Cain lunged at Aria with surprising speed, his hammer raised high for a devastating blow aimed at crushing his opponent. Aria quickly stepped back, dodging the attack, then used the gun part of her gunblade to fire a close-range shot, trying to end the fight in a single move.
The bullet exploded through the air, but Cain, though caught off guard, kept his composure and quickly retreated, avoiding the shot.
Without wasting a second, Cain regained momentum and charged forward again, swinging the hammer violently. Aria dodged the attack with skill and countered with a slash, cutting him on the side, but only superficially. Cain growled in pain but didn't falter. With a grimace, he swung the hammer in a powerful arc, forcing Aria to defend herself with all her strength.
When the two weapons clashed, Cain grinned menacingly.
"Dragon Impact!" he shouted, unleashing a devastating force.
The explosion from the impact sent Aria flying, bouncing several times across the arena before coming to a crashing stop.
Cough!
Coughing with difficulty, Aria slowly stood up, her arms trembling from the force of the blow.
Cain approached with steady steps, mocking her.
"How does it feel to kiss the ground? I bet your clan has experienced worse."
"And how does it feel to know you'll always be inferior to your younger cousin, Cain?" Aria shot back, raising her guard again.
Cain's face turned cold and dangerous as he charged his hammer with even more intensity.
Aria, with a swift hand movement, fired a volley of bullets. Cain, now more prepared, dodged them with surprising agility, closing in for another strike. With a powerful swing, Aria managed to block it.
The long handle of Cain's hammer stopped the attack, and the two found themselves in a critical standoff, their faces just inches apart, expressions full of murderous intent.
"Did you forget?" Cain growled, muscles tense and bulging.
"I got the highest strength score!"
With a furious push, Cain drove the hammer forward, putting Aria at a disadvantage.
"It's over! Dragon Impact!" he declared with a fiery voice.
In that decisive moment, Aria managed to gain a bit of distance, pointing the blade tip toward him.
"Thunder-Fire Cannon!" she shouted, as a reddish-purple beam exploded from her weapon, launching with full energy toward Cain.
The beam and the hammer collided with a crackling impact, engulfing the arena in a blinding light. The catastrophic explosion stunned the spectators, and in the chaos of the impact, both Cain and Aria were thrown back, hit by the devastating force of their final exchange.
"Draw." Yuna declared flatly.
Cain and Aria stood up, still a bit dazed, but due to the arena's effects, they had no wounds.
They stared at each other coldly, the tension between them so thick it was almost visible.
"If you're done, return to your places," Yuna ordered, keeping an authoritative tone.
Cain and Aria locked eyes one last time before walking to their respective corners with a hint of annoyance.
"How does it feel to lose your last hope, cousin?" Hiro asked mockingly.
"Trust me, it's not over. So don't get too comfortable in your spot, or something similar might happen again," Cain replied just as ironically, pointing to the scar on Hiro's face.
Hiro clenched his fist, a flash of memory reminding him how the scar had formed, but he made sure not to show it. He knew Cain enjoyed targeting others' weaknesses, and he wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Axel continued observing Aria.
There was no admiration in his eyes, nor any deep emotion, he simply looked at her as one would look at any other human.
He was convinced that he had a specific role to fulfill, and when he discovered that Aria was still alive, he suspected she might be part of it. But so far, nothing he had seen truly justified that belief.
"It's still too early to answer," Axel thought to himself as he kept observing the situation.
[Next match: Hiro Drakon vs Lucas Seraphim.]
The other students immediately got excited. The fight between Cain and Aria had already been surprising, and they couldn't wait to see what these two would show.
Hiro and Lucas stepped onto the arena and looked at each other briefly.
As sons of their respective clan leaders, they had met often, but there was no bond between them.
They weren't friends, enemies, or rivals, just acquaintances.
"Let's do our best," said Lucas again, but unlike against Axel, he was much more serious as he gripped his weapon.
"Especially you," Hiro replied.
His dragon-shaped spirit emerged from the tattoo on his body and then merged with Hiro's chest. He was immediately engulfed in flames, but no one said anything.
When the flames faded, Hiro had changed. His body had grown larger and more muscular, with red scales shining under the light. His fingers had become clawed, and his eyes now had a reptilian shape.
For those who awakened a spirit, there was one ability they all shared: fusion, which allowed them to merge with their spirit and share its powers.
"That's so cool, don't you think?" Nathan asked Axel.
"I don't know, but lizards taste good."
Nathan looked at Axel for a moment, trying to say something, but eventually gave up, realizing it wasn't worth the effort.
"Begin!"
