Virtual Battlefield –
[Countdown: 10 Seconds Until Match Start]
The battlefield simulation was a vast, open ruin surrounded by patches of dense forest, broken stone roads, and towering remnants of ancient structures. The sky above was an endless void, only the faint glow of the artificial sun providing illumination.
Alistair stood calmly, his black eyes scanning the opposing team.
On the other side of the battlefield stood Rael Thunderfang, the beastkin prince, along with his stronger-than-average teammates. Their team's average strength ranged from E- to E Rank, with some having combat experience from noble houses.
In contrast, Alistair's team… was pathetic.
The moment they saw Alistair, however, their expressions brightened with relief.
Whispers spread among them.
"Thank the gods, we got Alistair Vaelthorne on our side."
"I thought we were doomed, but maybe we have a chance now."
"Even if the rest of us lose, he alone could turn the tide."
They weren't wrong. Alistair could win this fight alone.
However, he had no intention of doing so.
Instead, he was going to test something new.
****
Rael cracked his knuckles, his sharp ember eyes sweeping over Alistair's team.
His own team had been balanced—a mix of mid-ranked fighters and a few decent spellcasters. Most of them had combat training and weren't completely incompetent.
But Alistair's team?
It was full of first-year weaklings.
Most of them were F+ rank, barely above the threshold of superhuman abilities. Some of them had E- strength, but no real combat experience.
A small smirk played on Rael's lips.
"They really balanced the teams like this? Damn, this is cruel."
Then again, it wasn't surprising.
This year's batch was filled with monstrous talents, and the academy had to balance the matchups somehow.
Still, it didn't change one fact—Alistair was the biggest threat here.
If they wanted to win, they had to eliminate the weaker students first while keeping Alistair occupied.
Rael turned to his teammates.
"Listen up. Ignore Alistair for now." He kept his tone low but firm. "Focus on the rest of his team. Wipe them out first."
One of his teammates, a spear-wielding noble, hesitated. "But what if Alistair attacks us first?"
"He won't." Rael smirked. "He's not the type to waste energy saving people who are useless to him."
His team nodded, understanding the plan.
Rael then took a deep breath, his mana flaring slightly as he focused on Alistair himself.
"I'll buy time fighting him. When we're done eliminating his team, we'll gang up on him together."
His fingers flexed, electricity crackling faintly in the air.
This was going to be interesting.
[ Battle Start! ]
The moment the match began, Rael's team rushed forward, heading straight for the weaker students on Alistair's side.
Instead of responding to the assault, Alistair remained still, his expression cold and unreadable.
Rael's sharp eyes narrowed. "Why isn't he moving?"
Then—
Dark crimson energy pulsed around Alistair, his mana twisting unnaturally.
A faint, sickening aura filled the air as the shadows around him stretched and solidified.
Then—
Something stepped forward from the darkness.
Rael's pupils shrank.
It was… Alistair.
Or rather—a clone of him.
****
"It took two weeks instead of one…"
Alistair watched as his Crimson Phantom took shape, its form indistinguishable from himself.
This was the first form of the Bloodshadow Manifestation Art—Crimson Phantom.
It allowed him to create a copy of himself, formed from blood, shadow, and abyssal energy.
However, it wasn't perfect.
- The clone only possessed 40% of his true strength.
- It required 30% of his total mana to create.
- It had minimal intelligence, only capable of basic tactics.
- It could use elemental magic, but at reduced efficiency.
"Not enough yet."
With more training, he could increase its power, but for now—this was the limit.
Still, for this fight?
It was more than enough.
*****
Rael immediately reacted, lightning bursting from his body as he charged toward the clone.
BOOM!
The first clash was instant.
Rael's lightning-infused fist met the Crimson Phantom's abyssal-coated blade—
A massive shockwave tore through the battlefield, splitting the ground beneath them.
Rael's instincts screamed as he dodged a follow-up sword thrust, barely avoiding the crimson blur that slashed toward him.
What the hell?!
His eyes widened.
The clone was actually matching his speed.
Rael grinned. "Not bad!"
He retaliated, his lightning-coated fist swinging forward—
The Phantom sidestepped instantly, countering with a sharp arc of abyssal energy.
Rael barely blocked, skidding back as he felt his arms go numb from the unnatural energy.
This was insane.
The clone wasn't as fast as Alistair, but it was still overwhelming.
It was keeping up with him.
And worse?
It wasn't even using its full magic potential yet.
****
While Rael fought the Crimson Phantom, the rest of his team continued their assault on Alistair's weaker teammates.
Screams, spells, and the sound of clashing weapons filled the air.
Alistair watched in silence, completely ignoring the chaos.
His expression was calm, his black eyes locked on Rael and the Phantom.
He wasn't interested in the other fights.
This was a test.
He needed to know how well his clone could perform in a real battle.
So far?
It was performing better than expected.
However, it still lacked… something.
Alistair's gaze sharpened.
"Let's see how long it can last."
Rael's fists blurred as he dodged and countered, his lightning-coated strikes clashing against the Crimson Phantom's abyssal sword. Every impact sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, breaking the stone beneath them.
But despite his overwhelming strength—he was struggling.
The Crimson Phantom, while weaker than Alistair, was still relentless. Its swordsmanship was flawless, mirroring Alistair's precise, deadly style.
