Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Just like Lexi, Zach had no intentions of holding back, and he ran as fast as he could when he tried to cut the distance. But he ran in a straight line when doing so. Even if he raised barriers in front of himself to defend against anything Lexi might throw at him, that didn't change the predictability of his trajectory.

The barriers he put up were also only in front of him.

They stopped the human-sized fireball she conjured and threw at him. They protected him against the heat and the flames. Unfortunately, the barriers couldn't do anything about the spell obscuring his vision with its end.

Right when the flames faded, another Strike struck Zach square in his chest. He was prepared for it to a certain degree, so he wasn't sent flying. But he stumbled backward.

Lexi had not moved even half a step.

That surprised Zach a little. Even if Lexi had pushed him back a step or two, he was still a second or two away from reaching her, and he resumed his charge.

The speed of his body that had been trained by Yanael, Soara, and Sio and reinforced with medicine from Alzara rivaled and surpassed the bodies of martial artists using martial energy.

After months and months of grueling training and potions on the levels of treasure, Zach's body and physique were a work of art.

He couldn't compare to his familiars in terms of strength or speed. But when he went all out, he was confident he could stand on equal footing with his sister. So, when he got close enough to land a blow Lexi couldn't dodge, he didn't hold back.

Zach didn't let the faint blue shimmer in the air in front of Lexi's face stop him. It didn't feel dangerous. He was right.

The spell in front of Lexi's face was a Shield spell. It was similar to Zach's Blessed Defense, but far inferior. It didn't have the malleability, flexibility, and customizability that his barriers had. It was also only a three-star spell. It would take an incredible mage to bring out a defensive power from the spell to rival Zach's barriers.

Lexi was an incredibly talented mage. She still had a long way to grow before her defense could rival Zach's.

Her Shield could not block Zach's fist.

It surprised Lexi.

Even if Zach had a bottomless supply of extraordinary medicine to supplement his training, he was stronger than she expected, even from what she had seen earlier during their fight. He wouldn't have gotten that strong without putting in the work.

Lexi's gaze changed slightly as she looked at Zach.

He had grown.

He was no longer the socially awkward, strange, bratty kid who didn't know how to speak or act, especially in front of other people and even more so in front of large groups. He was still a little weird and eccentric, but for his upbringing, he was almost normal.

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Still, he had only been gone from home for a few years. He had to have gone through a lot to change so drastically in such a short period. He had to have suffered a lot to have the tenacity and strength of will to train until he acquired his current strength.

Pride bubbled up inside Lexi as she looked at Zach.

Too bad it wasn't enough.

Zach's fist landed square on her jaw.

Lexi had prepared for it, but it still hurt like a bitch. Even if he stopped as soon as he made contact, the remaining force that he couldn't stop had broken the tissue of her cheek and blood trickled down both within and outside her mouth.

"...Fuck." Zach was frozen in place.

It wasn't that he couldn't move. Lexi wasn't powerful enough to control his body to that extent.

She could, however, control her sword, which, instead of resting on the floor, was resting against the base of his skull.

Since Lexi's spells were powerful, Zach had concentrated his barriers in front of him. That had led to back's defenses being a little weaker. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for the sword to pierce his barrier and press its cold tip against his skin.

Lexi had such control over her sword that she wouldn't have killed or injured Zach even if he finished his strike. But it was a spar. As soon as the sword pricked his skin like that, he lost the fight. There was no need to complete the punch.

Zach regretted not completing the punch when he saw the smirk on Lexi's face, but he had acted on instinct, and it was too late to regret.

"Just in case you think it was close, Zach, it wasn't. I had you in the palm of my hand the entire fight," Lexi gloated. She was not going to admit that Zach had been stronger than she thought. With some more experience under his belt, a trick like that would have never worked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He had the base for a great fighter. He had the speed, strength, coordination, and the basics of a technique laid down. The only things missing were experience and practice.

But the thing was that Zach didn't even need to fight on his own. He was a summoner. Evaluating Zach's strength based on his and only his strength was deceptive.

Lexi glanced at the three maids, whose killing intents had flared up when her sword pricked Zach's skin. All three of them were significantly stronger than Zach.

She was not as confident she could win against them as she was Zach. The problem was that the two she was more familiar with had also grown furiously stronger since she last saw them. Their growth rate wasn't something an ordinary being could compare to.

Lexi turned back to Zach.

"Speechless? Yeah, I get it. Wallow in shame and humility, little brother."

"You…" Zach frowned and slowly raised a finger to point at the blood on Lexi's face. It dripped down her cheek and onto her jacket before running down in a tiny stream without staining her clothes.

That was not how blood moved.

"What? It's not like it's your first time seeing blood." Lexi dabbed her cheek with a finger to confirm that she was bleeding. She wondered what Zach was getting at. If he was just joking to get rid of the shame of losing, she might just have to spar with him again.

But then, the blood on her finger balled up and soared away. It rejoined the rest of the blood from her wound on its pilgrimage down her jacket.

Lexi worriedly looked down at her jacket.

What was going on?