CHAPTER 154: TWISTING TIGER

The holographic screen glitched once, then flickered to the next pairing.

[Cassandra Isley, Class 3-B vs Dante Ryker, Class 3-A]

[Modifier: Martial Arts]

A collective "ooooh" rose from the crowd.

No powers. No flashy energy blasts. Just fists, kicks, and grit.

Jayden leaned back in his seat, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips. "This should be fun." he muttered, then turned to Cassandra who was already getting up from her seat.

"Good luck." he said to her.

Cassandra chuckled. "I don’t need luck." she grinned, walking down confidently as she stepped into the ring.

She was calm, elegant even, like she didn’t feel the weight of hundreds of eyes boring into her. Her blonde hair was tied in a low braid. She adjusted her stance with a snap and raised her gaze... eyes icy, unblinking. She was going to show zero mercy.

Across from her, Dante Ryker cracked his knuckles. The guy looked like a boulder come to life... bulky, broad-shouldered, with tree-trunk arms and a bruiser’s smirk.

He rolled his neck. "Hope you’re ready to get knocked out, blondie?"

Cassandra didn’t respond. She only stared at him, already calculating his moves.

Mrs. Valerie raised her hand. "No abilities. No enhancements. No excuses. Combatants, bow."

Both bowed.

Then—

"Begin."

Dante didn’t waste a second.

He charged.

His steps were heavy, ground-shaking. Each thud of his boots echoed like a warning drum. His right fist came swinging... a full-on haymaker that could end most fights before they began.

Cassandra didn’t move.

At least not visibly.

In a blur, she stepped closely into his swing... and dropped low. Then her right palm shot up with sniper-like precision, slamming into Dante’s elbow with a sickening pop.

CRACK.

His punch collapsed mid-air. His arm dangled.

The crowd gasped.

Before he could even yell, Cassandra rose with a fluid spin and delivered a crescent kick to his temple. Not a brutal strike.. but more like a tap. A reminder that she wasn’t on his level.

He stumbled. Off-balance.

Cassandra grabbed his collar mid-fall and threw him effortlessly over her hip. He hit the mat with a thunderous slam that rattled the whole floor.

"OOOH!" the crowd screamed in perfect unison.

Dante rolled, wheezing. His good arm trembled as he tried to push himself up.

"You done?" Cassandra asked, her voice cool, clinical.

Dante spat blood, face flushed with frustration. "Not even close."

He rushed again, this time lower, arms wide for a grapple.

Cassandra sidestepped, pivoted behind him, and wrapped an arm around his neck mid-dash. Rear naked choke locked in.

Dante thrashed. Slammed her into the ground once, twice—but her hold didn’t break. She was a phantom. All weight, no give.

She whispered something only he could hear:

"You talk too much."

Then, with surgical precision, she shifted her weight and snapped him into unconsciousness.

Dante’s limbs slackened. His body slumped like a dropped statue.

Mrs. Valerie stepped forward immediately. She scanned Dante’s body for a while, then nodded.

The screen blinked almost instantly:

[Winner: Cassandra Isley – 3-B]

An explosion of noise. Students screamed. Stood. Cheered. Even the EVA agents clapped quietly, eyebrows raised.

Cassandra let go and stood slowly. Not a single drop of sweat on her face. Not a hair out of place. She adjusted her braid.

She looked up—directly at Jayden.

He smiled and gave her a nod.

She smiled back and winked at him.

Then she just turned and walked off the arena floor like the whole thing bored her.

As the arena calmed down, Jayden leaned toward the edge of his seat, brows lifted as Cassandra approached to take her seat.

"That was incredible." he muttered.

Cassandra chuckled. "I know. But I have a feeling you would fair better."

Jayden smiled but didn’t say anything. He noticed that Cassandra’s attitude was a little different than usual. She was less cheery and more calculating. Cold. Determined to win.

And that was strange because she had once told him she wasn’t interested in the intra-school tournament, that she found it boring. So why was she suddenly determined to win.

The crowd was still trembling from Cassandra’s precise victory when the colosseum’s holographic dome flickered once more, bathing the entire audience in a swirl of misty blue light.

