The arena beneath Solstice Academy was vast—easily the size of a football stadium, cloaked in hex-tech barriers that shimmered with layered defense seals. Training drones hovered silently in the air, their lenses pulsing red, and terrain modules morphed the space into jagged cliffs, ruined cities, or thick jungles with a flick of Kaede's wrist.
Squad Four stood in formation, suited in Eri's gear, facing their first real simulation since learning about the World Ascension Tournament.
"This one's called Zone Collapse," Kaede explained from the control room above, his voice calm but firm. "Multiple threats. Unpredictable terrain. Civilian decoys. Show me you can work as a unit."
The terrain shifted around them—metal warped into dense trees and misty underbrush. The countdown began.
3... 2... 1…
The simulation roared to life.
A beast emerged first—massive, four-legged, covered in digital scales that glowed with simulated Will energy. Kael dashed forward, gauntlets pulsing with contained Void force. Tetsu flanked right with a boosted leap, and Ryuu unsheathed his blade, slicing through a drone diving from above.
"Kael—flank left!" Ryuu called out, already slashing through vines.
Kael nodded, sliding into a low stance, striking the beast in the ribs. His armguard glowed, absorbing the recoil. Eri's tech is holding.
Hana, perched atop a crumbling pillar, spotted two red-tagged "civilians" surrounded by corrupted constructs. She whispered, "Got them." With precision, she leapt down, hairpin blade glowing faintly, disabling the bots without harming the decoys.
"Tetsu, right side—now!" she yelled.
"I'm on it, Angel Girl!" Tetsu joked, propelling forward with his boosters and punching a drone into a simulated tree.
Kael paused only briefly to smirk. "Angel Girl?"
"Don't start," Hana muttered.
In the control room, Eri watched with arms folded, whispering under her breath, "Not bad, idiots…"
Kaede nodded slowly. "They're growing."
The training continued for hours. Environments shifted, enemies multiplied, and Squad Four was pushed to their limit. But every blow they dodged, every combo they executed, every save they made—it was clear.
They were becoming something more.
By the end of the session, Kael was breathing hard, sweat trailing down his neck. He looked at his team—tired, battered, smiling.
They were ready to train harder than ever.
And the World Ascension Tournament?
It was inching closer.