Lekan's expression hardened as he faced Akeh, sizing him up.
"You're the new guy, right? You just joined recently?"
He glanced briefly at Juwon before adding with a sneer.
"Weaklings flock together, I guess. You both dropped to your knees just from basic spirit energy."
Akeh remained calm.
"So what's the point of you bringing that up?"
His tone carried no fear, only defiance. Taiwo, glaring at Akeh, stepped forward, his fists clenched.
"Mind your tone when you talk to us."
Akeh scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. "And what if I don't? You'll shut me up?"
His words were sharp, cutting through the tension. Lekan's smirk disappeared.
"Your spirit energy is low and yet you are this arrogant. You think you're special or what?"
Without warning, he charged toward Akeh, his speed unmatched.
Akeh quickly took a dambe stance, preparing for a fight. From behind, Juwon shouted.
"Don't let him touch you!"
Out of nowhere, Adunni gave juwon a slap.
"Oh... so you have the strength to talk. Shut up and watch if you don't want to get hit."
Juwon's warning came too late. Lekan parried Akeh's right hook with ease, his hand grazing Akeh's skin.
Lekan's eyes lit with thrill as touch was a condition to activate his soul reading technique. Instantly, he could see all of Akeh's fighting habits, mistakes, and weaknesses.
"This is going to be too easy." Lekan said, his voice filled with confidence.
With precision, Lekan countered every punch Akeh threw. Right hook, jabs... it didn't matter. Lekan read Akeh like a book, landing sharp blows in return. Akeh fell to one knee, bruised and panting.
"It doesn't look like he has proper martial arts training, so how is he keeping up with me."
Akeh muttered to himself, still reeling from the hits.
Lekan expected Akeh to give up, but instead, Akeh raised his voice, his gaze defiant.
"This isn't the first time I've dealt with people like you... thinking you're better because you have alittle power."
Akeh turned his eyes toward Adunni.
"But it's the first time I've seen a fucking girl in the group. What's your story?"
Lekan's anger flared, but before he could respond, Adunni's face darkened.
"I don't even have the time to deal with you, I'm going back to the dormitory."
Her voice was low and controlled, but beneath it was a storm waiting to break.
As she began to walk away, she spotted something... or rather, someone. Segun, the soul expert was standing in the distance, silently watching. Adunni's demeanor changed instantly. Her eyes flashed with rage, and in one swift movement, she turned on Akeh.
"You think you can talk to me like that?"
Adunni's spirit energy surged as she launched a flurry of powerful punches at Akeh. The blows were so intense that Akeh barely kept his stance, her raw power overwhelming him. He felt his body buckle under the weight of her strikes, her spirit energy suffocating his resolve.
Nearby, the bell-covered soul expert glanced at the scene once more before walking away, barely sparing a second look. But Adunni noticed. She began to slow down, her fury starting to subside as she realized he had long gone.
The silence weighed heavy in the air. Adunni's eyes lingered on the spot where segun had just walked away, disappointment in her expression.
But before she could settle, the atmosphere shifted... her instincts screamed louder than her thought.
She spun on her heel.
A fist tore through the air toward her face, the force of it howling like a bullet.
But before the punch could land, Trinity and Altine appeared, their presence freezing the scene. The force of Akeh's strike halted mid-air.
Adunni stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. She imagined the weight behind that punch, realizing that if it had landed, it could have seriously injured her.
Altine's voice was calm but stern.
"What is happening here?"
Her question hung in the air, as everyone paused, waiting for the inevitable fallout.