With Yuna's command, the two charged at each other simultaneously.
Hiro made the first move, launching himself toward Lucas. His speed was impressive, but Lucas, with icy calm, blocked the attack with the flat of his sword. The impact was so strong that Lucas had to take a step back to keep his balance, but he still managed to counter with a diagonal slash.
Hiro saw the strike coming, tilted his body to the side to dodge it, and responded with a fiery punch. The strength of the blow forced Lucas to block again.
Hiro, in perfect sync with his draconic form, had greatly enhanced physical abilities, and with the heat of the flames surrounding him, he was putting Lucas under pressure. However, Lucas, skilled in defense, used the length of his two-handed sword to keep Hiro at bay and took every opportunity to strike with precision.
The two attacked and defended brilliantly, putting on an incredible show for those watching. Yet, for the spectators, it was also demoralizing to see how vast the gap was between the fighters and themselves.
Cain and Lucas clashed again and were both forced to retreat.
"I'm tired of playing. Start taking this seriously," Hiro said, his voice distorted by his transformation.
"You're right. No more games."
Changing his grip on the weapon, Lucas charged at Hiro even faster.
"Lion Fang!"
Lucas's sword was wrapped in a golden glow, and when he swung it, it released a wave of energy.
Realizing it was too late to dodge, Hiro crossed his arms over his chest, trying to defend himself as best as he could, but the attack was too powerful. His body was pushed to the edge of the arena, where he finally managed to disperse the energy.
"That was strong," Hiro said, looking at the broken scales on his arm and the blood dripping from it.
"You're the one who said to stop playing around," Lucas laughed, getting back into stance.
Hiro gave a disturbing smile, especially with his draconic appearance—and was about to counterattack, but Yuna's voice interrupted the match.
"Fight over. The winner is Lucas."
Hiro, confused and angry, shouted, "What?! Why?!"
"Your foot went out of the arena," Yuna calmly explained, pointing at Hiro's heel, which was indeed outside the boundary. "So you lost."
Hiro looked at his foot and became furious. "That doesn't count! I can still fight! I wasn't thrown out of the arena!"
"That's true," Yuna nodded, "but tell me, if the spot where your foot is now had been corrosive acid, lava, or the mouth of some terrifying monster, would you still have your foot? And without that foot, could you beat him?"
Hiro clenched his fists, rage written all over his face. However, he knew that a loss was a loss, and denying it would only make him look worse. With a hint of resignation, he deactivated the fusion, letting the dragon rest on his shoulder, now tired and drained.
"I'm not satisfied with the result at all. Next time will be different," he said with a determined tone as he stepped out of the arena.
"Same here. I can't consider this a real win," Lucas also left the arena, immediately joined by Rita and Lyra.
"You were amazing, no, incredible!" Lyra jumped on him enthusiastically.
"Still so unrefined and lacking class, I see," Rita mocked her with a sarcastic smile.
"Hoh? Sounds like someone has issues, Miss Sixth Place," Lyra replied provocatively.
"Sounds like someone's getting too full of herself," Rita replied coldly.
"No, no, I'm just stating the facts."
The two stared at each other as if ready to go to war at any moment.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" Nyx asked with an amused expression.
"I'd rather not die young," Lucas replied dryly, earning a consoling pat from her.
"Our sister is pretty scary when she's mad," Rhea commented.
"Yeah. I played a prank on her once, and let's just say it was both the first and last time," said her twin brother, Sora, with a shiver.
[Next match: Axel vs Lyra Aether.]
"Who programs these matchups?" Yuna muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear in the silence that had fallen.
"Was he kissed by the god of bad luck or what?" someone whispered.
Not only had he grown up in the worst confinement zone, but he'd also received the lowest-grade spiritual weapon of the year, couldn't use an artifact, had his first match against Lucas, and now had to face Lyra, another direct descendant of the clans.
With a mocking look, Rita said, "Have fun."
"Ugh, just the thought of being on that stage with him disgusts me," Lyra muttered, spreading an antibacterial cream on her hands with a sour expression.
The two stepped onto the arena with completely different expressions. Axel looked like he was starting to get bored with everything since no one's life was really at risk. For Lyra, it was simply an insult that he was even allowed to be there.
"I still don't understand how someone like you was allowed in," she said coldly.
"Have we met before?" Axel asked genuinely, raising an eyebrow.
"...Yes. I'll enjoy playing with you," she said, her face so red it looked like it might explode. She summoned her spirit, Vitalis, which danced in the air a few times before merging into her chest, just like Hiro.
