The long-awaited tournament day had arrived, and tension filled the air. Spotting Jane, Dane, and Ashylene's sisters actively training surprised us; they usually relied on their family's reputation.

Concern arose as Jane and Dane, acquainted with top contenders, hinted at a ruthless tournament. Feeling the pressure, Sandra and Dwayne expressed their apprehension.

Feeling outmatched, I voiced my concern about my abilities, hoping for understanding. Ashylene, however, dismissed any escape route, emphasizing unity. Creating distance, she challenged us to face her first, claiming she was the one to fear.

Sandra affirmed Ashylene's strength, urging us to showcase what we've learned. With determination, Dwayne geared up, and Sandra encouraged me, igniting a spark of confidence. In unison, we decided, "Let's give our all and take down our friend."

Sandra moved with explosive speed and swung her new sword at Ashylene. Ashylene dodged it by jumping back, but before she could land, Dwayne shot ten star-shaped metal projectiles at her.

 She heated the air around her and melted the metal, but as soon as she touched the ground, Sandra swung her sword at her again.

Ashylene tried to melt Sandra's sword, but it didn't work. Ashylene jumped back again, surprised by how Sandra's sword resisted the temperature change.

 Dwayne walked forward as the room was filled with silence. I watched him as I charged up my ability. "I've changed the structure of the blade and made it more durable and heat-resistant.

 In simple terms, your ability to change the temperature of incoming objects won't affect my new blade," Dwayne said confidently as he materialized some more star-like weapons with the same properties as Sandra's sword

Ashylene smiled at us with a clear and honest expression that was so cute it made me blush. "Okay, it seems you've improved greatly.

Come on, let's go for round two," she said as she leaned forward, ready to attack us.

"She's coming at us this time," Sandra said, taking a fighting stance. Dwayne also prepared to fight.

"I'm done," I shouted as my whole body was covered with electricity and my eyes turned blue. I moved with explosive speed and kicked Ashylene, but she blocked it.

Sandra saw an opportunity and jumped in to join the attack. Dwayne also came near us, shooting his metal rods at Ashylene.

He manipulated his armor to make him faster and float in the air so he could keep up with us. "You thought I wouldn't find a way to match you in close range fights," he said.

But Ashylene was adapting and increasing her speed. I couldn't maintain my new form for long because it required me to charge it before use.

"Guys, I'm almost out of gas," I said as I kicked Ashylene again, but she blocked it with her hands without flinching.

"Let's finish this now in one strike and take her down," Dwayne said as he summoned more rods and made their tips sharper to increase their aerodynamics.

Sandra took a martial art pose called the lion's lightning and the air around her changed.

I concentrated all the energy I had on one point on my leg and crouched, touching the ground with one leg and stepping back like an athlete ready to run.

"So this is going to be your final attack," Ashylene said as she leaned back. "Show me what you can do to me."

I noticed something strange about the area she was standing on. I felt some charges around her, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

We all launched our attack at the same time. The ground beneath us shook from the shockwave we produced when we ran towards her. Sandra and I jumped in the air and attacked her from above, while Dwayne's rods approached her from below.

I saw Ashylene smile as we approached her, but then something unexpected happened. We stopped midway, paralyzed by the electric charges she had created.

She had formed a barrier around herself to block our attacks, and since they were not strong enough, we failed.

Ashylene vanished from my sight as my speed reaction returned to normal. Then she kicked me in the gut and I flew in the air and hit the wall.

Sandra looked at me and then at Ashylene, who was already close to her face. She spun around and kicked her too, and Sandra flew away.

Ashylene disappeared again to attack Dwayne. She reached him in a second, but her legs were suddenly bound by something. She looked down and saw a metal chain wrapped around her ankles.

She looked up at Dwayne, who had made a hammer-like weapon out of his armor and hit her hard with it. She was pushed back about eight meters.

Dwayne looked at Ashylene and then disappeared from her vision. This confused all of us. Dwayne was controlling his armor to move at extreme speeds. He only had to estimate the distance he needed to move and then prepare his attack.

"Dwayne's adaptability is surprising. He has somehow found more than one way to deal with fast opponents," Ashylene said as a barrage of rods attacked her. They all hit her barrier and sparked electricity.

