Creation Of All Things

Academy Arena – The Showdown Begins

Cain rolled his shoulders, a slow smirk forming. "Alright, junior, let's see what you got."

Alfred yawned, cracking his knuckles. "You talk too much."

The referee raised his hand.

"Match—begin!"

WHOOSH!

Cain vanished.

In an instant, he was behind Alfred, his fist already mid-swing.

BAM!

Alfred tilted his head just in time, Cain's punch grazing his cheek before BOOM!—a shockwave shattered the ground where Alfred had been standing.

But Alfred was already gone.

FWOOOSH!

He reappeared a few feet away, grinning. "Not bad. Fast hands."

Cain smirked. "Fast enough to end this quick."

His body crackled with golden lightning, arcs of energy dancing around him. His movements blurred as he launched forward, fists coated in raw electricity.

S-Rank Ability: Storm King's Blitz.

CRACK!

Cain's first punch shattered the air—Alfred sidestepped.

The second punch curved like a whip—Alfred ducked.

A flurry of lightning-coated blows rained down, each one carrying the force of a storm.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Alfred weaved through the strikes with terrifying ease, his body barely shifting as Cain's fists tore into the ground, leaving deep craters.

"You dodging all day?" Cain taunted, fists sparking.

Alfred grinned. "Just warming up."

Then—

He stepped forward.

Cain swung—but missed.

Alfred ducked under the punch, twisting his body mid-motion. His elbow snapped forward—

BAM!

Cain barely got his arms up in time, skidding back from the impact.

The crowd gasped.

"Did… did he just counter Cain's attack?"

Cain clicked his tongue, shaking his arms. "Not bad, junior."

Alfred smirked. "I told you—fast hands."

Cain exhaled, his aura flaring. "Fine. No more playing around."

His foot slammed into the ground—BOOM!—and suddenly, golden lightning flooded the arena.

The air hummed, sparks crackling against the ground.

"Storm King's Domain."

The temperature dropped. The sky above them twisted, dark clouds forming in an instant. Static clung to everything, making hair stand on end.

Aria whistled from the sidelines. "Oh? Now it's getting serious."

Tatia nodded approvingly. "S-rank abilities are no joke. Let's see how Alfred handles it."

Cain's golden eyes glowed, and in the next instant—

CRASH!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree slammed into the ground where Alfred stood.

The explosion sent debris flying, dust engulfing the arena.

The crowd went wild.

"Did he—?"

Before they could finish the thought—

FWOOOOSH!

Alfred walked out of the smoke.

Unscathed.

Hands still in his pockets.

The audience fell silent.

Cain blinked. "What…?"

Alfred sighed. "That all?"

Then he vanished.

"What—?!"

Cain barely had time to react before—

BANG!

A knee slammed into his gut.

Cain's eyes widened. He felt the air ripped from his lungs. His entire body bent forward, and before he could process it—

BOOM!

A second kick sent him flying across the arena, tumbling like a ragdoll before he caught himself, skidding to a stop.

The entire crowd was stunned.

Alfred stood there, still looking bored.

Cain coughed, wiping his mouth. "...You got some power, huh?"

Alfred cracked his neck. "You don't say."

Cain grinned. "Alright then. Time to get serious."

His aura exploded.

Lightning coiled around him like living serpents. The air rumbled, the arena itself shaking under the sheer force of his power.

Alfred lifted an eyebrow.

Cain raised his fist to the sky.

"Storm King's Judgement."

A massive lightning spear formed above him, crackling with energy that could vaporize a small mountain. The air warped, pressure crushing down on the arena.

The students gasped in awe.

"That's… that's too much power!"

Alfred exhaled. "Fine, I'll stop messing around."

He raised one hand.

A small flame flickered to life.

Cain frowned. "That's your counter?"

Alfred just smirked.

The flame condensed.

Then it shrank.

It became smaller—denser—until it looked like a tiny, shimmering ember floating in his palm.

But the temperature in the arena skyrocketed.

Cain's eyes widened. "...What the hell?"

Alfred's voice was calm.

"Try blocking this."

He flicked the ember forward.

At first, it looked harmless. Just a tiny flame drifting through the air.

But then—

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A blinding explosion erupted, swallowing everything in an instant. The sheer heat melted the ground, a shockwave tearing through the arena.

Cain disappeared in the explosion.

The storm above? Gone.

The entire arena fell into dead silence.

When the dust settled—

Cain was lying in a massive crater.

His uniform was burned, his entire body twitching. He was still conscious—but just barely.

Alfred yawned. "You done?"

Cain groaned, raising a shaky hand. "Yeah... I'm done."

The crowd erupted.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"HE BEAT AN S-RANK ABILITY LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!"

"WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY?!"

Wren chuckled. "Guess we got our answer."

Tatia smiled proudly. "Just as expected."

Alfred stretched, looking around at the stunned faces.

He sighed. "Man, you guys are weak."

The students flinched.

Alfred stuffed his hands back in his pockets, looking over at Aria. "You good?"

Aria grinned. "That was sick. We should spar later."

Alfred smirked. "You'll lose."

Aria rolled her eyes. "We'll see."

The match was over.

But one thing was clear—

The new generation of this academy?

Was on a whole different level.

The crowd was still buzzing. Some students whispered in disbelief, others just stared at Alfred like he wasn't human. Even the instructors exchanged glances, as if questioning what kind of monsters they had just let into their academy.

Wren, standing off to the side, slowly exhaled. His sharp eyes swept over the kids—Alfred, hands in his pockets like he hadn't just flattened an S-rank opponent; Aria, grinning like she'd just watched a good fight instead of witnessing absolute destruction.

And then his gaze landed on Adam.

The guy was standing near the academy president, hands casually tucked into his pockets, looking as uninterested as ever. Behind him, Gloria stood quietly, her presence subdued but still commanding in its own way.

Wren felt a chill crawl up his spine. If his siblings were this freakishly strong… then just how terrifying is he?

He clicked his tongue. "Damn monsters."

Nearby, Cain groaned as medics rushed to check on him. His pride was probably more broken than his body.

The president clapped his hands once, drawing everyone's attention. "Well then. With that, their registration is officially complete." His voice was calm, but there was a slight edge of amusement—like he'd just watched something absurd and was still processing it.

An instructor stepped forward, handing over two sleek, black student IDs. "Alfred. Aria. Welcome to the academy."

Alfred took his without a word, barely glancing at it before slipping it into his pocket.

Aria, on the other hand, smirked. "Cool." She flipped hers between her fingers before tucking it away.

The formalities were done. But the entire academy knew—this year's students weren't normal.