*****
""Ahhhhhhh!!!""
Ren's roar tore through the arena like a beast unleashed, his fire affinity aura surging violently as if refusing to be contained.
The oppressive heat distorted the air, creating shimmering waves that warped the very fabric of reality.
Flames crackled around him, licking at his skin without harm, feeding off his boundless fury.
The duo which is Lyrium and Alicia shielded their eyes from the intense glare.
Whoosh—!
Like a meteor descending from the heavens, Ren propelled himself forward with terrifying speed, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force of his movement.
His entire body became a conduit for his raging flames, his muscles coiled like a drawn bowstring, ready to unleash destruction.
His forearm stretched to its absolute limit, veins surging with power as he channeled all his strength into a single devastating strike.
His target—Professor Shirone—stood firm, his gaze locked onto the incoming inferno.
But Ren didn't waver.
His fist, wreathed in crimson fire, tore through the air, aimed directly at the professor's upper abdomen with enough force to shatter stone and send shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Boom—!
Ren's fiery fist connected with an earth-shattering impact, the force of the blow reverberating through the entire arena.
A shockwave erupted from the point of contact, scattering debris and sending a gust of scorching wind in all directions.
The professor had no time to react—no moment to counter.
The sheer velocity and raw strength behind Ren's punch left him utterly defenseless.
His body was launched into the air like a ragdoll, soaring helplessly as the world around him blurred.
The impact was so immense that he tore through the air at breakneck speed, a trail of displaced wind and embers marking his path.
The eyes of the duo in the audience seat follows the professor's silhouette, rapidly disappearing into the sky, sent hurtling toward the horizon with no sign of stopping.
"Ughhhh!!"
Professor Shirone grimaced, his body still reeling from the devastating blow.
He could feel the raw power behind Ren's attack—wild, uncontrolled, yet terrifyingly destructive.
"This kid has gone berserk… With the sheer force behind his attacks, if I don't act fast, I won't even make it out of this unscathed. His strikes may be unrefined, but if I don't turn the tables now..."
Whoosh—!
Gritting his teeth, Shirone surged forward, his body a blur as he dashed straight toward Ren without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Ren stood in the center of the battlefield, his aura raging like an untamed inferno.
His shirt had long since been reduced to charred remnants, burned away when he had accidentally ignited his own clothes in an attempt to dry off.
His bare torso was marked with smoldering embers, yet he seemed completely unfazed, his focus locked onto Shirone with an unsettling intensity.
His eyes glowed ominously, his irises and pupils now a deep, burning crimson, pulsating with raw fury.
His face twisted into a savage, almost feral expression—one that mirrored a beast on the brink of devouring its prey.
The very air around him seemed to tremble under his presence, as if the world itself feared the rampage about to unfold.
""Abyssal Surge!!""
Gloooom.....Rrrruuuuuummmble—!
A dark, ominous presence filled the arena as Shirone's voice thundered through the chaos.
A low, foreboding hum echoed, followed by a violent rumble as the ground seemed to tremble beneath their feet.
The professor advanced, his staff gripped tightly in his hands.
A radiant blue orb materialized at the tip of the staff, swirling with a concentrated, pulsing energy.
As he moved, he spun his staff in a wide arc, his movements deliberate and fluid, causing the orb to ripple and expand.
Behind him, a massive wave of mana surged from his back, melding seamlessly with the stream of water that began to coalesce, rising like a tidal wave.
The water began to spiral and writhe, growing exponentially as it surged toward Ren—relentless, powerful, and unstoppable like a tsunami.
Ren's eyes flared with intensity as he locked onto the oncoming attack.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, his feet kicking up dust as he charged headlong toward the massive wave of water, intent on meeting it head-on.
Shkkkk—!
The sound of water being torn apart echoed through the arena as Ren's fist, wrapped in flickering flames, collided with the oncoming wave.
The sheer force of his strike pushed against the massive torrent, steam rising in the collision, while the water writhed and hissed in opposition.
Zwooooosh—!
The moment Ren's fiery fist collided with Shirone's torrent of water, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Boom—!
A blinding explosion of steam erupted, engulfing the entire arena.
The intense heat from Ren's flames met the chilling surge of water, creating a thick, rolling fog that quickly spread, obscuring everything within sight.
The air grew heavy, thick with mist, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
The arena, once bustling with energy, was now shrouded in a dense, vaporous haze.
The sound of crackling fire and rushing water melded into an eerie silence, broken only by the distant echoes of struggling forces clashing.
Through the suffocating steam, both fighters remained unseen, their presence only felt by the faint tremors of the ground and the shifting air.
Whooooh—!
The steam slowly began to clear, swirling and shifting as the thick mist started to recede, revealing the form of a lone figure moving steadily through the dissipating fog.
With each step, the silhouette grew more defined, cutting through the haze with purpose.
The lingering vapor clung to their figure, but the steady approach was undeniable, as if the person was unfazed by the chaos that had just unfolded.
*****
'This match is not turning out the way I expected...'
Lyrium sat on the audience sit with Instructor Alicia on his side watching the battle in awe but to Lyrium, he was watching with a mix of confusion and frustration as Ren and Shirone clashed in a way that didn't match any version of events he remembered from the novel.
The air was thick with tension, and every blow between the two seemed to carry more weight than he could have anticipated.
"What the hell is going on?"
Lyrium murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing as he watched Ren unleash yet another brutal strike.
"This isn't the way it was supposed to play out... I don't remember this scene. Did the plot really shift again?"
His heart sank as he tried to recall the original story.
