I walked beside Isabelle through the tunnel toward the arena, my ribs singing a symphony of pain that Emi’s healing had only partially addressed. The crowd noise grew louder with each step, twenty thousand voices creating a wall of sound that made my teeth vibrate.
"You’re limping," Isabelle observed, her tone clinical.
"I’m walking with character."
"Your character needs physical therapy."
I couldn’t help but laugh, which imdiately reminded why laughing was a terrible idea right now. "You’re funnier than you look, you know that?"
She glanced at sideways, her wine-red eyes catching the arena lights. "I’m not attempting humor. I’m stating facts."
"That’s what makes it funny."
We erged into the sunlight, and the crowd’s roar doubled. The central flag from the previous event had been removed, replaced by a perfectly smooth circular platform about thirty feet across. The scoreboard overhead showed our faces next to our opponents: and Isabelle versus Kenjiro Kobayashi and Jin Park from the Cobalt Vipers.
I’d seen Kenjiro fight exactly once, during the entrance exam. The kid with turquoise eyes and ssy black hair who moved like wind given human form. He’d destroyed his opponents without breaking a sweat, his hands never leaving his pockets even as invisible blades of compressed air carved through combat drones like they were made of paper.
"Kobayashi is the problem," Isabelle said quietly, echoing my thoughts. "Jin is competent but unremarkable. Kenjiro is the fifth-ranked student in our year for a reason."
"What’s his weakness?"
She turned to look at fully, her perfect features betraying nothing. "Unknown. He’s never been pushed hard enough to reveal one."
"Guess we’ll find out."
The opposing tunnel opened, and two figures erged in cobalt blue and black. Kenjiro looked exactly like his entrance exam footage—bored, hands in his pockets, moving with the lazy grace of soone who knew he was the most dangerous person in any room. His partner Jin looked nervous by comparison, his hands twitching near the hilts of twin short swords strapped to his waist.
Maximus Hype’s voice exploded across the speakers, making my headache ten tis worse. "LADIES AND GENTLEN, it’s ti for our FIRST TAG TEAM DUEL of the quarterfinals! On my left, representing the ONYX HOUNDS, we have the STRAY DOG himself, Satori Nakano, and the ABDICATED QUEEN, Isabelle Okoye!"
The crowd went absolutely insane. I raised my bat in acknowledgnt, playing to the caras.
"And on my right, representing the COBALT VIPERS, we have the QUIET STORM, Kenjiro Kobayashi, and his partner, the DUAL BLADE, Jin Park!"
Kenjiro didn’t acknowledge the crowd at all. He just yawned, like this entire event was already boring him to tears.
Professor Hanae appeared at the center of the platform, her long dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. She looked tired but alert, her purple eyes sharp as she surveyed the four of us.
"Standard tag team rules," she announced, her voice carrying across the arena without shouting. "Two on two combat, non-lethal force only. Match ends when both mbers of one team are unconscious, yield, or are knocked out of the ring." She gestured to the white lines marking the platform’s edge. "No weapons that weren’t registered with your academy ID. No outside assistance. Fight clean, fight smart, don’t die."
She stepped back, raising one hand, her expression settling into that cool, professional mask she wore when she wanted to be taken seriously. "Competitors ready?"
I adjusted my grip on the bat, feeling the familiar weight settle into my hands. The dragon witch’s ring pulsed against my finger, hot and eager. Beside , Isabelle’s spear began to glow faintly with green wind, the subtle manifestation of Fujin’s power rippling along the blade like living silk.
Across the platform, Kenjiro finally—finally—took his hands out of his pockets. That simple gesture alone made my Protection from Arrows ability tingle with warning, like static electricity building before a lightning strike.
The crowd fell silent. Even the announcer seed to be holding his breath.
"BEGIN!"
The world exploded into motion.
Jin charged forward imdiately, his twin swords flashing in the harsh sunlight like twin streaks of silver lightning. Isabelle t him head-on without hesitation, her spear transforming into a blur of green light and impossible speed that forced the Cobalt Viper onto the imdiate defensive. They moved like dancers performing a deadly ballet, steel ringing against steel in a rhythm so fast and so precise that the crowd could barely track the individual exchanges.
Which left facing Kenjiro one-on-one.
He tilted his head slightly, studying with those unnervingly calm turquoise eyes. There was no hostility in that gaze, no excitent or battle lust. Just... clinical interest. Like I was a puzzle he was mildly curious about solving.
"You’re the one who fought Reyna to a draw," he said. It wasn’t a question.
I gave him my best cocky grin, the one I’d practiced in the mirror for exactly this kind of mont. "I prefer to think of it as ’survived Reyna with my dignity intact.’"
"She said you were interesting." He finally smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "I don’t see it yet."
Then he moved.
I’d fought fast people before. Raphael when he was angry. Skylar when she was focused. Hell, I’d taken hits from Reyna herself, and that girl moved like lightning made flesh.
Kenjiro was faster.
One second he was standing ten feet away. The next, he was inside my guard, his hand snapping toward my throat with casual precision. I barely got the bat up in ti to block, and the impact sent a shockwave through my arms that made my bones ache.
He’d hit with compressed air. The kid had turned his palm into a battering ram using nothing but his Aspect.
I activated Kinetic Absorption, feeling the force of his strike convert into raw power. My Strength jumped five points, my Agility another five. The temporary buffs settled into my muscles like liquid heat.
Kenjiro frowned. Not anger. Just... confusion. Like I’d done sothing that didn’t compute.
"Your ribs should be broken," he said, almost conversational.
"They’re very stubborn ribs."
He ca at again, this ti with a series of rapid strikes that would’ve liquefied a normal person’s internal organs. Palm strikes. Elbow jabs. A knee aid at my liver. Each one carrying compressed air that hit like a truck.
I dodged three. Blocked two. Took one directly to the shoulder.
Another fifteen points added to my temporary stats.
"Interesting," Kenjiro murmured, backing off slightly. His eyes were sharper now, calculating. "You’re converting kinetic energy. That’s not in your file."
"My file’s out of date."
User Comments
0 comments from readers