Chapter 25: Round 1 - Blood and Scrap
` BOOM `
The ground cracked.
Scrap didn’t run. It _charged_.
2.8 meters of welded metal, rage, and trash moving at 40km/h straight for Team 12.
The golden-sword leader barely had time to raise his weapon.
`CLANG-BOOOM!`
Scrap’s fist hit his shield and sent him flying 10 meters back into the barrier.
`CRACK.`
The crowd went silent.
Then erupted.
`[ANNOUNCER VOICE]`
`[WHAT A START! TEAM 47’S GOLEM OPENS WITH A CRATER MAKER!]`
`[TEAM 12’S CAPTAIN: DOWN!]`
Kael stood still. Eyes glowing faint blue.
The cable from his arm to Scrap’s back pulsed with every heartbeat.
He could _feel_ it.
The weight. The heat. The hunger.
Scrap wanted more metal. More destruction.
`[Synchronization Rate: 72%]`
`[Mana Drain: 15%/sec]`
"Focus," Lira’s voice cut through his head. Cold. Clear.
She was already moving.
Her spear blurred.
`SHING SHING SHING.`
Three members of Team 12 rushed her.
She dropped the first with a thrust to the knee.
Disarmed the second with a spin.
Sent the third flying with the butt of her spear.
`[Lira Veyra: 3-0]`
"Stop showing off, Ice Queen!" Ren yelled.
He was grinning like a madman, dual sabers in hand.
He dashed past Kael and into the remaining two B-Ranks.
Steel met steel.
`CLANG CLANG CLANG!`
Ren was fast. Reckless. Laughing.
"Dance with me, pretty boys!"
Kael didn’t move.
He couldn’t.
All his concentration was on Scrap.
Through Scrap’s eyes, he saw it:
The captain was getting up. Blood on his mouth. Golden sword shaking.
Behind him, two more B-Ranks were circling. Spears ready.
They were going to focus fire on Scrap’s legs.
Cut the support. Kill the monster first.
Kael smiled.
"Scrap. Scrap Absorption."
`WHOOOSH.`
The entire arena floor was littered with debris. Broken weapons. Discarded armor plates. Bolts from the stands.
All of it flew.
It slammed into Scrap’s body, fusing on impact.
`[Trash Golem: +25% Mass]`
`[Armor: Reinforced]`
`[Height: 3.1 Meters]`
Scrap was now bigger than all of them combined.
The captain’s face went pale.
"What the hell—"
"Heavy Stomp," Kael whispered.
`BOOOOM.`
Scrap’s foot came down.
The shockwave knocked all three B-Ranks off their feet.
The platform cracked in a 5-meter radius.
`[Team 12: Formation Broken]`
_Mid-Fight: The Link_
Pain.
Sharp. Cold. Like ice in his veins.
`[Mana: 64%]`
`[Warning: Mana Feedback Detected]`
Keeping the link open for this long was burning him.
His nose started bleeding again.
His vision blurred.
`[Mental Load: 88%]`
From the edge of the arena, Lira saw it.
She broke off from her fight instantly.
"Kael!"
She appeared beside him in 2 seconds. Spear down.
"You’re burning out. Disconnect."
Kael shook his head. Blood dripped on his lip.
"Not yet. 2 minutes. I can do 2 minutes."
Ren appeared on his other side, breathing hard. One of his sabers was chipped.
"Yeah, he can. And while he’s doing that, we clean up."
He pointed.
The captain was limping. The other 5 were down but not out.
Lira looked at Kael. Then at Scrap, standing like a guardian.
She sighed.
"Fine. 2 minutes. Then I’m cutting the cable myself."
She turned and shot forward.
_The Turning Point_
Team 12 regrouped.
They were smart. B-Rank for a reason.
They stopped attacking Scrap directly.
Instead, they went for Kael.
Two of them broke through Ren’s guard and dashed for the back line.
"Got you, Trash Artisan," one of them sneered, sword raised.
"If we kill the pilot, the golem falls."
They were 5 meters away.
4 meters.
3 meters.
Kael couldn’t move. Disconnecting now would leave Scrap vulnerable.
`[Mana: 41%]`
`[Synchronization: 68%]`
He closed his eyes.
