Although Kai was still unable to match Reinhart's raw strength, his speed had already surpassed that of the King of Hell.

  However in order to achieve this, Kai had no choice but to go a bit above his limits, using his ability to a high extent.

  Any further usage would place him at a disadvantage. This was now simply a battle of pure stamina, skill and will, with no room for error.

  Reinhart and Kai clashed with ferocious intensity, each blow creating a loud thud and a shower of sparks. They moved like beams of light, weaving in and out of each other's range, deflecting, parrying, and counterattacking with precision.

  It was like the battle had started all over again.

  Lian and Layla, who were watching from a safe distance, could now barely keep up with their movements. The other students could only see flashes of light and hear the sounds of impact.

  While Kai had a fighting style which was akin to that of a street brawler, Reinhart was more of a polished sword.

  He aimed his palm at Kai's chest and threw it with full force. His ability was basic, but his utilization was the opposite.

  His fighting style was that which aimed directly at wrecking damage in the opponents body even while barely leaving scratches on the outside.

  In addition to this, rather than using explosive attacks, he compressed the heat of his flames into his palms adding more damage to his attacks.

  This was the main reason why Kai had increased his speed to surpass Reinhart's.

  He saw Reinhart's fist moving at a snail's pace, and he saw an opening. He shifted his body to the side and avoided the strike.

  He reached for Reinhart's arm and grabbed it with his left hand. With a swift motion, he delivered a punch to his jaw.

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  Reinhart's vision blurred as he staggered backwards. and his hearing rang.

  "What a troublesome ability," he sighed.

  "I could say the same for your fighting style." Kai smiled while gasping for air.

  He laughed, "That punch was supposed to knock you out, but you're still standing."

  "But I like that..." Kai said, his voice sounding more sinister. "Struggle with all you have, it'll make the despair sink in more when I kill you."

  At this point, Reinhart finally asked. "Have we met before?"

  "Huh?" Kai looked at Reinhart as if the question he asked was absurd. "Have we met before?"

  "Have we fucking met before?!" Kai's expression suddenly tightened, his voice rising.

  "Oh Reinhart..." He laughed, "I'm not sure killing you would be enough to satisfy me."

  Reinhart was taken aback by this response. Kai's answer wasn't fit for his question but rather it seemed like he had gotten more annoyed.

  He now knew there was no room for dialogue.

  "What an ordeal..." He sighed, shaking his head.

  Both fighters walked slowly towards each other. Kai's hand began to glow with a dark purple light as he got closer to Reinhart. Dark lines like veins spread from his hand and extended halfway up his arm.

  Levi stared at Kai, puzzled by the sudden change in his arms. It didn't looked like he was just wrapping his arm with his aura. "What's that?"

  "He's using another ability," Lian whispered, her eyes widening.

  It was impossible, but the moment she saw it, she could tell.

  Layla looked at Lian and then back at Kai. She sighed heavily, "What the hell is this guy?"

  "Another ability?!" Kyle and Violet turned to Lian.

  "Someone has to help him!" Levi exclaimed. "It's obvious he's exhausted. If this continues—"

  "Going out there now would only hold him back." Layla cut him off.

  "How can you say that when you know he's only minutes away from falling?!" Levi yelled at Layla.

  His friends were shocked. He was currently yelling at Layla without a care. But at the same time they understood his point.

  "How can I say that?" Layla folded her arms, exhaling heavily. "It's simple... I have faith. We all do..."

  “Because stronger than any flame he wields, is Reinhart’s will to protect."

  Having a single mana core meant having a single ability. The soul acted as a container for the mana core of a mage.

  A person's soul could normally only contain one mana core. Adding another would cause the soul to expand, and ultimately tear the mage's spiritual body apart.

  This made it impossible for a mage to have more than one mana core.

  In a world of fantasy where many of the impossibles were possible, among other impossibilities, Kai existed as an Impossibility that surpassed them all.

  His original ability gave him the power to steal the abilities of other mages. This made him able to have more than one ability.

  In his current battle with Reinhart, Kai had already shown one ability, Chrono Velocity, which allowed him to manipulate time on a localized range. In addition to this, he was now using another ability.

  Necrosis.

  His second ability altered the nature of the mana in his arms, making whatever they touched slowly decay until it turned to dust. Using Necrosis along with Chrono Velocity put a heavy strain on Kai's stamina.

  They all knew that he was using another ability, but they didn't know what it could do. A tiny piece of Kai's torn clothing touched his arm and instantly turned to dust.

  No one seemed to notice this, as they were mostly focused on Layla but Lian did.

  She panicked and yelled immediately, "Reinhart! don't let him touch you!"

  But it was already too late.