CHAPTER 79 — The Noise and the Light
The locker room was unusually quiet.
The deafening roar of the arena reached them only as a distant rumble, vibrating through the stone walls like the growl of an approaching storm.
Zayn sat alone on a cold metal bench.
His elbows rested on his knees, his hands clasped together as he stared at the floor.
His heartbeat was steady.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
Just enough to remind him that in a few minutes, he would step into the arena before tens of thousands of spectators.
Against an opponent he knew almost nothing about.
"You're thinking too much."
Yojuro's deep voice broke the silence.
He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression as unreadable as ever.
Zayn looked up.
"I'm mostly trying to imagine all the different ways I could embarrass myself."
Rodrigue burst out laughing.
"Finally, a realistic thought!"
Zayn tossed his water bottle at him.
Rodrigue barely caught it.
"Hey!"
"You deserved that."
Blanche rolled her eyes.
"Could you two stop for at least five minutes?"
Rodrigue shrugged.
"If we get serious now, that's a bad sign."
The door opened.
Kai walked in carrying another bottle of water.
Without saying a word, he handed it to Zayn.
"Drink."
"Thanks."
Zayn took several long gulps before letting out a slow breath.
Kai sat beside him.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
"That's normal."
"Were you nervous during your first tournament?"
Kai smiled awkwardly.
"The first time…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"I was so scared that I walked into the wrong arena."
Rodrigue blinked.
"You're kidding."
"I wish."
Everyone laughed.
Even Blanche couldn't hide a small smile.
For a moment, the pressure disappeared.
Then Akamaru entered.
Unlike the others, his face was serious.
"Your opponent…"
Everyone turned toward him.
"Echo."
The room instantly fell silent.
"I fought her once."
Zayn raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Akamaru sighed.
"Thirty seconds."
Rodrigue frowned.
"Thirty seconds?"
"I charged at her."
He lifted one finger.
"She looked at me…"
"…and said…"
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"'BOOM.'"
He snapped his fingers.
"The next thing I remember, I woke up in the infirmary."
Rodrigue stared.
"…That's it?"
"That's it."
A heavy silence followed.
Finally, Rodrigue muttered,
"I already don't like this girl."
Blanche crossed her arms.
"She loves getting inside people's heads."
"She jokes."
"She teases."
"She keeps talking until you lose your focus."
Yojuro finally spoke.
"And that's exactly when she wins."
He looked directly at Zayn.
"She isn't just fast."
"She thinks faster than almost everyone."
"Every second you hesitate…"
"…belongs to her."
Zayn nodded slowly.
"So…"
"I shouldn't think."
"No."
Yojuro shook his head.
"You need to think faster than she does."
A loud voice echoed through the hallway.
"All fighters, report to the arena immediately!"
Everyone stood.
Rodrigue placed a hand on Zayn's shoulder.
"Go have fun."
Kai smiled.
"And try not to destroy the stadium."
"No promises."
Blanche stepped closer.
For a few seconds, she simply looked into his eyes.
Then she smiled softly.
"Come back in one piece."
"I'll do my best."
Yojuro walked past him.
Without even looking back, he said only one word.
"Win."
One word.
That was enough.
⸻
The roar of the crowd crashed into Zayn like a tidal wave.
More than fifty thousand spectators filled the enormous arena.
Flags danced in the air.
Giant holographic screens displayed the battlefield from every angle.
The announcer's voice thundered across the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"The first match of Group B is about to begin!"
"Representing Zenith Class…"
"Student Number Nine…"
"ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYN!!"
The entire stadium erupted.
Cheers.
Applause.
Whistles.
People screamed his name from every direction.
Zayn took a deep breath.
Then walked toward the center of the arena.
Each step echoed against the stone floor.
Far above, inside the imperial glass lounge, Friedrich von Eisenberg watched silently.
Arthur stood beside him.
"So that's him…"
Friedrich smiled faintly.
"The boy suffering from Blessed Energy Disorder."
"He won't get very far."
Arthur remained silent.
For some reason…
He couldn't take his eyes off Zayn.
Something felt different.
⸻
A blur of white suddenly dropped from the sky.
The girl landed on one hand before spinning into a flawless flip.
"Woohoo!"
The audience immediately cheered.
She stood up laughing.
Messy white hair.
Bright silver eyes sparkling with excitement.
A black headset resting crookedly over her head.
She waved enthusiastically to every side of the stadium.
"Hello, everyone!"
The crowd answered with even louder cheers.
Then she turned toward Zayn.
"So!"
"You're Zayn?"
"Yeah."
She walked much closer than necessary.
She tilted her head.
"You never smile?"
"I do."
"Oh really?"
"Show me."
Zayn looked at her for a long moment.
Then forced the most awkward smile imaginable.
Echo froze.
A second later—
She burst into laughter.
"Oh my God!"
"You smile like a villain pretending to be nice!"
Even the audience laughed.
Zayn sighed.
"You talk a lot."
"It's my hidden talent."
"I thought your talent was beating people."
"Both."
She grinned proudly.
Then extended her hand.
"No hard feelings after the match?"
Zayn shook it.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"If you let me win."
Echo laughed even harder.
"Oh!"
"I like you."
"I thought you were going to be one of those boring serious guys."
"I might still be."
"We'll see."
The referee raised his arm.
Silence slowly spread across the arena.
Echo stepped backward.
Silver runes began circling around both of her wrists.
At the same moment, Zayn discreetly activated Borealis.
A small green hologram appeared beside him.
"Aurora online."
"Combat analysis complete."
"Opponent classified as highly unpredictable."
"Estimated probability of victory…"
"Forty-eight percent."
Zayn blinked.
"Thanks for the confidence."
"I simply provide accurate calculations."
The referee swung his arm downward.
"BEGIN!"
Echo smiled mischievously.
"Alright…"
"Let's make some noise."
She snapped her fingers.
"BOOM."
A massive explosion erupted behind Zayn.
The battle had begun.