TEASER CHAPTER 8 PART 16
"Fuh~..."
While the women's
group was in a strange atmosphere, Nozomu was maintaining his posture in front
of his opponent, who was falling to the ground.
There was no problem
with his consumption of Qi or physical strength. The stares of spectators around
him were somewhat unnerving, but when the fight was underway, they did not
bother him at all.
It seemed as if he
could go a few more rounds at this point.
As he continued to
maintain his stance, Nozomu was aware of his surroundings.
He was looking for the
presence of something distinctly different from the human presence he had felt
before while feeling the multiple stares and the heat of the combat training on
his skin.
The presence of wind
on the training ground, the scent of earth slightly tickling his nose, and the
presence of the spirits he had felt that night.
He needed to be able
to sense the power of the spirits and control it as soon as possible.
Despite his
determination, the spirits' presence was as vague as ever, and he could not
perceive their presence.
This fact agitated
Nozomu's frustration.
But the fact that a
mere human being was able to sense the spirits is in itself a miraculous
progress...
"~!"
The next split second,
a fist thrust into Nozomu's back along with a powerful Qi.
Nozomu reflexively
swung his katana, parried the fist, and moved away from the attacker who had
taken him by surprise.
"Kevin
huh..."
There he was, a
schoolmate who belonged to the Silver Wolf clan.
He stared at Nozomu
with his fists ready, making no attempt to hide his seething hostility.
"Your next
opponent will be me. Get ready."
Kevin brought the left
half of his body forward and took a stance.
As if encouraged,
Nozomu also raised his katana to his right shoulder.
Nozomu's body and
thoughts, which had been in standby mode, instantly turned into battle mode.
At the same time that
Nozomu took up his stance, Kevin immediately moved.
"~!"
He instantly closed
the distance and launched a single strike with his fist. The target was the
center of Nozomu's body, the solar plexus.
Nozomu calmly aligned
his katana with the thrusting fist.
With a deafening
sound, the Qi which was enveloped to the back of Kevin's hand began to
disperse.
Nozomu and Kevin
crossed and passed each other as they swapped their standing positions, then
turned around to face each other again.
"Tch~ ..."
Kevin involuntarily
clicked his tongue.
If one were to look
closely, one could see a small scratch on the back of the gauntlet that he had
just thrust into. It was a sign that Nozomu's Qi blade had penetrated Kevin's
Qi.
Kevin Ardinal is a
proud beastman with a lot of pride in his veins, and his A-ranked prowess is no
joke.
The martial techniques
and combat experience he had acquired, and above all, his instincts as a Silver
Wolf clan member, kept ringing alarm bells against Nozomu, whom he was facing.
He had seen with his
own eyes the entirety of the combat training that Nozomu and Jihad did in their
joint class.
He no longer harbored
any feelings of contempt for Nozomu Bountis.
But instead, what
dominated his mind was the emotion that he didn't particularly like the man in
front of him.
