The room cleared in seconds.

Furniture vanished into hidden storage compartments. The floor expanded, revealing a massive arena space reinforced with shimmering barriers.

Jax stood on one side, sword drawn. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy.

Zharina stood opposite, rolling her shoulders. Golden eyes burned with predatory hunger.

"Last chance to apologize and grovel, boy," she said, her voice a low growl.

Jax grinned. "Last chance to admit you're scared."

Her eyes flashed. "I'm going to break you."

Lysandra raised her hand. "Begin."

BOOM.

Zharina crossed thirty feet in a heartbeat.

Her fist aimed for Jax's face with enough force to shatter stone.

Jax tilted his head. The punch missed by a hair's breadth, wind pressure making his hair whip back.

'Holy shit. She's fast.'

But instead of fear, pure exhilaration surged through him.

'Finally. Someone who can actually fight.'

Her tail whipped around like a steel cable, aiming for his legs.

Jax jumped, flipping backward. Her tail cratered the floor where he'd stood, cracks spiderwebbing outward.

'That tail. Fuck. I bet it looks amazing when she—'

He landed smoothly, shaking his head. "Nice opener. But you telegraph with your shoulders."

"Shut. Up."

She lunged again, claws extended. Her scales glowed with internal heat, radiating power.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Jax parried with his sword, sparks flying with each impact. Her claws were like tempered steel, each strike sending vibrations up his arm.

'She's not just strong. She's trained. Every movement is deliberate.'

She spun low, leg sweeping toward his ribs.

Jax blocked with his forearm. CRACK. The impact sent him skidding backward five feet.

He rolled his shoulder, grinning wider. "You've got some real bite, dragon girl."

"Stop talking!"

Zharina stepped back, her breathing controlled. She raised both hands, fingers moving in intricate patterns. Mana swirled around her, visible as orange-red energy gathering at her palms.

'Oh. She's a caster too. This just keeps getting better.'

The mana condensed, coalescing into a sphere of fire between her hands. She thrust both palms forward.

FWOOSH.

A torrent of flames erupted from the spell formation, engulfing half the arena in searing heat.

Jax dove sideways, the fire scorching the air where he'd stood. The smell of burning stone filled the room.

'Magic fire. Of course. '

He straightened, patting out a small ember on his sleeve. "You know, most people just raise their voice when they're angry. This seems excessive."

From the sidelines, Rowen barked a laugh.

Zharina's scales shimmered brighter. She was pissed.

She charged again, and this time the assault was relentless.

Every punch carried the weight of a battering ram. Every kick could snap ribs. Her tail was a weapon unto itself, constantly whipping from unexpected angles.

And her movements—fluid, practiced, perfect—decades of martial mastery compressed into raw, lethal grace.

Jax found himself genuinely impressed.

'This is what I needed. A real challenge.'

He ducked under a high kick, and for a split second, his eyes caught the way her combat leathers stretched over her powerful thighs. The flex of muscle beneath scales. The curve of her waist. The way her tail swayed for balance.

'God, that ass. I want to—'

WHAM.

Her fist clipped his shoulder, spinning him.

'Focus, you idiot! Save the pervy thoughts for after you win!'

But he couldn't help himself. Watching her fight was like watching a deadly dance. Every movement precise. Powerful. Beautiful in a terrifying way.

'I want to see her like this in bed. All that power. That intensity. Fuck.'

Zharina didn't give him time to breathe. She leaped high, diving from above with a double-fisted hammer strike.

Jax sidestepped at the last second. Her fists obliterated the ground, sending chunks of stone flying.

As she rose from the crater, Jax's blade flashed.

Slice.

A clean, precise cut. Not deep. Just enough.

Her uniform tore at the shoulder seam, fabric peeling back to expose scaled skin and the subtle curve where her shoulder met her chest.

Nothing explicit. But definitely noticeable.

Zharina froze for half a heartbeat, eyes widening.

Jax leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper only she could hear. "Oops. My bad. Though I have to say... your armor quality is disappointing. Should probably upgrade. Or don't. I'm not complaining about the view."

Her face flushed deep crimson.

Not from exertion.

From pure, volcanic rage.

"YOU FUCKING—!"

She swung wildly, her careful technique abandoned for raw fury.

