Battles

Chapter 24: Battles

As the countdown hit zero, Ian surged forward, his enhanced strength propelling him like a missile. He was all brute force destructive, relentless. Against most opponents, his sheer power would be enough to crush them.

But Selena?

She barely moved.

The air around her seemed to ripple, an invisible wink as she exhaled. No sooner did Ian's fist close in

He froze in mid-air.

No he was moving. But his body seemed to suddenly have gained a thousand weight, his attack crawling toward her in delay.

A smirk flickered across Selena's lips.

She hadn't stopped him she had stopped the air around him.

By amplifying the air resistance within his immediate personal space, she made his own speed his worst nightmare. The harder he pushed forward, the more the air pushed back, strangling his momentum.

Ian's eyes widened in surprise. "What the-?!

Selena sidestepped, and the pressure was released immediately. Ian, still straining forward, stumbled from his own force, almost falling flat on his face.

The crowd murmured. Some had barely caught what happened she hadn't thrown a single visible attack.

Ian snarled and spun around. This time, he feinted, shifting his weight before lunging again.

Selena sighed. She didn't even have to dodge.

WHOOSH.

A burst of compressed air exploded beneath her feet, launching her effortlessly into the air. Ian's fist swung through nothing but wind as she ascended, hovering above him with an almost lazy grace.

From above, Selena tilted her head. "You're too slow."

Ian growled and leapt after her, cracking the ground with the force of his jump. He could reach her but that was a mistake.

CRACK.

Before he could even react, a compressing force from above slammed him back to the ground with a deafening suddenness, flat.

Selena landed lightly beside him. "Heavy air," she said. "It doesn't just stop you it sends you crashing."

Ian gritted his teeth. His body shrieked in protest at the sudden pressure change. But he wasn't going to quit now.

With a roar, he surged back up-only to have his breath vanish.

His eyes went wide in panic. The air was gone.

Selena had created a pocket of vacuum around his face, cutting off the oxygen for just a moment. Not enough to knock him out just enough to send his brain into survival mode. His heartbeat spiked, his body hesitated and in that moment, Selena struck.

A sudden gust hit his chest, and he went flying backward. He gasped for air when the oxygen finally returned, but his body had already shut down from exhaustion.

Selena crossed her arms. "Give up yet?"

Ian tried to push himself up. His muscles wouldn't respond. His body had been put through too much pressure shifts, oxygen deprivation, sudden impacts. He could barely think.

Callen raised a hand. "Winner: Selena Voss."

The crowd erupted.

Selena dusted off her new suit, glancing at her teammates.

Caden gave her a slow clap. "Alright, I'll admit it. That was kind of scary."

Mira smirked. "She barely moved and still won. That's just unfair."

Ryan narrowed his eyes at her. "You used too much air manipulation at once. You'll feel it later."

Selena rolled her shoulders. He was right her lungs burned faintly from controlling so much air density in a short time. But she simply smiled rubbing her chest. "I'll be fine."

The next match was called.

And Selena stepped back, her victory secured.

As Selena stepped back, victorious, the next names were called.

"Darius Kane versus Vance Drexler!"

Darius rolled his shoulders, a smirk tugging at his lips. Time to show what he was made of.

Across the arena, Vance stood waiting, arms folded. He was lean, sharp-eyed, his posture unreadable. Unlike Ian's brute-force approach, Vance looked like the calculating type.

The hand rose. "Begin!"

Vance struck first, vanishing from sight.

Darius did not so much as blink.

CRACK!

There came a blow against his ribs fast and precise. The body of Darius did nothing to betray even that. It merely let a low metallic groan, a dark toughening of his skin, with its reflex action.

A moment later Vance flickered once more into substance, stepping backwards. His brows furrowed. He had struck something solid.

Darius let his breath out in a low sigh, the smirk spreading on his face. His body bulged a little, muscles swelling as his transformation kicked in. Veins darkened his form as it bulked.

"Hope you're not fragile," he growled.

Then he swung.

His fist tore through the air with bone-crushing force. Vance barely twisted away, but even then

BOOM!

The shockwave alone blasted him backward. He skid across the arena floor, eyes wide. That wasn't normal strength.

Darius cracked his neck, stepping forward. The ground shook under his feet.

Vance clicked his tongue. "Tch. A tank, huh?"

His figure blurred, vanishing again. This time, he went for the joints, aiming for weak spots-neck, knee, ribs.

