Kicked Out, I Rose as the Strongest Support

Chapter 6: The Roar of Sector Nine

The light projection from the recording crystal slowly dimmed, leaving the ruined dormitory room in the heavy silence of the night.

Darian Voss stood frozen amid the wreckage. He squeezed the old leather-bound journal in his hands, feeling the lingering warmth from the voices of his late parents.

The truth revealed by the heirloom set Darian's chest ablaze with emotion. His parents had foreseen that their family's true circuit would awaken only when the world turned its back and betrayed him.

However, the notes inside the leather journal specified one condition that had to be met. To train and unlock the next tier of the Potential Blooming Circuit, Darian needed a supply of Top-Tier Pure Aether Crystals.

Such rare materials commanded astronomical prices on the open markets of Metropolis Aethelgard. Darian ran swift calculations with his cold, analytical mind. At present, he was officially dead in the eyes of both the law and society.

All his academy savings had been looted by Bram Sterling's lackeys, and his official identification card was completely frozen. Without money and without an official identity, purchasing top-tier resources through legal channels was a sheer impossibility.

"I need significant capital in a short amount of time," Darian whispered softly.

Darian closed the old journal and stowed it securely inside the inner pocket of his coat. In this grand high-tech metropolis, there was only one place that offered mountains of cash without caring about a person's origins or identity.

Sector Nine.

An underground district of lawless pit fights ruled by the law of the jungle and crime.

An hour later, Darian stood at the mouth of an old drainage tunnel that served as the entrance to the forbidden territory. He wore a pitch-black trench coat that swayed gently in the cold night wind.

To conceal his identity, Darian wore a rough-patterned half-face iron mask covering the area from his eyes to his nose. Only his sharp jawline and firmly set lips were visible.

Beneath the folds of his coat, right over his chest, Pippo poked its tiny head out. The crystal fox's round eyes blinked as it stared into the pitch-black tunnel, thick with the stench of grease and chemicals.

"Stay hidden inside, Pippo. It can get wild down there," Darian whispered, gently patting his coat.

Pippo exhaled a warm breath against Darian's neck, letting out a soft squeak to signal its understanding.

Darian stepped firmly down the rusted iron staircase. Each step rang out with a steady rhythm, devoid of even a trace of hesitation. The moment he passed through the main gate of Sector Nine, the roaring clamor of the dense crowd assaulted his ears.

Red and purple neon lights flickered wildly atop run-down, metallic-floored slums. The heavy stench of cheap alcohol, Aether tobacco smoke, and dried blood saturated the humid underground air.

Massive holographic projection screens hovered between the gaps in the buildings, broadcasting schedules of bloody fights and wild gambling leaderboards. Thousands of spectators from every walk of life—from wanted criminals and mercenaries to corrupt officials—cheered hysterically as they watched the violent broadcasts on the screens.

Darian navigated the glass and concrete walkways packed with burly, weapon-toting figures. Behind his iron mask, his gaze remained calm, continuously tracking the movements of everyone around him.

The dual Aether circuits in his chest heightened his sensory awareness to sharp precision. Darian could even hear the heartbeats and malicious intents of a few thugs attempting to ambush him from alleyway shadows.

However, Darian's cold aura and calm, unwavering stride made those criminals hesitate and retreat into the shadows. Darian halted his steps before a multi-story concrete building featuring a massive wrought-iron door.

Above the door, a crystal-crowned skull insignia glowed brightly beneath a neon sign that read: THE BATTLE PIT.

Darian pushed open the heavy iron door and stepped into the arena's registration hall. The spacious room featured a concrete floor stained with old blood splatter.

Behind a heavily armored steel desk sat a massive, hulking man whose right arm had been replaced with a mechanical cybernetic assembly. The man's face was covered in sword scars, radiating the brutal aura of a veteran pit fighter.

The heavily built registrar looked up, sweeping a dismissive gaze over Darian's form from head to toe. A wide, mocking smirk instantly spread across his fierce face.

"What reckless brat wanders in at this hour?" the official grunted in a deep, raspy voice.

He leaned his massive body back against his steel chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A cheap iron mask, an oversized coat, and a body as frail as a dried twig," the registrar mocked, accompanied by bursts of laughter from two armed guards standing beside him.

"You think this is a playground for schoolkids, kid? Run along back home before your body gets carried out in a body bag!"

