On the square of Kamar-Taj.
Ronan stood in the center of the training ground, surrounded by four young men who had just graduated from being apprentice mages.
Oh, calling them "young" might not be entirely accurate, as they were all in their twenties.
Compared to Ronan, they were actually older.
The reason they were standing here wasn't to strike a pose but to spar.
After returning from Peter Parker's secret base, Ronan was stopped by Mordo.
According to Mordo, these four newly graduated young men believed their training had been highly successful and were eager to study more powerful magic.
Mordo had already defeated them once, but their argument was simple.
Mordo was much older, and they were still young.
As long as they studied enough magic, they could defeat Mordo at his age.
So, Mordo wanted to find someone younger than them to show them how cruel the world could be.
Coincidentally, these four young men didn't know Ronan at all.
They had joined Kamar-Taj while Ronan was missing.
As for why Ronan was chosen, Mordo's reasoning was quite interesting.
On one hand, Ronan was younger than them. If he defeated them, they would naturally be convinced.
On the other hand, Ronan was second only to the Ancient One in close combat within Kamar-Taj, making him the most suitable teacher.
Yes, that last part was Mordo's exact words.
Originally, Ronan didn't want to get involved, but after hearing Mordo's honest explanation, he decided to help out.
The only thing he was slightly dissatisfied with was why Mordo didn't go all the way and just ignore the Ancient One altogether.
Thus, this sudden sparring session was arranged.
"Jack, John, Thomas, and Lam, are you ready?"
"He's your opponent for today."
Mordo spoke expressionlessly to the four young men.
"Him? Our opponent?"
"We don't want to gang up on one person in a relay fight."
Jack was the first to speak up.
A relay fight wouldn't be fair.
"Of course, it's not a relay fight. It's a one-on-one."
"The four of you will take him on together."
"Wong, myself, and even your opponent will score you."
"As long as your score exceeds... 10 points, I'll allow you to study more advanced spells in the library."
"Wong won't stop you either, right?"
As Mordo spoke, he glanced at Wong.
Wong nodded indifferently, but in his heart, he was mourning for these four.
Beating Ronan to learn more advanced spells?
Well, then you're doomed. You'll never get to learn the other spells of Kamar-Taj in this lifetime.
"The four of us against him?"
"Don't joke around. I can beat him alone."
"If all four of us attack him, won't we just beat him to a pulp?"
Thomas fully displayed the arrogance of a young American.
In a country where individuality is celebrated, such arrogance might even be admired by some.
But today, the only response he got was the collective sound of people sucking in their breath.
The temperature in the square seemed to rise by several degrees.
Many mages who had been at Kamar-Taj for over half a year were stunned.
You could say these things to Wong, you could say them to Mordo, and you could even say them to the Ancient One.
Because the first two wouldn't hit you too hard, and the latter would just treat it as a joke.
But you just had to say it to Ronan.
Didn't you know that Ronan was born a little...
*Ahem.*
This thought had just popped into the minds of these mages, but it was quickly erased.
Little what? They didn't know.
But what they did know was that these four "inexperienced" young men were about to face a very miserable fate.
"Then give it a try."
Mordo struggled to suppress the upward curve of his lips and then walked to the side.
As he passed Ronan, he whispered something to him.
"Go a bit easy on them. At least let them eat without needing to be fed."
After saying this, he walked off the stage.
Begin!
With Mordo's command, the sparring session, which was completely unbalanced in terms of numbers, began immediately.
The four of them quickly spread out, surrounding Ronan, and assumed the starting stance taught by Kamar-Taj.
It had to be said, their form and posture were quite solid.
But that was about it.
Ronan simply smiled at them, hands in his pockets, and stomped his feet.
"Don't worry, juniors. I'll go easy on you."
"Since you arrived later, I'll let you make the first move."
Ronan looked every bit the polite senior brother.
However, Wong, standing to the side, discreetly rolled his eyes.
He knew Ronan's nature all too well.
The more Ronan said things like this, the harder he would hit later!
Under the guise of pushing you to improve!
Don't ask Wong how he knew this so well—he didn't want to answer!
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.
