After an hour of tense waiting, an announcement echoed through the arena:
"Both combatants from the previous match are stable and recovering."
The crowd exhaled in relief.
The Hero Class cheered softly.
Even the teachers visibly relaxed.
A short break followed… and then, the screens flickered alive again.
The next match details appeared:
MATCH 4 — KAINE KAISER vs MIRA GOLDHART
A ripple of excitement swept through the audience.
Kaine—
the quiet, stoic meterial-assimilator.
A boy of few words, but immense potential.
Mira—
the sunshine of the class.
Always smiling, always bright, always cheering for others.
A strange pairing.
A mysterious one.
And the crowd loved it.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Before the Match*
Backstage, Mira bounced on her toes, waving at her classmates.
"Wish me luck!! I'm gonna do my best!"
"Don't overdo it, Mira," Rain said.
"You got this!" Bam added.
Roger—still bandaged—thumbs-upped dramatically.
"Go, Sunshine Girl! Show him the power of positivity!"
Mira giggled.
Kaine stood quietly in the corner, hands in his pockets, eyes lowered.
He wasn't rude.
He was simply… shy.
Mira walked over, smiling warmly.
"Kaine! Let's have a fun match, okay?"
Kaine froze.
"...Y-Yes. Fun. Match."
His voice cracked twice.
Mira giggled again.
"You're cute when you panic."
Kaine turned red enough to be mistaken for overheating metal.
Then—
*"Combatants, please enter the arena."*
Their moment ended.
It was time.
◆ ◆ ◆
The Arena Lights Blaze
Kaine stepped out first, calm and composed.
Mira followed, practically bouncing with energy, waving at the audience.
Hologram panels displayed their abilities:
KAINE KAISER — Nexas: Material Assimilation*
MIRA GOLDHART — Nexas: Ability Mimic (Inferior Copy)*
Students whispered:
"Who did she copy today?"
"It could be Astra's power!"
"No way, she's not strong enough to copy Astra…"
"Maybe Rain?"
"Or Roger?"
"Oh god, imagine if she copied Selene. Chaos."
Kaine tightened his grip on the small iron fragment in his palm.
He had no idea what she copied today.
So he prepared for everything.
"Combatants," the referee called out.
"Begin!"
◆ ◆ ◆
*Kaine vs Mira — Sunshine Strikes*
Kaine instantly placed the iron piece against his arm—
*SHRRRING—!!*
His entire body transformed into iron in one seamless wave.
A living statue of metal.
Dense. Heavy. Nearly impenetrable.
Mira blinked.
"Whoa… you look so shiny!"
Kaine didn't answer.
He stepped forward with a heavy *THUD*, testing distance carefully.
He had no offense advantage.
So he aimed to win by sheer endurance.
*If she copied a weak support ability… I can take her down without hurting her…*
But Mira didn't look scared.
In fact—she smiled brightly.
"Kaine… I'm sorry in advance!"
He paused.
"…Sorry?"
Mira jumped.
HIGH. Straight towards him.
With perfect timing, she wrapped her arms around his torso and **held on tight.**
Kaine froze.
"Wh—what are you—?!"
Mira shouted:
"WEIGHT SHIFT—FIFTY TIMES!!"
**BOOOOOOOM—!!!**
Kaine's body slammed into the ground with catastrophic force, cracking the arena tiles beneath him.
The audience gasped in unison.
"She copied GRAY!?"
"No way!"
"But her version must be weaker, right?"
"That's still insane!"
Kaine struggled—
But his iron body, multiplied in weight fiftyfold, refused to move even an inch.
He gritted his teeth.
*I can't… lift… anything…!*
Mira panted, trembling from exertion.
Copying Gray's Nexas required both massive energy and control she barely had.
Her legs were shaking.
Her arms burned.
Her breath came out ragged.
But she didn't let go.
"Sorry… Kaine…!
I said I'd give it my best…!"
And with that—
Kaine's movements finally ceased.
He couldn't stand.
He couldn't retaliate.
He was immobilized.
The referee raised his hand.
"Kaine Kaiser can't move Mira Goldhart Wins!!"
The stadium erupted in cheers.
"Sunshine Girl wins!!"
"She beat a metal user!?"
"She's insane!"
"What a matchup!"
Mira released Kaine and dropped to her knees, exhausted.
"I… did it…!"
Kaine remained stuck to the floor like a very embarrassed metal pancake.
◆ ◆
*Gray to the Rescue*
Instructors rushed in—
but Mira looked mortified.
"I—I can't undo it!! Gray's ability is too strong!!"
Kaine groaned weakly.
"Please… someone… help."
Gray stood up from the stands.
"I'll handle it."
He hopped the barrier and jogged onto the arena.
Kaine, face-down and immobile, whispered:
"Don't. Say. A word."
Gray smirked.
He touched Kaine's back—
and gently returned his weight to normal.
Kaine sprang up instantly—
Then quickly pretended nothing happened.
Mira waddled over.
"Sorry Kaine…! I didn't mean to "
Kaine turned red again.
"No, no, it was… good. Match. Very good. Painful. But good."
The crowd laughed.
Mira giggled and gave a tiny bow.
"Thank you!"
