SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 543: The Rumbling

Moon held Ace’s gaze.

The cameras hovered overhead, every drone capturing every angle of the exchange. The crowd watched in absolute silence. Hundreds of thousands of people leaned forward in their seats, waiting to see what happened next.

Across the arena, Selene’s grip on her staff was white-knuckled.

Kael watched from his pillar, his breathing shallow.

Moon and Ace stared at each other, the seconds stretching into what felt like hours.

Them, Moon’s lips curved into a small, cold smile of his own.

"Neither."

Ace’s expression didn’t shift.

"I’m here because you want me. Don’t you?"

For the first time, something flickered behind Ace’s eyes. A reaction that came from a man who had heard exactly the word he hadn’t expected to hear.

Moon didn’t stop.

"Last time I checked, I was ranked first on the list, and I’m not talking about the tournament’s one."

The smile on Ace’s face froze.

The temperature between them dropped.

Across the arena, no one realized what had just happened. The broadcast captured the words but couldn’t capture the meaning beneath them.

Ace tilted his head slowly.

"That’s an interesting way to phrase it."

"Is it?" Moon’s voice was quiet.

Ace replied. "Yes."

Moon’s head tilted slightly to match Ace’s. "Maybe you’re reading too much into it. Or maybe your memory is hazier than you let on."

Behind Ace’s eyes, something was actively reassessing every word Moon had spoken since he started walking across the arena.

"You’re very confident for someone who walked away from his pillar."

"I’m very confident because I know what’s coming."

"Do you?"

"I do."

Their voices were dropping lower. The back-and-forth so quick and so quiet that even the camera drones struggled to capture it cleanly. The audience could only see two figures in the middle of the arena speaking softly to each other, the conversation reduced to indistinct murmurs on the broadcast feed.

"And what’s coming, exactly?"

Moon’s eyes never left his.

"Something you should be ready for. Or maybe something you’re already ready for."

The smile finally slipped from Ace’s face, replaced by a grin.

The faintest trace of amusement curled at the corner of his mouth.

But his eyes were cold.

"You shouldn’t say things you can’t take back."

"I haven’t said anything." Moon’s voice didn’t waver. "I’ve only made observations. You’re the one filling in the rest."

"That’s clever."

"I know."

"Too clever."

"Maybe."

The arena around them felt distant. There were only two people in this conversation now, and the distance between their pillars no longer felt like meters. It felt like the thin space between two sword tips.

"You don’t know what you’re stepping into."

"Then teach me."

A long silence stretched between them.

Ace’s hand drifted closer to his side and into his pocket.

"You’re not just a clever boy." He said quietly. "Are you."

Moon didn’t answer.

"How much do you know."

"Enough." Moon responded.

"Enough for what?"

Moon took a slow breath.

Moon held Ace’s gaze and gave him the answer he had been working toward since the moment he had stepped off his pillar.

"Enough to know that you’re not here for the tournament."

"..."

For a long moment, Ace did not move. Then the white-haired man tilted his head one final time. His smile widened slowly. His lips parted and he began laughing.

"Alright, you got me!" Ace raised both hands into the air.

The competitors on nearby pillars frowned in confusion, unsure what the conversation had been about. The audience leaned forward, their interpretations split between dozens of possibilities, most assuming it was banter.

Only a small handful of people in the entire venue understood what had just been admitted.

Hidden from sight, Alaric Sky stood with a small communications device pressed lightly into his ear.

He had been listening to the entire conversation through the matching device tucked inside Moon’s pocket. Moon had placed it there before leaving the house this morning, configured to a single channel that only Alaric and a handful of his most trusted operatives could access.

The recording had captured everything.

Alaric’s expression remained calm.

"It’s time."

The words left his lips quietly.

Behind Alaric, a team of the most powerful Evolvers and Surpassers stood. The mission they had been preparing for over the past month was going to commence.

Emma stepped up beside Alaric.

Her playful, teasing smile was no longer present, replaced by a serious face that suited her surprisingly well.

Emma wore body-fitted dark combat leathers reinforced with several discreet protective inlays, her shoulder-length brown hair pulled back into a tight braid that wouldn’t get in her way.

A pair of slim daggers were sheathed at her hips, and her hands rested on the handles. Her hazel eyes focused on the screen that displayed Moon and Ace’s confrontation.

"Don’t you dare do something reckless."

Slowly, her hand reached up and grasped his gently. "This mission is important. But your life is more important than the mission. Do you understand me?"

Alaric turned his head and looked down at her.

She was a head shorter than him, and the way she stared up at him now, her hazel eyes refusing to look away, meant more than anything.

His expression softened, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I won’t. I still have things to finish."

He squeezed her hand gently in return.

"It’s too early to die."

Emma held his gaze for one more second.

Then Alaric released his hand and turned to face his team, his expression turning stoic once more.

"Move."

◇◇◇◇

In a darkened chamber, two figures stood before the dormant array.

Baaron and Ian.

The shorter of the two, Baaron, stood with his arms folded across his chest. His weapon was strapped across his back, a heavy two-handed cleaver.

Beside him, Ian stood tall, his hands resting at his side.

Suddenly, the runes lit up.

Both of them received the notification simultaneously.

Baaron’s mouth pulled into a wide, devilish grin.

Ian’s smile was quieter.

"It’s time." They said in unison.

They turned in tandem toward the figures gathered behind them. A dozen elites, each one carrying the same indestructible bones that had become the trademark of their organization.

"Let’s unleash hell on New Avalon." Baaron’s voice rumbled like a coming earthquake.

Then he and Ian stepped into the artificial portal at the centre of the array.

The shimmer of spatial energy swallowed them both.

Behind them, their subordinates rushed into the portal one after another, the dozen elites pouring through the opening in a single wave.

The chamber emptied within seconds.