The Central Arena of HeroCity trembled.
Millions of voices echoed like thunder while spotlights crossed the city's night sky. The flags of the New Dawn Heroes waved in the wind, drones broadcasted everything to the entire planet, and the gigantic arena screen displayed the faces of the remaining competitors of the 2044 Draft.
The announcer, with his explosive voice, raised his arm high into the air.
— ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ARENA… THE GREAT WARRIOR OF FLAMES… ROOOOOOOOBERT CAAAALIEEEEEEENTE!!!
BOOOOOOOOM!!
An explosion of fire erupted in the center of the arena like a volcano.
The flames spiraled violently until a silhouette slowly emerged from within the orange inferno.
Robert Caliente.
His red hair burned at the tips, an arrogant grin stretched across his face, and his open jacket allowed his blazing aura to leak from his body.
The crowd went insane.
In the VIP seats, Dante burst out laughing.
— Dude… this reminds me of someone.
Annie crossed her arms, trying not to laugh.
— Yeah. Ryu during his fight against Ethan.
Ryu instantly pointed at himself.
— NAAAAAH! My entrance was WAY more legendary, you know? This is just a low-budget imitation.
Ethan merely sighed.
— Your ego really hasn't shrunk in five years…
Robert then looked upward.
His eyes met Ryu in the stands.
The boy flashed a huge grin and made a gesture of respect.
Dante widened his eyes… before laughing even harder.
— NO WAY! HE'S YOUR FAN!
Ryu immediately turned red.
— Ah, shut up, Dante!
The announcer raised the microphone once more.
— AND ON THE OTHER SIDE… SHE… THE HEIRESS OF THE STORM… THE PRINCESS OF THE STORMBREAKS… SAAAAAADIEEEEEEE STOOOOORMBREAAAAAAAK!!!
KRAAAAAAAASH!!
Lightning descended from the artificial sky of the arena.
Rain instantly began to pour.
And then she appeared.
Saddie Stormbreak slowly walked through the entrance corridor wearing a dark-blue uniform with silver details, resembling Inavy Stormbreak's old attire instead of the black-and-red colors.
Her gaze was cold.
Determined.
Intimidating.
The audience exploded into applause.
Rose covered her mouth, emotional.
Ethan simply watched in silence.
Without smiling.
Without reacting.
Just watching.
Because at that moment…
…he wasn't just seeing his sister.
He was seeing the entire Stormbreak legacy walking into that arena.
The Beginning of the Storm
— FIGHT… BEGIN!!
Robert vanished amidst the flames.
BOOOOM!!
The first blazing punch struck Saddie directly.
She slid several meters across the ground.
But immediately stabilized herself.
No fear.
No hesitation.
The rainwater began to circulate around her.
Saddie charged forward.
KRAASH!!
She landed a kick wrapped in liquid electricity, sending Robert flying backward.
The fight instantly became a spectacle.
Explosions of fire.
Lightning.
Water.
Impacts destroying parts of the arena.
The crowd was in complete ecstasy.
— SHE'S INSANE!!
— WHAT A MONSTER!!
— THAT GIRL HAS THE SAME STYLE AS INAVY!!
Lorien discreetly activated the Eyes of Seraphim.
His golden pupils analyzed every flow of Saddie's energy.
And then…
…he smiled.
— She has Inavy's battle instincts… but Rose's intelligence.
— The Stormbreaks never cease to amaze me.
Kelvin crossed his arms.
— Her combat analysis is absurd.
Darius nodded.
— That girl… reminds me too much of him.
The three of them spoke together:
— Inavy.
The Insult
For several minutes, Saddie completely dominated the battle.
But Robert began understanding the pattern of the water.
His flaming explosions started pushing Saddie backward.
BOOOOM!!
She blocked a punch but was struck by a knee to the stomach.
Robert smirked arrogantly.
— So… this is the power of the Stormbreaks?
Saddie slowly raised her eyes.
Robert continued.
— Honestly?
— I expected more from the family of the "great hero."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Ethan immediately clenched his fist.
Ryu noticed.
— Hey…
— Ethan.
But Robert didn't stop.
— Maybe that's why your father…
— your uncle…
— and your grandfather died.
Silence.
The entire arena froze.
Ethan's eyes widened.
A chaotic aura instantly began leaking from him.
Ryu grabbed his arm.
— DON'T.
The pressure released by Ethan cracked part of the VIP section.
Down below…
Saddie lowered her head.
Her hair hid her eyes.
But droplets began falling from her face.
Tears.
