CHAPTER 167: LEGEND

Carl was carried out of the arena, limp and unconscious, his body gently cradled by the school medics as the students watched in hushed awe. The battle had ended. Jayden stood alone in the center of the field, his chest rising and falling steadily, still bare-chested and bruised from the intense showdown. Silence hung for a moment—then the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

Jayden turned without a word and began walking back to the stands, his steps calm, composed, each one echoing with a kind of quiet authority. Students parted instinctively as he passed, their eyes filled with admiration, whispers trailing behind him.

"Did you see that? He didn’t even break a sweat. He’s like a legend!"

"Carl’s fire didn’t even touch him!"

"What kind of ability is that? It’s so cool."

Jayden wasn’t listening. He was used to the stares and whispers by now. He just made his way back to his seat and sat down beside Cassandra. She looked at him, eyes gleaming with something between amusement and admiration, and without a word, slipped off her tracksuit jacket and handed it to him.

"Here," she said, a playful smirk on her lips. "Unless you want to keep showing off those muscles of yours."

Jayden collected it with a small chuckle. "Thanks." he slipped it on, covering his bare torso as the faint scent of Cassandra’s perfume... something light and floral, lingered on the fabric.

As he slid it over his shoulders, Cassandra chuckled. "You know, for someone with an ability that’s that wild, you sure know how to put on a show."

Jayden gave a faint, amused smile. "You’d be surprised at how much more of a show it can put on."

Cassandra snickered. "Let me guess... you can grow?"

"Or ungrow." Tasha added with a chuckle, causing the rest of the trio to laugh.

Jessica leaned forward. "Seriously though, Jayden... that was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like your ability."

"Yeah," Tasha added. "It’s... it’s pretty cool." She smiled, though there was a hint of resignation in her voice. "I doubt I’d stand a chance against you, now."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Hold up. We don’t know that for sure. No one’s fought him except Carl, and maybe if you or Cassandra fought him..."

"I already fought him." Cassandra cut in with a sigh. "I lost."

Jessica chuckled. "Wow. Maybe Tasha would stand a chance then?"

But Tasha just shook her head slightly, her gaze meeting Jayden’s for a second before flickering away. She already knew. Even Jessica already knew that question.

Jayden didn’t reply. He didn’t need to.

The crowd was still buzzing from the fight. Students chattered with energy, reliving the clash between Jayden and Carl, some still replaying it on their holo-devices. But then the large screen above the arena caught everyone’s attention... it was completely blank.

"...Wait," someone muttered, "there’s supposed to be one more match, right? Jayden versus Cassandra or Tasha?"

"Yeah." another said. "And what about the rest of the matches to determine the top ten?"

Whispers spread quickly. Confusion rippled through the crowd. Outside the arena by an isolated stands, Mrs. Valerie could be seen speaking intently with Principal Thompson. They talked for several moments, both glancing toward the screen and the arena.

Then, finally, Mrs. Valerie stepped forward and walked to the center of the arena. She raised one hand, calling for silence. The students quieted quickly.

"Students," she began, her voice calm but commanding, "Due to an unexpected tie in one of the previous matches, and a combatant current state of unconsciousness, we are unable to proceed with the remaining battles as originally planned."

Murmurs broke out, disappointment evident in the voices of the crowd.

"But..." Valerie raised a hand again, silencing the room, "We’ve come to a fair alternative. The final rankings will now be decided based on a point system, calculated from the number of matches each participant won before being eliminated."

There was a beat of silence... and then nods and soft murmurs of agreement.

"Well, I guess that’s fair..."

"Yeah... but man, I really wanted to see a fight between Jayden and Tasha."

"Now we’ll never know whose stronger."

"You fools, of course it’s Jayden. Have you ever seen an ability like that? It’s not elemental, but it’s definitely terrifying."

Mrs. Valerie turned toward the massive digital screen behind her and clapped twice. The screen lit up instantly with the words:

[Calculating points...]

The students watched in silence. The anticipation was almost electric.

Then, the display shifted, lines of data appearing in clean rows. A ranked list of every participant filled the screen from top to bottom. Gasps and shouts of excitement echoed as students leaned forward to find their names... but most eyes were fixed at the very top. The top ten:

[1. Jayden Starrk – 1500 points]

[2. Cassandra Isley – 1300 points]

[3. Tasha Smith – 1300 points]

[4. Carl Danvers – 1200 points]

[5. Jessica Smith – 1100 points]

[6. Laura Kenshin – 1000 points]

[7. Theo Anderson – 900 points]

[8. Irene Vess – 750 points]

[9. Zaire Blight – 700 points]

[10. Viktor Kray - 680 points]

...

