"Daichi!"
As the principal brought the match to an end, both Shun Li and Hana rushed to his aid. Arriving to help, Hana examined his body only to discover that majority of the muscles in his body had torn.
"What is this?" With a frightened voice, she asked. "His muscles..." With rage, she grabbed his shirt before dragging him closer to her face. "What the hell did you do!?"
Even with the dismay that flustered his mind, he had no choice but to keep his composure for Daichi's sake. "He's my precious student, I'll do whatever it takes for him to achieve his dreams.
"If I had known this was the technique you recommended to me during the selection process, I would have never let him enroll into the academy. You godforsaken lunatic." All they could do was swim in the guilt that held them, the damage had been done.
A medical unit was summoned into the hall immediately, taking Daichi away by a stroller into the ambulance and to the hospital. His injuries required immediate attention.
Asides the three Soul-Hunter's, the rest of the spectators were left speechless, Mei, Rentaro and even the princess.
"Hey... What was that?"
"I don't know..."
"How? How does a talentless commoner with no Soul-Type possess such power!?"
The nobles were furious, they demanded immediate answers to what had unfolded.
For the next round, we have Yui Freecs vs Princess Abigail!" Principal Helen exclaimed, it was a signal for the two participants mentioned to step into the ring. Abigail took her place on the left side of the ring and Yui was nowhere to be found.
"Freecs? Are you telling me that our princess, one of the most powerful Soul-Users of this generation has been pitched against a mere commoner?"
"And is she so scared to face the princess that she resorted to hiding?"
"She should be scared, it's princess Abigail she's facing."
"Where's Yui?" Rentaro asked, slightly worried. After all, Mizuko is the leader of the team the goddess created to save humanity.
Mei refused to answer his question, ignoring him as though he was an invisible wall.
After a brief moment of waiting and he was still out of sight, he was disqualified. "As a result of elimination by default, Princess Abigail progresses to the final stage!" The crowd murmured instantly, they all wondered if she was so scared to go one on one, after all she had one of the best performances in the first stage.
The princess of the Suzana empire was left frustrated and annoyed, she assumed that the commoners recommended for the exams were as powerful as Mizuko and skillful as Rentaro. She never expected a coward to be amongst them.
Mizuko however was pissed, he never expected such behavior from Yui.
Rounds went by with the victors emerging victorious and moving on to the final stage, currently the total amount of participants who made it to the final round was 16.
"Next match, Prince George Of the Kuraikyo Empire vs Princess Miyuki Tenuari!" As Helena announced, a loud uproar emerged from the spectators followed by laughs of mockery.
"Tenuari? You mean the daughter of that outcast?"
"I never imagined she'd come back here after what happened last time."
"And Prince George..."
The two contestants took their place in the middle of the ring, Helen used her ability [Countdown] and reconstructed the ring to perfection for the current match.
With a determined eyes, Abigail glanced at George who had nothing but disappointment in his eyes.
"You're as stubborn as that outcast you call your mother, what part of do not come back didn't you understand?" He questioned, an unspeakable aura trembling the grounds of the ring.
Hana was present at the moment, however she did not retaliate at his words, she had no reason to let the words of a mere kid affect her. Additionally, it's her daughter's battle.
At first Miyuki was highly intimidated, but after gathering herself for a few moments. He clenched her fists before raising her own Soul-Energy to counter his.
"I'm different now... Brother."
'Brother? I see, so that's the person those fools from back then was talking about.' Rentaro thought.
"I'm not the same person you knew back then. And my mother is no outcast, she's the replacement of your deceased-"
BOOM!
With an explosive speed, George propelled himself at Miyuki who only saw him as a blur. In a swift instant, George held her by the throat tightly. Enraged at her choice of words.
"What did you say? Replacement?"
He chuckled softly, tightening his grip on her neck as she struggled to breathe.
"Hmph!"
With a slight grumble, she stretched her hands sideways, several arrows made out of pure light energy materialized above his head.
'Light Soul-Technique: Dancing Flares!'
The light arrows descended swiftly at him, with a quick reaction, he released his grip on her neck and leaped backwards. But not after one of the arrows impaled his shoulder.
With a solid foothold on the ground, she gasped for air, standing ready for the battle at hand.
"I told you, don't assume I'm the same person you once knew, or it will come back to sting you at the end." She declared with a slight smug, feeling a sense of self confidence after all these years.
'It's all thanks to the extra training I put in.'
"I see." He muttered, cloaking his right hand with a dark aura as he pulled out the arrow from his shoulder, squeezing it tightly as it disintegrated into thin air.
"Your increase in strength has led to you growing wings, if that's the case. I'll pluck off those wings, permanently."
The dark aura surrounded his right hand and assumed the shape of a sharp claw.
"There it is!"
"It's Prince George technique he uses to slay beasts and clear dungeons instantly!"
"Shadow Soul-Technique: Shadow Claw."
The [Shadow Claw] abandoned the principles of enhancement, leaving the technique unrefined. But with his high level of Soul-Energy, it became a deadly accumulation of power.
It was then, Miyuki immediately realized the difference in power between her and her stepbrother.
"I heard you're now an A-rank Soul-User, let me show you, the difference in power between an A-rank Soul-User and an S-rank!"
He dashed forward at her, aiming his claws directly at her chest. Recognizing the danger in those claws, she placed her hands on the ground, utilizing one of her Soul-Techniques, [Radiant Dome].
A barrier created purely out of light energy encased her instantly, however the high concentration of Soul-Energy in the [Shadow Claw] penetrated the barrier and tore it to shreds.
"!"
Alarmed, she attempted the [Dancing Flares] once again, however before she could channel her Soul-Energy, the [Shadow Claw] of George penetrated her stomach.
The whole crowd was left astonished, even Helen didn't expect this to happen.
"Stop!" She exclaimed in an attempt to stop the match.
"Miyuki!" Hana exclaimed, standing to her feet.
With a force groan, Miyuki spat out blood as George held her in the air.
"Why?" She asked with a soft voice, shocked that her brother actually wanted to kill her.
"All my life, I've always wanted to be like you, to be as strong as you, why?" She added with a weak voice.
"Be like me?" He asked, chuckling loudly.
"Do not insult me, your mother might have married into the royal family, but do not assume your strength comes close to someone of actual royal blood. However, for your efforts I will reward you."
Immediately, he ejected the claws from her stomach and delivered a series of kicks and punches to her.
"Stop!" The princess of the Suzana empire ordered loudly, but he refused to listen.
Helen allowed the battle earlier to go on because she assumed Miyuki had grown quite strong. But she was wrong, every attempt to stop him failed. Every barrier set up was shattered like glass.
"After this, let's see if you have the courage to face me again!" A concentrated dark ball of energy surrounded his palm and he aimed it directly at her chest.
"Stop!" Mizuko exclaimed, rising to his feet, attempting to intervene.
Before the ball could penetrate her chest, Miyuki vanished out of his grasp and out of plain sight.
"What!?"
The whole hall was left speechless, Mizuko's and Hana's mouth left wide agape as they all caught a glimpse of Miyuki in Rentaro's arms, far behind George.
"What!?"
"What's with that speed!?"
George turned to his back, glancing down at the individual who had interrupted him.
"And who might you be?"
Placing Miyuki down at the ring's floor gently, Rentaro fixated his sights on George.
"Rentaro Mizuno, D-rank."