The field shimmered with a vibrant red barrier, creating a clear divide between the participants and the watching audience. As the translucent wall solidified, the once-slippery ground stabilized, allowing the three brothers to rise to their feet, radiating a heightened aura that reached the pinnacle of the orange tier. Sensing the power surge within himself, Khaled's aura ascended, prompting him to inform the others, "This barrier amplifies Transformation-type abilities."
With his sights set on Layla, the elf armed itself with its magnified bow, drawing the string taut and aiming. However, Khaled swiftly intercepted its trajectory before it could release the arrow, declaring, "Oh no, you won't." He forcefully slammed his shield into the elf's face, sending it hurtling 30 meters away. Just as the elf was dealt with, a looming shadow materialized above Khaled, causing him to glance upward. A massive hand swung down, attempting to strike him, but he deftly rolled forward, evading the attack. As the elf regained its balance, it resumed its aim at Khaled, releasing an arrow that he barely managed to block in the nick of time.
"This is tough," Khaled acknowledged, accepting his challenging predicament.
Meanwhile, Layla and Blake engaged in a fierce battle against the centaur. Armed with a dagger, Blake found himself outmatched by the centaur's superior speed and long spear. Every time he evaded an attack, the centaur wasted no time charging toward Layla, ready to strike her down.
Thinking quickly, Blake leaped backward and exclaimed, "I have a plan!"
As the centaur prepared to charge again, Layla and Blake sprinted toward Khaled, seeking to regroup and strategize. Or so the centaur believed.
In a sudden turn of events, Blake swiftly pivoted on his heels, his voice commanding, "Now!"
With unwavering determination, he lunged at the centaur, tightly clutching his dagger, while Layla summoned her divine light to aid him. In a split second, the centaur's spear found its mark, piercing Blake's abdomen and causing a torrent of blood to spurt from his back.
Layla channeled her healing powers to mend Blake's grievous wound. Despite the excruciating pain of being healed with a spear inside his stomach, he mustered the strength to grasp his dagger tightly. Realizing that the centaur was within striking distance, he summoned all his remaining resolve.
With the centaur mere centimeters away... centimeters away, but...
'Why isn't my hand moving? This bitch isn't healing me-'
He turned back, and Layla was healing him with all her might.
"YOU CAN DO IT," Layla's voice echoed with enthusiasm, yet Blake found himself unable to respond, consumed by self-doubt. 'I was afraid of this, huh? And I blamed her...' The light in his eyes faded. 'Why am I such a trash human?'
He let his dagger go and looked at Layla's devastated face as the centaur approached her quickly. Layla attempted to evade but stumbled and collapsed, defenseless; the centaur ran over her face, smashing a hole into her temple. With her dying breath, she uttered a single phrase, "Divine Shrine."
A golden shrine materialized behind Layla, its healing aura encompassing them all. Miraculously, her head restored itself, but she couldn't move a single inch; her mind had already been subjugated. The centaur commanded the cyclopes to cease their efforts, declaring, "Release the barrier. It's over now."
At that moment, the elf pondered briefly, then made a decisive choice. "Yeah, release the barrier. They've already lost."
The radiant light above dissipated, and the red barrier gradually faded like wisps of dissipating fog. The centaur charged while aiming at the wall, its spear still impaling Blake. 'The healing range ends at the wall. The healer is incapacitated. Only the orc remains.' Blake resigned to his fate, contemplating what would come next while the centaur continued. 'I've bought them gifts and a reservation at the Moonlight restaurant. After we win this, I will be make up for all the mistakes...'
Just as the centaur was about to pin Blake on the wall, a hooded figure materialized before it in a flash, standing dominant. "Why do you smile? Did you believe you would win?"
With a swift motion, the hooded man unsheathed an axe and decapitated the centaur. Blood spurted out of his decapitated neck as he transformed into a human. The headless thing flailed like a fish, its legs moving randomly while the head glared at the man with bloodshot eyes. The elf and the cyclopes stared at the corpse while Khaled was on the ground, breathless. As they questioned their situation and why they came to this stage despite knowing the potential risks, they stood there in a trance. The hooded man took out his katana and exhaled Orange air.
