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Part Forty-Eight

Fred Bullock, the leader of the Disciplinary committee by day and a team leader of Shadow at night. He had many titles to his name, but the most known would have to be ‘Immortal’ one that stuck like glue.

As Fred stepped onto the battlefield a grin spread across his face.

The numbers did not matter because, at the end of the day, there would only be one person left standing. Fred knew who it was going to be, but he never underestimated his opponents. Every year they grew stronger, but as they became stronger so did he.

There was no challenge greater than winning a fight when the odds were against you.

Fred’s green eyes glanced over the other students that walked onto the stage. A few he knew, some others he only heard about.

Alicia was right, every academy sent out their strongest fighter to participate in the opening match.

One of the male students clicked their tongue as they saw Fred.

The others glared at him as if he was some criminal who needed to be locked up.

“There’s no need for all that if you don’t think you’ll win then forfeit. You’ll have no respect once you return to the academy, but at least you’ll save yourself from being humiliated.”

Fred grinned as he spoke out loud, letting everyone on stage hear him. His deep voice held confidence, a kind of confidence that was unshaken.

The screen floating in the air showed what was occurring on the ground, and Fred’s voice was heard through the stands. A look of shock filled the faces of many, his words were so arrogant.

Fred was from a bottom ranked academy, but he had the aduasticy to talk big?

Everyone did not have the same thoughts, some laughed it off as they knew who Fred was. Others just shook their head.

“That guy is so arrogant, wait until Brenda from Athena gets her hands around his neck. We’ll see how he talks big then.”

One of the freshmen students from Athena academy shouted out, he made sure the people around him heard his voice.

If his plan was to attract the attention of the people around him it worked as everyone looked his way. He held his head up high as he pointed down to the female with a pixie cut below.

“We aren’t the ranked one academy for nothing, watch how she wins this.”

The males peers also held their heads up high and nodded their head. They attended the number one academy in the states, why couldn’t they hold themselves to a higher standard? Each one of the students of Athena showed great promise, and their combat skills were in a class of their own.

Every person that attended Athena were not like these few students, most were humble. They never tried to show off that they were the best, they never talked about how good their academy was.

It was childish and instead of making their academy look better, it actually had the opposite effect. No one enjoyed those that thought they were better than others, especially not those that piggyback off the achievements of others to make themselves look good.

The people in the stands did not say anything to the young man but turned their attention back to the field below.

“Now that everyone is in position, we will now start the first event. Participants, you may now begin!”

The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium as the students on the field all dashed off.

It was funny how none of them went towards the crown held at the highest pillar. Instead, they went towards Fred and surrounded him.

“Hey now, I don’t think this is fair at all.”

Fred’s eyes wandered over all the students surrounding him, but the look on his face was anything but nervous.

The students from the other academy all knew what would happen, first, they’d take Fred down then fight amongst themselves. Leaving Fred alone was a mistake, one they’ve made plenty of times. This time, things would be different.

A female with golden locks giggled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Weren’t you the one talking big just a moment ago? Scared now are we Fred?”

Fred tilted his head a little and grinned. Scared? No!

“I mean, this isn’t fair for you guys! You should have brought more people.”

Fred’s image blurred as he appeared in front of a blue-haired young man. His fist landed straight into the young man's stomach causing him to hunch over in pain. Fred followed up with a powerful kick that sent him flying.

No one was expecting Fred to act first so they were all caught off guard.

Everyone charged at Fred, making sure to leave him no time to retaliate.

Swords, chains, maces, daggers, weapons of all types was aimed straight for his body.

Yet, all the weapons bounced back towards their owners as Fred had a transparent shield around himself. It protected him like well-made armor, not allowing anything to penetrate past it.

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Nick found his mother, Olivia seated in the stands next to Charles and Celia. Their gazes were focused on the match going on below. From the way all three of them were looking it seemed they were greatly impressed with Fred’s skill.

Nick took a quick look and saw how Fred was taking the attacks of the others head on. He used his EXO ability to create small barriers that deflected their attacks. This caused Fred to use less essence than normal while having the same effect as if he were to create a large barrier.

