“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” Raven barked. His eyes glowed crimson, radiating fury. In a flash, he appeared above James, sword raised and shimmering menacingly.

  Mid-swing, James caught the blade with his bare hand. A shockwave of wind and crimson light burst outward before James countered, slamming his palm into Raven’s stomach.

  Raven gagged, spitting violently as the impact rippled through his body. He tumbled across the field but managed to drive his sword into the ground, skidding to a stop.

  Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. His body was battered, breath ragged, and he struggled to stay upright.

  He’s gonna pay… he’s gonna pay… Raven bared his teeth, eyes bloodshot.

  I’ve been looking for a chance to test my new skill. He’ll do just fine as a test dummy.

  'If I combine this skill with my swordsmanship technique, the effect should be profound.'

  “Seventh stance: Punitive Chop!”

  A portion of Raven’s shadow rose beneath him, coiling around his sword like dark mist. Instantly, he felt something, as if part of himself was being drawn into the weapon. His movements turned sluggish. There was clearly more to this ability than the system revealed.

  Crimson aura merged with the shadowy energy. Instead of flaring up as usual, darkness spread outward, pulsing with a deep red glow.

  Wind swirled around him as he took his stance.

  Multiple arcs of dark slashes, each tinted crimson, tore through the air toward James, whose eyes reflected them like mirrors.

  James evaded every strike with fluid precision, landing lightly on his feet. He prepared to counter, only to freeze.

  Small cuts appeared across his body. They were shallow but deep enough to draw blood.

  His blank eyes flickered in surprise. He had dodged every visible slash, yet he was bleeding.

  Unknown to him, his shadow hadn’t escaped. With the sun angled forty-five degrees east, his shadow was cast directly beneath him. While he jumped and sidestepped to evade the attacks, the slashes beneath struck his shadow with no resistance.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  James crouched. It had been a long time since anyone made him bleed this much. His face remained blank, but his bloodied arm trembled slightly. As he steadied himself, he noticed blood seeping from the pouch tied to his waist.

  His eyes widened.

  He checked the two chicks inside, both were badly injured, struggling to breathe. For the first time, James’s composure shattered. Fury radiated from him like heat, his eyes burning red.

  The onlookers gasped. The sight of the bloodied chicks chilled them to the core.

  Raven had done the one thing everyone feared, he had angered James.

  “Things just got worse for that newbie,” a turquoise stickman muttered.

  “Will he be okay?” a pink stickwoman asked nervously. “He won’t be okay…”

  All seven trainees turned their gaze toward Lupin, who watched with a rare look of seriousness. None could tell what he was thinking.

  While James checked the chicks, Raven swung his sword again, crimson aura flashing toward him.

  James remained calm despite his fury. He dripped blood from his arm into the chicks’ mouths, then gently tucked them back into the pouch.

  When he looked up again, his eyes glowed brighter. His fury was absolute.

  He sidestepped the incoming slash, then exploded forward, delivering a devastating punch.

  Raven barely had time to guard. The impact hurled him backward. He skidded across the ground, barely managing to stay on his feet.

  Pain throbbed through his arms. The one that met James’s punch felt shattered from the inside.

  'How… how strong is he?' Raven’s mind reeled. 'I reinforced my arms with mana and even converted it to aura. Finding the right frequency through my body was easier than using external weapons, so how did he still break me?!'

  But he refused to yield. Infusing his sword with mana, he prepared to strike back, yet James was already there, right at his flank.

  Raven reacted instantly, adjusting his stance and swinging his sword, but James caught the weapon and did the unthinkable.

  He crushed the blade with his bare hand, no energy reinforcement whatsoever.

  Raven’s eyes widened in disbelief. That sword was a Grade B weapon, reinforced with the aura of a Novice Aura Stage user. Edric was right, James truly was in a league of his own.

  James’s fist rose and connected with Raven’s chin in a brutal uppercut.

  A shockwave rippled through Raven’s skull, teeth shattered, jaw broken.

  He coughed blood. It spilled from his lips, dripped from his nose, staining his face. His breath was sharp and uneven. He could barely stay on his feet.

  Are you kidding me? How can I be overwhelmed like this?!

  His gaze locked on the furious brown stickman whose red pupils burned like fire.

  In the blink of an eye, James vanished and reappeared right in front of him, fist drawn back.

  Raven froze, bloodied eyes wide. 'Is this real?'

  The punch slammed into his face. Then another. And another.

  Raven crashed to the ground as James unleashed a relentless storm of blows.

  The earth cracked beneath them, craters forming from the sheer force.

  Amid the chaos, a golden aura flared, wrapping around James and restraining him.

  “James! You’re gonna kill our newbie!” Lupin’s voice thundered. “That’s enough! Show some restraint, he’s your junior!”

  James stopped, expression returning to cold neutrality. Without a word, he turned and walked back to the group.

  Lupin approached the crater. Raven lay at the center, body broken and bloodied, chest rising and falling rapidly. Somehow, he was still conscious.

  Lupin smirked. “This worm’s got a ridiculous amount of resilience, hehe…”