Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start-Chapter 280 - 281 - Alex vs. Anos 1.

The dust settled from the impact, but Alex was already standing, his body radiating an unsettling calm.

He cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the pain, and then exhaled. His blue eyes gleamed under the crimson glow of the palace's eerie lighting.

"That hurt," he admitted, but there was no frustration in his voice. Instead, there was something else—excitement.

He knew one thing from the last clash: in a matter of strength, he wouldn't lose to Anos.

What was left was magic, and after his training, he now felt more confident about that as well.

Anos, looking at his reaction, smirked. "Good. I'd be disappointed if it didn't."

Alex clenched his fists, the air around him shifting as he steadied himself. "Since you've been using your bloodline this whole time, I think it's only fair I do the same."

Alex knew that Anos had his bloodline activated, although partially. That was why he was even more confident.

Anos's smirk faltered slightly. He hadn't expected that. "Oh?"

Instantly, a surge of energy exploded from Alex as the air seemed to shimmer around him.

His entire form became translucent, like a celestial apparition, except for his piercing blue eyes, which burned with an ethereal glow. His body, though still physical, gave the illusion of being untouchable, as though he had transcended beyond normal existence.

Vanessa, watching from the sidelines, allowed a small, almost imperceptible smile to form on her lips. "There it is."

The black-grade physique. She hadn't seen him use it, but she always knew of its existence. Now, for the first time, she was able to witness it.

Alenia, on the other hand, swallowed hard. "He... he looks unreal."

Unlike Vanessa, she didn't know what grade Alex's physique was, but looking at him transform, she felt like it was the beginning of something grand.

Anos was the same, observing the surprisingly cool-looking transformation, his sharp crimson eyes narrowing as he took in the changes.

The aura Alex exuded now was different—not just stronger, but refined, as if his very being had harmonized with the surrounding mana.

He could feel it—elevated physical power, better mana control, heightened mana susceptibility... and something else. Something dangerous.

Alex took a step forward, and in that instant—

BOOM!

He vanished.

Anos barely had time to react before Alex appeared right before him, his fist already mid-swing.

BANG!

Anos's arm shot up, barely blocking the strike, but the force sent him skidding back. His feet dug into the stone floor, cracks forming beneath him.

His expression darkened—not with anger, but intrigue.

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'His strength in this form is somehow greater than mine. And that speed…!'

Alex didn't give him a chance to recover. He twisted, his leg lashing out in a powerful roundhouse kick.

Anos dodged—barely.

A shockwave blasted through the air as Alex's kick connected with empty space, its sheer force distorting the surroundings.

Anos paused time, jumping several meters back, his eyes narrowing. "Interesting."

He hadn't expected this. He was forced to use his time affinity, which he rarely used.

The main problem was that he knew even time affinity wouldn't be enough because Alex's eyes had never left him, even when the time was paused.

This somehow reminded him of how helpless Alex was when he met the guy on his birthday.

At that time, Anos had used the same move, freezing time. But Alex, unlike now, looked around like a headless chicken.

Now, it had changed.

'He can now feel the flow of time,' Anos concluded, surprised by Alex's growth speed.

Alex, on the other hand, straightened, his glowing gaze unwavering. "Still think this will be boring?"

Anos chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "You're better than I expected. I'll admit that."

Then his grin widened. "But if you think I was fighting seriously before…"

A pulse of malevolent energy erupted from Anos.

The shadows around him stretched unnaturally, and his body began to shift.

Black, jagged markings spread across his skin like veins of darkness, and his horns elongated, curving back in an imposing arc. His crimson eyes turned pitch-black with only glowing red irises remaining.

His presence alone became overwhelming, pressing down like an ocean of despair.

Alenia took a step back instinctively. "What… is that?"

It was the first time she had seen Anos's transformation, so being alarmed wasn't uncalled for.

Vanessa remained composed, but her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened ever so slightly. "His true demon form."

Anos spread his arms, his deep voice carrying a new, resonating power. "Now, let's see if you can still keep up, Alex."

The next second, he moved.

BOOM!

It was Alex's turn to be caught off guard. Anos appeared in front of him in an instant, his clawed hand slashing forward with terrifying force.

CLANG!

Alex barely managed to block with his sword, Verathian, but the impact sent him flying, crashing through several palace pillars before he caught himself mid-air.

'That's more like it.'

Alex smirked, wiping the blood from his lip as he adjusted his grip on Verathian.

His ethereal form flickered, the energy around him surging even more wildly.

"Alright," he muttered, shifting his stance. "Let's go all out, then."

It was true he was surprised by the last attack, but only because he wasn't focused. He was admiring how cool Anos's true form looked.

Now, however, he was going to fight properly.

Anos grinned, his claws gleaming with raw demonic energy. "Now we're talking."

With that, they clashed again, their battle shaking the very area, shattering the land below them.

It was a fight between two black-grades.

One was a black-grade bloodline, while the other was a physique.

For now, however, their battle was purely physical.

It was the first phase of the battle.

This phase would determine which among Anos's bloodline, known to be the best and the highest-grade bloodline ever seen in the Demon Empire, and Alex's unique physique had superior battle powers.

It wasn't a normal fight anymore. It was a fight that would determine whether the best genius of the past generation was better than the one of the current generation or vice versa.