[KATXU'S POV]
We stood at the center of the arena, the heart of Arkhos Grand Arena, where legends were born and crushed. The massive crowd surrounded us on all sides, their voices merging into a thunderous roar.
Alumni of the academy watched from above, their sharp eyes analyzing us—former warriors and victors of past exams, measuring who among us was worth remembering. Normals filled the stands, their excitement palpable, eager to witness the birth of a new generation of Awakeners.
The air itself felt charged, thick with tension and expectation. This wasn't just another event.
This was a battlefield.
I stand with my team, along with the other examinees, waiting for the exam to begin. The anticipation is thick, almost suffocating.
Danryu suddenly nudges me and points at my neck. "Katxu, what's that on your neck?" His eyes narrow as he leans in, his voice full of suspicion.
I stiffen. Dairon's vampire mark.
Last night's events flash through my mind like a bad dream. The sensation of cold fangs against my skin, the pull of energy draining from my body—it still lingers, sending a chill down my spine. I don't respond. Instead, I shift my gaze toward Dairon, who stands among us, silent but observant.
Danryu watches my reaction carefully, then suddenly grins. "Ohhhhhh, I get it now. That's a vampire hickey." His teasing voice carries enough volume to make sure everyone hears.
My eye twitches. "It's not—"
"Ohhhhh, so only a vampire can make you shut up, huh?" Danryu smirks, arms crossed.
Poco and Kelly giggle behind me, barely holding back their laughter. They know me too well. I always tease Danryu, always have a comeback ready, but now? Silence.
I sigh, rubbing my temples. "You're awfully bold for someone who nearly pissed himself last night."
Danryu gasps dramatically. "Lies and slander!"
Poco leans in with a sly grin. "But you are being pretty quiet, Katxu."
"Y-Yeah," Kelly adds. "I-It's almost like you enjoyed it."
I shoot them a glare. "Enjoyed—?! I swear, you guys—"
Dairon, who had been silent all this time, finally speaks. His tone is calm, but there's a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "I wasn't expecting you to be this flustered, Katxu."
Danryu's grin widens. "Wait, wait, wait. So you do remember what happened, huh?"
I roll my shoulders, forcing my expression to remain neutral. "That's not the point." Then I turn back to Danryu, squinting. "So you've accepted Dairon as part of the team, huh? Not angry anymore?"
Danryu clicks his tongue and folds his arms. "Tch. I never said I was angry... just cautious."
I raise an eyebrow. "Cautious, huh?"
Poco snickers. "Translation: he sulked about it for an hour before finally giving up."
Danryu groans. "Can we not bring that up?"
Kelly giggles. "Oh, we're definitely bringing it up."
I exhale, shaking my head. Somehow, even with the weight of the exam looming over us, these idiots make it hard to stay tense. But that's fine. Maybe, just maybe, a little laughter before the storm isn't so bad.
***
"People of Arkhos Arcadia, examinees—welcome to the Arkhos Grand Arena!"
Thunderous applause erupted as the head of the academy spoke, his voice amplified by the arena's magic. The crowd's excitement was electric, a storm of murmurs, cheers, and anticipation filling the colossal space.
"Today, we gather to witness the next generation of Awakeners rise! Each of you has fought your way here, proving your worth, your resilience, and your potential—"
"Tch, and one normal," Danryu muttered under his breath, throwing a teasing glance my way.
I sighed and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "Shut up."
The head of the academy continued, undeterred.
"This is more than a test. This is a battlefield. Eighteen teams stand before us today—but only the top ten will advance. The rest? They will face immediate elimination. There are no second chances. No do-overs. Only those who adapt, endure, and overcome will move forward. The weak will fall. The strong will rise. That is the way of Arkhos Arcadia!"
The roar of the audience nearly shook the ground. Excitement. Fear. Determination. Everything was boiling in the air.
Only ten teams would survive this level.
"Let the new generation of Awakeners' Exam begin!"
A sharp whistle pierced the air, and the energy in the arena shifted.
