Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start-Chapter 277 - 278 - Alex vs. Vanessa.

Alex had told them all that it was possible to move this castle along with the ruined city surrounding it.

They didn't believe it, but Alex explained how it would be possible and what items were required.

Surprisingly, Beatrice had one of those items—the most important item—so without further discussion, Beatrice, who blamed herself for the situation, set out to gather all the required materials, including the ones she had.

They had decided to make this place their home base if it could be moved. If they stayed here, and the place could move, then finding them was impossible.

To them, the academy wasn't safe anymore.

One attack had already taken place, and it was only thanks to Alex that Zahara and Mira were still alive. So, although Alex knew that the academy would protect him no matter what, he didn't consider it safe.

This castle was the only place he considered safe.

Right now, however, Alex didn't have time to think about the castle and its mobility.

He took a deep breath, his grip tightening on Verathian as he faced Vanessa across the vast, empty training hall. The air was thick with tension, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

Zahara, Mira, and Alenia stood at the sidelines, their gazes fixed on the duel about to unfold.

"You're not ready," Vanessa stated flatly, her cold eyes unwavering. "Not for what's coming."

Alex smirked. "That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Without another word, Vanessa lifted a hand.

Ice crackled to life around her fingers, the temperature in the hall plummeting instantly. Alex's breath misted in the air, but he didn't let it distract him. He surged forward, sword raised.

FWOOOSH!

A fireball erupted from his palm, streaking toward Vanessa. She didn't move. The moment the flames got close, a wall of ice materialized between them, absorbing the heat before shattering into crystalline shards.

Before Alex could react, a spear of ice shot toward him.

CRACK!

He twisted to the side, but it grazed his shoulder, leaving a chilling burn. Gritting his teeth, he retaliated.

THRUM!

A wind slash tore through the air, but Vanessa countered with another ice barrier.

He followed up instantly, casting a water cannon to break through.

It struck, sending frozen mist outward, but before he could press forward, a field of frost spread beneath him.

His feet nearly locked in place.

Temporal Acceleration!

The world slowed around him as he forced himself to move, dodging just as ice spikes erupted where he had stood.

He countered with Mana Discharge, sending a wave of energy surging through Verathian.

BOOM!

The sword hummed, unleashing a devastating force. But Vanessa merely lifted a hand, dispersing the energy with a thin layer of frost.

Before Alex could recover, she flicked her wrist, sending a hail of icicles raining down upon him.

Flashbang!

A burst of blinding light filled the space, forcing Vanessa to momentarily shield her eyes.

Taking advantage of the moment, Alex activated Space Shift along with weightlessness and temporal acceleration, increasing his speed to a point that it looked like he teleported behind Vanessa.

"Got you—!"

Before his blade could strike, a wall of ice erupted, forcing him back. He cursed, using Vein Slash to propel himself into the air, flipping midair to avoid another frost spike.

CRASH!

He landed, exhaling sharply. Vanessa was still calm, still unreadable.

"You have power," she said coolly, "but you're using them like blunt weapons."

Alex frowned, charging forward again. Thunderbolt crackled in his hands, arcing toward Vanessa in a flash of energy.

But just as before, ice neutralized it instantly.

He followed up with Gravity Multiplier, making her movements heavier—

—or so he thought.

Vanessa's ice shimmered, compensating for the shift in gravity. She moved like she wasn't affected at all.

Although gravity made her slow, she was never moving. The thing that moved was her magic, which couldn't be slowed by gravity.

"You're missing the point," she continued, dodging his next attack effortlessly. "You rely on your abilities, but you don't understand them. You treat them as separate tools instead of an extension of yourself."

Alex's frown deepened. "What does that even mean?"

CRACK!

A thick glacier shot up from beneath him, knocking him off balance.

He tried to regain his footing with Weightlessness, but the ice adapted, shifting under him so he slipped.

Before he could recover, ice wrapped around his limbs, locking him in place. Vanessa walked up to him, her expression impassive.

"It means," she said quietly, "that even with all these abilities, you're still predictable. Until you learn to weave them together—to move with them, not just use them—you'll always lose."

The ice shattered, dropping him unceremoniously onto the cold ground. He stared up at the ceiling, his breath heavy, frustration boiling in his veins.

He had used everything.

Yet he had still lost.

He had considered it, thinking that he might lose, but there was some hope that maybe he could win.

After all, they were fighting with Vanessa's strength restricted to the same level as his.

It was true that Vanessa's ice was boosted by the stars she had imbued her ice into, but that didn't mean anything when they weren't even using their full power.

Yet, even with thirteen elemental affinities and different types of abilities, he still lost.

Worst of all, he couldn't even land a hit on Vanessa.

He was sure the next fight with her would be different as he understood her fighting style, but that wouldn't mean anything.

The enemies he would face would all be new to him.

He can't ask them to take it easy on him like Vanessa did.

Zahara and Mira exchanged glances, concern evident in their eyes. Alenia, staring at all this, merely nodded, as if she had expected this outcome. Her eyes, however, glanced at Vanessa with some concern as she could see things others couldn't.

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Vanessa had her fists clenched, trying to stop her body from trembling as she stared at Alex lying on the ground.

It wasn't that Alex's attacks didn't reach her...

They did, but Vanessa was using an ice shield, one of her life-saving skills to shield her body.

It was an ability with a drawback, yet she had to use it because Alex had pushed her to that point. She wanted to show Alex that he still wasn't strong enough by not letting him harm even the hem of her dress, but she realized he wasn't as weak as she had thought.

'He truly is a monster...' Vanessa breathed, wondering how strong he would be when he started seeing the world from his true eyes like she does.

Without another word, she turned away. "That's enough for today. Think about what I said."

Moving out of the hall, heading toward one of the empty rooms in the castle, she added, "If you want to survive what's coming, you need more than just raw power."

Alex closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. He knew she was right.

He had many things to do and many people to face, and for that, he needed strength.

But just as he thought about strong enemies, the demon lord's face flashed before his eyes.

'Ah, damn...' He slapped his head as he realized he had forgotten about his deal with the demon lord.