Martial Arts Worlds

Chapter 29 Martial Ability

"Yawn..." Kiernan walked down the hallway with a bag slung over his shoulder.

Nath and Ryan also looked tired. They just left the infirmary and were immediately hit by a wave of exhaustion.

None of them seemed to have the energy to celebrate today that much.

Jin walked ahead and saw the exit door that led outside.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Yep." Ryan and Nath replied.

Klaus and Timothy gulped fearfully.

"Ready for what?" Kiernan asked with a raised eyebrow.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"For this," Jin said, pushing open the door.

Immediately, loud cheers entered their cheers, along with the sound of celebration and music. Karuza High's supporters immediately swarmed them in excitement.

It was extremely packed, but Jin pushed through the excited crowd without hesitation while his students followed right behind.

Kiernan let out a surprised whistle. He couldn't even walk straight without bumping shoulders with the crowd.

At that moment, a young kid barely managed to squeeze through the crowd with a notebook and pencil in hand. He tried to ask for autographs, but most didn't notice him and continued to push through the crowd.

"You want an autograph, kid?" Kiernan noticed him and asked curiously.

"A-ah, yes, please!" The little kid's face beamed up, and he offered the notebook.

"What's your name?" Kiernan asked as he took the notebook and the pen.

"Kiernan, we gotta go." Klaus said with a fearful look as he saw the crowd grow thicker. "We'll get trapped in this crowd if we don't go soon."

"A moment," Kiernan said.

"Jack!" The little kid replied.

Kiernan wrote something in the notebook, added Jack's name, and then finished it with his autograph. He then gave it back to the little kid.

"There ya go." Kiernan said and was about to move on.

"W-wait!" Jack quickly shouted and asked, "W-what martial arts you used?"

"Oh, it's Iron Style." Kiernan raised a single finger, aiming it towards the sky. "It is the strongest martial art."

Flashes of light surrounded the area as one of the fighters shot beams of pure light from his hands. The other fighter swung his sword made out of light with such force that it created shockwaves strong enough to shatter windows from miles away.

"Are weapons allowed in these high level tournaments?" Kiernan asked while he and his father sat on the couch, watching the intense fight on television.

"Man-made weapons aren't." Karma said. "That light sword is that person's Martial Ability."

"Martial Ability?" Kiernan asked, curious about it. It looked like there were still a lot of things he didn't know.

"After reaching a certain level, one acquires their Martial Ability." Karma said. "Those abilities belong to five classes—Physical, Kinetra, Mindbreaker, Conjuration and Special.

"That beam ability is Kinetra—that class allows one to release energy from their body. The most common use is to release some kind of projectile or beam. There're also different types of Kinetra abilities like ability to use fire, lightning, or ice manipulation."

"That sword ability is Conjuration—Weapon Conjuration to be more precise—and that is allowed in tournaments as it is part of a person's Martial Ability. Conjuration includes the ability to summon weapons or creatures from another world, apparently.

"Physical ability allows one to have enhancements to their bodies or objects. It is the most common type of ability and often involves enhancing strength, speed, or endurance."

"Mindbreaker is the opposite of physical—it allows the user to manipulate the mind and thoughts of others, as well as have psychic abilities such as telekinesis or telepathy.

"They can also create hallucinations, illusions, and mind control."

"What about Special?" Kiernan asked.

"Special abilities are unique powers that do not belong in any other category. It's obviously the rarest one to have."

"Did you ever receive your Martial Ability?" Kiernan asked.

"No..." Karma's mood had a sudden dip, but he then quickly brushed it off and forced a smile. "I reached High Stage of Martial Grandmaster at my prime."

"How high is that in the rankings?" Kiernan asked and scratched the back of his head. "I really need to check out the ranks."

"The ranks, from what we know, are—Recruit, Soldier, Fighter, Champion, Master, Grandmaster, King, Legend and Emperor.

"From what I've heard, there are people in the world that have gone beyond Emperor."

"So, if one reaches Martial King, one receives their Martial Ability?" Kiernan asked.

"That's right." Karma nodded. "It is said that once a person advances to Martial King, they're no longer humans—they've ascended to a whole new realm."

"Mm..." Kiernan nodded thoughtfully, absorbing this new information. He then noticed that the fight had ended on television—the weapon summoner won—and apparently advanced to WMAC.

"What is WMAC?" Kiernan asked.

"World Martial Arts Championships." Karma said and checked the calendar. "It is supposed to happen soon. A few weeks after the nationals. It is where the world's strongest martial artists go to duel it out."

"World Martial Arts Championships..." Kiernan repeated, excitement building in his voice. "So, the one who wins is the strongest?"