Two days. That's how much time had passed since the beginning of the Second Round. Custos, Chrono, and Eliisabet were doing quite well. So far, they had managed to obtain a total of 12 Scrolls Of Life which they had divided equally among themselves. Everything had gone according to plan so far which was a good sign.
All that was left to do was wait until the third day. This was when they would put their plan into full action which was supposed to easily drop them into the top 50.
Currently, they resided in a small cave that was hidden between two large boulders. This made it very difficult to find and a perfect hiding spot.
"It's almost time. In just less than 24 hours, we can put the next stage of our plan underway," said Custos as he sharpened the blade of his sword with a flat piece of rock.
"We have enough food and water to last us for at least four more days as well. Things are sailing quite smoothly. Though I can't say I like what we've been eating for the past two days," agreed Eliisabet.
Chrono sighed, "How many scrolls do you think we need to land ourselves in the top 50? That's the main issue at hand. In the beginning, there were 400 participants. Given that only a quarter of that will manage to become Sicarius probably means that to get into the top 50 might require us to gather an absurd amount of scrolls."
Custos agreed. They would need to confront a lot of enemies to gather the scrolls needed.
"Every second in this forest is a test of our abilities, quick thinking, and survival skills. As long as we avoid too much confrontation and preserve our energy, we should be okay. We'll gather enough scrolls if we follow the plan. Besides, let's be honest. The enemies we've fought so far were all below our level. It's starting to make me believe that we're the strongest ones here."
"Maybe. In regards to our strength, not many in this forest can put up a decent fight against us. Not to mention that I can tell you're still holding back. No matter what you say to me, I know you're no amateur. However, despite all of that, I think you're forgetting one thing Custos."
"What's that?"
"Everything doesn't always go as planned. No matter how good a plan is, it's bound to have a weak point or two that will be exploited sooner or later."
As soon as the words left Chrono's lips, the sound of a metallic device hit the cave floor. The three looked over to see a circular black ball with a lit fuse rolling toward them.
"Shit! It's a bomb!!"
With a powerful explosion, the cave rattled like an earthquake. Flames erupted in every direction and heat scorched the cave walls. Smoke, dust, and debris quickly filled the air as a result. Even bits of rock fell from the ceiling, clattering to the ground.
At the cave entrance stood the silhouette of two figures. They both had amused smirks on their faces, proud of their surprise attack.
"Come on out! I know that wasn't enough to take you guys out!" Said a powerful-looking man. He had short black hair and sea-green eyes.
"Are you sure that wasn't enough to kill them?" Asked another male figure by his side. He was of a smaller build with grey eyes and cool brown hair.
"I'm positive. Well, maybe the girl died. She looked weak. But I know the other two were Custos and Chrono. They're considered favorites just because they have perfect Hemo Control. But I'll crush them and show them just how insignificant they are!"
Just then, they saw Custos, Eliisabet, and Chrono approaching them through the smoke. They smiled with anticipation as soon as they saw this.
"Hmph! I knew it! Come on out Chrono and Custos! I wanna see just how strong you two are!" Exclaimed the big guy.
With his hands stuffed calmly in his pockets, Chrono approached them. His cold gaze seemed to stare directly into their souls but they weren't intimidated.
"It seems you three have some kind of death wish attacking us like that," he frowned.
"My name's Lance! My other teammate here is known as Xavier! We're here for your scrolls!"
"I couldn't care less. I'm more surprised that you managed to get past all those traps we laid out ahead of here."
"Well, to be fair, we did lose a teammate to one of those traps but he was a weakling anyway. We planned to kill him and take his scroll in the end. You just saved us the trouble! Anyway, just like you, we're some of the favorites to advance to the third round. We've already gathered a total of 30 scrolls! In other words, we've already crushed ten teams all by ourselves! That already makes us one of the top contenders to pass this round!"
"Is that so? So that means you're supposed to be strong. I do hope that's the case because I'm tired of all the small fry."
