A ripple of tension spread through the cadets.

  From the benches, Speedy groaned.

  “Aw, man… they’re gonna die.”

  In Team Vitalis’ section, Thorn leaned forward.

  “He won’t take it easy on them. Not Varric.”

  ?

  Zone One sank into the depths, swallowed by shifting steel. Gasps chased the panels as they sealed the battlefield.

  Sunstrike tilted her head back, wide-eyed.

  “This tech… it’s like the field folds into the earth.”

  Halo and Arcline exchanged a look, awe mirrored in silence.

  Up in the stands, Ayasha tracked Sunstrike, steady.

  You got this, Sunstrike.

  The platform rose into a maze of stacked containers. A crane arced overhead, hook swaying; beyond the walls, the muted rush of water ringed the yard.

  [DEADZONE PROTOCOL MATCH THREE: TEAM SNAPBACK VS CAPTAIN IRONCLAD]

  ?

  At the far end of the yard, an empty freight hangar loomed—corrugated steel walls, windows blacked by salt and grime. Inside, Snapback sat bound to a chair, smirk intact. Varric stood in front of him—cold-eyed, still as forged iron. Tension in the room was thick, as if the two had history.

  Steel fog crawled between the stacked containers, each tower stamped with fading serial numbers and orange rust lines. The air smelled of brine and oil. Floodlights hung high, cutting narrow white paths through the mist.

  [ENTERING ZONE TWO — TEAM SNAPBACK]

  ?

  Team Snapback moved in quietly—Halo first, Arcline behind her, Sunstrike last.

  [9:59]

  Halo’s calm voice broke the silence.

  “Alright. Let’s test these upgrades before things get loud.”

  She tapped the switches along her gloves.

  TCHK! TCHK!

  Light-blue veins crawled across the metal fabric, humming to life.

  Sunstrike arched a brow.

  “Those things actually work?”

  Halo smirked faintly.

  “D.C. said they should boost my striking power by fifty percent.”

  Arcline cracked his knuckles.

  “If that’s true, we might be unstoppable.”

  They started forward, boots whispering on wet metal.

  “Stop,” Halo murmured, raising a hand.

  “Arcline—take the lights.”

  He nodded. His eyes flickered yellow; a current sparked down his arm—

  TSHHH–ZAP!

  His aura flashed gold-white with hints of blue before he pulled it back under control.

  — Niche Activated: Current Break —

  A human conductor, absorbing electricity and unleashing it through reflex-guided arcs, lashes, punches, or surges.

  Sunstrike hissed quietly.

  “Calm down. We don’t want them knowing we’re here.”

  Arcline exhaled, steadying the voltage, and gripped a loose cable. Electricity surged through it—

  BZT! BZT! BZT!

  —popping each floodlight one by one down the lane. Darkness swallowed the corridor.

  “Good job,” Halo said. “Keep it silent if we can.”

  They crept deeper between steel walls, crates towering like mausoleums. Night wind howled faintly through the gaps.

  “Shh,” Sunstrike whispered. “I hear something.”

  They slipped between containers just as two Veritas soldiers came down the path, flashlights sweeping over the blacked-out row.

  “They have to be here,” one muttered. “These lights don’t just die like that.”

  The beams passed within inches of their faces—then moved on.

  Sunstrike and Arcline slid from cover in sync.

  THWK!

  A sharp elbow from Sunstrike to the neck.

  ZAP!

  A precise jolt from Arcline to the back.

  Both dropped soundlessly.

  Sunstrike turned, voice low.

  “Idiot. Stop using your Niche recklessly—we still have to fight Captain Varric.”

  Arcline grinned, tugging his zipper down to reveal a faintly glowing chest strap.

  “Relax. I’ve got this.”

  ?

  Up in the stands, A.C.’s voice broke through the static.

  “That’s the Charge Synch Harness! It delays fatigue by balancing his internal voltage!”

  ?

  Back on the ground, Sunstrike folded her arms.

  “I don’t care what you’re wearing—save it for him. You saw how drained Team Seraph looked.”

  Arcline’s grin faded.

  “Got it.”

  Halo looked up, scanning the yard.

  “We don’t know how many soldiers are here. Stay alert.”

  Above, a massive crane groaned—

  GRRRR–CHUNK!

  —rolling its rail, shifting containers from the back of the yard to the front. Halo’s eyes followed its rhythm, a thought forming.

  She didn’t share it yet.

  “Let’s move. We need to reach the other side.”

  Arcline frowned.

  “Isn’t the Captain that way?”

  “Trust me.”

