Unmade Chapter 38: Chapter 38: eerie energy

Read chapter 38 of Unmade by churro on NovelPedia.

Caesar stood on the soft sand, straightening his posture as he wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth and flicked it aside. Then he tightened his stance, something reminiscent of a boxer’s posture, yet far more fluid. His feet dug lightly into the ground, and his shoulders rolled with relaxed readiness. He looked nothing like a traditional fighter; his body held a flexibility that made his movements unpredictable, almost serpentine. On the opposite side, Vale lowered his frame slowly, his gaze locked on Caesar with intense focus. His stance was… strange, Unique. Untaught by any school or martial tradition. His left leg hovered just above the sand, his right arm curved upward like the talon of a beast, and his left arm relaxed behind his back as if waiting for a moment to strike. 'He looks knowledgeable,' Vale thought. 'But his posture doesn’t match his body.' Caesar must have sensed the boy examining him, because he gave a faint, gentle smile. “Hey, just so you know, I can’t go easy on you,” he said awkwardly. “If I do, it’ll mess up the whole test. So, uh… no hard feelings, alright?” Vale raised a brow. Then after a brief pause, he nodded. “Yeah, Same here.” Those were their last words before the fight truly began. Caesar moved first. He launched forward with incredible speed, easily matching a top athlete, maybe surpassing one. Sand kicked up in a spray behind him. He dipped low, closing the distance in a heartbeat, then shot upward with a heavy uppercut. Vale’s eyes sharpened. He had read the movement and slipped aside with ease. 'I should observe his patterns first,' Vale thought. Caesar corrected instantly, shifting weight and throwing a swift series of jabs, each one packed with more intent than the last. Vale dodged them too, ducking, weaving, sliding away as both fighters struggled for stable footing in the loose sand. Their steps sank and shifted with each movement, the terrain becoming an invisible challenger of its own. On the sidelines, Rose watched with shining eyes, Ember perched atop her head with a wagging tail. Evelyn rolled her eyes, muttering something about Caesar showing off. Tharion stood still, hand on his chin, observing every movement like a scholar dissecting a rare phenomenon. Even Levianthe looked subtly engaged, her presence heavy but calm. Then Caesar shifted. It happened subtly at first, a change in his stance, a lowering of his shoulder. But Vale felt it like a pulse: Caesar’s energy condensed, sharpened, aligning with a singular deadly intent. Vale’s heart skipped. Caesar’s grin widened dark and excited, a fighter finally getting serious. He vanished. Not literally, but his speed leaped beyond what he had shown before. Sand exploded behind him as he tore forward, appearing in front of Vale in less than an instant. Vale barely managed to tilt his head aside, a jab slicing past his cheek. Even without touching him, the force cut skin. A thin line of blood trickled down Vale’s face. 'That blow… it hurt without landing,' Vale realized, eyes widening. Before he could fully recover, Caesar’s leg whipped around. A kick. Fast, too fast. 'Not good.' Vale raised a leg to soften the impact, but even then, the kick slammed into him like a hammer. Pain shot through his body, the world spinning as he tumbled backward through the sand. He ground his foot into the ground and skidded to a stop, breath sharp, chest burning. Caesar was already coming for him again, faster this time, the sand erupting with each of his steps. 'I can’t just keep dodging…' Vale thought. 'If I don’t fight back, I’ll get seriously hurt, Or worse.'' The crowd murmured with excitement; even Evelyn’s annoyance shifted into curiosity. Vale exhaled once, long and steady. His expression hardened. He made his decision. Caesar closed the distance, preparing a devastating punch, a strike powerful enough to incapacitate any normal opponent. Vale, however… did not move. He stood perfectly still. “Kid?!” Caesar managed before committi