Calmly, Custos then stepped to Chronos' side.
"Eliisabet, you don't need to worry yourself here. Chrono and I will deal with these losers. Chrono, I'll deal with the one on the right. The big one's all yours," said Custos calmly.
"It's fine. I can take them both."
"Are you sure?"
"Hmph. You underestimate me, Custos."
Slowly, Chrono then approached Lance. His hands slowly came from his pocket before grabbing onto the hilt of a cool black and red sword that was sheathed across his back. Its blade was like that of shiny obsidian with a streak of red running through the middle. It looked quite sharp.
"You're making a serious mistake if you believe that you can defeat both of us by yourself. I am curious though. How did you all escape that bomb without a scratch on you?"
"I'll show you in a second."
"Cocky bastard! Come at us already so that we can knock you down a peg or two!" Shouted Xavier.
Quickly, Lance got a spear in front of him, ready for battle. Xavier, on the other hand, was using a large combat knife that looked sharp enough to cut through solid rock. Both their weapons were stained with the blood of their previous victims.
In the blink of an eye, Chrono dashed toward them. Lance jabbed the tip of his spear at him, ready to strike him down. However, Chrono was skilled. He caught the edge of the spear on the blunt of his sword. He then reached out his arm to grab onto Lance.
As soon as his finger brushed against Lance's skin, Xavier came to his aid with a lethal swing of his knife. This forced Chrono to evade, barely dodging the attack. However, this wasn't all. Xavier quickly followed up with a powerful kick to his gut, causing him to skate backward, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
"All that big talk and you're struggling to keep up with us. You're just asking to die!" Laughed Lance.
"They say guys with the biggest barks are usually the ones with the smallest bite. This guy is a prime example of that," supported Xavier.
Chrono sighed as he brushed the dusty footprint from his shirt.
"Is that how it looked to you? Well, in any case, this battle is already over. All I needed was to make physical contact with you. Now that my Hemo Energy is attached to you, this fight is over."
Lance and Xavier went silent. They didn't understand what Chrono meant. He had to be trying to intimidate them.
"More big talk, kid? Seems we'll have to teach you a lesson to cut that pride of yours," hissed Lance in annoyance.
"The thing is, I'm a Third Classed Kato with a Bloodline Art that could rival even a Second Class Kato. I'll show you just what I mean now that my Hemo Energy is attached to you."
Lance and Xavier immediately got themselves on guard as soon as they heard this. They didn't expect Chrono to be a Kato. He had to be telling another lie to intimidate them. At least, this was what they wanted to believe but the cold gaze in Chrono's eyes told no lies. Their fears were immediately confirmed as they witnessed him activate his Bloodline Art.
"Bloodline Art: Vector Control, Animate!"
With a single wave of his finger, Lance found that his arm had been twisted like a pretzel. Bone snapped and blood splattered across the ground like rain.
"Aghh!!!!! My arm!! MY F***ING ARM!!!!"
"Lance! Shit! Your arm! Are you okay?!" Panicked Xavier.
"I only need one of you alive for now so you can die," muttered Chrono coldly.
With another wave of his finger, Chrono twisted Xavier's neck like a tornado, ripping it from his body. Blood sprayed through the air, painting the grass and ground beneath them red. This was followed by the lifeless thud of Xavier's body.
"Xavier!! F***!!!"
Coldly, Chrono moved over to Lance one last time. His ice-cold eyes were enough to freeze him on the spot. Lance immediately wanted to make a run for it but he found himself unable to move. It was as if some strange force was holding him down.
"Damn it! I'm sorry! We shouldn't have chosen you as our next target!! Please!! Don't kill me!!!"
"I told you that you made a mistake coming here. Guys like you are always super confident until you realize just how pathetic you truly are. My Bloodline Trait allows me to control the direction of anything I touch. In other words, I control vectors. Once my Hemo Energy seeps through your skin and enters your body, I can make your body do whatever I want. You're finished."