Lyra's body was wrapped in a radiant aura. Her brown hair turned a bright sky blue, and a beautiful wing sprouted from her left shoulder, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. Her left pupil transformed into a golden O-shape, further enhancing her otherworldly aura.
"Begin!" Yuna shouted.
"Vitalis' Eye!"
Lyra wanted to end the fight quickly, so she used her ability, which drained the opponent's life energy until exhaustion.
Her eye glowed as she looked at Axel and... nothing happened.
"?"
"What the... Vitalis' Eye!" Lyra tried to use the ability again, but once again, nothing happened.
"What the hell is going on?!" Lyra shouted.
Even the students were watching in confusion, while Yuna had a vague idea, but when she looked at Axel, it was hard for her to believe it.
Lyra tried to activate her ability several times, but nothing ever happened, so Axel decided to approach her with a calm pace.
As Axel moved forward, Lyra stepped back, and the pace at which she cast her ability slowed down because of her growing exhaustion.
"Come on, Lyra, do something!" Rita shouted at her.
"I'm trying!"
Once again, she used her ability without causing any damage, and when she saw Axel getting closer, she backed off once more.
"You know, I'm starting to understand something."
Lyra looked at Axel's face. He was smiling ambiguously.
During the "fight," Axel had easily noticed Lyra's behavior since she had entered the arena, and he understood why.
"Are you a germophobe?"
"Shut up!" Lyra shouted at him.
"It's funny, you know. In the confinement zones, a lot of newcomers are like you, afraid to get close to others and try to keep all their things perfectly clean. But do you want to know something?" Axel asked, stepping closer with a widening smile.
Lyra stepped back again, but she was already at the edge of the arena.
"They're always the first ones to die of the 0oN disease. Ironic, don't you think?"
"Today I'm going to kill you! Vitalis Eye!"
This time, Lyra used all her focus while activating her ability, to the point where she felt her eye burning, and finally, Axel showed a reaction: a small grimace.
To Axel, it felt like someone had forcefully pulled out a hair. It didn't hurt, but it was an annoying sensation, which disappeared quickly.
"Damn..." Unable to maintain the fusion any longer, Lyra returned to her normal state, exhausted both physically and spiritually.
"Oh, you don't have blue hair anymore. By the way, are you okay? Your nose is dripping," Axel pointed out.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Exhausted, Lyra touched her nose, and when she looked at her hand, it was wet with blood.
"What the—cough!"
Suddenly, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground in agony, while more blood started to pour out.
"Yeah, you don't look good," Axel commented pointlessly, but Lyra was in too much pain to hear him.
Yuna climbed into the arena and dragged Lyra away, but to everyone's shock, even after leaving the arena, her condition didn't improve, if anything, it got worse.
"Shit. Today's lesson is over."
With those words, she dashed off with Lyra in her arms, leaving the students speechless as they looked at Axel still standing in the arena.
"So… I won?"
No one knew how to answer.
****
The next morning, Lyra weakly woke up in the hospital, looking around in confusion.
"Ugh… my head is killing me," she groaned.
"How are you feeling?" Lucas asked her. He was there with Nyx, Rita, and the twins.
"W-Where am I?" she asked, confused, trying to sit up.
"Relax, you're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?" Nyx asked, worried for her friend.
"I doubt anyone could forget something like that. I didn't think a person could turn into a blood fountain," Sora joked, only to get smacked on the head by both of his sisters.
Lyra started to remember something and suddenly sat up.
"That bastard!" she growled, gritting her teeth.
"Calm down now, and tell us what happened," Rita said.
Lyra and Nyx looked at each other and sighed. What they were about to say wasn't exactly a secret, but it wasn't public knowledge either.
"You see, we from the Aether clan specialize in interacting with others' life energy. In my case," Nyx explained, "it's focused more on stamina, making my opponent exhausted."
"In my case," Lyra continued, "I absorb someone's life energy directly and store it inside me, so I can either use it for myself or distribute it to others to heal them."
"I thought most people already knew that?" Rhea asked, confused.
"The problem is this: what happens if your opponent's vitality is way higher than yours?" Lyra asked.
"Well, you… oh." Lucas remembered the scene in the arena.
"Our body can't handle it and we suffer the consequences while trying to release it. The higher-ranked Sinners in our clan have to injure themselves often during fights for this exact reason, because of the difference in vitality between them and stronger monsters," Lyra concluded.
"There's just one thing I don't get. You were fighting Axel and, I mean… he's Axel," Lucas said, not knowing how else to put it.
"And you think I know why? All I know is that someone can't have that much vitality after being a Sinner for such a short time. It's simply inhuman."