As they closed in on the soldier, he also launched forward- straight at Ponytail dude. Ponytail reacted with excellent form, spreading his legs and lowering his center of gravity in a practiced stance. He aimed directly for the soldier’s midsection with a sharp, focused blow. But just as they were about to meet, the soldier twisted his body in a bizarre maneuver, narrowly dodging the attack. In one fluid motion, he used his momentum to pivot, catching Zephyr— who took the opportunity and had believed he was through— completely off guard.
This time, Zephyr couldn’t dodge in time. He managed only to raise his arms, squaring up in a defensive posture to block the incoming hit... but the blow never came.
Instead, the soldier spun again, pivoting with grace and skill, catching Zephyr’s side wide open.
"Urghh!" Zephyr yelped, pain bursting through his side as if he’d been hit by a boulder. His body bent slightly from the impact, staggering him backward several steps before he stumbled to the ground. The blow was heavy. Gritting his teeth, he picked himself back up, one hand instinctively gripping his injured side.
Pain flared along his ribs, radiating with each breath, but he braced himself, eyes locked on the soldier, more alert than before.
Ponytail provided him with some breathing room as he engaged the soldier immediately. The guy had solid form, and his technique was clean—clearly someone who had trained a lot—but he lacked the raw power and sheer speed needed to keep up. Each time he blocked a strike, the force sent him skidding back, feet dragging along the ground.
Meanwhile, the pain in Zephyr’s side had started to fade. The nanites coursing through his system kicked in, rapidly accelerating his healing. He could now move freely, the sharp edge of the injury dulling into a manageable throb.
He knew what he was supposed to be doing, what he set out to do here; lay low, blend in, complete the one-year mandatory service, and return to his predictable, quiet life. No unnecessary attention. No problems.
But something primal clawed its way to the surface. A deep, gnawing urge to retaliate.
’Aegis, am I being affected by any external substance?’
Negative, host. All bodily functions are working normally. No external interference detected.
’So this is all me...’ he thought, a bit surprised— like he was discovering some other aspect of himself.
’Some part of me really wants to beat this guy into the dirt.’
He stood there, watching Ponytail barely hanging on as he debated between satisfaction and logic before he sighed.
’Aegis, turn off pain receptors.’
Shutting off all pain receptors.
In an instant, all sensation vanished. Zephyr felt nothing at all as he bursted forward like a mad bull set loose, all reasoning forgotten.
He had no form or refined technique, but he had one thing going for him... His enhanced body. He had the strength and speed to keep up with the soldier. And he was going to use that to his advantage.
The soldier turned at the sound of pounding footsteps, a dark chuckle slipping from his lips. He seemed amused, as if this was all entertainment. Maybe it was. Maybe this was sport to him. At the back of his mind, he was actually surprised the kid could still even stand, let alone charge again. That earlier hit should’ve folded someone Zephyr’s age.
This time, he decided not to hold back. He launched a punch with serious force, enough to knock a lesser recruit out cold. But he still left himself open for adjustment, expecting Zephyr to block.
He watched the fist close in and took it square on the face.
He didn’t feel it. But his body reacted, his vision tilted and he staggered back several steps. It was a heavy hit. Still, he wasn’t going to let this chance go.
In the motion of stumbling back, Zephyr reached out and latched onto the soldier’s outstretched arm like a snake striking it’s prey. His grip was like iron, unrelenting, and it startled the soldier.
Using his forward momentum, Zephyr yanked the soldier into a brutal bear hug. He locked his arms around the man’s chest, and with a guttural roar, lifted him clean off the ground. Then with the same motion he slammed him into the cemented ground with every ounce of strength he had left.
Even Zephyr’s head spun from the impact, regardless of the fact he couldn’t feel the pain. The force of the slam rattled his brain. As he tried to stand, the world swirled around him like a whirlpool.
The soldier wasn’t in much better shape. He staggered, wobbling, trying to stand. He shook his head repeatedly, trying to clear his vision, but it didn’t help.
Ponytail didn’t let the moment slip by.
He was right at the soldier’s side.
First punch, second punch—he began raining blows onto the dazed man, who now defended himself clumsily, like a drunk man.
Zephyr joined the fray, his vision stabilizing faster. He moved in with madness still in his veins.
Together, they rained strikes on the soldier. But the soldier wasn’t going to take getting beat like a rag doll.
With a brutal roar, he tackled Ponytail to the ground, landing a savage punch that burst blood from his nose like a fountain. Zephyr leapt onto his back, dragging him into a chokehold as they rolled and thrashed across the dusty cement, punching and hitting each other, hands and elbows flailing. The fight had devolved into raw chaos.
All of a sudden, the soldier threw all caution to the wind as he let out a manic roar.
The air around them began to shimmer. Ambient mana began to slowly stir as it began to converge towards the soldier.
He was about to cast a spell.
"ENOUGH!!" the instructor bellowed, leaping into the fray with speed that blurred the eye. His voice snapped the soldier out of his spiraling frenzy.
The soldier froze mid-struggle.
Zephyr, still gripping him in a chokehold, slowly released and shoved him away, then scrambled back, chest heaving.
"Huff... Huff..." he breathed out, blood dripping from some unseen cut on his face.
’Aegis, release pain receptors.’
Releasing pain receptors.
Zephyr buckled forward, gritting his teeth as agony surged through his body. Each breath suddenly felt like fire as his lungs contracted and expanded in his cracked ribs. His head pounded violently—probably from that skull-rattling slam earlier. Every bruise, every hit, screamed now.
The pain was doubly much because it came all at once. From the numbness to this.
He clenched his jaw, forehead nearly touching the ground, and fought for air. His ribs throbbed with each inhale.
The soldier hadn’t gone easy during the scuffle. He probably landed some clean heavy elbows to his ribs while they were on the ground.
Ponytail sat upright slowly, snorting and spitting blood from his nose and mouth. His face was painted fully red with blood, his ponytail had come undone, hair scattered about wildly.
The instructor grinned with a sick pleased and dangerous look as he surveyed the scene.
"Looks like we’ve got a few mad dogs this year."
He chuckled, looking around. The chaos wasn’t limited to just them.
In another group, the red-haired girl and Blondie were both on their knees, panting and covered in dirt and bruises. They were the last ones standing in their group, though barely. Their soldier was still upright— a few scuffles on his uniform here and there, but he was still standing. It looked like he’d put Blondie through a meat grinder but despite it all, the kid glared defiantly straight at the soldier.
Elsewhere, the giant boy stood tall, somehow still composed. A tall blonde girl and a short, dark-skinned girl stood beside him. They looked surprisingly composed and not nearly as battered as the others. From their stances and expressions, the girls had clearly had training growing as merchant family kids. The soldier assigned to their group was out cold, lying beside the rest of their unconscious group members.
These were the only three groups with people still standing. Every other group had been wiped out.
"A lot of points are going to be deducted today," the instructor laughed, waving toward a group of soldiers in the distance to take them to the healing ward. They had been watching the entire fight too.
Also watching with them, was the commander. He stood atop a three-story building with his arms behind his back. Beside him stood a young lady. She looked like she could have been an assistant, but her aura suggested otherwise. There was a regal air about her.
A small smile tugged at the corners of the commander’s lips as he spoke without looking at her.
"It seems we have some interesting people this year, don’t you think... Miss Alyra?"
The wind tugged at her silver hair, making it dance behind her as she focused on the courtyard below.
Her gaze was locked solely onto Zephyr.
"Yes..." she said softly. "It seems we do."