Johnson lay sprawled on the ground, his body broken and bleeding profusely. Every breath was ragged, every movement a struggle, but still, Henry loomed over him with cruel delight.
"Stop beating him like this!" Rose cried, unable to hold back her tears. "What did he even do to you? Why are you doing this?" Her voice cracked, and she turned her face away. "I… I can't watch this anymore," she whispered in horror.
Henry only laughed, his fists blazing with fire and energy. He yanked Johnson up by the collar and pummeled him mercilessly, each blow landing with sickening force. "Hahaha! Weak! You're weak! You always will be weak! You'll live alone and die alone—weak!" Another savage punch crashed into Johnson's ribs, forcing blood from his mouth as Henry hurled him to the ground, bones shattering under the impact.
From the sidelines, Lillian's voice broke through, trembling with unease. "This is getting too much! Lucian, stop this fight! Our school won't take responsibility if he kills that boy!"
But Lucian only smirked, clearly reveling in the sight before him. His eyes glinted with wicked heat. "You mean my school, huh? I built this place. I have the right to make it a death march, don't I? Hahaha!" He regained his composure with a sharp smirk, then turned toward Joyce. "Well, I don't really mind… but let's hear what she has to say."
Joyce's body stiffened as a chill ran down her spine. Still, she forced the words out. "…Let's continue this match."
"What the hell?" George snapped from the stands. "You wanna kill the kid?"
Joyce's gaze hardened. "I can't afford his vote to go to waste."
Sasha, arms folded, spoke up with cold calculation. "Well, this fight is happening just as expected. Johnson is weak, so it's only natural it turned out this way. But this… this is going too far. I don't want my raw materials to be damaged more than they already have been."
Lucian's grin widened. "Hmm… give them both five more minutes."
Back in the ring, Henry ground his boot into Johnson's skull, pressing him down with deliberate cruelty. "Yes! Beg for your life, you piece of trash! Say it—say you're sorry! Come on!" He pressed harder.
Tears welled in Johnson's eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, please forgive me…" His voice broke into sobs.
Henry crouched, mocking him with a sneer. "Hahaha… Aww, someone's crying?" He slapped Johnson across the face, then noticed something glinting from beneath the boy's bloodied shirt. A necklace. A silver-beaded chain. He pulled it out and dangled it with mocking curiosity. "What's this? A necklace? Why does trash like you even have jewelry?" He began to tug at it, testing its strength.
"No!" Johnson cried, reaching desperately toward it. "Stop! Give that back—it belongs to my sister! Please! You can do anything to me, but don't destroy my sister's necklace!"
Henry's grin only deepened. "Why should I listen to you?" He kicked Johnson aside like discarded garbage. "You don't deserve this necklace. And I…" He ripped it apart in an instant, scattering silver beads across the arena floor. "…will destroy it."
"Stoooop!!!" Johnson's cry tore through the field as he collapsed to his knees, silent, broken.
Henry seized his collar once more, laughing with venom. "Hahahaha! You worthless existence! You fucking waste of DNA! You don't deserve to live in this world. Go and fucking die!"
Rose's face went pale. "No… that boy—he just destroyed the energy restraining amulet I gave Johnson…" Her hands clutched her cheeks in horror.
But Henry wasn't done. He rained punches onto Johnson's face, blow after blow, but this time there was no response. "Given up already? Fight back, you piece of shit! Or admit defeat!" His knuckles split open from the force of his own fists. "What—?" He instinctively stepped back, something unsettling creeping into his gut.
Johnson's body trembled. His eyes snapped open, glowing an eerie, blinding blue. His hair bleached into white before the shocked crowd, and sparks of raw energy coursed through him, surging through his entire body. Wounds that should have left him crippled closed before their eyes, regenerating in a matter of breaths.
The crowd erupted in confusion.
"What's going on?" someone gasped.
"Did Henry just… step back? In fear?" another whispered.