◆ ◆ ◆
**The Calm Before the Final Round Two Match**
Students flooded the arena floor, chatting about the fight.
"That was adorable!"
"Kaine is definitely scared of Mira now."
"She jumped on him like a koala."
"Better than Roger screaming yesterday."
But one thought echoed among them all—
*Only one match remained.*
One match the entire nation was waiting for.
*Astra Noire vs Raze Arcwell*
The golden prodigy
vs
the boy with no Nexas.
The strongest natural talent
vs
the strongest determination.
Everyone whispered about it.
Everyone held their breath for it.
And for the second day in a row—
Nightveil did nothing.
No message.
No attack.
No shadow lurking behind the screen.
People began to whisper…
"Maybe he won't attack…"
"Maybe he doesn't care about the tournament anymore?"
"Maybe he already proved his point…"
As hope returned to the city—
The day ended quietly.
Peacefully.
But peace never lasted long in Nexara.
***************************
Two full days of the second round had passed.
Two days of battles.
Two days of cheering crowds.
Two days of peaceful, uninterrupted matches…
And two days without a single appearance from Nightveil.
A strange, uneasy calm settled over Nexara.
People whispered that maybe—just maybe—the threat was gone.
But no one truly believed that.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Evening at the Arcwell Estate*
After watching the Second match of the day, Raze returned home with a heavy heart.
Tomorrow was the final match of Round Two.
*Astra Noire vs Raze Arcwell*
The world already considered Astra the certain winner.
A prodigy powerful enough to stop a falling meteor.
A girl born with a gift far beyond humanity.
And Raze… had no Nexas.
He stood alone in the reinforced training chamber, the Starbreaker suit glowing faintly around him.
He clenched his fists.
"Just a little more output control… if I can stabilize the radiation flow, I might… *might* be able to keep up with her speed."
He activated the Starbreaker's internal core—
**WHRRRRRMMMM—**
Blue-white Abyss Alloy energy surged through the suit, rippling outward like a heartbeat.
Raze gritted his teeth and adjusted the flow.
"Come on… come on… hold steady—"
A spark of unstable radiation jittered—
Then steadied.
He exhaled in relief.
But then—
"Raze."
Luna stepped into the chamber, arms crossed, watching him with sharp eyes.
"You're pushing too hard."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that before collapsing."
Raze said nothing.
Luna stepped beside him and tapped his helmet lightly.
"Listen… we all know Astra is strong. That's not the point."
Raze lowered his gaze.
Luna continued softly:
"You always underestimate yourself. But you've grown more than any of us. Don't forget that."
Raze nearly smiled.
From the corner, Lily sat with her plush toys, legs swinging.
"Big brother's gonna win because he's the coolest!"
Raze sighed.
"That's not how battles work, Lily."
"It's how *my* battles work."
Her logic once again meant nothing and everything at the same time.
Raze laughed under his breath and turned back to his training.
Tomorrow… he would face Astra.
Tomorrow… he would show everything he had.
Even if the world believed he had no chance.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Inside Principal Leonel's Office*
While Raze trained, a far more serious atmosphere filled the academy.
Principal Leonel sat at the head of the table, surrounded by top instructors, security chiefs, and several hero operatives.
Stern faces.
Cold silence.
A single problem tying them all together.
Nightveil.
An instructor spoke first:
"Nightveil has done nothing so far. Not a message. Not a disturbance. No sightings."
Another added:
"This silence… it's unnatural."
Titanheart, arms crossed, replied:
"Nightveil doesn't disappear. He waits. He plans. If he intends to strike again, he will choose a moment that guarantees maximum impact."
The room fell quiet.
Principal Leonel nodded gravely.
"And tomorrow… is the perfect moment."
A projection displayed the match list.
**Round Two Final Match — Astra Noire vs Raze Arcwell**
The strongest natural talent.
The boy with the mysterious technological suit.
Two rising stars of the academy.
A match the entire nation would watch.
Leonel spoke, voice low:
"If Nightveil intends to disrupt the tournament, tomorrow is the most strategic moment."
Instructors stiffened.
"So we should expect something?"
Leonel shook his head.
"We prepare for the possibility. Not the certainty. But—"
He tapped the table.
"Everyone will be on high alert. Barrier engineers, security bots, hero operatives on standby. No blind spots. No assumptions."
He looked around the room.
"Tomorrow, we protect the academy with everything we have."
They all nodded solemnly.
◆ ◆ ◆
*The Night Before*
At the Arcwell estate, training gradually slowed.
Raze powered down the Starbreaker, chest rising with exhausted breaths.
Luna handed him a towel.
"Tomorrow's big," she said.
Raze nodded.
"…Yeah."
She smirked lightly.
"Don't embarrass the Arcwell name."
"Thanks for the emotional support."
Luna laughed and ruffled his hair.
Lily ran over, hugging him tightly.
"Good luck tomorrow!"
Raze crouched and hugged her back.
"Thanks, Lily."
Outside the window, Nexara's skyline glowed softly—
peaceful, gentle, silent.
Too silent.
The world held its breath again.
Tomorrow would decide more than a winner.
Tomorrow would show whether peace was real…
or just the quiet before the storm.
And with that thought, the night passed.