Five days.That's all the world had before everything changed again.
The tournament was over.Rankings updated.Life at Xyprus tried to return to normal.
But normal was a myth now.
New Rankings: Xyprus Academy – Year Three, Global Branches Combined
Damien Thorne – Unaugmented
Auren Valebright – AI Integrated
Sereph Kaidenn – Falcon Fusion
Rikuu Marr – Reactive Neuro-Fusion
Yuta Hyun – Hydra Gene-Tier
Reika Valen – Biokinetic Enhancer
Krax Elvor – Ursine Hybrid
Tallis Virex – Synthetic-Human
Maelis Vorr – Psionic Support
Nash Kurai – Cybernetically Hardened
Commentators called it a new era.Critics labeled it "The Age of the Thorne."
But for Damien, it was just another day.
Xyprus Academy – Midday
The sky was clear. Students chatted freely across the hovering platforms and food courts.
Damien and Mila walked side by side, a rare pocket of peace in the chaos of academy life. Mila carried a tablet with updated course schedules, scolding him mid-stride.
"If you don't start turning in assignments, they'll suspend you even if you're ranked first.""Let them.""You'll drag me down too."
Damien smirked, hands in his pockets.
"I thought we were past the whole uptight tutor thing.""We are. Now I'm your only friend. That comes with responsibilities."
They laughed. For a moment—just one—Damien was a normal student.
Until the sky exploded.
A black shockwave pulsed across the campus dome. An energy detonation shattered the east wing of the food court. Glass rained down. Students screamed.
Boom.
The second explosion hit ground level, targeting the security AI post.
Damien moved on instinct—tackling Mila behind a support beam.
A third blast ripped through the platform behind them. Shrapnel slashed through air like razors. Mila cried out, clutching her side. Blood seeped between her fingers.
"Mila!"
She was conscious, barely, but fading fast.
"I'm fine," she gasped, lying through clenched teeth.He knew that tone.She wasn't fine.
Out of the smoke, they emerged.
Null Sanctum operatives.
Clad in obsidian exo-suits, skull-marked visors, armed with plasma cleavers and anti-fusion rifles. Twelve total.
No demands.No messages.
Just a live transmission across all Xyprus frequencies:
"Subject Codename: THORNE. Capture priority. Kill anyone who resists."
Something in Damien cracked.
He looked at Mila, still breathing, still trying to sit up.Looked at the students writhing on the ground, some unconscious, some bleeding out.Security drones fried.Professors scrambling to defend but too slow.
They came for him.
And they came like cowards.
He stood.
Hands clenched.Blood dripping from his jaw.Golden eyes burning like molten metal.
"You hurt my friend."
The air around him grew still.
Then his voice dropped to something cold and ancient.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Null Sanctum Leader (Designation: Reaper-7) marked Damien's coordinates and opened fire.
Too late.
He was already gone.
What followed wasn't a fight.It was a massacre.
Damien closed the distance between him and the first three agents in under two seconds.Elbows shattered visors.Knees broke ribs.Skulls cracked like fruit.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
He was fighting to kill.
The rest of the academy watched in stunned horror through shattered windows and broken holoscreens. No one had ever seen Damien like this.
Unbound. Unfiltered. Unforgiving.
The last Null Sanctum soldier begged for backup.Damien crushed the helmet underfoot.
Mila blinked through the smoke.She saw the silhouette of Damien standing over the broken bodies.Chest heaving. Covered in blood and smoke. But still standing.
"God of Fists…" she whispered.
Null Sanctum failed.But they didn't care.
They had what they wanted:
Data.
They saw the limit—and how far beyond it Damien had gone.