But it didn't matter.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Every strike was a fistful into the wall. Vance grit his teeth. No weak points. No soft spots. Just an armored juggernaut.

Finally, Darius exhaled. "You're quick. But not strong enough."

He caught Vance mid-strike.

The moment his opponent flickered in view Darius' hand was already clamped around his forearm.

Vance's eyes widened.

Then he was flying.

Darius threw him like a ragdoll. The air whistled as Vance crashed into the ground, bouncing once before rolling to a stop.

He groaned, pushing himself up but Darius was already there.

"Game over."

A massive fist came down.

Vance barely crossed his arms before—

BOOM!

The impact cratered the ground. Dust exploded outward. The entire arena shook.

When the dust cleared, Vance lay on his back, groaning. His arms were still attached, but the arena floor beneath him wasn't.

Darius stepped back, rolling his shoulders. "Could've gone on longer, but I figured you'd had enough."

Then Callen raised a hand. "Winner: Darius Kane!"

The crowd erupted.

Caden whistled. "Remind me not to piss him off."

Selena smirked. "You say that like you ever listen."

Mira crossed her arms, nodding. "That was brutal but Caden will probably end Darius before he can resist."

Ryan simply watched Darius return, eyes sharp. "You relied purely on your ability. Against someone stronger, that won't be enough."

Darius just grinned. "Then I'll just get stronger."

The next match was called.

And Darius, victorious, took his seat and Callen glanced at the team with a eyes filled with mysterious emotions.

As Darius stepped back, victorious, the next names were called.

"Mira Holts versus Rafe Calderon!"

Mira exhaled, rolling her shoulders as she stepped onto the battlefield. Her violet eyes gleamed with quiet confidence.

Across from her, Rafe grinned, cracking his knuckles. He was tall, built like a bruiser, but the way he moved light on his feet suggested he wasn't just about raw strength.

The instructor raised a hand.

"Begin!"

Rafe launched forward immediately, closing the space between them in an instant. His fists came in fast, a blur of motion.

Mira didn't move.

And yet— 

His punches never reached her.

Rafe's eyes widened as suddenly the momentum vanished from him. He was stopped in an invisible wall, the air against him. His muscles strained, his feet scraping against the ground, but he couldn't close the last inch between them.

Mira tilted her head. "Gravity's funny like that, isn't it?"

She had amped up the gravitational field directly in front of her. To Rafe, it felt like he was trying to punch through solid lead.

He growled, pivoting to attack from another angle but the moment he moved, he was yanked sideways.

His body twisted mid-motion, dragged off-course by an unseen force. His balance snapped. He barely caught himself before falling flat.

Mira sighed. "You're too predictable."

Rafe scowled. He jumped back, creating distance, then leapt high, aiming to come down on her from above.

Mira flicked a finger.

WHAM!

He slammed into the ground instead, his entire body dragged downward by a sudden, crushing weight.

The impact cracked the floor beneath him.

He gasped, his limbs trembling under an invisible force pressing down on him. Mira had increased his personal gravity, multiplying his weight tenfold.

"I hope you're not too fragile," she said, echoing Darius's earlier words with a smirk.

Rafe grit his teeth. His muscles bulged as he forced himself up, fighting the overwhelming weight. His entire body trembled, veins bulging from the sheer strain.

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Still resisting?"

She clenched her fist.

The pressure increased.

Rafe's knees buckled. His body slammed back down, crushed against the ground. His breathing came out ragged. Every inch of movement felt like trying to lift mountains.

But still, he struggled.

Mira's smirk faltered somewhat. He was resilient. More than she expected.

She raised her hand. The air over him rippled.

Then it dropped.

Rafe's body sank into the earth deeper as a sudden gravitational spike tugged him down. The ground beneath him shattered further, developing a small depression.

His body screamed in protest. His vision blurred. His strength useless.

He couldn't move.

Couldn't fight.

He clenched his teeth in one last struggle to rise up—

And Mira clicked her fingers.

Gravity that had pressed on him suddenly trebled.

THUNDER.

His body relaxed, his fight finally failing him.

Callen moved forth, peered at Rafe's completely inanimate form; then raised his hand after some time.

Mira dusted off her hands, turning back toward her team.

Caden whistled in a very impressed tone, "Alright, that was brutal."

Selena smirked. "She barely moved and still won. Sound familiar?"

Mira shrugged. "What can I say? Style matters."

