Magician vs. Non-Magician

The fight had begun.

Saddler lunged forward without warning — a storm made of pure muscle. His massive fists carved through the air like they meant to take my head off in a single swing.

Oh great. The gorilla's fast too.

I barely managed to duck out of the way. Rolled to the side, breath knocked loose, then moved again to widen the distance.

Saddler snorted. That feral grin stretched across his face like a scar.

So that's how he wants to play it. Still convinced I'm just a pup for the slaughter.

I remembered last year's matches — this lunatic tore through seniors without using a single spell. Just brute force. Just raw mass and punishing blows that turned people into wreckage.

And yet… I had banned grappling from this fight. Sure, it could've helped me.

But in this kind of atmosphere — when the whole crowd wanted to see me bleed?I had to win another way.

I smirked through the sweat dripping into my eyes.

"Why aren't you attacking?"

Saddler tilted his head slightly, like my question actually surprised him. Then, calmly:

"You look… thoughtful. What, can't find a single weak spot?"

His eyes burned like coals — intense, wild. That grin?

Wide. Confident. Like a man who'd already decided this match was over.

Alright then, bastard. Let's see how you like burning alive.

I moved. The roar of the crowd swallowed my steps.

I ran straight at him, winding up to the right like some clueless amateur — and then I vanished from his sight.

Saddler raised his arms for a block — strong, solid — and a split second later, his eyes widened.

I was behind him.

"Witness… the Light," I whispered, my palm landing flat on his back.

PAAAH!

A burst of light — like a warhammer smashing bronze.

The world erupted in heat. Steam burst from the air — not regular steam, but thick, blinding white, like reality itself was boiling from the pressure. The air screamed. The metal beneath us groaned.

Saddler's body flew backward, smashing into the ropes.

You were trapped the moment this match began, buddy.

Steam swallowed the arena. Someone in the crowd gasped.

Someone else yelled: "He vaporized him?!"

I stood still — alone in the hissing, glowing fog.

One strike. That's all it took.

And then…

The steam began to clear.

First, his shoulders appeared. Then his head. Then the rest of him.

Saddler stood.

Alive.

Massive. Smoldering.

His skin was red, like he'd just stepped out of molten lava.

Steam still rose from his chest. And he was smiling. Not a single muscle flinched.

"Hah," I exhaled. "Damn."

He licked his lips. His nostrils flared. His chest heaved like he wasn't in pain — he was enjoying it.

"Now that's more like it," he growled.

Okay. I was wrong.

He's not just some macho brawler.

He's a full-blown maniac who gets off on pain.

I clenched my fists. Smirked back.

Guess I'll have to use everything.

Something changed.

At first, I didn't notice it. But he wasn't a musclehead anymore.

He was a rhino on the hunt.

We had good distance. I could've started circling, picked my moment…

But he

stretched out his arms

and with a loud clap

brought his palms together.

The world compressed.

A clap? Seriously?

A blast of wind burst forward — and within it, a razor-thin beam of glowing purple energy. Stretched like a blade, thin as thread.

High Magic. Pure and raw.

No prep. No chant.

Perfectly cast. Straight for my skull.

I didn't see it — just felt the burn. My forearms came up out of instinct.

BAM.

Like a laser cannon to the face. The air combusted. My nose filled with the scent of burning fabric and scorched skin.

I staggered back. My forearms smoked. My sleeves were in tatters.

"That's just great," I hissed. "Hey… you're paying for the shirt."

Saddler didn't answer.

He just bent forward. His back curved like a beast about to pounce.

And then he charged.

Just like that — full speed. Like a tank.

Why?

With magic like that, he could've burned me from afar. Blasted me again and again until I collapsed.

But he didn't want an easy win.

I dodged sideways in a heartbeat. His charge exploded through the air. The floor of the ring trembled.

Shit. He really might kill me.

Saddler skidded to a halt, twisted, and launched a spinning kick.

I jumped back again, feet skidding across the floor — and then…

He vanished.

And reappeared in front of me.

What—?!

Hands toward my head.

PAAAH!

My body snapped backward in a reflexive arc. A line of energy cracked through the air where I'd just been.

If I hadn't dodged—

My heartbeat throbbed in my ears.

But I was already under him.

Right where he wouldn't expect.

My fist slammed into his gut.

Contact.

Witness the Light.

BAH! — Another blinding burst.

Steam roared into the air, hot enough to burn my lungs.

I tumbled back, gasping.

This time — for sure.

No regular student could survive two of those.

The crowd had gone silent.

Thick, heated mist coated everything.

Nothing to see. Just the hiss of steam and the ringing of blood in my ears.

Victory…?

No.

Damn it.

In the mist — a shadow.

It's moving. Charging.

A shape… Massive. Wild. Fast.

Saddler broke through the steam like a monster freed from its cage.

He leapt.

He grabbed me — his entire body — like he wanted to crush me in an embrace.

Iron arms. His grip clamped down on my ribs.

I couldn't breathe.

Saddler's eyes — wild. Burning. Wanting to break me.

My ribs cracked. I heard it.

Not just felt it — heard it.

He's going to crush me to death.

I tried to escape — useless.

My strength was gone. His grip was a steel trap locked by a demon's claw.

The Fight Club — a place where only Academy students were allowed to throw down. Fighting anywhere else was strictly forbidden. This is where problems got settled and aggression got released.

But there was another rule. One written in the fine print:If a fighter dies in the ring, the Academy bears no responsibility.

No, that blood would be on this damned bull who's trying to kill me.

He's gone insane. Wouldn't even hear me if I said "I surrender."

And I knew — if I died here, Saddler's family would pay their way out of any consequences. They'd call it a tragic accident.

Even the Ataraxia family wouldn't lift a finger if I dropped dead right here.

Hell no.

I'm not dying in this place.

If the world dragged me back to life — then I'll live on my own damn terms.

No more reason to hold anything back.

I've got a job — to protect my walking disaster of a lady.

Something clenched inside my chest. My thoughts narrowed to a single, blistering focus.

The power I'd been holding back for far too long.

Suddenly, my hair lit up — rising into the air like flame. My eyes — brighter than the sun. And from my entire body, a crimson light began to shine — glowing, pulsing.

The crowd could barely keep their eyes open.

People were squinting, shielding their faces.

Up above, Dean stood up from his seat.

"Memphis, get back!!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the ground.

"…God's Winds."

And in the next instant — a beam of light erupted from within me.

It pierced the air, sliced upward, and shattered the roof clean off the building.

That beam didn't stop.

It kept rising, tearing into the sky — for miles.