The Elite Arena was packed.
Students filled the stands, whispering, restless.
Instructors watched from the upper balconies.
Even a few armored soldiers had slipped in to "observe."
Rumors traveled fast.
Aren vs. Kale.
S-rank Titan Fist Warrior vs. the Forbidden Tier anomaly.
The strongest student vs. the unknown threat.
The arena floor hummed with mana-dampening runes, reinforced specifically for high-tier clashes.
Kane stood at the center, arms crossed, expression stiff with worry.
Rellin arrived moments later, observing silently from the viewing platform with the Council researcher at her side.
Aren stepped into the arena.
Kale was already waiting, aura golden and fierce, fists wrapped with shimmering runic bands.
He grinned.
"Finally. No instructors shielding you. No secret rooms. Just you and me."
Aren remained calm.
"I didn't want this fight."
Kale scoffed.
"That's the problem. You don't want anything. No pride. No ambition. You show up out of nowhere and get everything handed to you."
His aura flared violently.
"And I'm going to take it back."
Kane raised his hand.
"This duel is non-lethal. Any strike intended to kill will end the match immediately."
Kale didn't look away from Aren.
"I won't kill him."
He smirked darkly.
"But I will break him."
Kane closed his eyes briefly — then dropped his hand.
"Begin!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Kale moved first.
He shot forward with explosive speed, golden afterimages trailing behind him.
Titan Step.
He appeared in front of Aren in less than a blink.
Aren raised his bow—
Kale's fist collided with it.
CRACK—
A shockwave ripped across the arena floor.
Aren slid back several meters, boots carving trenches in the stone.
Whispers erupted:
"He blocked that?!"
"No one endures Kale's first hit!"
"Aren's bow didn't even break!"
Kale frowned.
"Not bad. Try surviving the next."
His aura intensified.
The runes on his arms glowed brighter.
Mana rippled outward in waves.
Titan Fist: Iron Breaker.
He launched another punch—
fast enough to blur.
Aren's Spatial Awareness activated automatically.
Lines of distortion mapped Kale's attack in slow motion.
Aren moved.
Just one step.
Kale's fist passed through empty space.
Kale blinked.
"What—?"
Aren's bowstring was already drawn.
Void energy thinned into a sharp line.
He released.
FWIPP—
Kale barely raised his arm in time.
The arrow flickered—
then detonated against Kale's guard.
BOOM!
Kale stumbled back, his arm numb.
"What the—!? That's stronger than yesterday!"
Aren's eyes narrowed.
"My control is better now."
Kale snarled.
"Then I'll break that control!"
He slammed his fists together—
Titan Fist: Shattering Impact!
He charged, golden aura erupting like fire, power multiplying.
Each punch shook the air.
Each step cracked the ground.
Aren dodged.
Barely.
Spatial lines blurred—Kale's movements too fast, too chaotic.
Kale's voice roared behind him:
"STOP RUNNING!"
A fist grazed Aren's shoulder, blasting him backward.
Aren stumbled, sliding across stone, breath knocked out.
Kale advanced quickly.
"You're just a lab mistake!"
"You don't deserve that power!"
"You don't deserve the Elite Class!"
His aura surged brighter than ever.
Aren steadied his breathing.
The void inside him stirred.
He pulled the bowstring—
Void energy swirled
—dangerously
—unstably
—hungrily.
Aren hesitated.
If he pushed too far, he might unleash something he couldn't control.
And he wasn't fighting to kill.
But Kale wasn't stopping.
The S-rank warrior dashed forward, body a streak of gold.
"YOU'RE FINISHED!"
He threw the heaviest punch yet—
a Titan punch strong enough to cripple a normal elite student.
Aren lowered his bow.
And stepped toward Kale.
Gasps filled the arena.
"What is he doing?!"
"He's walking straight into it!"
Aren's voice was calm.
"Control."
Spatial Awareness surged—
stronger than ever.
The world slowed.
Aren moved inside Kale's guard.
His hand lifted.
Two fingers pressed lightly against Kale's wrist—
—exactly like he did days ago.
Void energy pulsed.
A ripple spread through Kale's mana circuits.
His golden aura shattered like glass.
Kale's punch collapsed mid-air.
His knees buckled.
He fell forward, catching himself before hitting the ground, panting, eyes wide in disbelief.
"I—can't… move… my aura…!"
Aren stepped back.
His bow lowered.
"It's over."
Silence.
Then the arena exploded in whispers.
"He disabled an S-rank's aura?!"
"What kind of ability is that?!"
"That shouldn't be possible!"
Kale trembled with humiliation.
"You—You did that again—! How?! WHAT ARE YOU?!"
Aren didn't answer.
Not because he didn't know.
But because he didn't want to say the truth.
From the viewing platform, Rellin spoke quietly to the researcher:
"His control is improving. Too fast. Almost unnatural."
The researcher swallowed.
"The void isn't just evolving with him…
it's synchronizing."
Kane raised his hand.
"Match concluded. Winner: Aren."
The hall erupted in shock.
Aren stood still.
Calm.
Quiet.
But then—
A cold whisper slid up from the depths beneath the arena.
"Yes…
Control it.
Let the void guide you."
Aren's expression hardened.
He didn't want guidance.
He wanted freedom.