The evening wind whistled sharply through the trees as Alex stood silently under the blood-red sky.
Then — BOOM!
Drevon appeared like a ghost in front of him, his fist glowing faintly green, mana infused with wind.
Alex's eyes widened — he barely managed to throw himself backward, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth.
A shockwave blasted the ground where he had just been standing, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Drevon lowered his smoking fist, frowning.
"I heard you're a physical enhancement ability user," he said, his voice low and mocking.
"Interesting."
Without warning, he swung his hand horizontally.
A thin, deadly line of white wind sliced toward Alex — almost invisible, almost silent.
Alex's instincts screamed.
"Time to go with the plan."
He ducked low, rolling under the slash, feeling the cold wind nip at his hair.
Without hesitation, Alex turned and bolted.
Behind him, Drevon's brows raised in surprise.
"Running now, are we?"
The world blurred around Alex. Trees rushed past.
He could feel his muscles pumping with terrifying speed.
"Whoa, I'm fast... really fast!" he thought, adrenaline surging.
SHNK!
Suddenly, a sharp sting flared across his back.
> [-2 HP]
[23/25 HP]
He was hit by a wind blade
Alex winced, feeling blood soak his shirt — but he kept moving.
No slowing down.
> [REGENERATION ACTIVATED]
A warm, tingling sensation spread across his wound.
The pain vanished as the cut knitted itself back together.
> [ENERGY: 79/100%]
He risked a glance over his shoulder.
Drevon was hot on his trail, his legs glowing with concentrated mana.
"Shit," Alex cursed inwardly.
"He's boosting his speed with wind ability too?"
Meanwhile, Drevon gritted his teeth, frustration boiling inside him.
"How fast is this guy? Even with mana enhancement, I can't catch him..."
The chase dragged deeper into the academy grounds — into the dense, less-patrolled forest area.
The trees grew thicker, shadows stretching across the ground.
No students, no teachers.
Perfect.
Suddenly, Alex skidded to a stop, breathing heavily but standing tall.
Drevon slowed as well, a cruel smirk twisting his lips.
"Hahaha... so this was your plan?"
"You dragged me all the way out here... to ambush me?"
The words dripped with contempt.
Before he could move, ice shards and a bolt of crackling lightning shot from opposite directions, aiming straight for him!
Drevon's eyes narrowed.
"Wind Barrier!" he shouted.
A swirling wall of compressed wind burst into existence around him — spinning violently like a mini-tornado.
The lightning bolt and ice shards slammed against it, sparking and shattering.
The impact forced Drevon to slide back several meters, his boots digging trenches into the dirt.
As the dust cleared, two figures emerged from the treeline:
Zane — lightning crackling along his arms, his tolse brown hair slightly messy, a cocky grin playing at his lips. His athletic frame buzzed with pent-up energy.
Miranda — calm and composed, her dark brown hair shimmering under the moonlight, a faint frost swirling around her hands, her sharp eyes locked onto Drevon like a hawk.
Drevon dusted himself off, chuckling darkly.
"Not bad," he said, cracking his knuckles.
"So you all planned to take me down here?"
He stepped forward slowly, the air around him starting to hum with unstable mana.
"But I must warn you..."
His smirk widened, his killing intent leaking into the air like a poison.
"It's not gonna be easy."
*************************
Kirito sat upright on the bed, his clothes neat, his body completely healed — as if he had never been injured at all.
A healer in a white robe smiled at him, checking the last of the readings.
"You're good to go," the healer said warmly. "But I suggest you get some rest. Mana regeneration can be exhausting."
Kirito nodded silently.
The healer gave a polite bow and exited the room, closing the door with a quiet click.
Left alone, Kirito took a deep breath.
His eyes gleamed with determination.
"I have to finish this..." he muttered under his breath.
"If I do, I can help the others."
Without hesitation, he crossed his legs on the bed, settling into a meditative position.
He closed his eyes, centering himself.
Slowly, a golden hue began to seep from his body — soft at first, then steadily brighter.
The air around him shifted.
Mana, thick and pure, gathered toward him, swirling like a gentle vortex.
A faint pulse echoed from deep within his chest as Kirito continue to form his mana core