"H-How…!?"
Shigeru and Akiko stood frozen at the edge of the battlefield. Their eyes were locked on the scene before them, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
"Did... did that really just happen?" Akiko whispered, her voice barely audible.
Even the instructors and staff, seasoned in combat and magical warfare, were rendered speechless.
A deep silence blanketed the entire arena.
Thousands of eyes watched in disbelief, their expressions a mix of awe and confusion.
Students had stopped mid-cheer, frozen with their mouths hanging open.
The buzzing noise of excitement had been replaced with stunned silence, as if the world itself had skipped a beat.
Rajin, known for his analytical calm, was now standing with wide eyes.
His confident smirk had faded, replaced by a rare look of uncertainty. But the most stunned of them all… was Misaki.
She couldn't move. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage, sweat trickling down her face—not from the heat of her own attack, but from the raw, incomprehensible fear settling in her bones.
Her strongest technique—Blazing Tempest Fist—the pinnacle of her training and discipline, had been stopped cold.
For months, she had poured her soul into perfecting that move, keeping it hidden as a trump card to use against Rajin.
She was confident that even a prodigy like him wouldn't be able to withstand its destructive heat.
But Ryuu… Ryuu had caught it.
With his bare hand.
"No... this... this isn't possible," Misaki whispered, her lips trembling.
Ryuu stood tall in front of her, his hand wrapped firmly around her burning fist, completely unfazed. No signs of pain. No burns. Not even a scratch.
A faint smile played on his lips.
"H-H-How!? H-How can you block my fist with just your bare hands!?"
Misaki's voice cracked, her breath ragged.
"Y-Your hand… it should have been torn to pieces! How are you still standing like it's nothing!?"
Her voice rose in pitch with every word, desperation and disbelief clawing at her throat.
Ryuu's calm eyes met hers—steady, unwavering. A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"Aha… I can't blame you for being that shocked."
He tilted his head slightly.
"After all, I'm blessed with a certain... gift."
Misaki blinked.
"W-What do you mean by that!?" she demanded, her voice trembling more from fear than rage.
"You'll understand soon enough."
CRACK!!
"AAAHH!!"
Misaki screamed in pain as Ryuu's grip suddenly tightened.
The bones in her wrist creaked under the pressure. She dropped to one knee, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"I-It hurts!! It really hurts!! Please stop it, please!" she cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.
The audience watched in stunned silence, unable to believe what they were seeing.
A supposed F-rank was making an A-rank elite tremble in fear and drop to her knees. It was unheard of. Unthinkable.
Even the members of the Third Division could only stare in disbelief.
Shinju, usually composed and calculated, was wide-eyed.
"What... what is this…? Just who is he?"
He muttered under his breath.
Ryuu's smile faded into something colder.
"Stop, huh?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"It's far too late for that."
His eyes glinted sharply. Misaki's pupils shrank.
Without another word, Ryuu reared his free arm back—his muscles coiling like a drawn bowstring—and thrust his fist forward toward Misaki's face.
BOOM!!!
But the punch never landed.
His fist stopped just inches away from her face.
And yet, the shockwave alone was enough to tear the arena apart.
Behind Misaki, the reinforced stone stage exploded outward in a deafening blast.
Dust and debris shot into the air like cannon fire. The ground cracked, the battlefield shattered.
A massive crater had formed just from the pressure of Ryuu's punch.
Misaki fell to both knees, trembling. Her limbs refused to move. She stared up at him, petrified. Her confidence, her pride, her fire—gone.
Seichii and Masumi stared from the sidelines, unable to look away.
"W-What is this monstrous power...?" Seichii whispered, his voice dry.
"I-I always felt something different about Ryuu since we were little… but to think it was this incredible..."
The entire crowd had fallen into stunned silence again—until one spectator broke into a soft chuckle.
Ryoko.
She sat calmly in the observation box, a serene smile on her face, as if none of this surprised her. As if she had seen it coming.
Seichii noticed her smile, his brows furrowing.
(W-Why is she smiling...? Did Ryoko-san know all along about Ryuu's strength? There's… something she's hiding.)
Shigeru, meanwhile, stared at Ryuu for a long moment before a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Heh… This boy never ceases to surprise me," he muttered. "Just how many secrets are hidden inside you, Aramiya Ryuu?"
Back on the battlefield, Ryuu turned away from Misaki, his expression calm once more. He began walking back toward the Second Division corner.
Behind him, Misaki stared at his back, tears still glistening in her eyes.
"T-Thank you…"
Ryuu paused mid-step. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes locking with hers one last time.
"Never look down on anyone,"
He said firmly.
"No matter how strong you become. Because one day, the world will look down on you… and all you'll be able to do is cry like a child."
With that, he walked away.
The crowd remained silent for a few moments—until the announcer, Tomoki, finally stepped onto the destroyed stage, still visibly shaken.
"T-The winner… of the final solo match of the Second Battle… is Aramiya Ryuu of the Second Division!"
A heartbeat later—
"THE SECOND DIVISION WINS THE BATTLE!!"
WOAHHHHH!!!
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. Students screamed, instructors clapped, flags were waved.
The Second Division had crushed the Third Division in every solo match, and now they were heading to the finals.
But even amidst the celebration, a few sharp eyes were focused not on the scoreboard… but on Ryuu.
Shinju stood silently, staring at both Ryuu and Ryoko. His thoughts were racing.
(So the legends… they might be true after all...)
The cheers began to die down as a new announcement echoed through the arena.
"Up next—Team Battle! First Division versus Fourth Division! All members, please report to the center of the arena immediately!"
One by one, the seven members of both teams entered the battlefield, lining up on opposite sides.
Carol, tall and imposing, locked eyes with Rajin. The killing intent radiating from her was almost suffocating.
A dark, focused fury burned in her eyes.
Rajin smirked, excitement bubbling in his chest.
(So this is my next opponent… heh. Things just got interesting.)
And the battle was far from over...