  He nodded and blasted another short circuit of lights—

  BZT! BZT! BZT!

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  —clearing their route forward.

  But a shadow rose behind him.

  THWACK!

  A rifle butt slammed the back of his head. He hit the ground hard, sparks scattering from his palm.

  “Arcline!”

  Sunstrike’s voice snapped—fire hit her veins before she could stop it.

  Her eyes flashed bright yellow, then burned red-orange—

  FWOOOSH–KHHHH!

  A roaring flame aura erupted around her limbs—wild, feral, snapping like a storm made of embers.

  — Niche Activated: Burn Wake —

  Generates intense friction and heat, leaving ignitable trails of high-pressure air; can burst from punches.

  Up in the stands, Lior leaned forward.

  “Remind me never to make her mad.”

  Ayasha crossed her arms.

  “It’s her protective instinct. She’s always had it.”

  Sunstrike blurred forward—

  FWOOF–THM!

  Her flaming fist crashed into the soldier’s chest, launching him into a crate with a thunderclap of heat.

  Another guard leveled his rifle. Before he could fire, Halo’s silhouette cut across—

  THNK!

  Her glove lit on impact as she punched him clean off his feet.

  She blinked at her hand, astonished.

  “Awesome.”

  Behind her, Arcline staggered up, blood trickling down his temple.

  “Well,” he muttered, rubbing his head, “I’ll stop calling you ‘shrimp’ from now on.”

  Halo tilted her head with a half-smile.

  “Good idea.”

  Sunstrike exhaled, flame dimming. She wobbled; Arcline caught her arm.

  “Hey, keep those emotions in check.”

  She gave him a tired grin.

  “Then don’t get hit again.”

  “Deal.”

  Another soldier rounded the corner—Arcline’s eyes flashed yellow, electricity leaping.

  ZZZRRRP–THUD!

  One lightning-charged punch wrapped him in voltage and dropped him flat.

  Sunstrike smirked.

  “So who needs to control their emotions now?”

  Arcline didn’t look back.

  “Yeah… sorry about that.”

  Halo stepped ahead, pointing toward the far end of the lane.

  “There.”

  Sunstrike squinted.

  “What?”

  “Wait for it,” Halo said.

  The crane’s groan grew louder—

  RRRR–KLANG!

  A massive hook descended, locking onto a container and lifting it skyward toward the opposite side of the yard.

  Halo tugged them close.

  “I have a plan.”

  She brought them into a huddle.

  ?

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Sunstrike asked.

  “It’s the only way,” Halo said.

  Arcline’s thumb popped up.

  “You’ve always been stronger than you think.”

  They split with purpose.

  Halo had mapped the crane’s pull cycle—not the unload point, the dip.

  She took the risk, hopping onto the hook as it dropped a container.

  The crane carried her across; below, Arcline and Sunstrike made noise by design, dragging eyes and drones away.

  The cable groaned and lowered her behind Varric and Snapback, the cargo wall screening her approach. She slipped to cover behind the building, ?

  Out front, the clang of boots on metal ended stealth.

  Varric stepped from shadow, posture loose, gaze sharp.

  “Ready?” Sunstrike hissed.

  “Always,” Arcline said, sparks crawling once more.

  They hit together—flame and voltage. Varric tilted, redirected, punished: Sunstrike’s wrist caught and torqued into a cargo wall; Arcline’s charged fist met a forearm, the current rolled off, a knee crushed his air and dumped him.

  They rose and crashed again—detonations scarring scaffolds, arcs buzzing between beams. Varric flowed through it, counters stacking damage.

  Arcline drove in hard, electric lines coiling his hands.

  Varric sidestepped, hammered a short cross that sent Arcline sliding, limp for a breath.

  Then the word landed.

  “Worthless.”

  The word hit harder than the blow.

  The steel yard faded—suddenly he was six again, barefoot on the marble floor of his father’s palace. Potestas soldiers filled the hall, rifles gleaming beneath chandeliers.

  ?

  Arcline's father’s voice cut through the panic.

  “Take him. He’s your yours. Tell Potestas this is a gift from the country of Brazil.”

  Arcline twisted toward his mother.

  “Mom, please—!”

  Her eyes didn’t even tremble.

  “He’s worthless. We have five more sons.”

  Rough hands seized him, a hood dropped over his head; the world became boots and dragging feet.

  He couldn’t see, but could hear the waters crashing of water. The had sound he had heard thousands of times and he knew exactly where they were—

  The Shipyard.

  One of the soldiers grabbed squeezed his neck, causing his knees to buckle.