In the VIP seats, Jerry casually sipped from his glass of vodka, his red-haired butler refilling it. "Oh my, oh my," Jerry murmured, smirking. "The power dampener broke."
Alastor's sharp laugh cut through the gallery. "Kufufufufu! You knew he was holding back, didn't you?"
Jerry's grin widened. "Yeah. That's the most annoying thing about Johnson… but also what I like about him."
Raymond leaned closer, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"The boy doesn't see himself as anything useful or relevant," Jerry said, his voice calm but heavy. "But deep down, he just wants to be recognized… loved. Typical, isn't it? A boy who wants to be loved even when he doesn't love himself."
Tiana tilted her head, curious. "Why doesn't he love himself?"
Jerry's smile faded. "I don't really want to know. But the truth is, the kid blames himself for his parents' death… and everything else bad that's ever happened to him. Like it's his fault. He wishes he could die in every scenario. Always imagining the worst outcome. Instead of preventing it, he prepares himself for it."
Up in the teacher's gallery, Sasha frowned. "What's going on? Joyce, check and analyze him. See if he has any skills."
"Yes, ma'am." Joyce's eyes glowed as she whispered the incantation. "Analyze!" But as the information appeared before her, she staggered in shock. "What in the world…?"
Back on the stage, Johnson rose to his feet, every vein alight with energy. His hair, pure white, shimmered under the stadium lights as sparks danced around him. His eyes burned blue, locked onto Henry with an intensity that sent shivers down spines.
His voice dripped with rage as he straightened his neck. "Just taking, and taking, and talking…" His gaze hardened into a snarl. "…will you shut your bitch ass up?"
The words cut through the arena like thunder, silencing the crowd for a moment. His eyes, blazing with fury, bore straight into Henry's soul.
Henry's body tensed, sweat trailing down his face. "What… do you think I'm scared of you? Huh? Don't get so cocky!" He snarled, covering his palms in crackling energy before blasting it forward.
But Johnson had already moved. His instincts sharpened beyond reason; he vanished from sight and reappeared an instant later, slamming his fist deep into Henry's ribcage. A sharp crack echoed as bone gave way. Before Henry could even scream, Johnson's fists became a blur, raining down blows at hyper speed.
"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!" Each punch landed harder than the last, his words pounding in rhythm with the impacts. His fury exploded with one final uppercut, sending Henry's body flying through the air like a ragdoll, blood spraying as he crashed violently against the barrier.
Johnson's chest heaved as sparks crackled along his fists. His eyes burned with pain and rage. "How could you… how could you break my sister's necklace!!" He roared, charging forward again, his fist burying itself into Henry's face with unrelenting force.
Henry's eyes widened, dazed and reeling. Impossible… how is he… His body bounced against the barrier again, the crowd gasping at the brutal assault.
Johnson wasn't done. He stood over him, trembling with fury. His punches were not just attacks—they were grief, vengeance, and anguish made manifest.
But Henry smirked through the blood. His thoughts raced. You may be fast… but you lack fighting skills.
Gathering what strength he could, Henry swung upward, delivering a straight uppercut. Johnson, caught off guard for the first time, was launched into the air, his body twisting before slamming into the ground with a bone-jarring crash.
The arena erupted.
"Whew! Had me worried for a second." One student sighed in relief.
"Hahaha! Seems the trash used up his most powerful attack in the fight!" Another mocked.
"As expected of Lord Henry!" A third shouted, rallying the crowd. "Finish him!!"
Henry's aura flared violently. His body shook as he condensed energy into his fist, the air around him rippling with heat. "This is the end!" He roared, launching his finishing punch straight toward Johnson's chest.
But then—
A mechanical, detached voice rang out in Johnson's head:
[User requests activation: Unique Ability "Fast Feet – Level 10"]
[Simultaneously activating hidden ability: "Energy Absorption." Executing…]
Johnson's perception of the world slowed to a crawl. Henry's supposedly unstoppable strike now floated toward him at a snail's pace. With a deep breath, Johnson felt his energy flow smoothen, his aura synchronizing into perfect rhythm. He slipped behind Henry in less than a blink.
