Reincarnated as a Genius Mage

This is going to be tough.

I can't use Fiery Discord because it is a Martial Arts of the Flameworths.

Which means, I have to fight normally.

But I wonder, spells first or combat first?

I walk toward him, my steps slow and cautious.

No. Let me see what he attacks with, then I'd decide.

He crouches, entering a combat stance with his fists raised high.

"Come." I speak. Standing tall and confident.

His lips curl up with a wide smirk as he leaps toward me.

Ah, combat first huh.

He twists his waist, dragging his right fist back, and releasing it toward my face.

Whoosh!

The air in front of me flutters as I parry his attack, pushing it to the side with my left palm, and I throw a solid uppercut toward his jaw.

Boom!

He blocks my uppercut with his left palm, causing a minor shockwave.

"Whoa, who's that guy exchanging blows with the captain? "

"I don't know. Never seen that masked figure before."

All soldiers training drop their activities, gathering round me and George in the sandpit, watching us with awe in their eyes.

George holds my right fist tight with his left palm. I don't struggle, instead, I throw my left fist toward his jaw, and he catches it with his right palm.

Ho.

He's holding my both fist now.

I strengthen my arms, and push my fists, and he pushes with his palms too. Neither of us relenting or giving way to the other.

I twirl my both hands, freeing myself from his grasp, and I immediately grab unto his waist and raise him up.

He hits my right arm with his left elbow, and my bone cracks as I free him, and he lands gently on the ground.

I retreat briefly, shaking my right arm, waiting for it to heal.

He leaps toward me, giving me no breathing space as his left leg finds my chin.

I duck, barely escaping his deadly kick that ripples the air slightly as his legs moves above my head.

I grab that leg with my left hand before it escapes completely, and I push him down— his back lands on the ground as he lets out a low grunt.

I kneel on the ground beside him, my left hand still grabbing his leg tightly. I punch with my right hand, aiming for his stomach, but he blocks it with his right elbow, and as my fist and his elbow collide— the recoil pushes both our hands away.

He grabs my neck with his left hand, dragging my head, and my body to the side as he immediately stands up.

I roll, then stand, and I crouch into a battle stance, and he does the same.

I stare into his crimson eyes, and he stares into mine.

It's quiet for a while. No words are being said, my vision under my mask is flooded with sweat that I blink away. And the sweat on his face keeps pouring out more.

Huff.. Huff..

Huff.. Huff..

Our chests rise and fall rhythmically, dancing with our breaths.

I'm still looking into his eyes. Then I slowly look at his arms, then his stomach, then his legs, then his face.

"Go Captain! "

"Yeah! Get 'em! "

"Woo! Captain! "

The soldiers all cheer for their captain.

George smiles as he swoops his hair to the corner and changes his stance.

He stands still, his two hands hanging by his side, and his crimson eyes flaring with excitement.

I recognize that stance.

I immediately remove the pin of the weight brace on my left wrist.

Boom!

The ground crackles as it lands.

My left hand frees up, and I clench and unclench my left fist.

I feel the difference of the strength when I had the braces on and now that I don't.

But the weight braces on my right wrist and both ankles are still locked.

I roll my left shoulder, and crack my left elbow.

The mask subtly scratches my cheeks I adjust it properly, waiting for him to attack.

He's using Fiery Discord.

It's about to get serious.

His two folded fists coat with fire, and he raises his fists up.

Come. I'm ready for you.

He dashes toward me like a hungry lion. Feral and wild.

I don't feel any killing intent spewing from him, so that means he isn't using the Fiery Discord to its full extent. Plus he's just using level one.

His flame coated right hand flies toward my right ribs as he throws a heavy jab. I sidestep. Hitting his right forearm with my left elbow. But his flame coated left arm hits my right ribs as I left them unguarded.

"Argh!" I exclaim. The fire burnt through my black shirt, leaving a burn mark at my left ribs section.

Shit.

I hold the burnt place with my left hand.

It'll heal up soon. All my injuries always do.

Huff.. Huff..

