CHAPTER 647: THIS IS IT

Arthur’s gaze lingered on her as she defended Darius. A quiet storm brewed behind his calm eyes, jealousy he couldn’t quite smother. He kept his expression steady, but his jaw tightened, betraying the war beneath his cool surface.

"Why aren’t you on board?" Nnenna asked Darius earnestly, not noticing what was going on beside her. "What are your concerns?"

Darius exhaled, the tension easing from his shoulders a little now that she had asked. "We’re taking a huge risk," he said. "The arena is chaotic. If someone wants to hide an attack, they can make it look like an accident. Even death could be made to seem accidental. I don’t want us to gamble with your life. I would rather detain the girl, question her, and find out who’s using her, that’s safer than hoping nothing goes wrong tomorrow."

Nnenna’s tone softened. "I know you’re worried and you make a very good point, but I still think this is the best idea. Let’s keep asking questions along the way. Even if we get a chance to talk to her, she might not say much. And it’s not like we can force her to tell us anything."

She paused, her eyes distant for a moment. "No one really knows what she’s doing. If we move carefully, we can find out more. Besides..." she gave a small smile, "I’ve got you guys to help me if things go sideways."

And I have the Love System too, she added silently in her mind.

"What do you say?" she asked.

"Fine," Darius finally agreed. "But I’ll make sure I keep a close eye on her. You two—" he looked at Carl and Arthur "—make sure Nnenna doesn’t leave your sight tomorrow."

"That’s the plan," Carl replied with an easy grin.

Arthur, just looked away.

The next day came faster than anyone expected, the final day of the exams. The second majors. For Nnenna, it was martial arts.

"I asked around," Darius said as they walked toward the arena. "That Linda girl’s exam is in a hall not far from here. She’ll probably finish before Nnenna’s match ends since hers is Accounting. I’ll keep an eye on her throughout the day."

"That’s not necessary," Carl reasoned. "I’m sure you would like to watch Nnenna’s matches as much as we do. You don’t have to be stuck on Linda duty, I’ll get someone else to handle it." He said kindly.

"Yeah, I agree," Nnenna added, glancing at him appreciatively.

Arthur said nothing. He just adjusted his gloves and walked ahead, the quiet tension between them lingering like static in the air.

"No, no," Darius shook his head firmly. "I’m good."

"Are you sure?" Arthur suddenly stopped and asked, breaking his usual silence. His voice caught everyone off guard, he actually sounded like he agreed with Carl and Nnenna.

"Uh..." Darius blinked, momentarily speechless before finding his voice again. "I appreciate the concern, really, I do. Especially because it’s coming from you. But I won’t be at ease unless I handle it myself."

"Don’t misunderstand me," Arthur cut in, his tone cooling instantly. "I just don’t think you have the training for surveillance. A professional, someone who can actually be serious for more than five minutes, should handle it. Otherwise, something might go wrong."

The air went heavy.

Great, Carl sighed inwardly, already seeing where this was going.

And he was right.

"Arthur!" Nnenna snapped, glaring at him. The edge in her voice carried more than annoyance, it was frustration built over days of biting her tongue. Day by day, he was testing her patience, acting one way, feeling another, and refusing to admit why.

But instead of arguing back, Arthur’s expression shifted. For the first time, a faint look of hurt flickered in his eyes, something rare, something that caught her off guard. He looked... wronged.

Nnenna felt the instinct to take it back, to soften. But then she remembered why they were all in this tense mess to begin with. The thought burned too sharply to let her retreat now. So she held her ground.

"It’s alright, Nnenna," Darius said quickly, stepping in before things escalated. "I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that."

He knew Arthur well enough to understand, when it came to emotions, the man’s words often came out the exact opposite of what he truly felt.

"You guys enjoy the match," Darius said, turning away. "I’ll watch it online when all this is over. Go get ready."

He walked off before he could change his mind.

