The stadium barely had time to settle before the next match was announced.
"NEXT MATCH—RAGNAROK ACADEMY VS ZEPHYR ACADEMY!
NOAH GWENT VERSUS AVERY REIN!"
The cheers rose again, louder this time.
Noah stood up slowly.
She rolled her shoulders once, exhaled, then stepped onto the stage.
Across from her, Avery Rein walked out with measured steps—short silver hair, composed eyes, no unnecessary movement. Where Liliana had laughed and taunted, Avery carried herself like a bomb technician.
Calm. Precise. Dangerous.
"So that's Zephyr's number two," Jin muttered. "Doesn't look flashy."
Silvia adjusted her glasses. "That's what worries me."
The announcer continued, voice booming.
"Avery Rein—Zephyr Academy Rank Two! Ability: Localized Detonation Materialization! She can generate controlled explosions from any part of her body!"
Noah swallowed.
Explosions.
Everywhere.
Avery stopped at her mark and looked at Noah—not with arrogance, not with mockery.
Just evaluation.
"…You're the were-type," Avery said calmly. "Berserker tendencies. High output. Low control."
Noah flinched.
Kade leaned forward in his seat, eyes sharp.
[Careful, Noah… don't let her set the pace.]
The bell rang.
DING.
Avery moved first.
Her heel touched the ground—
BOOM.
The stage detonated beneath Noah's feet, blasting her backward in a cloud of smoke and shattered stone.
"FIRST STRIKE BY AVERY REIN!" the commentator shouted.
Noah barely managed to flip midair, landing on all fours as her claws tore into the floor.
Her pupils narrowed.
Fur rippled along her arms.
Not yet.
She pushed off—
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions burst from Avery's elbows as she rocketed forward, turning her body into a living artillery unit. Each step she took detonated, altering her trajectory with terrifying precision.
"She's using explosions for movement," Silvia muttered. "And control."
Avery's palm snapped forward.
BOOM!
The blast struck Noah square in the chest.
Noah skidded back, coughing, smoke curling from her uniform.
For a split second—
Her instincts screamed.
The beast inside her roared.
"NO—" Jin shouted.
Too late.
Noah's body expanded, muscles bulging, claws elongating as her eyes turned feral gold.
The crowd gasped.
"Uh-oh," Kade muttered. "She's slipping."
Avery didn't react with fear.
She smiled—just a little.
"…So that's your trigger," she said softly.
Her shoulders rolled.
Explosions bloomed across her back.
"Let's see how much pressure you can take."
The arena shook as the calm bomber and the awakening beast charged toward each other—
And the real fight finally began.
The moment Noah and Avery squared off again, my brain did that thing.
I squinted at Avery's movement.
The way explosions bloomed behind her—small, precise, perfectly timed. The way she rode the blast like it was second nature.
[…Wait.]
My eyes widened.
[Hold on.]
"—Wait, wait, wait," I muttered, leaning forward.
Then it hit me.
"WHAT?! DEIDARA?!"
The words slipped out before my brain could stop my mouth.
The crowd nearest us turned.
Jin blinked. "What?"
I slapped my knee and burst out laughing. "ART IS AN EXPLOSION?!"
The timing couldn't have been worse—or better.
Avery paused mid-step.
One foot glowing faintly with compressed energy, smoke curling around her calf.
She turned her head.
Her eyes locked straight onto me.
The entire stadium felt like it held its breath.
"…Huh," Avery said calmly.
Then—she smiled.
Not arrogant.
Not mocking.
Amused.
"I like that," she said, raising her hand as a small explosion popped harmlessly above her palm like fireworks.
"That's my catchphrase now."
The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers.
"DID THAT RAGNAROK STUDENT JUST TRASH-TALK FROM THE STANDS?!" the commentator yelled.
Silvia facepalmed.
"No way…"
Jin groaned. "You had to open your mouth."
Noah, half-transformed, glanced back at me.
"…Kade?"
I cupped my hands around my mouth. "FOCUS! SHE'S CALM—THAT'S THE SCARY PART!"
Avery turned back to Noah, expression sharpening.
"Let's continue," she said politely.
"Before I steal more of your friend's material."
Her foot slammed down.
BOOM.
The stage exploded again.
Noah snarled, claws digging deep as she charged through the smoke—this time with intent, not instinct.
Kade leaned back, grinning.
[Yep.]
[This tournament's already worth it.]
Silvia slowly turned her head toward me.
"…Hey, Kade," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Who's Deidara?"
I froze.
Time slowed.
My brain screamed ABORT ABORT ABORT.
I choked on my own saliva.
"—KHK—!"
I coughed violently, pounding my chest like my life depended on it. Jin patted my back once, hard.
"You okay?" he asked, suspicious.
I straightened up, wiping my mouth, forcing the most natural smile I could manage.