[Black dragon sword style, Fifth form: Final Dance]
He twirled like a dragon, tracing circular patterns until he stood a meter away from his remaining opponents. "The answer you're searching for... is arrogance."
He beheaded them swiftly and precisely, severing their heads from their bodies as if the cuts had never occurred. With a graceful motion, he retracted his katana and sheathed it, releasing the tension from his body.
Blake and Layla were too dazed to witness the grand spectacle, but Khaled bore witness to the extraordinary display.
"An execution... What was that? It's unlike any death I've ever seen," Khaled murmured, his voice filled with astonishment.
The man lowered his hood and flashed a smile at Khaled. "Sorry for being late. I made a mistake this time," he admitted, revealing himself to be Raymond. Khaled regained his composure, empowered by the rejuvenating energy of the Divine Shrine. "You have to tell me about that attack you just performed," he requested, his curiosity mingled with caution. Onlookers were left in awe as the scene transformed within seconds. The girl seated next to instructor Hilda fixed a piercing gaze upon Raymond. "Now I understand why Father feared that knight captain."
She rose from her seat, and the girls beside her followed suit. The teacher promptly asked, acting like she was worried, "Where are you going, Lady Claire?" She looked at Raymond one last time and went off. "I'm leaving. There's no elegance in seeing more of that brute. I thought he would be cute and shy."
On the field, Raymond took his teammates to the audience seats and waited for Blake and Layla to be stable enough to make strategies and talk with them. Stretching his body, Raymond scanned the opponents comprised of both the trauma girl and the prince. The prince noticed his reaction and smirked. 'Relax all you want. The one who wins this and the game of life is me.'
Khaled leaned against the seat while watching the prince's every movement and said, "So... what was that sword technique? The sword techniques of the western continent are straightforward and rigid, so was that something your father taught you?"
Raymond looked at Khaled, slightly surprised that he knew of his father. "Yeah, I started training with this technique three and a half years ago. It relies on efficient and precise sword techniques."
Khaled got carried away with the free information which tingled his instincts. "So why did your father-"
"I will have to stop you there, friend." Raymond's eyes stayed still, but the aura on his brain went rampant. Khaled acknowledged the distance and stayed quiet. "Well, I want to answer the question in your head right now."
Interested to see if Raymond was correct, and to change the dynamic of the conversation, Khaled said, "Didn't you tell me to stay quiet just now?"
Raymond smiled at the question and completely ignored it. "I became tier 2 just now... with the help of the principal. I want to know about my abilities, but Layla is 'out' right now so it'll be a bit hard."
Khaled didn't ask about his mother or other family members, expected to be met with resistance again. But, he made an effort to mend the small wound in their friendship. "Winning against multiple tier 2 people as a new one; you are strong..."
Only after that compliment did he fully realize that his father taught him all this. Instinctively, Khaled mumbled, "I might be a little jealous..."
With his super body amplified with orange tier, Raymond could hear him but chose to stay silent.
In the background, the Prince gave his opponents an artifact and they retreated without saying a word. And just like that, the Prince's match ended with them winning. The prince glared at Raymond while Raymond looked at the sky, complaining about the heat. Khaled examined both the prince and Raymond at once and smiled. 'The western continent is a strange place. I will have to disappear from this place as soon as I graduate.'
Raymond stood up and looked at the announcer. She also looked back and said, "Now, for the remaining four seats in the academy... please welcome team Lightborn and Divine Retribution." The enemies jumped out of their seats without wasting a moment and yelled, "GET YOUR A*S OUT HERE."
Raymond looked at their faces and saw faint smiles. "They're trying to win this before we become ready. And they won't underestimate us after seeing that last fight. But this is an easy win. Right?"
Khaled scanned Blake and Layla who were still out of the game. And he didn't have the usual confidence in his expression. The situation was already dire, but he plummeted it even further; so Raymond said, "I think we can handle them with just the two of us." Khaled tried to bring their minds back by shaking them, but to no avail. He sighed and squatted down. "The enemy has Hamza, the strongest person from the younger generation of our kingdom," he said, losing before the match started.
Raymond put his hand on Khaled's shoulder gently and said, "You don't have to think too deeply, just believe me."
Like the shadow of a tree in the scorching sun, Raymond loomed above Khaled. Khaled looked back at him with a hopeful gaze and replied, "Okay."