A woman stepped forward—sporty, muscular, wearing a sleeveless sando and shorts. A pistol rested on a strap around her neck, and a strange glowing ball hovered at her side. She carried herself with a warrior's presence, sharp and unwavering.
"Listen up, examinees!" Her voice cut through the murmurs. "I'm Mina, your head examiner for the next two levels of this exam."
Her gaze swept across the field, judging us already. Her expression made it clear: she had seen stronger, better warriors before.
"The first exam is called Timeball." She casually tossed the glowing orb into the air, catching it effortlessly.
"The rules are simple. The longer your team holds the ball, the more points you earn."
Some examinees scoffed.
Mina smirked. They won't be laughing soon.
"But," she continued, her smirk widening, "the orb will drain your stamina and mana the longer you hold it. If you hold on too long, you'll collapse."
The murmurs grew louder. This wasn't just an endurance test—it was a battle of survival.
"And to make things more fun—" she casually tossed the orb to a random examinee.
The second it touched his hands, his body nearly buckled.
The ball was heavier than it looked.
Mina tilted her head, watching him struggle.
"The longer you hold it, the heavier it gets," she explained. "And if you're too stubborn to drop it?"
She leaned forward slightly.
"It might just explode in your hands."
A sharp silence fell over the arena.
This just got serious.
Mina grinned, cracking her knuckles. "More instructions will be given as the game progresses. Stay sharp."
She raised her hand.
"Now—let's begin!"
Mina pressed her palm into the ground, and suddenly, the entire battlefield shifted beneath our feet. The once flat terrain of the Great Arkhos Dome trembled, cracks forming as the earth reshaped itself into something entirely different.
Towering ruins erupted from below, jagged stone structures creating new vantage points and places to hide. Forests and abandoned villages sprawled across the battlefield, while deep ponds and rocky cliffs formed natural traps and choke points.
The once massive, empty stadium had been completely transformed into a war zone.
Above it all, a floating scoreboard hovered in the sky, flashing bright enough for all of us to see.
Then, just as quickly as she had reshaped the field—Mina was gone.
Her voice echoed throughout the Dome.
"This is the Great Arkhos Dome. This is where your exam will take place. You have two hours to gain as many points as possible."
As she spoke, a massive countdown timer appeared beneath the scoreboard.
05:00
Before the exam officially began, we had five minutes to scatter.
"MOVE!" I barked, already dashing forward.
We needed high ground—a vantage point where we could see incoming enemies and control our position.
Poco reached the top first, slamming his hands into the ground and forcing the earth to rise, creating a solid platform above the trees.
Danryu, surprisingly not complaining for once, reinforced it by weaving wooden walls around us, forming a natural barricade.
Kelly, floating around nervously, placed Food Bombs near our perimeter. Her hands trembled slightly as she set down a loaf of bread in the open, pretending it was just a forgotten supply pack.
"U-um... If they get too close, these should s-slow them down..." she whispered.
Danryu smirked. "You mean trick them into thinking they found free food?"
She nodded shyly.
Poco snorted. "Man, I'd fall for that."
I grinned. "You would fall for that."
Danryu sighed dramatically, stretching his arms. "And this is why I never trust anything Katxu or Kelly gives me."
I gasped in mock offense. "You wound me, Danryu."
"You should be wounded." He waved a hand—vines suddenly shot from the ground, wrapping around my ankles.
I yelped, faceplanting into the dirt. "Oh, come on!"
Danryu cackled. "Ahh, silence. Feels good."
I shot up, brushing dirt off my face, grumbling. "One of these days, I'm gonna—"
A cold presence loomed behind me.
I turned—and locked eyes with Dairon.
He wasn't saying a word. Just standing there, arms crossed, watching.
I felt heat rise up my neck, and my words died in my throat.
Danryu grinned. "Oh? No comeback? Damn, I should've brought a notebook for this moment."
I glared at him. "Shut. Up."
Poco, watching all of this, sighed and rubbed his temples. "We're wasting time. Kelly, keep placing traps. Danryu, stop bullying Katxu and focus. Ren..."