"Ah—yeah! Deidara?" I said quickly. "Uh… made-up character."
Silvia's eyebrow twitched.
"…Made up."
"Y-Yeah!" I nodded too fast. "Totally original. From my imagination. Just… popped in there."
I attempted a whistle.
It came out like a dying kettle.
FWEEEE—khh—
Silvia stared.
Jin stared.
Noah stared.
"…That was the worst lie I've ever heard," Jin said flatly.
"I'm offended you didn't even try," Silvia added.
Noah tilted her head. "Was it… a villain?"
"NOPE," I said instantly. "Definitely not."
Their eyes sharpened.
"…You answered way too fast," Silvia said.
I laughed nervously. "Haha! Wow! Look at that fight though! Noah's doing great! Explosion girl's really—uh—explosive!"
On the stage, Avery detonated another blast, launching herself backward while Noah slammed her claws into the ground, sending debris flying.
The commentator screamed something incoherent.
Silvia sighed and crossed her arms.
"I'm not pressing you," she said slowly. "But one day, I will find out."
I grinned, sweat rolling down my temple.
[Yeah.]
[Please don't.]
The battle raged on, explosions and feral roars shaking the arena—
—but for just a moment, I felt it again.
That strange sensation.
Like someone, somewhere…
…had just heard a name they weren't supposed to hear.
I glanced around.
[Huh.]
[Probably nothing.]
Right?
Noah staggered back.
Her breathing was ragged, clothes torn, blood streaking down her arms and legs—but none of it was fatal. Just enough pain to remind her she was still standing.
Across from her, Avery floated lightly as another controlled explosion burst beneath her feet, keeping her airborne.
"You should surrender," Avery said calmly, almost gently. "You're the weakest link in your team."
BOOM.
A small detonation cracked the floor where Noah had been a second earlier.
Noah twisted left, rolled right, her movements messy—but alive. Instinct-driven. Primal.
The commentator's voice wavered.
"Noah Gwent is taking heavy damage! This might be the end—!"
Noah skidded to a halt.
She lifted her head.
Her eyes met mine across the arena.
For a split second, the noise faded.
I can't let them down.
Her fingers clenched.
I won't.
A slow smile formed on her bloodied face.
"I was gonna save this for the finals," Noah said softly.
Avery frowned. "Save what—"
Noah planted her feet.
"BEAST ARTS—FIRST FORM—NEW MOON STANCE!"
The air shifted.
Her lower body transformed violently—muscles tightening, expanding, her legs becoming denser, stronger, wrapped in dark, scale-like patterns that shimmered under the arena lights. Her stance lowered, balanced, predatory.
Her claws elongated, edges glinting with hardened scales layered along the knuckles.
The ground beneath her cracked.
Avery's calm expression finally broke.
"…What?"
The commentator shouted, voice rising in disbelief.
"A TRANSFORMATION TECHNIQUE?! THIS LATE IN THE MATCH?!"
In the stands, Jin leaned forward, eyes wide.
He glanced at me slowly.
"…Isn't that what you taught her?"
I didn't look away from the stage.
"Yes," I said simply.
Silvia inhaled sharply. "You what?"
Noah moved.
Not fast—
—silent.
Avery barely had time to trigger another explosion before Noah vanished from her sight.
THUD.
A shockwave rippled as Noah slammed into Avery mid-air, claws carving through the blast before it could fully form.
Avery crashed hard into the arena wall, coughing, eyes wide with shock.
Noah landed smoothly, crouched low, breath steady despite her injuries.
Blood dripped.
But she didn't waver.
The crowd erupted.
The commentator nearly screamed himself hoarse.
"NOAH GWENT HAS TURNED THE TIDE! THIS IS A COMPLETE REVERSAL!"
I smiled faintly.
[Good.]
[You finally trusted yourself.]
High above, unseen eyes narrowed.
And somewhere in the arena, someone whispered—
"…Interesting."
"My lord, your daughter—"
The man behind the herculean, middle-aged figure stopped mid-sentence.
The man raised a single hand.
Silence.
"I know," he said calmly.
His eyes never left the arena.
Down below, Noah stood tall despite her wounds, her transformed legs steady, claws gleaming under the stadium lights.
"She can finally control her were-forms," the man continued, voice deep and resolute. "That stance… that discipline… it was not instinct alone."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Perhaps my bloodline can reach new heights through her."
The aide hesitated. "Shall we investigate who trained her, my lord?"
The man's gaze shifted.
Not to Noah.
Not to Avery.
But to the Ragnarok Academy seats.
To me.
Kade.
For the first time, his expression changed—just slightly. Interest. Calculation. The look of a warrior who had spotted another predator.
At that exact moment, I felt it.
That pressure.
That stare.
I leaned back in my seat and casually looked up toward the VIP section, eyes locking onto his.
