𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎 | 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑

nine

"2997...2998..! 2999...! 3000..!" Asta grunted as he did push ups while in a handstand, a boulder balancing on his toes. He kicked it into the air before somersaulting onto his feet, the large rock landing with a thud behind him, the earth shaking from the impact.

Yve clapped, "Well done! You've made great improvements since we first started." She praised the boy, walking over to him. Over a month had passed since they'd arrived in the Heart Kingdom and Asta had progressed significantly in his training.

Yve was impressed to see how quickly he'd mastered the exercises she'd given him, and how much stronger he'd gotten in such a short span of time. On top of training with her, he worked with the spirit guardians to sharpen his battle sense.

She glanced at him sideways. 'Lets see if he's ready for this—!" yve thought slyly, and without warning, threw a punch into his stomach, he let out a small 'oof' as it met with a solid wall of muscle.

A wide grin spread across her face, "Asta, you magnificent bastard! Your reaction time is absolutely seamless. Ooh, and you even managed to maintain constant muscle fortification!" She piped enthusiastically, probing at other muscles noticing they had the same effect.

Asta laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, "Not too bad, huh?"

"This is a feat not many can say they've been able to achieve," Yve affirmed, slapping his back. "Guess that makes the two of us, now."

Asta's eyes turned to stars, "Really? So it's like a secret technique, that's totally awesome!"

She suddenly hit her fist against her palm, gaining the boy's attention. "Alright! Since your body has been conditioned, I've decided it's time to move onto hand-to-hand combat."

Asta tilted his head continuing to listen, "I realize you're primarily into swordplay, but you need to be prepared in the event your sword breaks or are somehow disarmed." She told him while holding up a finger.

"First off, let's get your stance down. Place your left foot in front of the other—good." She noted, watching as he followed her directions, "Next, extend one of your arms out in front of you, and keep the other tucked towards your body."

Yve scanned his form before giving a satisfied nod, "Your left arm will be used to attack, while your right will be used for defense. Try throwing a punch at me."

Asta watched carefully as she copied his stance, ensuring she was ready before throwing a straight punch which Yve blocked with her forearm, "Okay, your turn." She said, before assuming her original position.

Yve sent a fist towards Asta, which he was able to perfectly block. "Alright, I'm going to come at you with everything I've got. Right now, I want you to focus on evading my attacks." She instructed.

"Got it!" Asta nodded, raising his fists.

Yve began her assault with a rapid barrage of punches, Asta could feel his adrenaline kicking in, allowing him to bob weave, and parry. Noticing he was solely focused on avoiding her fists, Yve suddenly swung her leg in a scythe-like motion—catching him off guard.

Strands of white hair fluttered to the ground. The younger mage's eyes widened, sweat rolling down his temple from how narrowly she'd missed the top of his head when he ducked.

Without missing a beat, he jumped to his feet, retaking a defensive position. Yve raised her leg to the sky before bringing it downwards, Asta quickly moved to block with his forearms—which began to shake from the amount of force she was applying in their  battle for dominance. He gritted his teeth, had his muscles not been hardened, his bones would've snapped at any given moment.