Ren, as usual, was silent, crouched near Grimm, who watched everything like a guardian.
Instead of answering, Ren just gave a small nod.
Poco adjusted his glasses. "Alright. Here's the plan."
Poco pointed at the scoreboard.
"We're going endurance mode. Other teams will be fighting to grab the Timeballs. We don't need to get greedy—we just need to hold one for as long as possible."
Danryu crossed his arms. "Easier said than done."
I stretched my shoulders, nodding. "Nah, I like it. We're stacked on healing. We've got Kelly's food magic, Danryu's wood magic, and Grimm's regeneration."
Kelly hesitated. "M-my food... It's only a small mana boost... But I-I can make more!"
Poco nodded. "Good. Keep preparing them. If we rotate healers, we can keep one person holding the Timeball without letting them pass out."
I grinned. "So we're playing defense, huh?"
Poco smirked. "Exactly. If we keep control over this high ground, we can outlast anyone."
Danryu rubbed his chin. "And if other teams come for us?"
I cracked my knuckles. "Then we beat their faces in."
Poco sighed. "Well, I was going to suggest traps and diversion tactics, but yeah, sure, violence works too."
Kelly hurriedly placed another healing snack down.
Ren and Grimm remained silent. Watching. Waiting.
We had our strategy.
The massive timer in the sky continued its descent.
5...
The battlefield was silent.
4...
Some teams had already started moving. Others were waiting.
3...
Poco tightened his gloves.
Danryu adjusted his stance.
Kelly took a deep breath.
2...
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. Grimm's fur bristled.
1...
A loud, deafening horn blasted across the Dome.
***
"The Timeballs have spawned," Mina's voice boomed across the Great Arkhos Dome.
"There are only ten in total. Any team can hold more than one ball—but beware. Choose wisely who carries them, because their effects will drain you fast."
A holographic map projection flickered in the sky, revealing ten glowing dots—the locations of the Timeballs.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
Teams sprinted in different directions, some heading straight for the Timeballs, others engaging in early fights. The ground shook as earth-wielders clashed, lightning crackled in the distance, and a wave of fire exploded somewhere on the far side of the battlefield.
I felt the rush of excitement as I watched, but we still hadn't moved.
Poco cracked his knuckles beside me. "Alright. Who's grabbing the first one?"
I grinned, already stepping forward. "I'll do it."
Danryu sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Then let's move. We've got an exam to win."
I was about to dash off when—
Dairon spoke.
"Not too fast. We need a real plan to retrieve and secure the balls," he said, his voice as cold and sharp as steel.
I stiffened instinctively. My mind flashed back to yesterday—not now, Katxu. Focus.
I scratched the back of my head, looking anywhere but at him. "So... what's the plan?"
Poco, ever the strategist, adjusted his glasses, a smirk already forming.
"We don't just take the balls."
Danryu scoffed. "The hell does that even mean?"
Poco's smirk widened. "It means—we make them think we have more than we actually do."
I grinned. "Now you've got my attention."
***
We moved fast.
Like clockwork, our team split up, each of us playing our roles without needing to be told.
Step 1: The Distraction Begins
Kelly, despite her usual shy demeanor, was already hard at work.
She scattered Food Bombs disguised as Timeballs all across the battlefield—some hidden in plain sight, others tucked inside ruins and between broken stone walls.
The moment the first enemy team arrived, their leader—an ice-user with sharp, confident eyes—spotted one of the fake balls.
He lunged forward, grabbing it without hesitation.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave exploded, knocking him and two of his teammates backwards into the dirt.
Kelly flinched at the sound, but Poco patted her head as he ran past. "Nice work."
She blushed furiously.
Danryu, watching the chaos unfold, whistled. "Damn. That's evil."
I grinned. "That's why it's perfect."
Step 2: The Phantom Play
Ren had already vanished.
In the distance, his bear—Grimm—was walking calmly through the battlefield... carrying a fake Timeball in its mouth.