Jax ducked under the haymaker, laughing. "There we go. Now you're making it interesting."

The watching professors leaned forward.

"He's... toying with her," Aerisya murmured.

"No," Lucindra said, eyes gleaming. "He's studying her. Every attack, he's learning."

Gareth frowned. "He's also clearly a perverted little bastard."

"That too," Kessiri agreed, grinning.

Zharina unleashed a devastating combination—fist, elbow, knee, tail—a four-strike sequence.

Jax parried the first, dodged the second, caught the third—

And the tail wrapped around his waist, yanking him forward.

He stumbled directly into her.

THUD.

They collided. His chest pressed against hers for a fraction of a second. Close enough to feel her heart hammering. Close enough to smell the faint scent of smoke and something floral beneath.

'Oh. Oh. Her chest is—'

Zharina's eyes went wide, realizing their position.

Jax's hand had instinctively grabbed her waist to steady himself, fingers splayed across scaled skin where her uniform had torn further from the impact.

'I could get used to this. This body. This heat. Fuck, I want to see what that tail does when she's under me—'

Time seemed to freeze.

Then Jax grinned. "Well. This is forward of you."

Her face went nuclear. "GET OFF!"

She shoved him back with enough force to send him flying.

Jax flipped midair, landing on his feet. "Just trying to keep you from falling! Safety first, dragon girl!"

"I'M GOING TO INCINERATE YOU!"

From the sidelines, Rowen was howling with laughter. Even Lucindra was smiling.

'Okay. Time to test something.'

Jax focused, activating his skill. 'Echo Mirror—copy that fire spell.'

[ECHO MIRROR: ACTIVATION FAILED]

[REASON: TARGET DOES NOT POSSESS SKILL IN SYSTEM MEMORY BANKS]

'Damn. What does that mean? Do I need to see it more times?'

Zharina's aura exploded outward, her scales glowing like heated metal. The temperature in the arena spiked twenty degrees.

She began weaving another spell, mana gathering faster this time.

She launched herself at him with renewed fury, casting mid-movement. Fire bolts rained down as her fists trailed flames.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

Sword met claw. Steel rang against scale. Every impact sent shockwaves rippling through the reinforced barriers.

Jax met her head-on, his grin never faltering.

'She's giving everything. Time to respect that.'

He stopped holding back.

His sword work became surgical. Precise. Every parry, every counter, perfectly timed.

Zharina feinted left, drove her knee toward his gut—

Jax twisted, caught her leg mid-strike, and used her own momentum to spin her.

She stumbled.

He was already there, sword tip resting against the small of her back.

"Yield?"

She froze, feeling the cold steel through torn fabric.

For three heartbeats, silence.

Her shoulders trembled. Not from fear. From the crushing weight of losing.

"...I yield."

Jax stepped back, lowering his blade.

Zharina stood rigid, fists clenched, refusing to look at him. Her scales had dimmed. Her aura collapsed.

The professors sat in stunned silence.

Rowen whistled low. "Well. Didn't see that coming."

Kessiri grinned wickedly. "Pay up, mutt. Told you the kid had it."

Gareth's jaw worked silently, clearly torn between disbelief and grudging respect.

Lucindra's eyes gleamed with interest. "Entertaining indeed."

Aerisya studied Jax with renewed fascination.

Lysandra stood, her voice cutting through the room. "The fight is complete. Jax Rayne has won the vote from Zharina."

Zharina stood like a statue, her pride shattered into dust.

Jax walked past her, pausing just long enough to lean in.

"Thanks for the workout, dragon girl," he whispered. "You're incredible. Seriously. Best fight I've had in this world."

Then, because he couldn't help himself: "Next time, maybe wear something less... restrictive. You know, for mobility. Or better yet, nothing at all. I'd love to see how that tail moves when you're really enjoying yourself."

Her face turned the color of her scales.

"RAYNE!"

But he was already strolling toward the spot again for voting, sword over his shoulder, grinning like the devil himself.

Behind him, Zharina stood trembling.

Not with rage, though that was certainly there.

But with something far more dangerous.

Respect.

Fascination.

And maybe, just maybe, the tiniest spark of something she refused to name.

'That bastard,' she thought, watching him leave. 'That insufferable, perverted, arrogant bastard.'

Her fist clenched.

'...Why am I smiling?'

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