Bound by power ; Two friends with S rank skill

Seven days slipped by like a shooting star.

The arena buzzed with anticipation, the stands packed with students and instructors alike. Whispers spread like wildfire—today wasn't just any duel. This was a clash destined to shake Zelbert Academy.

In the locker room, Rey tightened the straps of his armor: a striking red and orange suit with yellow accents, its sharp, angular plates gleaming under the crystal lights. Flame-like protrusions flared from his helmet, making him look like a warrior born from fire itself.

Zane stood at the doorway, arms crossed, watching his childhood friend. "Rey… you're really going through with this?"

Rey smirked, his orange eyes blazing like embers. "Of course. Time to teach Jade a lesson he'll never forget."

Zane sighed but offered a small smile. "Then good luck. Just… don't get yourself killed out there."

"Relax." Rey's grin widened. "I've got something up my sleeve. A secret magic I've been working on."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I won't tell you," Rey said, already heading out. "But here's a hint—it involves fire."

Zane shook his head with a faint laugh as Rey disappeared down the corridor. "He never changes."

---

Earlier, in the Headmaster's Office…

The headmaster sat behind his towering oak desk, quill scratching against parchment, when the door creaked open.

"Hello, Grandfather," a calm voice greeted.

"Jade." The old man looked up, adjusting his glasses. "What brings you here?"

"I have a request," Jade said simply, his sharp eyes glinting.

"Oh? What kind of request?"

"Information," Jade replied, stepping closer. "On a first-year named Rey Sawada."

The headmaster's brows arched. "And why, pray tell, do you seek this boy's details?"

Jade's lips curled into a faint smile. "Because… he challenged me to a duel."

The headmaster chuckled softly. "Bold of him." Then his tone darkened, laced with warning. "Do you recall what I told you about the two who shattered the Crystal Sphere during the entrance exams?"

Jade's smirk faded. "You don't mean…"

The headmaster nodded gravely. "Yes. Rey Sawada was one of them."

For the first time, Jade's confident eyes flickered with interest. "…Good. This might actually be worth my time."

---

Back in the present, the arena roared like a tempest.

The referee, clad in blue robes, floated high above the battlefield using wind magic. His amplified voice boomed across the coliseum:

"Students, teachers, and honored guests! Today, we witness a monumental duel!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, the tension crackling like a storm ready to break.

"In this corner," the referee continued, "a warrior who has never tasted defeat! His record stands at forty wins, zero losses! Known for his lightning speed and overwhelming power—Jade Hojin, grandson of Zelbert Academy's esteemed headmaster!"

The left gate exploded open in a burst of lightning. Bolts danced across the arena floor as Jade strode forward, his sword resting on his shoulder. His silver-and-blue armor shimmered like storm clouds, his cold gaze sweeping the cheering crowd.

Students gasped in awe. Even Zane, sitting near the front row, felt his breath hitch. (That pressure… it's unreal.)

"And his opponent," the referee's voice thundered, "a new student who broke the Crystal Sphere during the trials—a feat achieved by only two in the academy's history! The crimson blaze of first-year—Rey Sawada!"

The right gate flared open in a column of fire. Heat rippled across the coliseum as Rey emerged, his armor glowing like molten steel, every step radiating confidence. Flames licked the air behind him as the crowd erupted into deafening cheers.

"Damn…" a student whispered. "He looks like a walking inferno."

The referee raised his hand. "Combatants, ready?"

Both fighters nodded.

"BEGIN!"

---

Jade moved first.

"Fulmen's speed, electric tide, strike and flash, dash with pride!—Lightning Dash!"

His body blurred into a streak of blue light. In an instant, he was gone—then reappeared before Rey, his lightning-wreathed blade slashing with blinding speed.

CLANG!

Pain shot through Rey's arm as the strike connected, sending him hurtling across the arena like a ragdoll. He slammed into the wall with bone-rattling force, cracks spiderwebbing behind him.

"Rey!" Zane shot to his feet, fists clenched tight.

Above, the referee's voice echoed: "And Jade lands the first blow!"

"On your feet, freshman!" Jade taunted, his voice cold as thunder. He leapt high into the air, mana crackling violently around him.

"Electric force, surge through me, swift strike, shocking destiny!—Lightning Thrust!"