To anyone watching, it looked like the ball was floating by itself.
It worked instantly.
At least two teams spotted the "floating" Timeball and immediately started chasing after it.
Danryu scoffed. "Idiots."
Poco nodded. "The longer they chase nothing, the less competition we have."
Now, with multiple teams fooled, we were free to grab a real ball.
I sprinted forward, activating my Earth Talisman and kicking off a stone platform, launching myself toward the nearest real Timeball.
Another team was already there—a group of three examinees, one wielding fire magic, another using daggers, and the third controlling wind.
Before they could react, I dove through them, snatching the ball mid-air.
The moment my fingers wrapped around it, a pulse of energy exploded from the ball—
Revealing our location.
Just as the fire-user shouted, "There! He's got it!", a blur of motion sliced through the air.
Dairon was already moving.
Before the dagger-wielder could even lunge, a sharp streak of blue lightning cracked across the ground, cutting off their approach. The sudden surge of electricity forced the enemy team back, their bodies jolting from the impact.
Dairon landed beside Katxu, his sword Win humming with residual energy. His golden eyes flicked toward Katxu, irritated but focused.
"Don't just stand there, idiot," he muttered. "Move."
Without another word, he vanished again, his speed too fast to follow, striking down another attacker mid-dash before retreating into the shadows.
Danryu whistled, smirking. "Guess he's finally interested in playing."
Katxu grinned, gripping the Timeball tighter. "Took him long enough."
Wind surged around me as the dagger-wielder lunged forward, his blade glinting—
Danryu's vines erupted from the ground, grabbing the guy mid-air and slamming him face-first into a tree.
"Yeah, no thanks," Danryu muttered.
The fire-user roared, unleashing a wave of flames—
But Kelly was already moving.
She tossed a small food pellet at me.
"E-eat this!" she called.
I caught it in my mouth just as the fire-user's attack engulfed me.
For a split second, my vision flashed white from the heat.
Then—nothing.
The flames dispersed, the heat suddenly gone.
I blinked, completely unharmed.
Kelly bounced slightly in place. "I-it's a fire resistance snack...!"
I grinned. "Kelly, you're a damn genius."
The fire-user stumbled back, wide-eyed. "What the hell?"
Too late.
Danryu punched the ground, and a wall of roots and stone erupted, knocking them all back.
"Time to go!" Poco called.
I tossed the ball to Danryu before it could drain my stamina too much.
He caught it—and immediately threw it to Poco.
The weight reset again.
The enemy team stumbled to their feet, still dazed.
By the time they realized what had happened, we were already gone.
***
We weren't heading to the base.
We were heading away from it. And fast.
Danryu passed the Timeball to Kelly, who tossed it to Poco, who lobbed it right back to me. Over and over. Just enough to keep the drain from sticking to anyone too long.
From the treetops, I caught a flicker—enemy movement. Two. No—three.
"They're following," Danryu said behind me, voice low.
"Good," Poco muttered, smirking. "Means they took the bait."
The wind snapped against my ears as I led the team into the ruins, feet slamming across cracked stone. Behind us, the chasing team grew bolder. Probably thought we were panicking.
Let 'em think that.
Kelly glanced over. "You sure about this?"
"Nope," I said brightly. "But we're committed now."
She looked like she wanted to cry.
Danryu clicked his tongue. "Focus. They're not backing off."
Ahead of us, Poco pressed a palm to the ground.
The stone beneath our feet trembled faintly. I didn't need to ask.
He was building something.
A second route.
A fake path that led nowhere.
Smart.
Behind us, footsteps quickened.
And then—
A pulse.
A heavy, cold pressure swept the field like invisible chains.
Kelly stumbled. Danryu froze mid-run. Poco winced as the pulse hit him mid-spell.
Even my legs locked for a second.
Then I saw him.
A boy stepped out from the treeline, calm as if the chase was beneath him.
Golden eyes. Sharp. Focused. Calculating.
The air around him didn't move right. It was like reality gave him space on purpose.
