Chapter 211: Metal bomb fusion

Words : 1472 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The crowd fell into a hushed silence as Adrian Albright and Viktor Sokolov faced each other across the platform. Despite both being first-years, there was nothing amateurish about their stance or their focus. These two had never met before—this tournament marking their first encounter—but each had already sized up their opponent with the calculating precision of seasoned combatants. At the back, Noah leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "Adrian's seems ready," he muttered to Kelvin. "Look at how he's distributing his weight." Kelvin nodded. "Sokolov's different. He's almost... relaxed. I may or may not have peeped into his data, dude's a Third Gen," Sophie who has managed also to find her way to the back bit her lower lip. "That's what worries me." Commander Elara's voice cut through the arena: "BEGIN!" Adrian didn't waste a millisecond. His feet exploded with concussive force, propelling him forward in a flames.. The platform beneath him cracked as his technique, Blast Step launched him directly at Viktor, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. "Holy—" Kelvin gasped. "Did you see that acceleration?" Noah didn't respond, his eyes tracking every movement. 'Adrian's starting aggressive,' he thought. 'Smart—from what I see, that Viktor guy controls metal of some sort. Magnetism users need time to gather materials.' But Viktor wasn't caught unprepared. With a fluid gesture, he called forth a barrage of metal objects—small daggers, ball bearings, and sharpened discs that had been concealed in his gear. The Magnetized Arsenal orbited around him briefly before shooting toward Adrian like a metallic storm. "Where did he get those?" Sophie whispered, her eyes wide. Lucas, standing nearby with arms crossed, smirked. "Smart preparation. Academy Eleven is notorious for that." Everyone from the twelfth rather remained out back than at the stands it seemed. Adrian, still airborne, twisted his body and ignited the air around him. A perfectly controlled explosion radiated outward, the shockwave disrupting the trajectory of every projectile. Metal fragments scattered harmlessly as he landed ten feet from Viktor, smoke curling from his palms. In the observation deck, Commander Albright's face remained impassive, but his knuckles whitened as he gripped the railing. "Sloppy landing," he murmured to no one in particular. "Exposed his flank." Viktor didn't miss the opportunity. Like quicksilver, metal flowed across his skin, coating him in a gleaming second skin. The Liquid Metal Armor settled into place just as Adrian straightened up, forming perfect contours around Viktor's muscles. "A magnetism user with that level of fine control," one of the veteran observers commented. "You usually don't see that until third year." Noah studied both fighters intently. 'Adrian needs to close distance—those explosions are devastating up close. But Viktor's creating layers of defense.' The two combatants circled each other, reassessing after the opening exchange. Adrian's eyes darted around, noting the metal plates Viktor was subtly gathering from the floor and walls of the arena. Without warning, Adrian thrust both palms forward. The air compressed visibly before him, and then—BOOM! A concentrated shockwave erupted from his hands, the Piercing Nova screaming toward Viktor's chest with enough force to shatter concrete. Viktor reacted with startling speed. The metal fragments surrounding him coalesced into a thick, floating shield—his Iron Fortress technique. The Piercing Nova slammed into it with a resounding CLANG that echoed throughout the arena. The impact was tremendous. Viktor slid backward several feet, his shield denting inward, but it held. Behind the protective metal, his lips curved into a slight smile. For an instant, the arena fell silent, spectators processing the raw power of that exchange. Then the roar of appreciation erupted. "That would have ended the match if it connected," Noah observed. "But look—Adrian didn't give it full power. He's testing Viktor's defenses." Adrian didn't wait for the crowd's reaction. The instant his Piercing Nova dissipated, he triggered another Blast Step—this time detonating from his right side to propel himself leftward in an unpredictable angle. Viktor, anticipating a direct approach, had already morphed his Iron Fortress into offensive weapons—a dozen metal spikes that shot toward where Adrian should have been. But Adrian's lateral movement caught him by surprise, the spikes stabbing empty air. 