The three beasts tightened their circle around Valerie, their glowing red eyes locking onto her like predators cornering their prey.
The largest of the trio charged first, its massive frame moving with a speed that belied its size. It swung a clawed fist down at Valerie, aiming to crush her. She raised her arm just in time, blocking the blow, though the force sent her skidding back a few feet, her boots grinding against the arena floor.
“Nice punch,” Valerie muttered, shaking out her arm. “Let’s see how you like mine.”
She surged forward, her fist colliding with the creature's ribs. The impact was thunderous, causing the audience to gasp. The beast staggered, but to Valerie’s frustration, it shook off the blow as if she’d merely tapped it.
“Oh, you’re tough, huh? I like that,” Valerie said with a wicked grin, her silver hair shimmering as she ducked under another swipe.
The second beast took advantage of her momentary distraction, lunging at her from the side. Its razor-sharp claws raked toward her torso, but Valerie spun, narrowly avoiding the attack. She retaliated with a spinning kick, her heel connecting with the creature’s head. The sound of metal on bone reverberated through the arena, yet the beast barely flinched.
“Okay, these guys are tanky. Fun,” Valerie said, her breath quickening, though the thrill of the fight lit her crimson eyes.
The third beast leapt into the air, coming down with a bone-crushing slam. Valerie darted out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crushed. The ground where she had stood cracked under the impact.
“This is getting annoying,” she muttered, wiping a streak of dirt off her cheek.
In the stands, the audience was on the edge of their seats, their cheers growing louder with each clash. They thought it was all part of the show, completely oblivious to the danger unfolding before them.
But in the VIP section, the professors huddled together, their faces pale with panic.
“Who sent those things?” one professor whispered, her hands trembling.
“Doesn’t matter. We need to neutralize this before Thor realizes something’s wrong,” Dean Thorne hissed, frantically typing on his tablet.
---
Meanwhile, in the farthest corner of the stadium, the two shadowy figures observed the chaos with keen interest.
“Boss,” the woman murmured, her eyes fixed on the fight. “Is she going to hold out against them for long? She’s stronger than expected.”
The man beside her smirked, his voice calm. “She’ll be occupied. Those beasts are enhanced with cutting-edge technology and the finest genetic engineering. Their skeletons and exoskeletons are pure Kerasitium alloy.”
“But she destroyed that wall earlier,” the woman said, glancing nervously at Valerie as she ducked under a flurry of blows.
“That wall was merely coated with Kerasitium, not made of it,” the man replied with a hint of disdain. “These beasts are a different story. She can struggle all she wants—it will keep her busy while we finish our work.”
---
Back in the arena, Valerie found herself dodging, blocking, and striking in a relentless flurry of attacks. Sweat beaded on her brow as the beasts adapted, working together with unnerving synchronization.
One of the creatures lunged low, swiping at her legs, while another aimed for her torso. Valerie vaulted over the low strike, twisting mid-air to land a solid punch on the second beast’s jaw. But as her feet hit the ground, the third beast slammed into her from behind, sending her sprawling.
She rolled to her feet, panting but grinning like a maniac.
“This is the best workout I’ve had all year!” she said, shaking the dust from her hair. Her eyes glowed brighter as she tapped into her powers.
“Bring it on, tin cans!” she roared, charging back into the fray as the audience roared with delight, completely oblivious to the truth.
Above, in the VIP section, Loki leaned back, sipping a goblet of wine as he watched the chaos unfold.
“Such a delightful mess,” he mused, his smile widening. “Oh, brother, if only you knew what’s really going on here.”
Thor, however, was too busy cheering for Valerie to notice anything amiss. “That’s my disciple! Show them your strength, Young Warrior!”
Loki chuckled to himself. “Strength alone won’t win this fight, dear brother. Let’s see how she fares when the odds aren’t in her favor.”
—
The beasts closed in, their glowing red eyes pulsing with a mechanical hum as they advanced on Valerie. She unleashed everything she had—her laser vision carved deep grooves into the arena floor, her fire breath lit up the surroundings with searing heat, and her ice breath created a shimmering frost that crept across the beasts’ metallic exteriors. But none of it made a dent.
