Chapter 167: Lucas vs Zoey!

Beneath the brilliant sun, the stage was set for a one-on-one battle between two magjistars at the peak of their strengths in Zoey's front yard. Lucas Sinclair, his aura radiating with the intensity of his love magji, advanced steadily toward Zoey, who stood ready like a fighting machine. The tranquility of the day seemed almost at odds with the impending battle that hung in the air: gentle breezy wind and warm solar rays.

Lucas struck first, his mahna-charged fist lancing toward Zoey's face with the swiftness born of his uncontrollable hatred for her kind. Zoey's eyes narrowed, her instincts guiding her body into a seamless slip maneuver. The world around her seemed to slow as Lucas's fist grazed the tip of her nose. The breeze of its passage sent her dreadlocks flying in all sorts of directions. She flowed with the motion, her small frame slipping gracefully out of the strike's path but, at the same time, curving her fist to strike with just as much force as he sent toward her.

Undeterred, Lucas followed up with a low kick aimed at Zoey's legs. His foot arced toward her shins, seeking to unbalance her while double-arm blocking Zoey's fist. Zoey responded back by altering the direction of her counterpunch toward Lucas's thigh. The kick similarly switched directions and firmly kicked Zoey across the face.

Seizing the opportunity, Lucas pressed forward. He spun and landed another direct kick on Zoey's body. Kick after kick. It seemed like Lucas's strength was only growing. Zoey tried defending or avoiding his blows, but there was a substantial difference between the two.

Lucas's expression hardened, his love magji intensifying as his emotions surged. He lunged forward with a rapid series of kicks. His kicks were like a flurry of petals caught in a gust, a violent whirlwind. Zoey's Playful Boxing Style took over, her movements a mesmerizing blend of swaying, ducking, and calculated unusual counters. She avoided one kick to the side and slipped under another. The choreography of her defense was as seamless as a performance. Zoey was being pushed hard enough to bring her to her full strength.

Zoey saw an opening – a fractional flaw in Lucas's onslaught. She channeled her mahna, unleashing a series of quick, debilitating strikes. Her fists became a blur as she aimed for Lucas's knees, aiming to weaken his lower body—her punches thrown at unusual angles connected with deadly precision, delivering subtle yet strategic blows that promised cumulative pain.

Lucas staggered slightly, his defenses momentarily compromised. Yet, his love magji continued to surge in response, his determination unwavering. He lunged forward, his arms reaching out in an attempt to crush Zoey with his superior mahna. His fingers caught Zoey's wrist, his grasp firm and unyielding. But Zoey's grappling training kicked in. Her skill and power allowed her to pull the middle-aged man toward herself and capture his waist in a tight hug. As he repeatedly brought his fist down on top of her head, Zoey lifted him up off the ground and, in one swift and devastating moment, buried him head-first into the ground.

She leaped away, rubbing her aching head. Noting to herself that it was far safer doing a German Suplex from behind than from the front. The better option would've been crushing him with a bear hug till something snapped, or she could've blacked out from too many blows to the head. With Endurance backing her up, Zoey was confident she'd probably come out on top even if this asshole was stronger than her at full power.

Zoey watched as Lucas dug himself out of the hole she buried him in, with blood dripping down his face and flames spewing from his eyes. Now separated, both combatants assessed their options. Zoey's eyes gleamed with a mixture of respect and excitement. To think that he still wanted to keep going. At least he was serious about his daughter, even if he was a racist piece of shit.

She knew that to counter Lucas's love-fueled power. She needed to dig deeper into her own arsenal. With a subtle shift in the control of her mahna, she prepared to take this a bit more seriously. Although she wouldn't use Twisting Force, there were other non-lethal options she could to rely on.

Lucas's eyes bore a mixture of rage and frustration. His love for his daughter fueled his every move, but he sensed the depths of Zoey's power. That troublemaker was a decent teacher when he tried. With a resolute exhale, he focused his love magji, his aura intensifying to a blinding hue. His next move was charged with raw intent. His Heart Breaker carried the weight of his emotions.

Zoey's instincts guided her to respond with a display of sheer speed. She unleashed a move from her core fighting style Boxing Series: Infinite Fist, her fists becoming a barrage of blinding afterimages. Lucas's Heart Breaker met her onslaught, a collision of mahna that sent shockwaves all around them. The impact rocked the ground beneath them, each fighter momentarily locked in a battle of titanic force. Zoey's infinitely adding more and more punches to Lucas's singular but overwhelming powerful knee strike headed toward her chest.

Punch after punch was being eaten and devoured by Lucas's attack. Zoey was losing! Haha! She was actually losing in a close combat fight with a magjistar! A single magjistar as well! She didn't think anyone other than Victor would be able to do something like this. Although this guy was a racist piece of shit, Zoey could spare some respect for him as a decent fighter.

Just like she said before, it was time to take things up a notch. As Zoey was quickly being overwhelmed, she slowly transitioned into using one of her magji techniques: Mahna Gathering Bomb! Each time her fist made contact with Lucas's knee, a small portion of his mahna would be stolen, and, as a result, his attack was weakened. The stolen mahna was being gathered in the air above them as they continued their clash against one another.

