"Your arrogance blinded you." Cain said.
"You've always relied on your raw power, thinking no one could challenge you. That ends today."
Those words were not only meant for Lucas but himself too.
He had been too blinded by the pleasure he got from fighting that he started trusting his instincts instead of his head.
"Your arrogance blinded you." He added.
Lucas gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
His breathing grew heavier, and his body trembled from the strain of trying to overpower Cain's rule over the domain.
"You... You're just a nobody! A lowborn with no name, no family! You just have a rich asshole behind you that thinks he is the shit!" Lucas said, his voice cracking under the pressure.
Cain's smirk didn't falter.
"That's true. I am a nobody."
He raised his hand, and the magma walls began to crack and crumble, small chunks falling to the ground.
Suddenly he looked at Lucas dead in the eyes.
"But you can't talk shit about my brother."
With a loud crack, the entire domain shattered like glass. The molten walls fell apart.
The crowd erupted into cheers, as they realized Cain had overpowered Lucas.
Lucas staggered back, his face pale as he stared at Cain in disbelief.
"No... This can't be happening..."
Cain stepped forward, his piercing yellow, snake-like eyes locked onto Lucas.
"Its over, Lucas."
Lucas tried to summon another attack, but his mana reserves were nearly depleted.
His legs shook, and he struggled to stay up.
Cain didn't give him the chance to recover. He closed the gap in an instant, delivering a powerful strike to Lucas's chest. The force sent Lucas flying backward, his body skidding across the arena floor.
There, Lucas lay on the ground, unmoving.
The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then the AI referee announced,
"Participant Cain Stark has won the tournament for the Ranking Exams. Congratulations. "
The silence shattered as the crowd erupted into deafening cheers and applause. The stands shook, and their roars echoed through the arena.
Cain stood in the center, breathing heavily. He galnced at Lucas's pathetic stance, with his butt turned towards the sky, then looked up at the sky to see what Lucas's ass was searching for.
Oh wait.
For a moment, he let himself soak in the victory, his lips curling into a small, satisfied smile.
He spread his arms around, and made a pose. The photographers started taking photos and it was written in the news the next morning.
'The Unbreakable Wall, Cain Stark demolishes his opponents.'
As the crowd's cheers continued, the announcer's voice boomed again.
"An incredible match. Cain Stark, the dark horse of this year's Ranking Exams, has proven himself victorious. Let us congratulate our champion."
I sat in the stands, frozen.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
In the original story, Lucas Maxgrave was supposed to be stronger than Cain at this point, but it didn't seem like anything was wrong with either of them.
So, if in the original story, Sam lost to Cain like he did in here, would Cain win against Lucas?
Was Sam not the rightful winner of this tournament in the original story?
I was confused beyond the redeeming point.
I clenched my fists.
This world was no longer following the rules I thought it would.
Cain Stark had just rewritten the story.
And I had no idea what would happen next.
Lucas Maxgrave, a prodigy, reduced to a defeated wreck.
Sam Dagon, the supposed protagonist, cast aside before the finals.
And me, an observer who thought he had all the answers, now realizing he didn't know a thing.
"Hey." A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I turned to see Sam standing a few rows behind me, his hands shoved into his pockets.
I looked around me to see if he was calling out to somebody else, but he wasn't.
"Yes I am talking to you, Douglas."
He even knew my name!? What is happening?
"You were thinking pretty hard over there. What was it about?" He asked, his expression unreadable.
"Just trying to figure out how things went this way, but why'd you ask?" I replied, trying to not sound too casual.
Sam let out a dry laugh.
"Yeah, I am pretty surprised too. By the way, nice to meet you. I am Sam Dagon."
"Yeah, you are pretty popular. Nice to meet you too. My name is Douglas Preto but it seems like you already know about me." I replied, trying to learn about how he knew me.
"Uh... well... you know..." he paused for a little.
"I am sorry about the incident in the cafeteria."
Oh, so he remembered me from there. I wasn't convinced that was the entire truth as I didn't reveal my name but didn't press further.
"Yeah... no problem. It wasn't your fault Lucas was a jackass. He got what he deserved today."
He seemed pleased.
"Tell me about it. Though... didn't you expect Cain to lose too? I for one was sure Lucas would win."
I was sure YOU would win, idiot.
Of course, I didn't say that outloud, but I really wanted to.
"Yeah, he wasn't supposed to win like this."
Sam tilted his head, his expression shifting slightly. "What do you mean by 'supposed to'?"
I froze for a moment before shaking my head. "Nothing. Just... Lucas was stronger on paper, that's all."
He didn't seem convinced but he didn't press further as well. Instead, he sighed and turned back to the arena.
"It doesn't matter now. Cain's the champion, and the rest of us are just background noise."
His words hung in the air, heavy with something I couldn't quite place.
"Sam-" I started, but he cut me off.
"Dont worry, its not like I am going to be depressed from this or something. There is always next time ahead, right?"
I nodded slowly, watching him walk away.
This had confirmed my suspicions.
Sam Dagon was no longer the same as he was in the story. He has changed.