The air in Heaven Dou City had grown heavy with tension.
The tournament was no longer just a clash between young spirit masters—it had become a silent war of factions, reputations, and ambitions. Every academy had begun to reveal their fangs, no longer just competing for honor, but to measure the weight of their worth in the eyes of Spirit Hall and the empire.
Whispers and bets flooded taverns, while sects and nobles filled the stands with narrowed eyes.
And beneath it all, each battle carved names into memory—some to rise, and others to vanish.
The first battle of the day shocked many.
Blazing Fire Academy, with their twin fire spirits Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang, was a well-known contender. Their explosive offense and area-control tactics had overwhelmed opponents with blazing waves of flame in earlier rounds.
But against Armored Elephant Academy, they found themselves helpless.
The elephant spirit masters were titanic. Their rock-like skin shimmered with soul power, and their iron defense turned Huo Wu's fireballs and Wushuang's flame spears into little more than sparks on a stone wall. Every fire-based tactic was absorbed or repelled with stubborn resistance.
"It's like throwing fire at a mountain," someone muttered in the crowd.
As the blazing fire team ran out of breath and soul power, the elephants advanced—not fast, but utterly unstoppable. It was slow, relentless, and terrifying. The match ended with the Blazing Fire Academy completely exhausted and overwhelmed.
"It wasn't even a real strategy," one observer muttered. "They just got lucky that Blazing Fire couldn't break their wall."
And yet luck or not, the result stood.
Blazing Fire Academy lost.
The next battle immediately drew more attention.
Shrek Academy—though rough around the edges—had proven to be a resilient and versatile team. But their opponent today was not just any group of spirit masters.
They faced Thunderclap Academy, led by a young genius named Yu Tianxing, whose martial spirit was the awe-inspiring Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
His presence alone caused the air to crackle with latent electricity. Backed by a team of fast, hard-hitting storm-type fighters, Thunderclap Academy entered the field like the embodiment of a brewing storm.
The referee raised his hand. "Match start!"
BOOM!
The moment the signal was given, blue lightning tore through the battlefield.
Yu Tianxin led the charge. Twin yellow and twin purple rings rose behind him as his body surged with blinding electric light. With a thunderous roar, two claws formed from lightning extended from his arms, slashing toward Dai Mubai with blistering speed. The ground cracked beneath him.
Dai Mubai met him head-on, White Tiger spirit erupting in a golden blaze. The two clashed mid-field—tiger and dragon colliding, light against fury. The electric claws sliced sparks off Dai Mubai's reinforced defense, but the white tiger's brute strength held steady.
Tang San stepped aside, his Clear Sky Hammer dormant for now. Instead, his footwork began weaving strange arcs—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track taking full form as he slipped between strikes. His first strike struck Lei Jiuchong, who attempted to block with a raised Thunder Parasol. Tang San's control threads activated instead, subtly altering Jiuchong's stance and sending the boy spinning.
Above them, Yu Xuan took to the skies, wings of silver and steel glinting in the sun. The silver feathered falcon cried sharply. He swept downward with tremendous speed, wind pressure ripping through the field. Mei Ling coordinated from below, petals from her soft jade orchid swirling in graceful formation, enhancing agility and shielding her team with layered barriers.
"Thunder Wings!"
Lei Tian shouted, three spirit rings lighting up behind him. Thunder exploded from his back as expansive wings of lightning extended, lifting him high. Blue-purple streaks surged through the clouds as he and Yu Xuan began a deadly aerial duel, one falcon, one hawk. Every midair clash sent down tremors.
Down below, Tai Long held off Lu Chen, the Thunder Blade wielder, with pure muscle. Lightning surged around the blade, slashing arcs of destruction through the arena floor, but Tai Long's iron body endured, roaring back with every strike, his ground-pound throwing Lu Chen off balance.
On the flank, Ma Hongjun let loose his Phoenix Fire, wings blazing. The heat clashed violently with Lei Dong's spreading net of blue lightning. Threads of paralysis flickered toward Ma Hongjun, but his intense flames burned some before they made contact. Still, several managed to wrap around him, locking one of his wings and slowing his flight.
Lei Dong's face remained calm. He raised both palms again, thunder web expanding and creeping forward. From behind him, the eight thunder legs stabbed the ground—and then came the trap.
"God Locking Ring!"
