Chapter 153: The Duo Tournament [III]

Kalon and Thea sat back stage whilst the announcer and crowd was still left reeling at their flawless victory.

Thea walked fast to keep up with him. She had a wide smile on her face and eventually tugged on his arm.

"That... That was incredible! You didn’t even seem like a human out there, you were like a machine."

Kalon thought it was ironic, since most of his time had been spent with people that weren’t humans.

Eventually Kalon found a seat to let his breathe come back. There were other people back stage too, people who going to have their fights next, as well as their coaches and those closest to them.

Kalon spotted Richard Red and his sister, Ruby Red, who both stared at him with wide eyes and opened mouths as they waited for their fight.

They had seen what he had done on the big screen. Any thoughts of continuing to bully him were wiped away.

The same thoughts were running through the heads of the others. They knew now that Kalon was beyond their understanding.

They already knew he was crazy strong from the fact that he had two affinites, and was able to gain them so quickly. Not only that but the changes he had made in his physical stature were also nothing to laugh at.

Kalon and Thea retrieved their things from the changing room, and as he did, he felt his phone vibrating more than it ever had before.

One glance and he saw mentions from all sorts of public figures, as well as a boatload of new contract offers from fighter organisations.

With a smirk on his face, he ignored them. Then he headed out to the stands with Thea to watch the next fight.

Kalon and Thea left the backstage area and followed the marked corridor that led up to the special winners’ section of The Garden Arena.

The seats there sat higher than the regular student blocks and closer to the centre line, reserved for teams that had already advanced.

Of course, they were the only ones there so far.

When they stepped into the open, the noise of the crowd washed over them again.

They had barely sat down when the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena once more after noticing the duo sit down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we continue with the next match of the Year One bracket, please welcome into the stands the winners of our opening bout: Kalon Manchester and Thea Bluegale!"

A loud wave of sound rose from every section of the stadium. Heads turned towards them, and many people pointed fingers.

The large digital display screens briefly cut away from the idle pre-match feed to show the two of them settling into the winners’ seats.

Kalon felt the eyes on them from every direction, but he had learned not to get nervous at such things. Thea sat upright beside him, she didn’t seem to care much about the announcer talking about them, and was more focused on the next fight, which Kalon had told her to analyse.

Her tournament clothing was practical, yet the cut left her shoulders and the upper line of her chest clearly visible under the arena lights.

Kalon noticed more than a few male students and even some older spectators letting their gazes linger on her longer than necessary. It was because it was a hot day and the heat had caused sweat to make her skin glisten and look even more erotic.

He raised his arm, rested it along the back of her seat, then let his hand settle firmly over her shoulder. A moment later he shifted it lower, openly cupping one of her breasts through the thin material of her top and holding it there without any attempt to hide the gesture.

Thea’s breath caught once, but she did not pull away. She simply leaned a fraction closer into his side.

She knew what he was doing, but she could hardly believe it. Such an open display of dominance was sure to be spoken about on the news...

The effect on the surrounding crowd was instant. Several women in the nearby rows looked at Thea with open jealousy, eyes moving between her body and the proprietary hand on her chest.

Male spectators who might have wanted to keep staring found their attention sliding toward Kalon instead. Whatever envy or irritation crossed their faces did not last. Most of them looked away quickly. The memory of the match was still too fresh. No one wanted to hold the gaze of the person who had ended a fight in seconds with a third affinity no one had known he possessed.

A few minutes later a young girl in Awakened School colours appeared at the end of the row, clearly nervous but determined. She held a white shirt in her hand and a pen.

Her eyes flicked from Kalon to Thea and back again.

"Um... Manchester? Could you sign this? Please."

An autograph? Am I really that famous.

Kalon looked at her for a second, then took the shirt and the pen. He signed his name in clean letters across the front and handed both items back.

The girl clutched them to her chest, bowed her head quickly, and retreated into the crowd before her courage could fail.

Only after she had gone did Kalon pull his phone from his pocket. Notifications still poured in without pause. He ignored the messages and contract alerts for the moment and opened his public profile.

The follower count had changed dramatically.

300,000.

He stared at the number for a short time. That morning it had been nowhere near that high.

The match, the third affinity, and the way the fight had ended had pushed his name across every student network and local combat feed in the city. Three hundred thousand people were now watching his profile for whatever came next.

Kalon locked the phone and put it away. His hand remained on Thea’s chest as the arena lights shifted and the announcer began introducing the next pair of teams.