Next Match:

[Jayden Starrk, Class 3-C vs Zaire Blight, Class 3-A]

[Modifier: Ability]

Jayden’s smile widened.

It was his turn.

Cassandra smirked. "Well. Don’t dissapoint me, Romeo."

Jayden stood with a smile. "Back in a sec."

As he made his way down to the arena floor, the whispers followed him.

-"Hey isn’t that the guy who kicked Findabair players ass in the basketball competition?"

-"Wow! It’s really him. And he’s the same guy who broke titanium with his bare leg."

-"I also heard he kicked Carl’s ass in a duel once. Though I wonder what his ability is."

-"Guess we’ll find out soon."

The students murmured in anticipation. They were finally going to see the legendary beastboy in action. This was something they’ve been looking forward to in forever.. They all knew Jayden was strong, but they wanted to know just how strong he was.

Jayden ignored them, his focus narrowing to the fight ahead.

Across the platform stood Zaire Blight, tall and lean, with a jagged mohawk of frosty white hair and ice-blue irises. His arms shimmered with glacial tattoos, and vapor curled from his fingers like liquid nitrogen smoke.

Suddenly, the temperature in the air dropped several degrees. A thin shimmer of frost started creeping across the edges of the arena walls. People in the front row pulled their jackets tighter.

Jayden noticed the change, his gaze Immediately landed on Zaire. It was his doing. He had let out his aura.

He cracked his neck, walking forward with a grin. "What’s the matter? Can’t handle a little cold?"

Jayden didn’t reply. He simply took his stance with a small smirk tugging at his lips.

Zaire felt a chill run down his spine. He didn’t know why but his gut told him to be wary of Jayden. Afterall his ability was unknown.

Mrs. Valerie, standing at the center like a queen at war, raised her hand once more. Her voice cut through the chill like a blade.

"Your abilities are permitted. Victory by KO or submission. Begin."

The moment she lowered her arm, Zaire struck.

FWOOSH!

A spear of jagged ice launched from his palm, hurtling at Jayden with deadly force. The crowd gasped.

But Jayden didn’t flinch.

He tilted his head just slightly to the right, and the ice spike whistled past his cheek, slicing a strand of hair.

Before Zaire could charge a second shot, Jayden was already in motion.

No transformation. No aura. No exertion. Just pure physical agility.

He sprinted forward in a flash. His boots scraped frost, kicking up vapor as he closed the distance like a shadow.

Zaire lifted both arms, preparing to form a wall of ice, but he was too late.

Jayden leapt. And—

THWACK!!

A single, spiraling mid-air roundhouse kick smashed straight into Zaire’s temple. The force was so clean, so perfectly timed, that it looked choreographed by fate itself.

Zaire’s body stiffened mid-freeze. Then collapsed like a statue tipping off a cliff.

His head hit the floor with a dull thud. Unmoving.

Jayden landed like a feather, spinning slightly to absorb the momentum, then stood tall, calm, effortless.

The crowd went dead silent. What the hell just happened? That was the question they all asked.

Even Mrs. Valerie was slightly stunned. She couldn’t believe it. Jayden had taken out his opponent with a single blow.

She didn’t even need to confirm anything. Zaire was definitely passed out and wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

The scoreboard above sparked once.

[Winner: Jayden Starrk – Class 3-C]

The colosseum exploded in noise.

Gasps. Screams. Cheering. Pandemonium.

-"Woah! Did you see that? He took out Zaire, a level 16 with a single kick. That’s insane."

-"I can’t believe this, he didn’t use an ability to win."

-"Yikes, if I go against him, I’ll lose for sure."

-"You won’t just lose, you’ll have your ass kicked."

-"Hail, Jayden! The god of combat!"

Jessica and Tasha both blinked in disbelief.

"He didn’t even use his ability... whatever it is," Jessica whispered.

"He didn’t need to," Cassandra said from behind, arms folded, her eyes fixed on the boy walking off the battlefield like nothing happened.

Carl, who was watching from his seat stared at Jayden in amusement. "He’s gotten stronger... but so have I." he said with a smirk.

Meanwhile back at the arena, Jayden didn’t smile. Didn’t wave. He just strode back to his seat with a look of dissapointment.

"I thought this would be more challenging." he clicked.