A few minutes later...
"Sigh... finally she's gone, so who's ready to make history?! As it seems the headmistress doesn't believe you all are worthy to become the champions of the upcoming National Dive." Niko shouted with a smile.
"I AM!!!" The entire class shouted with vigor as a flame seemed to burn in their eyes, just waiting to burst out and light the world on fire.
"Now that's the spirit as you all have the potential to become leaders of this generation! So never allow others to tell you what you can and cannot achieve as the world is yours for the taking as long as you are willing to fight for it! And with that let the first-ever class competition of the semester begins," Niko shouted with zeal before taking a step back and waiting to see who would be the first among his students to try the Tower of Shadows.
Since while, he can stand here all day and talk until his head falls off, it falls upon them to put in the work, blood, and sweat needed to bring those lofty dreams hidden from the world to fruition.
'So just who among you dares to barge into unknown territory, my students? As this could either make or break whether you have the potential to take control of your fate and begin your journey to attaining immortality.' Niko said to himself in anticipation as he waited to see if his gamble would pay off.
A couple of minutes later…
"Tsk… fuck it, since no one is going to take a stab at it, I guess I'll be the test dummy for today," Kyrie chuckled after taking some time to mediate and reach his peak state as it was better to take a risk than to wait for life to gift you what you desire.
Considering no one has a definite answer if the path forward will eventually lead to paradise or hell. So do not allow the opportunities presented before you to slip past you because of doubt, or fear that you are not worthy of them.
"Sigh, maybe Olivia is right it is only the first day of school after all," Niko muttered before snapping his head towards Kyrie, who was exuding a sense of deep confidence and faith in his abilities.
As he began making large strides toward the tower with a smile plastered on his face. Leading to a dominion effect as all it takes is for one brave soul to stand up for a revolution to begin.
"Sigh... someday, I'm going to regret this but let's take a chance for once, Nathan." He said to himself silently with a hopeful smile as he found the courage to take hold of his fate and make something of himself for once.
"Hmm, so in the end, I was right yet again but why isn't that Kurama boy moving yet?" Niko wondered as he glanced at Rin for a minute before fixating his gaze on the gigantic holographic screen.
This appeared shortly after Kyrie, Ethan, Maze, and a couple of others entered the tower simultaneously, causing the holographic screen to display what each participant was experiencing concomitantly.
***
Maze's POV –
Following her entry into the Tower…
"Huh, so this is the infamous Tower of Shadows?" Maze muttered with interest as she took a glance at her surroundings and realized she was in a room that was as white as snow.
However, it did not stay like that for long as soon afterward it transformed into a dome, filled with gray bricks sprinkled with white and a translucent glass ceiling. Which displayed a sky filled with stars each signifying a floor they have yet to clear or even attempt.
'The fabled artifact of David Wernicke, the Master of Illusions and last descendant of the Magi… Hmm, just how did you end up here?' Luna uttered with surprise and bewilderment in her voice as she appeared beside Maze.
'Is something the matter, Master?' Maze asked with curiosity as there were very few things that could cause her Master to act in such a way.
'I am fine just a bit startled is all as I did not expect to find such an artifact in the lower realms, coincidently in the hands of the institution you are attending. But then again, well, you can find a lot of things in the lower realms nowadays that were once thought to have been destroyed or lost in the river of time.'
'Okay, so is there anything I should~' Maze was about to ask before a monotonous voice announced the trial would begin shortly.
[1 Minute Until Veteran Trial 1 Begins!]
'Sorry about that Maze, it seems to get a bit carried away but good luck.! Oh, and do try your best to beat the current clear times as the first three entries into the Tower give out the best rewards, my disciple, and toddles.' Luna said quickly as she did not want to take up any more of Maze's time.
'Thank you, master, but why only the first three entries?'
'Because if you cannot reach floor 75 in 1-3 tries, you have no possibility of ever reaching the last floor and being eligible to fight for the ownership of the Tower. Something I would hope you will be able to accomplish before the end of high school.' Luna stated even though few have ever managed to reach the 90th floor in their first three tries.
[May all participants take a step forward and choose their weapon!]
'Hmm, interesting… so does that mean, I'm permitted to unseal a portion of my strength than Master?' Maze asked eagerly as she chose two inconspicuous short swords from the weapons rack that appeared before her and vanished after she made her choice.
'For now, just try and reach floor twenty-five in under 25 minutes as your teacher instructed, but on your second and third run surely by all means.'
'Noted,' Maze smiled as she used the few seconds, she had left to adjust her mental state and prepare for whatever was to come.
[Current Clear Time - 0:1:30! - Made by ??? on January 5th, 2525!]
"Well, this shouldn't be hard to beat; a minute and thirty seconds, huh? Now if I currently remember a floor typically has a time limit of three minutes. So that means I have to try and complete each floor moving forward in under thirty seconds to a minute." Maze muttered to herself mentally preparing for the challenge before her, after remembering a piece of information she saw on the school forum.
[All monsters summoned will be augmented towards the participant's current power level!]
[First Wave Begins in 3...2...1...0!]
"Sigh, hopefully, I won't stand out too much like that cousin of mine, I wonder how he is doing… hopefully, this time around he just tries not to create a scene." Maze hoped even though she knew that would be unlike Rin no matter how hard he tries, he always ends up being the center of attention.
Ding! Swoosh.
'Hmm, so the first wave is composed of twenty-five humans, huh? What a hassle,' Maze thought as she gripped her dual swords and dashed towards the nearest target and sliced them in half from the crown of their head to the soles of their feet.
Before continuing onward and creating a blood bath as moved around the room like a ballet dancer of death.
In conjunction with a technique, she created called [Execute - Series 1], that left dismembering bodies in its wake as it devoured the energy of the world giving its user the power of an Asura.
That causes them to fall into a temporary state of madness, lacing their energy with a reddish tint that has a penetrative and devouring effect.
***
Meanwhile…
"Is something the matter, Mr. Okumura?" Niko asked as he walked over to Rin just to make sure everything was all right. Considering he just looked at the holographic screen nonchalantly like a mannequin since the start of the class competition.
"Not particular just wondering how long it'd take me to complete your assignment if I were allowed to let loose, sir. But seeing how my classmates are faring the situation, that will not be happening," he said with a sigh before walking towards the tower and joining in on the fun as well.
'Strange kid, but aren't we all in some way?' Niko thought as wondered what Rin meant by letting loose since to his understanding, Rin was only a mid-stage Lower God.
"Sigh, well at least he finally entered the Tower… so, let's see what's so special about you Rin, the rumored emperor of our generation."