Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 304: Zephyr Vs Ryou.

"You may begin."

The moment the referee’s voice echoed across the platform, Zephyr lunged forward with overwhelming force.

He hadn’t bothered digging too deeply into his opponent’s background. All he knew was what Azriel had mentioned that the boy was strong, a top-ranked student from Horizon Academy.

Even so...

From the aura Zephyr sensed, his opponent didn’t feel threatening enough to make him hesitate or slow him down still, the previous unnoticed appearance made him cautious...

...So, Zephyr decided to test his opponent first.

He threw a straightforward punch, golden energy flaring around his fist as his martial art activated.

His attack landed cleanly on Ryou’s ribs.

CRACK!!!

With a cracking sound, Ryou was sent flying backward like a ragdoll, crashing straight into the mana barrier surrounding the platform. For a brief moment, silence followed and then the boy stood up immediately.

"Huh...?"

Zephyr’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

There wasn’t even a single scratch on Ryou’s body. He simply stared at Zephyr without any emotions and straightened the slight wrinkle in his shirt as if silently daring Zephyr to attack again.

Zephyr didn’t stop.

He lunged forward once more and threw another punch and Ryou didn’t even attempt to dodge this time either. The blow connected cleanly, launching him backward with even greater force than before.

His body slammed into the mana barrier again and yet, when he rose to his feet, the result was exactly the same and he still did not have a single scratch.

What is happening?

The pattern continued. Zephyr punched, kicked and attacked again and again. Each strike was clean and each blow carried more force than the last but every single time Ryou got back up without a single injury.

Zephyr’s mind struggled to process it.

Even healing abilities had limits and drawbacks so how was this unknown boy standing in front of him doing it so effortlessly?

Gradually, the roaring cheers of the crowd faded away until all Zephyr could hear were hushed whispers echoing across the arena... and the pounding of his own heartbeat.

"Isn’t that the heir of the Dragon family?"

"Wasn’t he supposed to be a genius?"

"So how is he losing to some no-name student?"

"Tsk... if I were in his place, I wouldn’t even dare show my face to Duke Dragon again."

The whispers were barely audible and yet to Zephyr, they echoed louder than anything else. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

His gaze slowly drifted toward the upper stands... toward the seat where his father was watching. He couldn’t even bring himself to look properly. In his mind, he already imagined the disappointment written across his father’s face.

Then his eyes shifted again and stopped on the one person he had always considered his rival— Alden and even Alden was looking down at the platform with a disappointed expression.

"Is that all you’ve got?"

Just then, his opponent’s voice echoed across the platform.

"And here I was hoping for a proper battle."

He took a brief pause.

"How disappointing. I suppose I’ll just have to wait," Ryou continued, his tone utterly flat, devoid of even the faintest hint of emotion, "for my fight with Alden Draven... if I want something that actually feels like a real battle."

Zephyr clenched his teeth, his fists trembling at his sides.

No, I cannot lose.

How was he supposed to face his friends after this? After losing so miserably... without landing even a single scratch?

The thought alone made his chest tighten and so, he activated his supreme ability.

[Draconic Descent]

The moment it awakened, a violent wave of power erupted from Zephyr’s body, surging outward like a storm. The sheer pressure alone sent Ryou crashing straight into the mana barrier. Yet like a cockroach refusing to die Ryou stood back up without a hint of struggle.

Zephyr barely noticed. His eyes had already turned a deep crimson as strange, ancient runes began shifting across his skin. Two draconic horns curled upward from his head, forming a crown befitting a beast of legend.

The air itself trembled around him.

"It seems..." Ryou said calmly, brushing himself off, his voice still devoid of emotion, "...you’ve still got some fight left in you, huh?"

Zephyr didn’t answer. He lunged forward instead, his body surging ahead with the momentum of a divine lightning bolt and for the first time since the battle had begun... He saw the seriousness within Ryou’s eyes.

The ground shattered beneath Zephyr’s feet with every step as he closed the distance in an instant, appearing directly in front of his opponent.

He drew his fist back, muscles screaming as he compressed every last drop of energy his body could endure and then unleashed the most devastating attack he was capable of delivering.

Ryou’s eyes widened but this was an attack he could never hope to dodge, no matter how fast he was.

Zephyr watched as Ryou’s body moved in slow motion, desperately attempting to slip away from the blow but Zephyr knew better that there was no escape and just as he expected, his punch connected.

For a single moment, nothing happened, then, a deafening roar exploded outward. The platform trembled violently as the entire half of the stage, everything on the side where Ryou had been standing, shattered under the sheer force of the unleashed energy.

A massive cloud of dust swallowed the entire platform but slowly... it began to fade and as Zephyr’s vision cleared, he saw Ryou or at least... what remained of him.

Half of his body was gone and only his lower half remained standing, frozen in place for a brief, horrifying moment before it finally collapsed to the ground.

Zephyr’s eyes widened.

...Did I kill him?

Wasn’t he supposed to be teleported away before a fatal attack...?

He looked all around himself but he couldn’t see or hear anything as a black dome had surrounded him completely.

Zephyr’s gaze snapped back to what remained of Ryou’s body as the severed half began to melt, dissolving into inky black liquid before moving toward the dome and merging with it entirely.

Then from the surface of the darkness itself, a new unscathed Ryou emerged with his expression just as emotionless as before.

"Is that all you’ve got?" His cold voice echoed through the enclosed space. "I suppose there is no point in continuing this battle anymore."

His gaze locked onto Zephyr.

"I should end it now."