Soon after, a sense of urgency enveloped the area as the healers swiftly escorted Raymond to a dedicated chamber. Even the old man, drenched in sweat, hurriedly joined them. "Make him our top priority patient. Heal him with the utmost haste," he commanded.
The nurses nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, principal," they replied respectfully.
During the commotion, the man clad in a black suit approached the old man while hovering in the air. "Sir, news of the incident is already spreading..."
The old man's voice resonated with authority as he barked, "Then, stop the news flow. Or else our academy will become history."
Outside the room, three individuals remained, their emotions palpable. Layla sniffled and tried to compose herself, tears streaming down her face. Khaled, his gaze fixed upon Blake, sought answers. "Why is the principal acting like that? Isn't Ray the son of just a knight captain? Is his mother a powerful noble?"
Blake exhaled deeply, his hands folded in contemplation. "Have you heard of the Samurai of the End?"
Khaled nodded, his interest piqued despite the seemingly unrelated topic. He leaned in, eager to listen.
"That play is based on a real figure from our kingdom, though he was not born here," Blake explained.
Khaled narrowed his eyes, his thoughts wandering into deep contemplation. Suddenly, realization struck him, and his eyes widened with astonishment. Blake confirmed it, "Yeah, Knight Captain Adonis, also known as Kurogane Masaru. I can argue that he is the strongest man in the continent right now, even more than the Pope of the holy kingdom."
Khaled smiled and said, "You like him a lot, huh? Didn't expect you to hate the son and love the father."
Blake turned his gaze towards Raymond and responded, "Yes, he is the one who provided me with food and shelter when that guy's mother tried to end my life."
Khaled patted Layla and said, "You don't sound convincing when you mocked his father after separating from him for years."
"There's no harm in assessing how much he can do for his father," Blake reasoned.
At that moment, the Prince of Malayria approached Blake, commenting, "I saw your fight. It will help you during our future trades."
Khaled turned his gaze to the Prince and made direct eye contact. "Ah, it seems you have been faring well, Prince Amir."
The Prince smirked and replied, "But it appears the same cannot be said for you."
They exchanged knowing smiles, and the Prince continued, "Is your friend okay? He was weak and tried to act strong; how stupid."
Both Blake and Khaled fell into silence. While Blake turned his head away, Khaled stared at the Prince, not as a rival but as an object of fury. "We have no intentions of waging war against you, Prince. And I'm not talking about this academy alone."
The Prince strained to maintain his smile and withdrew silently. "Allah is watching. Your friend's enemies are your enemies as well, without exception."
Blake sighed, lowering himself to the ground. "There goes my connection."
Khaled struck his back gently and reassured him, "But you have the Crown Prince of Jannahar. What do you mean by losing a connection?"
As the crowd dispersed, the principal returned to his office, and the three companions resumed their training.
One week passed, and Raymond remained unconscious. The female instructor returned to the same location and gathered all the candidates. "In a moment, the Divine Colosseum's entrance will descend, and all of you will take your seats alongside the teachers and students of the academy. Mind your manners," she instructed.
She scanned the area but found no sign of Raymond. "It seems the coward's son has dropped out, hahaha," she chuckled, expecting others to join in her laughter. However, not a single sound reverberated through the air. Even the red-haired team averted their gazes, unwilling to acknowledge her presence. Raymond's unwavering determination had earned him admiration from many of the students.
The instructor stood there in silence until the golden staircase descended from the gray sky to the ground. The candidates followed her, ascending hundreds of steps towards a colosseum nestled among the clouds. It stretched to the size of two football stadiums adorned with thousands of seats, with only a few occupied. The candidates settled into their chosen seats alongside their teammates, eagerly awaiting their turn to fight.
Meanwhile, Raymond lay on his bed, his weapons resting near his pillow. The sun's warm rays bathed him, yet he remained motionless. The nurse attending to him sighed and held his hand. "This is ridiculous. I thought I'd find a boyfriend here, yet I am tending to a child."
"Because his father is a psycho," said the old man while entering the room with his cigar. The nurse stood up and replied, "Sorry, principal."
The old man disregarded her and approached Raymond. "I wasn't paid to be this brat's guardian, damn it." He exhaled a cloud of smoke and retrieved an old, cracked pen from his pocket. "This is the only precious item I possess. I paid 150 gold for this pen, but it's for the academy..."
