Chapter 31: Ninefold Sunbreaker
Chatter erupted from the crowd as they processed what was happening.
Not only because this was the third affinity they had seen so far, but also because it came from a student that most of them had never heard of before.
Kalon Manchester.
Suddenly, everyone pulled out their phones and searched for his social profile.
Zero followers.
Not only that, but all of his mentions were negative.
@KalonManchester, can’t wait to see you get battered today.
Do you guys think @KalonManchester will show up to the mock battles? I think he might have killed himself.
Does anyone have the pictures of @KalonManchester’s micropenis?
It was clear that this boy was a victim of bullying.
But that should have been impossible. Any first-year student with an elemental affinity would be admired by the rest of their year.
Could it have been a recent awakening?
...
Kalon remained where he was, feeling the nine spheres circling his body.
Across the field, his opponent looked stunned, as though he didn’t know what to do.
Wilson wanted to forfeit, but he knew that if he did, he would become a laughing stock forever.
He would ruin any chance he had of ever becoming a famous professional fighter.
This meant that somehow, he had to fight.
Maybe it’s just a low-rank skill, he thought to himself. He shouldn’t be able to use any skills above E-rank anyway. That means I can block this.
Wilson raised his guard again, and this time a clear shield formed around his entire body.
It was a simple defensive technique, but it had gotten him through many attacks in the past.
Just do what you usually do. Head down, charge in, and—
WOOSH!
The sound of flames igniting suddenly echoed in front of him.
Wilson looked up.
One of the nine spheres was travelling towards him.
Shit!
At first, it was slow. He wondered if he would be able to dodge it. The impact might effect him, but it was better than facing a direct hit.
But then only a few seconds later, it accelerated, looking as though it had been fired from a cannon.
Wilson raised his arms and braced himself. He had to block it. But through the gap in his guard, he noticed something.
Kalon was shielding his eyes.
Why would he have to shield his eyes if it was only an E-rank skill?
Wilson received the answer only seconds later.
The flaming sphere touched his barrier.
There wasn’t an explosion. There wasn’t even a sound. For the briefest instant, the arena fell completely silent.
Then the world turned white.
A blinding flash swallowed the battlefield, forcing thousands of spectators to cover their eyes.
Even the floating cameras automatically adjusted their exposure.
The protective barrier around Wilson lasted less than a heartbeat.
It cracked, then shattered like glass.
"No—!"
The sphere struck him square in the chest.
BOOOOM!
A pillar of golden fire erupted into the sky.
The shockwave blasted sand across the arena, forcing even the front-row spectators to lean back against their seats.
Wilson’s body disappeared inside the inferno.
His Ironhide Body. His defensive skill. His reinforced muscles. None of it mattered.
The flames consumed everything they touched.
His clothes ignited instantly. His skin blackened.
The flesh on his forearms, raised in a desperate guard, burned away in places until white bone was visible beneath.
The smell of burnt flesh spread throughout the arena.
Wilson opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The heat stole the air from his lungs.
Then, just as his life was about to end...
A brilliant blue barrier erupted around him.
It was the academy’s emergency protection.
The barrier absorbed the remaining force of the attack before wrapping itself tightly around Wilson’s ruined body.
The golden flames struck it again and again before finally dispersing.
Silence returned.
Where Wilson had once stood, only a kneeling figure remained.
His body shook violently. The entirety of his academy uniform had burned away to nothing but ash.
His skin was covered from head to toe in horrific burns.
Both arms hung limply at his sides, the skin charred black and peeling away.
His messy ginger hair was gone.
Even one side of his face had suffered severe burns.
The emergency barrier had saved his life.
His health had stopped at one, but it hadn’t spared him from the injuries. He would have to wait until those were healed by the medics, who were already rushing onto the scene.
Wilson’s eyes rolled back as his body collapsed face-first into the sand.
The arena remained completely silent. Not a single person cheered, and not a single person spoke.
All that could be heard were the approaching footsteps of the medics.
Thousands of spectators simply stared at the unconscious first-year student as he received medical treatment.
Then they slowly looked toward the source of the attack.
Kalon.
Eight miniature suns still revolved around him. None of them had grown dimmer.
"We have a winner! Kalon Manchester, everybody!"
As the announcer spoke, people finally began cheering.
However, mixed in with the applause were looks and murmurs of utter astonishment.
"He used one of those fireballs... Just one, and that’s what it did. He still has eight more."
"Don’t forget, we didn’t even get to see what it was truly capable of. The arena’s protective barrier contained it before we could."
"But how? How did a kid like him use that skill? Judging by the way it looked, it had to be at least B-rank."
"Don’t be silly. That was an A-rank skill. That kid is some sort of genius. I’m following him."
Kalon didn’t know it at that moment, but his follower count was shooting up by the thousands.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out before allowing the Ninefold Sunbreaker skill to fade away.
It was on its one-hour cooldown now, so he wouldn’t be able to use it again.
That was fine.
He wouldn’t need to.
He had already won.
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