As the AI''s countdown ended, Alex braced himself.


    "Fight!"


    Niks released his aura, and Alex''s eyes widened in shock. He immediately recognized the intensity.


    "He''s a Mutant ss D rank Awakened," Alex muttered to himself, the realisation hitting him hard.


    The spectators gasped in awe as the powerful aura spread throughout the arena.


    "He''s a D rank in his first year? Incredible!"


    "And who''s this Alex guy? He must be good to face someone like Niks!"


    Alex ignored the murmurs, focusing solely on his opponent. Niks moved with lightning speed,unching a series of rapid punches.


    Alex barely had time to react, dodging and parrying with equal swiftness. Their fists collided with bone-jarring force, each trying to overpower the other.


    Niks''s strikes were precise and relentless. He was clearly well-trained and ustomed to using his physical abilities to their fullest.


    Alex countered with his own martial prowess, but his movements were much slower and less shy than Niks, as he hadn''t received any training.


    The twobatants were locked in a brutal exchange of blows, neither willing to back down.


    "You''ve got no skill, you''re just fighting on instinct." Niks grunted, his voice strained from the exertion.


    Alex didn''t respond and only gnashed his teeth together. Niks wasn''t wrong in his observation, Alex had been fighting with sheer instinct alone up until this point.


    ''But my instincts still haven''t failed me yet!''


    They continued to sh, the intensity of their hand-to-handbat growing with each passing second. Alex could feel the eyes of the spectators on them, but he blocked it out. This fight was about proving his own strength, not just to the audience, but to himself.


    Niks''s smirk faded as he realised Alex wasn''t going to be an easy win without putting in some more effort. He stepped back, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "You''re better than I thought," he admitted, still no hint of respect in his tone.


    Alex didn''t respond. He was too focused on the fight to engage in banter. He lunged forward, aiming a powerful kick at Niks''s midsection. Niks blocked it with his forearm, but the impact forced him back a few steps.


    The crowd''s excitement was palpable. "This is insane! Both of them are incredible fighters!"


    Alex and Niks circled each other, each looking for an opening. Alex could feel his muscles burning from the intense exertion, but he pushed the pain aside. He had to stay sharp, had to stay focused.


    The previous 9 fights had taken their toll on his body, and he was quickly growing even more exhausted as time went on.


    Niks moved first, darting in with a flurry of punches. Alex parried and countered, his movements a blur. They exchanged blows with brutal efficiency, each trying to gain the upper hand. The arena floor trembled under the force of their strikes, the air thick with tension.


    Suddenly, Niks stepped back, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Time to end this," he dered.


    Before Alex could react, Niks activated his Talent. A blinding light erupted from his body, causing Alex and the audience to squint. The light didn''t fade; instead, it seemed to envelop Niks entirely.


    Alex''s eyes widened in realisation. "An S+ rank Talent, so it was true!... and it''s of the Light element too!"


    The audience was stunned into silence, their eyes fixed on the radiant figure of Niks. The brilliance of his aura was overwhelming, casting long shadows across the arena.


    "He''s got an S+ rank Light element Talent? This is unbelievable!"


    "Alex is in trouble now. How can he fight against that?"


    Alex didn''t let the shock paralyse him.


    ''Since you don''t want to y our little game anymore, I might as well take this seriously too!''


    Just like Niks did, Alex activated his own talent. To be specific, his me talent.


    It wasn''t nearly as shy as Niks''s, but it still garnered a wave of shock and cheers from the crowd.


    This was the first time Alex was revealing this move to the public, as every opponent Alex had faced with this technique so far had been reduced to ash.


    He picked up his sword, and along with the rest of Alex''s body, it was quickly drowned in mes.


    "Interesting! It seems you have an elemental talent too. You might not be as bad as I thought, but you''re still the same rat underneath that fiery exterior!"


    Niks didn''t seem bothered by Alex''s transformation into a ming spectacle.


    "Alex is holding his own against an S+ rank Talent. This is unreal."


    "Who is this guy? Where did hee from?"


    Niks lunged forward, his speed and power enhanced by his Talent. Alex barely managed to dodge, the air crackling with energy as Niks''s fist missed him by inches. The ground where Niks struck Alex was scorched, the sheer force of his attack leaving a smouldering crater.


    "You see, the interesting thing about Light-," Niks spoke amidst the mes, "Is that it is the limit of speed in the universe."


    Instantly, Niks disappeared from his spot.


    But it wasn''t something like teleportation, no, he just moved so fast that not even the more experienced senior students in the audience could spot him.


    Alex felt a surge of adrenaline. He knew that it was impossible for Niks to achieve something as overpowered as lightspeed at his rank, as the energy it would take was far, far ahead of anything he could provide.


    ''Where is he??''


    But Alex was unable to find him nevertheless, which led to him being unable to dodge Niks''s strike to his back when he came back into focus.


    "Puh!" The air was all forcibly pushed out of Alex''s lungs as he was sent flying forwards into the arena barrier.


    Killing was banned in thebat assessment, and was severely punished even if it was aplete ident, so Niks only used the butt of his sword to strike Alex''s back.


    He wasn''t going to take any chances just because of some fight.


    ''How the hell am I supposed to beat someone I can''t even see!?''


    Meanwhile, Alex was going through a dilemma on the other side of the arena.