'Got you,' Adrian thought as he closed in on Viktor's exposed flank. But Viktor wasn't as vulnerable as he appeared. With a twist of his wrist, the metal spikes reversed direction mid-air, curving back like guided missiles. "A two-stage attack!" one of the teachers from another academy exclaimed from the vip area. "Most students telegraph that kind of maneuver." Adrian, focused on his charge, didn't see the redirected spikes until the very last minute when it finally caught his attention. He reacted on instinct, activating his Shock Armor—a thin layer of controlled explosions that enveloped his body just as the spikes reached him. The explosions deflected most of the projectiles, but two still grazed his shoulder and thigh, drawing first blood. The crowd winced collectively as blood seeped through tears in Adrian's gear. "First hit to Academy Eleven," the announcer declared. In the observation deck, Commander Albright's expression darkened. "He's still relying too much on power over strategy," he muttered. A colleague beside him nodded sympathetically, recognizing the particular frustration of watching one's child in combat. Viktor pressed his advantage, closing the distance himself now. His hands were suddenly encased in ultra-dense metal gauntlets, the Liquid Metal Armor redirecting to reinforce his striking power. The two first-years met in the center of the platform in a flurry of movement. Adrian threw a right hook, detonating his fist just before impact—BOOM! The explosion would have sent any normal opponent flying, but Viktor's metal armor absorbed most of the concussive force although he jerked back slightly from the force of it alone but managed to recover speedily. Viktor countered with a devastating metal-reinforced uppercut that caught Adrian square in the jaw. The impact launched Adrian skyward, his body arcing across the arena. "Adrian!" A year one girl from 1B, one of Adrian's many admirers shouted, half-rising from his seat. Kelvin just back stage shook his head and said, "Damn, first match and the VH son is getting cooked," Akira, Lila and Marco all looked thoroughly horrified at how the angle the match was taking. It didn't look good for the twelfth. Noah on the other hand grabbed Kelvin's arm. "Wait," he said, eyes fixed on Adrian's twisting form. True to Noah's prediction, Adrian was far from finished. As his body tumbled through the air, a controlled explosion erupted from his back, instantly correcting his orientation. Before gravity could reclaim him, another explosion from his feet propelled him straight back toward Viktor. 'Never seen a first-year recover mid-air like that,' Lucas thought, his casual demeanor slipping momentarily into genuine interest. Viktor was already preparing his next attack, hands moving in intricate patterns as he began forging a massive metallic spear from his collected arsenal. The metal flowed together like liquid, hardening into a deadly point—but he needed another second to complete it. Adrian didn't give him that second. Halfway back to his opponent, he clapped his hands together and generated an explosion in the air directly between them. The shockwave wasn't directed at Viktor, but at the forming spear, disrupting Viktor's concentration and scattering the metal. "Precise application of force," one of Academy Seven instructors commented. "He's targeting the metal manipulation itself." Viktor staggered, momentarily disoriented by the blast, and Adrian capitalized immediately. He landed in a crouch and drove upward with an explosion-enhanced uppercut— Only to meet Viktor's hastily reconstructed Liquid Metal Armor. The two forces collided, Adrian's explosive power versus Viktor's metallic defense. For a heartbeat, they were locked together, neither giving ground. "They're so evenly matched," Sophie breathed. "How is that possible when they've never fought before?" Noah shook his head slightly. "They're both adapting in real-time. Adrian's explosions can counter Viktor's projectiles, but Viktor's metal can absorb Adrian's blasts. It's a perfect counter-matchup." As if hearing Noah's assessment, both combatants disengaged simultaneously, putting distance between them to reassess. "Academy Twelve's Albright demonstrates remarkable explosive control," the announcer's voice boomed. "While Academy Eleven's Sokolov showcases extraordinary metal manipulation. Both first-years performing well beyond expected parameters!" Adrian was breathing heavily now, small beads of sweat tracking down his face. The rapid-fire explosions were taking their toll on his stamina. Across from him, Viktor looked composed, but Noah noticed a slight tremor in his left hand—the fine control required for his techniques was equally taxing. 'This is where it gets interesting,' Noah thought. 'Who adapts faster when fatigue sets in?'

Chapter 211: Metal bomb fusion

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