The first beast lunged, its massive arm swinging like a battering ram. Valerie ducked, her breath fogging the air as she exhaled another icy blast. The frost engulfed the creature’s arm, freezing it solid.
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“Gotcha!” she shouted, spinning to land a powerful kick. The frozen arm bent the other way and cracked from the impact, rendering it useless.
But the beast didn’t even flinch. Instead, it swiveled its torso, its other arm striking her like a hammer. Valerie was sent flying, slamming into one of the remaining arena walls.
“Ugh, okay, that hurt,” she muttered, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth as she staggered to her feet. Her silver hair, now streaked with dust and debris, clung to her face. “You’re tougher than you look. I like it.”
Another beast charged, its clawed feet leaving craters in the ground. Valerie turned just in time to see it bearing down on her. She inhaled then exhaled fire, intended as a barrier of fire that roared to life in front of her.
The beast didn’t stop. It ran through the flames, its alloyed exoskeleton glowing red-hot but unscathed. Before she could react, it tackled her to the ground.
---
In the stands, Fiona gripped the armrest of her chair, her knuckles white.
“Why isn’t anyone stopping this?” she whispered, glancing nervously at Kian.
“This… doesn’t feel right,” Kian muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Where’s the host? And why is everyone just sitting there like this is normal?”
Fiona’s gaze darted around. She noticed, with growing unease, that the audience was dwindling. The students from prominent families, including Anderson, had quietly left.
“Kian,” Fiona said, her voice trembling. “Something’s off. This isn’t a show. Valerie’s in real danger.”
Kian nodded, rising from his seat. “Miss Allen, I think we should—”
Before he could finish, an icy mist enveloped him, swirling around his body with unnatural speed. Fiona gasped, stumbling back as the mist solidified into a crystalline block of ice, trapping Kian inside.
“Kian? Kian! What’s happening?!” Fiona shouted, banging on the frozen prison.
Two shadowy figures emerged from the edge of the arena, their forms shifting like smoke.
“Who—who are you? What do you want?” Fiona demanded, her voice shaking.
The man ignored her, bending down to lift the frozen block containing Kian as if it weighed nothing.
“Wait! Stop!” she yelled, trying to block their path, but the woman beside the man extended her hand, and a wave of darkness pushed Fiona back. The figures disappeared into the shadows, taking Kian with them.
Fiona scrambled to her feet, her eyes wild with fear. “Val! Val! Someone kidnapped Kian!” she shouted, but Valerie was too busy with the fight to respond
---
But Valerie was in no position to respond. The beasts surrounded her now, coordinating their attacks with terrifying precision.
The second beast, the one with the broken arm, raised its clawed foot and stomped down. Valerie rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed, but the third beast was waiting. It swung its tail like a whip, the metallic appendage slamming into her side and sending her sprawling.
“Damn it!” Valerie groaned, clutching her ribs as she tried to rise. Before she could get to her feet, the first beast seized her by the ankle, lifting her into the air like a ragdoll.
“Let go of me, you overgrown trash can!” she yelled, blasting it with a point-blank burst of fire breath. The flames enveloped its head, but the beast merely tightened its grip and swung her like a wrecking ball, slamming her into the arena floor.
The impact left a crater, and Valerie lay there for a moment, dazed. Her vision blurred as the beasts closed in again.
“Okay,” she muttered, coughing as she tried to catch her breath. “Maybe this isn’t as fun as I thought.”
The beasts loomed over her, their glowing eyes locked onto their prey. But even as she lay there, battered and bruised, Valerie’s crimson eyes burned with defiance.
“This isn’t over,” she growled, her hands curling into fists as she prepared for the next round.
---
Meanwhile, in the secluded control room, Dean Thorne stood with a group of panicked professors.
“Contact the Hero Association,” Thorne barked. “We need the Ten Suns here now.”
“Sir, Professor Kohn is missing,” one of the professors said nervously.
