As usual, Peter was in his office, surrounded by piles of paperwork scattered all over his large desk. However, his attention wasn't on the paperwork at the moment. Instead, he was focused on the small laptop in front of him, which was displaying a live fight.
"The kid is quite the anomaly," Peter muttered to himself, watching closely. "For him to be able to use qi like that, even without becoming a level one Paragon, is out of the ordinary." He leaned back in his chair, thinking.
Turning his gaze to the person sitting beside him, Peter asked, "Do you think Stan is putting him through this training because he finally wants to make use of his skills?"
The person beside Peter was none other than Elder Rooney, the most laid-back member of their Faction. His main responsibility was maintaining the Pendragon book of knowledge and passing down the wisdom within. He wasn't as involved in the day-to-day operations, so he often had time to observe the others.
Rooney didn't respond immediately to Peter's question, taking a moment to think it over. "If Stan wanted to use Alex to restore his evolution path, Alex wouldn't be going through this kind of training," Elder Rooney said slowly. "He'd be in the medical department, honing his skills there. So, no, I don't think Stan has that in mind."
Rooney paused, considering another possibility. "But... there is another way. Maybe Stan wants Alex to teach him how to harness the energy, but we can't say for sure yet."
Peter nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "This peace energy… how strong can it be in a fight? I know its healing properties are impressive, but how could it help us in battle if Stan decides to learn it?"
Elder Rooney shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
---
Meanwhile, back in the arena, Alex had just barely managed to evade the two-headed dog's ferocious attack. His heart was racing as he landed on the ground, narrowly escaping the beast's claws. For a brief moment, he felt a sense of relief wash over him, but it didn't last long.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Alex realized he had just made a crucial mistake. By jumping down, he had created an opening for the beast. Now, with both of them on the same level, the creature would have an easier time attacking him.
Alex's eyes darted toward the two-headed dog. Its powerful legs tensed as it prepared to launch at him again. "Damn it... I've got to think fast," Alex muttered under his breath.
The beast charged at him, both heads snarling with hunger and fury.
Meanwhile, the two-headed beast had just leaped down from the net fence to the ground, shaking the earth beneath its heavy paws as it landed. It didn't immediately attack Alex. Instead, it began pacing in a slow, predatory circle around him, its sharp fangs bared and its two sets of eyes fixed on its prey.
Alex, feeling the weight of the situation, also moved cautiously, keeping his eyes locked on the beast, making sure never to turn his back on it. His heart raced as his mind worked rapidly to think of a way out of this deadly situation. Suddenly, with a fierce bark, the dog dashed toward Alex with shocking speed, closing the distance between them in a blink.
Luckily for Alex, he had been planning ahead. While the beast was circling him, trying to gauge the perfect moment to strike, Alex was preparing his own strategy. He had channeled all his qi into his legs, which made his movement incredibly fast, faster than the average human, though still not as quick as a Paragon.
As soon as the beast lunged, Alex dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the swipe of its razor-sharp claws. He felt the rush of air as the claws missed him by a hair's breadth. The beast didn't let up, though; it continued swiping at him relentlessly.
Each strike was fast and deadly, and Alex had to stay on his toes. With every swipe, he could feel the claws getting closer, the beast becoming more accurate. But something unusual was happening. As the attacks continued, Alex noticed that he was starting to adapt. Each dodge became smoother, more precise. It wasn't that he was getting faster, but his movements were becoming more refined, more efficient.
"This must be the effect of the peace energy," Alex thought as he avoided another swipe, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "But how long can I keep this up? I'm going to get tired eventually, and then this thing will get me."
Stan and the others who were watching from afar had also noticed the change in Alex's movements. Tharon, impressed, commented, "He's an anomaly."
But Stan remained silent, his eyes locked on the fight, analyzing every move Alex made.
Alex, still in the heat of battle, hadn't fully realized how much he was improving. He wasn't relieved by this small advantage. His mind was set on survival, and he knew he had to end this fight quickly. The constant barrage of attacks wasn't giving him enough time to execute any new plans, but he needed to come up with something fast.
Suddenly, the beast shifted its attack. With a powerful leap, it soared into the air, spreading its massive claws wide as it aimed to grab Alex from both sides in one swift motion. Alex's heart skipped a beat, but instead of panicking, he saw an opportunity.
