"Shit..."
Aestrea muttered under his breath as he stepped into the forest. The sight before him was like something out of a nightmare.
The trees and bushes were drenched in blood, droplets running down their stem and leaves like crimson rain. The ground was littered with mangled bodies, twisted and broken in ways that made his stomach churn.
Some were still twitching faintly, a grotesque reminder of the life they had lost moments ago.
"Grrr..."
Low growls filled the air as wolf-like creatures with glowing red eyes appeared in his vision.
Their teeth, sharp and glistening, tore into the corpses with wet, crunching sounds, scattering bits of flesh and bone as they devoured their prey.
The sight made his stomach turn.
And suddenly, one of the creatures stopped eating. Its ears twitched, and it lifted its head, sniffing the air.
Slowly, its glowing eyes turned toward him.
"GRRRRR!"
Immediately, the demon beast lunged towards Aestrea, its jaws snapping shut mere inches from Aestrea's face.
He quickly dodged its attack and enveloped his sword with mana before swinging it—the crescent wave of icy energy shot forward, slicing through the air with a chilling whistle.
Splurt!
The wave struck the demon beast, cleaving the wolf cleanly in half.
Blood sprayed violently from the bisected beast, splattering across Aestrea's clothes and face.
He didn't flinch, his eyes were cold as the now-lifeless halves of the beast hit the ground with a sickening thud.
"Ah... wolf-type demon beasts. This is indeed a big problem. However, if they are only C+ rank demon beasts, it shouldn't pose a problem for now."
GROOOWLL!
Emerging from the shadows were more wolves, their glowing red eyes piercing the darkness. Their mangy fur bristled as they bared their teeth, some with trails of blood already dripping from fresh wounds on their bodies.
It was as if these beasts had fought their way through the forest, drawn to the scent of blood.
"God damn it... just what I needed," Aestrea said sarcastically, gripping his sword tightly.
Immediately, Lumi transformed into a handgun, and a bullet shot rang out.
Splat!
BAM!
The moment the bullet pierced the wolf's body, a few spikes of ice emerged, killing a group of wolves around him.
Blood spattered the ground as the wolves yelped in agony. But more kept coming, their relentless hunger pushing them forward.
GROWl!
They lunged towards Aestrea; he immediately leaped back, gathering distance before two consecutive shots rang out.
FREEZE!
One of the wolves turned into a statue, and then, the second shot hit the frozen statue, making small shards spread across the forest, hitting more beasts.
He gathered more distance and looked forward, seeing even more wolves approaching him with their ominous red eyes reminiscent of his own.
"Huff..."
He took a deep breath as his eyes started glowing even more.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground, channeling his mana into Lumi, making her turn back into a sword.
The sword began to glow with a silver light, frost forming along its edge.
SLAM!
『 Mixed Ice Series: Ice Lotus Explosion! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦)』
He drove his sword into the earth, and an enormous ice lotus erupted from the ground. The crystalline petals expanded outward, sharp as blades, impaling the wolves that dared to come too close.
Blood sprayed in every direction, splattering across the frozen ground and staining the pristine ice crimson.
"Haah—agh!"
Aestrea winced as pain shot through his arm.
Glancing down, he noticed the mana vein in his arm had ruptured again.
"Damn it... not right now!"
Having a plan in mind, he closed his eyes for a while as the wolves slowly approached him, with their mouths salivating.
GROWWL!
A group of four jumped into him, prompting Aestrea to shoot his eyes open and swiftly leap back.
"I'll need to try and create a suitable mana vessel for my arm... this can take a few hours." He muttered to himself, as his eyes scanned the forest around him.
He was looking for something similar to a cave so that he could hide himself for a while to heal back his arm.
ROAAR!
With his mouth wide open, a wolf suddenly appeared catching Aestsrea off guard.
In that instant, Aestrea twisted his body mid-air, delivering a sharp bicycle kick that landed squarely on the beast's jaw.
THAM!
The wolf was sent flying, blood pouring from its mouth as it crashed into a tree, leaving a streak of red on the bark.
