Ironclad City had never seemed so quiet. The streets were polished and the lights humbly glowing, and yet beneath the surface, tension simmered like molten metal. Kael Dominus could feel it. Authority rippled faintly under his skin, like an instinctual pulse warning him that the city was shifting—and that he was at its centre.
He had returned from exile with a new understanding. Suspension had been a gift disguised as punishment. The sovereign authority within him had grown sharper, subtler, and stronger. Yet the city had changed while he was away. Whispers of foreign academies moving in, scouts watching, and unsanctioned duels circulated among students and guilds alike.
The system ranks power by beasts and numbers, Kael thought as he walked past the familiar Ironclad City High gates.But it forgets the unknown. It forgets me.
Kael's first day back was anything but normal. Screens flickered with unusual alerts, monitoring panels displaying unfamiliar student names, foreign ranks, and authority readings that made the system stumble. Even instructors noticed the anomalies, though none could explain them.
"Authority rating—8.3," one whispered to another. "It's… not possible for a second-year."
Kael smirked faintly. They saw the number; they saw the panels—but none understood what 8.3 really meant. Authority was more than just numbers. It was present. Command. Recognition.
The first confrontation came sooner than expected. A group of foreign academy students appeared on campus, their aura radiating strength, precision, and unspoken challenge. They carried beasts unfamiliar to Kael's system readings—creatures from distant lands, wielding elements, shapes, and powers that Ironclad had never catalogued.
They were not here for friendship. They were here to assert dominance.
"Rank-E", the tallest of them called, his voice carrying like a blade. "You are not supposed to be here. The system sent us to correct… anomalies."
Kael remained calm, his expression unreadable. "Correction?" he asked. "Or elimination?"
The foreign student's gaze flickered. "Both".
In an instant, the arena of the school transformed. A sudden fog rolled in, unnatural and thick, obscuring vision and disorienting the crowd. Monitors glitched, alarms blinked, and system warnings cascaded across the screens.
Foreign authority interference detected.Potential escalation: extreme.
Kael inhaled slowly. The sovereign authority responded subtly but precisely. He did not summon a beast. He did not shout commands. He extended the invisible tendrils of control outward, probing the fog, feeling the movements of the intruders, and assessing every possibility.
They move with confidence, but they do not understand control.
One of the foreign students charged, summoning a crimson tyrant—a massive beast with wings spread, fangs gleaming, and eyes burning like molten gold. The crowd gasped. Panels flashed red. Warnings cascaded across every system monitor.
Kael did not flinch. He raised his hand slightly. A ripple passed through the arena. The beast faltered mid-air, its roar caught in its throat and its wings faltering. The foreign student's eyes widened.
Rank-E shouldn't have this control.
Kael's authority moved like water through the fog, silent and invisible, but undeniable. The system struggled to recalibrate. Screens flickered. Rankings glitched.
The student realised it too late. The Crimson Tyrant collapsed—not destroyed, not harmed, but immobilised. Control had been stripped. The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and whispers of disbelief.
Kael's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile. Authority didn't need approval. Recognition did not need witnesses. And beasts… were secondary.
The confrontation escalated. More foreign students arrived, each with beasts of incredible power, each intent on forcing Kael into submission. The fog thickened. Monitors displayed constant system errors. Authority readings flickered erratically.
Kael's fingers trembled slightly—not with fear but anticipation. He extended his consciousness subtly, the sovereign authority within him stirring in response to the intrusion. A pulse of command spread outward, unmeasured, undeniable.
Beasts froze mid-action. Summoners faltered. The system blinked red warnings, attempting to classify him, to register his presence, to understand the anomaly it could not quantify.
They see only what the system allows them to see, Kael thought.I exist beyond that.
Then she appeared.
She was a girl from Ironclad City High, but unlike any student Kael had known. Her aura was calm yet unyielding; her authority subtle but precise. She moved through the fog without hesitation, observing Kael, the foreign students, and the disruption with measured curiosity.
"You've returned," she said, her voice soft but sharp. "And you've grown."
Kael's eyes met hers. Recognition passed silently. "So have the threats."
Together, they moved through the arena, synchronised in observation and subtle influence. The foreign students hesitated, sensing something beyond their control. Authority, measured in presence and intent rather than ranks or beasts, shifted the balance.
By the time the fog lifted, the foreign students had withdrawn—strategically, not defeated. A silent warning had been delivered: Kael Dominus was not merely Rank-E. He was something the system could not categorise. Something dangerous.
The aftermath was immediate. The system recalibrated, but warnings persisted. Panels continued to glitch. Authority readings for Kael surged unpredictably. Students whispered, instructors debated, and even the foreign academy had paused to reconsider their next move.
Kael stood alone atop the training platform, eyes scanning the city. The sovereign authority pulsed faintly beneath his skin, patient, observant, and restrained. He did not need to roar. He did not need to strike. Presence was enough.
The city ranks by beasts. The system ranks by panels.I rank by recognition. And recognition does not lie.
Later, in the quiet of his dorm, Kael reflected on the events. Foreign academies, Crimson Tyrants, system failures, and guild whispers—everything was escalating. But he was not afraid. He had authority, patience, and the unseen power to navigate chaos.
Rina appeared quietly, observing the monitors displaying the aftermath. "You've changed the system's perception… again," she said softly.
Kael exhaled. "The system will always underestimate me. But the real world… the shadows, the threats, the guilds… they are learning fast. So am I."
He closed his eyes. The city, the arenas, the foreign students—they were all pieces on a board. And Kael Dominus had only begun to play.