I walked up the stage and gripped my battleaxe tightly. My teammates refused to talk to me for reasons that I could only guess.
Very well.
I will fight by myself, for myself, and without caring for their well beings.
I simply gave them a word of warning before we began.
"If you don't want to get hurt, stay away from my battleaxe," I said with utmost sincerity.
And yet I only got a scoff and laughter in reply. I inwardly sighed.
We were a team with zero cooperation. I was quite jealous of Caelum and Lily being the most ferocious duo there was. It was mesmerising to watch them.
Caelum was always there when Lily showed weaknesses that I didn't even recognise. It only became clear to me when Caelum appeared to defend her even if there wasn't anything to protect her from.
He would then spring out as if he was part of the mana that Lily was commanding. As usual, he displayed battle senses that were beyond ordinary. Always one step ahead, always alert, and never one to miss an opportunity.
I was sure that they had never worked together like this before, and yet they showed such a stellar performance.
And, since it wasn't Caelum leading the charge but Lily, there were no scenes of torture. Caelum always returned to the flow of battle that Lily dictated. He avoided hyper-focusing on a single target to torment.
Caelum was a terrifying person to watch grow. It's like every day he has a new ability. Every moment, a new trick.
Just a month ago he could barely even slash correctly. Now, his strikes were precise and deadly.
And he had been growing in skill as the battle raged on.
The Rank 1 was truly someone to be envied by many. I would have to work even harder to make it to where he sat right now.
—Begin!
The wizard wordlessly signalled us to start. It was time to duel.
I ignored everything around me and pulled out my beloved battleaxe. The scent of blood that stained its blade tickled my nose, riling up something within me.
RRAAAAAH—!
A warcry rose from the five who were my designated opponents. I brandished my weapon as they charged forward. With a wide swing, I struck.
"Oy—!" A yelp sounded out from beside me.
"You bastard!" Another voice rang out behind me.
I drew first blood, it seemed, but it was not from my foes. My own groupmates refused to heed my warning and stood within my range of motion.
It was unfortunate that they were so narrow-minded.
But, was it so bad that I felt exhilarated now because of their blunder? The sight of their blood had once again reminded my body of battle. Energy flowed through me and I felt like I could strike down an army and run a marathon at the same time.
"Hah—!"
I roared as my battleaxe flew through the air. An arc of blood trailed from behind it.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
The three students who composed the vanguard hurriedly shielded themselves from my blade, but the force pushed their weapons to the side. I instantly tore through their flesh and spilt more blood.
I then turned my swing into a spin and smashed down on the shortsword user near me.
Bang—!
I cut into a thick Mana Shield that had appeared out of nowhere. The wizard referee had already acted, surprising me for a moment.
This meant that I had eliminated one in that instant. Now, there were four left. A swordsman, an archer, a mage, and a bladeswoman.
Seeing this, I continued my assault with rabid energy roaring within me. I slashed forward with my axe, ignoring the attacks of both the swordsman and the bladeswoman. They cut into my flesh, and an arrow even embedded itself in my shoulder, but I did not care.
I could always heal up later.
On the other hand, my strike was surely lethal, and it forced another Mana Shield out from the wizard. There was no way back for those who would encounter my axe, after all. I was confident in that.
As such, two were now down, taken out with one strike each.
Then, with a surprising bounce, my battleaxe was deflected off the Mana Shield. This gave me an opportunity, so I used the momentum—I used the force that had remained—to redirect my axe into the bladeswoman beside me.
Crack—!
Another Mana Shield was forced to appear, but this one did not come from the wizard. Not yet, no.
It was from the mage who had finally regained his wits and cast a spell.
But, just like Caelum, this shield was nothing before me. With my E rank abilities, I simply tore through it. Shattering the shield into bits and pieces of mana.
I continued my strike until it was inches away from the bladeswoman's skull. But I had no intention to kill my foes. My eyes dilated in surprise as I hurriedly slowed down my attack.
Only then did the wizard's Mana Shield finally appear. It had waited until the last moment to save the girl's life.
I secretly sighed in relief.
That aside, three were now down... Two were left behind.
So I rushed to the archer, who then fled like a rat. The mage bombarded me with spells, but I simply used my axe to slash through it all. Arrows rained on me, sticking into my skin or bouncing off of my blade.
None of these things deterred me from forcing another Mana Shield to appear, however.
Dang—!
Now, only the mage was left behind.
I made quick work of him by tearing through his defences as if it was made out of paper. I slashed through his shields and sent him flying with a kick. He fell out of the arena's bounds, thus dictating his elimination.
"Hah, Hah—"
My breaths were ragged and heavy, but the damage was done. Under the stunned gazes of the class, I raised my axe and roared.
"HAAAAH!"
This was the might of the Sun Saints. This was their successor who wished to revive his family. Although none of my opponents had displayed any phantom-creating martial arts, a victory was a victory nonetheless.
And I had done it all alone. I had no need for a partner. No need for support and coordination.
I was a one-man army.
"Haha," I chuckled as I noticed the people behind me.
My wounded teammates glared at me with hatred, but for once, I did not mind.