CHAPTER IV: LEOLIO
Martis and all the students were in the training room. It was a room of thirty square meters with gray-painted walls. Two classes were present in the room: the third and the fourth. They all formed a circle around a huge tatami mat.
In the middle of the tatami stood a man with a stocky build and an imposing beard, sporting a confident smile.
« Good day, my students. It's been a long time since I've seen your wet-chicken faces. »
He scanned the students to spot the new student who had just joined the Academy.
« Hmm, I'm looking for the new one! The Leomor who just joined the Academy, where is he? »
The student in question was Martis, but he was in the middle of all the students, his thoughts focused instead on the vision he had had a few minutes earlier—that of the man in the rain saying, « I didn't hear the monkey? »
« That man from the new vision I had... I feel like I know him. I've already seen him in the dream with the monkey and the other people. »
He thought for a moment, then suddenly, thinking back to the person he was seeing and the name he was hearing, the man's face and name came back to him.
« Erlang Shen »
But Leolio interrupted his thoughts by shaking him.
« Hey, are you okay, Martis! The professor has been calling you for a while. And what were you mumbling about? The whole room is looking at you, and you look like a madman. »
Martis stood up and saw that the students were looking at him with suspicion. The professor called him to the middle of the tatami.
« Leomor, come over here! »
Martis walked toward him, casting furtive glances around. Once he reached the middle of the tatami under the gaze of all the students, the professor began the discussion.
« Hello, young man. I am Professor Daniel Lenore. I teach all the martial arts, whether it's ogre wrestling or elf fencing. »
« I am Martis Rin Leomor, pleased to meet you. »
The professor looked at him and then noticed that for a Leomor, he had the body of a seasoned fighter.
« Oh, you have the body of an army colonel, a remarkable physique for your age. What sport do you practice? »
« Oh no, I don't practice any combat sport; it's not allowed in the manor. But I know why I have this body. I spend my days in the manor's trees; it must be because of all that exercise. »
The whole room burst into laughter; even Professor Daniel joined in. The explanation seemed nonsensical to him.
« Hahaha, young man, you made me laugh so much! That's one of the best jokes I've been told! »
Martis, confused, replied:
« But it wasn't a joke. »
The professor was surprised that it wasn't a joke, but he kept smiling and continued.
« Oh, I see. But young man, I'd like to know something. Here, students from a family recognized for having magical powers are often excused from combat classes. Do you want the same for yourself? »
Martis thought internally for a moment. If he said yes, it would look like he was afraid of him, and he didn't want to be seen as a coward. This was the first time he had been challenged by someone. He didn't want to be taken for a wet hen.
« No, I've never fought before, but I'd like to learn. A man should know how to use his fists, shouldn't he? »
These words filled Daniel with joy. He touched Martis's shoulder, saying:
« Now that's a real man. You can go back to your place. »
Martis returned to his spot right next to Leolio. Leolio looked at him out of the corner of his eye and then whispered to him:
« Uh, dude, when you said you spent your time in the trees, that wasn't a joke? »
« It wasn't a joke, I was very serious, » Martis replied, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.
Leolio held back a laugh while saying:
« I'm not judging you. »
All the students sat on the floor, right after the professor spoke.
« Well, today is the first day of class. You'll notice that the professors will only give you small exercises, and I will do the same. Today, you will fight randomly, and one of the two selected people will choose the fighting style or the weapon to use. »
Near him, there was a machine with pieces of paper. He pressed the machine, and it dispensed two tickets with two names written on them.
Martis, out of curiosity, asked Leolio a question.
« Leolio, just out of curiosity, how many hours until the class ends? »
« Hmm, I don't think it's more than four hours. But don't worry, that's enough time for all of us to get a turn, » he replied after a few seconds of thought.
But Martis immediately became stressed and scared.
« Oh my God, I'll be forced to fight. I thought the class wouldn't last long. Now I'm screwed. »
The professor took the tickets and read the names.
The first people to fight will be:
Leolio of the fourth A and Bumara of the third B.
A young man with curly hair and a bodybuilder's physique stood up among the students. He walked toward the tatami and stood in the middle.
