Chapter 40
Blaze stood tall, his piercing green eyes scanning the group of twenty students from the White, Blue, and Purple Departments. The air crackled with tension.
"You asked for the Black Hero?" He cracked his knuckles. "Well… here I am."
One of the students scoffed, crossing his arms. "Even though you're strong, do you really think you can take all of us on?"
Blaze shrugged. "I don't know. Do you really think all of you together make one decent opponent?"
A heavy silence. Then—roars of anger.
"GET HIM! One of them shouted.
The first to attack was a wind user, launching a slicing gust toward Blaze. But Blaze sidestepped so effortlessly that the poor guy tripped over his own momentum and crashed into a tree.
The second fighter, a fire user, shot a fireball at him. Blaze yawned, caught it with one hand, and tossed it back like a volleyball. BOOM! The guy barely dodged, leaving his teammate behind him scorched and screaming.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING, YOU IDIOT!"
Blaze smirked. "Maybe next time, don't attack in a straight line. Just a suggestion."
Then came the Blue Department twins, wielding water spears, attacking in perfect sync.
The first twin thrust forward—Blaze tilted his head, the spear whooshing past his ear.
The second twin aimed for Blaze's ribs—Blaze twisted his torso, letting it miss by an inch.
They froze, eyes widening. He dodged everything without moving his feet?!
Blaze gave a slow clap. "Impressive teamwork. But you forgot one thing."
BAM!
A lightning-quick uppercut sent the first twin flying. Before the second could react, Blaze grabbed him by the collar, hoisted him up, and gently placed him down—right into a pit of mud.
The rest of the students hesitated. "He's playing with us… isn't he?"
Blaze cracked his knuckles. "Oh, we're just getting started."
The battle turned into a massacre.
Blaze used Feral Pounce to leap over a net trap and kick three students into each other like bowling pins.
He activated Astral Strike, launching an electrified punch that sent a Purple Department fighter into the sky like a meteor.
One poor soul tried sneaking up behind him—only for Blaze to spin and elbow him so hard he flew through two trees.
Within minutes, the entire group was either unconscious, groaning in pain, or regretting their life choices.
Blaze dusted off his hands. "Too easy."
Just as he turned to leave—
"So this is the so-called Black Hero of the Black Department?"
The voice dripped with arrogance. Stepping out from the shadows was Kuma—a short brown-haired boy with an aura of absolute confidence.
"Oh, great," Blaze sighed. "Another one?"
The remaining conscious students whispered excitedly. "That's Kuma! He's the next candidate for the Blue Whisper Squad!"
Blaze rolled his eyes. "Big deal."
But then—DING!
A message appeared in his system.
[New Quest: Defeat the Metahumane Wizard]
[Reward: Instant Level Up]
Blaze's eyes widened. "Metahumane wizard?! No wonder this guy's famous."
Kuma smirked. "I'll let you go if you give me that core." He pointed at the Black Department student's crystal.
Blaze shook his head. "Yeah… no."
Kuma's smirk grew. "Fine. Let's play."
"One Hundred Cloning Spell."
Blaze's heart stopped as hundred of identical Kumas emerged from his body, surrounding him from all angles.
"Oh… this isn't good."
They attacked all at once.
Blaze dodged, countered, and weaved between them, but for every clone he destroyed, two more seemed to take its place.
He struck with Astral Strike, Feral Pounce, and Lightning Palm, but Kuma's clones fought relentlessly, never tiring.
For every step Blaze took forward, he was forced two steps back.
"Damn it!" Blaze gritted his teeth, his body slowing down.
Then—DING!
[ERROR: Essence Exhausted. Skills Unavailable.]
Blaze's face paled.
"Wait. WHAT?!"
The next moment—Kuma's clones dogpiled him.
For the first time in the battle—Blaze was completely overpowered.
"Here's the refined version with the new entrance for the boy, seamlessly blending it into the story:
Blaze struggled against the weight of the clones pinning him down, his body aching from repeated blows. His breathing was ragged, and his limbs refused to respond. The Chaos System's notification flickered in his vision, but even that felt distant, drowned out by the overwhelming pain.
Kuma clones tightened their hold, their energy pressing against him like an inescapable cage. His mind raced for a solution, but exhaustion had drained him dry.
One of Kuma's clone stepped forward, smirking. "Not so tough now, huh?" He raised his hand, mystic essence swirling around his palm, preparing the final blow.
Then—
BZZT.
A sharp hum filled the air, followed by the crackle of electricity. A bright flash erupted, and in the next instant—BOOM!—a burst of smoke engulfed the area.
Blaze coughed, barely able to turn his head as the heavy weight on his body suddenly vanished. The clones were gone. Completely erased. And standing in their place was a boy.
He had yellow hair, slightly tousled, and his piercing eyes burned with fury. Strands of yellow lightning crackled around his frame, dancing wildly across his skin. He glanced down at Blaze, his expression calm yet firm.
"Friend, rest now," he said, his voice steady. "I'll handle the rest."
Blaze blinked in shock, but before he could react, the boy stepped forward, placing himself between him and Kuma's group.
Kuma scowled. "And who the hell are you?"
The boy clenched his fists, arcs of lightning snapping at the ground beneath him. He exhaled, his energy surging, the air around him humming with raw power.
"You wanted a fight?" His voice was low but carried weight. His muscles tensed, his presence overwhelming.
"Then fight me."
To be continued…