Forest race (2)

The forest race was in full swing. Participants scattered across the dense greenery, some focusing on reaching the finish line, while others took the opportunity to test their strength against one another.

After defeating Brook, Ritch, and Vertz, Dan found himself face-to-face with Rebecca, the girl he had saved earlier.

Dan narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean I'm using my chi like a kid?"

Rebecca crossed her arms, unfazed. "Just like I said. You’re using it like a child throwing a tantrum."

Dan clenched his fists, indignant. "Shut up! I’m using it just fine!"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Oh really?" She clenched her own fist tightly, lightning energy crackling around it. With a single punch, she struck a nearby tree, splitting it cleanly in two.

Dan’s jaw fell open. "What the—"

Rebecca smirked at his reaction. "Did you see that well?"

Dan nodded slowly. "Yeah... Your lightning composition looks completely different from mine."

"Exactly." Rebecca’s smirk widened. "Thank goodness you’re not completely dense. Do you know what that is called?"

Dan shook his head, still staring at the destroyed tree. "No."

Rebecca turned to him, the lightning around her hand steady and controlled. "It’s called A Bang."

Elsewhere in the forest, chaos unfolded as Alexis hunted down other participants.

“Come on, stop running and fight me already!” Alexis shouted, his sword glinting as he twirled it effortlessly in his hand.

From behind a tree, three knight participants cowered in fear.

“This kid is insane,” one whispered.

“Let’s just hide here,” another added nervously. “Maybe he’ll leave.”

“Yeah, you’re probably ri—”

Before the third participant could finish, Alexis appeared in front of them, a wide grin on his face. "Found you."

The three participants screamed in unison.

Alexis chuckled darkly. "Penalty for making me find you… three sharp cuts each. No? Too much? Fine."

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Without warning, the three participants bolted, running for their lives.

“You can run and hide,” Alexis said, stretching out his sword and infusing it with his chi aura, “but I’ll still find you.” He charged forward with incredible speed, his sword glowing brighter. With a single swing, he unleashed his newly developed move.

“Nine Slashes,” he whispered, dashing past his targets.

Behind him, the three participants fell to the ground, bruises appearing across their bodies where the blade had struck.

Alexis stopped to admire his handiwork. "Wow. I just made that move up right now, and it still worked perfectly. Not bad, Alexis. Not bad at all."

Just as he turned to leave, an invisible force lashed out at him from the shadows. Alexis raised his sword just in time to block it.

"So, someone’s attacking me," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Awesome. I’m guessing this is one of you air nation guys. Come out already."

A figure dropped from a nearby tree and landed gracefully.

"Well, hello there, Alexis," Drake said, his voice dripping with venom.

Alexis cocked his head. "Drake? What are you doing? I thought we were buddies."

Drake’s face twisted in anger. "Buddies? After you humiliated me in front of Esther, my idol White, and the others?!"

Alexis laughed, a sharp, mocking sound. "Oh, you mean the time I showed you how completely useless you are? Yeah, that was pretty funny."

"You think you’re funny?" Drake shouted, his voice shaking with rage.

"Very much, yes," Alexis replied, his tone light and teasing.

Drake raised his hand, summoning a gust of wind. "Then die!"

Before Alexis could react, a powerful air strike slammed into him, sending him flying backward.

"How do you like that?" Drake sneered.

Alexis got to his feet, brushing dirt off his uniform. He rolled his shoulders casually. "Well… I was going to leave your sorry ass alone, but it seems you want to lose again."

"Like hell I’ll lose!" Drake roared.

"Fine," Alexis said, gripping his sword tightly. "Have it your way."

With a burst of speed, Alexis closed the distance between them, striking Drake with the flat of his blade. The blow landed with a dull thud, leaving Drake staggering back in pain.

"What the hell?" Drake gasped. "I thought that killed me."

Alexis smirked. "Be grateful. I’m teaching you a few lessons, so I’ll stick to using the back of my sword for now. Consider this your lucky day."

"Go to hell!" Drake shouted, launching another series of air attacks.

Meanwhile, Dan and Rebecca were deep in their lesson.

"A Bang?" Dan repeated, confusion evident in his voice.

Rebecca sighed, holding up her hand as lightning sparked to life. "Look at this. This is what you’ve been doing—scattered lightning with no form or balance. Now, watch closely."

She concentrated, and the chaotic lightning in her hand coalesced into a single, focused stream.

Dan’s eyes widened. "You made it… steady. No scattering at all."

Rebecca smiled. "Oh, but there is scattering. Look closer."

Dan leaned in, squinting at her hand. He noticed tiny, almost imperceptible sparks of lightning dancing around the main stream. "Whoa… That’s insane. How do I do that?"

"It’s simple," Rebecca said. "You’re from the lightning bloodline. We’re fast learners. Just follow my lead."

Dan nodded eagerly.

"First," Rebecca instructed, "produce lightning in your hand."

Dan summoned the energy, his hand crackling with bright sparks.

"Now," she continued, "focus on forming it into one steady piece."

Dan gritted his teeth, struggling to control the chaotic energy. Slowly but surely, he forced the lightning to take shape.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, a proud grin spreading across his face.

Rebecca nodded. "Good. Now punch the ground and see the difference."

Dan hesitated for a moment, then drove his fist into the dirt. The impact was massive, leaving a deep crater in the ground.

"Whoa!" Dan shouted, staring at the destruction. "This is awesome!"

Back in the forest, Alexis continued to dominate his fight with Drake.

Drake ran, putting as much distance between himself and Alexis as possible.

Drake muttered to himself, panic setting in. "Why is he so much faster than before? He wasn’t this quick last time."

He spun around, launching three air balls at Alexis.

"Eat this!" Drake shouted.

Alexis smiled as he easily deflected the attacks with his sword. "Seriously? Is that the best you’ve got?"

Drake stared at him in disbelief. "How did you—?"

"Simple," Alexis said. "But even if I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. You’re just not good enough to keep up with me."

Drake’s face twisted in rage. "Shut up!"

"Sure," Alexis replied nonchalantly, tightening his grip on his sword. "I’ll shut up after I end this."

With that, Alexis dashed forward. Drake threw a flurry of air slashes, but Alexis cut through some and dodged the rest.

"Night-night," Alexis said calmly.

With a single, powerful swing, Alexis unleashed his signature move: Star Slash. The attack struck Drake square in the chest, knocking him out cold.

Alexis stood over him, shaking his head. "What a waste of my time. You should be grateful the branch leader forced me to use this dull trainee sword. You didn’t even push me far enough to use my

special eyes." He turned and walked away, leaving Drake unconscious on the forest floor.

"Hopefully, you’ll get back up and finish the race. Later."