Fred’s EXO ability was not only used to guard against attacks, but he could also create weapons of different types. The one he held now was a giant warhammer, it was transparent but a person could still see what it was.

That was what made Fred’s ability unique. He could create anything, as long as he had enough essence to do so. Without the essence to stabilize his creations they would be less effective.

Nick shook his head as he watched how Fred used his warhammer to cause the ground to rumble. Some of the opponents that were close to him lost their footing which created an opening for Fred.

“Mom, enjoying the show?”

Nick walked over to his mother and drew her attention away from the fighting below.

“That boy is quite good, much better than I was in my day.”

Olivia paused as she locked eyes with Nick. She also gave praise to Fred who she believed to be a superb fighter.

“Shouldn’t you be with your classmates?”

She was curious as to why Nick was over here with her instead of his classmates. Olivia never assumed he would get bullied because he showed no signs of it, and his friends were very nice. She worried about her child all the time, but she still wanted him to be a child and have fun. Hang out with his friends and make relationships.

Nick nodded his head, he wanted to ask her something which is why he was over here. Besides, he was not participating in any events today so he did not really need to be with his classmates.

“I wanted to ask you something… I was curious about.”

Nick’s words caused Olivia to be surprised. He never asked her much of anything as of late, he was a curious cat back when he was young. Now that he grew up he stayed to himself mostly.

“What is it?”

Olivia leaned forward a little to show she was paying extra attention.

“Have your eyes ever had a burning sensation before? Or images flash before your eyes?”

Nick looked at Celia and Charles for a second before speaking. Charles paid no attention to the two, but Celia glanced at Nick a few times.

Nick was not worried about the two of them, they were close to his mother and Nick did not believe they would talk about what he would say.

Olivia squinted her eyes. She felt she knew what happened to him, but she was not too sure. It could truly be anything, but because of their bloodline, they were a bit special.

“It could be anything, I may be able to help you more if you explained it in more detail.”

Nick nodded his head and started to explain what exactly happened to him. From the time he went into the shower to the time, he came out. He did not mention the dream he had with Alex and Rachel.

Olivia’s eyes grew wide as a smile spread across her face. She wished she could grab Nick’s hands and jump up and down with him.

“Nick! You’ve begun to awaken your abilities special trait. Do you know what this means?”

As Olivia was excited and almost shouting with joy, Nick was confused. He did not know what a special trait was. His sensei never taught it to him, thus it must not have been important.

Seeing how Nick was silent, Olivia knew he did not know why she was so excited. She calmed herself down a little.

“Where do I begin…? Um, right, first not everyone can awaken a special trait. It’s a bit special, very unique. You see, you have to have a connection to the veil, and even then only a select few are able to awaken this trait.

The veil is the place between us, and the other realms. Heaven, hell, whatever you want to call it. It’s the place where gods and demons reign supreme.

EXO’s that have come from gods, demons or mythical beast are stronger than the average EXO ability. For instance, the ability to control flames. There are actually two that are on a different level from the others, one is the phoenix flames. The other is the flames of Vulcan.

If a person has the direct bloodline ability of one of those two, then the chances of them having the EXO from that being is far greater than normal. Not only will they have a powerful ability, they’ll have a connection to the veil.”

Olivia stopped talking for a moment as she looked at her son. The look on his face told her he was taking everything she said seriously. However, it also said he wanted to know more.

“Connection is… a broad way of speaking. It’s like how a mother has a child but eventually, the child grows and walks their own path. They still have that connection. It’s the same with the ones who have inherited the ability of those gods. Show them something they like, they’ll give you their blessing.

The eye of providence is mysterious. The god is shrouded in mystery and none know who the true god of this power is.”

Nick took a quick look at Charles for a moment, he recalled something Charles told him a while ago. It was about Celia and his own connection to the veil.

He felt a hand on top of his own that caused Nick to look up.

“Don’t worry about it too much. The veil is complicated… if you want to know more about it you’ll find yourself lost in questions with no answers.”