From his palms, a ring of pure lightning formed and shot forward. It homed in on Tang San, shrinking rapidly.
Tang San didn't flinch.
Using Blue Silver Grass, he pulled himself back just in time, then struck the ring with pure spirit power from a distance. The God Locking Ring halted for half a breath—but it kept coming.
Suddenly—
"Feather Break."
Yu Xuan, soaring above, dove at an angle and intercepted the ring mid-flight with his wing blades, scattering the lightning.
Thunder Hawk screeched in fury. Lei Tian, high in the sky, had begun charging his strongest technique. A blue silhouette of his Thunder Hawk martial spirit shimmered into view behind him, and serpents of lightning began spiraling around it.
The sky dimmed.
"Too late to dodge now," Lei Tian growled as the energy compressed into a glowing orb.
Then—
He dropped.
The orb of lightning, five meters wide, descended with devastating pressure toward Shrek's center.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun crossed arms to block. Mei Ling was protected by Yu Xuan.Tang San weaved his threads into a defensive net. The impact—
CRACK!
Lightning exploded, smoke engulfing the field.
Tang San emerged first, scorched but steady. Mei Ling was on one knee, but her petals were still glowing faintly. Yu Xuan was injured and cannot play anymore.
Yu Tianxin stepped forward, his body fully encased in that furious blue-purple lightning armor. "Let me show you true power."
His fourth ring blazed—lightning serpents emerged from his shoulders and converged into a spear-like dragon. With one thrust, it shot at Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai didn't flinch.
"White Tiger Meteor Strike!"
Gold light met blue as the tiger and dragon smashed together. The shockwave blasted both backward.
Lei Mie entered at that moment, releasing his own thunder cage. His martial spirit, Lightning Centipede, extended glowing limbs that bolted into the floor, arcing lightning through the cracked terrain toward Xiao Wu and Mei Ling.
Xiao Wu flipped, using teleportation at the last second, appearing behind Lei Mie. Her eyes glowed red.
"Charm."
He froze.
With one precise spin, Xiao Wu landed a stunning kick to his back, knocking him out cold.
Lei Dong shouted and tried to cast another paralysis web, but Tang San threw his Blue Silver Grass forward, locking onto Lei Dong's limbs and yanking him forward—straight in the air and with combined power of Tang San and Ma Hongjun, he was knocked out of arena.
Ma Hongjun, now fully freed from the paralysis threads, soared back into the air with a scream. A full breath of phoenix fire blasted across Lu Chen and Lei Jiuchong, who reeled, robes aflame.
Tang San's eyes narrowed. "Let's end this."
He nodded once at Dai Mubai. The tiger charged.
BOOM!
The arena trembled as the smoke slowly cleared, revealing the devastation left by the intense clash.
Thunderclap Academy's strongest—Yu Tianxin and Lei Tian—lay unconscious amidst broken stone and flickering remnants of lightning. Their remaining teammates sprawled across the battlefield, defeated by Shrek's unyielding teamwork and sheer grit.
But it was not a flawless victory.
Yu Xuan stood, blood trickling from his mouth, one wing broken and feathers scorched black. He had taken the full brunt of Lei Tian's falling lightning orb to protect Mei Ling and Xiao Wu. His body had shielded them from annihilation.
Tai Long was worse.
He collapsed to one knee, clutching his ribs, several of which were visibly fractured. In the final exchange, he had forcefully tackled Lu Chen to prevent him from casting another lightning slash. The blow had landed—but so had the thunder blade, carving deep into his side.
He didn't let go.
He held on until Lu Chen passed out.
Dai Mubai caught Tai Long just as he began to fall completely, while Mei Ling and Ma Hongjun flew over to help Yu Xuan.
The referee hesitated, seeing the condition of both sides, but there was no mistake.
"Match over—Shrek Academy wins!"
The audience erupted in noise, but Shrek's side was silent, their joy mixed with the bitterness of injury.
Tang San looked toward the medical team rushing over, his fists clenched. "They gave everything so we still have a chance."
Xiao Wu nodded, eyes full of worry. "If we lost this one, we wouldn't even make top five."
The victory had kept Shrek barely within striking distance of the top five ranking. Only teams that entered the top five after group rounds could proceed to the promotion tournament, and this battle had been decisive.
