The sun hung low in the sky as the Velmora Arena began to quiet down, the thunderous cheers of earlier matches now replaced with murmurs of anticipation. Almost all the fights were done. Titans had risen, legends had faltered, and friendships had been tested in the crucible of battle. Only one fight remained—the final match, the one everyone had waited for. The clash to determine the number one spot on the Velmora team.
Class A's number one student, Cassian Veyne, stepped into the ring first. Calm, collected, and already brimming with raw energy. His reputation had only grown since his match with Kale Vorn, and the air around him shimmered faintly with layered auras—traces of the six abilities he already wielded. Invisibility. Lightning. Duplication. Regeneration. Fire. Earth. Each ability molded around him like armor, but his eyes were fixed on only one person now.
Across from him, Aeron Vale walked silently into the arena, the wind brushing through his silver hair as if even nature bowed before his presence. Clad in black with faint silver patterns running through his coat, he looked almost unbothered. But everyone watching knew better. Aeron was Class S's number one student for a reason. Super strength. Teleportation. Foresight. And a combat IQ that was practically unnatural.
Kael sat forward in his seat. "Here we go…"
Zarek crossed his arms, eyes locked on the field. "This one's gonna shake the earth."
Kenneth leaned against the railing beside them, saying nothing, but his gaze never left Aeron.
Master Rhelgar's voice rang out, no longer booming with excitement—only with weight. "The final match of the Velmora Academy Tournament. Cassian Veyne versus Aeron Vale. Let this battle begin."
Cassian moved first—no hesitation. He blurred forward, splitting into three duplicates mid-charge. The crowd barely had time to blink before all three versions of him surrounded Aeron like a well-rehearsed trap.
Aeron didn't even flinch.
He vanished.
One second he was there, the next, gone—reappearing in the air above Cassian with a burst of momentum, his fist glowing with charged force. He struck down toward the real Cassian, only for lightning to flash—Cassian teleporting away just in time.
Cassian reappeared behind Aeron and launched a barrage of elemental strikes—flames surged, bolts danced, and earth cracked under his feet as he hurled chunks of stone like cannonballs. But Aeron weaved through it all effortlessly, predicting each move, blinking through attacks before they even reached him.
"His foresight," Mira whispered. "He's reading everything Cassian does."
"And countering before it happens," Elara added. "That's insane."
Cassian narrowed his eyes. He hadn't landed a single hit. Not one that mattered. But he wasn't done yet. His form flickered and split again, creating four versions of himself this time. Two rushed in with lightning speed, one flanking from above, while the real Cassian sank into invisibility.
Aeron tilted his head—just slightly. Then vanished again.
Cassian's strike came from above, blades of fire in both hands. Aeron met him mid-air, their fists colliding in an explosive shockwave that sent ripples through the barrier. Both were thrown backward, but Cassian landed with a grin.
In that brief impact, he'd touched Aeron.
His body pulsed as the data synced—super strength. Teleportation.
But not foresight.
He staggered slightly, eyes narrowing. "What…?"
Aeron raised a brow. "My foresight is tied to my perception. You can't copy something you don't understand."
Kael blinked. "So Cassian got two out of three… but not the most important one."
"Still," Zarek muttered, "two's more than enough for most people."
Cassian vanished, then reappeared with a streak of lightning behind him. The ground cracked under the weight of his blows now, his punches enhanced with Aeron's strength, each strike pushing the older boy further into defense. Their battle was a blur to most eyes—flickers of light, explosions of earth and fire, flashes of movement too fast to track.
Then Aeron landed a hit.
Cassian took a direct knee to the gut, teleporting just a fraction too late. His body flipped in the air from the force, crashing into the arena wall. The crowd gasped.
But Cassian stood up immediately. Not limped. Not staggered.
Stood.
And the wound that had opened across his side? Already sealed.
"Regeneration that fast shouldn't be possible…" Lira said, stunned.
"It's faster than Kale's," Elara whispered. "It's like… his body already knows how to repair damage before it happens."
Aeron frowned slightly now, adjusting his stance. For the first time, his eyes narrowed in something that looked close to… respect.
Cassian smirked. "You're not the only one who adapts."
They clashed again—air howled from the force of their blows. Cassian began mixing his abilities in unpredictable ways: teleporting while mid-lightning dash, appearing behind Aeron and summoning spikes of earth to erupt at his feet. His duplicates kept attacking from different angles, each one wielding different elements. Aeron was still reading most of them, still dancing through with unnatural grace, but Cassian was pushing him. Hard.
Every hit Aeron landed was brutal, but it was like punching a ghost. Cassian healed within milliseconds. His grin never faded. His eyes never lost that dangerous glint.
But neither did Aeron's.
They both stood there in the center of the arena after one final exchange, breathing heavily. Dust drifted in the air around them, light glinting off the scorched and shattered tiles at their feet.
A murmur rippled through the crowd, a sound of disbelief and awe.
"Are they even students?" someone whispered.
Kael just whistled. "This isn't a duel. This is a goddamn war."
"No winner yet," Kenneth muttered. "But they're not holding back anymore."
Master Rhelgar remained silent above them, watching closely.
In the ring, Cassian smirked, brushing blood off his chin. "Not bad."
Aeron straightened, eyes glowing faintly. "You're better than I expected."
The crowd held its breath.
But the battle wasn't over. Not yet. Not even close.