Chapter 106: Legs Up, Horns Out
After lunch, Jax pulled out the schedule Lysandra had given him.
'Practical Combat Class. Training Grounds.'
He frowned.
'Where the hell are the training grounds?'
After asking three different people for directions and getting lost twice—he finally arrived.
The training grounds were massive. An open arena surrounded by stone walls, with weapon racks lining the edges and dummies set up for target practice.
Students were already gathered, chatting among themselves.
And standing at the front, arms crossed, was a familiar face.
Zharina.
The dragonkin woman who he humiliated during the entrance test. Her crimson scales gleamed in the sunlight, and her golden eyes locked onto him the moment he appeared.
"You," she said flatly.
"Me," Jax replied with equal enthusiasm.
The students sensed the tension immediately. Whispers spread through the crowd.
Jax walked up to stand beside her, both of them facing the class.
"So," he said. "How are we doing this?"
Zharina didn't look at him. "We start with fundamentals. Analyze—"
"Boring."
Her eye twitched. "Excuse me?"
"I said boring." Jax turned to the students. "Here's what we're going to do. Everyone fights. All at once. A battlefield. Last one standing wins."
Murmurs of excitement rippled through the class.
Zharina stepped forward. "Absolutely not. That's chaos. We do structured 1v1 matchups. Proper technique. Controlled environment."
"Controlled is just another word for dull."
"Dull keeps them alive."
"Alive and useless."
They glared at each other.
The students watched like spectators at a tennis match.
Jax cracked his neck. "Fine. Let's settle this right now. You and me. Spar."
Zharina scoffed. "We can't fight each other in front of the students. That's unprofessional."
"Then let the students fight for us."
She paused.
Jax continued. "We each pick one student. They fight. Winner's teacher gets to run the class for the rest of the month. Loser backs off."
Zharina's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Fine. But let's make it interesting."
"I'm listening."
"If your student wins, I'll do whatever you ask." Her eyes burned with challenge. "But if mine wins, you become my punching bag for an entire day."
Jax stared at her.
Then he grinned.
"I've seen this one before. Classic setup." He tilted his head. "Don't tell me you're Zinnia hiding under that face."
Zharina blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Inside joke." He waved it off. "So I can ask anything, right?"
"Anything."
"Anything anything?"
"Are you deaf? Yes."
Jax began circling her slowly. His eyes traced her figure openly—shoulders, waist, hips, legs.
Zharina stiffened. "What are you doing?"
"Analyzing my prize."
Her face flushed. "You—"
"Question." He stopped behind her, leaning in slightly. "Do you have a tail? I can't see one."
She whipped around. "Are you stupid? Why would I have a tail?"
Jax pointed at the dragon-like scales on her palms. "You've got those. I'm just wondering if there are more in... hidden places."
The training grounds went dead silent.
Zharina's face turned crimson—from embarrassment or rage, probably both.
She kicked at his head with lightning speed.
Jax tilted his head casually. The kick sailed past his ear.
But he caught her ankle.
Her leg hung suspended in the air, resting on his shoulder.
Jax's eyes drifted down to her ass. He nodded appreciatively.
"I accept the bet—if you'll give me this pose in my bedroom."
SMACK.
Her other foot slammed into his chest, sending him stumbling back.
"Pervert!"
Jax laughed, rubbing his chest. "Where was I wrong."
The tension was thick enough to cut with a sword.
Zharina smoothed her uniform, still red-faced. "Choose your student."
Jax turned to the class.
Immediately, the nobles stepped back. Aeliana. Astrid. Even Seris retreated, giving him a cold look that said not a chance.
Astrid offered him a teasing smile and a little wave.
'Those bitches...'
He scanned the crowd, looking for anyone willing to fight for him.
Then a small voice spoke up.
"Professor... can I join your side?"
Jax turned.
A petite girl with massive breasts stepped forward shyly. Her red and yellow eyes avoided his gaze. Her hands fidgeted nervously.
Lilith.
'She looks like a scared rabbit. Weakness screaming from every pore.'
He glanced at Zharina. She'd already chosen her champion.
Draven.
The prince stood with his arms crossed, smirking triumphantly. His earlier humiliation clearly hadn't dampened his ego.
Jax looked back at Lilith. "Can you beat him?"
She hesitated. "I... I can try."
'Great. My only volunteer is a shy girl who "can try."'
But she was all he had.
"Alright." He pulled her aside. "Listen carefully. Draven relies on raw power. He'll come at you hard and fast. Don't try to match his strength—redirect it. Use his momentum against him. Watch his feet; his stance is weak. When he overcommits, strike. Got it?"
Lilith nodded, absorbing every word.
Jax kept glancing at Zharina and Draven while he spoke, mentally plotting their destruction.
'I'm going to crush that smug lizard through this girl.'
The two students took their positions in the center of the arena.
Whispers erupted among the watching students.
"Draven's got this easy."
"I don't know... Lilith's no joke."
"Ten silver on the prince."
"Twenty on Lilith. She's top seven in class."
Jax raised an eyebrow. 'Top seven?'
Zharina called out. "Begin!"
Draven moved first.
He thrust his palm forward, and a beam of fire erupted from his hand.
FWOOSH!
The flames roared across the arena like a hungry dragon.
Lilith dodged—barely. The heat singed her uniform as she rolled to the side.
'Fire magic. Of course the lizard breathes fire.'
But Lilith wasn't helpless.
She raised her hands, and green energy swirled around her fingers. It coalesced into a spinning disc that she hurled at Draven.
WHOOSH!
He sidestepped, but the disc carved a deep gash in the stone behind him.
Jax's eyes widened. 'What the hell? That wasn't weak at all.'
Draven snarled and launched another fire beam—bigger this time.
Lilith countered with a wall of green energy. The flames splashed against it, dispersing harmlessly.
She pushed forward, closing the distance.
Draven conjured a sword of pure fire and swung at her head.
CLANG!
Lilith blocked with a blade of green energy that materialized in her grip.
They clashed—once, twice, three times. Sparks flew. The ground cracked beneath their feet.
'She's not just good. She's fucking incredible.'
The students were going wild.
"Holy shit!"
"Look at her go!"
"Lilith! Lilith! Lilith!"
Even Zharina looked surprised.
Jax smirked. "That's my girl. Beat his Ass you got this."
But Draven wasn't finished.
His eyes blazed with fury. Scales erupted across his arms and neck. His muscles bulged as draconic power surged through him.
"Enough playing around!"
He unleashed a torrent of fire not a beam, but a wave. It consumed half the arena in seconds.
Lilith raised her barrier, but the force pushed her back. Her feet skidded across the stone. Cracks spread through her green shield.
'Shit. He's overpowering her.'
Draven pressed forward, hammering the barrier with blast after blast.
Lilith's arms trembled. Her shield flickered.
One more hit and she'd be done.
'Come on. Come on!'
Draven reared back for the finishing blow—
And Lilith's eyes changed.
The shyness vanished. The fear disappeared.
Something ancient and terrifying took its place.
A pulse of energy erupted from her body.
Purple.
Dark.
Overwhelming.
Draven was blasted backward, crashing into the arena wall.
The students gasped.
Jax stared.
A single horn emerged from Lilith's forehead.
It glowed purple, pulsing with demonic energy.
Her red and yellow eyes now blazed with violet fire.
The air around her crackled with power that made Jax's skin crawl.
'Wait...'
His jaw dropped.
'Is she... a demon?'
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