He descended like a lightning bolt, blade poised to pierce.

But Rey rolled aside just in time, the impact splitting the ground where he'd stood. Dust exploded into the air.

"Why are you running?" Jade's voice cut through the haze. "Fight me!"

"Gladly," Rey growled, flames bursting to life around his gauntlets.

"Inferno's power, blaze through me, fiery scorching destiny!—Flaming Enchant!"

His fists ignited in roaring fire, the heat distorting the air. With a feral roar, Rey charged, his burning gauntlets colliding with Jade's electrified sword.

BOOOOOM!

A shockwave tore through the arena as fire and lightning clashed, their auras swirling into a tempest of crimson and azure. Mana surged wildly, forcing the teachers to raise a massive barrier around the field to shield the audience.

"Holy crap…" a student whispered, eyes wide. "They're… insane!"

Rey threw punch after punch, each strike detonating like a fiery meteor. Jade weaved through them effortlessly, his blade flickering like lightning.

Then Jade leapt back, his voice calm yet laced with arrogance.

"Playtime's over. Let's end this."

"Darkness divide, echo my form, shadow twin, silent storm!—Clones!"

Smoke erupted around Jade, curling like serpents. When it cleared, Rey's eyes widened.

One Jade. Two. Three. Four… five Jades, each brandishing a lightning-charged blade.

"Which one of us is real?" they spoke in unison, their voices echoing like a thunderstorm.

Rey clenched his fists, fire swirling hotter, his grin wicked. "Doesn't matter."

Five Jade Hojins stood fanned across the scorched arena, lightning crawling over their blades like hungry serpents.

"Only one of us is real," they spoke in perfect unison, voices echoing under the containment barrier.

Rey rolled his shoulders, flames coiling around his gauntlets. "Doesn't matter. I only need to hit hard enough to erase everything."

He slammed both hands to the ground.

> "Magma's fury, erupt through me, blazing pillar, inferno's decree!—Flaming Geyser!"

The arena floor convulsed—then erupted. Jets of superheated flame blasted upward in a chain of volcanic bursts. Shattered stone and molten debris tore through the formation of Jades. Three illusions vaporized instantly; the remaining two staggered through the heat shimmer.

Up in the stands, students screamed. Teachers reflexively reinforced the barrier. Only Zane's eyes stayed steady.

(That's Rey. He just retooled a water-type geyser construct and rebuilt it as fire. Genius—and reckless.)

Down below, the two surviving clones charged. Their swords crossed in a pincer slash aimed for Rey's neck and back.

Rey pivoted, gauntlets flashing. CLANG! He caught both blades in his burning grips, sparks shearing off metal on metal.

"Wrong choice," he growled.

A flicker—then a boot hammered into his gut. The real Jade had blurred in behind the distraction. Rey's breath exploded from his lungs as he was kicked skidding across molten-scarred stone.

He planted a gauntlet, stopped his slide, and snapped his head up—eyes blazing.

> "Inferno's wrath, tempest's might, blazing vortex, scorched light!—Fire Storm!"

His gauntlets howled. Spirals of flame whipped outward, merging midair into a shredding vortex that devoured the last two clones. They shattered into static and smoke.

Jade rose into the air, mana pressure climbing sharply.

Sword to his waist. Both hands lifted skyward. The clouds above the barrier darkened—then split.

> "Electric fury, tempest's roar, thunderbolts, stormy score!—Lightning Strike!"

A blue-white sun detonated overhead. Spears of lightning rained down in sheets—hundreds, then thousands—turning the battlefield into a popping, blinding storm grid. Rey sprinted, rolled, leapt—but there was too much. Bolts smashed the ground around him; one clipped his shoulder, another detonated at his feet, hurling him through the smoke.

Spectators lost sight of everything in the brightness and dust.

"Can you see anything?!"

"No!"

"Did he get vaporized—?!"

Zane leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "Come on, Rey…"

The storm crackled on. Rey squinted through the glare, brain racing. (Can't outrun it. Need a ground sink—ground sink—lightning follows lowest-resistance path—got it!)

He drove one flaming gauntlet into the blasted earth.

> "Terran force, pierce the ground, rocky fang, earthbound!—Earth Spike!"