Leolio stood up in turn and went to face Bumara. Bumara looked at him and then said in a deep voice:
« Legend of the Golden Lion, it's a real joy to face you for a second time. »
Leolio looked at him and then said mockingly:
« Seriously, the more I see you, Bumara Batshi, the more I wonder if you're really fourteen years old. »
The professor came between the two and asked Bumara:
« Bumara, what style do you want to fight in? »
« A fight in the Ridurine style, » he replied.
The professor stepped back and then said:
« Don't forget that magic is forbidden during a Ridurine training fight. »
Then, in a loud voice, he yelled:
« Attack! »
As soon as the word was spoken, Bumara lunged like an arrow. His foot shot out toward Leolio's face, quick as lightning.
Leolio raised his left forearm and blocked the impact with a dry thud.
Without losing a second, he pivoted on himself and swept Bumara's legs with a clean movement.
Bumara staggered... but planted his hand on the ground and spun on it with the agility of a feline. Taking advantage of the momentum, he struck Leolio's ribs with his left fist.
Leolio bent over in pain, but a smile flashed across his face:
« Not bad, kid. But now... you've left yourself open. »
In an instant, his fist shot out like lightning.
A dazzling blow to the stomach.
Then an explosive spinning kick.
Bumara was thrown backward, sliding across the tatami. Just before crossing the line, he planted his foot on the ground, stopped his body dead... and sketched a predatory smile.
« Fantastic... » he murmured.
Then he set off again.
No... he charged.
Like a war chariot launched at full speed.
Each step made the ground vibrate.
Arriving in front of Leolio, he pulled his elbows back, his aura darkened, and he declared in a deep voice:
« RIDURINE — DEMON'S KATA, RAIKO'S APPLE! »
Leolio raised his guard, his two hands completely covering his face.
A fraction of a second later... hell broke loose on him.
Bumara unleashed a rain of blows.
Bursts.
Flashes.
Each impact cracked as if the air itself was exploding.
The students couldn't even follow his arms anymore.
But the incredible thing... was Leolio.
He slid, dodged, retreated, advanced, pivoted...
A deadly dance.
A professional boxer turned superhuman.
His movements were so fast that some students only saw a blur.
Martis felt a shiver run down his neck.
A strange sensation.
As if he had already seen this style... somewhere, in a dream.
Daniel, arms crossed, watched with a proud smile:
« There's nothing to say... These two are monsters. »
Then, in the middle of the storm of blows...
Pah!
Pah!
Pah!
Three clean impacts resonated throughout the room.
Bumara froze.
His eyes rolled back slightly.
He staggered.
Leolio immediately took advantage:
an elbow strike to the jaw,
then he grabbed Bumara's head and pulled it toward him to smash his face with a brutal knee.
Bumara stumbled, already almost unconscious.
Leolio leaped.
His elbow rose high in the air.
« Perciel! »
The blow fell like thunder on Bumara's neck.
The ground trembled.
Bumara collapsed, completely knocked out.
A silence... then the whole room exploded in applause.
Two students rushed to carry his body off the tatami.
Daniel sighed, an amused smile on his lips:
« Ouch... We're starting the class with a KO already? That promises something. »
Leolio returned to his place. Martis looked at him as if he were seeing an alien.
« Wait, can you explain? From what I saw, he didn't touch you once, and you didn't touch him either, so why did he start to stagger? »
Leolio explained what had happened.
« Oh, you didn't see anything. Wait, I'll tell you what happened. To start, out of his 247 blows, he hit me 9 times: 3 times on the rib cage and 6 times on the ribs. And to retaliate, I gave him three blows on three precise points of his jugular. »
Despite this explanation, it was still incredible to Martis. Leolio had managed to count all those blows at superhuman speed and had retaliated with the same intensity.
The professor restarted the machine, and two names came out.
« Well, here are the next names of the people to face each other: Martis of the fourth A and... »
The professor looked at the name of the other fighter and then murmured.
« Oh no, bad luck. »
Then he said the name of the second fighter with hesitation.
« Halnea of the third B. »
Hearing that name, Leolio's blood ran cold. He looked at Martis and said:
« Martis, give up. »