The hall was silent, the air thick with anticipation. Logan stood at one end of the battle stage, his dark green hoodie slightly billowing as the tension in the room grew. Across from him, Kelvin, Nero, and Briggs radiated raw power. Their auras crackled like caged storms, waiting to be unleashed. Even the teachers in the room—Dvalin, Kael, Vorden, and Agrona—watched with keen interest, each having their own thoughts.
"I admire his guts," Vorden muttered under his breath, arms folded. "But three against one… this isn't a battle. It's a statement."
Agrona adjusted her glasses, eyes flickering with curiosity. "I wonder… Does he have something planned?"
Kael shook his head. "If he did, it won't be enough."
Dvalin, however, grinned. "He wouldn't do this without a plan. I'll bet my beard he's going to surprise us."
Vorden sighed. "That's a long beard to lose."
The murmurs of the crowd grew louder, some shouting encouragement, others calling for Logan's humiliation.
Jay and Kara sat with bated breath, while Roy watched silently, arms crossed. Mellissa, who had doubted Logan, couldn't deny the intrigue that built in her gut.
"Let's see what you got, Logan."
________________________________________
The battle began in a flash.
Nero was the first to move. A gust of wind burst from beneath his feet as he shot forward, his sword gleaming. Logan barely had time to sidestep before Kelvin unleashed a barrage of fireballs. The searing heat forced Logan to leap backward, only to be met by Briggs, who lunged with a beastly swipe of his transformed claws.
The impact was devastating.
Logan barely raised his arms in time, but the force of Briggs' claw sent him skidding across the stage. His hoodie was torn, and blood dripped from his arm. The audience erupted.
"He's already losing!"
"This is a massacre!"
Kael scoffed. "This wasn't even a fight."
Dvalin, however, watched keenly. "He's observing… just like I thought."
Logan coughed, shaking his head. "Alright," he muttered, activating his AeroDarts. The tiny drones buzzed into the air, invisible to the crowd, scanning the opponents' muscle movements and feeding data into his visor.
Kelvin was preparing another spell.
Nero adjusted his stance.
Briggs was ready to pounce.
Logan smiled. "Let's see if you're predictable."
As Kelvin unleashed a roaring fire blast, Logan moved—but not backward. He lunged forward, diving beneath the flame and sliding between Nero's legs. The moment Nero turned, Logan activated his Holo-Slip Decoy.
A flicker.
A fake image of Logan appeared a second behind him, tricking Nero into slashing the hologram. Logan capitalized, elbowing Nero in the ribs before grappling upward with his Grapple-Strider. He launched himself over Kelvin's head just as Briggs swiped, missing by inches.
"Damn it!" Briggs snarled, his claws slashing through air.
The crowd gasped. For a moment, Logan wasn't just surviving—he was controlling the fight.
Vorden leaned forward. "Interesting."
Agrona's eyes shined. "He's reading them."
Kael grunted. "Still, he can't keep dodging forever."
And they were right.
Kelvin snarled, suddenly twisting his wrist. Flames erupted beneath Logan, engulfing him mid-air. Logan barely activated his PulseGuard, sending out a mana pulse that disrupted the flames long enough for him to land.
But that was when Nero struck.
A powerful wind-propelled kick slammed into Logan's ribs, sending him flying. He crashed hard, his body rolling across the stage. Blood dripped from his mouth. His breath was ragged.
"LOGAN!" Kara screamed.
Jay's fists clenched. "Come on, man… get up."
Briggs cracked his knuckles, grinning. "You're done."
Kelvin and Nero smirked, stepping forward as Logan struggled to his knees.
For the first time, the audience hesitated. Even those who mocked him were starting to feel pity.
Mellissa sighed. "This is over."
Dvalin, however, kept grinning. "No. It's about to begin."
Logan exhaled and smiled.
The audience gasped as he pulled out a small metal wire from his glove and stabbed it into the ground.
Briggs lunged—
And suddenly screamed.
His body seized, muscles locking up as electricity surged through him. Logan had lured him straight into his Arc-Tether Tripwire.
"What—?!" Kelvin's eyes widened as Briggs dropped to his knees, the backlash sending waves of pain through his essence channels.
Many from room A instantly recognized what happened, a few days ago he had been interrupted facing similar backlash and seeing Logan with something that can trigger it at his will made it terrifying to them.
"Wow, he actually did something as wicked as that" Agrona said with her eyes gleaming with surprise.
Logan stood, wiping blood from his lip. "One down."
Kelvin, furious, threw a roaring fireball. Logan barely dodged, rolling behind him and igniting another Tripwire that he had planted.
A second later, Kelvin screamed as the device activated, sending a shockwave through his mana circuits.
The audience exploded in shock.
"He planned this the whole time?!"
Vorden smirked. "Brilliant."
Agrona adjusted her glasses. "He let them believe they had won… and laid his traps in the chaos."
Kael exhaled. "Tch. Maybe I underestimated him."
Nero, realizing his comrades were down, surged forward with a desperate final strike. His sword gleamed as he poured everything into a single blow.
Logan let him come.
As the blade struck—
Logan twisted his body at the last moment, sacrificing his arm. A sickening crunch echoed as his forearm took the impact, breaking instantly.
But Logan didn't flinch.
With his free hand, he jammed an AeroDart directly into Nero's chest.
A surge of energy coursed through the dart, disrupting Nero's wind essence, sending him collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Silence.
Then—
"LOGAN WINS!!"
The hall exploded in cheers and disbelief. Jay leapt to his feet, screaming. "That's my guy!" He sprinted forward, embracing Logan despite his injuries. Kara, who had been shaking the whole time, ran after him, nearly tackling Logan in relief.
Even Mellissa was stunned. She turned to look at Angus, who had been watching silently.
She silently approached him in the chaos "So… you knew?"
Angus chuckled, running his fingers through his silver hair. "I had a hunch."
Dvalin roared with laughter. "I knew it! I knew that brat had it in him!"
Kael sighed; arms crossed. "He actually pulled it off."
Agrona was silent for a moment before whispering, "That boy… is dangerous."
Logan, bloodied and exhausted, smiled as he looked at the defeated opponents. He turned to Vorden, who simply smirked.
"Never doubted you," Vorden said.
Logan smirked back. "Liar."