The air inside the Titanium Academy's training hall was thick with tension. Rows of elite students stood in formation, their uniforms crisp, their expressions focused. They weren't here for an ordinary lesson, this was the Special Training Program, a place reserved for the strongest, the fastest, the most gifted.
And somehow, Rey was here too.
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to ignore the whispers of disbelief from the students around him. A D-Rank? In Special Training? Their skepticism was practically tangible, pressing against him like an invisible weight. He had always known this wasn't going to be easy, but now that he was standing among them, he could feel just how out of place he was.
Even Aya was watching from the observation deck, her arms crossed, her usual confident smirk replaced by something more unreadable.
"Attention!"
A sharp voice cut through the murmurs.
The moment Instructor Vance stepped forward, the atmosphere shifted. Vance was a Battle Specialist, a combat instructor whose very presence commanded respect. His body was lean but packed with coiled strength, and his piercing golden eyes swept across the trainees with the precision of a predator selecting its prey.
"You've all been chosen because you have the potential to rise above the ordinary," Vance said, his voice carrying through the hall with ease. "But let me make one thing clear, this training will break you before it builds you. If you're weak, you will fall. If you hesitate, you will be crushed."
His gaze landed on Rey for the briefest of moments.
"Survival is not guaranteed."
A silent wave of anticipation passed through the students. No one spoke. No one dared to.
Vance clapped his hands once.
"First assessment, combat ranking battles. You'll be assigned an opponent. Lose, and you drop in the rankings. Win, and you prove you belong here." His lips curled into a smirk. "Simple, right?"
Rey felt his stomach tighten. He had known the training would be brutal, but starting with a direct combat ranking battle? That meant he was going to have to fight against students way stronger than him.
Vance pulled out a digital tablet and began calling out names. One by one, the students moved to designated battle zones, activating the academy's combat simulation field, a reinforced arena designed to absorb damage from high-level abilities.
Then, the words Rey had been dreading arrived.
"Rey Velst."
A ripple of curiosity spread through the gathered students.
"Versus… Kieran Locke."
Rey's breath caught.
Damn it.
Kieran Locke.
An A-Rank Thunder Elementalist. One of the academy's strongest second-year students. His ability, Stormbringer, was infamous for its destructive force, allowing him to generate and manipulate high-voltage electricity at will.
Rey barely had time to process before Kieran stepped forward, a confident smirk already tugging at his lips.
"Hah. They're really letting a D-Rank fight me?" Kieran let out a short chuckle. "Vance, I get you like giving hopeless kids a shot, but this is just sad."
Laughter followed from the students on the sidelines.
Rey clenched his fists. Don't react. Focus.
Vance's expression remained unreadable. "Start."
A pulse of energy exploded from Kieran's body before the word had fully left Vance's lips. Crackle! Blue lightning surged around him like a living entity, dancing along his arms as he launched forward at an insane speed.
He's fast!
Rey barely had time to react before Kieran was in front of him, swinging his arm in a vicious arc.
BZZT!
Electricity arced through the air. Rey twisted his body at the last possible second, avoiding the brunt of the attack, but Kieran's fist still clipped his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his arm as electricity surged into his nerves. His muscles spasmed, his vision blurred, and he stumbled backward, his body struggling to respond.
Damn it. His attacks paralyze on contact?
Kieran didn't let up. He dashed forward again, his hand crackling with concentrated lightning.
"No hard feelings, D-Rank."
He thrust his palm forward.
Rey forced himself to move.
Unshackled Ascension, Activate!
A sudden burst of speed tore through him, and his body blurred, barely avoiding Kieran's attack by a hair's breadth. The ground where he had just stood exploded from the raw force of Kieran's strike, sending a web of cracks sprawling across the arena floor.
Gasps erupted from the spectators.
Kieran's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"
Rey didn't hesitate. He pushed off the ground with everything he had, twisting in mid-air as he aimed a kick at Kieran's exposed side.
THWACK!
Kieran staggered.
He actually landed a hit!
But before Rey could capitalize, Kieran's body vanished.
Lightning Step!
In the blink of an eye, Kieran reappeared above Rey, his foot already descending.
"Too slow."
BOOM!
The impact sent Rey crashing into the ground, his body skidding several feet before he came to a stop. His limbs screamed in protest, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead. His breath came in ragged gasps.
Kieran, meanwhile, hadn't even broken a sweat.
"You should stay down, kid," Kieran said, rolling his shoulders. "This is pointless."
Rey wiped the blood from his face.
"…Not yet."
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
He's still standing?
Kieran's smirk faded. "Fine. Let's end this."
He extended his hand, and the air around him began to hum. The very atmosphere crackled with an overwhelming charge as lightning coalesced into his palm.
Stormbringer's Final Arc.
A technique capable of instantaneously incapacitating anyone hit by it.
Rey's mind raced. I won't be able to dodge that… but what if I....
The lightning exploded forward.
Rey moved.
He didn't dodge. He rushed forward.
The moment Kieran launched his attack, Rey triggered Unshackled Ascension at full power, throwing his entire body forward at blinding speed.
The result?
He vanished.
WHOOSH!
A shockwave rippled through the arena as Rey bypassed the lightning strike entirely, moving faster than Kieran's attack could reach him.
Impossible!
Before Kieran could react, Rey was already behind him.
Now!
He struck.
A perfectly-timed palm strike to the center of Kieran's back, using every ounce of force he could muster.
BOOM!
Kieran's body lurched forward, his stance completely broken. The momentary loss of balance was all Rey needed.
He followed through.
A second, even more powerful strike, this time aimed at Kieran's ribs.
THWACK!
Kieran crashed to the ground.
Silence.
Complete. Utter. Silence.
Then....
Vance raised his hand.
"Winner, Rey Velst."
The entire training hall erupted.
A D-Rank had just defeated an A-Rank.
Rey stood frozen, his body barely holding itself together, his heart pounding in his ears.
He had won.
Aya, watching from the observation deck, smirked.
"Looks like you really are full of surprises, Rey."
Meanwhile, in the crowd, hidden behind the murmuring students, a figure watched with sharp, unreadable eyes.
"Well now," the figure mused, a slow smile curling on their lips. "Things just got interesting."