Chapter 250: Slogfest ask later

Words : 1822 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

The digital board above the arena flickered, randomizing the next quarterfinal matchups. The crowd fell silent, anticipation hanging in the air like static electricity. "Next match on Ring Two," the announcer's voice boomed across the Nexus Arena. "From Academy Twelve, Noah Eclipse!" A smattering of applause followed, mostly from Academy Twelve students. Noah stepped onto the platform, his expression neutral as he rolled his shoulders, loosening muscles still sore from his previous match. "And his opponent—from Academy Six, information getting to me is that he is THE TOP FIGHTER in first year, Ryker Dawn!" The response was immediate and thunderous. Ryker stepped forward with the confidence of someone who'd never tasted defeat. His short, military-cut dark hair and predatory eyes gave him the look of a professional fighter rather than a student. "The Apex Striker versus..." The announcer paused, realizing Noah lacked any catchy moniker. "Academy Twelve's dark horse contender!" In the stands, Kelvin leaned forward, hands gripping the railing. "Come on, Noah," he muttered. Sophie sat beside him, arms crossed, a small smile playing at her lips. "He's got this." Not to brag or anything, she knew and had faith that Noah would pull off another one of his miracles. 'He's held back the whole time in this tournament. Who is to say he can't take everyone on if he didn't hold back?' she thought briefly. "He's facing Ryker Dawn," another student whispered nervously. "Nobody's even scored a point against him in the prelims." The two fighters took their positions as the energy field containment shimmered into existence around Ring Two. Noah observed his opponent carefully. Ryker bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, loose yet primed, like a coiled spring. "Academy Six's prodigy against Academy Twelve's surprise contender," the announcer continued. "BEGIN IN THREE!" The crowd joined in the countdown. "TWO!" Noah took a deep breath. "ONE!" Ryker's smile widened. "BEGIN!" Neither moved immediately. They circled each other, measuring distance. Noah cataloged everything—the slight forward lean in Ryker's stance, the way he favored his right side, the calculated rhythm of his footwork. 'Classic striker's stance, but there's something off about his weight distribution,' Noah thought. 'He's keeping his center of gravity unusually mobile.' "What's the matter?" Ryker taunted. "Scared?" Noah didn't respond, maintaining his focus. Ryker attacked first—a probing jab that Noah easily evaded. But it was just a setup. The follow-up cross came with startling speed, catching Noah on the shoulder despite his block. [-3 HP] Noah's eyes narrowed slightly. The hit had carried more impact than it should have. 'That punch... there was extra force behind it. Not chi-based. Something else.' "That's his Cage Pulse," Kelvin explained to the others in the stands. "Even grazing blows do internal damage." Noah circled right, adjusting his guard. He fired a quick combination—jab-cross-hook—that Ryker parried with textbook precision. The Academy Six fighter countered with a low kick that clipped Noah's thigh. [-5 HP] 'He's reading my standard combinations too easily. Need to disrupt his rhythm.' "Still analyzing, Eclipse?" Ryker smirked. "I've watched your matches. Your whole thing is taking punishments and figuring out patterns. Won't work here." Noah launched another combination, this time mixing in a feint. Ryker adjusted seamlessly, blocking the real strikes and avoiding wasting energy on the feint. His counter was lightning-quick—a short elbow strike that grazed Noah's temple. [-8 HP] Blood trickled from a small cut above Noah's eye. The crowd murmured. Everyone expected Ryker to dominate, but the clinical efficiency with which he was dismantling Noah was still impressive. 'That elbow came faster than his previous strikes. Variable speed? Or is he just warming up?' In the VIP section, Commander Owen leaned forward slightly. "That boy...he is one of ours, correct? He shouldn't even be here without a combat ability, yet he's made it to the quarters. Interesting." Commander Albright scowled. "Lucky draws and weak opponents. Nothing more." Back in the ring, Noah wiped blood from his eye. He'd taken hits, but his expression remained unchanged—calculating, patient, gathering data with each exchange. "You're tough, I'll give you that," Ryker said, bouncing lightly. "But toughness just means you'll be conscious when I break you." 'His confidence isn't just for show. He genuinely believes he's unbeatable. That's an exploitable weakness.' This time, Noah initiated, launching a straight right that Ryker slipped. But instead of retreating, Noah followed with a lunging knee. Ryker blocked it, but the impact pushed him back a step. For the first time, surprise flickered across Ryker's face. He recovered instantly, countering with a three-punch combination that Noah partially blocked. [-4 HP] [-5 HP] 'There it is again—that extra force. It's like his strikes carry a secondary impact wave.' "That didn't sound right," Sophie murmured, hearing the impact. "Those hits carried more weight than they should have." Kelvin nodded. "Cage Pulse. His strikes vibrate through guards. I may or may not have read through every single opposition Noah might face. This guy in question is trouble," The two fighters engaged again, exchanging blows at close range. Ryker maintained his technical superiority, but Noah was landing occasional counters—nothing devastating, but clean hits nonetheless. 