Alex vs Jonathan (1) [Bonus chapter]

"What I mean by being interested in you is I'm interested in knowing what your goals are, and most of all, I'm interested in your strength and want to know how strong you currently are." Said Jonathan.

"My goals and current strength, huh ?"

"Yes"

"Well, you will know about my goals later today, as for how strong I am..." Alex grinned, "...you can find out by yourself right now"

"That was exactly what I had in mind," replied Jonathan, reciprocating the same grin as Alex.

Since all was said, the two men didn't waste time and both shot at each other with deadly speed.

A split second later, they stood face to face, each throwing a fist at the other.

Crack

The force behind their punches was so immense that the ground beneath them shattered, sending bits of rubble soaring into the air.

'Strong'

That was the evaluation of each man after this first collision.

Jonathan wasn't really shocked by feeling Alex's strength, he had already witnessed it when he fought, however the same couldn't be said for Alex, who was pretty shocked.

'I thought that beside me the strongest physically would be Zo, but it seems I was wrong, he is stronger than Zo - at least when he uses his longsword'

Alex doubted that Jonathan would be strong, but not this much.

'But, I'm still stronger than him, even though it's not by a wide margin' thought Alex as both of them took a step back before engaging again.

This time, Jonathan aimed a swift kick at Alex's head. However, Alex skillfully blocked it with his arm, then effortlessly countered with the same move in return.

Jonathan crouched and Alex's leg missed.

They both took a step back and reengaged, this pattern repeating, with neither capable of overwhelming the other. To novices, it might seem like they possessed equal strength, but only those unfamiliar with battle would think so, but for the battles forged experts...

"Alex has the upper hand" said Grace.

"Yes, it is shocking, but he surpasses Jonathan on all fronts, strength, speed and even...experience?" Analyzed Candace.

Alex surpassing Jonathan in strength and speed might be acceptable, however him surpassing Jonathan in battle experience was a shock.

'How could he have more experience than someone that passed more than three decades training and battling, while he just started training last year ?' this was the question in that was in the head of many of them.

'It's not surprising, if he could push Lilia to change her battle style, then I doubt Jonathan is his match in terms of battle experience' reasoned Ava as she watched Jonathan struggle to evade Alex's attacks with each passing second.

Very soon, it became apparent to everyone that Jonathan was actually losing the fight.

'Time to step it up,' thought Jonathan as he moved a few feet back from Alex, then assumed the horse stance.

Seeing this, Alex's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Jonathan was up to and wanted to charge at him to intervene, but it was too late.

Before he could react, Jonathan thrust his fist into the air. Alex suddenly felt a powerful impact crashing into his body, hurling him through the air until he crashed into the arena wall.

Boom

"Arg..."

Alex groaned from pain due to the collision of his body against the wall, however he quickly shut his mouth and rolled to his right when he sensed the same pressure as earlier coming toward him again.

Boom

'Phew, I may have-' before he could finish his train of thought, another attack at him, and he had to evade it again.

'Fuck, this thing is dangerous' cursed Alex as he ducked to evade another attack.

'Now I understand why people nicknamed the old man 'the crusher', his opponents might have been crushed using this technique'

Jonathan was currently employing a technique called the 'Lunar Fist,' created by Alex's father. This technique involves channeling mana to enhance the power of punches, making them several times stronger than regular ones. The punch projected is proportionally stronger based on the user's overall strength.

It might sound simple, but it's actually quite complicated because you need to circulate your mana in a specific way to achieve it.

Alex's father had forced him learn the mana pathway required for the technique activation, but Alex never attempted it. As a result, he only knew the theory, honestly of not because Jonathan had just used it, he might have never remembered this technique.

'Should I try it ?' wondered Alex, he couldn't deny the fact that keeping in place and sending punches at your opponent seemed cool.

'No scratch that, trying something like that in the midst of a fight would be stupid, I will try later'

Meanwhile, Jonathan had to cease sending punches Alex's way. Aside from the initial one, none had managed to land on Alex, even when Jonathan tried to predict his movements. It was better to stop since this technique is quite voracious in mana.

Instead, Jonathan created numerous fist-sized fireballs that he launched at Alex.

Although the fireballs were powerful, they lacked speed, so it was easy for Alex to dodge them. However, the situation changed when Jonathan used his wind manipulation to boost the fireballs.

Suddenly, the fireballs became much more powerful and faster. Despite this enhancement, Alex skillfully managed to evade them.

However, Jonathan anticipated this, which is why the moment Alex dodged the volley of fireballs, Jonathan emerged right in front of him, holding a small dagger in his hand.

Jonathan swung the dagger at Alex's throat, but it was blocked by a smoking pipe that suddenly appeared in Alex's hand.

Seizing the opportunity, Alex kicked Jonathan in the guts, sending him hurtling towards the arena wall. A second later, Jonathan crashed against it.

"Now we are even" said Alex as Jonathan emerged from the cloud of dust created by his collision with the wall while cursing.

"I've accurately gauged your strength, so it's time to finish this battle," declared Jonathan. Fire emerged at the soles of his feet, lifting him into the air, while a swirling and dangerous wind wrapped around his arms.

"I disagree about you having accurately gauged my strength, but I agree with you on the fact that it's time to end this fight" replied Alex.

After his reply, Alex took a puff on his pipe, exhaling a gray smoke that coiled around his arms, materializing into gauntlets that ended in sharp claws.

"Let's finish this"