Ryan studied her closely. "You used lots of controlled gravity shifts in rapid succession. Your stamina-

"I'm fine and besides when did you become this analytic," Mira said, though her breath was a little heavier than before. Unlike Selena's air manipulation, gravity was absolute. The amount of force she applied took more out of her than she let on.

But she wouldn't show it.

"Ryan Bolts versus Jace Corbin!

Ryan blew out a loud breath, stepping forward. He popped his knuckles, and small flames danced up his fingers, then disappeared.

Jace stood across from him, tall and wiry, with an arrogant smirk on his face. His dark green eyes locked onto Ryan with a glint somewhere between humor and curiosity.

The instructor lifted a hand. 

"Begin!"

Jace was the first to move-he just disappeared in a blur. Insane, almost teleportation-level speed.

But Ryan didn't move one bit.

FWIP!

Instantly, Jace was right at his face, already swinging his fist—

BOOM!

A shockwave of fire exploded as Ryan's aura was set ablaze in an instant, sending Jace bowling backward, even as he was mid-attack; he barely dodged the flames, backflipping for distance between them.

Ryan's body was wreathed in heat, his stance unwavering. "You're fast." He clenched his fist, the air around him distorting from the pure heat. "Let's see how well you run through fire."

Jace grinned. "Gladly."

BANG!

Jace disappeared again, but this time Ryan did his flames erupting out in a shockwave. The instant Jace flashed back into view, he was already met with a burning fist.

CRACK!

Jace barely twisted his body, avoiding the worst of the hit, but the heat still seared his arm. He hissed, eyes narrowing.

Ryan didn't let up.

He swung forward, his foot smashing into the ground sending a wall of flames roaring toward Jace.

Jace blurred away, reappearing behind Ryan, but-

FWOOOM!

Ryan's flames exploded around him in a wave of fire that sent Jace back again before he could even land an attack.

The crowd murmured.

Jace was faster. But it didn't matter.

Every time he got close, Ryan's flames forced him away. The heat alone was enough to punish any attempt at an attack.

Jace wiped his mouth, eyes burning with frustration. He'd fought fire-users before, but Ryan's control was too absolute his flames moved like a living shield.

"Tch."

Ryan flexed his fingers. "Give up?"

Jace gritted his teeth. "Not a chance."

He vanished again but this time instead of attacking-,

He ran.

He blurred around Ryan, going faster and faster, creating a whirlwind with his sheer speed.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Trying to suffocate me?"

Jace didn't answer. The wind picked up, feeding into itself until it became a raging vortex, stealing the oxygen from the air. Ryan's flames flickered.

Jace grinned.

"Fire needs air, Bolts. Let's see how you burn without it."

Ryan exhaled.

Then he smiled.

"Who says I require oxygen?"

FWOOSH.

The flames did not cease. They grew in intensity.

Jace's eyes went wide. "Wha-?!"

Ryan's flames turned blue.

Then--BOOM!

In an instant, a firestorm ripped outwards the vortex tearing asunder around him. A simple blast of force sent Jace flying across the arena, his speed working against him as he skidded along the arena floor.

Ryan's flames did not require oxygen. They were fueled directly by his power.

Jace coughed, struggling to push himself up. His body was scorched, his entire strategy shattered in seconds.

Ryan stepped forward, fire flickering across his arms. "Now, stay down-"

Before he could finish, Callen raised a hand.

"Winner: Ryan Bolts!"

The crowd blew up in cheers.

Ryan blew it out, the fire dying as he turned back to his team.

Selena nodded. "Not bad."

Mira snorted. "You enjoy setting things on fire way too much."

Darius chuckled. "I'd say he enjoys making people suffer in the fire."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You guys talk too much."

Caden chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. We get it, hotshot."

Ryan sat down, his body still warm with adrenaline. He hadn't gone all out, but he was satisfied.

The battles continued.

More fights. More winners. The tournament edged toward its final match.

Then...

The final names were called.

"Caden Arden versus Kieran."

The arena went silent.

Caden grinned, rising to his feet. "Finally."

Kieran was already waiting, his arms crossed. His silver-white hair barely moved as he stared at Caden with an expression cold as his name suggested.

Unlike the others, Caden wasn't just another competitor.

He was the one everyone wanted to see.

Everyone already heard of his feat of holding out the proximar till the commander recovered.

And Kieran?

He was the only one confident enough to think he could stop him.

Kieran had fought war since birth, he began his life on a battle field and he turned the entire battlefield into north pole in seconds

Callen's voice boomed over the arena.

"Final match. Begin."