And trusted his team.
`SHING.`
A spear shot past his ear and impaled the first attacker’s shoulder.
He screamed and fell.
The second attacker froze.
Because a 3-meter golem was now standing between him and Kael.
Scrap had moved.
On its own? No.
Through the link.
Kael’s instincts had moved it.
`[Synchronization Rate: 81%]`
Scrap’s massive hand came down.
`CRUNCH.`
The attacker was knocked out cold.
The arena exploded.
Cheers. Screams.
The announcer was losing his mind.
`[ANNOUNCER]`
`[DID YOU SEE THAT?! THE GOLEM PROTECTED ITS MASTER!]`
`[TEAM 47 IS SYNCING! THIS ISN’T JUST A GOLEM, IT’S AN EXTENSION!]`
Ren laughed from across the field.
"See?! Told you the trash had heart!"
Lira stood over the downed B-Rank.
She looked at Kael.
For the first time, she nodded.
Small. But it was there.
Respect.
`[Time Remaining: 01:13]`
_Finale: Blood and Scrap_
Team 12 was broken.
Captain down. 4 members down. Only 1 still standing.
A girl with twin daggers. Fast. Desperate.
She looked at Kael. At the cable. At Scrap.
She made a choice.
She charged. Not at Scrap. At Kael.
Smart.
`[Mana: 22%]`
`[Warning: Critical]`
Kael tried to raise his arm. Too slow.
The dagger was coming for his throat.
Time slowed.
Then a blue blur intercepted her.
Scrap.
It had crossed the entire arena in 1 second.
Its arm shot out.
Not to hit. To grab.
`CLICK.`
The girl was caught mid-air. Dagger 2cm from Kael’s neck.
Scrap held her gently. Like Kael was holding something fragile.
The girl froze.
Scrap’s blue eyes stared down at her.
Then, slowly, it set her down. Unharmed.
`[System Notification]`
`[Combat Protocol: Protect Master Updated]`
`[New Directive: Minimize Lethal Force]`
Kael exhaled.
`[Mana: 8%]`
`[Synchronization: Dropping]`
He reached down and pulled the cable.
`CLICK.`
The link broke.
Scrap immediately stopped moving. Stood still.
The blue light in its eyes dimmed.
The barrier flashed.
`[ANNOUNCER]`
`[WINNER: TEAM 47!]`
`[TEAM 12: ELIMINATED!]`
Silence.
Then the arena exploded.
50,000 people on their feet.
Cheering. Booing. Screaming.
"TRASH! TRASH! TRASH!"
Some were chanting it as an insult.
Some were chanting it like a war cry.
Kael dropped to his knees.
Exhausted.
Blood on his face.
But smiling.
Ren was there instantly, hauling him up.
"That was insane! You and that thing! You moved like one person!"
Lira walked over. She didn’t smile.
But she handed him a water bottle.
And she didn’t let go of his shoulder when he stood.
"You did good," she said quietly. So only he could hear.
"Better than good."
From the stands, Instructor Garrick watched.
He didn’t smile.
But he made a note on his tablet.
`Team 47. Threat Level: Re-evaluate.`
_Aftermath: 1 Hour Later_
`Medical Bay.`
Kael was on a bed. IV in his arm.
`[Status: Mana Depletion. Exhaustion. Minor Concussion]`
`[Recovery Time: 48 Hours]`
He didn’t care.
He was staring at the ceiling, replaying the fight.
The moment Scrap moved to protect him.
The moment the crowd went silent.
The moment Lira nodded.
The door opened.
Lira.
No armor. Just training clothes. Hair down for once.
Ren. Holding 3 burgers and a huge drink.
They sat down.
No one talked for a minute.
Then Ren broke it.
"So. We won. First round. Against B-Ranks. With 3% odds."
He took a massive bite of burger. "We’re legends now, trash boy."
Kael laughed. It hurt his chest.
"Did you see their faces? When Scrap got bigger?"
"I did," Lira said. "Instructors too."
She leaned back. "They’re going to target us now. Every team in Round 2 will be gunning for Scrap."
Kael nodded. "Good. Let them."
He looked at his metal arm. The port was scorched.
