Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 261: Reawakening

Then came the explosion.

Light engulfed everything. Sound became meaningless as the pressure wave temporarily deafened everyone present. The reinforced floor beneath the combatants didn't just crack—it cratered, composite materials failing under forces they were never designed to withstand.

When vision returned, two figures stood amid the devastation.

Lucas Grey remained upright, his Lightning Form diminished but still active. Blood ran from multiple cuts across his body, and his gear was torn and scorched. Yet his posture remained unwavering, eyes focused on his opponent.

Caelum Rhys knelt on one knee, one hand pressed against the shattered floor for support. His elaborate atmospheric manipulations had collapsed, the air around him returning to normal pressure and composition. His gear hung in tatters, revealing electrical burns across much of his torso and arms. Blood trickled from his nose and ears—evidence of the tremendous strain his techniques had placed on his body.

For several seconds, neither moved. The audience held its collective breath.

Then, with visible effort, Caelum attempted to rise. He made it halfway to his feet before his legs gave way. He caught himself with one hand, preventing a complete collapse.

"I..." he began.

His body began to tremble.

The referee materialized, prepared to call the match—then hesitated, sensors detecting an anomaly.

The trembling intensified. Caelum's eyes widened in confusion, then understanding. The air around him began to ripple, not from conscious manipulation, but from something deeper.

"Medical team to the ring!" Commander Yuen's voice cut through the silence. "Immediately!"

Lucas's Lightning Form dissolved as he recognized what was happening. "Reawakening," he whispered, loud enough for only the nearest spectators to hear.

Wind began to swirl around Caelum's kneeling form, gradually at first, then with increasing intensity. The phenomenon wasn't under his control—it emanated from within him, power responding to the extreme stress and damage his body had endured.

Medical drones rushed onto the field, followed by specialized technicians in protective gear. They surrounded Caelum, whose body now shook violently, the atmospheric disturbance around him growing stronger by the second.

"Clear the arena!" Commander Owen ordered, his voice carrying through the emergency system. "All spectators, please evacuate in an orderly fashion!"

Lucas stood his ground, eyes fixed on his opponent. Around them, the wind continued to intensify, forming a localized cyclone centered on Caelum's trembling form.

One of the medical technicians approached Lucas. "Sir, you need to evacuate as well. Reawakening processes are unpredictable and potentially lethal to bystanders."

Lucas nodded but didn't immediately move. Instead, he took a step toward Caelum, stopping just outside the perimeter the medical team had established.

"Fight through it," he said, his voice carrying despite the howling wind. "This is your opportunity. Don't waste it."

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Caelum's eyes, clouded with pain, briefly focused on Lucas. Understanding passed between them—awareness of what was happening, what was at stake.

As Lucas finally turned to leave the arena, escorted by the insistent medical team, he heard Commander Bella of Academy 3 speaking urgently to Commander Owen.

"A Reawakening during this stage of the tournament? I mean, it's what we wanted I just didn't think it was possible. This hasn't happened since Grey. The strain could kill him."

"Or elevate him," Commander Owen replied. "If he survives, he may emerge as another S-rank."

"Another weapon against the Harbingers," Commander Bella added, her tone betraying her professional interest despite the human cost.

"No," Lucas interrupted, surprising the commanders. "Not a weapon. A soldier. A person. Remember that."

He cast one final glance at Caelum, now at the center of a medical containment field, wind and power swirling around him as his body underwent its transformation.

"The winner is Lucas Grey of Academy 12!" the referee announced, belatedly following protocol despite the chaos.

But as Lucas walked from the devastated arena, victory felt secondary to what he had witnessed. He had pushed a fellow fighter beyond normal limits—into the dangerous, transformative realm of Reawakening. Whether Caelum survived to join the ranks of S-class awakened or became another casualty of humanity's desperate arms race remained to be seen.

One thing was certain—the hierarchy of power had been challenged today. And somewhere beyond Earth's defensive perimeter, the Harbingers would eventually learn of another potential obstacle to their invasion.

All because Lucas Grey, the Lightning God of the East, had finally found a worthy opponent.

Meanwhile, in a restricted corridor of the arena complex...

Sophie's fingers worked delicately on the electronic lock, her masked face scrunched in concentration. The door panel read "ROWE" in block letters, its access pad glowing a steady red.

"This is officially the worst idea you've ever had," she whispered, adjusting a thin metal probe against the security panel. "If we get caught, we're looking at immediate academic suspension. Maybe even expulsion. And if the Rowes find us, we are looking at execution. Remind me why you can't just...do that disappearing thing into here again?"

Noah stood watch, his own mask covering the lower half of his face. His eyes remained fixed on the corridor junction twenty meters away.

"I love you too," he replied without looking at her, his voice barely audible.

Sophie shot him a glare. "Don't try to cute your way out of this. We're breaking into a restricted vip only area," The lock emitted a faint click as she manipulated another circuit. "All because you've got some crazy theory about where Kelvin disappeared to."

"I can't blink to somewhere I can't see that's one reason," Noah said before his tone hardened. "Something happened to him. And the Rowe knows something. I should have known something was up when Marcus Rowe didn't show up at the meeting,"

The security panel flickered from red to green with a soft beep. Sophie quickly withdrew her tools, tucking them into a hidden pocket.

"I'm going to find him," Noah said with quiet determination. "No matter what."

The door slid open with a whisper of compressed air, revealing the darkened room beyond.