Stone spires ripped upward—four of them—forming a grounded, triangular grid with Rey crouched at its center. Lightning slammed into the spikes, then shunted downward, grounding harmlessly into the bedrock below.

The dust cleared.

Jade hovered above, still channeling—but every new bolt bent, arcing toward the jagged earthen pillars instead of Rey.

Murmurs rolled through the stands.

"What's happening?!"

"Why won't the lightning hit him?!"

"Is he nullifying Jade's spell?"

A second-year gaped. "That shouldn't be possible!"

Zane finally spoke, voice steady. "He turned the Earth Spike formation into a lightning rod array. The charge prefers the stone channels—straight into the ground."

"Lightning rod…?!" gasped the student beside him.

Zane's eyes widened a beat later as a thought clicked. (Wait. Earth magic? I thought Rey was fire-only… Secret magic—that's what he meant.)

Below, Jade cut the spell and floated down, landing lightly on scorched stone. He studied the charred spikes, then Rey.

"You've intrigued me, Sawada. Enough restraint." He spread his arms, mana surging to a new pitch.

> "Astral call, echo through realms, ancient pact, spirit's claims!—Summoning Magic: Come out, Python!"

A rift tore open beside him. From it uncoiled a massive serpent—Python—its armored scales the color of midnight steel, eyes lit with crackling blue arcs. The stands exploded; second- and third-years leapt up cheering.

"He already has a familiar?!"

"That's months ahead of the curriculum!"

Rey's jaw tightened. (Gabriel said familiars come midterm—he bonded early? Figures.)

Jade pointed his sword forward. "How about now? Give up?"

Rey bared his teeth. "Not a chance. Even with backup, I'm still burning you down."

Jade smirked. "Then watch closely. I'm done playing."

Lightning speared down from the open sky-sigil above and slammed into him.

Armor formed in layers of charged light: a storm-etched helm crowned with twin lightning fins, a gray chestplate bearing a blazing thunder crest, blue gauntlets and boots pulsing with current. Even Python received segmented bolt-plated barding along its coils.

"Lightning Surge," Jade said simply—and vanished.

A concussive crack echoed as he reappeared at Rey's flank. The kick hit like a battering ram. Rey spun, bounced, and rolled, grit carving across his armor.

"Move!" Zane shouted from the stands—too late.

Python's jaw opened. A condensed sphere of plasma lit its throat—

ZRA-BOOOOM!

The lightning ball blasted Rey dead-on, skipping him across the arena and leaving smoking arcs along his chestplate. Blood dripped from beneath his helmet.

"It's over!" someone yelled.

"Rey!" Zane gripped the railing white-knuckled. "Get up!"

Through ringing ears and searing nerves, Rey pushed to a knee. Jade and Python charged, synchronized fury closing fast.

Can't block. Can't outrun both. Use the field. Use below the field.

He jumped, drove both gauntlets down midair, and roared:

> "Magma's core, explosive might, fiery surge, earth's burning light!—Lava Punches!"

The arena floor detonated.

Cracks spidered, then burst as molten rock surged upward and outward in cascading waves. Lava sheets rolled like liquid walls, cutting Jade and Python off, hemming them inside a tightening ring of incandescent magma. Heat hammered the stands; teachers doubled the barrier.

Students shrieked. "The floor—!" "We're gonna bake!"

Within the molten prison, Jade's armor sparked and hissed. Even Lightning Surge couldn't fully shrug off that heat.

He grimaced, sword half-raised, then exhaled sharply. "Tch… Fine. I concede!"

Silence. Then pandemonium.

"He—he gave up?!"

"Jade surrendered?!"

"First defeat in forty matches!"

The referee, stunned, checked the barrier readouts, then thrust an arm high. "Winner—Rey Sawada!"

The first-year section erupted, chanting Rey's name. Teachers exchanged looks equal parts shock and calculation.

Rey sagged, breathing hard, flames guttering out. Jade dispelled his armor; Python shrank into sigil mist. The older student crossed the scorched distance, extending a hand.

"Hell of a fight," Jade said, grin wry. "You got me, Sawada."

Rey clasped the hand, gauntlet-to-glove. "Right back at you, Jade Hojin."

In the stands, Zane rose and gave a single thumbs-up. Rey flashed one back, exhausted but triumphant.

Above them all, the headmaster watched in silence, eyes reflecting both lightning and flame.