The ground trembled beneath Stark’s feet as he stood amidst the crumbling remnants of the Colosseum Tower.
His battle with Olikar had pushed the structure to its limit, and now, the tower was moments away from total collapse, like actually, they had destroyed EVERYTHING.
“Hmph,” Stark muttered, his eyes narrowing as he gripped the [Colosseum Tower Token] in his hand.
He activated it without hesitation, a burst of crimson energy enveloping his body.
The familiar sensation of teleportation surged through him, and in an instant, the chaotic sounds of destruction faded.
Just as Stark disappeared from the collapsing structure, the tower gave one final, earth-shattering groan.
Then the entire thing shattered like glass.
Just like Olikar, that thing died.
…
Back in his apartment room, Stark reappeared in the exact same position he had been in before teleporting to the Colosseum Tower.
His eyes blinked as he adjusted to the sudden shift in scenery.
The familiar warmth of his apartment greeted him, a stark contrast to the cold and deadly battlefield he had just left behind.
Across the room, Lana and Sora sat on the couch, their eyes glued to the television screen.
Both of them looked tense, anxiety painted on their faces (yes, even Sora, a bit) as they watched the massive Colosseum Tower crumble on live television.
“STARK!” Lana screamed, jumping to her feet as the tower collapsed, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice filled with desperation.
She thought he was still inside.
“Yes?” Stark’s calm voice came from behind.
Lana froze mid-sob, slowly turning around as her eyes met Stark’s calm expression.
Her jaw dropped, and for a second, she couldn’t believe it was really him standing there.
Her face was a mess of tears and snot, but none of that mattered. The next moment, she rushed toward him, hugging him.
“You… you’re okay!” she cried, clutching him tightly. “I thought- I thought you-”
“Did you expect me to stay inside and take it?” Stark raised his eyebrows.
“N-No…” Lana sniffled, slowly pulling back from the hug, trying to compose herself, “B-But we saw the whole battle live on TV! We thought you were trapped in there!”
Stark’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what? The battle was… live on TV?”
“Yes,” Sora confirmed as she stood from the couch, approaching them with her usual calm demeanor, but there was a glint of relief in her eyes.
She smiled softly and extended her arms, as if expecting a hug as well.
Stark didn’t know what this gesture meant, as it was Sora we were talking about, and so he put the [Colosseum Token] in her hands.
Sora blinked in confusion, her very small smile faltering slightly, “You hugged Lana, aren’t you going to do the same for me?”
“Oh…” Stark scratched the back of his head, “I just… didn’t expect it from you, my bad.”
He awkwardly opened his arms, and Sora stepped into the hug.
Unlike Lana’s emotional embrace, Sora’s was way calmer and less excited.
As they hugged, Sora’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she realized how strange this sensation was to her.
Human contact… that didn’t repulse her, that didn’t fill her with disgust.
‘No… disgust…’ Sora thought, her mind racing as the hug lingered longer than she expected.
It felt… comforting.
She had never touched anyone like this before without feeling the urge to pull away immediately.
This feeling was intoxicating to her, and if she didn’t watch out she could definitely become a ‘Stark Addict’.
Stark stepped back, looking between the two girls, “So… does that mean the whole world saw the battle?”
“Yes,” Lana and Sora replied in unison.
“The TV literally turned itself on,” Lana explained, “and your fight was being broadcast everywhere. We checked the forums, and it was the same for everyone. People were forced to watch your battle.”
“Oh, wow,” Stark muttered, running a hand through his hair, “That’s… special.”
He was thankful that his face had been hidden by his aura for most of the fight, but it was still strange to think that the entire world had been watching him take down Olikar.
Curious, Stark pulled out his phone and quickly navigated to the forums. Sure enough, the discussions were ablaze with his name.
[WarriorKing98]: Yo, did anyone else see that dude rip through the tower?! What the heck was that battle?!
[ArcaneMaster10]: Bro, it was INSANE. That crimson aura was unreal. I can’t believe that guy took down an apostle like that.
[OlikarFanatic]: Nah man, Olikar was supposed to win! This guy came outta nowhere. This isn’t over!
[JustAnotherSpectator]: Did anyone notice how the entire tower just… exploded? If it happened in a city it would soooo over!
Stark smirked, shaking his head, “Damn.”
…
The next two days passed quietly, a stark contrast to the chaos of the battle. Stark spent most of his time resting and recovering, though Lana seemed intent on… other activities.
One night, Lana made her move, slipping into Stark’s bed while Sora was sleeping nearby.
She nudged him gently, her eyes gleaming mischievously in the dark.
“Hey… want to… have some fun?” she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear.
Stark turned to her, half-asleep, and frowned, “You make too much noise,” he said, rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head.
But surprisingly, Lana didn’t feel rejected, instead she chuckled, “If Sora’s going to stay here for a while, how are we supposed to have any alone time?” she teased, poking him in the side.
“I don’t know,” Stark muttered, his voice muffled by the blanket, “Just… not when she’s around.”
Lana chuckled quietly, though she couldn’t hide her disappointment, “Fine, fine. But don’t think you can keep dodging me forever.”
“Don’t plan to, you’re submissive as hell anyway.”
“…” her face turned red.
What they didn’t know was that Sora, who they assumed was asleep, had her eyes wide open, listening to every word.
Her face was flushed as she lay there, her heart pounding, ‘They’ve already gone this far…?’ she thought, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite place.
Jealousy? Curiosity?
If Stark had already been with Lana, what chance did she have to… win him over?
Lana was her friend, and yet… the thought of Stark being out of her reach made her think that the possibility of ‘stealing’ him wasn’t far-fetched.
She scolded herself for even thinking that way.
…
Two days later…
[The third semester/trial of the academy starts today!]
Stark, Lana, and Sora hurried to get ready, tension in the air as they prepared for the new semester.
A new semester in this academy wasn’t filled with excitement, just dread.
As usual, Stark carried both girls, jumping from a building and landing smoothly past the academy gate.
They entered the academy lobby, where a large assembly of students was gathered.
But this time, things were different.
There were only 2,000 squares set up on the floor, much fewer than the previous trials.
And of those squares, not even half were filled with students: the rest were empty.
Stark, Lana, and Sora stood together on three squares close to one another.
The atmosphere heavier than before.
The remaining students seemed stronger, more focused, and far more dangerous.
At precisely 8:00, the academy doors closed with a loud THUD, and the chairman, Theodore, appeared on stage alongside the instructors.
“Beautiful day, ain’t it, folks?” Theodore grinned, his eyes scanning the room, “You can imagine my surprise when I saw the Colosseum Tower was destroyed by one of you, a true… shocking event.”
His gaze locked onto Stark, the knowing glint in his eyes impossible to miss.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had caused this at this point anyway.
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Theodore continued, clapping his hands together, “Let’s get on with the third and final trial announcement, shall we?”
A holographic screen descended from the ceiling, casting a glow across the room as the details of the next trial began to display.
