The fight was still on the way.

  After yelling out Reinhart's name with familiarity, Kai charged at him his eyes blazing with anger Reinhart couldn't quite place.

  He snapped his fingers, sending a ball towards Kai at a speed equal to a beam of light.

  Kai dodged it easily, barely breaking his movements. He closed the distance between them.

  Reinhart was surprised by the sudden increase in Kai's agility. His heartbeat quickened and for the first time since the fight started, he sensed danger.

  "Who is this guy?" Reinhart's mind raced, but the expression on his face remained unchanged, refusing to reflect his internal state.

  He blocked a punch from Kai with his arm, and felt his arm shake as Kai's fist made contact with his skin.

  Reinhart pushed Kai back, and created a wall of fire between them, with the aim of burning him alive.

  Following up with it, he gathered all his energy, and unleashed a massive firestorm that covered the entire island.

  The flames were so intense that they instantly burnt everything in their way, turning the trees and bushes into ashes, and evaporating the lakes.

  The air was filled with smoke and ash, and the sky turned red.

  The earth itself was scorched like it had just been touched by lava and the island became a hellish inferno.

  The students, teachers, and Layla were all protected within Lian's barriers. They watched in horror and awe as the fire consumed everything.

  The island was now like a blank canvas. There was nothing blocking their vision now. Levi and everyone could now see Reinhart and Kai.

  Levi couldn't feel the heat thanks to Lian's barrier, but just staring at it made him feel like he was burning in them.

  But rather than being impressed like the other students, Levi was worried. "I can still feel that guy's presence. His bloodlust..." He muttered, staring at the ashy cloud before him.

  "All that and he's still standing. This is getting too dangerous..."

  Reinhart snapped his fingers and the flames vanished. He looked calm as if he had just done a trivial thing.

  But in truth, this was just a front he put on to keep the others from panicking. Deep down, he was becoming unsettled.

  Kai emerged from a smoky cloud, unscathed and unharmed, with his body protected by thin layers of mana above his skin.

  He looked at Reinhart with smile, and laughed, "If i hadn't protected myself with everything I had, I would be a pile of ashes right now. You really are as impressive as ever!"

  And there it was again. That address of familiarity.

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  Kai's eyes glowed. He dashed towards Reinhart faster than he was before and delivered a series of blows.

  "It happened again," Reinhart thought as he managed to barely dodge and block Kai's blows.

  "He was definitely at his physical limits back then," Reinhart's mind flashed back to the early stages of the fight between him and Kai.

  "His strength remains the same, but his speed..." He wondered.

  In a battle between Sentinels, the biggest benefit both sides had was the benefit of the unknown.

  Their abilities weren't outrightly revealed and both were left to figure it out. It was already obvious Kai wasn't an elemental mage like him, so Reinhart was yet to figure out his ability.

  As a result, exercising utmost caution was what was currently putting him at a disadvantage. It might've looked like he was on offense, but at the moment he was playing more of defense.

  "Wait..." Reinhart's eyes widened slightly as a wave of realization hit him. "So that's what it is..."

  He had figured out the mysterious ability behind Kai's movements.

  Kai's ability was a time manipulation ability. Temporal Solitude.

  This ability allowed Kai to manipulate time, however, his manipulation was limited to his own body. Kai further developed this ability into two parts.

  The first part, Chrono Velocity, enhanced Kai's physical abilities by accelerating the normal flow of time within his own body.

  As a result, Kai experienced time at a faster rate than the external world, creating the illusion of heightened speed and reflexes.

  In practical terms, this ability allowed Kai to move and react much faster than a normal human. This acceleration of his internal processes, such as neural signals and muscle contractions, gave him a significant advantage in combat situations.

  It wasn't something anyone would've guessed easily. Even Layla had wondered if he was just enhancing his physical capabilities or he had the power to get stronger as he took more damage.

  She had heard of such abilities before, but they were rare and dangerous. They required a high tolerance for pain and a strong will to survive.

  "So that's what it is..." Lian said, breaking the silence.

  Layla looked at Lian who was sitting and staring at the two fighters. She looked like she was solving a puzzle.

  "At first, it looks like he's enhancing his physical capabilities," Lian said, speaking slowly. "But that is not the case," She continued, shaking her head slightly.

  "If that was the case, then the blows he just delivered would've sent Reinhart flying back." She pointed at the scene where Kai had landed several punches and kicks on Reinhart, but Reinhart had barely moved. "All that's increasing is his speed."

  "Their strengths already became equal a while ago."

  Aside from that, She had also noticed something earlier when Kai emerged from the smoke. It looked like was able to fully withstand Reinhart's flames but that wasn't the case. He was heavily burnt.

  But when he emerged, most of it had already healed. She only managed to catch a glimpse of it as a small burn on his shoulder closed up like it was never there.

  "His ability accelerates his perception of time, creating an illusion of heightened speed," Lian began to explain, her eyes narrowing.

  "It's like watching a fast-forwarded video... The actions seem quicker."

  "But in reality, he's just experiencing time at an accelerated rate."

  "It's a manipulation of personal time perception rather than a direct enhancement of physical speed..."

  Her analysis was correct.

  However, using Chrono Velocity came with its own set of risks and limitations. Excessive or prolonged use could lead to strain on Kai's body and potentially have negative consequences.

  These consequences led Kai to developing the second part of his ability, Temporal Restoration.

  With the second part of his ability, Kai reverses time on a localized scale within his own body. This reversal process repairs and rejuvenates tissues, muscles, and internal systems, countering the negative physiological effects associated with the prolonged usage of Chrono Velocity.

  He could heal his wounds, restore his stamina, and undo the damage done to his body.

  Hence, why he was able to heal himself earlier.

  However, there was a limit to how far back Kai could reverse time for himself. This limit only made it possible for Kai to reverse half of the effects that had already taken place in his body.

  For example, if he had a broken arm, he could only heal it to the point where it was fractured. If he had a deep cut, he could only heal it to the point where it was a scratch. If he had lost a lot of blood, he could only recover half of it.

  Hence, there was also a limit to how long he could use Temporal Solitude. This limit depended on how much energy he exerted while fighting his opponent.

  The more he used Chrono Velocity, the more he had to use Temporal Restoration. The more he used Temporal Restoration, the more he gathered and drained mana.

  The more he gathered and drained mana, the more stamina he lost. The more stamina he lost, the less he could use Temporal Solitude.

  It was a delicate balance, a fine line, a risky gamble. It was a double-edged sword, a blessing and a curse, a gift and a burden.

  In the face of such an ability, they all wondered how Reinhart would proceed.