[Why are you munching them if you can't taste them?]
As I munched on the popcorn, focusing on the fight between Ethan and Oliver, El asked.
'Do you think I want to? If I want to live, I need some nutrients.'
[Pretty sure they don't have that.]
'...it's better than nothing.'
[Hmm, both of them have pretty unique blessings, one related to the wind God and another one to the living God of revenge.]
'Yeah, Oliver at this moment is stronger than Ethan, but his blessing is increasing his senses, making him able to counter Oliver's every move.'
[But still, it has a glaring weakness.]
'I know, right?'
Ethan at this moment can counter any physical attack and can even dodge any mana-related attack as well, but... because his senses are heightened, anything that disturbs his sense can give him a fatal injury.
[So, if Oliver can exploit that weakness, he might have a chance.]
'Exactly. But it's easier said than done. Ethan is incredibly skilled and quick to react.'
[True. It'll require precise timing and strategy.]
'Oliver needs to find a way to disrupt Ethan's senses without leaving himself vulnerable.'
[Maybe he can create a distraction.]
'Well, that's not going to happen.'
Throwing the popcorn into the bracelet, I stood up.
"Huh? What happened?" Ashlyn asked as she looked at me, frowning.
"Nothing," I mumbled as I stretched my body. "I am going for a while, don't wait for me."
"O-okay, be t-tafe," she mumbled biting her own tongue as she looked at me concernedly.
"I will." I replied with a chuckle at her adorable blushing.
With that, I stepped forward, walking towards them, but just as I moved from my seat, I felt a pair of eyes glaring at me.
And sure enough, Lauryn was giving me a death stare with her hand turned into a fist.
[You sure she won't attack you now?]
'She won't. I know about her character more than anyone else.'
[But can you fight?]
'Yeah, just need to be careful about my left hand; it's my weakness, and I don't want people to know about it.'
Due to my hand being once amputated and then attached again, it's weaker and less responsive than the rest of my body.
'Well, let's end this.'
Thinking so, I took out the small hammer from my bracelet as I surveyed the class.
The whole class was looking closely at the fight between Oliver and Ethan, giving me enough time to look around.
The first who came to my view was the chubby guy who turned unconscious a few minutes earlier.
Clenching his head, he slowly sat on the floor as he looked around confusedly.
Slowly, I walked close to him before I reached right before him.
Tap, tap.
"Huh?"
I tapped his shoulder twice, making him look at me.
Baam!
And just as he turned towards me, I swung the hammer, hitting him straight at his jaw, knocking him out.
[....What did he do?]
'I just didn't like his face.'
[....Wow.]
Ignoring him, I looked around again as some students took notice of me as well.
"I am borrowing it," I asserted firmly to the girl sitting at the desk, snatching up her thick notebook before she could even respond.
Turning my attention to Miley, who was playing with the ball while watching the fight between Oliver and Ethan, I tightened my grip on the notebook.
With a surge of mana, the silver runes etched into my hand bones glowed faintly, imbuing it with added strength.
Pang!
The sharp sound of impact reverberated through the classroom as I hurled the notebook towards Miley's head.
"Urgh..."
She groaned in pain, clutching her head as the ball she was holding slipped from her grasp and rolled onto the ground.
"Perfect," I mumbled as I focused my attention towards the big boys, who were still fighting without a care in the world.
As their fight continued, I walked towards Miley, who was rubbing her head and wincing in pain.
"Huh? Azariah?" She mumbled, looking at me in confusion as I picked up the ball from the ground.
"Haaaah."
Ignoring her, I took a deep breath as I walked towards them, one hand holding the ball while the other gripped the hammer.
"Amun-Ra' blessing,"
I mumbled, and both of them took notice of me.
It didn't take them long to join hands, stopping their fight and standing opposite to me.
"Why, you sneaky brother," Oliver mumbled with a smile, but it faded as he looked at injured Miley.
"First form: větrem,"
he said, extending his hands towards me as he created small wind blades hurtling towards me.
"Swish."
Ethan also didn't stand idle; he rushed towards me with his eyes still closed.
Time seemed to slow for me as I noticed their every move—the blades rushing at me, Oliver glaring at me, and Ethan circulating his mana, strengthening his arms.
Ignoring all of this, I parted my lips and mumbled,
"First form: naqsal."
Thud.
With a loud thud, Ethan tumbled to the ground before he could reach me, his momentum abruptly halted as if hitting a wall, while the wind blade that Oliver threw vanished into thin air.