As someone who had read the novel, someone who had been transported into this world, Lyrium had expected things to follow a certain path.
But this? This felt completely different.
He couldn't quite grasp what was happening, but it was clear: the plot had changed once again.
"I didn't ask for this..."
"Haa...."
Lyrium sighed, rubbing his temples as he glanced around, hoping for some sense of normalcy.
"Every time I try to stay out of the way, it drags me back in. It's like I'm being pulled into something I don't even want to be a part of."
He frowned deeply, his eyes locking onto Ren's figure as the battle escalated.
"Is this what it's like for him? Silas? The so-called protagonist?"
Lyrium couldn't help but scoff at the thought.
Silas, the wannabe cocky and reckless lead of the story, was always the one at the center of attention.
But watching the chaos unfold now, it felt less and less like Silas was the real protagonist.
"No, this... this feels more like my story,"
Lyrium muttered bitterly, his fingers tightening around his shirt.
"Why does it always end up like this? I didn't ask for this role. I didn't ask for this responsibility."
As Ren and Shirone clashed again, Lyrium felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, the constant sense of being pulled into the chaos, despite his best efforts to stay out of it.
It was as though the story was being rewritten around him, with him at the center of it all, whether he wanted to be or not.
"Maybe I'm the one who's really meant to lead this story... and not that cocky fool."
But it was only his hypothesis.
For a few moments, Lyrium remained lost in his thoughts, trying to grasp the significance of the chaotic battle he had just witnessed. His mind raced, caught in a whirlwind of confusion and frustration as he watched the steam still lingering in the arena.
But then, a sudden realization snapped him back to the present. The match had ended.
The mist that had enveloped the battlefield slowly began to dissipate, revealing the aftermath of the fierce confrontation. Lyrium's eyes narrowed, focusing on the clearing fog as it began to reveal the true outcome of the fight. He stared intently, waiting, anticipating—yet somehow knowing, deep down, what the result would be.
And then, a figure emerged.
Lyrium's lips curled into a knowing smile as he saw the silhouette approach. There was no need to wait any longer. He already knew how it had played out.
"Huh... it was expected after all... Ren can't win against a world ranker," Lyrium muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper.
As the figure drew closer, it became clearer. Professor Shirone, the master of water, emerged from the mist, his presence calm and composed, though the faint traces of battle still lingered in his aura.
Lyrium observed his every movement, his expression unchanged, yet there was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
This was the outcome he had predicted, even if he didn't want to admit it.
Ren, despite his power and fury, could never have stood up to someone like Shirone—especially not in this world, where the rules of power and experience were far more complex than mere strength alone.
Instructor Alicia, sitting next to Lyrium, watched the battle unfold with quiet satisfaction.
Her expression remained composed, but there was a slight glint in her eyes as she observed the outcome she had predicted.
Once the steam began to clear and the battlefield was revealed, she rose from her seat, her presence commanding.
"The match has ended with Professor Shirone as the victor,"
Alicia announced, her voice cutting through the stillness of the arena.
"I would like the infirmary team to take Student Ren to the infirmary and treat him immediately."
Her tone was calm but decisive, as if every word carried the weight of authority.
She turned to Lyrium with a small, knowing smile.
"It was as expected,"
She said authoritive yet Lyrium could feel the softness in her tone though there was no surprise in her voice.
"Ren put up a good fight, but against someone of Shirone's caliber..."
Her words trailed off, her gaze lingering on the clearing battlefield.
"..."
Lyrium remained silent for a moment, his thoughts still lingering on the match.
The silence between them was thick, filled with the unspoken understanding that the outcome was inevitable, though the way it had unfolded might have still caught even him off guard.
"And..."
Alicia broke the silence, her voice firm yet carrying a sense of anticipation.
She turned her gaze toward Lyrium, her eyes locking with his.
"Now it's your turn to prove your worth in this academy."
Her words were like a quiet command, filling the space between them with a challenge.
Lyrium had already expected this, the weight of her gaze, the unspoken expectation settling over him.
He had come this far, but now, the real test was about to begin.
Before he could respond, Alicia shifted her attention back to the arena, her voice ringing out with authority.
"Now, this match is between Student Lyrium and Professor Eugene, the top world-class ranker sage,"
She announced, her tone filled with purpose.
"Let the match begin."
The air seemed to grow thicker, charged with the tension of the upcoming battle.
Lyrium's pulse quickened, the magnitude of the fight ahead sinking in.
It was just the two of them in the arena—Alicia and Lyrium, the only audience, watching the stage unfold.
This was no ordinary duel.
Eugene, a top-ranked sage, was not someone to be underestimated.
But Lyrium wasn't going to back down.
It was time to show exactly what he was capable of.
*****
In the dark room, the man dressed in a black suit stood up, flicking the cigarette from his mouth.
His movements were deliberate, each step calculated as he made his way toward the door. With a firm push, he swung it open.
Creak—!
A faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he stepped into the dimly lit hallway.
His voice, low and almost amused, broke the silence.
"Then,"
He began, his words dripping with a quiet, almost mocking anticipation.
"Let's see what your son really can do—and how much he's improved."
*****
Ahhhh 2.1k words....i was actually thinking of cutting it into two parts but..it will only make the arc longer...
Okay then the most awaited fight will start next chapters...and this arc will likely end after 3-4 chapters..
Well then....for the mass release. Don't worry...just give me some time....
And don't forget to joined the discord server for fast update notification and character official illustration.
https://discord.gg/CK8uNwYZ
Okay then
Over and out
Thanks for reading—!
Bye—!