"Don't stop," I growled, breaking through the pulse. "Move!"
Danryu grunted and shook off the stun. Poco cracked his knuckles, annoyed. "Sealing type."
"Yeah. I noticed."
Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, the golden-eyed boy raised one finger—
And the Timeball vanished from my hands.
"What the—?!"
It was in his palm now. Floating, pulsing.
He tilted his head. "Nice trick," he said. His voice was dry. Calm. Like he was pointing out a typo. "But this is mine now."
Danryu cursed under his breath.
Poco... laughed.
Even Kelly blinked, confused.
Because that wasn't the real Timeball.
The golden-eyed boy had stolen our trap.
And he didn't know it yet.
I smirked.
Behind us, the score hadn't changed.
Not yet.
But it would.
Not because of us.
Because of the ones we sent underground.
The golden-eyed boy didn't flinch as more figures stepped out behind him.
Three enemies now.
One had a sword humming with violet arcs of energy, eyes cold and ready.
The other was a bulky brute with skin like cracked stone. His steps shook the ground.
Lovely.
Danryu grunted. "They're not randoms."
"Nope," Poco said, popping his neck. "Organized. Efficient. Dangerous."
"Perfect," I muttered.
The brute cracked his knuckles, pointing at me. "You look soft. I'll flatten you first."
"Aw," I said, raising my hands. "Flirting already?"
He blinked.
I threw the Timeball at him.
Instinct took over—he caught it midair.
"Nice catch," I said, grinning. "Shame it's empty."
Before he could react—
BOOM.
The Timeball detonated in his hands—Kelly's food bomb baked into a shell of light. The explosion flung him backward like a kicked boulder.
The swordswoman blurred forward, blade dragging lightning. "You tricked us."
I rolled to the side, grabbed a talisman from my belt—"Fire Dragon!"
A blazing serpent erupted between us, splitting the ground and forcing her back.
Poco stomped his foot—earth cracked beneath him as a wall rose behind us. "We split them. Danryu, with me."
Danryu nodded, already launching a Verdant Needle toward the brute, who was rising slowly from the rubble.
"Kelly—time to cook!" I shouted.
She looked terrified but pulled two round bombs from her pouch and threw them. "L-Lunchbox Surprise!"
One landed by the golden-eyed boy. He didn't even move—just raised a hand. A ripple of sealing energy ate the explosion whole.
"Great," I muttered. "He's the smart one."
"Exactly why you don't fight him first," Poco added.
The ground cracked again—Danryu's vines wrapped the brute's ankle, yanking him into a rooted trap.
The brute cursed. "These damn plants—!"
"You allergic?" Danryu asked, deadpan. "Good."
He launched a second volley of needles—piercing armor gaps like a surgeon with anger issues.
The swordswoman charged again—faster this time. Kelly tried to shield me, but her reaction was slow.
I stepped in. "Iron Clasp!"
My hand locked her wrist, and I slammed my foot forward—"Coiled Fang Elbow!"
She reeled, staggering back.
"You okay?" I asked Kelly.
She nodded. "Still scared."
"Good. Means you're thinking."
Poco was still managing the backline, sending tremors under the brute and carving narrow ledges to trap his steps.
Then came the sound we were waiting for—
A faint chime.
The scoreboard updated.
+10.
Our score jumped.
The golden-eyed boy turned. Confused. Calculating.
He looked down at the ball we dropped—the fake, still flickering in his teammate's hand.
Then up at us.
Kelly smiled—tiny and proud.
Poco gave a two-finger salute. "Oops."
And me?
I cracked my knuckles.
"Guess what?" I said.
"You're holding the wrong ball."
The golden-eyed boy stared at the fake Timeball like it had betrayed him.
Because it had.
He turned it in his hand. It flickered.
Then cracked.
The glow vanished.
What remained was a hollow shell—one of Kelly's handmade decoys.
He didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
His eyes twitched. Not with rage.
With realization.
Danryu took a step forward, still wiping blood from his lip. "You chased the wrong team."
