2026-04-21 01:54:04
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Chapter 137: Control
“Well?” Ryan muttered, and when there were no answers, he turned to leave.“Is that what she said?” her voice called, and Ryan stopped.He looked back over his shoulder. “Who?”She stares at him. “Olisa. She told you that?” Odessa asked. “That we were afraid?”“What exactly are you asking?” Ryan said.Odessa ignored the question. “Did Olisa tell you that we backed away from the competition because of Danwin?” she pressed. “Did she tell you we were scared of him?”The tunnel was silent except for the distant muffled announcement of the next fighters entering the arena.Ryan held her gaze, then finally let out a slow breath. “She said enough for me to know there’s history,” he admitted. “But not enough to explain why every time Danwin’s name comes up, all of you act like someone opened an old wound.”No one interrupted. Odessa looked away first, but not because she had lost the stare. She looked away because something in his words had hit closer than she wanted.Her jaw flexed once. The
Chapter 136: Leverage
The commander leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees now. “You’re not offering a donation, Mr. Nikolai. You’re offering leverage disguised as support. If the academy accepts your funding, suddenly Iron Gate is no longer merely a school but becomes independent."“And terrifies them?” he asked, and the commander did not deny it.The noise from the arena swelled again as the next names were announced, but up on the platform, the air between the two men remained taut.Nikolai’s gaze drifted back toward the field, but his voice was laced with impatience. “It is not easy to raise the amount of capital required to build something self-sustaining in a country like this,” he said, and the commander went quiet. “Training facilities, weapons development, medical wings, private transport routes, expanded housing—none of that happens on optimism and tradition.”The commander’s jaw flexed, but no word seemed to escape his lips.Nikolai went on. “You call it leverage. Fine. Everything of valu
Chapter 135: Aftermath
“What just happened?” The question burst out of the crowd with the same force as the uproar that followed the end of the match. The boy who had spoken was already standing on his feet with one hand braced against the rail in front of him as if the arena itself had tilted beneath his feet. jHis eyes were fixed on the battlefield with disbelief, while the cheers and furious shouts of the audience crashed around him. Beside him, the self-proclaimed analyst who had spent the last ten minutes loudly promising everyone an easy victory sat frozen with his mouth slightly open; his earlier confidence had disappeared completely. “Y… You said Vincent would guarantee us a big win!” the boy snapped, turning on him as several students nearby leaned away. “You practically swore on your life he had it in the bag!” The analyst forced down a lump in his throat, and when he opened his mouth to mutter any word, none seemed to come out. Below them, the arena floor still held the evidence of h
Chapter 134: Impact
The impact sent his head jerking sideways, followed by the sound of a wild gasp escaping the crowd surrounding the arena. For a second the entire arena froze around, and Vincent staggered with widened eyes, his hand half-rising toward his face as though he could not quite believe what had just happened. Ryan had drawn first blood and not the tier-two favorite everyone had been shouting for. In one of the betting sections, a boy who had loudly defended Ryan before the match slapped both hands to his head. “What was that?" he shouted, voice cracking. “Did RW just hit him first?!”His friend, who had spent the last few minutes defending Vincent’s chances, looked equally shocked. “It’s too early. Vincent’s still got this. He just got careless.”The first boy stared at the arena with the hollow look of someone watching his money walk off a cliff. “I should have put my bet on RW.”Below them, Vincent touched his cheek, then looked at his fingers as if expecting to find an explanation ther
Chapter 133: Five Seconds
The burst was fast, aided by a technique that was both unique and familiar. The battle was intense and every turn radiant with energy, and yet Ryan slipped through every attack launched by his opponent.The starting bell had barely reached five seconds, and Vincent exploded again across the arena. One instant he stood near the center of the arena with a grin dripping from his tilted chin to his body blurring into motion. His speed made the front rows jolt upright. “Vincent!”The crowd loved the speed, and his name rolled through the stadium in violent waves, swelling into a chant that pressed down on the battlefield.Students pounded their hands against the spectator barrier while some had already risen to their feet watching the scene.Vincent came in low, with his first kick slicing toward Ryan’s ribs with enough force to split breath from lungs, but before that strike could even complete it, his hips turned, and the second leg followed, whipping around in a brutal crescent aimed f
Chapter 132: The Mask
He looked up to thank her but noticed she was already turning away."Try not to get hit in the face," she said. Then she disappeared into the shadows of the tunnel.Ryan stared after her. "No promises."A moment later it slid into place, and the mask fit was perfect. It was almost like a second skin. Taking a slow breath, Ryan began walking towards the other side. The darkness of the tunnel slowly gave way to sunlight, and the noise of the crowd grew louder until it became a thunderous storm.The moment he emerged from the tunnel, thousands of eyes landed on him. The arena stretched before him like a battlefield.Towering spectator stands surrounded the combat platform from every direction with flags waving in different directions.The voice of students screaming was assisted with heavy drums pounding rhythmically through the atmosphere.The commentator's amplified voice exploded through the speakers. "For our third match of the day!" He paused and then reciprocated the excitement. "
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