The person who told Nick that was Celia.

She herself knew what the veil was but did know how endless it was. What gods were there, what they were doing, why was she connected to them? Many questions, but they had no answers. The veil was the most mysterious place she’s ever heard of.

How anyone found out about it was beyond her.

Nick noted what she said as he nodded his head. His mother's answer only brought him more questions, which left a sour taste in his mouth. He hated to be left with questions.

While Nick took in all the information he received he paid attention to the fight that was going on below.

One could tell how intense the match was by the sea of flames raging on down below.

As the flames roared on, Fred walked through them without one scratch on his body. He might not be affected by the flames in the ways others would, but he could still feel the heat. It felt as if his skin was melting off his body.

Fred’s mouth was beginning to dry, and he found himself with less breath.

Just as Fred found himself closing in on the person that controlled these flames, a wall of ice encircled him. Blocking him from proceeding forward.

Fred thanked the person inwardly, as his body started to cool off. Two transparent axes appeared in Fred’s hands as he started to chop the wall of ice. With his strength, he managed to break through the ice wall fairly quickly.

“Enough of these games, why don’t you just attack me head on?”

Fred questioned the seven students in front of him. As for the other four, Fred knocked them out a while ago. The ones that were left worked together and combined their abilities against Fred.

The one thing Fred could not allow to happen was to have this match be drawn out. The longer it went on, the more essence he would use up.

With the seven of them working together it was easier for them to save up their essence. Fred on the other hand would find it hard to do much of anything as time passed.

“We aren’t stupid Fred, so don’t try to tempt us with pointless words. If you forfeit now you’ll save yourself from humiliation, but you’ll return to your academy with no respect.”

One of the remaining males with long blonde hair said as he winked his left eye. Tossing the words Fred spoke earlier right back at him.

Fred laughed it off.

“Alright then, don’t say I did not give you a chance when you lose.”

Fred shrugged his shoulders as a transparent round shield appeared in his hands.

The seven students in front of Fred took a fighting stance as each of them held their weapons. A few of them created walls of earth and ice, blocking Fred’s advance.

Fred’s eyes analyzed the wall, he was searching for a weak spot in the wall. As long as he could find one, he’d be able to break through with ease. It wasn’t long before Fred locked onto a spot on the Ice wall. It was a small crack, barely noticeable but Fred saw it.

He launched his transparent round shield, the shield shot out of his hand like the wind. It tore through the ice wall and crashed into one of the seven students behind the wall.

The round shield ricocheted off the student's body and hit another student.

Fred seized that moment to dash through the hole in the ice wall, he created a long sword.

The other five students reacted swiftly as they threw out their EXO abilities one after another. Fire, lightning, and wind combined together before it hit its target.

Fred clenched his teeth as he prepared to take the attack head-on. His body held strong as he was pushed back. A long ditch was created as Fred was being pushed back.

The bombardment of attacks continued to shoot down on Fred, but he held on. With a loud roar, Fred had a surge of strength course through his veins. Pushing his feet off the ground Fred darted towards the five remaining students, he created small barriers that deflected the attacks.

Those barriers could not withstand every attack, but it was better than nothing.

As Fred drew closer to his opponents, they started falling back trying to increase the distance. Still attacking Fred who was charging towards them like a wild beast.

They were kiting him, a move most people would not think about. Attacking while retreating, simple as it was most overlooked it.

Knowing his would not catch up to them at this rate, Fred opted to switch his weapon. Changing from a long sword to a giant warhammer. He used all his strength to hit the ground causing a large crater to form beneath it.

The ground started to rumble as cracks formed in the ground.

The five students dispersed, each going in their own direction. None of them wanted to take Fred’s attack head-on.

However, one was too slow as a pillar of earth shot out from behind him. The pillar of earth threw him forward shooting straight towards Fred.

There was no time for him to try to escape, his feet were off the ground and his destination already set. If he was going to face Fred head on, might as well try and go out with a bang!

