Creation Of All Things

Joshua's foot slammed into the ground, and he vanished.

WHOOSH.

Leon's eyes widened.

BOOM!

Joshua reappeared behind him, his fist already swinging. Leon barely had time to twist his body before—

BAM!

The punch connected with his arm, sending shockwaves through the air. Leon gritted his teeth as he skidded across the battlefield, stopping himself just in time. The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force.

The class went silent.

"What the hell was that speed…?" someone muttered.

Joshua clenched his fist, feeling the power coursing through him. He had moved purely on instinct, like his body just knew what to do. His Celestial-Demon bloodline was waking up.

Leon rolled his shoulder, shaking off the sting. Then, he grinned.

"Oh, this just got interesting."

His golden aura flared, the air around him distorting from the sheer heat. Sparks of lightning crackled at his fingertips as he crouched slightly, his muscles tensing.

"Alright, newbie," Leon said, eyes gleaming. "Let's see how long you can last."

BOOM!

He shot forward like a comet.

Joshua barely managed to react before—

CRASH!

Leon's fist slammed into his side, launching him into the air. Joshua twisted midair, flipping just in time to see Leon already above him, hands glowing.

"Not done yet."

A golden explosion erupted from Leon's palms—

Joshua's instincts screamed.

Voidstep.

WHOOSH!

Joshua phased out of existence.

Leon's attack hit nothing.

His eyes darted around. "Where—?"

BAM!

A knee smashed into his stomach.

Leon choked out a breath as Joshua reappeared behind him, eyes glowing faintly with dark and celestial energy.

The force sent Leon crashing into the ground like a meteor.

BOOOOM!

A massive crater formed where he landed, dust and debris shooting into the air.

The classroom was dead silent.

Joshua floated above, staring at his own hands, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

"I just… did that?"

Aurora watched from the side, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

Talia smirked. "Not bad."

The dust cleared, revealing Leon pushing himself up from the crater. He wiped the blood from his lip, then…

He started laughing.

"Heh… hahaha! Now this is fun."

His aura flared even brighter.

The fight wasn't over.

Joshua landed lightly on the cracked floor, his heartbeat steady, his body still humming with that strange power.

Across from him, Leon straightened up, rolling his shoulders. The grin on his face hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown.

"Damn," Leon chuckled, wiping a bit of blood from his lip. "You really aren't normal, huh?"

Joshua said nothing. He was still processing what just happened. His body was moving on its own, reacting faster than his mind could keep up. It felt… natural. Like he had been holding back his entire life without realizing it.

Leon exhaled, his golden eyes sparking. "Alright. Let's go again."

The moment he said that—

BOOM.

He vanished.

Joshua barely had time to register before—

CRACK!

Leon was right in front of him, fist flying. Joshua threw up his arms just in time—

BAM!

The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet tearing through the ground.

WHOOSH!

Leon was already there again, coming from the side—

Joshua ducked. The punch barely missed his face, but the force alone sent a gust of wind ripping through the room.

Joshua reacted instinctively.

He twisted his body—

BAM!

A roundhouse kick smashed into Leon's ribs.

Leon coughed, stumbling back, but his grin never wavered. He pushed off the ground, using the momentum to flip midair and launch himself right back.

Joshua's eyes glowed faintly.

Leon was fast. Insanely fast.

But Joshua was getting faster.

He could see Leon's movements now. Every slight shift in his muscles, every flicker of energy in his aura—

Joshua's body moved before his mind could even think.

Leon's fist came at him—

Joshua vanished.

Voidstep.

Leon's punch hit nothing.

His eyes darted around. "Tch—"

BAM!

A fist slammed into his gut from behind.

Leon gagged.

Joshua didn't stop.

CRACK!

His elbow came down on Leon's back, sending him smashing into the floor.

BOOOOM!

The classroom shook from the impact.

Silence.

Dust settled around the crater where Leon lay, groaning slightly.

The other students just stared.

No one had ever fought Leon like this.

Joshua exhaled, rolling his shoulders. His mind was racing.

What the hell was happening to him?

His body felt lighter. Faster. Stronger.

Like something inside him was awakening.

Leon coughed, then let out a low laugh. "Damn…"

Joshua looked down, expecting him to be done.

Instead—

Leon got up.

His golden aura flared again, even stronger this time. His eyes glowed like burning suns.

His smile?

Wider than ever.

"You're really gonna make me go all out, huh?"

"That's enough."

Talia's voice rang through the room, sharp and final.

The air froze.

The golden aura around Leon flickered out. Joshua, still standing over him, felt a strange pressure press down on his body—nothing heavy, but just enough to make it clear.

She wasn't asking.

"This is a classroom," Talia continued, stepping forward. Her emerald eyes glowed faintly, scanning the two of them. "Not the arena. You don't fight here to climb the rankings. You're here to learn, and that's exactly what you'll do."

Silence.

Leon, still catching his breath, let out a low chuckle and stood up. "Tch… yeah, yeah." He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "Got a little carried away."

Joshua relaxed his stance, though his hands still tingled with leftover energy. He wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or something deeper.

Talia folded her arms, looking between them. "That wasn't just a little spar." Her voice was calm, but there was something else in it. Curiosity? Interest?

Her gaze landed on Joshua.

"You're evolving."

Joshua blinked. "Huh?"

Talia turned slightly, motioning toward Leon. "Leon is one of the highest-ranked students in this Academy. His speed, his power—most can't keep up with him."

She looked back at Joshua, eyes narrowing slightly. "But you did. And you weren't even using your full strength."

A murmur rippled through the classroom.

Joshua frowned. "I—" He didn't even know what to say. He hadn't felt like he was holding back. If anything, his body had just moved on its own.

Talia's eyes glowed again, scanning him, seeing something he couldn't.

"Your abilities are shifting mid-fight," she said. "Adapting. Growing." She paused, tilting her head slightly. "That's not normal."

Joshua clenched his fists.

Yeah. He already figured that much out.

Talia turned to Leon next. "And you."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"You knew he was evolving," she said, "and you pushed him anyway."

Leon smirked. "Well, yeah. How else do you see how strong someone really is?"

Talia sighed. "Of course, you'd say that." She turned back to the rest of the class, her gaze sweeping over them. "This is what I mean when I say Origin Academy isn't just about power. It's about understanding it. You two just fought like battle maniacs instead of thinking."

She motioned toward Joshua. "You don't even know what's happening to you yet."

Then at Leon. "And you don't care what happens as long as it's fun."

Leon just grinned. "What can I say? I like a good fight."

Talia exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Sit down, both of you."

Leon shrugged and strolled back to his seat, still grinning. Joshua hesitated before doing the same, his mind still racing.

As soon as he sat, he felt eyes on him.

Aurora was staring. Hard.

"…What?" Joshua asked, still a little on edge.

Aurora's expression didn't change. "You're not normal."

Joshua sighed. "Yeah. I got that part already."

Aurora just kept watching him, something unreadable in her gaze.

Talia clapped her hands once, snapping everyone's attention back to her. "Alright, now that the unnecessary theatrics are over—let's actually begin."