SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 544: A Question...

BOOM!

The first explosion spread flames through the eastern edge of Zone F.

A ten-story office block near the market line went up in a column of orange flames that rose past the rooflines and kept rising. Glass blew outward from every window on the block. The pavement directly beneath the strike cratered. A parked car lifted a few meters off the ground, riding the shockwave and rolling on its roof.

BOOM!

The second explosion hit a bank façade two streets over. The pressure wave rolled out in a flat ring of dust that swept the avenue clean of pedestrians, the ones it didn’t take going down on their hands and knees with their arms over their heads.

BOOM!

Another explosion rang out, the sound reaching the center of the zone half a second behind the tremor that ran along the streets to meet it.

Then a fourth. Then more.

The ground under the zone rumbled in one slow continuous shake. Storefront windows along the main strip burst in unison.

Alarms rang out through the city.

People ran with their lives, hoping to survive the disaster that had suddenly descended. Just moments ago, they were watching the tournament on massive screens, cheering for their favourite contestants and cursing the ones they hated.

Amongst those running, a father carried his daughter against his chest and pushed an empty stroller with his other arm, the baby strapped to his back in a carrier.

BOOM!

Smoke filled the sky, and body parts filled the street.

"Are you okay?"

The smoke cleared, revealing a tank holding his shield, protecting the father and daughter from the explosion.

The father whose entire body was curled in an attempt to shield his daughter, raised his head, "Y-Yes, thank you sir!"

The tank nodded his head, "Make your way to the bunker, this area isn’t safe."

"B-But my wife..."

"You will not be able to save your wife even if you wanted to. At least save your daughter whilst you can. Just like I saved you, someone will save your wife."

The father gritted his teeth, internally cursing himself for his weakness. He had always quietly resented himself for being a null, but today...the feeling was even worse.

Nodding his head, he rushed with his daughter towards the bunker that the tank spoke of. Simultaneously, his hands were tapping the screen, calling his wife, praying she was safe and sound.

The response was quick. Teams from the association and power groups were immediately deployed to the scenes, as if the attacks were anticipated.

A water mage dropped off the rooftop across the street, a column of water arcing from her open palm before her boots touched the pavement. The arc hit the burning regions below and split the flame, the heat ring around the area fading away as the steam rose up in the air.

Two more water mages came down behind her. Their streams joined hers and the orange of the fire went grey, dark, then out in long patches.

As the teams dealt with the explosions, several figures suddenly emerged from the massive smoke in the eastern side.

Wearing black tactical gear, faces covered. The lead one threw an open palm and a lance of fire punched through the chest of the first water mage. The mage stared down at the hole in her chest before collapsing on the floor.

The other two water mages turned.

Water lashed across the avenue in whips. The attackers split and moved through the strikes.

One of them took a whip across the shoulder hard enough to crack the armour plate underneath, kept moving, and drove a serrated short-blade through the side of the second water mage’s neck.

The mage dropped to a knee.

Her partner threw a wave of pressurised water at the attacker’s face. The attacker raised an arm and the water sheared sideways off a barrier that hadn’t been there a second earlier.

A third association Evolver came down off the next roof.

He dove headfirst into the attacker. He took the lead attacker in a clinch and twisted, the two of them rolling across the pavement and into the side of an overturned delivery van. The wrestling between them ended with the death of the dark organisation’s Evolver.

Two more attackers came out of the smoke behind him.

A pillar of smoke rose into the sky above Zone F that could be seen from tens of kilometers out.

Inside the the tournament venue, the anticipated bout between Moon Outlaw and Ace Morgan was finally going to commence.

The spectator section shook in a slow shudder that didn’t match anything happening in the ring below.

Heads turned.

The second explosion hit. Then, the third.

"What’s that? Is that an explosion?"

"That came from outside."

"That came from a lot of places outside."

The powerhouses in the tournament remained silent, still keeping themselves hidden, despite receiving news about the world outside.

The referee in the arena lifted his hand to pause the match. The screen overhead froze on a clock count that had stopped advancing. A handful of spectators near the back of the stand had already turned toward the exit corridor, phones raised to record.

"The tournament is paused pending an external review. Contestants are to stop fighting. Those watching, please remain in your seats. Association personnel are addressing a situation in the surrounding area. Please do not exit the venue at this time. Please remain in your seats."

The voice repeated the message.

Half the audience stood up anyway.

A fresh tremor ran through the floor under their feet.

In the arena, Moon stood before Ace Morgan, the chaos outside and around them fading into background music that they had no interest in.

"Looks like it has already started...huh?" Moon smiled, staring him deep in the eyes.

Ace nodded his head, his eyes locked in with Moon’s, "It appears so, unless there is a celebration worthy of such extravagant fireworks."

"I’ve always had a question I wanted to ask you...Jonathan."