Chapter 214: Escape velocity

Words : 1698 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Marco Gonzalez stood at the edge of the platform, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. Across from him, Soren Kael waited with perfect stillness . The difference between them was immediately evident—Marco radiating barely contained energy, Soren projecting calm control. "Third-generation gravity manipulation," Noah muttered, reviewing Soren's profile on his phone, "Level 7" "Against Marco's second-generation thermokinetics," Lila added. "This won't be straightforward." In the arena, the announcer signaled for both fighters to take their positions. "Academy Twelve's representative needs this win," the announcer's voice boomed. "But Academy Seven's 'Apex' Kael said he wants it more!!" Marco rolled his shoulders, his skin already taking on a faint reddish glow as his body temperature began to rise. Across from him, Soren's expression remained neutral, almost bored. "Begin!" Soren made the first move—a subtle gesture with his fingers. Suddenly, Marco lurched forward as if yanked by an invisible rope. Soren's Orbit Shift had activated, manipulating gravity to pull his opponent off balance. Marco caught himself, digging his heels into the platform, but immediately felt a crushing weight descend on his legs. Vector Shackle—another of Soren's abilities, increasing the gravity around Marco's limbs to restrict his movement. "Smart opening," Noah commented. "Deny mobility to a fighter who needs momentum to generate heat." Lila nodded. "Marco's in trouble if he can't move freely." Soren maintained his distance, circling Marco while keeping him partially immobilized. With precise finger movements, he sent invisible Singularity Drive shockwaves cutting through the air toward Marco. The first one struck Marco's chest, creating a visible distortion as concentrated gravitational force impacted muscle and bone. Marco grimaced but didn't fall. Two more shockwaves hit him in rapid succession—shoulder, thigh—each one precisely targeted to weaken without causing critical damage. "Textbook control fight," Lila observed. "Keep the brawler at range and pick him apart." In the stands, Sophie leaned forward, watching intently. "Marco's not even fighting back. He's just... taking it." Lucas nodded. "He needs to build heat. Every hit he absorbs raises his body temperature." Back in the arena, Marco's skin had taken on a deeper red glow. Sweat poured down his face, evaporating almost instantly from his superheated skin. The air around him began to shimmer and distort—Heat Mirage activating as his core temperature exceeded normal human limits. Soren narrowed his eyes, recognizing the danger. He intensified his Vector Shackle, trying to crush Marco's legs with increased gravitational pressure. Marco gritted his teeth and pushed forward. Each step was labored, as if he were walking through cement, but his movements were becoming more fluid as his rising temperature converted to pure strength. Soren sent another Singularity Drive shockwave directly at Marco's face. This time, Marco managed to tilt his head just enough that the attack grazed him instead of landing flush. Sensing his opportunity, Marco suddenly charged. His legs pumped against the increased gravity, each step driving his body temperature higher until the metal platform beneath his feet began to warp from the heat. The protective gear he wore felt it the most. Soren's eyes widened in surprise. He tried to increase the distance between them with Orbit Shift, creating a repulsing gravitational field, but Marco drove through it with sheer momentum. For the first time, Marco landed a clean hit—a right hook that connected with Soren's jaw. The impact sent Soren stumbling backward, his perfect posture finally broken. "There it is!" 1c students shouted from the stands. "First blood!" Soren touched his split lip, looking at the blood on his fingers with mild surprise. His eyes narrowed, all pretense of boredom gone. "Interesting," he said, his first word since the match began. Marco pressed his advantage, closing the distance again. His punches were faster now, each movement generating more heat, which in turn fueled his Thermo Burst ability. The cycle was feeding itself—movement created heat, heat increased speed and power, increased speed generated more heat. Soren activated Event Horizon, altering his personal gravitational field to make himself ultra-light. He darted away from Marco's next attack with startling speed, nearly floating across the platform. "He's running?" Kelvin frowned. "Regrouping," Sophie corrected. "Marco's heat generation has a limit. Soren's making him chase." In the competitor area, Noah shook his head. "Bad strategy for Marco. The more he has to chase, the more control Soren has over the engagement." Soren demonstrated this by suddenly changing directions, using his gravity control to launch himself directly at Marco. The unexpected reversal caught Marco off-guard, and Soren landed a palm strike to his sternum, infused with concentrated gravitational force that felt like being hit by a truck. Marco staggered backward but stayed upright. His body temperature spiked even higher in response to the damage, the air around him now so distorted that his outline seemed to waver and shift. "His Heat Mirage is at full effect," Lila noted. "Soren will have trouble targeting him now." Indeed, Soren's next Singularity Drive