`[Auto-Scrap Arm: Needs Repair]`
"I need to upgrade it," he said. "And Scrap. It needs a better mana battery. 7 minutes isn’t enough."
Ren tossed him a burger. "Eat first. Genius. Then build."
Lira watched him eat.
"You were stupid," she said. "Linking yourself like that."
She paused.
"But it worked."
Kael swallowed. "We’re a team now, right?"
He looked at both of them.
"So we win. Together."
Ren held up his drink. "To Team 47. The freaks who won."
Lira hesitated, then clinked her water bottle against it.
Kael used his metal arm.
`CLINK.`
_Night: Workshop 2-B_
`2200`
Kael couldn’t sleep.
Adrenaline. And ideas.
He was at the workbench.
Scrap stood behind him, silent.
In front of him were the plans.
`[UPGRADE PROJECT: [Scrap - Mark II]]`
`[Requirements: High-Density Mana Battery, Better Armor, Weapon Module]`
He had 5 days until Round 2.
He picked up the torch.
The flame sparked blue.
`WHIRRR.`
The `Auto-Scrap Arm Lv.2` started disassembling itself.
He was going to rebuild it. Stronger.
With a bigger mana conduit.
So the next link wouldn’t almost kill him.
`KNOCK KNOCK.`
Lira.
She walked in with a box. Set it down.
Inside: 2 `High-Density Mana Core Shards`.
Black. Pulsing. Worth a fortune.
"From storage," she said. "Don’t ask."
She looked at his sketches.
"You’re putting a weapon on it?"
Kael nodded. "A cannon. Uses scrap as ammo. For range."
He rubbed his eyes. "They’ll expect us to be close range only."
Lira picked up a blueprint.
"This will work," she said. "But you need to sleep."
Kael shook his head. "After Round 2."
Lira sighed. Sat on a stool.
"Then I’m staying too."
They worked in silence.
The sound of welding. The sound of metal on metal.
At 0300, Ren stumbled in, half asleep.
Saw them. Grinned.
"Team meeting?"
He grabbed a tool. "Move over."
And the 3 of them worked until sunrise.
Building.
Upgrading.
Preparing.
Because the Academy hated them.
And they had 4 more rounds to go.
_Day 14: The List_
`0800. Bulletin Board.`
The list for Round 2 was posted.
`TEAM 47: [Kael Vance - C-Rank]`
`[Lira Veyra - B-Rank]`
`[Ren Ashford - D-Rank]`
`[Golem: "Scrap - Mark I"]`
`Next Opponent: TEAM 03`
`[Team 03: All A-Rank. 2-Time Champions.]`
`[Odds: 0.1%]`
The entire Academy stopped to look.
Whispers.
"A-Ranks? They’re dead."
"0.1%? That’s being generous."
"The Trash Artisan got lucky once."
Kael read it.
Then he looked at Lira. At Ren.
Ren grinned. "A-Ranks? Perfect. I hate B-Ranks. Too cocky."
Lira rolled her eyes. "They have a mage, a swordsman, and a shield. Standard formation."
She looked at Kael. "Can Scrap handle it?"
Kael looked at the list. At the 0.1%.
He thought of the Dump. Of 12 hours of digging for bread.
Of everyone who said he’d fail.
He smiled.
"Mark II will be ready," he said.
"And this time, we won’t just win."
He looked up at the crowd watching them.
"We’ll make them remember our name."
`[NEW QUEST: SURVIVE ROUND 2]`
`[Objective: Defeat Team 03 - The Champions]`
`[Reward: 2000 Academy Credits + Quarterfinals Slot]`
`[Failure: Expulsion]`
Ren cracked his knuckles.
"Let’s go build a monster, boys."
Lira drew her spear.
"5 days."
Kael flexed his metal arm. The new port gleamed.
"5 days," he repeated.
Behind him, Scrap’s eyes flickered to life.
Blue.
Hungry.
Ready.
The Academy hated them.
Good.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: UPGRADE MODE ACTIVE]`
`[Project: [Scrap - Mark II]]`
`[Time Until Round 2: 5 Days]`
`[Construction Progress: 0%]`
Kael picked up the torch.
"Let’s get to work."
To Be Continued...
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