197 ONE VS THREE
Aero scread as his face twisted and swelled into a grotesque shape. He was a Rank B ta, no doubt — but that rank asured only his ta reserve, not his ability to survive.
Dan had struck his most vulnerable point — the neck and head — and even the force-field amulet woven into Aero's uniform and his natural body armor couldn't shield him from the crushing kinetic blow.
"We overestimated the Ulveks," soone muttered.
"He lasted even shorter than the cha boy last ti."
"A Rank C defeating a Rank B—that's unheard of," another whispered.
"No… he's hiding his real strength," a third voice added. "Dan Dark isn't Rank C at all."
Dan said nothing, letting the murmurs ripple through the crowd like sparks in dry grass. Then, with an indifferent flick, he released Aero, dropping him limply onto the arena floor.
The drones descended, flashing red lights as the automated counter began.
"Ten… nine…"
But it was only a formality. Aero lay motionless, foam spilling from his mouth, his mind already gone.
The arena speakers echoed the inevitable announcent:
"Dan Dark wins."
-----
"Professor Liric, look what you've done!" Dean Aelion slamd the table.
"You abused your authority just to take revenge on a student—putting Dan Dark into the top ten rank. Now two of our best students are lying in the hospital. Most likely, they won't even finish the sester—all because of you!" he added.
Liric bowed his head. "I… I didn't think it would turn out this way. I only wanted to teach that arrogant boy a lesson by letting the seniors challenge him. I didn't expect he'd go so far as to invoke Life and Death amnesty contracts."
Aelion glared. "You never expected that? Didn't you even read his file? His recomndation ca straight from Fortress Myrone. He's kin to one of their strongest soldiers. He probably fought in real wars before he ca here… killing ans nothing to soone like him!"
Flustered, Liric hurriedly opened Dan's file.
Most of it was stamped Confidential, but the few visible lines confird it—military record, combat honors, battlefield clearance, license to kill.
His face went pale.
"Well…" he muttered weakly, "at least he only challenged the top ten. Two have already fought him, so there are only seven left…."
"You fool!" Aelion cut him off. "Those ten are the pride of our university! Without them, our performance ratings will plumt. Do you even realize what you've done by riling up that monster?"
The office door burst open.
Professor Keris rushed in, breathing hard. Aelion was about to shout at him, but Keris spoke first.
"You'd better hear this…the fifth, sixth, and seventh ranks just challenged Dan Dark."
"What?!" Aelion's face drained of color. "They're still going through with it?"
Keris nodded grimly. "And not just that. Dan insisted it be three versus one. He said he doesn't want to waste ti fighting them individually."
Liric's voice shook. "He's still that arrogant?"
Aelion looked toward the window, his tone colder now. "In this world," he said, "so people have earned the right to be arrogant."
-----
[Multi ta Auditorium]
The auditorium was packed to the brim—an unusual sight for an amateur match.
But this wasn't any ordinary campus fight.
This was a battle between the strongest students—the future heroes of Silver City—and it was a three versus one duel.
The bell rang.
Dan Dark entered the arena like a storm cloaked in calm. The crowd erupted, chanting his na. He'd crushed two ranked opponents in a row.
Now he was taking on three at once.
The challengers stepped out one by one, their data flashing across the holo-screens:
Na: Dreyfuss Greer
Strength: Rank C????ta: Rank B
Specialization: Pyrokinetism
Na: Uma Storm
Strength: Rank C????ta: Rank B
Specialization: Gravity Control
Na: Wellia Wongkine
Strength: Rank C????ta: Rank B
Specialization: Defensive Shields
Each wore bright combat uniforms marked with the crests of their families…symbols of pride and pedigree.
Dan smiled faintly.
Another team of Rank B opponents. The last ti he fought such odds, he'd killed them all… back when he was weaker than this.
"Dan Dark!" Dreyfuss shouted. "Your days of arrogance are over!"
Dan tilted his head lazily. "Oh really? Say that again when you wake up in the hospital….or the funeral parlor."
"Enough!" Wellia snapped, pulling Dreyfuss back. "Stop wasting breath. Just beat him and end this circus. It's humiliating enough that we have to fight as three against one."
She was right. Even victory would taste bitter under these conditions. But those were Dan's terms… he refused single duels.
He wanted them all together.
"I'll control the field," Uma ordered. "Wellia, shield us. Dreyfuss, burn him down."
It was a perfect plan: control, defense, offense. Their coordination could have overwheld almost anyone… anyone except Dan Dark.
"Gravity Press!" Uma's voice rang out.
The air around Dan rippled, and a crushing force bore down on him like an invisible mountain. The arena floor cracked under his boots. His knees bent slightly… but then he straightened again, his eyes unflinching.
With his Core of Blood activated he could resist almost any psychic restrains and suppression on him…. even gravity.
"Now!" Dreyfuss roared, flinging out his arms.
Fireballs burst from his palms, screaming through the air. Dan barely moved, pinned by the gravitational weight as flas engulfed him in a roaring inferno.
Smoke and ash filled the ring.
"That should do it," Dreyfuss said, satisfied.
When the haze cleared, the crowd gasped. Dan Dark was still standing…his cloak scorched, his hair tousled… but he was still untouched.
"What the hell is he made of?!" Dreyfuss shouted. "No one survives a Rank B fla!"
The crowd murmured.
Rank B skills weren't easy to master—most tas never advanced their techniques that far. Most ta chip programs couldn't advance ta skills beyond Rank D.
Even the strongest fighters relied on Rank C combat arts.
Yet Dan had shrugged off the attack as if it were a child's spark.
He raised his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Rank B fla?" he said mockingly. "That's what you call strong?"
"Arroganc…" Dreyfuss didn't even finish the word before Dan was already standing in front of them….like he had teleported through space.
"Now!" Wellia shouted, slamming her palms together. A shimring do of energy burst around the trio, layers of hexagonal light locking into place.
"You'll never breach my conjured force-field do!" she declared.
Dan laughed…a low, mocking sound that echoed across the arena. "A force field? That's the easiest thing for
to deal with."
He struck.
His fist slamd into the do's surface, sending ripples of blue light across it. The impact didn't break through….but a split second later, electricity crackled inside the do itself.
"Wellia…behind you!" Uma cried, … too late.
Sparks exploded in the confined space, lightning arcing from wall to wall. Dan stood outside, perfectly still, his eyes glowing faintly.
"My lightning passes through force fields," Dan said calmly.
The bolt erupted again, this ti chaining violently between the three. It struck Wellia first, then jumped to Dreyfuss, then Uma…bouncing between them six tis before fading.
"Arghhh!" The trio scread as the current tore through their suits, collapsing to one knee.
The crowd gasped.
But Wellia wasn't finished yet. Smoke curled from her hair as she raised a small black device, its surface pulsing with light.
"Lightning, is it?" she panted. "That's the least of my fears."
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