"Okay, since all the participants have entered, I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Harry Clain, I am the vice principal of the greatest hero academy in the world, The Battle Academy! So, know that to enter my institution, you must be worth 100x the price of gold! So let's start explaining the test..."
The same man who had asked my name was now explaining how the test will work. In short, we will be magically sent to an apocalyptic city. There will be robots that have tried to attack us, and there will be our real enemies, the other participants.
To enter and pass the test, the participant will need to collect 30 points, with each participant eliminated giving one point.
There are other ways to pass without facing anyone, but this is impossible for me because you need to have an absurd intelligence! And I am a bit dumb, to be quite honest.
Anyway, I will need to deal with my assassin, who is none other than one of the main characters. Kato Miyamoto, a prodigy from one of the great families.
In the original story, kato was ordered to kill Edward and prove his worth, and so he did. Although it was not easy, because the protagonist was protecting Edward, he still managed to accomplish the mission given to him.
To be honest, I am scared, although I don't let it show, I am scared! Facing death is horrible and I never want to go through that again.
Sigh... The vice principal has already stopped talking, we'll probably be sent to the battlefield any moment now.
Suddenly, Michael said casually, as if it was something normal to say, "Kato Miyamoto is going to try to kill you today."
I was a little surprised and glad that he warned me. Even though I already knew this information, I was grateful that he had warned me and replied, "I already knew this information, But thank you for warning me anyway."
"And you plan to confront him?" He asked curiously.
"Being honest, I don't give a damn about him." I lied! He's been my priority since I came into this world because he's my biggest threat right now.
"Oh? To think that the prodigy of the family of assassins, is no threat to you, really lives up to the name Lothbrok... But tell me, Edward Lothbrok, do you think I am a threat to you?"
I was thinking upon hearing that answer, and after a few seconds, I replied, "We fear the unknown and face the known, that is a motto of my family."
"I understand, thank you for answering me." Michael ended the conversation right there, he had already gotten the answers he needed.
"Okay," I said mentally.
There was nothing else to think about, the test could start at any moment, and I? I was worried, but deep inside, there was a flame that was begging for that adrenaline and danger.
I never really learn... Always taking risks and enjoying it, maybe I'm a masochist, right? Well, anyway, everything will change after this test.
Suddenly, a light went on under every one of our chairs, and at that moment, I knew that it had all started.
.
.
.
I am walking through the empty streets, surrounded by destroyed buildings and abandoned cars. The air is thick and dusty, making it difficult for me to breathe. There is no sign of human life anywhere, and all I see is rubble and wreckage. The city is unrecognizable, a post-apocalyptic scenario that I never imagined I would see with my own eyes.
I feel a sense of despair and loneliness as if I were the last human being on the face of the earth. The deafening silence was interrupted only by the sound of collapsing buildings in the distance. If I didn't know that all this was just a test, I would easily accept this as my reality.
But is it serious that he summoned us here instantly? When that light appeared and engulfed us, I opened my eyes and was faced with this apocalyptic vision, a vision that I would easily see in a zombie movie.
I have already been walking for 20 minutes and fortunately, I haven't found anyone yet. But I am not afraid of combat, I am just not psychologically prepared for it.
In my past life, I made my living driving cars, not fighting robots and humans with superpowers. I'm not complaining, but I don't understand, it's so bizarre that I'm in this world... I try to avoid these questions in order not to have an existential crisis, but every time I get closer to the plot and the main characters, I feel this question knocking at my mind all the time.
Sigh... Let's leave this for another time, but now...
Suddenly, before I could finish my thought, a sword was thrust subtly into my back. The noise and the sensation of the blade going through my skin, my bones, and my flesh, was truly frightening!
Coldly, I looked at the attacker and noticed a boy with blond hair and blue eyes smiling at me. I looked right into his eyes and asked, "You must be Kato Miyamoto, right?"
"Haha, you keep your cool and can talk quietly with a sword stuck in your back? You are a Lothbrok." Kato replied cheerfully as if he was enjoying my calm reaction.
"Lothbrok, Lothbrok, is that all you guys can talk about?" After I finished speaking, I used my innate skill "Elemental Mastery" and tried to use something Aunt Ava had taught me.
In short, I would create a vacuum using the air element and would suck Kato into it.
Without having to make any gestures, with just a thought, a pyramid-shaped vacuum was created behind kato.
Sensing this imminent danger, kato dropped the sword and used his innate "Shadow" ability, and disappeared.
Damn, that fucking hurts! If I wasn't superhuman, I would certainly be dead already.
Gritting my teeth to contain the pain, I grabbed the sword by the handle and pulled it. A stream of blood came out after I pulled out the sword stuck in my back.
While I was wasting time pulling out the sword, kato prepared his next attack. He was behind me with a knife in his hand, ready to kill me at any moment.
"Is it serious that you tried to use the same tactic twice?" I said those words in a tone of debauchery and created another vacuum behind me.
Being forced to retreat, kato disappeared again into the shadows.
Seeing him enter the shadows, I immediately thought about his innate ability and how it works.
The "shadows" ability allows a person or creature to manipulate and control shadows in various ways, such as using them as a means of transportation or hiding within them. This ability can also be used for stealth and surprise attacks, as well as for creating illusions and manipulating light sources.
To defeat the "shadows" ability, you can use a strong light source to dissipate the shadows or use an ability that allows you to see through them. Additionally, you can try to track and attack the user of the ability directly, as they may be vulnerable without their shadows to conceal them.
With this exciting idea in mind, I smiled broadly and put my hands together. Then I spread my fingers and opened my hand, and suddenly a line of fire stretched between my palms, creating a shape of a sword of fire.
To beat the darkness, a light is needed, no matter how weak it is, a light is still light.
I took the fire sword in my hand and without blinking, I drove it brutally into the ground. My goal? was to spread the flames of that sword over a radius of 30 meters and have a chance to hit the shadow in which Kato is hiding.
[...]
Author's note:
I don't have personal beliefs or values to form a philosophical opinion about the ability of "Shadows". However, from a general perspective, one could argue that the ability to manipulate shadows could represent the power of perception and deception. Shadows can be used to hide or reveal the truth, creating illusions or highlighting reality. Therefore, the ability to control shadows could symbolize the duality of human nature and the power of perspective in shaping our understanding of the world.