Chapter 6: The Final Arena
The Grand Arena was packed beyond capacity. The air buzzed with excitement as the final round of the Class Tournament began. Every spectator knew this was no ordinary battle—it was the stage where legends were made.
Arin stepped into the center of the arena, legendary shard glowing faintly in his palm, shards orbiting him like vigilant guardians. Across from him stood the top five students of the academy, elite warriors, mages, and assassins who had survived their own brutal paths to the finals. Even Kael, bruised but unbroken from their semi-final duel, stood among them, eyes narrowing in determination.
"This… this isn't fair!" a warrior whispered, looking at Arin. "Five against one—and he's a Scavenger?"
Arin smirked. "They'll see soon enough."
The Battle Begins
The five elite students launched their attacks simultaneously. Fire, lightning, ice, and sword strikes converged on him from all directions. Arin didn't panic.
He scavenged pieces of shattered pillars, broken shields, and splintered benches lying around the arena floor. Within seconds, he had formed a spinning barricade of shards, intercepting every attack. One shard absorbed Kael's sword strike and reflected it back, knocking one of the mages off balance.
Arin moved like water, constantly adapting to attacks, turning debris into weapons, traps, and shields. Every discarded object became a potential game-changer.
The crowd gasped repeatedly. Never had they seen someone control a battlefield this way, especially using what everyone else considered trash.
The Turning Point
As Arin dodged a barrage of fireballs, a strange pulse emanated from his legendary shard. Tiny cracks in the arena floor glowed, responding to him. The shard hummed with power, unlocking its hidden potential.
Passive skill activated… Legendary Scrap Mastery.
Suddenly, the shards circling Arin multiplied, moving with intelligence, intercepting attacks, and even countering automatically. Every scrap he touched enhanced his abilities. It wasn't brute force—it was efficiency, creativity, and strategic dominance.
One by one, the elite opponents were disabled, either trapped by clever shard traps or pushed back by forceful debris attacks. Kael, realizing the stakes, lunged at Arin once more, but even he hesitated when a spinning shard intercepted his sword midair.
The Hidden Threat Emerges
Just as Arin prepared to finish the battle, a dark aura suddenly swept across the arena. The ground trembled, and the air thickened.
From above, a shadowy figure appeared—a mysterious entity the tournament audience had never seen. Its presence was oppressive, making even the strongest students falter.
The Council of Classes murmured among themselves. "Impossible… that's the Sealed Guardian of the Academy!" whispered one elder. "It shouldn't have appeared in the tournament… something has changed."
The shadowed figure's voice echoed through the arena:
"Only the worthy may wield true power. The one who collects the legendary scraps… will decide the fate of the world."
Arin tightened his grip on the legendary shard. This was no longer just a tournament. It was a test far beyond the academy, a challenge that could shape not just his destiny, but the fate of everyone.
Aftermath
The crowd erupted in mixed awe and terror. The five elite students collapsed from exhaustion, Kael stared at Arin with a new respect, and Arin himself felt a thrill he had never experienced. The arena had expanded from a simple tournament into the beginning of something much larger.
Arin looked at the shards circling him. They had been his tools, his weapons, and now—they were keys to the future.
He smiled, feeling the surge of power in his veins. "Let's see how far a Trash King can go."
The whispers began anew:
"He's not just a student. He's the future of the academy… maybe even the world."