SSS-Ranked Talent: Endless Adaptation

"Begin!" Cross’s magically amplified voice boomed across the summit.

The arena immediately went quiet, neither one of the two High-blood prodigies moved. But the atmosphere between the two was so thick one could cut it with a knife. The freezing high-altitude wind howling off the outer rings of the Holy City seemed to stall completely, trapped under the sheer weight of the raw, unrefined mana radiating from the center of the black sand. Thousands of spectators sitting in the vaulted stone benches held their breath, the ambient chatter of the academy dying out in a single second.

Eventually Karen took a step forward with a lazy smile.

"Three times," Karen said taking slow measured steps toward Julian. "That is the number of times we fought and all of those times you won, but that was before we awakened our Talents back at the preawakened academy. Now that we are both awakened, I would like to see who is stronger."

Julian slowly shook his head after hearing Karen’s words, his eyes moved past Karen and began searching the stands for Thomas. Spotting him staring directly at him from the very back row, his bleeding chest tightly bound by the clean linen sheet Mina had provided, Julian smiled. It was a cold, incredibly sharp expression that completely ignored the formidable opponent standing right in front of him.

"Three times is it, and yet you lowly scum haven’t even learned your place," Julian responded coldly, his voice carrying an unshakeable, aristocratic authority that echoed clearly across the quiet stadium. "Just because we are both High-bloods does not mean we are of equal rank. To me you are no better than a lesser, so know your place scum."

Karen smirked.

Then—

The sky violently thundered. A deafening, window-shattering crack of lightning ripped through the roiling purple clouds directly above the academy tower, illuminating the open stadium in a blinding flash of white light. In that exact microsecond, Karen blinked out of existence.

There was no shadow distortion or magical displacement. Karen simply moved at a velocity that shattered the physical boundaries of human biology. A Grade S combat type talent didn’t just grant a wizard a collection of spells; it drastically overhauled the user’s physical vessel from the moment of awakening, altering muscle fiber density, reinforcing structural reflexes, and multiplying the body’s natural acceleration thresholds to a near-supernatural scale.

Karen reappeared directly in front of Julian, the sheer pressure of his displacement kicking up a massive spray of dark sand. He threw a lightning-fast right hook aimed straight for Julian’s temple, his fist coated in a low-density hum of static electricity.Julian didn’t flinch. Despite the terrifying speed of the assault, his spectacles didn’t even shift as he raised his left forearm in a precise, economic motion. He easily parried the incoming hook, his refined martial form diverting the kinetic force of Karen’s enhanced arm away from his head with a smooth, effortless sweep.

Karen didn’t slow his pace. Utilizing the immense physical benefits of his Grade S vessel, he instantly transitioned into a spinning low-kick, his boot cutting through the air like a razor. Julian anticipated the trajectory perfectly, stepping back half a pace onto the balls of his feet, allowing the kick to whistle harmlessly through the empty space an inch away from his uniform.

"Too slow, Karen," Julian murmured, his expression entirely unbothered.The battle instantly picked up a furious, relentless pace as Julian went on the offensive. What followed was a breathtaking showcase of impressive martial skills from both sides that left the high-bloods in the front rows completely mute with awe. Karen navigated the exchange with absolute fluidity, throwing out devastating counter-strikes and showcasing the top-tier combat training expected of a prodigy from the preawakened academy. He was brilliant, dangerous, and exceptionally fast.

To the thousands of cheering high-bloods in the stands, the two titans appeared completely equal, matching each other blow for blow in a flawless trade of lethal martial arts.

But from the back row, Thomas watched the exchange with a deep, chilling focus. His dark eyes tracked every single frame of the movement, cutting through the spectacular display. Upon closer inspection, Thomas noted that Julian was simply better. Where Karen’s formidable Grade S physic allowed him to output intense, explosive surges of raw power, Julian held the definitive upper ground through absolute conservation of movement. Julian was manipulating the geometry of the black sand arena, subtly controlling the pacing and forcing the Stormcaller to fight on his terms.

Karen’s smirk vanished, replaced by an ugly, frustrated scowl as Julian’s knuckles grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of crimson. Realizing he was being thoroughly outclassed in a pure physical martial trade, the silver-eyed youth lost his patience entirely. He vaulted backward, creating a ten-meter gap between them, and violently slammed his palms together.

"Let’s see you parry this!" Karen screamed, his silver eyes flashing with an absolute, volatile glare.

The bruised clouds above the tower apex violently convulsed. With a catastrophic, booming roar that shook the very stone foundations of the stadium benches, Karen summoned a massive, jagged bolt of pure blue lightning directly down from the heavens, the raw electrical energy blinding the sightlines of the lower seating tiers as it arced straight toward Julian’s chest.

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