Rex was on Louis again, a blur of fists and kicks.
Louis barely registered the first hit to his ribs before the second connected with his neck, and then a vicious uppercut snapped his head back.
The crowd roared with excitement as Louis staggered, pain shooting through him, and his vision becoming hazy.
He tried to raise his hands to guard, but Rex moved too fast, his strikes landing with brutal accuracy.
Another punch slammed into his gut, and Louis crashed to the ground, the sharp taste of iron filling his mouth.
He coughed violently, spitting blood onto the arena floor.
"You're pathetic," Rex sneered, standing over him. "Just stay down."
Louis groaned, his body screaming in protest as he tried to push himself up.
The crowd's mockery and laughter echoed around him. His mind raced as the weight of failure pressed down against him.
"Why me?" he muttered. "Why did they choose me for this?"
Then, through the haze of pain, two voices cut through the chaos.
His grandmother's words:
"Power doesn't always come when we want it to. It comes when we need it most."
And Adrian's:
"You're a blade, not a bomb."
Louis clenched his fists. "I'm not dying here."
[Core Sync: 85%. Directive: Counterattack.]
The core pulsed; the green veins beneath his skin glowed brightly as he forced himself to his feet.
Rex smirked. "So you do have some fight in you."
The moment the speedster lunged again, Louis's senses heightened.
[Threat Level Increasing. Adjust Strategy: Predict Movement]
"Predict his movement?" Louis muttered. "How am I supposed to..."
[New Ability Unlocked: Time Manipulation.]
The world seemed to slow.
Rex's movements, once a blur, became manageable.
Louis could see every shift in his stance.
His kicks were barely inches from his face, but Louis had already shifted his position.
The chains of green energy erupted from his palms, crackling with heat as Louis lashed out, not with force but with accuracy.
They wrapped around Rex's leg tightly, yanking him off balance and slamming him into the ground with a deafening crash.
The crowd gasped as Louis stood over his opponent, panting and bloodied, but victorious.
His hands trembled as the chains slowly retracted.
Rex groaned, writhing on the ground, unable to get up.
[Core Sync: 92%. Ability Mastery: Progressing.]
[Reward: Time Manipulation Integrated.]
The announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "The winner of this trial: Louis Lee!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, their earlier ridicule now replaced with awe.
Even his former classmates, the ones who had mocked him as a powerless nobody, stared at him in stunned silence.
Kelvin jumped to his feet, pumping his fist in the air. "That's it, that's my guy, Louis!!!"
Even Kate, standing on the higher platform, seemed frozen in disbelief, her eyes wide as she watched Louis limp back toward the exit.
Louis barely heard the cheers. His body screamed for rest, his muscles trembling with exhaustion.
He was then led to a makeshift infirmary for treatment. The medics began to patch up his wounds, wrap his ribs, and clean the blood from his face.
The medics had barely finished when Tara, the second-in-command, arrived, flanked by two guards.
"Don't get comfortable," she said.
Louis looked up, his heart sinking.
"You're not done yet," she continued coldly. "The trial isn't over."
"What?!" Louis's voice cracked. "I thought this was over, I'm barely having time to heal…"
"You have to fight again. Now."
Before he could protest, two guards seized his arms, hauling him back toward the arena.
*****
The crowd murmured in confusion as Louis re-emerged, his body battered but his chest still faintly glowing with the Core's power.
[Core Sync: 92%. Warning: Host Fatigue Detected.]
A second gate creaked open, and a new challenger stepped forward.
Louis froze as his opponent stepped into the light.
"Jason?"
Jason, his old academy rival, stood across the arena, shock and confusion etched on his face.
"Louis?" Jason said with disbelief.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Jason is a graduating cadet?!"
"Why are they making him fight Louis?"
Louis's stomach twisted.
Jason had been his tormentor at the academy, always mocking him for his lack of powers. Yet here they were, forced to face each other in the arena.
The crowd grew uneasy, murmurs rippling through the stands as tension filled the air.
"Jason Cameron," the announcer voice boomed as he declared, "is not just any graduating cadet. At the age of six, he lost control of his sound based powers, resulting in the destruction of his home city. Hundreds perished in the aftermath. Yet, through discipline and mastery, Jason has become one of the most formidable warriors of his generation. A true prodigy."
The crowd gasped.
Jason was more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.
Jason stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Louis.
The arena seemed to grow colder as he spoke.
"I can't believe they're making me fight you, Louis." he said with annoyance. "You think unlocking some mystery power makes you my equal? You're still the same scared kid who ran out of the Grand Hall."
Louis clenched his fists, his chest still burning with the Core's energy. "I was once the scared kid you used to push around, Jason. But not anymore"
Jason barked a cruel laugh. "You think you are stronger now? Don't make me laugh. You're still pathetic, Lee. This is my graduation, my chance to prove I'm the best. Don't get in my way."
Louis took a step forward, "I'm not fighting for pride or glory. I'm fighting because my life depends on it. I didn't ask for this, but I'm not backing down."
Jason's smirk faded."Then I'll make sure you regret standing in my way."
The tension snapped as Jason raised his hand. From thin air, a shimmering blade of sound waves materialized in his grip. It pulsed with a low, ominous hum, vibrating with destructive energy.
"You're in my arena now, Louis." he said. "And you're not walking out without scars."