The coliseum roared back to life.
After two days of tension and whispers, Xyprus Academy's semi-finals resumed under the blaze of a hundred neon floodlights. The crowd was twice as loud. Not with admiration…
…but with doubt.
Match 1: Kairon Vex vs. Raas Virel
Raas Virel — fourth-year elite, son of a defense minister, fused with top-shelf skeletal plating and combat prediction algorithms. Known for his cruel efficiency.
He walked into the arena smirking, flanked by the cheers of the privileged.
Across from him stood Kairon Vex, wrapped hands low, black hair wild in the breeze, no sponsor patch on his chest. No smile. No pride.
Only calm.
And silence.
"Should've stayed in the gutter," Raas spat, loud enough for the crowd. "This ring's for humans."
The crowd laughed.
Kairon didn't blink.
Begin.
Raas came in fast — a blur of boosted strikes and enhanced pivots, each punch amplified by microburst servos. His movements were mathematically perfect, modeled after decades of martial archives.
But perfection has rhythm.
Kairon had none.
He shifted like liquid steel, weaving through blows with barely a step, until—
Crack.
A single palm to Raas' shoulder socket. A sharp twist of balance.
Raas flew. Slammed into the ground.
Staggered up, snorting, furious.
Kairon waited.
He didn't attack.
He invited.
Raas unleashed everything. Neural lash combos. Spiral drive kicks. Two cyber-assisted elbow strikes that should've dented reinforced alloy.
Kairon caught one.
Dodged the other.
And countered with a strike — not fast, not flashy.
Just precise.
Right under the floating rib. A dead spot in Raas' armor interface.
The enhanced student's body went limp mid-step. He collapsed. Spasming.
K.O. in twenty-two seconds.
The Arena Went Dead Quiet.
No cheering. Just blinking disbelief.
Then—
Booing.
Not because it was rigged.
But because it wasn't.
Because they couldn't explain it.
Observation Deck – Vaelric Watching
Vaelric stood, expression unreadable.
Instructor Rhys glanced his way. "Still think he's faking it?"
Vaelric didn't answer.
Inside, something stirred.
Not fear. Not yet.
But a seed of uncertainty.
Kairon Walks Away
No celebration.
He walked past the crowd as they jeered. He didn't look up.
Until—
One student stepped into his path. Not to fight. Just to sneer.
"We all know what you are. You're not a fighter. You're a freak experiment."
Kairon stopped.
For a breath, the darkness behind his eyes shivered.
He doesn't know. Don't kill him.Not yet.
He walked on.
But something deep in his bones was awake now.
Outside the Arena
In the halls, Auren — silent observer from the Legacy Council — stood beside a pillar, watching Kairon from a distance.
Eyes narrowed. Arms crossed.
He turned to the person beside him.
Sera.
"He's not just strong," Auren murmured."He's wrong."
Sera nodded. "And we're running out of time before he finds out what he really is."
Final Line
The finals were set.
Vaelric Thorne.The heir.
Kairon Vex.The unknown.
Only one would leave the ring unchanged.
And the world wasn't ready for either of them.