Cecilia clasped her hands behind her back, her gaze moving slowly over each of them.

"The reason for this exercise is simple," she said. "I need to know where you are in both combat prowess and battlefield intelligence."

"I can't shape your training if I don't know your limits. And I won't know your limits unless you're pushed."

Her voice hardened slightly. "That means no holding back. Use everything you've learned here."

She glanced at Arlo. "And that includes you."

Arlo grinned in response, but said nothing.

"But," her tone grew hard, and she raised a finger, "you shall not use skills nor spells."

"This is pure combat training. Nothing that can level a building. I want your fists, your footwork, your pure mana techniques, and your heads."

She stepped back, leaving the open space between them bare. "Show me what you can really do."

The three of them moved forward, closing the distance until they stood in a loose triangle at the center of the hall.

Noah's orange eyes flicked between Damien and Arlo, taking in the way they held themselves.

Damien's posture was rigid and honed through relentless practice, already dropping low into a balanced stance.

Arlo, on the other hand, stood loose and easy, his grin pasted on his face. He yawned, as if all this was just a game.

But inside him, he knew that was not the case. He knew his most dangerous opponent on the field was Noah.

So, he tilted his head towards Damien.

He noticed Damien staring at him, and gave him a subtle nod.

A nod of understanding.

They both knew what Cecilia had acknowledged silently.

That Noah, with his relentless drilling of Flash Step, had the edge if it came down to one-on-one duels.

After all, the movement technique was neither spell nor skill. It was a pure mana technique.

They all had their mana techniques, but Noah's was different. After all, you can't fight what you can't touch.

So at that moment, they decided.

Noah would be their target.

"Begin!" Cecilia's voice filled the air.

Arlo and Damien moved first, stalking towards Noah.

Damien's heavy footfalls ground into the sand while Arlo's posture remained loose, almost lazy.

But Noah knew how deceptive Arlo's laziness was. Anyone who mistook that for a lack of readiness was in for a rude awakening.

So, he did the thing he knew would throw them off.

He stood where he was, standing tall and relaxed in the center of the ring.

His expression remained blank as he watched the pair of them approach, giving nothing away.

And just like he expected, his lack of motion unsettled them more than any sudden movement could.

Damien frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Arlo tilted his head as if he was listening for something in the silence.

And they exchanged a glance, giving each other the smallest of nods.

Noah's advantage was obvious.

Flash Step.

He could use it anywhere and anytime in the room, whether to attack or retreat. And that made him dangerous.

"Going to him right now would be a bad idea." Arlo said, not taking his eyes off Noah.

"Let him come to us. That way, we can turn defense into a surprise attack."

"Agreed." Damien nodded, stepping closer to Arlo.

Noah watched them, a faint smile appearing on his face.

If they wanted him to come, then he would.

The most dangerous person on the battlefield to him was Arlo. Those damned eyes.

If he wanted to win, then he had to take them out of the equation.

Then without warning, his body blurred.

He streaked forward with a Flash Step, reappearing right in front of Arlo.

His palm shot out, ready to plow into Arlo and put him out of the fight.

But Arlo bent backward, his spine folding in a way that would have made jaws drop in disbelief.

His body twisted unnaturally, like a snake bending around an impossible angle.

Noah's fist hit only air.

Noah's eyes widened slightly.

This was the fighting style that Cecilia had given Arlo.

It made use of a mana technique that allowed him to bend his body in ways that defied physics.

His biggest weakness was his low defense and high offense, making him a glass cannon.

But with this, he could simply dodge the blows with an unbelievable reaction speed.

At least, until his physical stats caught up in higher ranks. Then, he could shift to the second phase of the fighting style.

Noah was about to activate Flash Step and retreat, when Arlo's hand snapped up, clamping onto Noah's forearm like a vice.

"Not this time, Noah." he snarled, a wide grin on his face.

With him holding onto Noah, using Flash Step would cost more mana, and Noah hadn't mastered it yet.

This was because he couldn't take people with him on his Flash Step just yet, and Arlo was holding tightly onto him.

So, right now, it could be said that they had him at their mercy.

And so, Arlo yelled.

"Damien! Now!"

Noah's eyes widened.

In that split second of being held down, the edges of his vision narrowed, and everything came into clear focus.

Damien was already in the air, his fist cocked back, ready to smash Noah into the ground.

Noah's gaze flicked from Damien's descending arm to Arlo's smug grin.

'So that's the plan. Pin me, then crush me.'

He bared his teeth in a sudden grin. "Not today."

With a twist of his body, Noah yanked Arlo forward, dragging him into the direct line of Damien's punch.

Arlo's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.

If he didn't let go now, Damien's fist would shatter them both.

Snarling, Arlo tore his hand away, rolling off to the side in a blur of contorted movement.

And in that instant, Damien's fist came down.

The impact landed with a thunderous crack, the ground splitting under the force.

Sand and dust erupted in every direction, the plume rising high enough to cloak all three of them in a choking cloud.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.