The crowd’s deafening cheers filled the grand arena as Nero Desgarron stood towering over Dredd Zerik, his victory all but secured.
The frigid air hung heavy, ice spikes glistening under the stadium lights, a testant to Nero’s overwhelming dominance. Dredd remained kneeling, his chaotic energy flickering weakly around him, his breathing ragged and labored.
"Give up," Nero repeated, his voice carrying an air of finality. "You have no chance against ."
A hush began to fall over the audience, murmurs of admiration and relief rippling through the Akashic Magus Academy’s supporters.
Ash, watching from the stands, let out a small breath.
But then... sothing changed.
"Hehe…"
A low, guttural chuckle escaped from Dredd’s lips. His hunched figure began to tremble, not with exhaustion—but with sothing far more sinister.
"No chance, huh?" he muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with sothing almost inhuman.
Before Nero could react, a pulse of pure, raw energy exploded outward from Dredd’s body.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire arena shuddered as an oppressive, suffocating aura enveloped the battlefield, dark tendrils of energy coiling and writhing around him like living serpents.
"What...?" Nero’s ice-blue eyes widened in shock.
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The crowd gasped, and Ash shot to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he felt the sudden spike in power.
’This… isn’t normal.’
"What is this?" mbers of the audience stamred, caught off guard by the sudden surge.
Dredd slowly rose to his feet, his darkkened eyes glowing with an unnatural intensity. The chaotic energy around him had transford—becoming sothing darker, sothing tainted.
A nacing grin spread across his face.
"Did you really think I’d co here without a trump card?" Dredd’s voice bood across the stadium.
With a re flick of his wrist, the chaotic energy coiled into his hand before erupting into a devastating wave.
"[Abyssal Rend]!"
The attack shot forward like a black hurricane, slicing through the icy terrain Nero had created with terrifying ease. Nero barely had ti to raise a defense before the blast struck him, sending him hurtling backward with bone-crushing force.
"Gaaah!" Nero’s cry echoed through the arena as he crashed into the reinforced barrier with a thunderous impact, cracks spider-webbing across the magical defenses ant to protect the spectators.
The entire stadium fell silent, stunned.
Nero Desgarron—the strongest Expert Stage student of the Akashic Magus Academy—was sprawled across the ground, ice shards falling around him like broken glass. His armor of frost was shattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He struggled to push himself up, but his limbs trembled violently.
"Impossible…" soone whispered in disbelief.
Dredd flexed his fingers, his chaotic energy crackling with newfound vigor. "You underestimated , Nero. All this ti, you thought you were untouchable."
He took a step forward, the very ground trembling beneath his newfound might.
"But I’ve been preparing for this."
With blinding speed, he vanished and reappeared in front of Nero, driving a brutal fist into his gut. Nero’s eyes widened in pain as he doubled over, air forced from his lungs.
"Gahhh!"
Dredd’s strength had grown exponentially in an instant, and no one—least of all Nero—was prepared for it.
Before Nero could counter, Dredd raised his hand.
"This ends now."
A final surge of chaotic power exploded outward, sending Nero flying off the stage, crashing into the far wall outside the ring.
The crowd erupted into a mixture of cheers and horrified gasps.
Beatrice, still processing what had just occurred, hesitated before finally declaring:
"The winner… DREDD ZERIK of the Nirvana Gate Academy!"
A stunned silence followed before Nirvana Gate Academy’s supporters erupted into deafening cheers. Their students cheered wildly, reveling in their unexpected victory.
Nirvana Gate Academy had won.
They were the new top academy.
Ash clenched his fists as he watched Nero being carried away by the dics.
’As expected… he lost.’
"That power… just as in the novel, it’s not normal. He shouldn’t have been able to overpower Nero like that." Ash nodded slowly, his mind racing.
Sothing sinister was at play, and this unnatural victory was sheer proof.
Dredd raised his arms in triumph, basking in the adoration of the crowd, his grin never fading. His eyes locked onto Ash’s for a brief mont, and in that instant, Ash saw it—sothing lurking behind that smile.
Sothing dark.
**********
The students of the Akashic Magus Academy sat in stunned silence, their earlier excitent replaced with disappointnt and confusion. The final matches were over, and the audience was now waiting for the official announcent of results and the grand award ceremony.
Ash slipped away from the crowded stands, his steps brisk and purposeful.
He weaved through the maze of corridors beneath the arena, heading toward the private lounge where Seth was waiting.
His mind was racing, thoughts swirling in a storm of resolve and urgency.
’I only have a few minutes, tops. Now that I have confird what I wanted to, there’s no ti to waste.
As he reached the lounge, he pushed the heavy door open to find Seth standing near the window, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the massive banners of the Nirvana Gate Academy being hoisted above the arena.
Seth turned at the sound of the door closing behind Ash. He raised an eyebrow.
"Took you long enough. What’s going on?"
Ash walked straight up to him, his voice low but urgent. "We need to talk about that match. Right now."
Seth frowned.
"Yeah, no kidding. Did you see what happened out there? Nero Desgarron was crushing him, and then out of nowhere—boom, sudden power spike. It was certainly unexpected, but what are you getting at?"
Ash stepped closer, lowering his voice. "That’s because they cheated, Seth. Nirvana Gate Academy didn’t win fairly. Dredd used sothing—sothing unnatural."
Seth’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Cheated? Ash, that’s a bold claim. Do you have proof?"
"Not yet, but I have a strong hunch, and I know where to find it. If we act now, we can expose them before the award ceremony starts." Ash nodded sharply
Seth rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Alright, let’s say you’re right. How do you know where to look? What are you planning?"
Ash smirked faintly, the gears in his mind already turning.
"Just trust ."
Seth hesitated for a brief mont before his usual cocky grin returned.
"Fine. But this better not be one of your crazy hunches, brother. You beat , so I guess I’ll help you out. Lead the way."
"I knew you’d see reason." Ash patted Seth’s shoulder.
"Let’s go."
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