[Current Viewers: 50,000+]
[Fear Points: 15,000]
[Status: Pinned Down]
Leo Sterling hovered in the air, bleeding from his cheek. The cut Annabelle made was small, but the damage to his ego was fatal.
His golden eyes ceased to look human. They glowed with the intensity of a dying star.
"Trash," Leo whispered. "Know your place."
He raised both hands towards the heavens. The clouds above the arena swirled, parting to reveal a blinding golden light.
[Spell: S-Rank Gravity Domain – 'The King's Kneel']
BOOOOOOOOM!
It wasn't an explosion of fire. It was an explosion of weight.
The air itself became heavy as lead.
The massive stone pillars in the arena crumbled into dust instantly. The lava pools stopped bubbling, flattened by the pressure.
"Kneel," Leo commanded.
CRACK!
Grog, the massive Half-Demon, roared as he was forced to one knee. The ground beneath him shattered. Even with his immense strength, he couldn't stand.
"Boss... too... heavy..." Grog groaned, veins popping on his neck.
Violet collapsed instantly, coughing blood.
Felix tripped (of course) and was pinned face-down in the dirt.
Jin... surprisingly, Jin was still sleeping, but now he was sleeping flat on the ground like a pancake.
Ryan felt it too. It felt like the entire sky had fallen on his shoulders. His knees shook violently. His bones creaked.
[System Warning: Gravity increased by 20x.]
[HP dropping: -5 per second.]
The crowd in the stadium watched in awe.
"This is S-Rank power!"
"It's over. Class F is crushed."
"Leo isn't human. He's a monster."
Leo descended slowly, floating above the pinned Ryan.
"You have some tricks," Leo said, his voice amplified by magic. "But tricks don't work against absolute power. Beg for mercy, and I might only break your legs."
Ryan was bent over, struggling to breathe. Sweat dripped from his nose.
But he was smiling.
He slowly raised his head to look at the floating camera drone (Shadow Cam).
"Chat," Ryan wheezed. "Did you hear him? He said 'Absolute Power'."
Ryan forced his hand to move. He reached into his pocket.
It took immense effort, but he pulled out the [Grimoire of the Shadow King].
"Leo," Ryan gasped. "Do you know... basic physics?"
Leo frowned. "What?"
"Gravity..." Ryan gritted his teeth, forcing his body to stand upright inch by inch. "Gravity affects Mass. It affects things that have weight. Things that have bodies."
Ryan opened the black book. Dark energy exploded from the pages, swirling around him like a tornado.
"But Shadows... HAVE NO MASS!"
[Skill Activated: Shadow Extraction (Max Output)]
[Mana Cost: 0]
[Fear Cost: 10,000 Points]
"ARISE!" Ryan screamed.
WHOOSH!
The ground beneath Ryan turned pitch black.
It wasn't solid anymore. It was a portal to the abyss.
From the darkness, they came.
Not one. Not two.
Five Hundred Shadow Soldiers.
The Skeleton Army he had farmed in the dungeon rose from the floor.
Because they were made of pure shadow energy, gravity passed right through them.
They didn't kneel. They stood tall.
They floated.
They climbed the air itself.
Leo's eyes widened in horror. "What?! How are they moving?!"
Ryan stood in the center of his army. The shadows wrapped around him, supporting his body, lifting the weight off his shoulders.
Ryan floated up, carried by the hands of his shadow soldiers.
"You control the Sun (Gravity)," Ryan declared, his voice echoing with Necrotic power. "So I brought the Night."
He pointed the Rusty Crowbar at Leo.
"Get him, boys."
"ROAAAAAR!"
The Shadow Army surged forward like a black tsunami.
They swarmed Leo.
Leo fired beams of light. ZAP! ZAP!
He disintegrated ten shadows.
But twenty more took their place. They grabbed his arms. They grabbed his legs. They bit his armor.
"GET OFF ME! I AM THE KING!" Leo screamed, panic finally setting in.
Ryan didn't stop there.
He looked at Annabelle, who was hiding in Grog's shadow.
"Annie! Fastball Special!"
Grog (who was still pinned but could move his arms) grabbed the doll.
"Go... little... toy!"
Grog threw Annabelle with all his might towards the distracted Leo.
Leo was busy fighting off five hundred skeletons. He didn't see the doll.
Annabelle landed on Leo's back.
She giggled.
"I found you!"
STAB.
She plunged her knife into the gap of his neck armor. It wasn't a lethal hit, but it severed his magical concentration.
"ARGH!"
Leo's concentration broke.
The Gravity Domain shattered.
SNAP.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Grog stood up, roaring. "GROG IS FREE!"
Violet gasped for air.
Jin... kept sleeping, but stood up.
Leo fell from the sky, crashing onto the ruined arena floor.
He tried to stand up, but he was instantly surrounded.
Grog grabbed his left arm.
The Shadow Butcher grabbed his right arm.
Annabelle sat on his chest, knife at his throat.
And Ryan...
Ryan walked up to the fallen 'Golden Lion'.
He placed his foot on Leo's chest.
The stadium was deathly silent.
Director Malik stood up in the VIP box, spilling his tea again.
The Class A students were trembling.
Ryan looked down at Leo, whose face was covered in dust and blood.
"You owe me a new apron," Ryan said calmly.
He raised his Desert Eagle (Soul Shatterer) and aimed it at Leo's forehead.
"Do you yield?"
Leo looked at the gun. He looked at the monsters holding him down. He looked at Ryan's cold, blue-glowing eyes.
The humiliation was worse than death.
Tears of rage welled in his golden eyes.
"I..." Leo choked. "I yield."
"WINNER: CLASS F!"
The holographic screens exploded with the victory announcement.
"THE SUICIDE SQUAD WINS!"
[System Notification: You have defeated an S-Rank Candidate.]
[Fear Points: +50,000 (Jackpot!)]
[Level Up: 5 -> 8]
[Reputation: 'King Slayer' established.]
Ryan holstered his gun. He offered a hand to help Leo up.
Leo looked confused. He took the hand.
Ryan pulled him close and whispered in his ear:
"By the way, I recorded you screaming like a girl. Transfer 1 Million Credits to my account by midnight, or the video goes on SpookTube."
Leo froze.
He looked at Ryan with pure terror. This guy wasn't just a strong fighter. He was a devil.
Ryan let him go and turned to the camera drone.
He winked.
"Easy money. Thanks for the donations, chat! Don't forget to use code 'RYAN' for 10% off at the cafeteria!"
User_RichKid: "CODE RYAN?! Take my money! [Gift: Spaceship x1]"
User_Slayer69: "Legend. Absolute Legend."
As Ryan walked out of the arena, his shadow stretched long and dark behind him.
Inside the shadow, hundreds of eyes glowed red, watching the silent crowd.
The Trash of Class F had just conquered the Academy.