Darian wasn't shaken in the slightest by the aggressive intimidation. He stepped toward the registration desk with calm composure, slipping both hands into his coat pockets.

"I'm here to register for the Open Division," Darian said in a flat, icy tone.

The massive official burst into uproarious laughter, his muscular chest heaving up and down.

"The Open Division?!" he shouted, slamming his hand onto the steel desk with a sharp clang.

"You want to throw your life away for a few prize coins?! In the Open Division, there are no rules! Your opponent will shatter your bones and drink your blood in the middle of the ring!"

Darian stared directly at the registrar through the slits of his iron mask, his eyes reflecting a dangerously cold composure.

"Just register my name," Darian replied succinctly.

The massive official's laughter gradually died down. His fierce expression twisted into intense annoyance at Darian's complete lack of fear.

"Arrogant, clueless little bastard," the registrar muttered, anger beginning to flare in his chest.

He stood up from his seat, his towering frame over two meters tall casting a shadow over Darian. The man pointed a thick finger toward the corner of the room, where a massive, pitch-black metal sphere sat embedded in a heavy concrete foundation.

It was an S-Class Aether Measuring Orb—a specialized device crafted from reinforced layered steel designed to test a fighter's maximum energy output before granting entry into the ring. The device was notoriously durable, commonly used to gauge high-tier mercenaries without risk of damage.

"Before you forfeit your life in the ring, place your hand on that measuring orb!" the official barked harshly.

"If it glows faint blue, you can enter the lowest division. But if it doesn't react at all, my guards will dump you straight into the garbage pile outside!"

Darian walked slowly toward the massive metal sphere, standing before the cold, rigid S-Class Aether Measuring Orb. Darian's initial plan was quite simple.

He intended to channel just enough energy to pass the minimum requirement without drawing unnecessary attention. Darian raised his gloved hand, casually placing his palm against the metal sphere's surface.

However, inside his coat, Pippo caught the insulting tone the official had used against its master. The tiny crystal fox hated nothing more than seeing others look down on Darian.

Szzzt!

In a fluid, nimble motion, Pippo leaped out from the folds of Darian's coat. The crystal fox landed smoothly on Darian's right shoulder, unfurling its glistening transparent wings.

Before Darian could stop it, Pippo pressed its crystal forehead directly against the skin of Darian's neck.

BZZZZZZT!

An astonishing explosion of raw energy instantly ignited Darian's entire circuit network!

Boundless Support resonance surged violently from Pippo's forehead crystal, fusing with the dual gold circuits inside Darian's chest. Torrential waves of golden and blue energy burst forth like a raging flood breaching a dam.

The stream of pure energy surged out from Darian's palm, brutally hammering the core of the Aether Measuring Orb!

CRACK!

A deafening crack echoed through the registration room. The supposedly indestructible metal sphere vibrated violently until the concrete foundation beneath it split open.

The circuit lines inside the measuring orb flared with blinding brilliance, emitting intense golden light that scorched the surrounding air. The resulting pressure wave of Aether wind exploded outward in all directions, blowing paper off desks and knocking the two guards off their feet.

The hulking registrar's eyes widened in horror, the cigarette dropping from his mouth. His fierce face instantly turned deathly pale as he watched the S-Class metal sphere turn glowing red from an absurd energy overload.

"N-No way... Stop your energy right now—!" the official screamed in shrill panic.

However, Darian's Potential Blooming energy could no longer be contained.

BOOOOOOM!

A tremendous explosion tore through the corner of the room!

The S-Class Aether Measuring Orb shattered into thousands of burning metal shards that flew through the air. The explosive shockwave shattered every window in the room and burned out the monitor circuits across the desk.

WAAAAAIL! WAAAAAIL! WAAAAAIL!

Red alert emergency sirens blared loudly across every corner of Sector Nine. Rotating red lights spun wildly on the ceiling, bringing all fighting and gambling activities inside the underground arena to a sudden halt.

Plumes of golden smoke and metallic ash rose into the air around where Darian stood. Darian slowly drew his hand back, standing tall and serene amid the chaotic destruction he had just wrought.

Pippo hopped back beneath the folds of Darian's coat, poking its adorable face out as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, the giant official scrambled backward across the concrete floor, his body trembling violently and his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The ferocious man gripped his head, screaming hysterically over the deafening blare of the alarm sirens:

"Madman! Who the hell is this bastard?! He just pulverized an S-Class power measuring device with a single touch?!"