As the fist came toward Nova, he realized he could actually see it. The last slap had caught him off guard, but this time—he was ready.
'I can see it... I can see his fist! All I have to do now is dodge it.'
Since Nova had been learning how to dodge attacks, he could clearly track the straight punch heading for him. But he miscalculated one small thing—the punch was much closer than the rocks his father threw at him. Nova planted one foot behind and was about to twist his body.
Whack!
Before he could twist and dodge, the punch hit him square in the face.
"Ow!" Nova stumbled back, both hands flying to his nose. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Blood trickled slightly down as he groaned.
The boy who had punched him blinked in confusion.
"Huh? What was that? Were you actually trying to dodge that? Ha! Haha! You actually tried to dodge my punch!" He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he mocked Nova.
"Nova! Are you okay?!" Riku yelled, struggling in the other bully's grasp. "Ugh! Let me go!"
Nova looked at Riku, one hand still holding his nose. He raised his other hand and gave a shaky thumbs-up.
"Yeah, I'm alright… Don't worry. This is nothing."
Even though Nova said that, his friends still looked terrified. But Nova wasn't focused on them anymore. He was thinking.
'Ugh… What was that? The punch… It hit faster than I expected. I can't just stand here celebrating that I saw it—I need to act quickly.'
Nova slowly took his hands off his nose and glared fiercely at the older boy standing in front of him.
"Oh? You want more?" the boy sneered. "No objections from me."
He pulled his hand back again—this time aiming downwards toward Nova's stomach.
Nova saw the punch clearly again, but this time he didn't waste a moment being impressed. He twisted his torso to right, letting the punch brush past his stomach.
Swoosh!
The punch sliced through the air right past him.
Everyone froze.
The group of kids stared wide-eyed, mouths slightly open. Even the bully who missed looked stunned, standing there with his arm still extended.
"Woah! Amazing!" Tama broke the silence, his voice full of excitement.
"Yeah! I knew it! Nova's strong!" Haru followed, his eyes gleaming.
"Ha! Haha! What do you have to say now? You can't even hit a kid!" Riku mocked them, clutching his stomach. "Go away now—or we'll really beat you up this time!"
The bully beside Riku clenched his jaw in anger, his veins bulging. "Shut up!"
Thwack!
His fist slammed into Riku's stomach. Riku gasped and fell backward, the air knocked out of him.
"Riku!" Nova shouted, his eyes widening. Haru and Tama caught Riku, holding him as he tried to breathe through the pain.
The bully who hit Riku turned toward Nova. His eyes burned with rage.
"You'll regret that, brat."
He stepped forward, putting his left foot ahead to brace his punch, then swung at Nova with his right.
Nova ducked instantly, dodging the strike. The bully's momentum carried him forward, throwing him off balance. As Nova rose from his crouch, he caught sight of the older boy's unguarded stomach—completely exposed.
He didn't even think. His instincts took over.
Now!
He pushed his left foot forward, drew his right fist back, and used the momentum from standing up to throw a full-force punch.
Thwack!
Thud.
The bully dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach, gasping desperately for air. His face turned pale.
The other bully's eyes went wide. "Hey—hey! What are you doing?! You're acting, right?! Damn it! Hey!" He rushed to his friend, helping him stand. Then he turned to Nova, his expression twisting with fury.
"You'll regret this, kid!" he spat. He slung the weakened boy's arm over his shoulder and started walking away.
Riku, still clutching his stomach, smirked weakly. "Haha! Who's the kid now, huh? I told you you'd get beaten up! That's what you get for messing with us!"
The bullies didn't look back. They walked off in silence, disappearing from view.
"Hey, Nova! That was amazing! You made them run away!" Haru exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "They were three times your age, and you still beat them!"
"Yeah… I guess," Nova said, rubbing the back of his head. "What about you guys? You okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about us," Tama replied.
"Alright. Let's go home." Nova helped Riku up carefully, and they started heading back together. Both of them were still aching from the fight.
After helping Riku reach home and parting with Tama and Haru, Nova finally returned to his own house.
He rushed straight inside, calling, "Hey Dad! You know what, I—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Elaine was lying on the bed, looking pale and weak. Joren sat beside her, his face filled with worry.
Even though she was clearly in pain, Elaine lifted her head and smiled at Nova. "Don't worry about me, son. I'm okay. In fact, I'm happy. You should be too. I'm going to give birth soon. It's just… until then, I'll be really sick, so your dad will have to take care of both of us."
Nova's anxious look faded instantly. "Oh! I'm gonna have a little brother soon!" he said with a wide grin. "Don't worry, Mom! You rest. I'll help Dad take care of you. I won't be a burden at all!"
Joren's eyes widened. For a moment, he was speechless—then he smiled softly. His son was more mature than he thought.
Elaine chuckled lightly. "Alright, my little monkey. I know you'll take care of me. Come here."
Nova ran to her side, sitting beside her as Elaine kissed his forehead lovingly.
"Don't worry, Elaine," Joren said. "I'll hire a nurse to look after you."
"Oh no, you mustn't, dear," Elaine protested gently. "If you hire someone, we won't have enough to last through winter."
"Don't worry about the money," Joren replied. "I'll take more small jobs to make up for it." He smiled faintly, then sighed. "But… that means I won't be able to train Nova for a while."
Nova's expression didn't change. Then suddenly, he smiled brightly. "It's okay, Dad! I can still do my regular exercises. And besides, I'll get to play with my friends more again! I've been away from them for so long…" His voice softened as he remembered the day's events.
"Alright then," Joren said with renewed determination. "It's settled. I'll work extra jobs, and the nurse will take care of Elaine. It'll just be for a few weeks—a month at most. We can handle that, right, son?"
"Yeah, Dad! We can handle it!"
Time passed, and night fell. Joren cooked dinner for everyone while Nova helped serve his mother her food.
After everyone had eaten, they went to bed. Nova lay awake in his room, thinking about the fight.
He smiled to himself. He still couldn't believe he had taken down someone so much older in one hit.
And why wouldn't he be able to? After all, the bully hadn't even entered the Body Tempering Realm, while Nova was already on the verge of reaching the second stage of Flesh Tempering.
A new reason to grow stronger had been born within him—someone new to protect.
As he thought of his soon-to-arrive sibling, Nova swore to himself that he would always protect his loved ones, no matter what the future held.