Day Two of the Dawnforge Tournament arrived with a nervous excitement that buzzed through the entire stadium.
Yesterday had given the audience two overwhelming displays—Astra Noire's destructive strength, and Rain Lancelot's brilliant strategy.Today, expectations soared even higher.
Students crowded together, whispering about the first match of the day.
"Who fights first today?""I heard it's Roger!""Against Naomi Crest? That's going to be pure chaos!"
Even the teachers looked unusually alert.
When the announcer's voice thundered through the arena, the entire stadium shook.
"FIRST MATCH OF DAY TWO—ROGER CASTELLAN VS NAOMI CREST!!"
The cheers exploded like fireworks.
Speed vs Defense.Momentum vs Barrier.Unpredictability vs Precision.
No one could predict which would prevail.
◆ ◆ ◆
Pre-Match Moments
Roger stepped out, spinning his arms like an athlete warming up.
"Alright! Day Two! Let's start with some fireworks!"
Naomi Crest followed quietly, her steps slow, hands folded politely.
Rank 11.Quiet. Soft-spoken.But her Light Barrier Nexas was feared across all support departments.
"Though Naomi and Vale were both barrier-users, their Nexas operated on entirely different principles—Vale used brute-force shields, while Naomi shaped light itself. However she wants"
Bam whispered to his friends:
"Roger's in trouble. She can block anything."
Astra simply watched, unreadable.
Raze leaned forward slightly.
"No… Roger isn't just fast. He's creative."
On the arena floor, Naomi bowed deeply.
"I hope we both do well."
Roger grinned."Hey, same! Just don't trap me in some weird fortress thing, okay?"
Naomi blinked."…I can't promise that."
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin in—3… 2… 1— START!"
◆ ◆ ◆
Naomi Seizes Control Instantly
Before Roger even took his first step—
FWOOOOM!!
A massive wall of light erupted beneath him and sent him tumbling backward.
"GYAAAH—HEY!! I wasn't ready!"
Naomi did not react—she simply raised her hands.
SHRRRRR—!!
Barriers materialized everywhere:
A curved wall blocking the left.A slanted shield cutting off the right.A horizontal panel descending like a trapdoor.A massive floor barrier pushing him toward a corner.
It was brilliant.Precise.Merciless.
Roger darted—
CLANG! A barrier boxed him in.
He dodged sideways—
THUD! Another blocked the route.
He jumped—
BAM!! A ceiling panel slammed him down.
The crowd roared:
"She's shutting him down!""Roger can't even start a sprint!""She's predicting everything!"
Naomi spoke softly, her voice gentle:
"You rely on speed, Roger Castellan.
So… I simply won't give you space to build any."
Then her hands closed.
SHOOOM—!!
The barriers collapsed inward—forming a glowing cube around Roger.
A perfect prison.
Roger looked around at the sealed walls of light.
"…Well. This is unfortunate."
◆ ◆ ◆
Roger Begins to Think
He pressed a hand against the barrier.
Solid. Too solid.Light condensed into a material harder than reinforced steel.
"C'mon… break… break… oh wow nope, that is solid."
Outside the cube, Naomi inhaled deeply.
Her voice trembled just a bit.
"I'm sorry, Roger… but I must win too."
She formed a massive descending barrier, ready to crush the cube and force a ring-out.
The audience leaned forward.
This was it.Roger was about to lose.
Unless—
Roger's grin spread slowly.
"Ohhh… Naomi. You messed up."
He crouched.
"Momentum Shift doesn't care about space…"
Naomi's eyes widened.
"…What…?"
Roger whispered:
"Momentum Shift — Vertical start."
He jumped upward.
And his Nexas locked onto that direction—
FWOOOOOOSH!!
He rocketed upward inside the cube, bouncing between the floor and ceiling like a supercharged pinball.
BOING!BOING!BOING!
Each bounce made him faster.
The cube amplified him.
The crowd screamed:
"He's accelerating INSIDE!?""He's turning the cube into a speed chamber!""That's insane!"
Naomi frantically reinforced her cube—
But Roger was already hitting speeds that blurred his silhouette.
His skin hardened.Bones reinforced.Muscles condensed.
A passive effect of Momentum Shift—
The faster he becomes, the sturdier his body grows.
Roger grinned mid-impact.
"Alright… I'm ready!"
◆ ◆ ◆
Prison Break
With one final bounce—
CRAAAAAAACK—!!!
Roger exploded upward, blasting through the top of the cube, scattering shards of glowing light like falling stars.
The stadium ERUPTED.
"He BROKE the prison!""That barrier is tougher than steel!""His body hardened to survive the impact!!!"
Roger hovered midair for a moment, panting.
Then smirked down at Naomi.
"Thanks for the boost. You basically charged me up."
Naomi's breath hitched.
"…You… broke my strongest defense."
◆ ◆ ◆
Momentum Reversal — The Finishing Move
Roger flipped in the air.
He still had all the vertical momentum.
Now he whispered:
"Shift—Forward."
All that upward velocity…
converted into horizontal attack velocity.
He became a streak of blue and white.
Naomi scrambled—
WHAM!!Roger smashed through the first barrier.
CRACK!!The second shattered like glass.
BOOOOM!!The third collapsed instantly.
Naomi formed her strongest barrier, right in front of her.
Light blazed.Air vibrated.The entire arena held its breath.
Roger roared:
"FINAL BREAK!!!"
BAAAAAAAAAAM!!
The barrier shattered into a thousand radiant shards.
Naomi staggered backward—
Roger stopped his fist an inch from her chest.
Silence.
Then—
"WINNER — ROGER CASTELLAN!!"
The crowd erupted like a volcano.
◆ ◆ ◆
Aftermath
Naomi approached slowly, still shaking from the impact.
"You… broke everything I made. And still held back."
Roger scratched his cheek."Hitting people isn't my thing. Breaking stuff is."
She smiled — small, sincere, grateful.
"It was an honor."
Astra nodded."Your adaptability was commendable."
Bam slapped Roger's back hard."Dude, you literally punched LIGHT. What even are you!?"
Raze smiled."You break limits the same way you break walls."
Roger flexed dramatically.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen—
THE MOMENTUM KING ADVANCES!"
The stadium roared with laughter and applause.
And as Naomi bowed respectfully to the crowd, the announcer's voice echoed:
"Prepare for the next match! Day Two continues—!"
Roger wiped sweat from his brow, grinning ear to ear.
"Alright… who's next?