The arena was a massive circular battlefield, surrounded by a roaring crowd of students. Word of the fight had spread like wildfire, and now half the academy was here to witness my impending demise.
"This is going to be brutal."
"That newbie doesn't stand a chance!"
"What if he actually wins?"
"Against Garron? Impossible."
I was really starting to hate this school.
In the center of the arena, Garron stepped forward, his massive Armored Direwolf by his side. The beast stood nearly twice my height, its thick, metallic fur gleaming in the sunlight. Its red eyes burned with hunger as it snarled at me.
Meanwhile, Argonax…
…was curled up on my shoulder, sleeping.
I poked the tiny dragon. "Hey. Hey, wake up. We're about to get murdered."
Argonax yawned and lazily stretched its wings. It gave me a look that said, Relax. This is nothing.
Easy for him to say. I was the one who was going to get my face smashed in.
Seraphis stood between us, raising her hand. "This is an official academy duel. The fight continues until one combatant is unable to continue, surrenders, or their beast is defeated."
She glanced at me. "Try not to die, boy."
Gulp.
"BEGIN!"
Garron didn't waste a second.
"Direfang! Charge!"
The Armored Direwolf shot forward like a blur, its steel claws carving into the ground as it lunged at me.
Oh crap—
I jumped back just in time to avoid getting shredded, but the beast's sheer speed was terrifying. If I took a single direct hit, I was done.
Meanwhile, Argonax…
…was still lounging on my shoulder.
"Dude, DO SOMETHING!" I hissed.
Argonax yawned.
Then, in the laziest movement possible, it lifted its tiny claw… and flicked a single ember toward the Direwolf.
A single, tiny, harmless-looking ember.
I barely had time to blink before—
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the entire arena. The Direwolf was sent flying backward, crashing into the stone wall with a thunderous impact.
The dust settled. The crowd gasped.
The Armored Direwolf lay unconscious. One-hit KO.
I stood frozen in place. "Wha—"
The entire arena was silent.
Garron's jaw dropped.
The students watching were speechless.
Seraphis raised an eyebrow. "…Well."
Garron stumbled backward, eyes wide in disbelief. "T-That's impossible! My Direwolf has one of the highest defenses in the academy!"
Argonax, still sitting on my shoulder, gave him the smuggest little chirp I had ever heard.
It wasn't just an ember. It was an ember from Argonax, The Devourer. Even the tiniest flick of its flames carried world-ending power.
I slowly turned to my dragon.
"Dude." I whispered. "You're really trying to get me killed, aren't you?"
Argonax purred innocently.
Seraphis sighed. "The winner is obvious." She turned to me. "Congratulations, boy. You've won your first duel."
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"He won??"
"With ONE attack?!"
"That's not fair! That thing is a MONSTER!"
"This is insane!"
I groaned. "Great. Now everyone's going to want to fight me."
Argonax flicked its tail happily.
I was so screwed.