THE MAN WITH THE SSS RANK ABILITIES

Chapter 3: The Line Between Weak and Strong

A suffocating pressure filled the air. The Abyssal Fiend’s energy pulsed like a living nightmare, its presence alone enough to make the ground tremble beneath Leo’s feet. Dark tendrils slithered through the air, reaching toward him with deathly intent.

Leo’s breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screaming from the strain of his earlier awakening. Every fiber of his being told him to run, to get away from this monstrosity.

But he couldn’t move.

His body refused to listen. His mind raced, a desperate voice in the back of his head urging him to do something—anything.

Then, without thinking, he lunged forward.

“Haaah!”

His fist swung through the air, aiming for the center of the fiend’s core, hoping—praying—that his ability would activate, that whatever had stirred within him before would awaken again.

But the moment his fist made contact—

Nothing.

No power. No energy. No miracle.

His punch landed like a weak tap against the creature’s dark armor. The Abyssal Fiend didn’t even flinch.

Then—

Wham!

A shadowy limb shot forward, striking Leo square in the chest.

Crack!

His ribs screamed in agony as he was sent flying, crashing through the academy’s outer wall like a ragdoll. Dust and debris filled the air as he collapsed onto the cold ground, coughing up blood.

Pain. Searing, unbearable pain spread through his entire body. His vision blurred, his limbs refused to move, and the sound of ringing filled his ears.

So this was it.

So this was the gap between him and the real monsters of the world.

He was nothing.

The Abyssal Fiend let out a guttural growl, stepping forward, its clawed hand raised for the final blow.

Leo could only watch, powerless, as death loomed over him.

But then—

“Inferno Surge!”

A blazing column of fire erupted from the sky, slamming into the fiend with explosive force. The creature shrieked as flames engulfed its body, the dark energy around it crackling in resistance.

Leo's head jerked toward the source.

A lone figure stood atop the academy’s central tower, bathed in the glow of swirling embers. His white academy coat billowed behind him, his golden hair reflecting the fire’s brilliance like a prince out of legend.

Ethan Cross.

The Academy’s Number One.

The Prodigy.

And Leo’s worst nightmare.

Ethan leaped from the tower, landing smoothly between Leo and the fiend. His piercing blue eyes never wavered as he summoned another wave of fire, his palm glowing with immense heat.

“You really thought you could take that thing on?” Ethan scoffed without looking back. His voice dripped with amusement, but there was no humor in his eyes.

Leo gritted his teeth, coughing as he forced himself onto his elbows. He hated it. The condescension. The way Ethan stood in front of him like a true warrior, while he lay broken on the ground like some helpless bystander.

The Abyssal Fiend roared, dispersing the flames around its body. Its dark aura flared, tendrils coiling together to launch another devastating strike.

But Ethan didn’t flinch.

Instead, he raised his hand. The very air around him grew blisteringly hot.

“Solar Judgment.”

A massive sphere of fire condensed above Ethan’s palm, pulsing with concentrated power. The moment the fiend lunged forward—

Boom!

The fireball exploded in a blinding eruption of heat and force. The shockwave blasted through the academy grounds, sending waves of scorching energy outward.

The Abyssal Fiend let out a piercing shriek as its body burned away, its dark form disintegrating into ash. The tendrils withered, the suffocating pressure in the air vanishing as quickly as it had come.

Then, silence.

Only the flickering embers remained, dancing in the wind.

Ethan exhaled, dusting off his coat as if he had merely swatted a fly.

Meanwhile, Leo lay on the ground, gripping his broken ribs, his body refusing to move.

The gap between them… was suffocating.

“Pathetic,” Ethan muttered, finally turning toward him. He crouched down, his sharp gaze piercing into Leo’s soul. “You thought you were strong, huh? That you could be one of us?”

Leo clenched his fists, but his body was too weak to respond.

Ethan chuckled. “I saw it all. Your ‘awakening.’ Or whatever you think it was.” His voice lowered, growing dangerously sharp. “If you really had power, it would’ve saved you just now.”

A teacher walked in between Ethan and Leo. " That is enough, Ethan. As for you Leo, you disappointed me. I thought the awakening must have been a mistake. The system malfunctioning or maybe it was you. I had thought you were to anxious to prove to the whole school that you were ready but now I see that you are nothing but just a piece of thrash and garbage. Safe the self pity and go back to being the loser you are." the teacher said walking away from the scene.

Leonard wanted to talk but the pain in his body was so much that he could only look at Ethan who was basking in his new powers and the rest of the students who were looking at him like he went nothing.

Leo’s vision darkened at the edges, his injuries pulling him into unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw was Ethan’s cold smirk.

And the last thing he heard—

“Stay in your place, loser.”

Then, everything went black.