"How did you do it?" she asked Dwayne. "Is adaptability part of your ability?" She raised her left hand and opened it at Dwayne. Then Dwayne removed his armor.

I was surprised and I shouted at Dwayne why he had removed it, but before I could finish my sentence, Dwayne was hit in the gut and kicked. He followed us and hit the wall.

"Well, we lost," I said as I dusted myself off.

Sandra laughed and said, "No way we can ever beat you. You have become too strong for us." She drank some water from her bag.

"Speak for yourself," Dwayne said as he removed his armor. He had apparently worn it again before he hit the wall, so he wasn't injured.

"Ha-ha-ha, like you can beat her," I said sarcastically.

Ashylene looked at me and said, "Dwayne is strong. He may soon become someone stronger than I am."

My jaw dropped in shock. Sandra looked at the wall that separated our room from the one where Jane, Dane, Sarah and Tanaka were training. It was freezing over. It seemed like Jane's ability.

"Oh shit, another monster like you, Ashylene," I said as I looked at the wall and back at Ashylene.

"Well, it seems like we aren't the only ones training," I said.

After an hour of intense exercise and training, we left the training room. We had trained enough to prepare ourselves for the tournament. Our rivals stayed behind and continued training. We said goodbye to each other and left.

Days went by as we trained every day and learned new things about our abilities. As days went by, the day of the tournament finally arrived

cked with students, parents, and families from all over the city, who had come to witness the spectacular battles between the talented participants. Among the crowd, there were three distinguished families: the Void family, the Lerylin family , and the Frost family, who were the parents of Ashylene, Sandra, and Jane, respectively. 

These three girls were some of the most prominent students in our school, and they had trained hard for this event. Unfortunately, my mother couldn't make it to the tournament, as she had to work late at her job. She promised to join us later that evening, if I managed to stay in the competition until then. I hoped I would, because I wanted to make her proud. In the meantime, Ashylene, Sandra, Dwayne, and I met up in the training room, where we put on our specially designed battle gear and warmed up our unique abilities.

 We were ready to face our opponents and show them what we were capable of. As we walked to the participants' benches, we scanned the match-ups for the day, which were displayed on a large screen. The first few fights were between some skilled students, but the one that caught everyone's attention was the seventh match, where Sandra was paired with Jerry. 

Jerry was a cocky boy, who always looked down on others. He had a smug grin on his face as if he already knew he would win. He clearly underestimated Sandra, who was one of the strongest fighters in our school. He didn't know what he was getting into.

We heard a loud voice coming from the speakers around the field. It was Principal Darry, who was announcing the start of the tournament. The crowd cheered in excitement, as they waited for the first match to begin. Only those who had children or relatives in the school with special abilities could attend this event. It was a rare opportunity to see the amazing feats that we could perform.

We stood up and sang the national anthem of our country, showing our respect and pride. Then, the competition began. The first few fights were interesting, but some were boring. The seventh match was between the number 10 student in our school and an unknown challenger. The number 10 student beat the unknown challenger senselessly, making it a one-sided fight.

Finally, the match we had been waiting for had arrived.

"Now, for our next participants, we have Jerry versus Sandra," the announcer said, as the crowd went wild. We could see the three great families of our school sitting together in the VIP section, as they were eagerly anticipating this match. Sandra took her sword, which was specially crafted by Dwayne, and left the training room, followed by Jerry. The rest of us in the room remained silent, looking at them.

"Good luck, don't lose," Ashylene said, as she tapped Sandra on her back. 

"Yeah, if you lose here, that means you don't deserve the sword that I made for you," Dwayne said, as he smirked at his sister. 

"Yes, Sandra, my sister, if you lose, my popularity will completely go down, probably because everyone will blame me for your loss," I said to her with a smile on my face. 

"Perhaps I'll lose on purpose, so you can learn to stand on your own two feet," she replied, as she waved her hand at us and exited the room. She was confident and determined, and she didn't let anyone intimidate her.

Jerry followed behind her with a large grin on his face. He was the fourth strongest student in the school, and he was a speed user like Sandra. He thought he could beat her easily, and he wanted to show off his skills. 

