Chapter 4 "Forge"

Soya's fingers trembled over the silver contract, the Neia Club emblem pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Wait... that guy was Ashwel?" The name hit like a thunderbolt. Ashwel the undefeated Striker who'd never lost a single duel. 

His Nuke Punch ultimate had incinerated entire stadiums in one swing. Retired at 40, now Neia's infamous scout.

"Kael..." Soya's jaw clenched. "Next time, I'll be the one standing tall."The pen slashed across the paper. Done.

Neia Club Grounds  7:03 AM

The gates loomed like the jaws of some ancient beast. Soya stepped through and froze.

Towering obsidian spires stabbed the dawn sky. Training craters smoked with residual mana. 

Weapon shops hummed with arcane forges. And at the heart of it all...

The Eye of Storm.

Neia's legendary stadium a coliseum of blackened steel and jagged lightning rods, where champions were born and broken.

"Massive..." Soya breathed. "So you finally came."Ashwel's voice rolled like distant thunder. 

The war-scarred Striker stood arms crossed, his crimson eye emblem glowing faintly against his black coat.

Soya straightened. "How could I say no?"Ashwel's gaze sharpened to a blade's edge."Show me your ultimate. Now."

Soya blinked.

"W-what? Here? I-I might hurt you! I can't control it perfectly yet!"Ashwel didn't even flinch."Try to hurt me, boy." The air thickened.

SHADOW MARK 

A perfect circle of pure black bloomed above Ashwel's head, inky tendrils hissing as they dripped onto the stone.

"Ultimate!"

The world folded. Soya vanished. Five silver arcs detonated from empty air SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!

He reappeared behind Ashwel, blade still humming from the speed. A cocky grin split his face.

"Ezzy pizzy."

Silence. Ashwel turned. Unscratched."Strikers eat Assassins alive, boy."

From the shadowed benches, a Neia Assassin with twin scars across his cheeks barked a laugh.

"This arrogant brat's dead. Even full squads can't touch Ashwel!" Soya's grin vanished.

Ashwel began walking forward. Casual. Unhurried.The Shadow Mark still floated above his head, mocking Soya's failed ambush.

"Your little trick traps YOU in close range, kid. No escape. So what now? Jump at me again?"

Soya's blood ran cold. He's right.The realization hit like a physical blow. Every flaw in his technique exposed. Exploited.

Five minutes later

Soya ate dirt. His blade lay cracked ten feet away. Blood pooled in his mouth, coppery and warm.

"Give up."

"Never."

Ashwel's shadow fell over him, voice cutting deeper than any wound:

"Not giving up means nothing without growth." "You fail without trying. Expecting victory without paying the price."

"To win, you must try hard... and fail harder Learn from every defeat. Or stay weak. Forever."

Soya's eyes ignited.The fire reignited brighter, fiercer. He stood.

SHADOW MARK snapped into existence above Ashwel's head once more.

This time, Soya didn't hesitate. He charged. Slash. Dodge. Slash. Dodge. Slash. Ashwel tanked every strike. Unmoved. Unharmed.

Sweat poured down Soya's face. His vision blurred. His lungs burned.

One final Ultimate SHNK! Blood.

A thin red line traced Ashwel's cheek the first cut all morning.The benches exploded."HE HIT ASHWEL?!"

"THE NEWBIE?!" "INSANE!"Ashwel touched the cut.

Then he grinned wild, feral, alive."HAHA! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

"AGAIN! FIGHT ME MORE!"

Soya swayed, barely standing.His blade trembled in blood-slick fingers. One more punch from Ashwel would end him.

Probably. But those words burned in his soul "Try hard... and fail harder." He raised his sword.

"I'd rather die..."

The Shadow Mark pulsed above Ashwel's head."...than give up."

Ashwel's grin widened.The real training...had just begun.

TO BE CONTINUED