In front of so many apprentice mages, he had to maintain his aloof persona.
"Hmph."
Jack snorted coldly and charged at Ronan.
Although his speed seemed fast, to Ronan's eyes, it was like watching a slow-motion replay at three times the speed.
Tilt head.
*Whoosh!*
Three seconds later, a fist surrounded by the Rings of Raggadorr appeared next to Ronan's left cheek.
Duck.
*Whoosh!*
Similarly, three seconds later, a whip kick landed where Ronan had just been standing.
The kick was powerful, even carrying a whistling sound.
Unfortunately, it only hit air.
Jump.
*Thud!*
Three familiar and despairing seconds later, a sweeping leg arrived as expected.
From start to finish, Ronan didn't make a single counterattack.
"Why do I feel like... Ronan's dodges are a beat faster?"
"Am I seeing things?"
At this moment, one of the mages seemed to notice something unusual.
Even he couldn't quite believe it, thinking he might be mistaken.
"No, you're not mistaken."
"Your perspective isn't broad enough, so of course, you can't see it."
"Ronan's dodges are always three seconds faster than their attacks."
"That means Ronan predicts their attacks at least 3.5 seconds in advance and then dodges."
Mordo, standing nearby, didn't forget his duty and began explaining to the mages.
Of course, there was one thing he didn't say.
Ronan might be more than 3.5 seconds faster than these four.
Hearing this, the surrounding mages couldn't help but gasp.
As everyone knew, the best defense was always offense, for a simple reason.
Defense was always passive, while offense was active.
If you kept defending, your opponent would eventually find an opening and defeat you.
But today, Ronan taught them a lesson.
The defender was 3.5 seconds faster than the attackers!
What did this mean?
Could he predict their attacks?
"Attack together!"
At this moment, Jack, who was still on the stage, also heard Mordo's explanation.
If one person's attack could be predicted, what about four people attacking together?
To be honest, Mordo's explanation had cleared up their earlier confusion.
This was basically cheating.
But did Ronan care?
No, not only did he not care, but he also gave Mordo a thumbs-up.
What better way to show off than this?
When others couldn't understand how amazing you were, a good hype man would appear and break it down for them.
This only made you look even more impressive.
"Attack!"
The other three also heard Mordo's explanation and charged at Ronan again.
This time, they were noticeably faster than before!
Unfortunately, Ronan was still faster!
And what made them even more despairing was that no matter how they attacked—with fists, legs, or even training batons—Ronan effortlessly dodged every move.
After another round of failure, the four of them stood panting, staring intently at Ronan.
Because up until now, Ronan had only been defending and hadn't made a single counterattack.
Now, their stamina was nearly depleted, so they thought Ronan would definitely attack at this moment.
However, Ronan's next move made them feel utterly humiliated.
"Is that all?"
Ronan smiled at the four of them, using the brightest smile to deliver the most insulting words.
But before the four could get angry, Ronan stomped his feet again.
"Your offense is failing..."
"No, I should say, it's a zero."
Ronan shrugged regretfully, giving them the lowest score.
"Zero."
Mordo also smiled and said.
"Zero."
Wong coldly spat out the word.
Remove the highest score?
And remove the lowest score?
Oh wait, there's only the lowest score here.
Their score was still zero!
"I don't accept this!"
"Even though we're clearly no match, it shouldn't be a zero!"
Thomas was clearly defiant.
Although the gap between them was huge, it shouldn't mean they couldn't even score a single point, right?
He suspected the judges were being unfair.
However, Mordo shook his head and smiled, simply pointing at Ronan's feet.
"You didn't even make him move an inch. How am I supposed to give you points?"
"After watching you attack for so long, exhausting yourselves, while your opponent didn't even move a step or wrinkle his clothes."
"Should I just give you points for that?"
Mordo said with a smile.
His words successfully drew everyone's attention to Ronan's position.
Sure enough, Ronan hadn't moved a single step from the beginning until now!
Ronan, very satisfied with the astonished looks from the crowd, gave Mordo a praising glance.
A good hype man had to be like this!
He had stomped his feet twice earlier, and yet no one in the crowd had noticed his intention.
