CHAPTER 165: JAYDEN’S INFERNO

Carl struggled to his feet, veins bulging in rage. A low, guttural growl rumbled from his throat.

"You... will pay for that!"

Jayden stood where he was, unmoved, unbothered.

Then... Carl blinked.. and vanished.

BOOM!

He reappeared in front of Jayden in less than a heartbeat, his fist already mid-swing, flames trailing his fist like a comet’s tail.

Jayden leapt back, evading the attack easily... but Carl wasn’t done.

His palm shot out, a massive fireball

blasting toward Jayden’s chest.

Jayden didn’t leapt. He didn’t run

Instead—

Time seemed to slow down as his upper body bent backward at an impossible angle, his spine arching like a drawn bow as the fireball screamed past his face, close enough to singe his hair.

The crowd erupted.

"What the hell was that?!"

"How is he able to bend and suspend his body like that?"

"Holy hell. I think he just pulled off the matrix-time effect in real life."

"That was incredible! Jayden is awesome!"

Jayden snapped back upright... and followed with a strike. His fist slamming into Carl’s jaw with brutal momentum and precision.

CRACK!

The impact rocked Carl’s head sideways and forced him into a backward stagger. His footing faltered, face twisted in shock.

Jayden had managed to hit him... twice now. And he hadn’t even come close to touching a hair on Jayden’s hair. But the most annoying part was... Jayden wasn’t even using an ability.

Carl’s rage boiled over. "I’ll kill you, Starrk!"

He lunged again, this time his entire arm engulfed in fire so intense it glowed white-hot, incinerating the last of his sleeves. His eyes were wild. He was past the point of tactics... he wanted blood.

He swung at Jayden’s head, but Jayden weaved, calm as ever. And his counter came swift.. a brutal jab to the gut.

BAM!

Carl choked back the pain and retaliated immediately, fists blazing.

Jayden slipped around the blow like he knew it before it came. Then.. bam!—a second strike to Carl’s jaw. This time harder. More deliberate.

Carl roared, but he didn’t falter. He swung at Jayden’s neck—but Jayden moved like a ghost.

Weave. Duck. And jab.

Each of Jayden’s counters was a surgical strike... gut, chest, jaw, yet not a single ability was used. It was pure skill, pure power.

Carl was going insane. With every strike Jayden landed, his flames burned hotter. The ground beneath him blackened. His rage turned nuclear.

Even Jayden could feel the change in heat now. But he remained unbothered. His face never changed. He wanted Carl to burn through it all... his power, his pride, his stamina.

Carl threw a desperate, tired punch. But Jayden slipped to the side and slammed his knuckles into Carl’s ribs.

THUD!

Carl staggered back, panting, a wild smile on his face. "You think you’re strong, huh? You think you can beat me without an ability?" he chuckled darkly. Then his eyes landed on Jayden with a cold, deadly gaze.

"I’ll show you what true strength is..." he whispered. Then...

BOOOOM!

His aura surged.

The entire arena lit up as fire erupted from his body in a violent spiral, the sheer heat warping the air around him, growing more intense. Even students in the front row had to shield their faces from the heat.

Flames exploded from his legs, incinerating his shoes, the fabric of his pants disintegrating up to his knees. His entire form was surrounded in a hellish aura, embers swirling like a demonic storm.

His eyes lit up—glowing red.

Then, the flames coiling around his arms shifted, contorting and expanding outward into a giant spectral claw that hovered above his palms... twice as long, radiating scorching heat and power.

The air crackled. The arena rumbled.

Jayden didn’t move. His golden eyes gleamed in interest for the first time since the beginning of the entire tournament.

[He’s Levelled up] Luna pointed out.

Jayden tilted his head slightly... and smiled. "Good. Maybe now he’ll be more challenging." he muttered, already taking a stance. He could sense Carl’s current aura, it wasn’t to be taken lightly. But at the same time... it wasn’t a threat to Jayden.

The other students were in a commotion.

"I can’t believe this, Carl just levelled up!"

"Oh, man. Jayden is screwed for sure. Carl’s gonna roast him alive."

"Yeah, Carl’s definitely gonna win this fight. His aura’s intensity is insane."

"You guys are forgetting that Jayden hasn’t shown his ability yet."

"Don’t be stupid, Jayden clearly doesn’t want to show us his ability. Who knows. maybe he doesn’t even have one."

"Hm, perhaps you’re right. Let’s just keep watching."

Carl’s eyes burned crimson, his voice a distorted growl.

"Let’s see how long you keep smiling, Starrk."

Then—

BOOM!

The arena exploded in fire.

Carl moved across the battlefield, his flaming claws raking the ground, leaving molten trenches in his wake.

Jayden dashed sideways, but Carl was faster now. He swiped a claw at Jayden’s skull. Jayden ducked the heat searing the air above his head.

Carl followed with a spin, his other arm whipping around in a blazing arc... Jayden flipped over it, landing lightly, only for Carl to kick upward, a pillar of fire erupting beneath Jayden’s feet.

Jayden twisted midair, barely avoiding the inferno, but Carl was already there, his clawed fist plummeting down like a meteor.

