Cedric stepped forward again, and this time the playfulness in his expression was gone.
His fist shot toward Alex's chest with sharp precision.
Alex raised his arms instinctively, but the impact still forced him backward. Pain flared through his forearms as he staggered two steps across the platform.
Cedric smirked.
"You're slower than yesterday."
Laughter rippled through the watching students.
Alex ignored it. Instead, he watched Cedric carefully. The boy's movements were controlled and efficient, every attack flowing naturally into the next. Years of training showed in the way he shifted his weight and aligned his strikes.
Cedric moved again.
A sweeping kick cut toward Alex's side. Alex tried to retreat but wasn't fast enough—the kick clipped his thigh and sent him stumbling.
Before he could fully recover, Cedric closed the distance and launched another punch.
Alex twisted aside just in time, the fist brushing past his shoulder instead of striking cleanly. Even that glancing contact hurt.
So this is the difference.
Cedric wasn't just stronger. His movements were disciplined and precise, far beyond anything Alex could match right now.
If this continued normally, Alex would lose.
Cedric seemed to sense the same thing.
"You're just running now," he said with a mocking smile.
Alex didn't answer.
Instead, he focused on something else entirely.
The emotional currents around Cedric.
Confidence.
Excitement.
And beneath them—
Irritation.
Alex concentrated for a moment.
Immediately, a faint heaviness appeared at the back of his head, exactly where that strange hidden node had revealed itself earlier.
He ignored it.
Carefully, he nudged the emotional current.
Just a little.
Cedric's irritation sharpened.
The change was subtle, but Alex felt it clearly.
Cedric attacked again, more aggressively this time. His punch came straight toward Alex's chest, fast and direct.
Alex stepped aside barely in time.
Cedric pivoted instantly and followed with an elbow strike that slammed into Alex's raised arm. The force numbed his muscles and nearly knocked him off balance.
The watching students murmured approvingly.
Cedric grinned wider.
"Is that all?"
Alex said nothing, though his mind was racing.
Cedric was getting impatient.
And impatience created openings.
Cedric lunged forward again.
Alex retreated quickly—then deliberately let his footing slip.
The stumble was obvious.
Cedric's eyes flashed with opportunity.
His next punch came with full force, aimed directly at Alex's chest.
But instead of retreating again, Alex stepped forward.
Cedric's strike overshot slightly as Alex slipped inside his reach. For a brief moment Cedric's balance shifted.
Alex drove his shoulder into Cedric's chest.
The impact wasn't strong, but it was unexpected.
Cedric staggered half a step before regaining control.
The crowd gasped.
Cedric's expression hardened.
"Lucky."
Alex breathed slowly, steadying himself.
The heaviness in his head had grown stronger.
He had used that strange ability twice already.
The hidden node pulsed faintly, sending dull pain through the back of his skull.
Cedric attacked again.
This time his kick landed cleanly against Alex's ribs.
Pain exploded through Alex's side and he stumbled backward several steps, barely staying upright.
The courtyard erupted with laughter.
Cedric relaxed slightly as he approached again.
"Still standing?" he asked casually.
Alex forced himself upright.
His breathing was heavier now, but he kept his expression calm.
One more time.
He focused again.
The hidden node stirred, and a sharp ache spread through the back of his head. Ignoring it, Alex nudged Cedric's emotions once more.
Cedric's irritation surged.
He rushed forward immediately, faster than before.
His punch shot straight toward Alex's face.
Alex waited until the very last second.
Then he dropped low.
Cedric's fist cut through empty air as his momentum carried him forward. His footing shifted just slightly—
And Alex swept his leg.
Alex moved the instant Cedric's balance shifted.
He stepped inside Cedric's guard and struck with his palm.
The blow landed against Cedric's chest—not strong, but precise enough to force him back a step.
A ripple of surprise spread through the courtyard.
Cedric's eyes widened slightly.
Then his expression changed.
The amusement disappeared.
Qi surged faintly around his body.
For the first time since the match began, Cedric was serious.
Alex felt it immediately.
The pressure in the air thickened.
Cedric stepped forward again.
His movements were faster now, sharper than before.
Alex tried to react, but the difference was obvious. Cedric's fist cut through his guard and struck his shoulder, forcing him back hard.
Pain shot down Alex's arm.
Before Cedric could follow up—
"Enough."
The instructor's voice rang across the courtyard.
Both boys froze.
Cedric slowly lowered his fist.
Alex straightened, though the sudden stop made the pounding in his head more noticeable.
The instructor stepped onto the platform, his gaze moving between the two of them.
After a brief pause, he spoke calmly.
"Cedric wins."
No one argued.
Cedric's advantage had been obvious the moment he became serious.
But the courtyard was no longer laughing.
Murmurs spread among the watching students.
"Did you see that?"
"He actually pushed Cedric back…"
"That shouldn't be possible."
Cedric himself was staring at Alex now, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Not mocking.
Studying.
Alex barely noticed.
The dull pressure at the back of his head had grown stronger, throbbing faintly where the hidden node lay.
He raised a hand to his temple for a moment before lowering it again.
The instructor's gaze lingered on Alex for a moment longer than necessary.
Something about the boy changed… the way he fought and carried himself during the fight… cedric's irritation flaring...
But the instructor said nothing.
"Training continues," he said instead.
The students slowly returned to their drills, though several of them kept glancing toward Alex.
Cedric was among them.
His expression had lost its earlier amusement.