He had been thinking of a way to subtly point this out.
Unexpectedly, Mordo had given him a perfect assist.
But Ronan decided that next time he wanted to show off, he'd use a method everyone could see.
"Your attack patterns were not only completely predicted by Ronan, but you didn't even touch a single thread of his clothes."
"Do you think you deserve even a single point?"
Mordo continued to tease the four of them.
The four of them pursed their lips, their faces still showing a defiant look.
The crowd began to enjoy the spectacle.
"Your offense, I've seen it."
"To be honest, it's garbage."
"Since that's the case, when testing your defense, I'll go easy on you."
At this moment, Ronan pick up the conversation at just the right moment.
The crowd's attention turned to him again.
In front of everyone, Ronan closed his eyes and pulled out a black cloth from who-knows-where, covering his eyes.
Finally, he assumed the classic Kamar-Taj starting stance, one hand in front and the other behind.
This move once again drew gasps from the onlookers.
Closing his eyes?
And even covering them with a black cloth?
What was he trying to do!
"Your skills are worth me giving up my eyes. Anything more, and I can't do it."
Ronan shrugged his shoulders.
His words made the surrounding mages look at him with a strange expression.
Were you complimenting them or insulting them?
"So, here I come."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd felt a gentle breeze, and Ronan's figure had already disappeared from his original spot.
"What the f—?"
"Is he that fast?"
One of the mages even cursed.
But before his words could fully land, the four in the center of the square were all sent flying.
Jack, mid-air, widened his eyes, feeling the pain in his chest.
Ronan's attack had been so fast that he hadn't even seen it coming.
If he had to describe what had just happened, it would be the classic four words: "a blur before my eyes."
Yes, a blur before his eyes, then pain, and then the fresh air of the high altitude rushing into his nose.
Of course, the classic continued.
Thwack!
Jack felt a chill on his back, followed by pain radiating from his buttocks.
A training baton had made intimate contact with his butt, sending him flying in another direction.
The other three suffered the same fate as Jack.
They were all beaten by the baton, unable to even seek death.
Hearing the gasps from the crowd below, the four of them didn't even want to defend themselves—they just wanted to cover their faces.
Yes, a very thoughtful choice.
There's a famous story: one day, a fire breaks out in your house, and you, who sleep naked, are awakened.
With no time to put on clothes, you can only slip on your slippers and run downstairs.
So, you have a choice.
Do you cover the front or the back?
The perfect answer is to cover your face. That way, even if they see everything, they won't know who it is.
Now, the four of them seemed to have simultaneously thought of this classic problem.
Thwack!
Thud!
Thwack!
Thud!
The scene now looked like four groups of ping-pong players hitting balls in the air.
And the "ping-pong balls" were the four covering their faces in mid-air.
The onlookers below were watching the "ping-pong balls" move left and right, with some even shouting "good shot!"
At this point, it seemed like they weren't here to watch a sparring match but a ping-pong game!
*Ahem.*
At this moment, Mordo, standing below, couldn't help but cough twice.
He was hinting to Ronan that it was enough.
Ronan, getting the hint, stopped playing with them. Each of their butt received one last kick, and they all lay on the ground.
Finally, the four "ping-pong balls" let out cries of pain.
Ronan landed on the ground, and three figures identical to him also landed behind him before disappearing.
"Wow!"
Seeing Ronan's final move, many mages couldn't help but exclaim.
What kind of move was this?
"This move is a very high-level technique within Kamar-Taj."
"Only when you're strong enough will you be able to master it."
Mordo at the appropriate time gave these mages a big empty promise.
Sure enough, this big empty promise shoved into their mouths made them very happy.
So they had a chance to learn this move too?
Of course, while Mordo wasn't wrong, only a very few among them would ever learn this move.
Because most of them would never even touch the requirement of this technique in their lifetimes.
Their talent was limited.
"Alright, stop shouting."
On the other side, Ronan, seeing the four on the ground still groaning in pain, casually tossed away the baton in his hand.
This baton was the one he had taken from Thomas.
To be honest, he had gone easy on them.
When it comes to hitting people, what's the most painful way to do it?
