Chapter 854 Reactions from the world
The crowd was still frozen in silence.
The robot lay there, twitching, arcs of blue electricity crackling around its crushed chest. Sparks rained down from its joints. Its
glowing red eyes dimmed to black, the entire frame seizing in a twitch before finally going still.
And at the center of it all stood Orion.
He lowered his arm slowly, his knuckles still glowing faint gold. The divine energy faded from his veins like mist in sunlight.
ERROR: Score exceeded system threshold.
For a second, no one moved.
Then Orion raised his right fist, slow and deliberate, holding it high in the air. His lips curled into a subtle smile, a bit cocky if one must say.
The dome erupted at once, in gasps, shouts, and screams. The crowd surged to their feet like a rising wave.
And in that roaring madness, as his gaze swept across the sea of faces, his enhanced vision captured the presence of his Dad.
Amidst the chaos and noise, Azzy stood motionless in the corner of the observation deck, hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. Their eyes met and Azzy gave a nod of appreciation.
Orion's chest tightened, and he returned the nod, just as small, just as steady.
Then Azzy vanished, gone like he was never there.
Orion lowered his fist, slipping his hands into his coat pockets as the staff rushed in from all sides. Technicians swarmed the broken robot, baffled and frantic. The proctor, pale with shock, was already arguing with someone on his earpiece to send a stronger battle robot.
Meanwhile, the internet was on fire.
NetSync Global Feed, Trending Tab - #1: "ERROR FIST"
A ten-second clip looped endlessly on screen. Orion's calm stance. The robot's charge. And then boom-a punch, clean and lethal.
The camera zoomed in on his face afterward. Unassuming. Young. No visible aura. No flashy outfit. No clan insignia.
Just a boy with a calm smile and a fist that tore through titanium like paper.
@SilverFangsX: "WHO IS THIS KID??!? He has ZERO soul energy?? How is this even legal?"
@GrandmasterZane: "No flow, no aura, not even a visible Arcana Manifestation. But that strike? Rank-7 power at least. What in Zeus's name is going on here?"
@OfficialToPBroadcast: "BREAKING: Error-mark score achieved in Snow City by unknown participant. Tournament committee is currently investigating the anomaly."
@ArcanaDaily: "Divine punch? Special bloodline? Cheat code? Theories are flying wild as the Tournament of Power heats up! Full breakdown coming at 8PM!"
The forums exploded with speculation. Slow-motion breakdowns, energy analysis, even zoom-ins on Orion's facial expression were being posted every few minutes. People argued in every corner of the NetSync Network.
"He must be using a secret artifact."
"No way. It is impossible to cheat under the eyes of a Rank-9 expert. That should be attribute energy. I saw the gold flash."
"Is he from the Skyfall Temple? I heard that they train a lot of light attribute Arcana Masters."
"He is just like that, Zion Pendragon, isn't he? Strong and abnormal." "Please don't compare him to Zion. Zion is entirely on a whole other level."
"Another heavenly child has popped out of nowhere. Where was he hiding for the past 17 years?"
"Must be Arcana Master with a strength-type ability."
While everyone had their questions and theories, because Orion wasn't on any registry of notable Arcana users, with no championship records or no known academic affiliation that could be traced, people were quite curious to find out his background.
However, there were a couple of people who knew him and were currently watching the footage. And one of them was in the Southern Qudour's East Ocean City.
The warm glow of the holo-screen reflected softly in Luna's glasses as she sat curled on a moonwood chair, a cup of herbal tea steaming quietly beside her. The article on the screen had already auto-refreshed twice in the last minute, updating view counts and reactions.
"Snow City's Battle Dome Suffers First Mechanical Failure in 12 Years After Mysterious Teen Scores Perfect 'Error!"
"Zero Aura, No Soul Signature - Yet Rank-10 Force? Experts Baffled." The video embedded in the article replayed Orion's punch on a loop. Over and over. Calm stance. Blinding surge. One devastating strike. Luna's violet eyes remained fixed on the screen as she scrolled down to look at the comments, unmoving, until finally, she leaned back with a quiet sigh and whispered, more to herself than anyone else:
"He became quite famous all of a sudden, didn't he?"
She reached for her tea, bringing it to her lips, but her eyes never left
the screen. "I knew that he would become popular, but not this fast. I hope my sister won't suddenly change her opinion of him or something..."
Elsewhere, beneath the golden spires of Camelot Castle, Zion sat alone at a carved obsidian desk, his terminal screen casting a cold,
blue light across his face.
He had watched the same footage. The strike. The 'ERROR' screen.
The public reaction.
He didn't flinch.
He just sat there, elbows resting on the desk, fingers laced, his sharp eyes locked on Orion's image.
There was no hatred in his gaze. No scorn. Just silence.
For a while, the only sound was the low hum of the circulating air and the soft tap of the stylus in his hand, flicking against his palm. Then he leaned forward, muttering under his breath, just loud enough for
the room to hear.
"Dear half-brother, just because you had a draw against me, you think you can flaunt your fists around? Alright, I welcome your challenge. This time, I'll show you your place. I will prove... I'm the one who
deserves to inherit Lord Azrael's heirship."
***
Back to Orion, he left the Snow City to return home, as he had already gone to the main tournament.
Entering the village with the use of an access card, Orion walked through the paved walkways with his coat open. His footsteps were steady, relaxed, unhurried. But the world around him was not the
same.
The moment he turned the corner into the commercial district, someone gasped.
"Hey, it's the young master."
People stopped mid-step, conversations halting as they turned to
look.