BOOOOM!

The arena shattered debris flying as the shockwave rippled outward.

When the dust cleared—

Jayden stood balanced on a single chunk of floating rubble, his clothes slightly singed, but his expression unchanged.

Carl panted, his flames flickering wildly.

Jayden tilted his head. "That all you got?" he teased with a smirk.

Carl’s roar shook the stadium as he launched forward with fury. Jayden met him head-on.

They clashed in a flurry of blows, sparks and heat erupting with each contact. The arena trembled with the force of Carl’s strikes... faster, sharper, more precise than before. His recent level-up had unlocked new power, and he fought with the confidence of someone expecting dominance.

But Jayden didn’t flinch.

He weaved and slipped through every attack with almost mocking precision, his body moving like water, flowing around each clawed swipe, each fiery punch. His expression was calm.. borderline bored.

Carl growled, frustration mounting. He was stronger now. Faster. Yet, he couldn’t he land a single hit.

Jayden ducked beneath a flame-wreathed claw, skidded back with a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You’re fastee," he teased, voice light and condescending. "But still not fast enough."

Carl’s eyes ignited with fury.

"Enough!"

He slammed both fists into the ground. A geyser of flame erupted beneath him, surging toward Jayden like a volcanic tidal wave. The crowd gasped as the inferno roared forward, engulfing everything in its path.

Jayden launched into the air, flipping through the blazing columns. Flames licked at his heels, but he remained untouched. He landed lightly on the scorched ground... just as Carl appeared behind him, eyes narrowed and lips curled into a vicious smirk.

"Got you this time."

Before Jayden could react, Carl’s clawed fist struck the back of his thigh.

SLASH.

The pain exploded through his leg, searing and sharp. Jayden grunted, stumbling forward.

Carl didn’t stop... already winding up for a finishing strike to Jayden’s head.

But Jayden twisted mid-stumble, narrowly evading the blow, and leapt back to face him again.

The students roared. Carl had landed his first hit... finally.

Jayden exhaled, his breathing steady despite the throbbing pain in his thigh. It burned worse than he expected. And it was healed slower than normal.

"Good." He masked a sigh of relief. "If it healed fast, they might get suspicious," he muttered under his breath, eyes flicking to the stands where two EVA agents observed the fight with unnerving intensity.

His gaze returned to Carl, who was already moving again, flames gathering around his fists.

Jayden’s expression shifted...playfulness fading into calm resolve.

"Okay," he whispered to himself. "Time to get serious."

He planted his feet... and waited.

Carl was already walking forward, grinning like a man unhinged. "Hurts, doesn’t it? Like your skin’s melting? Well, you’d better get used to it... cause we’re just getting started."

Then he hurled a fireball at Jayden, who dodged it with ease... but more followed. Dozens more, a storm of explosions shaking the arena as students shielded their eyes.

Jayden kept moving, narrowly evading each one, but they kept coming.. faster, hotter, as Carl continued firing relentlessly.

Jayden dodged every one, but it was getting harder. He narrowed his eyes.

"Doesn’t he get tired? Using this much energy for so long should have worn him down by now." he thought, watching the fury in Carl’s attacks. There was no fatigue. No hesitation. Just pure aggression.

He sighed. Guess I’ll have to finish this the hard way," he muttered, then launched forward.

Carl saw him coming but didn’t flinch. He simply smirked.

Then, with a sudden clench of his fist, the ground beneath Jayden exploded...

BOOM!!

Jets of fire erupting like volcanic geysers, pillars of flames chasing him as he moved, each one rising in perfect sequence, like a trap designed specifically to overwhelm.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! FWOOSH!

Jayden weaved through them, his movement fluid and graceful, his body daring the flames as he danced through death itself.

Then... he appeared right in front of Carl.

But Carl still didn’t move. He just grinned.

Then, the ground rumbled again... then exploded directly beneath them.

BOOOM!

Jayden leapt back just in time, narrowly avoiding the flames. He had already anticipated this.

But from within the inferno, Carl came bursting through... his hand outstretched, aimed at Jayden’s chest.

Jayden’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Carl to follow so quickly.

"Burn," Carl said, and fire surged from his palm, exploding point-blank into Jayden’s chest.

BOOOOM!

Jayden crossed his arms instinctively... but it wasn’t enough. The fire washed over him, consuming his upper body in an infernal blast that turned the air into a furnace.

The crowd went silent.

Carl didn’t let up... his hands still pouring fire even after Jayden’s feet hit the ground, flames engulfing him in a cocoon of light and heat.

Tasha, Jessica, and Cassandra’s eyes widened in shock.

Jacob looked stricken.

Penelope’s eyes narrowed. Mrs. Valerie’s did the same.

The EVA agents leaned forward, their interest piqued.

Even Principal Thompson was worried, and for the first time since the tournament started, he showed an expression on his face.

In the arena, Jayden was in a storm of flames... his figure consumed by a violent, explosive inferno.

Finally, Carl stopped. He lowered his arms, chest heaving with exertion as thick smoke filled the arena.

But Jayden was nowhere to be seen. He was lost in the cloud of smoke.