As the beast came down, Alex quickly dove forward, rolling beneath it just as its claws slammed into the ground where he had been standing. Without wasting a second, Alex bolted toward the net fence again. But this time, instead of grabbing it with his hands, he took a different approach.
With his legs powered by qi, Alex jumped and started running along the side of the net fence, using the momentum to circle around the arena. He moved quickly, his feet barely touching the surface as he created distance between himself and the beast, all while keeping his eyes on his opponent.
The beast, momentarily disoriented from missing its target, let out a frustrated growl as it turned to track Alex's movements, but Alex was already in motion, formulating his next move.
The beast soon caught up, but with Alex running along the fence wall as if gravity didn't affect him, it found it hard to get a hold of him. Alex's plan seemed to be working perfectly.
'Now all I have to do is gather a lot of strength from this and see what I can do,' Alex thought, determined.
He started channeling the momentum of his run into his hands, focusing intensely. As he did this, he began moving his qi, guiding it into his arms. However, the qi in his legs started to shift too, slowing him down, and his grip on the wall weakened as a result.
Despite this, Alex had gained enough energy. Just before the last bit of qi left his legs, he leaped off the fence, launching himself directly toward the beast.
The sudden attack surprised everyone, including the beast. It hadn't expected Alex to turn aggressive so quickly.
Alex's fist connected with one of the beast's heads, delivering a powerful blow that flung it to the side with surprising force.
But that was all he had. The momentum was gone, and the force he had gathered only managed to throw the beast's head aside. He had nothing left to follow up with.
The other head barked furiously, while the one he struck slowly turned back toward him, its eyes filled with madness and rage.
'I'm dead,' Alex thought, panic rising in his chest.
In a flash, the beast swung its claws at him. The sharp claws struck Alex directly in the chest, sending him flying backward. With no qi left in his legs and being so close to the beast, there was no way Alex could avoid the strike.
His body was flung through the air, crashing into the fence behind him. The impact rattled his bones, and his world spun as he hit the ground.
'Damn it, that hurt more than that old man's slaps,' Alex groaned internally. He could taste something metallic in his mouth. Coughing it out, he realized it was blood.
Meanwhile, what Alex didn't realize was that surviving the beast's last attack was already a miracle. The fact that he could still move was almost impossible.
Unfortunately for him, the beast wasn't finished yet. It rushed toward Alex, who was now helpless with his back against the wall. One of its heads bit down hard on Alex's legs, while the other clamped onto his waist.
Alex immediately recognized this move. It was the same way they had taken down the Wendigo. The beast was preparing to tear him apart.
The two heads began pulling in opposite directions, and Alex could feel his bones starting to crack under the immense pressure. The pain was excruciating.
However, something unusual was happening. With every bit of pain he endured, Alex felt a surge of energy building within him. His trait had activated, and the more damage he took, the stronger he became.
Fueled by this sudden boost of energy, Alex raised his hand and slammed it onto the head of the beast. What he didn't expect was the sheer force behind his strike.
The beast let out a pained roar and immediately released him, both heads retreating. The second head, which seemed to share the pain, threw Alex to the side, flinging him across the room and sending him crashing into the net on the opposite end.
More pain coursed through Alex's body as he hit the ground hard, but this was exactly what he needed. The more pain he felt, the more his strength increased. Slowly, Alex tried to push himself up from the floor, his body trembling from the effort.
As he looked at his hands, he noticed something strange—they were shaking violently. But this wasn't normal shaking. His hands were moving so fast that he couldn't even see them clearly, only their blurry afterimages. He felt like he had seen something like this before.
The violent bark of the beast snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up just in time to see the creature charging at him again, its jaws wide open, ready to tear his head off.
But as the beast's heads reached him, something impossible happened. Their claws and teeth passed straight through Alex's body as if he wasn't even there.
It was as if Alex had become a ghost, untouchable, standing right in front of them.
"Impossible... That's the Phantom Body technique!" Gwen shouted in disbelief, standing up from her seat. Her voice echoed in the room. She wasn't the only one in shock—everyone watching Alex was stunned, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.
Back in Peter's office, he, too, was speechless, his mouth wide open in shock.
"Now you see how useful peace energy can be in a fight, if we learn how to control it," Elder Rooney said with a satisfied smile.