Chapter 17 — When Pressure Pushes Back
The boundary fields did not drop after Selene Arkwright's trial.
They reconfigured.
Six platforms slid inward, merging into three elongated combat lanes. The mana conduits along the walls flared brighter, recalibrating. Runes rearranged themselves midair, locking into new formations that hummed with restrained force.
Professor Elyndra stood at the center, hands clasped behind her back.
"Individual pressure tests reveal control," she said evenly. "But combat is interaction."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And interaction reveals truth."
A murmur passed through the students.
"This session will be paired sparring," she continued. "Boundary rules apply. Lethal intent will be suppressed. Permanent injury prevented."
She paused deliberately.
"Pain," she added, "will not be."
Several students stiffened.
Kairo leaned lightly against the reinforced railing, watching without expression. His breathing was steady. His mind was not.
[Predictive modeling in progress.]
[Potential matchups calculated.]
[High-probability forced engagement detected.]
Elyndra raised her hand.
"Pairings will be assigned," she said. "Resistance will be noted."
She pointed.
"Lyra Vayne. Darius Feld. Lane One."
Darius flinched, then straightened. Lyra merely nodded, her movements fluid as she stepped forward.
"Bran Holt. Selene Arkwright. Lane Two."
Bran grinned fiercely. Selene adjusted her gloves, composed.
A pause.
Then—
"Kairo."
The room went quiet.
Elyndra turned fully toward him.
"Kairo… versus three."
Gasps.
A nervous laugh.
"Excuse me?" Bran blurted before catching himself.
Elyndra's gaze did not waver.
"Controlled asymmetry," she said calmly. "Lane Three."
She gestured.
"Tomas Grell."
"Virex Tal."
"And—"
Her eyes flicked briefly toward the observation balcony again.
"—Lysa Morrenn."
Three names.
Three very different reactions.
Tomas Grell—a broad-shouldered human with reinforced musculature blessing fragments, cracked his knuckles with visible enthusiasm.
Virex Tal, a thin Aetherial hybrid with faint luminescent veins, adjusted his stance, eyes sharp and calculating.
Lysa Morrenn, a noble-born Beastkin with foxlike ears and a sharp smile, tilted her head.
"Oh," she said lightly. "This should be fun."
CIEL flagged immediately.
[Asymmetrical engagement confirmed.]
[Opponent synergy potential: Moderate.]
[Recommendation: Minimal exposure.]
Kairo stepped onto Lane Three.
He did not protest.
That alone unsettled people.
The boundary rose.
---
Lane Three — Three Against One
The moment the field sealed, pressure spiked—not environmental, but intentional.
Tomas moved first.
No flourish.
Just raw momentum.
His blessing—Muscle Reinforcement: High Minor—activated, veins bulging as he charged like a battering ram.
Kairo shifted his weight.
Not back.
Sideways.
Tomas's fist tore through the space where Kairo's head had been a moment earlier, the shockwave cracking the reinforced floor.
Before Tomas could recover, Virex moved.
Mana compressed around his palm—Aether Compression, a refined technique that turned raw mana into piercing force.
A beam snapped toward Kairo's torso.
Kairo raised his hand.
Not to block—
—but to catch.
Mana flared between his fingers as the compressed force unraveled, absorbed, then redirected downward, dispersing harmlessly.
Several students gasped.
"That's not possible," someone whispered. "Compression can't just—"
Lysa didn't wait.
She vanished.
Her Beastkin blessing—Predatory Step—activated, her form blurring as she reappeared behind Kairo, claws already extended toward his spine.
CIEL spoke sharply.
[Multi-vector threat detected.]
Kairo pivoted.
His elbow met her wrist mid-strike.
Impact echoed.
Lysa hissed softly, landing lightly several steps back, eyes bright.
"Oh," she said, genuinely amused now. "You react fast."
Kairo exhaled.
They were coordinating now.
Good.
Pressure increased.
Tomas feinted left. Virex raised mana again. Lysa circled, footsteps silent.
Kairo moved.
Not explosively.
Economically.
He stepped inside Tomas's range as the larger boy swung, deflecting the punch just enough to unbalance him. He used Tomas's momentum as cover, forcing Virex to hesitate—
—and in that fraction—
Kairo struck.
A palm to Tomas's chest.
Not reinforced.
Not explosive.
Just precise.
Tomas flew backward, slamming into the boundary field, gasping as the air left his lungs.
CIEL updated.
[Structural weak point exploited.]
[Damage: Non-lethal, incapacitating.]
Virex reacted instantly, unleashing a burst of compressed mana—not aimed to hit, but to limit movement.
The lane filled with shimmering force lines.
Kairo slowed.
Not trapped—but constrained.
Lysa lunged again, claws glowing faintly now with Beastial Edge.
This time—
She connected.
Her claws raked across Kairo's side, tearing fabric and skin.
Blood bloomed.
The room went deathly quiet.
Selene's eyes widened.
Bran's grin vanished.
Lyra leaned forward sharply.
CIEL spoke calmly.
[Injury detected.]
[Severity: Minor.]
[Recommendation: Counter-escalation.]
Kairo looked down at the blood staining his fingers.
Then—
He smiled.
Not broadly.
Just enough.
"Noted," he said.
He stepped forward through the compression field.
Mana flared around his body—not as a shield, but as a recalibration.
"Adaptive Fortification — Evolved Fragment" activated.
The next compressed blast struck him squarely—
—and dispersed.
Kairo closed the distance with Virex in two steps.
A strike to the solar plexus.
Virex collapsed instantly.
Only Lysa remained.
She crouched low, breathing lightly, tail flicking.
Her eyes shone.
"This is unfair," she said softly. "You're learning during the fight."
"Yes," Kairo replied.
He moved.
She did too.
For a moment, they clashed—claws against reinforced skin, speed against adaptation. Lysa landed two more hits. Kairo absorbed them.
Then—
He grabbed her wrist.
Not tightly.
Just enough.
"Yield," he said quietly.
Lysa froze.
The boundary field hummed.
After a long second, she laughed breathlessly.
"…Fine."
The field dropped.
---
Aftermath
Silence reigned.
Professor Elyndra's expression was unreadable.
She raised her hand.
"End of session," she said. "Medical staff."
Kairo stepped off the lane, blood still visible, posture unchanged.
Bran stared.
"He bled," he muttered. "And he didn't even care."
Selene approached cautiously.
"You were injured," she said.
"It was useful," Kairo replied.
Lyra arrived moments later, eyes sharp.
"They'll talk about this," she said quietly.
"They already are," Kairo answered.
CIEL surfaced with updated analysis.
[Rival hostility increased.]
[Faction observation probability rising.]
[Second-year interference likelihood: 12% and climbing.]
Kairo looked up at the academy ceiling, where runes pulsed faintly.
Pressure had pushed back.
And he had pushed harder.
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