The Superior Rebirth: A Hero's Awakening

A Fierce Student Battle III

As Prince Magnus rose to his feet after being thrown aside by Xavier, the latter appeared before him in an instant, his fist hurtling toward Magnus's face.

But then—everything slowed. It was as if time itself had lost meaning.

Moving effortlessly, Magnus sidestepped Xavier's punch, a smug grin forming on his lips. "Too slow," he chuckled, watching Xavier's attack miss by a mile in his eyes.

In this altered flow of time, Magnus was the only one unfazed, moving at his normal speed while everything else lagged behind. He retaliated with a devastating punch to Xavier's face, launching him backward just as time snapped back to its regular rhythm.

Xavier crashed into the ground, dazed. "What the hell just hit me?" he muttered, shaking off the impact.

Magnus arrogantly dusted off his knuckles. "I just punched you," he said nonchalantly. "You were just too slow to see it."

Xavier gritted his teeth, recalling what Princess Misaki had told him about the Imperial House of Flashstride—how their bloodline was blessed with godlike speed, allowing them to move faster than light itself.

Before Xavier could fully rise, Magnus struck again—this time with a flurry of blows too fast for the eye to follow. The relentless barrage pummeled Xavier from all sides, leaving him struggling to react, let alone defend himself.

"What's the matter, Xavier?" Magnus taunted between strikes. "Can't keep up?"

Xavier grunted, enduring the brutal assault. Finally, he activated his vector shield, creating an invisible force that propelled Magnus backward, forcing a pause in the relentless attack.

As he caught his breath, Magnus sneered. "You're pathetic compared to your brother and sister. A mere speck of dust in their shadow."

Xavier's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching.

Magnus, sensing an opening, smirked and pushed further. "Honestly, you don't even look like them. Not even like your father." He tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "Maybe you're adopted. Or worse—an illegitimate child your mother abandoned."

That was the final straw.

With fury blazing in his eyes, Xavier lunged at Magnus, their fists colliding in an explosion of force that shook the earth beneath them. Trees were ripped from their roots, the very air trembling from their clash.

Xavier pressed forward, throwing a rapid series of strikes, but Magnus weaved through them effortlessly. With a smirk, Magnus countered—a brutal punch connecting with Xavier's face, sending him staggering.

"Too slow," Magnus whispered before kicking Xavier's leg with pinpoint precision. A sickening crack echoed as pain shot through Xavier's limb.

A follow-up kick to the head sent him flying once more.

Xavier groaned, barely managing to push himself up. His leg throbbed, barely able to hold his weight. Magnus stood over him, shaking his head in disappointment. "I expected a challenge. But maybe I was asking too much."

Then, without warning, Xavier scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it at Magnus's face.

"ARGH!" Magnus recoiled, his eyes burning from the unexpected attack.

Seizing the moment, Xavier reinforced his fist with his vector shield and delivered a bone-crushing punch to Magnus's jaw, dislocating it and sending him soaring backward.

Magnus clutched his face, his fury palpable as he glared at Xavier.

Xavier took a deep breath, smirking. "You look like an old man missing his dentures."