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.

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.

As they reached the training grounds, Zeke could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He knew that this was going to be a tough battle, but he was more than ready for it. He had studied Leo's fighting style, analyzing his strengths and weaknesses and coming up with ways to counter them. And today he would finally show off the surprises he had kept hidden, just for this moment.

The two of them stood across from each other, their eyes locked in a fierce stare-down. Zeke could feel the tension in the air as they prepared to begin. He took a deep breath and activated his [Perfect Body Control] spell, feeling the blood magic coursing through his veins as he pushed his body to the limit.

Leo, on the other hand, was calm and collected. He had also fought Zeke several times by now, and he knew that this was going to be a tough battle if he didn't play to his strengths. He had seen the progress that Zeke had made, and he knew that he had to be prepared for Zeke to pull out some new trick or strategy.

The two of them charged at each other, their movements swift and precise. They clashed in a flurry of punches and kicks,

Zeke moved with a fluid grace, dodging each of Leo's earth spikes with ease. He had gotten accustomed to relying on his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] spell in battle. The spell allowed him to detect even the tiniest of movements, making it almost second nature to avoid the deadly protrusions. He had been simulating battles against Leo for weeks now, and had come to understand his opponent's fighting style.

Leo, for his part, seemed to still be holding back. His earth spikes were powerful, but Zeke knew that he was capable of much more. He had discovered that Leo also had a fire affinity, but had yet to see him use it in battle.

"Come on, Leo," Zeke taunted. "Don't hold back on me. I want to see your full power."

"Force me, then," Leo snarled as he absorbed a hit from Zeke's staff with his earthen armor.

Zeke was determined to push Leo to his limits and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. After a fierce clash, the opportunity presented itself. Leo had backed Zeke into a corner, leaving him with no choice but to jump over a summoned Earth Spike, right into Leo's already prepared follow-up kick.

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Zeke only smirked, as this was exactly what he had been waiting for, he could not let this moment pass him by. As Leo lashed out with the expected high kick, Zeke used his momentum to kick off an invisible wall, changing direction midair. This move caught Leo off guard, and he could not react in time to Zeke's counter-attack, sending him flying back with a powerful kick to the chest.

Leo lay there, dazed, taking a moment to gather the fortitude to continue. "How did you do that?" he muttered in disbelief.

Zeke felt a sense of victory as he looked upon Leo, having landed a strike upon his elusive rival. He extended a hand to assist Leo to his feet, and explained his technique. "I use the same method I apply to compress space for my [Spatial Barrier] spell to create footholds in the air. This grants me extreme flexibility in midair and opens up new angles of attack."

Leo was surprised by the innovation Zeke had demonstrated in such a short time, but he refused to be daunted. A feral grin spread across his face as he looked back at Zeke, "You won't catch me off guard again." Despite Leo's warning, Zeke continued to experiment with the [Air Step] spell, but with limited success as Leo had adapted to the unorthodox attacks. Leo remained true to his word and was not caught off guard by the same trick again.

Zeke and Leo continued their spar, the intensity of their battle rising with each passing moment. Zeke looked down at his left arm that was now sporting a swollen bruise that was visible through his torn training shirt. The arm still worked fine for now, but he would need some time later for the wound to heal properly. Despite the damage he had sustained, Zeke knew he had to push even harder if he wanted any chance of making Leo go all out.

After weeks of studying Olivia's outlawed tomes on Blood Magic, Zeke had finally developed his first offensive spell. As Leo landed a heavy jab to the side of Zeke's face, he retreated, giving Zeke the opportunity he had been waiting for.

"[Blood whip]!" Zeke shouted, as he swung both his arms outwards, creating a finger-thick cord of condensed blood that shot through the air with a shrill sound. Leo was caught off guard, but his beast-like reflexes allowed him to dodge one of the whips. The other, however, hit him straight across the face, tearing through the protection of his [Earthen Armor] spell and leaving a bloody gash in its wake.

Zeke would not let such an opportunity slip away. He unleashed a furious onslaught of whip strikes, leaving Leo with no choice but to curl up behind his earthen armor to weather the storm. But Zeke's barrage was relentless. Leo soon discovered that once summoned, the whips could be kept out almost indefinitely.

As Zeke watched the whips chew through Leo's earthen defense with each hit, he thought victory might finally be within his grasp. But just as he was about to claim victory, two [Earth pillars] shot out of the ground, ensnaring the string of a whip each. Zeke hung suspended between the two pillars for a moment, and before he could free himself, he was sent flying backwards. His chest charred from the hit he had just taken, Zeke lay on the floor, groaning in pain. His former [Blood Whips] were now two smears tracing his trajectory across the ground, ending at the point on his hands where they used to be attached. The spell had returned to its liquid form when Zeke had lost concentration. But even in his defeat, he was ecstatic. He had finally pushed Leo to go all out with his magic.

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.