Memories invaded her mind.
Inavy carrying her on his shoulders.
Calling her "my princess."
The two of them in a park.
Inavy smiling during an idol concert.
His voice echoed:
"You'll always be my little Saddie."
The rain intensified.
KRASHHHHH!!!
Lightning began striking throughout the arena.
The audience fell into shock.
The water around Saddie started moving on its own.
Breathing.
Living.
Robert took a step back.
— W-What is this…?
Reactive Adaptation
The arena itself began to change.
The water registered.
Learned.
Robert's fire attacks began losing effectiveness.
Each explosion was absorbed.
Adapted.
Reprocessed.
The entire environment started fighting against him.
Lorien smiled even wider.
— She awakened.
Kelvin narrowed his eyes.
— Environmental adaptation…
Darius looked genuinely impressed.
— This is ridiculous.
The water across the arena began moving in living patterns.
The lightning no longer fell randomly.
It was being pulled.
Robert attempted another explosion.
But his own flames were redirected by hydraulic pressure.
— WHAT?!
Saddie slowly lifted her face.
Her eyes glowed electric blue.
She disappeared.
BOOOOM!!
Robert was struck by dozens of simultaneous attacks.
Water.
Lightning.
Impacts.
It looked as though Saddie existed everywhere at once.
The crowd went insane.
— SHE'S OMNIPRESENT!!
— THIS IS INSANE!!
Robert spat blood… but smiled.
— NOW THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!!
His flames exploded even stronger.
The fight became balanced once again.
Elijah and Ryan
In the lower stands, Elijah watched everything in complete fascination.
— Damn…
— That girl's a monster…
— Could I even beat her?
— I know exactly what you're thinking.
Elijah nearly jumped out of his skin.
Ryan Valeborn stood behind him.
Smiling.
— M-MR. RYAN?!
Ryan laughed.
— Relax, kid.
He sat beside Elijah while watching the battle.
— So…
— how exactly does your Overclock work?
Elijah scratched his head.
— Well…
— it's kinda like a human processor breaking every physical limiter.
Ryan immediately pulled out an old blue notebook.
Elijah's eyes widened.
— What's that?
Ryan looked embarrassed.
— Ah…
— old habit of mine.
— I write down people's abilities.
Elijah nearly suffered a mental breakdown.
— RYAN VALEBORN IS TAKING NOTES ABOUT MY POWER?!
Ryan ignored him.
— Continue.
Elijah took a deep breath.
— The more I push my body…
— the stronger I become.
— Overclock 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x…
Ryan carefully wrote everything down.
— I see…
He then looked back at Saddie.
— She doesn't possess Chaos.
— That gives you a certain advantage.
Elijah's eyes widened.
— Seriously?!
Ryan nodded.
— But don't underestimate her.
— She's a monster.
His expression turned serious.
— Fight using Overclock between 8x and 16x.
— At most, 20x.
— If you go beyond that…
— you lose control.
Elijah swallowed nervously.
Ryan closed the notebook.
— And then…
— the fight turns into a mass destruction event.
Thunder Spear
The battle reached its climax.
Robert unleashed his greatest explosion.
A gigantic pillar of fire.
But Saddie remained motionless.
The rain began rising toward the heavens.
The lightning converged.
And then…
…silhouettes appeared behind her.
Ray Stormbreak.
Inavy Stormbreak.
And Ethan.
The entire arena fell silent.
Ethan's eyes widened.
— Impossible…
Divine lightning began condensing in Saddie's hand.
A spear was born.
Divine.
Absolute.
The same technique.
The same shape.
The same presence.
Saddie slowly raised Ray Stormbreak's supreme technique.
The heavens exploded with thunder.
And then she floated like a Goddess, her pupils disappearing as she declared:
— Thunder…
— SPEAR!!!
KRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!
The spear tore across the arena like divine judgment.
Robert tried to block it.
Useless.
The electrical explosion swallowed everything.
Seconds later…
…Robert collapsed in defeat.
Silence.
And then—
The entire arena exploded into applause.
Rose jumped from her seat crying as if she had just witnessed a championship-winning goal.
— THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!!
Ethan finally smiled.
A genuine smile.
Proud.
Ryan looked at Elijah.
— Good luck, kid.
Kelvin slowly began applauding.
Darius did the same.
— For those who said the Stormbreak legacy was over…
— that was a beautiful answer.
Lorien watched Saddie standing at the center of the arena while lightning still danced around her.
And in that instant…
…he became certain.
The new generation was finally ready to carry the future.