Even if they were victorious, the cost was steep.
Later, in the infirmary tent, Grandmaster examined the two students with grim eyes. "Yu Xuan and Tai Long will not be able to fight in the next several matches. Internal injuries, spirit backlash, and fractured bones."
The room fell silent.
Tang San spoke first. "They knew what was at stake. They still fought."
Dai Mubai's expression turned hard. "Then it's up to us now. We can't afford to lose a single match going forward."
Ma Hongjun grinned despite the mood. "They dragged Thunderclap down with them. That was worth it."
_____
Then came the most anticipated match of the day:
Tianshui Academy vs. Divine Wind Academy.
The Tianshui girls stood serene, yet sharp. Shui Bing'er, graceful and composed, led her team with icy confidence. Snowflakes shimmered in her aura.
But this was not the same Divine Wind that had lost to Azure Dragon.
Feng Xiaotian entered the arena with eyes burning in silent fury. He hadn't forgotten the humiliation. He needed redemption—and Shui Bing'er was the perfect opportunity.
The moment the match began, he roared:
"Don't give them time to combine! CHARGE!"
Three of his teammates rushed forward instantly.
Shui Bing'er's eyes widened.
Without time to build up their snow domain, Tianshui faltered. Feng Xiaotian personally blitzed across the field, slamming into a support-type girl and knocking her out instantly. Another fell to his teammate's wind blades.
Shui Bing'er clenched her fists.
"We can't hold back anymore. GO!"
They released their full strength.
Ice Lotuses bloomed. Freezing shockwaves blanketed the arena. Shui Yue'er and the remaining girls danced between attacks with snowy precision, pushing back and freezing the battlefield inch by inch.
Feng Xiaotian growled.
"Then I'll show you… my storm."
His body surged with cyclone-like wind energy. He leapt into the air and began a breathtaking aerial technique.
"Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty-Six Successive Chops!"
He blurred, slicing across the field in a streak of wind and light, targeting the legs, shoulders, and backs of each opponent. The relentless rhythm shattered ice walls and forced the girls into defense.
Shui Bing'er tried to regroup, even using her third soul skill to bind him with frozen chains, but he broke through—barely—and landed the final blow.
Feng Xiaotian stood panting, his hair whipping from residual wind.
Divine Wind Academy had won.
But just barely.
Tianshui had fought to the bitter end, and while bruised, none of their members suffered lasting injury. Shui Bing'er accepted the loss with grace, nodding respectfully toward Feng Xiaotian.
He hesitated—then gave a small bow in return.
________This is my new project which I have been writing on Patreon; Marvel: Build The Future.
Chapter 1: A Genius Out of Place
The sterile scent of bleach and floor wax was sharp In his nostriis. For a few moments, that was all he could register-Just the overwhelming, unmistakable smell of a school hallway after the Janitor's evening rounds. Then came the sounds: the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead, the squeak of rubber soles echoing in the distance, the clank of a locker being closed somewhere out of sight.
Ethan Walker's eyes fluttered open.
The world was sideways.
He was lying on the floor, cheek pressed to the cold linoleum. As he blinked, trying to make sense of the fluorescent glow above him, his heart pounded with a deep, visceral panic.
What... where... who-?
He scrambled to sit up, palms flat against the floor, and looked around wildly. Blue lockers. Dingy tile. Posters on the wall about homecoming, anti-bullying, and blood drives. A familiar yet foreign setting. This wasn't his room. This wasn't his life.
That's when it hit him-like a tsunami crashing into his consciousness.
A wave of memories. Two lives' worth.
One was Ethan Walker: seventeen-no, elghteen-years old. A high school senior at Midtown High. Quiet. Average grades. Loner. Emancipated minor. Lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment In Queens. Worked part-time jobs after school to pay the rent. Grocery clerk. Tech repair. Late-night food delivery. Struggled but survived.
The other...
The other wasn't from this world.
He gasped and clutched his head as a torrent of memories flooded In-memories that weren't his, yet felt realer than his own. Scientific formulas danced behind his eyelids. Complex quantum models unfolded with crystalline clarity. Equations that would stump Nobel Prize winners came to him as naturally as breathing.
He knew things.
He was Kiryuu Sento.
