The commanders remained on the golden circle which floated in the sky. Below them was the audience who hadn't left yet. Common occurrence resulted in them watching until nightfall, and returning the next morning.
"The real test begins…" Jeanne of The Windriders spoke. The other leaders nodded in agreement.
"Anyone calling dibs or taking bets?" Vance asked. He loved gambling. Delia, who was currently pestering Aiden, spoke.
"I have my eye on that one." She announced while pointing to the screen.
Everyone saw a pink haired girl with an arrogant expression. She was barefoot, but her steps didn't meet the ground. Every step was on air. Just this alone was enough to show her talent.
Glyn of Iron Mountain paused his impromptu training. He sat beside Blaine and wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder. After looking at the screen, he spoke.
"Perseverance is a trait that we of Iron Mountain look for. This man cannot see, but found other ways to make up for it. If he passes this test, we will accept him. The third assessment will just be a bonus." He declared. He was talking about Eldan. Idun of Bloody Thorn turned to him with a frown.
"That is a clear case of favoritism." She commented.
"Preposterous. It is only a recognition of one's efforts." He retorted. The two started to bicker. As the commanders gave their callouts, Vance finally spoke again.
"What about the Legendary?" He questioned.
Everyone went silent. Rin perked up upon hearing mention of him. The snow demon focused on their conversation. The screen displayed Shu. He was currently surrounded by almost one hundred contestants.
"Isn't it obvious? He just needs to pass the tests. Let's hope he's not the cocky type. If he is, I don't want him on my team." Blaine said.
"From what I've seen, the boy doesn't seem to really care about much. He seems more lazy than anything." Idun responded. Everyone except Aiden nodded in agreement.
"Maybe he hides his true nature so well that we can't see it. Look." Aiden surmised. The commanders focused on the screen.
…
…
…
When Shu opened his eyes, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath. The sky was orange, as if in a perpetual state of sunset. Countless stars littered the backdrop and went as far as the eye could see.
The group had landed in a clearing. Directly in front of them was a vast jungle, which splintered off in three directions. To the right was a wasteland that spanned across the horizon. To the left was a mountain range. Constant roars of beasts could be heard in that direction.
Past the jungle was a ruined civilization, its buildings and streets destroyed. Dried blood splattered the ground and walls. Whatever sentient life that lived here was gone.
"Shu." A voice called out. The sleepy samurai turned to see Eldan. The blind man was calmly walking away. He pointed to a tall cliff at the edge of the mountain range. Directly below it was a volcanic area.
"If you survive this moment, let us meet there." He finished. Shu raised an eyebrow.
"...You're supposed to be blind." He joked.
At that moment, a figure lunged toward Eldan. There were two daggers in his hand, which glowed with acidic poison. He must've been aiming for the Supreme score points. The blind man tilted his head to the side, dodging a slash.
Eldan burst into motion, the distance between him and his attacker becoming zero. The white haired fighter's knuckles poked out of his fist. With the elegance of a trained martial artist, he released a flurry of soft jabs. Each tap landed on a specific point on the attacker's body.
Once the smooth combo was finished, he spun out of the way. The unknown attacker fell to the ground. His body was twitching and blood spurt out his mouth. He couldn't breathe. Something was blocking his lungs. He couldn't feel his limbs! Everyone watched as the poor man suffocated to death.
"I really am blind." Eldan declared while pulling up his silk gloves. He soon disappeared into the jungle. Shu clicked his tongue.
A plethora of killing intent was directed at him. The swordsman looked in all directions to see people bringing out their unique weapons. A man with green hair and a scar over his face smiled eerily. There were two pistols in his hands. He licked one of them while eyeing Shu. As soon as he finished, plasma blades erupted from below the barrel.
"Sorry kid. Curse the luck of your birthright. Having Legendary potential isn't always a good thing." He exclaimed. Shu looked at everyone surrounding him. His grip around his sheath tightened.
"All of you joined forces with this man?"
The enemy fighters were silent for a moment. Eventually someone spoke up. His confidence made everyone follow along.
"It's 100 to 1 and you're outnumbered. What are you going to achieve with a single katana?"
"Your life ends here."
"Thanks for the points."
"Just looking at your face pisses me off."
"You're pretty cute! I might just ride your corpse."
Hearing everyone's words, Shu's expression slowly turned cold. The light in his eyes dulled. His thumb pushed against the hilt of the katana, unsheathing it only slightly. It was time to act.
"...May you all find peace in the afterlife." He chanted calmly. As soon as his words finished, the green haired man pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang.
BANG
A bullet of unknown material accelerated toward him. Once it reached Shu's strike zone, it suddenly split in two. The fragments went past the samurai and hit the enemies behind him. Blood spurt into the air.
"Huh?" The gunslinger grunted.
He didn't even see Shu move his arm. How did his bullet get slashed in half? Before he could warn the others, they pounced on the swordsman. A war hammer slammed down toward him.
Shu twirled around the powerful strike, and blood suddenly spurted out of the man. A vertical line appeared on his body, and he fell to the floor in two pieces. It was only then that the unsheathed katana could be seen in his right hand. The sheath was in his left hand.
Another fighter with laser claws swiped at the samurai. Shu leaned to the side and the attack hit only air. His sheath smacked against the woman's head, disorienting her. When she came to, her head was already on the ground. Her body was still standing beside her.
The cold blooded samurai sliced through his enemies like butter. His kimono became stained with more and more blood as time passed. He was like a god of war, harvesting lives like wheat.
Limbs fell to the floor. Intestines were exposed to the cool air. The area now reeked of blood. As Shu murdered people like cabbages, a chain wrapped around his blade. His movement was forcefully stopped.
A small gremlin-like man held a chain sickle. The other sickle was wrapped around the samurai's katana.
'This is our chance!' They thought.
The fighters pounced on Shu. The cold faced killer quickly tugged on his sword. The small man flew toward Shu. Fear adorned his features upon feeling the gap between their physical strength. His body crashed into the other fighters, causing them to fall.
Shu stabbed his sheath down on the man's throat. The force was so overwhelming that it pierced all the way through. His death would be slow. More and more corpses fell to the ground. Eventually, some of the fighters ran away in terror.
Almost all of the assailants had been killed. There wasn't even a single cut or wound on Shu's body. If they couldn't beat him earlier, how could they now? The smart choice was to flee.
"Monster!" Someone exclaimed.
The majority of the fighters were now dead, and the remaining had fled. The green haired man hadn't moved from his original spot. He was frozen in fear. When the cold killer turned to him, his system rebooted. The scar-faced man pointed his trembling pistol at Shu.
"Stay away! Demon! I'll shoot-" Before he could finish his words, the samurai had appeared behind him.
SLASH
His legs were severed. He fell to the floor in pain. His hands instinctively released the pistols. The overwhelming pain mixed with fear left him snot nosed.
"Aaahhh! Spare me!" He cried.
The katana pierced his skull, the blade exiting his mouth. It dug into the ground. He was deader than dead. Shu pulled back his blade and waved it with force. The blood immediately left the sword, making it clean once again.
For 100 yards in every direction, corpses littered the ground. The samurai's expression slowly reverted back to its sleepy one. He then sheathed his sword and began his trek. The mountain range was his destination.