Balls of fire as large as a basketball swirled around his body, creating a barrier. If Fred wanted to crash into him, then he’d give Fred something to crash into!

As the grin on the young man's face spread, he slowly realized how much he had miscalculated. Fred swung his giant warhammer, but as it approached the young man it grew in size.

Because the weapon itself was created from Fred, he could control the size, length, and width of the weapon. There was no need for Fred to get within close range of the young man, nor try to withstand his barrier.

The young man faced turned ugly, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth and hope for the best.

A large gust of wind blew the young man, forcing him towards the ground. His prayers were answered as he was saved from Fred's attack.

Fred himself clicked his tongue, his attack missed its target. It left him feeling bitter.

Fred sighed as he realized how far the others have come in one year. He himself hasn’t been slacking off, but the others were still strong. If they faced him solo Fred was sure he’d win. Now… things were different.

Fred felt the essence in his body, he had around enough for four to six more attacks. If he could not finish the fight before then, he’d be a goner.

From the corner of Fred’s eye, he saw the crown seated on the highest pillar. It was tempting just to go for it, but he knew the five in front of him wouldn’t make it easy.

Fred assumed that each of them had enough essence left for ten to fifteen attacks each. That would be enough to deal with Fred, and each other.

Or… was it?

“Remember just last year when none of you could get along with each other? What happened to that?”

Fred looked up at the five students who were spread out as he spoke. He was not close to them and he did not have enough essence to continue going on like he has been.

Now, it was time to try something else.

“I think we remember well, but to fight the ‘Immortal’ we put every aside.”

Fred’s eyebrows went up as he rubbed his chin.

“Have you really? Josh, don’t forget how Chris called you out in front of everyone and had you running away. That humiliation, the shame can’t just be swept under the rug in one day.

I’ve seen the way you’ve been eyeing him, that’s probably why you didn’t save him from my attack. Surely as a master of controlling earth, you could have saved him from my attack, but you didn’t. Leaving everything up to someone else, you were wanting me to give him a good smack weren’t you?”

Fred laughed lightly as he watched the facial movements of the two guys.

Chris looked at Josh and studied his expression. Josh himself just looked away.

“Bastard!”

Chris couldn’t hold back his anger as he yelled at Josh.

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault. My reaction speed was just a bit slow, don’t get too worked up about it.”

Josh responded to Chris coming up with an excuse as to why he did not save him when he could have.

“Cut it out you two, he’s trying to have you fight each other. Look at him, resorting to such methods, that must mean we have him on the ropes.”

A female with a pixie cut said as she grinned. She was a star of Athena academy, one of the few females that held a top spot.

“Brenda, it’s not what you think. I’m just trying to liven things up here.”

Fred quickly answered Brenda.

“Don’t be mistaken, haven’t you seen how Jacob has been a step behind you all. Whenever you all move, he is always the furthest behind. If i’m not mistaken, the moment you take me out, he’ll attack you all.

That’s probably why I felt all his attacks were weaker than the rest of you. He’s been reserving his strength for the fight that will come after me. Smart of him to think like that.”

Jacob who was standing a bit further away than the others waved his hands in denial. Fred was not telling the truth, he hasn’t been reserving any of his strength. If anything he’s been going at it with everything he’s got.

The others looked at him with suspicion but all he could do was deny it all.

“Alright, no need to look so serious. How about we finish this match.”

Fred rotated his shoulders as he took a step forward. The seeds of doubt were embedded in their minds, they wouldn’t be as strong as before. Each one of them would hold back more. Fred hoped there would even be a little friendly fire too.

Brenda analyzed her teammates and saw the looks in their eyes. She hated Fred, they had him cornered, but somehow he managed to escape. Now with the prey no longer in the palms of their hands, each one of them was forced to look at each other.

Fred wasted no time in his attack, as he dashed forward. Each of his steps left a small dent in the ground, showing just how much essence he was consuming for this final fight.

Fred went after Chris first, he was the closest of the five. As much as Chris threw fire at Fred, none of them was as strong as before. The power was cut in half.