missed entirely, the gravitational shockwave passing through an afterimage while the real Marco had already moved. The fight's tempo changed dramatically. Now Marco was the one landing hits, his enhanced speed allowing him to appear almost everywhere at once. The Heat Mirage made his actual position nearly impossible to track, and Soren found himself defending against attacks from seemingly impossible angles. A right hook cracked against Soren's ribs. A knee drove up into his gut. An elbow slammed into his temple. Soren stumbled, blood trickling from a cut above his eye. For the first time, his composed expression cracked, replaced by frustration and then grim determination. "Enough games," he growled. He planted his feet and raised both hands toward the ceiling. The air in the arena seemed to grow heavy, pressure building as if before a storm. Soren was activating his most powerful technique—a full-powered Singularity Drive that compressed gravitational force into a single devastating point. Marco sensed the danger but chose to face it head-on. He charged directly toward Soren, his body now radiating so much heat that the metal platform smoked beneath his feet. "What is he doing?" Lila gasped. "That's a direct gravity well!" Noah's eyes widened in understanding. "He's going to absorb the kinetic force as heat." Soren brought his hands down sharply, directing the concentrated gravity directly at the charging Marco. The very air warped between them, creating a visible distortion like looking through rippling water. Marco hit the gravitational barrier at full speed. For a moment, he seemed frozen in place, suspended between opposing forces—Soren's gravity pushing him back, his own momentum driving him forward. The strain on his body was evident, blood vessels bulging in his neck, teeth gritted in determination. Then something remarkable happened. Instead of being crushed by the gravitational force, Marco's body began to glow white-hot. He was absorbing the kinetic energy of the resistance, converting it directly into heat energy through his Thermo Burst ability. "Impossible," someone whispered in the stands. "Rarrgghh!!!!" With a roar that echoed throughout the arena, Marco pushed forward. Each inch gained against the gravitational pressure generated more heat, making him stronger, faster. The air around both fighters distorted wildly—heat clashing with gravitational pressure. Soren poured more power into his Singularity Drive, his face contorted with effort. Sweat poured down his face as he fought to maintain the gravity well against Marco's advance. The platform beneath them began to buckle from the opposing forces. Cracks spread across the metal surface, expanding outward from the point of conflict. "The containment field is at 87% capacity!" the announcer's voice betrayed a rare note of concern. In the backstage area, Noah and Lila gripped the railing, transfixed by the display of raw power. "Something has to give," Noah said tensely. As if in response to his words, the struggle reached its breaking point. Marco, his body now a living furnace, unleashed everything he had in one final push. He converted all the accumulated heat into a single devastating strike, driving his fist directly into the center of Soren's gravity well. The impact created a shockwave that rippled outward through the entire arena. The energy barrier flared bright blue, straining to contain the explosive release of force. For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Both fighters stood locked in position—Marco's fist extended, Soren's hands raised defensively. Then Soren collapsed, his gravity manipulation dissipating like smoke. His eyes rolled back as he hit the platform, consciousness fleeing. Marco remained standing, though barely. Steam rose from his body as his temperature rapidly dropped back to sustainable levels. His gear was partially burned away, revealing scorched skin beneath. "Victory to Academy Twelve's Marco Gonzalez!" the announcer declared as medical teams rushed onto the platform. The crowd erupted, many having risen to their feet during the climactic exchange. In the competitor area, Noah let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "That was..." "Beautiful," Lila finished, her eyes gleaming. "A second-generation ability overcoming a third-generation through sheer will." Noah nodded, glancing at his tablet. "That levels us at Two wins, one loss for Twelve." As medical personnel attended to both fighters, the scrambler began cycling through names again. Noah felt a subtle touch on his arm and turned to find Lila standing closer than before. "I believe I'm next," she said softly, her violet eyes locked on his. "Will you wish me luck, Noah?" Before he could respond, the scrambler slowed, and new names crystallized into view: Lila Rowe vs. Alistair Frost Lila's smile widened, something predatory in her expression. "It's that time," she murmured. "This should be... entertaining." She turned to leave, but paused, looking back over her shoulder. "Watch me carefully, Noah. I want you to see what I'm capable of." As she walked away, Noah couldn't shake the feeling that her words carried more meaning than a simple pre-fight boast. In the arena below, the platform was being repaired after Marco and Soren's catastrophic clash, but Noah's attention remained on Lila's retreating figure.

Chapter 214: Escape velocity

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