Henry's punch hit nothing but empty air. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Did he… just… disappear?" He spun around, confusion flashing across his face.
But Johnson was already there. His foot connected with Henry's jaw, a devastating kick that launched him skyward.
The crowd gasped as Henry flailed mid-air, unable to process what had happened. "What—what happened?! Why am I—" His words cut short as Johnson blurred again, appearing around him from all sides.
Covered in glowing sparks, Johnson unleashed a storm of strikes. His fists rained down at hyper speed, punching Henry's body at multiple points in the blink of an eye, each impact cracking bone and tearing flesh.
Henry fell, cratering against the ground before staggering to his feet. Instead of despair, however, a twisted grin stretched across his face. Blood dripped down his chin as he laughed maniacally. "Interesting… interesting! THIS is the fight I've been waiting for!"
With a feral roar, Henry tore off his shirt and ripped away the limiters on his body. His muscles bulged grotesquely, his aura erupting into a storm of elemental energy. "Now trash… I shall fight with my full strength!"
He thrust his hand forward, summoning jagged ice spears. "ERIES!" Shards of frost launched at blinding speed.
"EFRIES!" A storm of fire arrows followed, blazing through the air.
"IGNODE!" The earth itself responded, pelting Johnson with stone bullets like artillery fire.
Henry's thoughts raced. He's fast, but no one can dodge this many attacks at once! If he tries to close the distance, he'll pay dearly!
He lunged forward, his body now a blur of feral power.
But Johnson only yawned. His body shimmered, moving effortlessly as though time itself bent for him. Each attack slowed into crawling fragments of motion. With a bored expression, he slipped past ice, fire, and stone, his voice calm and sharp.
"Too slow."
He reappeared in front of Henry in an instant, slamming a brutal right hook into his jaw. The impact rattled the arena.
Henry stumbled back, dazed but calculating. As I thought… he's fast. But he cannot adapt at close range! He lunged, swinging with a brutal left hook.
Johnson tilted his head, yawning mid-motion. "Is it just me… or are you holding back? Studying me?"
Henry's eyes widened. Shit! He figured me out!
Johnson's aura flared brighter, his voice dropping into a growl. "I would advise you to stop. Because…"
With a sonic boom, he vanished, reappearing in Henry's face. "You can never understand me!" His fist crashed against Henry's nose with explosive force, blood splattering as bone cracked.
Henry screamed, clutching his face. "DAMN YOU!" He roared, releasing his final limiters. His body surged with power, his movements snapping into speeds rivaling the sound barrier itself.
[Opponent is moving at the speed of sound.]
[User has adapted. Unique Ability unlocked: Hyperspeed.]
Johnson smirked, meeting Henry's eyes. "Let's see how you handle this."
He launched forward, matching Henry's sonic speed, his fist slamming into Henry's face with a devastating blow. In the same motion, he bounded off the barrier, spun mid-air, and kicked Henry's neck at hyper speed.
Henry staggered violently, his body overwhelmed by the unrelenting barrage. "AHHH!" His scream echoed as he collapsed to the ground, gasping and broken. "I… must… be stronger…"
The arena fell silent.
And then—Lucian's cold voice echoed across the stage as he lifted the mic with a wicked smile.
"To the two contenders: If Henry, the 10th member of the Elite Gold, is defeated… then Johnson shall automatically be promoted to his position. However, if Johnson loses—" His eyes glinted cruelly. "—then he will lose his right to be here, and Henry shall rise in his stead."
The crowd erupted in chaos, voices clashing in confusion and disbelief.
Henry, still trembling on the ground, roared in defiance, his face twisted with desperation. "I'll never be defeated… I must be the head of the Hart family… I WILL!!!"....