Thorne’s jaw tightened. “What?! Find her. Now.”
Another professor adjusted his headset, his voice trembling. “The beasts… they’re not registered constructs. Someone brought them here intentionally.”
“Who?” Thorne demanded.
“We’re… not sure. But whoever it is, they’re using the beasts to keep Nordin busy—and now they’ve taken one of the students.”
Thorne’s face darkened. “This isn’t just an attack on the school. This is war.”
—
The battlefield erupted in chaos as the security staff rushed in, EMP rocket launchers locked and loaded. They fired in rapid succession, blue bursts of electromagnetic energy crackling across the arena. Each shot struck one of the beasts, causing them to twitch and convulse as the electricity surged through their cybernetic bodies.
Valerie, seizing the opportunity, activated her superspeed. The world blurred around her as she darted to the edge of the arena, skidding to a stop by a crumbled wall. She leaned against it, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.
"Finally, a breather," she muttered, wiping blood from her lips. But her respite was short-lived as the beasts began to recover, their mechanical roars piercing the air. The beasts shook off the effects of the EMP, their glowing eyes reigniting with rage. They turned toward the security staff, and with terrifying speed, one of them lunged, smashing through the team’s defenses.
---
In the VIP section, Fiona burst in, her hair disheveled and her voice trembling. "My Lords, please help her! This isn’t part of the show—Kian, my friend, someone took him! Please, you have to do something!"
Thor stood, his expression darkening. He turned to Loki, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him effortlessly.
“Loki! Is this one of your schemes?!” Thor thundered, his eyes glowing with fury.
“Brother, please!” Loki protested, his hands raised in mock innocence. “There’s no flair in this charade! Look at it—where’s the drama, the chaos, the me in it? This is amateur work!”
Thor growled but released him, his gaze softening as he looked at Fiona. “Fear not, young one. I’ll help. Gladly!”
Thor hefted Mjolnir, the ancient hammer sparking to life with arcs of electricity. Runes etched along its surface glowed as he raised it to the sky. Dark clouds rolled in, and the faint rumble of thunder echoed through the stadium.
But just as Thor prepared to leap into the arena, a sudden shift stopped him in his tracks.
---
Valerie straightened, her posture changing. Her labored breathing ceased, replaced by a calm, almost unnatural poise. Her silver hair shimmered and began to transform, strands turning into a radiant gold. Her glowing crimson eyes brightened into a divine, golden hue.
She stepped forward with slow, deliberate grace, her movements imbued with an air of aristocratic elegance. Even her voice changed, carrying a regal authority that resonated through the arena.
“How dare such foul creatures even think of laying a hand on me,” Valerie said, her tone dripping with disdain. “You wretched abominations will pay dearly for this insult.”
The beasts, still twitching from the EMP blasts, hesitated. It was as if they, too, could sense the sudden shift in her presence.
The Oracle System flared up, its voice echoing in Valerie’s mind:
---
New skills detected:
The Aspects of the Damned:
7th aspect; Divine Pride.
* Royal Arrogance: Reflexes increased by 200%.
* Keen Battle Sense: Grants Future Sight (able to predict enemy movements).
* Fragility of a Flawless Elegance: Damage received increased by 250%.
---
In the VIP section, Thor stared, his eyes wide. “Loki… why is she acting like you?”
Loki’s lips curled into a mischievous smile, his eyes glinting with a knowing edge. “Who’s to say, dear brother? This has been a surprise to me, too. I am delighted.”
Valerie continued her regal stride toward the beasts, who now seemed to hesitate under her commanding aura. She raised a single hand, her golden eyes narrowing.
“Kneel, beasts,” she commanded, her voice ringing out like a bell of judgment. “Before I make you regret drawing breath in my presence.”
The beasts roared in defiance, but their movements faltered as if even their enhanced instincts were unsure how to respond to the overwhelming presence before them.
Thor lowered Mjolnir, watching with curiosity. “This… I must see.”
Loki chuckled. “Yes, let us enjoy the performance, shall we?.”