The brute was just now breaking out of the vines, dazed and smoking from the earlier blast.
The swordswoman stood tense, blade raised—but unsure now. Off-balance.
And the golden-eyed boy?
He was piecing it together.
"Why didn't the score go up...?" he muttered.
Poco leaned against a tree, smug. "Because we weren't carrying the real one."
I added, "You were too focused on us. Too sure we were the main act."
He stared at me, expression unreadable. "Then who?"
Danryu smirked, tapping the side of his head. "That's what you should've asked from the start."
Then—another chime.
The scoreboard blinked.
+25.
Our score climbed again.
The golden-eyed boy turned toward the floating screen.
Our team name.
Advancing.
His team?
Still stuck.
Still flat.
His brows furrowed.
Kelly blinked up at the screen, stunned. "They... they really did it."
"They?" the brute said, confused.
And that's when I let it out.
The truth.
"The Timeball wasn't with us."
The enemies turned to me, confused.
I continued. "It's underground."
"Dairon," Danryu said, cracking his neck. "Ren. Grimm."
Poco added with a shrug, "Maybe someone else. Who knows?"
I stepped forward, just enough so they could see the dirt on my hands. "While you were chasing sparks..."
I smirked.
"...they carried the flame."
The golden-eyed boy didn't say a word.
He didn't move.
He just stared at me.
At the fake ball.
At the scoreboard.
And for the first time—
He looked uncertain.
I grinned. "Thanks for playing."
Danryu cracked his knuckles. "So... what now?"
Kelly held up another bomb with trembling hands. "We... we can still fight, right?"
Poco smiled without smiling. "We hold them here. They bought us time."
And I? I just raised my fists.
"Round two, anyone?"
***
The Timeball passed swiftly between us, the weight resetting each time we tossed it. Danryu's scowl deepened with each throw, his irritation growing.
"Katxu, if you keep throwing this at me with that dumb grin, I swear—"
I grinned wider. "What? Gonna heal me again? Such a great teammate."
Danryu's eye twitched. "I hate you."
I threw it back at him. Hard.
He caught it but pretended to fumble, nearly dropping it.
"Oops," he said mockingly. "Almost lost it there."
I squinted. "You wanna die, don't you?"
"Honestly? If it means I don't have to keep listening to you, yes."
Poco, who was leaning casually against a rock, chuckled. "You two flirting or fighting? I genuinely can't tell."
Danryu whipped his head toward him. "We are NOT—"
"I mean, he does like attention," I added.
Danryu made a sharp gesture, and suddenly—
Vines shot out from the ground, wrapping around my ankles.
"Hey—HEY! I'M HOLDING THE BALL, YOU IDIOT!"
Danryu smirked. "You'll figure it out."
I yelped as I was yanked off my feet, tumbling onto the ground.
Poco let out a mock whistle. "Damn. If only someone could heal you."
Danryu snapped his fingers, and the vines disappeared just in time for me to get a face full of dirt.
I groaned. "You suck."
Danryu shrugged. "At least I'm not the one eating the floor."
Kelly, trying to stifle a giggle, whispered to herself, "T-this is fine, right?"
Ren and Grimm stood near the entrance, watching silently.
Something still felt off, though.
I sat up, dusting myself off. "Wait... where's Dairon?"
Danryu's teasing faded into a frown. "What?"
Poco's smirk vanished.
We all turned toward where Dairon had been standing.
He was gone.
"When did he leave?" I asked, looking around.
No answer.
A cold breeze swept through the base.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the ground.
Poco's voice rang out. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
The air shifted.
A pulse of energy burst through the battlefield, invisible yet overwhelming.
Danryu gasped, clutching his chest.
"My magic—!"
Kelly stumbled, her hands shaking. "M-my... p-powers..."
Poco's hands trembled, his usual confidence flickering. "What the hell is this?"
Ren and Grimm?
Frozen.
A familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"Didn't expect this, did you?"
We all turned.
There, standing at the edge of our ruined defenses, was him.
