Chapter 4: Exam Begins
The entire room filled with silence; both Hidata and I remained calm in the same position. As he stood in front of me, I sensed his magnificent ability.
His power remained elusive; no ability could surpass his. "Seems like I don't need to answer your question," I exclaimed, devoid of any emotion.
He absorbed energy from the surroundings, which confused me, then suddenly his fist hit me in the stomach, causing me to scream in pain.
"You should be more respectful to me," Hidata uttered, his eyes hungry as if I were his prey.
"What was that for?" I asked curiously, managing to touch my stomach where he had landed his punch. I remained clueless at this point.
"The test has just begun," he said, causing me to furrow my brow. "Seems like the test is to leave injury on your opponent inside the room. Since only the two of us are in here, we're supposed to be opponents."
I gathered any energy force surrounding me as I developed my abilities. "Seems like you want revenge for my attack," he said, while the energy force I felt grew stronger.
"You may be the traitor here, making your friend your enemy," I said confidently, showing no emotions. In an instant, he burst into laughter.
"Atsuko, an enemy can be your friend, and a friend can be your enemy. Anyone in this world only cares for themselves, not concerning the lives of their fellows. We all know that the world revolves only around money, turning people into beasts and disrespecting the true importance of life. All they care about is money," he explained, the distance between us about six meters.
"Why should I believe you? The true essence of integrity and loyalty doesn't involve money. People's perseverance also revolves around their strategies and ingenuity. If you treat your friends as enemies, your friends will treat you as a curse that needs to be dissolved from this world," I said, furrowing my brow.
I ran faster than I could towards him and prepared my fist to land an extreme punch to his face. Suddenly, as my fist was about to land, he disappeared without a motion, using techniques to avoid my attack.
I felt his presence behind me and summoned my red air shadow to the floor to defend myself and absorb the energy force attacks on me.
I flew and kept myself at a safe distance from him, knowing it was the only way to avoid his unpredictable attacks. However, it was a useless move, as he could immediately teleport from one place to another.
"You may be curious about my teleportation, but you're wrong. I'm not using any techniques except for my powers," he smiled genuinely, forming a new evil smile, hinting that he could attack me without hesitation.
Since my red air shadow was already summoned, I let my mind-command ability also be summoned. I just needed to concentrate on my energy-consuming force so I could accumulate enough energy to develop my damaging attack.
I ran towards him faster than before. At this moment, I prepared my fist to land a massive punch to his face and expected him to block it. However, I managed to counter his defense with my hidden attack using my foot, preparing to land a blow.
I kicked his face, successfully landing a good blow, making him suffer from pain. "Um, I'm winning," I said jokingly.
"You should not celebrate your success too early; you'll only disappoint yourself," he said, smiling evilly. I was surprised that he exposed his power.
The one I had attacked was only an illusion; he was standing ten meters away from me while the illusion remained in the same position.
I didn't realize how that happened; however, the sequence of his defenses did not match my attack. He only used his power of illusion to animate things that were visible but not meant to attack.
"You should be more careful," he said. I was surprised when he ran towards me with a pulling energy coming from his fist, ready to give a punch and damage my face.
Pakk
"Arggg," I screamed in pain, flying meters away from my position, accepting the damage I had received.
In a moment, I saw him standing in front of me. "Then?" he questioned. "What then?" I stood up meters away from him. He silently walked towards me.
"I'd like to know more about you, Atsuko," I was surprised, but it made sense. I gave him a small smile, making him curious.
"Then? Why would you be interested in me?" A smile suddenly faded from his face, making me think he was up to something against me.
"Interested? In you? How do you know?" Shocked emotions were evident on my face, but it was only a coincidence, though new questions appeared in my mind.
"Atsuko, you have abilities that I don't have, but I also have abilities that you don't have. However, in my observation, you're not yet the strongest to fight with," It frustrated me; I wasn't offended by his words, but they stuck in my mind, wondering what he meant.
"What would you like to know about me, Hidata?" He laughed as cutely as he could. I wouldn't admit that he was more handsome than me and Akemetsu, but his eyes and facial appearance could catch anyone's attention.
"I'd like to know how you use your Ferem," My forehead creased at the word he said. "Ferem?"
"Aren't you familiar with Ferem? An ability to command whatever you want using your mind." I was surprised, unable to move from my position.
So, what I'm using now is Ferem?
"Why do you ask about my Ferem?" I asked.
"Because you're using your Ferem in the wrong way. Ferem should not be used if your opponent is within ten meters of you; it can only be done if your opponent doesn't move."
In a moment, I knew nothing about why I was using Ferem in such a wrong way.
"So, you know nothing, Atsuko?" He laughed unexpectedly, but his last words terrified me. "That's why I like having you here."
"I'd like you to be my friend, and be here fighting you to teach you until... the last..."