The Fiery Discord is a technique that aims to carefully disfigure core parts of the human body;

The Forehead, Eyes, Crotch, Hands, Legs, Ribs, Heart, Liver, Lungs.

That means; to a particular degree, I can predict the places he would attack.

Just like how his flame coated left fist is flying toward my right eye now.

I dodge it by moving left. Then I retreat.

He doesn't relent as he continues running toward me.

Wind step.

The air mana moves under my feet as I propel into the air. During the mini seconds I spend floating on the air; I use the technique again.

Wind step.

It's like I stepped on the wind itself as I jump down, and I land behind him.

I outstretch my two palms, and two different red runic glyphs form on each of them.

Been a while since I last used a spell.

I point my right hand toward George's back who's few inches away from me, and from the glyph on my right palm; a wheel of flames shoot out; heading toward George's back.

The Flame wheel spell.

As it propels toward George, he senses it, and he ducks, the wheel of flame passes over his head and dissolves into the air in the distance.

Hmm, I don't want to use air spells against him here. But,

I shake my head.

I point my left palm that's still glowing with the red runic glyph at George who's just regained composure from the last attack.

He turns, and looks at me. As he recognizes the rune formation of the glyph, he frowns and starts running in a zig-zag-like pattern, moving slowly toward me.

My smirk widens.

I predict. The moment he runs from right to left, I'll shoot right, so that he'll run into the spell as he moves from left to right.

The spell is ignition.

Poof!

It moves, just a small explosion of heat burst, but the effect can be helpful.

The impact lands on George's stomach. His white shirt tears, leaving a hole-like shape in the stomach of his shirt.

He holds it with his left hand, rubbing and soothing the burning pain on his stomach as he grits his teeth.

Just like I planned.

I swipe my right hand in the air, like I'm slashing with a sword.

It coats with fire immediately, covering my entire right arm from my fingers til my elbow with blade-like flames.

On my left hand, I summon another runic glyph that forms a fire rope which I hold tightly, and start walking slowly toward him.

He smirks— outstretching his two hands, and two runic glyphs of his own forms.

On his left hand, a hovering ball of flames, as large as a basketball. And on his right hand..

Shit.

I duck, and roll as the fire arrow flies past me.

The very moment I stand up, I start running toward him with great speed. And he does the same.

I fling my fire rope, and he hurls the ball of flames.

As the ball of flames hurl toward me, I slash it with my flame blade, and I throw the long flame rope, targeting his neck. He dodges it, and forms a glyph in front of his face.

Huff.. Huff..

My second circle isn't full. In fact, the flame and air mana in it isn't up to half— leaving my first circle as my only mana reservoir. But, the mana left in my first circle is almost half.

Isn't this just a spar?

I continue running as endless fireballs spun and hurl at me from the glyph in front of him.

Ah, fuck it.

Wind step.

I move in an instant, the wind blowing against my eyes and exposed ribs as I appear before him.

Our eyes meet.

His eyes widen, but they close back immediately as his lips curl.

Then I feel it.

His right palm touching my stomach.

Oh shit.

"I win." He whispers.

The flame blade wrapping around my right hand that I was aiming to slash his face with begins to distort as the Flame of Eternity threatens to swallow it.

I withdraw my flames, and dissolve my flame rope.

"Yeah, you win. Huff.. Huff.."

I reply with a smile underneath my mask as I sit down on the sandy floor immediately.

He taps my left shoulder.

"You're a strong one." He says.

You're lucky I didn't use air spells.

"Yeah!!! Captain won!! "

"Captain! I knew you'd win! We all had faith in you! "

"Yeah! But that guy though.. he's strong.. to fight against captain like that."

"Yeah..., but still, captain won!"

The soldiers all cheer.

George just lets out a soft chuckle as he yells, "shut it you goofballs. Get back to training!"

He turns to face me, "you know the tent you met Alberto at, right? Go there. Tell Alberto that I said he should lead you to your new tent."

I nod.

He brings his folded fist toward my face, and I flinch slightly.

"I look forward to our future spars, soldier." He says lightly.

Oh. A fist bump.

I smile.

"As do I."

I meet my fist with his.