A ripple of murmurs swept through the students.

"Woah... this looks really accurate."

"Yeah, no surprises here. Jayden’s number one for sure."

"Look... Cassandra and Tasha had the same number of points. Does that mean they tied for second place?"

Cassandra and Tasha exchanged wide grins. Jessica, sitting a few rows up, let out a squeal of delight, clutching her cheeks.

"Fifth, huh? That’s not so bad." she giggled.

Then Mrs. Valerie turned back to the crowd, her voice rising above the excitement.

"With the tournament now concluded and all results tallied," she said, her tone now more formal, "I officially announce the winner of this year’s Intra-School Tournament to be..."

She paused as a drumroll began to echo through the arena speakers.

"...Jayden Starrk."

As Mrs. Valerie called Jayden’s name the crowd erupted into wild, deafening applause. Students shot to their feet, cheering and clapping. Even parents joined in, many of them standing and craning their necks for a better view of the boy who had just dominated the final match.

Jayden remained seated, his expression calm. He offered only a modest smile as the cheers washed over him, not rising, not waving, simply letting the noise pass through him like wind.

Beside him, Cassandra gave him a sideways glance, her lips curled in the faintest smirk.

"Still not the type for attention, huh?" she teased.

Jayden chuckled. "Not even a little bit. I prefer being in the shadows rather than in the spotlight. It’s easier to live that way." he stated with a genuine smile.

Cassandra scoffed. "Yeah, you’re definitely not celebrity material." she giggled.

Jayden smiled but didn’t say anything. He was still listening... waiting.

And then, as the crowd began to settle down, Mrs. Valerie raised her hand once more. The arena quieted.

"As is tradition," she began, "The top ten participants of the Intra-School Tournament will receive recognition, medals, and specific individual rewards based on their performance."

There was another small wave of clapping, quieter this time.

"However..." she continued, "...This year, due to the nature of the final rankings and performance evaluations, the top five will be granted additional rewards."

A ripple of interest spread through the audience.

"They will receive not only medals and credits, but also personal mentorships from council-registered alumni, full access to the school’s combat training hall and.. if they accept it, a temporary spot in the EVA’s Summer Combat Internship Program."

Gasps spread like wildfire.

"EVA’s internship programme..." someone whispered, stunned.

"No way. That’s awesome!" another exclaimed.

That program was notoriously hard to get into... usually reserved for graduates or third-year students with national-level combat clearance. It didn’t exactly guarantee a spot in the EVA Cadets Academy, but it was a way to get more experience, connections and receive access to more advanced inventories.

With a final curtsy, Mrs. Valerie turned and left the stage, heels clicking softly against the platform as she returned to the stands where the other teachers sat.

And after a brief pause, Principal Thompson stepped forward. Tall, imposing, and always formal, the principal raised his hand and adjusted his smile.

"Students," he began, "This has been one of the most impressive tournaments we’ve held in the last ten years. The bar was set high.. and you exceeded it."

He looked up at the list on the screen.

I will now call forward the top ten students. As your name is called, please proceed to the front of the stage."

He cleared his throat.

"Tenth place; Viktor Kray."

Cheers.

Theo jogged up to the stage, clearly stunned but smiling wide.

"Ninth place: Zaire Blight."

A round of applause followed as Zaire made his way up confidently.

The names came quickly after that, each student met with varying degrees of cheers and support. Then finally, he got to the top five.

"Fifth place; Jessica Smith."

Jessica leapt to her feet with a grin and a squeal, basically bouncing her way up the arena.

Then:

"Fourth; Carl Danvers."

There was a hush... then polite clapping. Everyone knew Carl was still in the med-bay, unconscious. His name was acknowledged, but his absence was noticeable.

Principal Thompson got to the next name on the list and paused, then he chuckled. "Oh, it seems this year we have two students occupying the position of second." he announced.

Then he turned towards the crowd. "And that would be Tasha Smith..."

The crowd roared.

Tasha stood, adjusted her sleeves, and made her way to the stage with her usual grace, her expression composed as she approached.

"... And Cassandra Isley."

That name earned another loud reaction. Students had been buzzing about Cassandra’s potential since the start of the tournament, and now, here she was, sharing the podium as one of the champions.

Cassandra stood up slowly and began walking to the stage. Her gaze swept across the audience briefly, pausing only for a second when it found her mother, Penelope watching from the stands, smiling widely.

Their eyes met.

Cassandra didn’t smile. She didn’t wave.

She just sighed.

As she stepped into position beside Tasha, Principal Thompson looked down at the final name on the list.

Then, with a slight raise of his voice, he called:

"And in first place, with the highest score and an undefeated streak..."

"...Jayden Starrk."