It was at that moment, that a small cave appeared in his eyes. He immediately created a floating ice platform and pressed his foot firmly on it, enveloping it with mana.
Swoop!
He propelled himself toward the cave, rolling inside just as another pack of wolves lunged for him.
CRASH!
He slammed his hand against the ground, creating a thick ice barrier at the cave's entrance that could protect him for a while.
The snarling and clawing of the beasts echoed faintly from the other side.
"Haah... huff... I can finally take a rest..." he sighed in relief, collapsing against the cave wall.
He immediately settled into a lotus position and began gathering mana in his right arm to create a temporary mana vessel.
This would allow him to use his arm as a mana vein without damaging his actual mana veins.
"Haaah..."
A cold breath escaped his mouth as a faint layer of ice started to envelop his body.
This technique was what Aestrea called 『 Crystallization 』 which could make his body heal three times faster than normal.
Due to his extremely high affinity with ice, the coldness from the ice would help heal his injuries.
And so, he remained in that position, allowing himself to heal over time.
This process would take over fifteen hours.
.....
The next day, the air was thick with tension as the three remaining academies gathered in the center of the grand arena while the eliminated academies watched from the crowded stands.
All eyes were on the arena floor, where the next phase of the academy competition was about to begin.
Yet, something felt off.
The person who had stolen the spotlight in the first phase, the one who made others seem insignificant just by his presence, was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Silverleaf's Leader...?"
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing."
"How come he isn't here?"
A murmur of confusion rippled through the audience.
Even the announcer hesitated, glancing at the Silverleaf Academy's station before clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Well… uh, since everyone except one person seems to be here, I'll go ahead and explain the rules for the second phase."
The crowd quieted down, leaning in to hear him.
"It's pretty simple actually; each academy selects one student to enter the arena. Then, a student from another academy will step in to challenge them."
"The winner stays in the arena and earns a point for their academy, but the loser is eliminated and cannot participate again."
A buzz of excitement swept through the crowd.
The competition had just gotten more intense.
"Did everyone understand?"
The announcer asked, gripping the microphone.
"What if a student wins a match? Can they leave the arena after that?" Ella asked curiously. After all, one student could win a match and then rest.
Hearing Ella's questions, everyone was filled with curiosity, they had forgotten about that detail.
"Good point! No, once a student enters the arena, they cannot leave until they lose or win the entire phase for their academy. Any other questions?"
The crowd fell silent.
Nobody else raised their hand nor asked any questions.
"Alright then!"
The announcer's voice boomed, reigniting the energy in the arena.
"Let the second phase of the academy's competition… begin!"
At that moment, no one dared to enter, but everyone's gaze instinctively turned towards the Silverleaf's Station.
If Aestrea had been present, he would likely have been the first to enter the arena.
"Guess I'll be the one to go," Lucas said, also looking at Silverleaf's Station as he stepped into the arena.
He was confident that he could earn at least five points for his academy.
However, as soon as he stepped into the arena, the conversation between him and Aestrea from yesterday flashed on his mind.
But he quickly shrugged it off as he saw the Saintess in the Holy Academy's Station.
Soon enough, another figure stepped into the arena.
The crowd gasped as they recognized her that it was Christina, the Saintess.
As she walked forward, her gaze locked onto Lucas.
The tension in the air thickened.
Slowly, she brought out her staff, and in an instant, a golden light erupted around her, cascading like sunlight breaking through a storm.
Lucas's eyes widened as his grip tightened around his sword.
He could see that she was planning to go all out.
Christina as a Saintess had a very good eye for people, and could easily measure everyone's strength... except Aestrea's.
He was a mystery to her.
Lucas was like an open book to her; she knew his power was comparable to A-rank awakeners, and that made him a threat.
If she didn't take him down, he could rack up enough points to put his academy in the lead. She couldn't let that happen.
"May the first match begin!" the announcer's voice rang out across the arena.
"After this, anyone who enters can jump straight into battle!"
The moment the words ended, Lucas exploded into action.
SWOOP!
He lunged at Christina, faster than the crowd expected.
Clang!
Their weapons collided, the sound reverberating like a thunderclap, as a deep golden light erupted in every way.