The single exchange between Ethan and Henry proved the difference in strength between them.
At least, that was what people thought on the surface.
Laymen only saw Ethan getting pushed back, but warriors like Nicole saw something different.
‘Things are about to get a little bit serious,’ Nicole mused. ‘Now, now, Ethan. Show me what you are really capable of doing.’
The pitchfork in Ethan’s hand shrank and returned to its original state, which was a Moulding Ball.
Henry didn’t attack and simply waited for Ethan to finish whatever he planned to do. Similar to Nicole, he wanted to know just how strong Ethan had become after returning from his adventure in the past.
“Henry, do you know how to swim?” Ethan asked as the trident emblem on his left hand glowed faintly.
The Sea God’s Trident then appeared in Ethan’s hands and extended until it was as long as a spear. Ethan’s body glowed faintly as the power of the spell, Magna Amplifico, boosted his body’s overall strength.
“A little,” Henry replied. “Why?”
“Just asking.” Ethan smiled as he took a fighting stance. “Shall we?”
“Of course.” Henry smirked as he held the silver dagger in his hand.
The two stared at each other for nearly half a minute before shooting out at the same time.
The floor of the training ground cracked as the two clashed against each other.
The Head Prefect was no longer holding a silver dagger in his hand and attacked Ethan with a silver sword. He thought that this was enough to end the battle, but to his surprise, Ethan was unmoved by his sword strike.
“Are you sure you’re still human?” Henry asked in a teasing tone. “It is nearly impossible for an ordinary human to withstand a blow from me, even if I’m only using a third of my strength.”
“Last time I checked, I still am,” Ethan replied. “How about you, Head Prefect? Are you still human?”
“Nice joke, Ethan.”
“I know, right?”
The two were smiling at each other, but behind this smile, both of them were genuinely surprised by their discovery.
‘The Head Prefect is a Halfblood.’
‘Ethan is a Halfblood.’
These were the thoughts that appeared inside their heads after they both realized that they were not able to overpower each other with the current strength that they were using.
The two exchanged blows repeatedly as sparks flew in all directions every time their weapons clashed.
New cracks kept on forming in the floor, but the magical enchantment of the Training Ground fixed these deformities within seconds.
After ten minutes, both combatants backed away, and Henry looked at Ethan with satisfaction.
“Looks like the Nightfall Academy is in for a surprise,” Henry stated. “Okay, let’s stop here. I can’t win against you using only a third of my strength.”
“Good,” Ethan said as he opened and closed his right hand. “My hands are already numb.”
Henry chuckled as he walked towards Ethan and patted his shoulder.
“You won’t win against me in a battle of raw strength,” Henry whispered. “But if you use magic, you might just win.”
Ethan didn’t say anything and simply smiled at the Head Prefect of Dud Manor.
Deep inside, he was wondering who would win between the two of them if they fought with their lives on the line.
Sebastian, who was communicating with the young man through their connection, had told him a startling fact about Henry.
“He has a Giant’s Bloodline. That’s why he has superhuman strength.”
That was what Sebastian had told him, and it made Ethan realize that if Henry could use magic, he would be nearly unbeatable.
Not only was the Head Prefect almost immune to magic, but he also had superhuman strength.
This deadly combination was what gave him the title of Mage Slayer, as he was the bane of all Wizards and Witches. 𝒐𝒱𝓁xt.𝑐𝞸𝓂
But Ethan had a feeling that if they really fought for real, the chance of him beating Henry was fifty-fifty.
But this was only his assumption.
Henry didn’t use his full strength against him, while Ethan didn’t use his full powers against the Head Prefect.
In short, both of them were still holding back.
There was a possibility that if they truly unleashed their true potential, the entirety of Dud Manor would be destroyed.
‘I guess both of us are no longer ordinary Humans,’ Ethan thought.
Just as he was about to walk towards Chloe and Luna, he suddenly felt something hot start to spread throughout his body.
‘I overdid it.’ Ethan sighed. ‘This is bad.’
During his battle with Henry, Ethan subconsciously tapped into the power of the Tide Bringer’s Legacy.
Although he didn’t use magic, the deity’s blood inside his body would show its effects whenever Ethan needed its power.
To put matters into perspective, Ethan’s current strength was similar to getting the buff of Magna Amplifico twice.
This performance-boosting spell couldn’t be stacked, but in Ethan’s case, it was possible.
This was his default strength when the power of the Tide Bringer activated automatically, making him stronger than an ordinary human.
But this influx of power had a side effect.
Although this side effect wasn’t life-threatening, it was still somewhat uncomfortable for Ethan.
Since his body didn’t have any magical powers at the moment, he was feeling a bit lethargic.
This state would last for half an hour or until he had kissed a Witch or any Demi-Human Creatures with magical powers.
Of course, there was an alternative quick fix to this problem.
Ethan took the magical bracelet from his storage ring, which served as his magical battery.
After putting on the artifact, the heaviness in his body disappeared, and he could move easily like before.
As long as Ethan had magic power in his body, he wouldn’t encounter any side effects.
This was why he would only activate this deity-like power of the Tide Bringer after kissing Lily or when the magical battery he had was fully charged.
Henry, who had left the Training Ground, returned with a mischievous smile on his face.
“Ethan, you have a guest,” Henry said. “Don’t worry. As the Head Prefect of the Manor, I have given her permission to freely enter this place.”
The handsome young man grinned as his gaze landed on the cutest First Year in the academy.
“Hello everyone,” Lily said. “Can I borrow Ethan for a bit? There is something I need to tell him in private.”
Chloe and Luna looked at Lily with complicated looks on their faces. After learning the full story of what happened to her and Ethan in the past, both girls couldn’t help but feel envious of the time they had spent together.
Even so, they had already accepted that Lily was one of Ethan’s lovers now.
The two young ladies also wanted a chance to talk to Lily about things regarding Ethan. Fortunately, she had come to Dud Manor on her own, saving them time to find ways to contact her. Once she was done conversing with Ethan, they planned to have a proper talk with her.
“Understood,” Ethan replied. “Let’s go to my room.”
Lily nodded before giving Chloe and Luna a wink as she exited the Training Ground with Ethan.
The two of them hadn’t talked for the past few days, and frankly, the cutest girl in the academy was missing her “husband” and wanted to spend some time alone with him.