Battle Of Flames

Riya's patience snapped like a twig and with a furious snarl, she hurled a blast of fire straight at Ren.

But he moved.

A sharp sidestep which was just enough for the flames to rush past him, barely grazing the edge of his clothes. It was clean, Smooth and effortless.

Gasps rippled through the hall.

Riya's eyes widened. Did he just dodge?

Her shock quickly turned into fury. "Still standing, huh?" Her flames flared, burning brighter, hotter, crackling with raw power. "Let's see how long that lasts!"

She attacked again, but faster and deadlier this time. Fireballs shot through the air, each one was precise, they were meant to corner him, overwhelm him.

But Ren dodged.

He ducked. Twisted. Stepped away from every blast with a calm, measured ease like water flowing around rocks.

The hall erupted.

"Did he just dodge Riya again?!"

"No way! A Class D student keeping up with her? That's impossible!"

"He's just getting lucky!"

But Riku knew better. His sharp eyes followed Ren's every movement. This wasn't luck. This was skill.

Riya's frustration boiled over. Her flames surged hotter and the heat distorted the air around her. No. She refused to accept this.

"Stop running and burn, you coward!" she roared, hurling another wave of fire.

Ren moved like it was nothing. Slipping past attacks like he was strolling through a breeze. He didn't panic. He didn't hesitate.

He was completely in control.

The nobles stared, their confidence shaken.

Class D was supposed to be weak. Useless. Beneath them.

So why—why was this nobody still standing?

Riya's flames crackled, but her sharp eyes narrowed on Ren.

Wait.

Something was off. He wasn't just dodging.

He was watching her.

Reading her.

The way he dodged… it wasn't just instinct. It was skill.

And not just any skill—it was technique.

Riya's heart pounded. No. That wasn't possible.

She lunged again, testing him, sending another blast of flames straight at him. But Ren slipped through it, fluid and precise, like he already knew where the attack would land before she even threw it.

And that footwork…

Her breath hitched. She knew that move.

They had just learned it a few days ago.

It was a technique their Class A instructor drilled into them, it was one of the hardest to master, meant for elites. Only Class A students knew about it.

Even within Class A, only a handful of students had grasped the technique well enough to use it in real combat. And yet, here was Ren, someone from Class D—someone who wasn't even supposed to be here—executing it flawlessly

So how how was he using it?

She barely mastered that move herself.

She staggered back, the realization sinking in. "What the hell…?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Riku's sharp gaze flicked toward her. "What is it?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't. She just stared at Ren and her chest tightened

And then—

He smirked.

A slow, knowing smirk that made her stomach twist.

Ren tilted his head slightly, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh? You just figured it out?" His tone was almost teasing, almost mocking.

Gasps swept through the room.

Riya's fists clenched so tightly they trembled. "How do you know that technique?" she snapped, her voice was sharp like was demanding an answer.

Ren just rolled his shoulders like this was nothing. "What, you thought Class A had a monopoly on learning?"

Silence.

Dead silence.

Ren had been watching them.

He had been studying them.

Every move, every technique, every tiny detail.

While everyone thought he was just some quiet loser keeping to himself, he wasn't.

He was working.

But not just that, he had been sneaking around class And corridors. He had been Watching their training. Listening to their lessons.

When they thought they were untouchable, that their techniques were exclusive to them, Ren had been there in the shadows, soaking it all in.

He hated the facr that Class A looked down on everyone else. He hated that they acted like gods while Class D was treated like trash.

It ate at him. Frustrated him.

So, he decided he wasn't going to stay at the bottom forever.

He watched them. He copied them. He stole their techniques, then when everyone else slept, he trained.

Again and again.

Pushing himself past his limits.

Every night, every morning, like his life depended on it. Because in a way… it did.

The hall was electric with tension. Riya's flames flickered wildly around her. Her frustration bubbled over with every failed attempt to land a solid hit on Ren. How was this nobody dodging her so effortlessly?!

Then Ren did something insane.

He stopped dodging.

Riya barely had time to process it before her fist connected with his face.

A sickening crack echoed through the room.

Ren's head snapped to the side as he staggered. His body hit the floor with a heavy thud and gasps rippled through the crowd.

When he sat up, a swollen bruise was already forming around his left eye.

But then, he smiled.

A slow, calculated smile, as if he had just won something.

Riya's breath hitched. Her chest heaved. Her body, her mind suddenly felt calm. The moment her fist had landed, all the chaotic emotions raging inside her vanished.

Riya's attacks were getting faster, stronger, but also wilder.

Riku, watching from the sidelines had seen it right away.

He knew Riya better than anyone. He had fought beside her, trained with her, seen her battle countless times.

And he knew one thing for sure—

The moment Riya lost her temper, she lost the fight.

Her sharp, precise movements turned into brute force. Her careful strikes became desperate swings. She wasn't fighting smart anymore, she was just trying to crush Ren.

And that was a mistake.

Ren saw it.

Ren lay flat on the cold marble floor, he barely moved. His body was still and his swollen eye darkened by the second.

He looked finished.

Riya loomed over him. She was still breathing hard with her fists trembling.

Finally.

A sharp scoff left her lips, the type that dripped with cruel satisfaction. "You sneaky, lucky little brat. You thought you could escape me?"

The room was dead silent.

Then fire exploded in her hands. The flames in Riya's hands twisted and grew, turning into a violent inferno. A massive, swirling orb of flames, burning hotter than anything she'd thrown before.

Sweat dripped down the faces of the onlookers as the heat rolled through the hall in suffocating waves. This wasn't a simple duel anymore. This was a warning. A statement. A declaration that no one, especially not some nobody from Class D could challenge her and walk away unscathed.

Some students took cautious steps back, realizing just how far Riya was willing to go.

"Riya—" Riku's voice cut through the heavy air sharper than before. He knew that look in her eyes. She wasn't just angry. She wanted blood.

She ignored him.

Her fingers curled tighter, her flames now pulsed with terrifying intensity. She was going to end this, and she was going to make sure there wasn't even a trace of Ren left.

She wasn't holding back anymore.

She didn't care.

Ren had humiliated her, he had made her feel like she wasn't in control, and she was done playing.

"Riya, that's enough!" someone else yelled, but she didn't even flinch.

All she saw was Ren.

She was going to end him.

Gasps rang out as the heat in the room skyrocketed.

Students stumbled back, their faces went pale with horror.

Some shielded themselves from the blistering heat. Even the tutor who had remained composed the entire time shifted uncomfortably.

But he still didn't step in.

Because Riya wasn't just trying to win anymore.

She was trying to erase Ren from existence.

The class watched in stunned silence, some frozen in fear, others in anticipation.

The flames reflected in Ren's eyes. It grew larger and came closer. It was ready to consume him whole.

Yet, his body remained relaxed, his breathing was steady, like he wasn't standing inches from destruction.

The crowd was losing it.

"He's frozen—he's too scared to move!"

"No, this doesn't make sense! Why isn't he reacting?!"

Even Riku, who rarely let his emotions slip, clenched his fists and his sharp gaze locked onto Ren.

But Riya was grinning.

"That's right," she muttered, her voice laced with satisfaction. "Kneel before power."

The flames were seconds away from impact.

The heat was unbearable.

And still—

Ren didn't move.