"Oookaaay," Carl dragged out playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "You heard the man, let’s get you ready."

He slung an arm around Nnenna’s shoulders as they headed toward the locker area, though he couldn’t resist shooting Arthur a silent What the heck was that? look.

Arthur, of course, ignored him.

"You will definitely face George in the arena today if you’re to come out at the top," he said after a moment, his voice back to its usual composed tone. "I’ve watched him fight. He won’t be an easy opponent."

He paused, then stepped closer, his gaze locking on hers. "But you have something that gives you an edge when you use it, thinking before acting. Don’t lose that."

His words were calm, but there was weight in them, care disguised as instruction.

"Okay," Nnenna nodded quietly. She didn’t say more, but her heart beat faster at his intense gaze.

The exams began quickly, the academy wasting no time. After all, this was one of the biggest highlights of the entire year, the martial arts finals. The air buzzed with energy, cheers echoing from every corner as dignitaries and students filled the arena, waiting to see who would rise to the top.

The referee stepped forward, his voice echoing across the massive arena.

"Welcome, final year candidates! This is the last stage of your exams for those offering this major, Martial Arts!"

The crowd erupted with cheers, students pounding their feet in rhythm with excitement.

"Each of you will draw your opponent’s name," the referee continued, holding up a transparent box filled with folded slips. "Fight fairly. Fight with honor. Remember, victory isn’t everything; control, awareness, and discipline are also part of your score."

The matches began one after another, the sound of fists hitting the mat mixing with gasps and cheers from the audience. As the rounds progressed, the atmosphere thickened with tension.

Soon, only ten remained.

The evicted candidates stood to the side, anxious and uncertain. No one knew who had passed or failed, the academy had changed the system this year. Results wouldn’t be announced immediately but after all final exams concluded in the coming days.

The air was charged, the crowd restless, and the top ten eyed each other like predators waiting for the next move.

Then came the announcement that sent a shockwave through the arena.

"Next match!" the referee called out, glancing down at the names drawn. "Candidate Nnenna... and candidate George!"

The audience gasped.

"What? Already?" someone exclaimed.

"These two have been dominating since the preliminaries!" another whispered.

Most people had expected the much anticipated duel between the academy’s rising stars to happen in the finals, not now, not when they had just reached the top ten.

But fate, or luck, had other plans.

The remaining eight contestants looked relieved beyond words. It was far safer to let the two "weird geniuses" fight it out than risk becoming collateral damage in their clash.

George turned to Nnenna with a faint smirk. "So, this is it."

"You came quicker than I expected," she admitted with a calm smile.

"Yeah. Guess that’s our luck, huh?"

He said nothing more, just gave a small nod before turning toward the underground preparation room.

"See you up there," Nnenna said softly, watching him walk away.

"See you," he replied without looking back.

Nnenna glanced toward the VIP section where Carl and Arthur were watching. Carl caught her eye and gave a subtle nod, the signal that everything was secure.

Good.

If there was ever a perfect moment for someone to sabotage her, it would be now, when all eyes were on the match, and her opponent was someone strong enough to truly test her limits.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed the stage steps not needing further preparation, the crowd roaring her name as she faced the center.

This was it.

The real fight was about to begin.

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At the Accounting examination hall, Darius stood close to the window, pretending to scroll through his phone. His eyes, however, were fixed on one person, Linda.

He watched her carefully as she finished writing, stood up, and handed in her paper. When she walked out of the hall, he casually adjusted his stance, making it seem like he was just checking messages.

She passed right by him without a glance.

The moment she did, he fell in step behind her, keeping a careful distance. Instead of heading toward the academy’s exit like most students, Linda started walking in the direction of the Year Six Martial Arts Arena.

Darius frowned.

What’s she doing there?

He was just about to type a quick message to Carl when she suddenly stopped walking.

His heart jumped.

After a few seconds, she turned and began walking toward the convenience block instead.

Darius exhaled slowly. False alarm.

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