Or rather, someone from another universe-reborn or transplanted-into this one, carrying the genius mind of Kiryuu Sento. The unparalleled physicist, chemist, inventor. The genius of Pandora's Box. The man who created the Build Driver. That knowledge, that mind, was now his.
He stumbled to his feet, still breathless. The hallway around him seemed to shift in and out of focus as panic surged in his chest.
"What the hell is happening to me?!"
He grabbed the edge of a locker, knuckles white. His reflection stared back at him in the locker's small mirror-brown hair, hazel eyes wide with fear, a sharp but boylsh Jawline. He looked like the kind of guy who would've been background noise in a school yearbook photo. Average. Handsome, maybe. Healthy. But not exceptional.
Except now...
He closed his eyes and Inhaled sharply. Tried to focus.
Think. Analyze. Don't panic.
But how could he not?
This is the Marvel Universe.
He had read the comics. Watched the films. He knew the timeline. The year was 2006. 2006. That meant he was two years away from the rise of Iron Man. Six years from the Battle of New York. A little over a decade from the Snap-when Thanos would wipe out half of all existence.
And those were just the big threats.
Mutants were being hunted. The Fantastic Four might already be experimenting with cosmic radiation. Symbiotes might be out there. S.H.I.E.LD. was a puppet of HYDRA. Gods walked among man.
And him? He was a high school senior with rent due in five days and a busted phone in his pocket.
He slumped against the lockers, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor again. He stared at his hands-familiar but not. His, yet not his. They trembled as the weight of the situation crushed down on him.
"I don't belong here... I'm going to die here..."
His voice broke. Panic rose in his throat like bile. The Marvel Universe was not forgiving. He had no powers. No gadgets. No allies. No money. All he had was....
He stopped.
Breathed.
Focused.
No. That's not true.
He had Sento's mind. The Intelligence of a man who could solve theoretical particle engineering in his sleep. The creativity to turn Junk Into miracle tech. He didn't have the Bulld Driver-but he could bulld. He could Invent. He could outthink, outplan, and outmaneuver. That was how he'd survive.
He rose slowly, heart still racing, but now filled with something else.
Resolve.
Later that night - Ethan's Apartment
It was a shoebox. A cramped, one-bedroom flat above a laundromat In Queens. The wallpaper peeled in the corners. The air conditioner rattled like it was powered by a dying hamster. But It was home. His.
He locked the door behind him, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto the futon for exactly three seconds before Jolting upright.
He needed to work.
His brain was hunming, vibrating with energy. Ideas. Inventions. Concepts.
He grabbed a pad from his backpack and started scribbling:
Basic analyzer module from scrap camera parts.
Particle separator using old microwave transformer.
Miniature lab tools repurposed from kitchen gadgets.
Ergonomic gloves with sensor mesh for environmental analysis.
Every time he stopped to catch his breath, another Idea would burst forth, demanding attention.
He flipped to a new page and started diagramming a simplified Fullbottle compressor. It wouldn't have Hazard levels or Smash purification, but it could store chemical energy in compact form. If he could get even a rudimentary build system online, he could defend himself-or at least escape a fight.
He paused, rubbing his temples.
He was exhausted. Mentally overloaded. But underneath it all...
Hope.
He was terrified. But he wasn't helpless.
He was a genius. Maybe not a fighter. Not yet. But brain could be a weapon too.
He just had to survive long enough to build something great.
And survive, he would.
Three Weeks Later-Midtown High Science Lab
"You've been here every day after class," said Mr. Colburn, the chemistry teacher. "College project?
Ethan smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Kind of. Independent research. I'l submit It for extra credit"
The old man nodded and left him alone.
As soon as the door closed, Ethan pulled on his gloves and got to work.
He was careful-nothing Illegal, nothing radioactive. Just enough to build a foundation. Custom polymers. Electric field sensors. A prototype analysis lens that could Identify chemical traces at a molecular level.
He had no Build Driver. No Fullbottles.
But he had the future in his hands.
Every headline in the news reminded him of the world he was living in:
Strange gang activity in Hell's Kitchen.
Stark Industries expanding the weapons R&D.
Rumors of a vigilante swinging across rooftops in Brooklyn.
The world was changing.
So was he.
And he wasn't going to wait for heroes to save him.
He would build his own fate.
He would build the future.
Please tell me if it is any good and if you are interested then visit my Patreon page.
Link : patreon.com/Apex277