The golden-eyed sealing user.
But this time, he wasn't smirking.
This time, his eyes burned with vengeance.
I clenched my fists. So this is his real ability.
He took another step forward, raising his hand.
"Welcome to your first taste of true helplessness."
He snapped his fingers.
A second wave of sealing energy erupted outward—stronger, heavier.
The ground itself pulsed, and for the first time in my life, I felt the weight of nothingness.
True silence. True stillness.
Magic was gone.
Completely.
Danryu staggered. "This... this is..."
Poco gritted his teeth. "A total... shutdown."
Kelly was shaking, unable to move. "I-I can't..."
Ren and Grimm? Still unmoving.
I clenched my fists, feeling the air change around me.
Then I realized—
I was still fine.
The golden-eyed user noticed, too.
His gaze flickered to me. "Huh."
Then he smirked.
"Figures. The one with no power wouldn't feel a thing."
I grinned. "Yeah? Lucky me."
The brute cracked his knuckles. "Let's see if your body can keep up without magic."
He charged.
FAST.
I barely had time to duck as his fist crashed into the wall behind me, shattering it into pieces.
I twisted mid-dodge, swinging my elbow into his ribs.
The impact sent a shockwave through his body—but he barely flinched.
Instead, he grinned.
"Not bad."
His other hand came swinging up.
I barely had time to block, crossing my arms over my chest—but the sheer force sent me flying.
I crashed through two layers of stone barricades, rolling across the dirt before stopping myself.
Danryu and Poco were already fighting the swordswoman.
Even without magic, Danryu moved like a trained fighter, dodging her precision strikes.
She swung down—
He twisted his body, catching her wrist and flipping her over his shoulder.
But she recovered mid-air, kicking off his shoulder and landing behind him.
Poco, despite being cut off from his Titan Strength, still had raw power.
He blocked a sword slash with his bare arms, grinning. "That all you got?"
The swordswoman narrowed her eyes.
"Harder than I expected," she muttered.
Kelly, though shaken, was moving behind the chaos.
I caught a glimpse of her hands trembling.
She was trying to make something.
Food bombs? A healing snack?
She had no magic, but she was still fighting.
My attention snapped back just in time—
The brute was charging me again.
I gritted my teeth. Fine. You wanna brawl? We'll brawl.
He charged.
FAST.
I barely had time to duck as his fist crashed into the wall behind me, shattering it into pieces.
I twisted mid-dodge, swinging my elbow into his ribs.
The impact sent a shockwave through his body—but he barely flinched.
Instead, he grinned.
"Not bad."
His other hand came swinging up.
I barely had time to block, crossing my arms over my chest—but the sheer force sent me flying.
I crashed through two layers of stone barricades, rolling across the dirt before stopping myself.
Danryu and Poco were already fighting the swordswoman.
Even without magic, Danryu moved like a trained fighter, dodging her precision strikes.
She swung down—
He twisted his body, catching her wrist and flipping her over his shoulder.
But she recovered mid-air, kicking off his shoulder and landing behind him.
Poco, despite being cut off from his Titan Strength, still had raw power.
He blocked a sword slash with his bare arms, grinning. "That all you got?"
The swordswoman narrowed her eyes.
"Harder than I expected," she muttered.
Kelly, though shaken, was moving behind the chaos.
I caught a glimpse of her hands trembling.
She was trying to make something.
Food bombs? A healing snack?
She had no magic, but she was still fighting.
My attention snapped back just in time—
The brute was charging me again.
I gritted my teeth. Fine. You wanna brawl? We'll brawl.
Silence.
Poco let out a deep breath, rubbing his face. "That... was infuriating."
Danryu kicked a piece of rubble. "Tch. They played us."
Kelly, still catching her breath, lowered her head.
Ren remained silent, eyes watching the distance.
I exhaled.
I hated to admit it.
But they won.
I clenched my fists.
"This isn't over," I muttered.
Danryu sighed. "Obviously. We're gonna crush them next time."
Poco grinned.
"Damn right we are."