Chapter 226: CITY AF QUALIFIER — CONCLUDED.

The entire cavern had gone silent. Everyone had seen it.

The purple rings surrounding Ezra weren’t merely an aesthetic manifestation of some unknown ability. They had reacted to every attack the Werefang had thrown at him.

Kelvina narrowed her draconic eyes.

"Wait..."

Perry’s flames flickered around his body.

"You mean..."

Kelvina looked at Ezra.

"He was absorbing those attacks."

Ezra’s fingers tightened around the Werefang’s throat, and the purple rings rotated- one, two, three... then twelve. Each ring pulsed with a different intensity.

Perry’s expression changed.

"Twelve times."

Kelvina’s eyes widened.

"He took twelve attacks."

Ezra’s gaze remained fixed on the Werefang.

"Correct."

The creature struggled violently. Its claws scratched against Ezra’s arm, but nothing happened. Its claws felt like cotton to him. They couldn’t even pinch his skin, much less draw blood.

Ezra finally released its throat, causing the Werefang to drop to the ground.

For a moment, it seemed confused, shocked- experiencing all the forty thousand stages of shock. Then Ezra stepped forward.

The first punch landed.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Werefang’s entire torso folded around Ezra’s fist. The creature flew backward, but Ezra was already there. His second punch connected.

WHAAAAAAAAAM!

Its body twisted violently, the sound so unnerving that even Kelvina’s expression changed. The expression on Ezra’s face wasn’t doing much good, either. He looked like a purple-haired devil with glowing eyes that seemed to look straight into your existence.

The third punch hit the monster without hesitation.

BANG!

The Werefang exploded. And this was not figurative. Its body was reduced to a mass of blood, flesh, and shattered bone that splattered across the cavern floor.

Silence enveloped the cavern, shock evident on everyone’s faces. This was the first time they’d seen Ezra fight, realistically, and it was too much. Some even began questioning if Kelvina and Perry were legitimate S-Ranks or if Ezra was of another unknown rank.

Kelvina’s mouth opened slightly, Perry stared in shock, and even the Oracle couldn’t speak.

Ezra looked down at his fist. The purple rings slowly rotated around his arm.

"Twelve."

He turned toward the remaining two A-Rank Werefangs, and their expressions changed. His voice was almost a whisper.

"Nine more."

Kelvina’s eyes narrowed.

"Nine?"

Perry understood immediately.

"He’s counting the attacks he needs to return."

The first Werefang roared and charged.

Ezra disappeared.

BOOM!

He appeared directly in front of it and gave it one punch. The creature’s chest caved inward. He followed with a second punch.

WHAM!

The Werefang’s head disappeared under the force of the strike, its body collapsing before it could even register what had happened.

The second A-Rank lunged from behind foolishly, but to its dismay, Ezra turned, the purple rings flashing.

BANG!

His fist struck its abdomen, causing the creature’s body to bend unnaturally. He then stepped forward, and the second punch launched it through the cavern wall.

It didn’t come back.

The remaining Werefangs stared. For the first time since the battle began, they weren’t attacking. They were retreating- and without an order from the Oracle.

Ezra looked at them. "You’re not getting away."

He vanished.

What followed wasn’t a battle. It was an execution.

One Werefang attempted to flee through the western tunnel. Ezra appeared in front of it.

BOOM!

Another tried to attack from above. Ezra caught its arm.

CRACK!

Another came from behind.

BANG!

One after another, the Werefangs fell. Their numbers meant nothing. Their strength meant nothing. Their regeneration meant nothing.

Ezra moved through them like a purple blur, every strike carrying the accumulated force of the attacks he had absorbed.

The cavern shook repeatedly.

BOOM!

BANG!

WHAM!

BOOOOOOM!

Until there was nothing left, only silence.

Kelvina slowly lowered her sword, the draconic projection behind her fading. Perry’s flames diminished. Neither of them spoke.

They had spent the entire battle struggling against those creatures. Ezra had arrived and ended it alone. And now they finally understood why nobody had been able to identify his ability.

It wasn’t simply Light Manipulation. It wasn’t spatial manipulation. It wasn’t even some strange variation of either. His ability had taken the force inflicted upon him... stored it, and returned it with terrifying amplification.

The Oracle finally spoke. Its ancient voice trembled.

"What... are you?"

Ezra looked toward the glowing crystal embedded within the cavern. His purple rings slowly faded.

"Someone who was looking for his team."

Then...

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A blinding white light suddenly erupted throughout the cavern.

Kelvina covered her eyes, and Perry raised an arm. The Oracle’s voice disappeared beneath the overwhelming light.

For an instant, there was nothing, only white.

WHOOSH!

The world returned.

Kelvina opened her eyes. She was standing beneath the enormous crystal towers of Saintfall Square. Hundreds of students stood around her, confused and exhausted.

Some were covered in dirt. Others were injured. Several were being immediately approached by medical personnel. The remaining participants from the various academies had all been transported back.

Perry looked around.

"We’re out."

Kelvina stared at her surroundings.

"What happened?"

A massive screen above the square suddenly activated. The tournament emblem appeared. Then a familiar voice echoed across Saintfall Square.

"Attention, participants."

Every student looked upward.

"The City AF Qualifier has officially concluded."

The square erupted in murmurs.

"The final phase has ended."

"All remaining participants have been successfully extracted from the Saintfall Expanse."

"Final results will now be calculated."

The enormous screen changed.

[CITY AF QUALIFIER — COMPLETE]

The students stared upward. After hours of fighting, surviving, hunting, and competing, it was finally over.

Ezra stood quietly among the West Town Saints Academy members.

Kelvina looked toward him.

For the first time, she wasn’t looking at Ezra as merely the mysterious S-Rank whose ability nobody understood. She was looking at him as something else- something considerably more dangerous.

Perry crossed his arms.

"So..."

Ezra glanced toward him.

"What?"

Perry gestured toward the screen.

"We won?"

Ezra looked upward. The results had not yet been revealed, but a faint smile appeared on his face.

"We’ll find out."

Kelvina suddenly grinned.

"Either way..." She cracked her knuckles. "...that was fun."

Perry sighed.

"Of course that’s what you took from all of this."

Above them, the tournament emblem continued glowing.

[CITY AF QUALIFIER — CONCLUDED!]

And with that, another Chapter of the Inter-Academy Selection Tournament came to an end.