  “Toss him in under the boat and lock the door.”

  Then—

  THUD! CRACK!

  Shouting. Gunfire. Bodies hitting tile.

  Then there was silence.

  A young man’s voice tore through it.

  “You’re safe now, kid.”

  The hood ripped away— It was Snapback. His grin, calmness lit up the night.

  ?

  The memory bled into another—dirt under his cheek, Veritas yard sunlight burning his back.

  I’m worthless!

  Snapback’s shadow fell over him, firm and steady.

  “Taking the opinions of people who don’t care about you is letting trash decide your worth. The only time someone’s truly worthless… is when he chooses to believe it.”

  ?

  The visions added as Arcline’s usual grin turned into a more determined smirk.

  His eyes flashed yellow. He pushed up, breath ragged.

  “Why would you think your words mean anything to me?”

  Behind the hangar, Halo broke from position—not for the ropes—but toward Varric. Her eyes flickered yellow for the first time.

  SHIIIII—TIIIING!

  A soft, mist-blue glow unfurled around her like a dream.

  — Niche Activated: Cloud Memory —

  Blurs vision, distorts equilibrium upon touch or focused intent.

  Her palm brushed his forearm.

  Varric’s balance tilted.

  “Now!”

  Arcline drove forward, fist crackling—

  ZZZRRRP–THUD!

  —into Varric’s gut.

  Sunstrike cut past; Burn Wake bloomed—

  FWOOM!

  The shockwave dropped him to one knee.

  Arcline vaulted on a magnetic burst and hammered down—

  ZZZRRRP–THUD!

  Varric’s head snapped sideways; he caught himself on a palm.

  For a heartbeat, the arena roared. Titan’s arms folded; Team Seraph leaned in; Pulse and Vitalis shouted; even Ironclad’s faces cracked with surprise.

  Varric’s pupils flared yellow.

  The storm came back twice as mean—

  WHUD–THMP! to the gut, KRASH–THUD! overhand.

  Sunstrike caught mid-rush—

  FWOOOSH–CLANG!

  Halo darted—

  WHAP–THWUNK!

  —skidding—

  SKRRR–RRT!

  Varric loomed, fist cocked over Arcline—

  Wvrmm… Wvrmm…

  CHMP!

  —and never landed it.

  Space trembled, air bowing like heat off a blade. Distortion rippled into a human outline catching the punch mid-fall.

  Snapback.

  His palm held Varric’s fist. The world bent around him, edges miraging, each pulse disturbing reality’s anchor points. Pressure pressed on lungs and balance; even the stands felt it.

  Arcline stared up, stunned. Sunstrike froze mid-rise. Halo paused—a beat of awe.

  Varric’s iron-gray eyes narrowed. He hadn’t seen this in years.

  ?

  In Team Edge’s section, Valor leaned forward, voice rattled.

  “I didn’t know he was that strong.”

  Kaito didn’t shift.

  “You should see his Awakening.”

  ?

  The distortion deepened—

  Wvrmm… Wvrmm…

  —a heartbeat that didn’t belong to flesh. Every onlooker understood:

  If Snapback wanted to crush the man in front of him, he could.

  THOOM!

  Titan dropped between them, boots cracking steel, a hand on each shoulder. No ripple. No quake. Just gravity that set the room back on its rails.

  Snapback’s pressure folded into stillness.

  ?

  Above, Lior looked at the screen, then to his left.

  “When did he…”

  Back below, Varric’s gaze cooled.

  “Not worth my time.”

  Snapback’s grin edged back.

  “Good. ’Cause if it were… you wouldn’t have much time left.”

  BZZZT!

  [ROUND 2: COMPLETE]

  [TEAM SNAPBACK: PASSED.]

  The replay bloomed overhead: during the clash, Halo’s hand slipped behind Snapback, untying his wrists in a soft blur while the captains stared each other down.

  The stands erupted. Titan’s, Pulse’s, and Vitalis’s cheers hit first; Grid shook his head, impressed; Ironclad hid surprise poorly.

  Snapback crouched beside Arcline.

  “Did… did we win?” Arcline rasped.

  Snapback’s grin widened.

  “I don’t think I could’ve done a better job myself.”

  Then softer:

  “Now let’s go celebrate.”

  They rose together—Arcline leaning on Snapback, Sunstrike and Halo behind, battered but unbroken—and the noise that met them felt different than before.

  The cheers carried through Sigma Hall, loud enough to drown the world beyond.

  Inside the academy, cadets fought for pride.

  Beyond its walls, power shifted in silence.

  End of Chapter 31