Transcending Realms With My Leveling System As A Demon-Chapter 48: The SSS-Rank Vs... A Nobody?

Back to the fight just before them, Lucas continued announcing his Elemental affinity, ’Authority.’

"Technique: Command..." Lucas called out, readying his hands, "Order One, Kneel."

It wasn’t that Fred suddenly stopped his technique, but the reason behind this was because of Lucas’s elemental affinity, ’Authority.’ Right after Lucas announced that word, Fred simply kneeled before him, and now Lucas stood before him, looking down on him like a God.

"W-We have our winner!" Mr. Cruz nervously yelled, seeing this otherworldly power on display, "Lucas Wain-"

No, no, no, no, no." Fred continued to whisper in panic, "I can’t, she’s my sister, no, I can’t."

"I’m not finished!" Fred cut Lucas off, forcing himself up from the ground. "I said, you’re not getting my sister!" His vicious yell made Lucas hesitate for a second.

"What’s this feeling? Why do I feel kind of scared..." Lucas whispered, "From a fat-short blob like him."

Fred’s presence darkened, eyes narrowed, "Technique..." His tone suddenly changed, a deeper demeanour held on to it, "Adrenaline Surge: Order One, instinct."

Elemental Affinity: Adrenaline

This is Fred’s elemental affinity, but it can never be activated by will, which is why he’s always picked on. It’s triggered when the user’s body enters a state of extreme stress.

The moment the nervous system recognizes panic, the adrenal glands flood the bloodstream with condensed energy. Muscles tighten beyond safe limits, reflexes sharpen unnaturally, and perception narrows into pure threat recognition.

For a brief window, the user moves faster than conscious thought. Pain signals are suppressed, hesitation disappears, and the body prioritizes survival over self-preservation.

To observers, the user appears erratic, as if operating on instinct alone. And in this brief moment, Fred was able to resist Lucas’s command.

"How is he getting up?" Lucas questioned himself, "It’s whatever, I’ll just go with order two then."

Lucas being able to use order two implies that his conviction was strong enough to successfully sign an additional contract, gaining strength.

With that, Lucas raised both his arms, closing his eyes, "Command: Order Two, Stop." He smiled, opening his eyes.

But when he glared back at Fred, Fred started to walk slowly towards Lucas, with a darkened gaze.

Lucas, in a frightened manner, pulled his arm up and down, commanding the order he chose again and again.

"Must be a mistake," sweat drooled down his face, "Order Two, Stop!"

Step, step, step.

At Lucas’s current status, he’s able to use two orders already, which is incredibly impressive, one of the top orders this academy has to offer. But it was like Fred, just banned Lucas’s command from existence, resisting it, through the will to survive.

"Stop!" Lucas continued...

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

But nothing stopped the resistant Fred; he didn’t even use any techniques, because his technique had already been activated. And now, he felt strong.

"Hhm-hmm." Lucas nervously breathed, looking down on Fred, as they now stood right in front of each other.

Fred looked down, pulling his right fist back, "Hhhhhhh!"

Bam!

A clean and direct hit that sent Lucas onto the floor, a crack in the stone hit the barrier where the viewers were sitting.

"Hhhm-hmm." Lucas tried breathing, but it was like the air had been sucked out of him.

"The winner has been decided!" Mr. Cruz yelled. "Fred Foreless-"

Fred didn’t listen; it was almost like he couldn’t understand human language anymore. He started raising his left palm back, aiming towards Lucas’s back.

"Uhhhhh!" He let out a monstrous yell. Lucas lay on the floor, unconscious.

[Item Unequipped: Ancient Elemental Change]

[Gaining Back Your Demonic Essence]

[Systemic Flow Reactivated]

"I think that’s enough." Zylus calmly whispered, grabbing Fred’s left arm, "You’ve won already, let it go..."

With those words, Fred began to fall. Zylus’s sudden, quick appearance shocked all his classmates.

[Equipped: Ancient Elemental Change]

[Demonic Essence Faded]

"Hey Zylus," Clare whispered into his earbud, "Did you just turn off the relic I passed down to you...? I just received a notification regarding that.

Oh fuck, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to...

"Maybe," Zylus nervously responded, "It had to be done; someone was about to die."

Clare let out a calm breath into the mic, "Idiot! I told you, you can’t! You have to keep a calm composure, or else they’ll find out who you truly are!"

"Relax, nobody was here to view it." Zylus looked around, "Plus, even if they sensed it, how would they be able to tell it was coming from me-"

Zylus paused; he stopped looking around. At the exit of the colosseum, he spotted a dark figure, a silhouette that resembled a human’s body. He couldn’t tell, but it reminded him of something, no, someone...

"Jace..." Zylus whispered, and an uneasy feeling fell onto his chest as he blinked. "Oh, I’m just seeing things." He said, opening his eyes to discover that the figure disappeared. "Why am I thinking about him now, of all times though?"

"Zylus!" Clare screamed again into his mic, "What’s wrong?! I’ve been calling your name for like five seconds, you weren’t responding!"

"Nothing, nothing," Zylus replied, as both Lucas and Fred remained unconscious on the floor. "Zoned out, that’s all."

"I guess it’s fine for this time, but if you use it again." Clare frighteningly continued, "It will lead to your death."

"Everything I do always leads to death, but I manage to find a way to escape it." He responded, confidently staring into the sky.

"You shouldn’t gamble this time, because you’re not gifted with the opportunity to feel the warmth of the Demon Realm." Clare contrasted. "Be careful, Zylus."

"A jackpot comes from the necessity to gamble," Zylus added, "And I’ll do just that."

Clare let out a calm huff into the mic, ignoring whatever the heck Zylus just said.

Mr. Cruz attempted to use his healing technique on both Fred and Lucas, but it wasn’t enough to completely heal them, so he rushed into the academy to grab the medics.

After the teacher left, constant chatter filled the room by Zylus’s classmates.

"Does that mean that little fat guy has an SSS-Rank ability as well?" A girl stammered, "But someone like him, no, he couldn’t have."

"And why can’t he?" Zylus asked, angrily walking up to them, "Is there a reason?"

Eldra stood still, her heart pounding with mystery...