My Special Ability is Growing Muscles

The world was burning.

The once-pristine Coliseum of Nexus Academy was now a blood-soaked graveyard. Screams tore through the air as the truth revealed itself as nobles, scouts, and students were cut down alike by claw and steel.

From the stands, disguised civilians shredded their skin away, revealing twisted forms of horned warriors, leering fiends with burning eyes.

They were the disguised legion of the Demon Lords, hundreds of them, pouring their rage into the slaughter.

Infiltrating was pretty easy. The humans were just as foolish, gullible, and greedy as expected, now all they had to do was finish the mission.

They swarmed and attacked.

Above them though, something much bigger and harrowing was about to take place, an S-Ranked battle!

A hammer blow like thunder cracked half the eastern seating, sending stone and flesh tumbling into the abyss. Ghor Ulfar roared in laughter, his molten skin glowing brighter with every swing.

Serika Thornveil dissolved into masks and blades, illusions weaving through the panicked nobles, turning mothers against sons, guards against kings. Her cackle echoed like breaking glass.

And above it all stood Malgar Voidborne… silent, cloaked in nothingness, his presence alone tearing apart the barrier shielding the arena.

The shimmering ward flickered violently, fractures crawling across its surface like veins of doom.

Inside, the scholarship applicants pounded at the shield.

"Let us out!"

"They'll kill everyone!"

"Where are the instructors…?!"

The instructors were fighting, but even their blades buckled against the tide.

Kairo pressed a hand against the barrier, his stomach gnawing, body shaking. His eyes were wide as he whispered, "Is this… war?"

He still couldn't fathom what was happening. He looked up towards where he stood in the floating platform, Major Pain.

Then came the silence.

Not the silence of absence, but of dominance.

[Battlefield Will!]

BZZZ!

Major Pain's aura poured from the central floating platform like an ocean, drowning the morale of the demonic tide.

Foot soldiers froze, their demonic killing intent sputtering. Even nobles on the brink of madness stilled, wide-eyed, gasping for breath under the weight of a predator greater than all others.

And then he leapt.

Major Pain's boots struck shattered stone as he landed amidst the corpses and chaos. He lifted his chin, his single uncovered eye burning like a star.

Malgar tilted his head. "Three years, and you've grown louder."

Pain cracked his knuckles, smirking through the blood dripping down his lip. "Three years, and you've grown cockier."

Then, he ripped the eyepatch free.

The Eye of Pain ignited, a silver inferno. Every demon foolish enough to meet it convulsed, collapsing into shrieks as phantom agony tore their minds apart.

And then the clash began, a clash of S-Ranked warriors.

Just like humans, Demons also have special abilities.

Malgar has 3 abilities; Void Dominion, a God grade ability that enables him to manipulate the void, erase matter, magic, and even sound within his influence. He can erase an enemy's attack, or even the enemy themselves.

His 2nd ability is an Epic grade support type, Null Sigil, an ability that cancels or destabilizes enemy spells and constructs.

And his 3rd ability is Authority of Command, a Unique grade aura ability. His aura alone can suppress lower-ranked Demons or force obedience.

Just like him, Ghor Ulfar has 3 abilities; Molten Core, Unique grade; Warbrand, Epic grade; and Unbreakable shell, Unique grade, passive.

Molten Core converts his blood into magma, supercharging his strength and endurance. Warbrand materializes his weapon, an S-Ranked Hammer forged from Demonsteel, capable of creating shockwaves with every attack.

While Unbreakable Shell is a passive ability. The harder Ghor Ulfar is hit, the stronger his defense becomes.

As for Serika, she also has 3 abilities; Thousand Faces, Mythic grade; Soul Sting, Epic grade; and Mask Eater, Unique grade.

Thousand Faces gives her the ability to assume the exact form, voice, aura, and even memories of her targets. Soul Sting is a rare combat ability that directly attacks the soul through phantom blades, paralyzing willpower. Mask Eater gains fragments of memories and skills from anyone she impersonates.

These 3 were some of the brightest talents of the Demon Race. And now, together, they all launched an attack against Major Pain.

Malgar Voidborne snapped his fingers, and void rifts opened in jagged arcs.

Black spears of nothingness shot at impossible angles, bending space, warping distance. In response, Pain's body twisted, Iron Soldier Physique absorbing what he couldn't evade, his body enduring what should've torn him to pieces.

Ghor Ulfar's hammer descended like a meteor.

Pain rolled, slammed his palm into the stone, and redirected the shockwave through brute force.

BOOM!

The ground cratered. The air burned.

Serika Thornveil's laughter filled the sky as she attacked.

Masks swirled around Pain, illusions of fallen comrades, his own students, even versions of himself. Phantom blades slashed, forcing him to burn them away with bursts of the Eye, each glance scattering her lies in screams of pain.

Three Demon Lords.

One man.

And still, Major Pain fought.

Bam… bam… bam…

Iron fists met molten steel. The Eye burned falsehoods into nothing. His aura steadied his bones as space itself buckled under Malgar's command.

Inside the fractured barrier, Kairo and Mira could only watch. Sparks rained across their shield as fragments of void tore overhead.

"He's… he's fighting all three!" Mira whispered in shock.

"Alone," Kairo muttered. His chest ached and his stomach screamed, yet he couldn't look away.

The audience above, from the nobles to the scouts, to the veteran students, they all stared in awe. This wasn't just a man; this was why he was still ranked.

This was exactly why he was feared.

One scout's voice trembled. "That's why he's still in the Rankings… he hasn't even slipped. Heck, he's stronger!"

But even gods bleed.

A void tear lanced across Pain's ribs, blood soaking his combat coat. Serika's illusory blade slid into his shoulder, cutting deeper than steel should. Ulfar's hammer slammed down, cracking his arm despite his reinforced physique.

Blood dripped from his mouth. His breath came ragged, even as his knees nearly buckled.

Yet he snarled, eyes blazing.

"You thought three was enough? You should've brought ten!"

His aura detonated.

BOOM!

The stands shook, hundreds of lesser demons simply fainting from the sheer weight. The Eye flared so bright that even Malgar's void hissed, bending back under phantom pain.

The Coliseum roared in his defiance.

Malgar frowned as for the first time, his silver eyes trembled as a ripple of Pain's agony licked his void, making his ribs spasm with borrowed suffering.

Serika hissed, her illusions faltering. "He's stronger than the reports said!"

Ulfar slammed his hammer down in frustration. "Then we kill him slowly".

The three pressed harder, a storm of void, illusions, and fire bearing down on the man who would not yield.

And then…

A new weight crashed onto the battlefield.

BZZZ!

Heavier. Older. Colder.

The White Flame arrived.

The air itself bent, the cracks in the barrier pausing as runes shimmered into life. Space sealed, for just a moment against Malgar's void.

Then from the sky descended a figure in white robes embroidered with golden runes, his long silver hair gleaming in the chaos. His eyes, molten gold burned with ancient fury.

Principal Aelthar Crownguard, the White Flame of Humanity.

Applicants gasped. Foot soldiers stumbled back, and even Serika's laughter was cut short.

Pain, bloodied but grinning, spat blood to the ground. "Took you long enough, old man".

Aelthar's voice was calm, yet it shook the skies.

"This is no longer an ambush," he said, holy fire spilling from his hands.

"This… is war!"