Placing the pen against Raymond's forehead, white, glittery energy surged forth, intertwining with his red aura in a circular motion. The space around Raymond seemed to distort for a fleeting moment, and then, all of Raymond's aura suddenly converged towards his navel. The principal stepped towards the door and advised, "You might want to step back, nurse."
At the Colosseum...
Among the eight teams of candidates, only two were left.
The announcer took the field, wielding a microphone, and bellowed, "For the final bout of the first round, let us welcome Team Mythic and Team Lightborn."
A girl from the other side of the Colosseum looked at the team using binoculars. "Hmm... my cute brother isn't there. Did he quit?" she said, and the female instructor came to her. "I asked other students, and it seems he's on a deathbed."
The girl crossed her legs and continued, "What a disappointment."
Khaled glanced towards the entrance, finding it vacant. "Let's go, guys! He will arrive soon."
They rose from their seats, positioning themselves in front of their opponents. Each member of the opposing team shared the same face, distinguished only by their hairstyles and height. Layla informed her companions, "They are the princes of Quila. All of them possess transformation-type Bloodlines."
Nodding in understanding, the trio prepared themselves. The tallest opponent stepped forward, a smug smile gracing his face. "You have the numerical disadvantage, so I hope you surrender."
Without uttering a word, they faced their opponents, prompting the smirking Prince to retreat. The announcer then proclaimed, "Allow me to summarize the rules. You will engage in combat for 20 minutes. Those with more members will win. Those who surrender can't fight even if their team wins. There are no restrictions. Are you ready?" Stepping back, she declared, "START YOUR PREPARATIONS!"
The brothers began their transformations.
"Tier 2: Elf."
"Tier 2: Ogre."
"Tier 2: Cyclopes."
"Tier 2: Chief Centaur."
One grew elongated ears and hair reminiscent of roots [elf], another towered at seven feet, muscles bulging and back hunched [ogre], the third sprouted to a height of ten feet with a single eye [cyclops], and the final one extended a horse's body from its hind legs [centaur]. Khaled exchanged a glance with Blake, seeking guidance. Blake responded, "Hold back. You possess Fuel-rejuvenation, so assume your orc form for now. They have already unleashed their full power, so we need only defeat them once."
Khaled's complexion turned green as he transformed, growing to seven feet, his muscles bulging and fangs protruding from his lower jaw.
Layla glanced towards the entrance, but Raymond was nowhere to be seen. She redirected her focus to the battlefield and encouraged her teammates, "Do your best, guys. I'll support you."
The announcer raised her hand and exclaimed, "FIGHT!"
Khaled brandished his shield, positioning himself at the forefront, with Layla and Blake standing behind him, ready to offer support.
The elf conjured a bow of green light and unleashed an arrow toward Khaled's shield, to no avail.
"THIS IS THE ROYAL TREASURE OF JANNAHAR, YOU IDIOT!"
The four opponents charged toward them. The Cyclops reached Khaled first, attempting to break through their defenses. Smirking, Khaled's shield sprouted thorns on its front. The cyclops kicked the shield and staggered backward, tumbling to the ground.
"Be cautious; his shield is equipped with thorns," the elf warned.
The ogre leaped over Khaled, casting a smile toward Blake. In response, Blake darted in the opposite direction and rolled his dice. "HE'S ALL YOURS, FUTURE SULTAN! MAKE THE GROUND SLIPPERY FOR OUR ENEMIES!"
The dice rolled, revealing a six, and the adversaries began to lose their footing. However...
Blake's thoughts interrupted his celebration. "Weren't there four of them?" He surveyed the area behind him, noticing a spear. Swiftly rolling to the left, he evaded the centaur's attack, causing it to stumble and fall on the slippery ground. On the other side, Khaled was threatening the ogre to surrender. The ogre turned around with a bit of a tear and said, "Kgh, kill me."
Khaled showed a thumbs-up and slashed his forehead. The ogre's eyes widened, and it said, "I-I surrender. I'm sorry."
Layla looked at the struggling opponents and thought, 'Even though we're the same in numbers now, Blake only has half his Fuel remaining. And the effect is starting to weaken already."
She rushed toward Blake, and Khaled ran to the elf.
"Seeing you ignore me is making me sad."
The cyclops threw a luminous ball into the sky, forming a barrier encircling them all.
"Now it's time for a comeback."