Without a doubt, it's hitting the same spot repeatedly. One hit might not hurt, but ten, a hundred hits? The butt would definitely be ruined.
And Ronan had only given their butt a full baton massage.
He hadn't repeated the hits more than three times.
At most, they'd be unable to sit properly for half a month and would have to sleep on their stomachs.
"If I hadn't gone easy on you, you'd have already lost all feeling of pain."
Ronan couldn't help but smirk.
By "losing all feeling of pain," he meant they'd have passed out.
If you're unconscious, you won't feel pain.
Hearing this, the four who had been groaning immediately fell silent.
Lose all feeling of pain?
No, it's better to feel a little pain!
"Alright, the defense test is over. The score is still zero."
Mordo walked to the center of the square, smiling as he looked at the four laying on the ground.
By now, the four had buried their faces in their shoulders, not moving at all.
Why weren't they moving? Because it hurt!
And they were embarrassed!
"Zero."
Wong, like a cold machine, also announced his score.
Two zeros in a row had already made them feel despair.
The last scorer was Ronan. Presumably, their final score would also be a cold zero, right?
"I'll give you... one point."
However, to their surprise, Ronan actually gave them one point!
His answer even surprised Mordo.
This didn't seem like Ronan's style.
With Ronan's style, shouldn't he have added some soul-crushing words?
"Don't look at me like that. This one point is for covering their faces while in mid-air."
"At least they know how to be embarrassed. I'll give you one point for that."
After saying this, Ronan explained with a smile.
Sure enough.
Hearing Ronan's words, Mordo showed a look of understanding.
If Ronan didn't add some soul-crushing words at the end, he wouldn't be Ronan!
Although Ronan's final words were still a bit insulting to the four, they were still very happy!
After all, they now had one point, not zero!
Although it was only a one-point difference, the meaning was completely different!
After all, whether in the mathematical world or anywhere else, zero comes before one.
You could say they had leveled up!
"Someone, come help carry them back to their dorm."
Mordo called for a few people to help move the "Four Heavenly Kings" out.
Just as everyone thought the show was over, Kaecilius walked out from somewhere.
"Junior Brother Ronan, isn't it a bit much to always bully the newcomers?"
"How about a spar with your senior brother?"
Kaecilius walked up to Ronan.
"Kaecilius, don't say too much."
Mordo frowned and stepped in front of Ronan.
Kaecilius was also someone Mordo and Wong had trained.
In terms of combat ability, Kaecilius was probably already stronger than Mordo.
"It's fine, Mordo."
Ronan patted Mordo's shoulder and stepped out from behind him.
He smiled at Kaecilius, not looking provoked at all.
"Kaecilius, you're actually wrong about one thing."
"In terms of how long we've been studying at Kamar-Taj, I came before you and have studied longer."
"So, I'm the senior brother, and you're the junior brother."
"Got it, Junior Brother Kaecilius?"
After saying this, Ronan squinted at him, and an invisible force enveloped Kaecilius.
The next second.
Thud!
Kaecilius widened his eyes, looking in disbelief at his legs.
Then he looked up at Ronan.
For some reason, he had dropped to his knees, kneeling before Ronan!!!
"Oh my, Junior Brother Kaecilius, I only said one thing. Why are you bowing so deeply?"
"Apologizing is enough. No need to kneel like this."
As he spoke, Ronan pretended to help Kaecilius up.
However, Kaecilius didn't move an inch.
It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but he felt an immense force pressing down on his shoulders.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist!
He even wanted to speak, but he found he couldn't open his mouth!!!
The onlookers, who had been drawn back by his words, all saw his current state.
Many couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing these mockeries, Kaecilius' face turned red, but he couldn't counter any.
He knew it was all Ronan's doing!
But he had no proof!
"Oh, I get it. You're asking me for a New Year's red envelope!"
"Good, good. As a junior brother, you actually know to bow to your senior brother."
"That's so thoughtful!"
"Here, take this one dollar and buy yourself something to eat."
"Finally, I have to give a word of praise for Kaecilius in front of everyone."
"This kid is truly filial!"