That's my first blessing, which allows me to control energy within a one-meter radius around me.
In this instance, I willed Oliver's mana blades to dissipate and nullified the kinetic energy of Ethan's punch, causing him to stumble and lose his balance.
However, utilizing this ability comes at a cost. For every attack I nullify, I lose a portion of my own mana.
In this case, I depleted half of the mana Oliver had used in his blades and a tenth of the energy Ethan had channeled into his punch.
"The fuck," Oliver mumbled, his eyes wide in astonishment, mirroring the reactions of the whole class.
Ignoring them, I swiftly swung my hammer aiming at Ethan's head.
"Swoosh."
Sensing the incoming attack, he ducked before rolling away from me, while Oliver closed in.
Both their attention was now on me as they rushed at me.
With a swift motion, I flung my body forward, clutching my hammer tightly.
"Second form: zvukom."
Boom!
The air compressed beneath Oliver's feet as he propelled himself forward, aiming a kick at my face with enhanced speed.
"Urgh..."
But I anticipated his move, countering with a strike from my hammer aimed at his extended leg, causing him to grimace in pain.
"Swish."
I dashed backwards, dodging Ethan's kick aimed at my side while Oliver balanced himself.
They then coordinated with each other, swinging their fists at my face, both bolstered with mana.
"First form: naqsal."
"Huh?"
"Fuck again..."
I felt the mana within me deplete again as their attacks lost all their momentum, making them halt in between.
"Baam!"
With precision, I swung my hammer in a swift, sharp trajectory, grazing Ethan's shoulder and narrowly missing Oliver as he evaded the blow.
They were both exhausted after their fight, making it easier for me to fight against both of them.
But even this was taking a toll on my body as I felt my breathing become rigid.
"Swish."
Balancing himself again, Oliver threw a punch, but this time I was ready.
I relaxed the muscles in my knees, hips, and shoulders, effortlessly dropping to the ground.
Placing my hands on the ground above my head, I generated momentum with my legs.
"Baam!"
"Urgh..."
With a powerful thrust, I executed an overhead kick, landing squarely on Oliver's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards with a pained groan.
"Huff...Huff..."
"Swish..."
Baam!
"Argh...fuck."
I cursed aloud as a punch landed squarely on my jaw, causing me to stumble slightly.
Blinking away the blur in my vision, I glanced at Ethan as he prepared to strike again.
"Siwsh."
Tilting my head slightly, I swiftly reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder, positioning my fingertips just beside his ear as I released my grip on the hammer.
"Go have some sleep."
I muttered, channeling mana into my fingertips, causing them to glow with a silver light.
With a sharp movement, I flicked my middle finger against my thumb, creating a small but sharp sound.
Click!!
"ARGHH."
Ethan dropped to his knees, clutching his ear tightly as a trickle of blood seeped out.
"Huff...Huff..."
Taking deep breaths, I slowly made my way toward the window.
"Are you alrigjlt?" Ashlyn asked nervously, her voice laced with concern as she bit her tongue again.
"I'm fine," I replied with a smile, moving past her to sit on the edge of the open window, the slow wind fluttering my hair slightly.
[Well... it wasn't that hard.]
"Three wishes."
'You had to jinx it, don't you?'
"I will grant three wishes to whoever takes the ball away from him," Lauryn declared loudly, her glare fixed on me. "You can redeem your wish anytime within the academic year."
At her words, the whole class turned their attention towards me, with only Ashlyn looking at me concernedly.
"What a fucking shit show this is," I muttered as I observed the students slowly closing in on me.
"Azariah." Miley, still rubbing her head, stood at the front and extended her hand, glaring at me. "Give the ball back."
I glanced at her for a moment, no doubt she looks beautiful and all...but man I truly hate this bitch.
I extended my hand holding the ball towards her face, but just as a smile threatened to form on her lips, I rolled my fingers, showing her my middle finger.
"Fuck off!"
With that, I leaned back, letting my body fall out of the window.
"AZARIAH!!"
"AZ!!"
As I fell, I heard only two voices of concern, both of which I recognized: Oliver's and Ashlyn's.
"Sigh..."
With a tired sigh, I braced myself for the impact...
"Huh?"
But...
The surface I landed on bounced me back...
"Hahahaha! Fuck, I got lucky!"
I shouted as I realized I had landed on a trampoline, but my celebration was short-lived...
Thud.
"Urgh..."
I groaned in pain as I landed hard on the ground after bouncing back.
[You alright?]
"I... I think I dislocated my shoulder..."
Fuck my life...