"So, she's my first opponent," he thought, as he entered the fighting arena. The arena was about 500 meters long and 610 meters wide, so there was plenty of space for them to move around.

They faced each other and everyone in the audience went silent, as they focused entirely on them. The atmosphere was tense and electrifying.

"So, that's the fourth strongest student here, and he's a speed user like Sandra. But their only difference, from what I've heard, is that he is more invested in his speed and can't be caught," Sandra's father, Gregory, said. He was the head of the Lerylin family, and he was proud of his daughter.

The Frost family one of the third great family of our school, nodded in agreement. They were the parents of Jane, who was also a speed user and Sandra's rival. They knew how difficult it was going to be for Sandra to fight against someone like Jerry.

"The Void family, the Frost family, and the Lerylin family are here. I better show off," Jerry thought, as he cracked his neck. He was confident that he could beat Sandra with his speed and strength.

"Will she be okay?" I asked Ashylene, as I showed worry on my face. I was Sandra's brother, and I cared about her a lot.

"Hmph, don't worry. She will be alright," Ashylene replied, as she folded her arms together. She was Sandra's best friend, and she had faith in her.

The three of us then looked at them, as they were about to begin their battle. Sandra assumed a fighting stance, holding her sword firmly. Jerry, however, remained standing casually, with a smirk on his face.

"Is he underestimating me?" Sandra thought, as she focused her gaze on him.

"Begin!" the announcer shouted, and Jerry disappeared from where he stood. He was using his speed ability to move faster than the eye could see.

Sandra also disappeared, using her own speed ability to chase him. We heard loud bangs from the ground, as they clashed with each other.

Sandra then reappeared in front of us, as she was being pushed back. She had a cut on her cheek, and her sword was chipped.

"Shit," she thought. Jerry was wearing knuckle dusters, and he was using them to block her sword attacks. Sandra realized that Jerry was moving faster than she was, so she prepared an attack technique of her sword. She jumped towards him and swung her sword eight times in half a second.

Jerry dodged seven of them, and blocked the last one with his left hand. He clenched his fist and threw a punch at her. Sandra barely blocked it with her sword, and she was pushed back. When she landed on the ground, she immediately jumped back towards him, surprising him. She prepared a sword technique called Broken Vision.

The technique made the sword appear blurry when it was being swung, confusing the opponent. Jerry retreated back, and Sandra used an advanced footwork of her family to boost her momentum and acceleration. She covered the distance between them before he could realize it.

Sandra swung her sword again, as she prepared her fourth technique: the Crimson Half Moon Slice. It was one of her strongest attacks, and it made her sword glow purple. Her father looked at her, surprised that she was using it. Her mother taunted Jerry, telling him not to give up the fight.

Jerry, however, didn't flinch. He leaned in and assumed a martial art fighting pose called Descending Fist. It allowed him to punch in a downward motion with his fist.

Sandra's sword and Jerry's fist collided, creating a huge shockwave. The ground shook below them, and both of them were thrown back by the impact.

Jerry flipped in mid-air, while Sandra was still in shock from the force of their clash. He ran towards her at explosive speed and punched her in the gut. Then he kicked her with a roundhouse kick, sending her flying.

Jerry relentlessly attacked Sandra, leaving her no room to recover. Despite the one-sided assault, Sandra's mother and the spectators couldn't intervene due to the strict rules.

Fueled by rage, I confronted Jane, Jerry's supporter, questioning the brutality of the fight. Dane, another supporter, defended their actions, declaring the weak should be put in their place.

Dwayne and I noticed Ashylene's lack of emotion, urging her to speak out as Sandra's best friend. Sandra, however, surprised everyone with a resilient smile, executing a mysterious sword technique that rendered her invisible to Jerry.

In a swift move, Sandra reappeared behind Jerry, delivering a fatal blow to his chest. The announcer declared Sandra the winner, prompting jubilation from the crowd.

As Jerry staggered in defeat, Jane, Dane, Sarah, and Tanaka seethed with anger, bringing joy to us. Sandra's victory showcased her strength, even against the ninth-ranked student.

Witnessing the spectacle, a vampire-like girl with pale skin and red eyes congratulated me, acknowledging Sandra's triumph. As the crowd cheered, she walked away, leaving an air of mystery in her wake.