Then I smirked.
Not arrogant.
Not defiant.
Knowing.
The man's lips curved faintly.
"So that's him," he murmured. "The irregular."
Back on the stage, Noah exhaled slowly, her New Moon Stance still active.
Avery pushed herself up, blood at the corner of her mouth, eyes burning with excitement rather than fear.
"…You're amazing," Avery said honestly. "Guess I underestimated you."
Noah didn't respond.
She simply raised her claws.
The referee hesitated for half a second—then shouted:
"MATCH CONTINUES!"
The crowd roared louder than before.
In the shadows of the arena, alliances shifted.
Interest was sparked.
And for the first time since the tournament began, the powerful weren't just watching the winners anymore.
They were watching me.
Back on the platform, Avery staggered—then straightened herself, chest heaving as smoke curled off her shoulders.
"Heh… guess I still underestimated you," she admitted, wiping blood from her lip.
Her eyes shifted.
Not to Noah.
To me.
She smiled, sharp and excited.
"…What was it again?"
I blinked.
Then groaned.
"Oh come on, don't steal my jokes—"
"EXPLOSION IS AN ART—" Avery shouted, her voice ringing through the arena,
"HYMN OF DESTRUCTION!"
The sky above the stage screamed.
Explosions bloomed in rapid succession, perfectly timed—each detonation feeding into the next, forming a massive, spiraling construct of fire and shockwaves.
A dragon.
Not flesh and scale—but flame, pressure, and sound.
It roared as it descended, accelerating, compressing, its very presence cracking the reinforced arena floor.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"What the hell is that?!" "She made explosions MOVE?!" "That's not raw power—that's control!"
Noah looked up.
The dragon reflected in her eyes.
She didn't panic.
She didn't retreat.
Instead, she shifted her footing—just slightly.
A deviation.
A refinement.
"BEAST ARTS—FIRST FORM—NEW MOON STANCE!" she declared, her voice steady despite the storm rushing toward her.
Then—
"Blitz."
Her muscles tightened to their absolute limit.
Scales along her limbs shimmered.
And she vanished.
Not jumped.
Not dashed.
Vanished.
A sonic boom cracked behind her as Noah reappeared at the edge of the arena, the explosive dragon chasing her path, tearing through the air where she had been a heartbeat before.
Gasps echoed through the stadium.
"She's leading it!" "She's controlling the enemy's attack?!"
Noah zigzagged across the battlefield, feet barely touching the ground, claws carving shallow lines as she redirected her momentum again and again.
Each step was precise.
Each movement calculated.
Her eyes flicked once—toward me.
Trust.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.
"Good," I muttered. "Now finish it."
The dragon closed in, its core destabilizing from the forced trajectory.
Noah planted her foot.
Twisted.
And turned to face it head-on.
The arena held its breath.
Noah stopped.
Dead still.
The explosive dragon bore down on her, its core screaming, detonations overlapping into a single note of destruction.
She inhaled.
Her fist tightened.
Then she pulled her arm back—slowly, deliberately—like drawing a bowstring to its absolute limit.
The air compressed around her knuckles.
Even I raised an eyebrow.
"…Oh?"
Noah spoke, voice calm. Almost shy.
"PERFECTLY.
NORMAL.
PUNCH."
She threw it.
The world folded.
There was no flash at first—only a deafening CRACK, as if reality itself had been struck. A shockwave erupted outward, not spherical, but focused, tearing straight through the heart of the explosive dragon.
The construct didn't explode.
It was erased.
Fire dispersed like mist. Pressure unraveled. Sound collapsed into silence.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
The delayed impact hit.
The arena floor fractured in a spiderweb pattern, reinforced barriers flaring at maximum output. Wind blasted outward, flattening the front rows of the audience against their seats.
Avery was thrown backward like a ragdoll, skidding across the stage before slamming into the barrier wall with a heavy thud.
Smoke cleared.
The dragon was gone.
Avery lay unconscious.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then the stadium detonated with noise.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" "SHE PUNCHED AN EXPLOSION!" "NO—SHE PUNCHED THROUGH IT!"
The commentator screamed into his mic, voice cracking.
"UNBELIEVABLE! ZEPHYR'S AVERY REIN IS DOWN! RAGNAROK ACADEMY SCORES A VICTORY!"
On the stands, Jin stared with his mouth open.
"…That wasn't a beast art."
Silvia swallowed. "That was… something else."
All eyes turned to me.
I shrugged, smiling lazily.
"Hey, I told her," I said.
"Sometimes the best technique… is just hitting really hard."
Noah stood there, breathing heavily, fist still trembling.
Then she looked at her hand.
"…It worked."
I grinned.
"Yeah," I said softly.
"Welcome to the big leagues."
High above, unseen by most, several pairs of eyes narrowed.
And somewhere in the shadows—
Someone laughed.