BOOM!

"Hmm?" Kraken frowned, he saw his punch land but he felt nothing when it didn't.

Well, except the arena floor which caused a cloud of dust to be kicked up within the barrier.

The third years cheered instinctively.

"Got him!" "That's more like it!" "He's done—"

The cheers died halfway as the dust cleared up and the damage to the arena was revealed.

Kraken stood up straight and looked around, just as confused as the crowd was. He could've sworn he saw his fist connect with Nox, but turns out, he only destroyed the floor.

"Looking for me?"

Kraken immediately lifted his arms just in time to block an attack which forced his massive frame backwards.

When he regained his footing, he looked in the direction of the attack, only to notice Nox standing there with a smile on his face.

Even the crowd was shocked at his sudden disappearance and reappearance.

"The hell was that?""he teleported?""he's just running like a coward."

The crowd of second and third years started questioning, but neither kraken nor Nox payed them any mind.

Instead, Kraken flexed his fingers and his gauntlets started humming as more SE cycled through them.

"You were fast enough to move after I swung?" he said slowly.

Nox shrugged, still smiling. "Before, actually."

He was right, there was a couple of things he had learnt to do as the Grey Warden, and an after image was one of them.

Kraken had created more than enough cover for him to use it just before the attack landed, and although the after image faded seconds after, it was more than enough to confuse the opponent.

Nox's smile vanished Kraken's remaining patience and he launched himself towards Nox again.

This junior really needed some education, and he was going to make sure to teach him.

He swung again the moment he got close enough, only for his hand to pass through Nox.

"What—"

Nox had already switched positions with his after image.

He stepped inside Kraken's reach, too close for the third year's size to be an advantage, and delivered a sharp strike to the side of Kraken's torso. Then another. And another.

Each hit landed at an odd angle, not meant to break bone but to disrupt balance and to throw off his timing.

Kraken growled and swung his other arm, but Nox ducked under it, pivoting behind him once more.

The crowd of first years were on their feet now as it was their turn to start shouting.

"Get him Nox!" "Fuck the exams, were definitely watching history being made!" "Let's win this Nox."

Back in the waiting room, Devon had a grin on his face as he turned to the third year female student, "told you."

She nodded but still had a small frown on her face as she continued looking at the exchange.

***

Back in the arena, Kraken was getting annoyed at Nox's attacks.

With a twist, he slammed his hand in Nox's direction only for him to teleport back putting distance between them.

"You're annoying," Kraken said with a frown on his face.

"I've been told," Nox replied as he looked at his opponent.

He had gotten in a couple of hit and although they were not meant to completely end the fight, they should've affected Kraken in some way.

Apart from being annoyed, he looked completely fine without so much as a scratch on him.

But Nox didn't mind, after all, even he would be disappointed if a third year could be defeated this easily.

Unfortunately, he had to end this fast, else it'd be disrespectful to the opponent.

His playful demeanor suddenly changed

Kraken's instincts screamed screamed at him to block, and he did.

He raised his hand high just as Nox reappeared, but his block was off as Nox went low instead, so much so that he was almost crouching.

He then drove a palm into Kraken's thigh instead of his torso.

The impact was neither loud nor flashy, it didn't even seem like there was too much force behind it.

But Kraken's leg buckled slightly and his eyes widened.

"…what?"

Nox was already gone again.

He reappeared on the opposite side, fingers snapping out in a sharp tap against Kraken's ribs, then vanished before the counter could land.

Each strike was light, precise, almost insulting.

The crowd began to quiet.

"That's not doing anything, right?" "Why's he hitting so softly?" "Is he getting desperate?"

Linda, sitting in the crowd also had a frown on his face as she asked, "what is he doing?"

Cass calmly looked at the attacking Nox before shaking his head, "I have no idea."

Back in the arena, Kraken finally roared, slamming both fists into the ground as a shockwave rippled outward, forcing Nox to retreat farther than before.

He stood there breathing hard, one knee dipping for just a fraction of a second before he caught himself.

Nox watched him carefully.

"There it is," he murmured.

The crowd was confused at what just happened.

"He dropped!" "That makes no sense.""What did he do?" "His attacks didn't even look strong!"

Kraken grit his teeth, trying to force SE into his leg as a reinforcement tactic, but it responded slower than it should have.

"…you bastard," he growled.

Nox stood a short distance away, completely calm, there was no indication that he had even been involved in a battle.

"Let's end this shall we?" Nox said and the next second, he disappeared, reappearing next to the kneeling Kraken who immediately put a hand up to block.

Unfortunately for him, Nox's foot slammed into his side knocking the wind out of him.

Kraken's body lifted off the ground and his massive frame was sent skidding across the arena floor, boots carving deep lines into the stone before he slammed into the barrier with a dull, heavy thud.

The entire arena went silent.

Kraken slid down the barrier and hit the floor on one knee, one hand was planted on the ground to support himself and the other was clutching his side as he gasped for air that wouldn't come.

"Stop trying to move," Nox muttered as he watched, "I just disrupted all the SE pathways within you, and although they're not damaged, forcing them to respond might caused them to be."

"H-how?" Kraken asked.

"Pays to be friends with someone smart," Nox said with a smile before adding, "I'd appreciate it if you gave up now."

The referee, currently in the officials stand, swallowed hard, eyes moving between the two. "Kraken Holt… unable to continue?"

Kraken's fist trembled as he tried one last time to rise.

His body refused.

"…damn it," he muttered, letting his head drop, this was the second time he had felt completely at the mercy of his opponent, and he hated it, completely.

The announcer shouted out the decision from the referee. "Match over! Winner, Nox, first year!"

For half a second, there was absolute silence before the arena exploded in a wave of cheers.

First years screamed themselves hoarse, voices cracking as they jumped, hugged, and slammed hands together.

"He did it!" "He beat a third year!" "We're winning this shit."

Devon looked at the screen with a smile, "told you my boy had it."

The second and third years weren't cheering.

Some stared at the arena in disbelief. Others clenched their jaws, scrolling frantically through forums and combat logs, trying to rationalize what they'd just seen.

A few simply looked… uneasy.

Down on the arena floor, Kraken Holt remained where he was, breathing slowly now, the worst of the shock passing.

His SE pathways still felt sluggish, like traffic stuck behind a wall that hadn't existed a minute ago.

He let out a bitter chuckle.

"I guess I'm really not as strong as I thought," he muttered.

"You are," Nox said, "it's just that I've been training with a monster."

He shivered a bit as he remembered his training with Astra Dawn which got a chuckle out of Kraken who had found enough strength to sit up.

"Alright then Nox," he muttered, "would you be up for another friendly spar at a later date, preferably one that doesn't involve you locking my SE pathway."

"Sure," Nox nodded, "whenever you're ready."

With that, he walked off the arena stage and towards the waiting room.

***

While all this happened, the nobles in the VIP section were closely watching.

"Alfred," one of them called out to the butler by their side.

"Yes master?" He butler stepped forward.

"Find out who that Nox kid is," he ordered, keeping his voice low enough for only the butler to hear, "and make sure we get him into our noble family."

"As you wish," the butler nodded and immediately walked out the sky box.

But he wasn't the only one interested in this Nox kid as other nobles also sent their servants to find out who he is.

Nathaniel on the other hand, just looked with a smile.

Maybe it was finally time for his useless little brother to be useful to the Burns family.

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