'His defense is nearly perfect against orthodox attacks. Need to change things up.' Then Ryker changed tactics. He feinted high, then dropped low, driving a punch directly into Noah's knee joint. [-15 HP] Noah's leg buckled momentarily. Joint Crush—the technique had nearly hyperextended his knee. 'Targeting structural weak points. Smart. If he compromises my mobility, I'm finished.' "First joint compromised," Ryker announced clinically. "I'll take the other one next." In the instructor section, Miss Brooks watched with a tense expression. "Come on, Noah," she whispered. "Stop thinking and start fighting." 'This technical approach isn't working. He's better at the chess match. Time to flip the board.' As if a switch had been flipped, Noah's demeanor suddenly shifted. The calculating look in his eyes hardened into something else—determination, yes, but also something primal. Ryker came in again with another feint-to-joint-strike combination. But this time, instead of defending technically, Noah met aggression with aggression. He stepped into Ryker's space, absorbing a glancing blow to deliver a thunderous hook to the ribs. The crack echoed through the silent arena as everyone's mouth was shut closed and eyes glued to the matches going on. Ryker's eyes widened in genuine shock. He staggered back, momentarily winded. 'Force equals mass times acceleration. Nobody expects a supposedly non-powered student to hit this hard.' "Did he just—" a student in the stands began. "He cracked Ryker's rib," another finished, disbelief evident. Noah pressed forward, abandoning his previous careful approach. He launched a flying knee that Ryker barely blocked, the impact sending him skidding backward. "YES!" Kelvin shouted, jumping to his feet. "THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND RIGHT THERE!" Sophie's smile widened as she watched Noah transform before their eyes. Ryker reset his stance, anger flashing across his face. "Lucky shot," he growled. 'He's rattled. Never been hit that hard before. His anger will make him predictable.' He attacked with renewed intensity, his Cage Pulse activated on every strike. Noah met him head-on, trading blows in the center of the ring. [-7 HP] [-10 HP] [-6 HP] Noah's health dropped steadily, but he didn't retreat. For every two hits he took, he landed one of his own—each carrying surprising power for someone without combat abilities. 'His Cage Pulse is strongest on direct impacts. If I roll with the punches, I can minimize the secondary wave.' "How the hell is he hitting so hard?" someone in the crowd wondered aloud. In the VIP area, Commander Owen's interest was fully captured now. "He's not using chi," he observed. "That's raw physical strength." The headmaster seemed genuinely surprised. All along, throughout the tournament, they'd watched Noah come out of impossible situations with not so obvious solutions. His chi techniques had mostly bailed him out. But that big brain of his did the most work. Now however, they were watching him match physical abilities with someone that had abilities that was clearly combat oriented. Commander Albright's scowl deepened seeing the genuine interest that commander Owen had for Eclipse. Back in the ring, Ryker executed a perfect spinning back kick. Noah partially deflected it but still took damage. [-12 HP] 'Now!' Noah's counter was unorthodox—he grabbed Ryker's leg before he could fully retract it and delivered a straight punch to the knee. 'His own technique turned against him. Poetic.' Ryker grunted in pain as his own joint was compromised. He yanked his leg free and reset, a new wariness in his eyes. "No combat ability, huh?" he muttered. "What are you?" Noah didn't respond verbally. Instead, he rushed forward with a combination that shouldn't have worked against someone of Ryker's skill level—except Noah executed it with speed that defied conventional limits. 'Keep him guessing. Don't establish patterns he can read.' Ryker blocked the initial punches but caught a hook to the liver that doubled him over momentarily. "Enough games," Ryker snarled. His body suddenly tensed, muscles coiling beneath his skin. A subtle shift in his posture signaled the activation of his trump card. Apex Drive—Overclock. For 10 seconds, Ryker enters an enhanced mode where his body operates at 230% output. The change was immediate and dramatic. Ryker's movements blurred as his biological limiters disengaged. He closed the distance to Noah in an eyeblink, delivering a punishing combination. [-15 HP] [-18 HP] [-12 HP] 'This is his real power. Every move at least twice as fast, hits three times as hard. Need to weather the storm.' Blood sprayed from Noah's mouth as he staggered backward. The crowd gasped. This was the finishing sequence they'd seen in Ryker's previous matches—the moment when Apex Drive overwhelmed his opponents. "It's over," someone in the stands said. But Noah didn't fall. He weathered the barrage, blood streaming from his split lip and the cut above his eye. Then, impossibly, he stepped forward into the storm. 'If I can't match his speed, I'll make him come to me. Use his momentum against him.' Ryker's enhanced fist connected with Noah's jaw. [-25 HP] Noah's head snapped back—but he kept coming. He launched a devastating uppercut that caught Ryker under the chin. 'Even enhanced reflexes can't compensate for poor positioning.' The crowd fell silent. Nobody had landed a clean hit on an overclocked Ryker before. Ryker recovered quickly, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to dodge Noah's follow-up. He delivered a crushing blow to Noah's ribs. [-30 HP] Noah's current HP: [548/700]

Chapter 250: Slogfest ask later

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