SSS Class Awakening: I Can Forge My Beast Soul Avatars
Chapter 29: Shadows in the Arena

Chapter 29: Shadows in the Arena

Just like that, the opening match ended in a decisive victory.

Rex had successfully put Class 5E ahead, securing the first point and giving their side a vital, much-needed lead.

’Guess all that’s left is me... and whatever outcome awaits my duel.’

Atlas leaned heavily against the cold iron railing, staring down at the stadium floor from the elevated spectator tier.

The electric atmosphere from the opening round still resonated throughout the colosseum, but his focus had already shifted toward the match waiting for him.

The arena entered a brief intermission as members of the Mage Department filed onto the floor to repair the heavy structural damage.

Masons and mages worked in unison — shattering crushed stone, sealing deep wall fissures with earth magic, and smoothing the pale flagstones back into an even, pristine canvas for the second match.

Meanwhile, Rex had apparently decided that his victory demanded its own personal victory tour.

"Did you see the exact moment Limbus caught that overgrown rat mid-air?" Rex boasted loudly, throwing his arms around in dramatic, exaggerated swings. "Hehe! That guy actually thought he could sneak a catalyst mid-fight! What a total amateur!"

He continued recounting every micro-second of the battle with rapidly mounting enthusiasm, ensuring that everyone within earshot — and likely several spectators three tiers above — knew every detail of his triumph.

Most of Class 5E was genuinely thrilled for him.

They were also getting thoroughly exhausted listening to it.

Still, nobody cut him off. Rex had earned the win, and if blowing off steam was what he needed after putting their class on the board, they were willing to endure the noise.

While Rex kept the rest of the group occupied with his commentary, Cassandra quietly detached herself from the crowd.

Noticing everyone’s attention was firmly anchored to Rex, she took advantage of the distraction to approach Atlas without drawing eyes.

"Hey."

Atlas turned his head at the sound of her voice.

Cassandra stepped beside him with her usual effortless grace, her dark-purple hair shifting gently over her shoulders.

Her emerald eyes were cool, but a distinct, underlying seriousness immediately caught Atlas’s attention.

"Yo," Atlas replied, leaning back slightly. For once, he was glad for a distraction from Rex’s relentless play by play.

"You holding up?" Cassandra asked, leaning her forearms against the railing beside him. "You’re not letting the pressure get to you, are you? I assumed watching Rex pull off that win gave you a boost."

Atlas offered a slight nod before looking back down at the field.

"Watching him fight definitely opened my eyes to a few things," he admitted softly. "And yeah, it motivated me. But my opponent isn’t going to play out like his did."

His fingers tapped a slow, rhythmic beat against the iron bar.

"Rex won because the momentum broke in his favor at the right second. We both saw it. If Jason had taken a more calculated approach from the start, there’s no guarantee Rex would have walked away intact."

Cassandra studied his side profile for a beat before glancing back over her shoulder toward Rex. "I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely as luck." She folded her arms loosely over her chest.

"Sure, his opponent lacked mental fortitude, and the wolverine failed to inflict lasting structural damage. But saying Rex only won because the cards fell his way isn’t completely fair either."

She turned back to Atlas. "Rex is the type of fighter who refuses to break once his pride is on the line — especially against someone he genuinely despises."

Atlas raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting back toward Rex, who was currently acting out Limbus’s final charge for a group of tired classmates.

’That guy?’ He considered her words for a moment. ’He’s loud and hyperactive, sure, but people who wear their emotions on their sleeves usually have a breaking point... Or maybe I’m misjudging his depth.’

"Well, you’re surprisingly observant, aren’t you?" Atlas remarked, offering a faint smirk.

"It’s a habit," Cassandra replied, her lips curving into a small, fleeting smile. "One that stuck."

A cool mountain breeze drifted down through the overhead oculus, lifting purple strands across her cheek. Then, the faint trace of humor vanished from her face.

"By the way..."

Atlas looked over at her shift in tone.

"I caught a few Class 5D students talking near the lower concourse about your matchup." Her voice dropped to a quiet, controlled whisper, carrying an unmistakable edge of gravity. "I came to give you a warning."

Atlas’s brows furrowed. "Warn me about what?"

Cassandra hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Your opponent."

"Who am I fighting?"

"I don’t have a name." Her eyes flicked briefly toward the far side of the arena, where the Class 5D block sat in silent, brooding shadow. "But one thing is absolute: whoever they’re putting in that ring with you isn’t planning on adhering to academy rules."

Atlas’s posture straightened, his eyes narrowing. "Spell it out."

Cassandra kept her gaze fixed on him, measuring his pulse through his expression. "What I heard was direct. His objective isn’t to score points. He’s there to kill you."

The bustling noise of the roaring stadium suddenly seemed to recede into background feeling.

"So, as your classmate," Cassandra continued softly, "I’m telling you to step down and forfeit before you walk onto that stone."

