a shrug.

"How about you and m-"

"Are you ready?" Leo clapped Zeke on the shoulder, interrupting Melanie's question.

Zeke turned to face his friend, a determined look in his eyes. "I've been waiting for this all week," he said.

Leo grinned, the two of them had made a tradition of their weekly battles, and although Zeke had yet to come out victorious, he always looked forward to their battle. Zeke could measure his own improvements best against an opponent like Leo.

Leo nodded, a small smile still playing on his lips. "Good," he said, his voice low and serious. "I hope you're ready for a real fight this time."

Zeke's heart raced with excitement as he followed Leo to the training grounds. He had been waiting for this moment for an entire week, ever since their last battle where he had come so close to pushing Leo to his limits. He had been training nonstop since then, honing his skills and coming up with new strategies to defeat Leo.

Zeke stood tall, his clothes smoldering from the flames that had engulfed him moments before. The fabric of his uniform was burned away, the entire front half missing, revealing the amulet he was still wearing over his heart as well as red and blistered skin all across his chest. But even as he made his way towards Leo, his wounds were already beginning to heal.

Leo stared at Zeke in disbelief, "I thought when I finally used my fire magic, I would teach you a severe lesson," he said, a hint of petulance in his voice. "But you just walked it off like I had slapped you with a pillow."

Zeke's smile widened, "I don't know what kind of pillow you sleep on, but mine usually don't burn half my skin off. But to each their own." Leo laughed and slapped Zeke on the shoulder, "Want to go again?"

Zeke thought for a moment before shaking his head, "I can't today, I promised to meet up with Viola later." Leo nodded, "Alright, see you next time." As Leo went off in search of another sparring partner, Zeke made his way over to the second year students. His walking speed was purposefully slow in order to give the wounds all over his body time to heal before his eventual arrival. He didn't want Viola or Sophia to see him this injured, the two had a tendency to get overly worried. Zeke grabbed a replacement shirt from a prepared pile and started his slow trek across the training fields.

As Zeke approached the group of second year students, he was still deep in thought. He couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for what he had achieved today. He had finally pushed Leo to go all out and had even managed to walk away relatively unscathed.

But his triumph was short-lived as he was met with the stares and whispers of the students, as Zeke walked into the second-year sparring area with a sense of unease. He always felt out of place in the second-year students' sparring area. Despite getting along with most of the first-year students now, the second-year students seemed to despise him. Their open disdain for him was palpable each time he visited to meet with Viola or chat with Sophia.

At first, Zeke had thought that someone had it out for him, but he soon realized that the reason for their hatred was something far less nefarious. As Viola flew across the field and body-checked him to the ground, the reason stared him right in the face. Viola, sitting on top of him with a pout on her face, exclaimed, "Zeke, you won't believe what Sophia did to me today!"

The stares of the second-year students bored into him as he lay there, confirming his suspicions once again. They were jealous. Not only did he have a close relationship with Viola, but he also got along with Sophia, who was notoriously stand-offish with nobles who tried to approach her.

Zeke couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all as Viola helped him to his feet. Despite their jealousy, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness for the second-year students. By antagonizing him so openly, they were missing out on any possibility of friendship with Viola and Sophia.

As Zeke rose to his feet, Sophia made her way over to him as well. She had apparently been Viola's opponent before the latter launched herself across the training field. Zeke greeted Sophia with a smile as he fought off Viola's attempts to climb onto his back. She eventually gave up and was now flying circles around his head instead.

"Do you have plans this weekend?" Viola asked, her voice tinged with excitement. Zeke knew by now that she was bored and hoped that he would entertain her. But for once, Zeke had plans of his own.

"Yes, I'm going back home to Feldstadt over the weekend," Zeke said, his eyes meeting hers.

Viola was surprised. "It's not often that you go home over the weekend. Is there any special event?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Zeke looked at her, disappointment etched on his face. Viola started to sweat, unsure of why she was getting the death stare from Zeke. Sophia came to her rescue. "It's his birthday this weekend, Viola," Sophia said, her voice soft.

Zeke looked at Sophia with grateful eyes. At least one of his friends remembered. Viola pouted upon seeing his face lighting up, not liking to be outdone by Sophia, especially not when it came to Zeke. She stared at the other girl challengingly and said, "Well, I bet you don't have as good a present as I do."

The moment Sophia and Viola locked eyes, there seemed to be a tension in the air. After a moment of silence, Sophia smirked, her face displaying a look of self-assurance, her confidence riling up Viola, who was not one to back down without a fight either. "Bring it!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with determination and a hint of mischief.

The two girls turned on their heels and walked away, leaving Zeke standing there, surrounded by the second year students. He felt out of place, unsure of why he had even come to this sparring area in the first place. He just stood there, in the midst of the bustling activity, pondering his purpose.

The two girls, Sophia and Viola, had vanished in the crowd, leaving him behind without a second thought. He couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as the other students parted respectfully for the two of them, while he was left standing there, feeling lost. He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of confusion as he began to make his way back to his home, still unsure of what the purpose had been for calling him to this place.