The stadium was louder than it had ever been.
The last match of the preliminary stage.The one the world had been waiting for.
Screens across Vornis showed the same headline:
"THE POWERLESS STUDENT'S FIRST REAL FIGHT — RAZE ARCWELL VS VOXEN HALE!"
People everywhere—cafés, streets, homes, academies—gathered to watch a boy with no Nexas walk into a battlefield designed to break gifted students.
Even the commentary desks couldn't contain themselves:
"Will he rely on equipment?"
"Can he even survive against Voxen?"
"A powerless kid made it this far… this is history in the making."
Inside the academy stadium, the students felt the pressure firsthand.
Bam clenched his fists.Roger bounced with nervous energy.Rain whispered, "Raze… please be careful."Astra simply watched, expression unreadable, eyes sharp.
On the topmost VIP balcony, Raze's family sat together.
Roland Arcwell's jaw was tight.Rose clasped her hands in prayer.Little Lily waved a tiny handmade flag with "GO BIG BROTHER!" scribbled on it.
And Luna Arcwell…
She exhaled shakily.
"Don't get hurt," she whispered. "Or I will destroy this entire tournament."
The Announcement
The stadium lights dimmed.
Spotlights shot across the arena floor.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer boomed,
"THE FINAL PRELIMINARY MATCH…HAS…BEGUN!"
A collective roar shook the air.
"And stepping onto the stage…The boy who defied the entrance exam…The student who ranked FIRST in theory…The only candidate with no Nexas—RAZE ARCWELL!!"
The Unveiling of the Suit
Raze stepped out from the tunnel.
Gasps rippled instantly.
He wasn't wearing the a normal prototype hero suits, like other students.
Instead—
He wore a dark navy combat suit, sleek and seamless, matte and metallic at the same time. Lines of faint cobalt light pulsed across its surface like veins. The material almost shimmered with a depth that didn't belong to normal metals.
Whispers erupted.
"That suit… is that Arcsteel?"
"No—look at the sheen—could that be Abyss Alloy!?"
"Impossible. Abyss Alloy is banned for personal use!"
"I thought only the government has rights to it!"
The teachers exchanged glances. Professor Celeste narrowed her eyes.
"Arcwell… what did you forge?"
Even Astra leaned forward slightly.
Raze walked calmly toward the center of the arena.
On his back—two batons locked into magnetic sheathes. Dark. Denser than steel.Hum of power faintly audible only to those closest.
The suit wasn't flashy.
But it was terrifying.
Voxen Hale, already standing in the arena, swallowed when he saw it.
Voxen Hale — The Iron Challenger
Voxen Hale had trained all his life.
Martial arts from childhood.Years of discipline.And a Nexas that allowed him to convert his arms into any hard metal up to his elbows.
Steel. Titanium. Tungsten.
He bowed respectfully.
"Raze Arcwell. It is an honor."
Raze stopped a few steps away, hands loose at his sides.
"The honor is mine."
Voxen studied the suit once more.
"You look… ready."
Raze exhaled softly.
"I have to be."
The arena crackled with tension.
A Short Exchange Before War
Voxen shifted into a fighting stance.
"You know… people underestimate you. But I don't. If I let my guard down, I'll lose."
Raze smiled faintly.
"Good. I don't plan to give you a chance to relax."
Voxen chuckled.
"You talk like someone with Nexas."
Raze's eyes sharpened.
"No. I talk like someone who trained twice as hard to survive without one."
A roar rose from the seats.
The Match Begins
The announcer's hand dropped.
"BEGIN!"
Voxen moved instantly—his right arm shifting with a grinding metallic noise.
TUNGSTEN.
The heaviest, hardest form he could manage.
"HAH!"
His arm blurred forward, aiming to smash Raze with a force that could dent armored vehicles.
Students screamed.
"He's going for a full-force tungsten strike!?""He'll break Raze's bones!!"
Even teachers rose from their seats.
Luna stood up instantly.
"DON'T YOU DARE—!!"
But—
The impact never landed.
Because Raze didn't dodge.
Raze didn't flinch.
Raze blocked it.
With his bare hand.
The Shock Heard Around the Stadium
BOOOOM—!!
A thunderous shockwave blasted outward.
Dust exploded around both fighters.
When it settled—
Raze stood firm.Feet planted.One hand gripping Voxen's tungsten fist as if catching a ball.
Silence.
Utter. Disbelieving. Silence.
Then—
"WHAT!?""HE BLOCKED A TUNGSTEN STRIKE!?""How—HOW—!? He has no Nexas!""Is his SUIT doing that!?"
Voxen's eyes trembled.
"H-How… how did you…? That was my strongest form!"
Raze's arm throbbed under the suit, but he didn't show it.
Instead, he tightened his grip.
"It wasn't your strike that scared me."
He leaned forward.
"It was the thought of losing."
Voxen's legs shook under the pressure.
Students erupted into screaming chaos.
"His SUIT—what the hell is that suit!?""He didn't even DRAW HIS BATONS!""He blocked TUNGSTEN with HIS ARM!!""That suit—there's no way it's normal alloy!"
On the teacher's platform, Celeste whispered:
"Not Arcsteel alone… something else is embedded… but that shimmer—don't tell me—"
Astra narrowed her eyes, expression sharpening.
"That's not regular equipment."
Why Didn't He Use His Weapons?
Behind Raze, the twin batons remained untouched.
People noticed.
"He could've used his weapons…""Then why block with his HAND!?""Is his suit really that powerful?"
Rain covered her mouth.
"That wasn't the suit alone… that was Raze."
Roger shouted from the stands:
"THAT'S MY BOY! SHOW THEM WHAT THE POWERLESS CAN DO!!"
Raze's Calm Answer
Voxen staggered back, clutching his numb tungsten fist as it reverted to skin.
"Haa… haa… Raze… why didn't you use your weapons? Why block something so dangerous with your hand?"
Raze removed his hand from the air, shaking it out once.
He lifted his eyes.
Calm. Controlled. Determined.
"Because I needed to know," he said quietly.
Voxen blinked.
"Know… what?"
Raze stepped forward.
"That even without Nexas…even with just training, willpower, and this suit—I can still stand against someone who was born stronger than me."
The stadium erupted into thunderous roars.
Raze lifted his fists.
"Now, Voxen… let's fight seriously."
Voxen smiled—exhausted, impressed, and fired up.
"Yes. Let's."
The world held its breath.
The powerless boy had just rewritten expectations—
and the real battle was only about to begin.