Rael could see some flaws in the clone's movements. It had slightly slower reactions than the real Alistair, and its patterns were somewhat predictable.
But every time he tried to exploit a weakness, the Phantom adjusted, countering his strikes with surgical precision.
Damn it… this thing is learning!
Rael gritted his teeth, electricity crackling across his golden fur. He could still win if he went all out, but—
"I can't use too much strength here."
If he burned all his energy against the clone, then facing Alistair himself would be even harder.
"Tch… This fight is dragging on."
Just as he was about to risk a full-powered strike—
A cold voice cut through the battlefield.
"You're taking too long, Rael."
Rael's ears twitched as a silver-haired woman stepped forward.
****
A tall, imposing beastkin woman with piercing ice-blue eyes, and wolf ears walked toward the battle. She moved gracefully, but there was no hesitation in her steps.
Lyria Starfang.
Rael's fiancée.
Unlike most beastkin, who relied on raw strength, she wielded a weapon—a long, curved reaper with a silver blade coated in frost.
Beastkin warriors rarely used weapons.
But Lyria wasn't like the others.
She had trained in reaper combat since childhood, developing a fighting style that combined speed, mana manipulation, and ice magic.
Rael smirked. "You finally decided to help, huh?"
Lyria's cold eyes flicked toward the Crimson Phantom, watching as it adjusted its stance.
"We finish this now."
Rael grinned, stepping back slightly to let her attack first.
Then they moved together.
Lyria's reaper sliced through the air, a sharp crescent of ice mana shooting toward the Phantom.
The Crimson Phantom dodged, narrowly avoiding the frozen arc—
But the moment it stepped aside, Rael appeared behind it, delivering a thunderous kick to its side.
BOOM!
The clone was sent skidding back, its form flickering for the first time.
Alistair, watching from afar, narrowed his eyes.
"It's finally reaching its limit."
The Phantom wasn't indestructible—and now, Lyria and Rael had started attacking in perfect synchronization.
While Alistair had been observing the clone battle, several students from Rael's team had noticed something.
"He's distracted. This is our chance!"
Four of them rushed forward, aiming to eliminate him while he wasn't paying attention.
One of them—a spear user—grinned.
"He's just standing there. Easy kill—"
Then—
Something black and crimson exploded from the ground.
SHING!
A dark tendril shot forward, piercing the spear user through the chest before he could react.
His eyes widened in horror—before the tentacle retracted, throwing his limp body across the battlefield.
His teammates froze in terror.
The tendrils twisted into black-red blades, hovering menacingly around Alistair.
They were no longer just shadow tendrils—
They had solidified, their tips forming razor-sharp blood-coated edges.
This was the proof of Alistair's increased mastery over both Blood and Shadow magic.
Before the others could react—
The tentacles lashed out.
In seconds, the ambushers were dead.
Alistair finally looked away from Rael's fight, his gaze emotionless as he stared at their fallen bodies.
"Fools."
He turned back to Rael and Lyria, now facing him directly.
*****
Few moments earlier --
Lyria struck from long range, using her ice magic to slow down the clone's movements, also attacking in close when saw opening or flaw. While Rael stayed in close combat, wearing it down with precise, high-speed strikes.
The Crimson Phantom held its ground, countering blow for blow—
But even with perfect technique, it was outnumbered.
Then—
It finally fell.
Lyria's frost-coated reaper cut through its torso, and at the same time—
Rael's lightning punch shattered its chest.
The Crimson Phantom collapsed, its body dissolving into dark-red mist.
But—
The moment it died, the mist twisted—
Into a storm of blood spikes.
Lyria's instincts screamed.
She reacted instantly, slamming her reaper into the ground—
"Glacial Wall!"
A thick barrier of ice erupted in front of her and Rael.
BOOM!
The blood spikes slammed into the barrier, piercing halfway through before freezing over.
Had she reacted even a second later—Rael would have been impaled.
Rael let out a low whistle, shaking off the ice shards from his fur.
"Tch… Alistair really doesn't fight fair, huh?"
Lyria flicked the frost from her blade, her gaze turning toward the real Alistair.
"It's not over yet."
She and Rael turned together, now facing the actual opponent.
Alistair.
******
Alistair finally looked away from Rael's fight, his gaze emotionless as he stared at their fallen bodies.
"Fools."
He turned back to Rael and Lyria, now facing him directly.
Rael rolled his shoulders, his battle-hungry grin returning.
"Looks like it's finally time, huh?"
His golden fur bristled, his muscles tensing as his mana surged.
Beside him, Lyria exhaled, her ice-cold aura expanding.
Alistair watched them both, his face unreadable.
They're strong.
Rael had just reached D- Rank. And with his Berserker state, he could push himself even higher for a short period.
Lyria was no weaker same rank as rael, Her frost magic and reaper techniques made her a dangerous opponent in both close and long-range combat.
Being faience and childhood friends they have trained together for years. And together, they were a formidable duo.
Rael smirked, cracking his knuckles.
"I'm not holding back anymore."
His Amber eyes burned as his blessings activated—
Electricity surged around his body, his mana flaring violently.
Then—he entered Berserker Mode.
Lyria moved beside him, gripping her reaper.
Their mana intertwined, their fighting stances perfect.
To Be Continued…