Lucas gritted his teeth in anger as he broke off the clash and made some distance from Zoey. His chest heaved up and down as he used this opportunity to catch his breath. The two combatants found themselves locked in a brief, tense standoff. The magji barrier shimmered around them, the grass beneath their feet bearing witness to their struggle. Lucas's breathing was ragged, his aura wavering as the strain of his emotional power took its toll. Zoey's stance remained just as steady as it was at the beginning of the fight, her eyes flashing with a mixture of joy and eagerness. Although, she was far more wounded than Lucas was because she started this fight with a handicap.

In that small moment where they locked eyes, the rhythm of their battle ebbed, and it seemed like tensions were beginning to fall. The sun cast a warm glow over the yard. With a guttural growl of frustration, Lucas took a step back, allowing his love magji to subside. Zoey was confused but lowered her fists, her excitement lowering immensely.

Their battle, a clash of strategy, emotion, and strength, had etched itself into the very fabric of their surroundings. The magji barrier, once pulsating with their force, now hummed with a sense of quiet fulfillment. As the breeze stirred the grass and the world settled into a calm stillness. The fight was over.

"Victor Khan left a real disgusting monster behind as his legacy…" Lucas Sinclair grumbled as he realized that going all out to defeat this girl was more trouble than it was worth.

"I do my best." Inner Zoey grinned at the compliment.

"I will never accept that gully brother of yours in my noble family. That tainted abomination in my daughter's stomach will never see the light of day if I have anything to do about it. Consider this farewell, Zoey Winters." Lucas turned to leave.

Only to realize Zoey Winters was standing in front of him with a strangely different appearance. As if summoned by her indomitable will, a brilliant radiance ignited at the center of Zoey's forehead. A vivid light, akin to a starburst in the midst of a cosmic night, radiated outward with an intensity that seemed almost otherworldly. The force of this luminescence thrust Zoey's head backward, her entire form enveloped in an ethereal glow that cascaded across her body like liquid fire.

Yet, even as her head was thrown back, Zoey's legs remained rooted to the earth, the very ground bearing witness to the might she was about to unleash. Her muscles, once compact and unassuming, began to bulge subtly, their contours defined by a newfound vigor. Veins, once hidden beneath her skin, surfaced in a complex network of pulsating energy, each thread a conduit for the overwhelming power that surged within her.

Her hair, seemingly imbued with life of its own, ascended to the sky as if lifted by an invisible force. These once-tamed locks became a visual representation of the storm within her, a tempest of energy seeking its release. A transformation beyond the physical ensued. The very laws of gravity seemed to lose their grip on Zoey's hair, causing it to rise in defiance as if caught in a perpetual updraft. Her skin, once a canvas of unassuming brown, now bore the signs of her metamorphosis – a ruddy hue that whispered of the tremendous energy coursing through her.

Her pupils, once windows to her soul, disappeared in a sea of blank whiteness. The void in her eyes was a testament to the magnitude of the power she had harnessed, the conscious sacrifice of her normal sight in exchange for the blaze of otherworldly might. In this climactic moment, Zoey's transformation stood as a symbol of her anger and rage at the magji community. It was as if the very fabric of reality had bent to accommodate her, her body and magji intertwining in a symphony of overwhelming force. The air crackled with terrifying energy. This was Overdraft!

Zoey gently placed her palm on Lucas's shoulder. Lucas cried out in agony as his shoulder instantly popped out of place, and his legs were straining to stay rooted to the ground from Zoey's unstoppable power. She looked into his eyes, no longer smiling after hearing his disgusting words. "You're going to leave my niece or nephew alone. If I hear of anything happening to that innocent baby, there will be no more Sinclair Family. Do you remember the Hanma Clan? The Sinclair Family will be just like them. Forgotten and destroyed. Although, your daughter and the 'abomination' in her stomach will be the only evidence of the Sinclair Family. My brother will be able to see his future wife and kid whenever he wants. And if anything happens to him, the Sinclair Family will be destroyed. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Sinclair?" Zoey asked.

In the middle of this polite request, Lucas Sinclair was being pressed further and further into the ground as the bones inside his body were being crushed. He screamed, shouted, and yelled while unleashing all of his power, but it was useless to resist. Lucas didn't feel an ounce of love flowing through his heart but a heart-stilling terrifying fear. Overdraft was a technique that every magjistar worth their salt knew about. But the consequences of utilizing such a technique were too much for the sane magjistar even to consider learning. No one with even a modicum of brain cells would rely on this technique. Not even the bottom-of-the-barrel magjistars who survive case by case.

"I asked you a question." Zoey's pupil-less eyes bored into the man.

"I-I-I understand!" This was the true face behind Victor Kahn's legacy…

A freak of nature that could even overwhelm a peak A-grade magjistar like himself… She tossed him toward the barrier after hearing his words. "Go. My only advice to you is to try and become a better person if you want the Sinclair Family to survive this era." Lucas didn't turn back as he hobbled his way through the barrier and on the way home.

Zoey sighed as she turned to go back into the house. Now she had to have a talk with her brother and parents about him becoming a daddy at the age of fucking thirteen. Maybe she should take birth control and carry around condoms with her when she gets to college… Although Zoey could afford to raise and take care of a child, she refused to have any children until she was in her thirties, at the very least. The further she was away from her mother's age when she had her, the better.

'We'll also need to teach our nephew or niece about sex education during their teens so they don't turn out like their parents.' Inner Zoey added.

'True. Momma never had a sex talk with Everett or me. It's no surprise things turned out this way. If I weren't a fucking loser, I'd probably be pregnant by now, too, with how little I knew about sex from our schools and parents.' Zoey agreed as she closed the door behind her and relocked her magji gates.