Fred created a small round shield as he deflected the fire blast. He used the shield to crash into Chris.

The other four were being cautious of each other that they were not paying much attention to Fred.

The hairs on Fred’s back stood tall as he sensed something coming. He flipped himself off the ground as he threw the shield. The shield was met with a blast of wind.

“Jacob, where are you going?”

Fred asked as he moved to the side. His words caused the students to look at Jacob who stood behind them.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t moved an inch!”

Jacob was tired of Fred. He just hoped this would be over soon.

“But the dagger in your hand, why is it pointed towards Brenda? Surely you don’t plan to attack your own teammate do you?”

Brenda, i’d be wary if I was you.”

Fred continued to talk more as he kept each one of the students cautious of each other. They had little time to pay attention to him as they were more focused on each other.

Even Brenda started to look at her teammates in a different light.

“Forget it! You think i’m doing something against you all? I might as well!”

Jacob could stand it no longer as he attacked the young male closest to him. Fred was making it seem like he was going to betray them, why not do it anyways.

“See, I knew he was going to be a traitor.”

The match reached the climax as everyone turned against each other.

Fred enjoyed the small chaos that he created as he weaved through the attacks coming his way. With the students divided Fred had an easier time picking them off.

It did not take long before Fred stood before Brenda.

His face was drenched with sweat, while Brenda was breathing rapidly. Each one was tired, but who would win was up in the air.

Fred might have used a lot of his essence during his previous attacks, but he had enough left for one more attack. Brenda, on the other hand, felt that she could not last another moment.

Although Fred fought against all of them, she knew what he was capable of. A small mistake on her part would cost her the match.

It wouldn’t matter much in the eyes of everyone else, but for the two of them on the field, this was everything. First and second place was only a short distance away from each other. Yet, it would be the starting point for each of their academies.

The spectators started chatting each competitor's name as they stomped their feet in rhythm. The chants got louder and louder as their voices echoed through the stadium.

The temperature must have increased by a slight margin as Fred wiped his forehead. His body was hot, and his mind exhausted.

Brenda licked her small pink lips in a seductive way. There was no telling if she meant to do that, or it was just natural due to the way she appeared at the moment.

Both Fred and Brenda eyed each other, each waiting to see who would move first.

Under the chants of the crowd, Fred was forced to make the first move as he darted towards Brenda.

Brenda cracked the whip in her hands, the sound it caused would make one shiver just thinking of the damage it would cause.

Brenda unleashed a flurry of attacks towards Fred, leaving very little opportunity for him to react. With each strike she made a cut appeared on Fred’s body.

Fred felt the stinging pain it caused him and roared. As another whiplash came towards him he grabbed hold of it with his gauntlet. A wave of water emerged from the whip as it entangled Fred’s body.

It wrapped around him like a snake, crushing him.

Fred tried to wiggle his way out of it, but he couldn’t. Sheer strength alone would not help him in this predicament.

Concentrating all his essence within himself, Fred created spikes. The spikes were small but numerous, each one emerged from his body. The spikes suddenly shot out in all directions. The speed of the spikes made the water disperse, freeing Fred.

That was the last of the essence in Fred’s body. He started to feel his head lighten up, and his strength slowly fades away.

He managed to keep himself standing, but he had nothing left.

Brenda was spent as well, she imagined that Fred was running on empty but he managed to escape. That last move of hers drained the remaining essence she had left. She was not going to spend all the essence in her body, but what did remain was not enough to do anything major.

Brenda let out a cough, and her vision started to blur. She looked at Fred who was still standing still. Slowly, she looked down and noticed the small spike sticking out of her stomach.

Even when he had nothing left, he still managed to win. Brenda had to admit, Fred was true to his title.

Brenda’s legs gave out first as she collapsed on the ground.

Fred let out a breath as he watched her fall. He really had nothing left, he could barely move a muscle.

The spectators were shocked, none made a sound. A minute, then two went by before the crowd erupted in cheers.

“Coming out in first place is Demeter Academy!”