I ran to the front of the school and the receptionist. There is a somewhat small line. I follow suit and stand in the line until it was my turn. Once it was, the receptionist smiled at me.
"Welcome back, Sho. You made it just in time. First, I have to inform you that this test is dangerous and can lead to death. We will try to prevent and serious injury, but death is still a possibility. Are you sure you want to continue?"
Hmm... Well, I made it this far. Plus, my father might be disappointed if I back out because of the fear of death.
"Yeah."
"Good! Okay, as I said before, you have to get five kills for you to pass. Some exceptions can happen, which will increase the kill count. You will be informed if this happens. Now, you will be in the first division. This division has all contenders at the top thousand from the last test. Good luck!"
Once she was finished done, a teacher or assistant leads me toward the battle arena. The arena is a vast open space in a circular shape. Multiple rows of seats are placed on the outer ring. The arena fits all 1,000 contenders. I took my seat in a random location.
After a couple of minutes, a voice shouts to everyone.
"Hello, everyone! Welcome to arena A! Here, you all will battle each other to see who'll make it into the school! Four more arenas are hosting 1,000 contenders each. Each arena will only be able to have 200 contenders left. Let's begin!"
After his speech, he calls names in pairs to come into the floor. This arena is big enough to host five individual battles at once. Teachers are stationed on the bottom, making a count of each persons' score.
The way it's set up, each person will have five battles. If 200 contenders don't ace their kills the first time, different pairings will occur and resume battles. This continued until only 200 contenders win.
It's decent rules. I think this and watch everyone battle while I wait for my name to be called. Then, I finally hear my name, but it doesn't seem reasonable...
"Okay, next up... Huh? (Hey, are you sure this is correct? Yeah? Oh, okay...) Sorry about that! Next up, Sho. Please come into the arena."
I did as commanded and made my way into the middle. Then, he announced four more names to make their way into the center. That's odd. There are only five people here. Who is the fifth person fighting?
"Now, the higher-ups have decided that this single battle occurs. You four will be on a team and be fighting Sho. If you four-win, you automatically get four kills. If Sho wins, he will have a four-count as well."
...
Huh?! Why do I have to fight four at once? How is this fair! Maybe two at once, but four?! Man, what is going on with the higher-ups' heads.
I can't change their decisions, so all I can do is accept and pray I can put up a good fight. The other four have also accepted this and form around me. There are two males and two females. They all smile while they look at me.
"Ha! All we have to do is beat the crap out of this dude? Easy!"
"You got that, right! He's going to die in seconds."
A referee made their way to us and started the match.
"Everyone ready? Good! Now, get set... Fight!"
They ran away as they announce the beginning of the match. The two males charge at me while the females cast magic; however, the females' magic failed. I put nullification magic around them. Now I can focus on only two.
The males charge, swinging swords in my direction. They seem a bit slow, so I ran at full speed behind them. It catches them off guard, allowing me to make another move. I swing my fists into both of their stomachs. The force of my fists launches them into the wall. The impact made them stick to the wall, leaving a massive indentation.
Now I turn my attention to the females. They have given up using magic and instead are charging at me. Their running stances seem weak. I guess they spend points on magic and not fighting. Well, I guess I can make this a fair fight. I dispel the nullification.
One realized that their magic was regained and started to activate a spell. The other continues to charge, on the while casting a spell.
"[Firebolt]!" "[Lightning Sword]!"
The charging one summons a sword of lightning while the other fires a firebolt at me. The firebolt flies past the swordswoman and hits me... or instead hits my barrier. I activated a physical barrier after dispelling the null magic. The firebolt had no effect and dispersed. The swordswoman came for me, but running behind her causes her to lose balance. I did the same thing I did with the males and punched her stomach, which causes her to fly into the wall.
Man, I love that I spend those points on speed. Now, only one remains. I stare down at the girl. She trembles as I do, but she stills to cast a spell.
"[Heavenly Fire]!"
Ooh! That's a cool one. Heavenly Fire is a spell counted as high-tier. However, my barrier should keep me safe. Plus, if I activate another barrier, like a heat barrier, the spell should not affect me.
I activate a heat barrier along with my physical barrier. Flames fly out of the girl's hands and engulf the entire arena. The audience was murmuring, but once the fire disperses, everyone's eyes widen. The girl's eyes were the most amusing.
Then, I started to cast a spell. It was Heavenly Fire, the same spell she used. Once completed, I send it toward the girl. Flames, more giant and more orange, engulf the entire arena. Screams could be heard until the flames were dispersed. The girl stands, covered in black. Then, she falls backward.
"And that's the battle! Sho has won, increasing his count to four! One more battle for Sho!"
There was no applause. Everyone just stared at the arena's floor. Teachers rushed toward the floor, healing those who have fallen. I bow to everyone and return to my seat.
One more kill and I make it... This is easier than expected!
...