"What are you talking about?" Atlas asked, his confusion hardening into suspicion. "How do you know this if you don’t even know who he is?"

"I know what I heard." Her emerald eyes remained locked onto his. "If the talk down there is accurate, you aren’t walking into a competitive match. You’re walking into an execution."

Atlas held her gaze in absolute silence for several long seconds. "Does Mr. Crosswell know about this?"

"Maybe," she replied quietly. "I can’t say for sure." She paused, her jaw tightening slightly. "I haven’t brought it to him yet. I wanted to gauge your reaction first."

Atlas turned his head, staring down at the gleaming white stone floor below. "What happens to the class if I forfeit right now?"

"We yield the match automatically and fulfill the terms of the wager."

"But Rex already took the first round," Atlas argued, his brow furrowing deeper. "Doesn’t that secure us a baseline? Wouldn’t there be a tiebreaker match?"

"Not in the event of a direct forfeit." Cassandra shook her head. "A forfeit forfeits the entire challenge series. If you refuse to step into the ring, they win by default. No third bout."

Atlas stared at the arena floor, processing the absolute trap laid out before him. "So we hand them complete authority over us for the rest of the term, and we forfeit our eligibility for the departmental tournament."

"Yes." Cassandra’s tone softened, stepping a fraction closer. "And honestly... isn’t that a cheap price compared to bleeding out on a cold arena floor?"

Atlas didn’t respond immediately. He looked up toward the towering skylight above, watching the golden rays of sunlight slice through the dust as a cascade of conflicting thoughts collided inside his head.

’This doesn’t add up. A few days ago, Cassandra was all for taking this duel to prove our standing. Now she’s actively pushing me to drop out before I even see my opponent’s face.’

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the railing. ’Should I go through with it? Should I call for an immediate stop? What’s the real play here?’

He let out a slow, deliberate exhale, feeling the tension settle in his chest.

"No."

Cassandra’s eyes widened slightly. "Atlas—"

"I’m not backing out."

"Atlas, listen to me—"

"Instead, you’re going to take everything you overheard directly to Mr. Crosswell," Atlas interrupted, turning his whole body to face her.

"Tell him to stay on high alert at the boundary. If my opponent steps out of line or pulls a lethal trick, he intervenes immediately."

Cassandra’s polished composure finally shattered. "Are you out of your mind?!" Her voice spiked, drawing brief glances from nearby spectators.

"I just told you that you could die out there! Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Or do you value your life so little that you’ll throw it away for a meaningless class rank?!"

Atlas remained surprisingly grounded, his eyes steady. "I won’t die with Mr. Crosswell sitting on the sidelines." He shrugged casually.

"And if my opponent makes a direct, illegal attempt on my life, that’s an automatic disqualification for them. Which means we win the entire duel on the spot."

Cassandra stared at him in utter disbelief, as if looking at a stranger.

"I’m not spending the rest of the term serving Class 5D," Atlas added, his tone dropping into something hard and unyielding. "And I’m definitely not throwing away everything we’ve put into training just because someone wants to intimidate me." He met her eyes squarely. "I don’t take orders from people who haven’t earned the right to give them."

Cassandra stared at him for several heavy seconds, the tension between them thick enough to slice through.

"Fine," she breathed out, throwing her hands up in frustration as she turned away. "Have it your way. It’s your grave."

She took three sharp steps toward the corridor before pausing, looking back over her shoulder with a shadowed expression. "I was only trying to keep you breathing."

Without waiting for a reply, she melted into the surrounding crowd.

Atlas watched her dark-purple hair disappear into the sea of students.

’What did she actually hear down there that flipped her stance so completely?’ He folded his arms, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

’Earlier this week, she was driving us forward. Now she’s trying to talk me into an automatic loss before I even step foot in the staging area.’

He let out a quiet breath. ’I get that she might be concerned, but... something about the timing is completely wrong.’

Before he could dig any deeper into the suspicion, the announcer’s magical voice boomed across the entire amphitheater once again, shattering his train of thought.

"The Mage Department has finished all field restorations! The intermission is officially concluded!"

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar of applause and cheers.

"I call upon the competitors for the second round of today’s duel!"

Atlas’s expression sharpened instantly. ’No more time for theories.’

He turned away from the balcony railing, preparing to head down to the lower gate. Just as he took his first step, a heavy hand clapped down firmly on his shoulder.

Atlas glanced back.

Rex stood behind him. But missing was his usual loud, boastful grin; in its place was a remarkably calm, grounded smile.

"Bring it home, Atlas," Rex said quietly, his grip tightening for a brief second in solidarity.

Atlas stared at him for a moment, genuinely caught off guard by the quiet display of respect from his classmate. A slow, quiet smile spread across his face in return.

"Count on it, Rex."

Atlas gave him a single, firm nod, spun on his heel, and strode down the stone corridor toward the arena gate.

The second match was finally here.