The sky above the vast forest lit up with distress flares.
The examiners stood still, watching in silence.Never before had a trial seen so many simultaneous forfeits.
An invisible pressure settled over the air, thick with tension.
Zehn narrowed his eyes.
Something was wrong.
The etheric pressure was unusually high.Far too intense for the creatures supposed to appear in this zone.
A cold instinct stirred within him.
In a firm voice, he called out:
— Sacha. Mugen!
The two Watchers reacted immediately, their tone sharp.
— Understood!
Sacha grabbed her spear. With perfect precision, she hurled it with devastating force.
The weapon sliced through the air like lightning, generating a shockwave that made the ground tremble.
But before the spear could strike, Mugen caught Sacha's arm.
A flash. A heartbeat.They vanished.
The spear embedded deep into the creature's shoulder, sending it reeling.
The Watchers reappeared.Right on the weapon.
Sacha clenched her fist, muscles tight. A second later, her punch exploded against the monster's body.
The shockwave launched it backward, smashing through trees in its path.
Mugen blurred out in a swirl of Ether.
Streaks of glowing ether slashed through the air, like invisible sword strikes…
All around them, the creatures dropped — dead before they could even register the attack.
Without slowing down, Mugen reappeared among the candidates.
A gust of wind stirred their clothes.
— Don't move.
In a swift motion, he placed a hand on the shoulder of the first one.
The next moment, they vanished.
One by one, he pulled them off the battlefield.
But the monster wasn't dead.
With a furious roar, it slammed its claws into the ground to steady itself.
Its massive body trembled —Not only from pain...
But from the thrill of battle.
Sacha stepped forward slowly, her gaze locked onto the creature.
Her spear vibrated in her grip.
The temperature spiked suddenly.
The steel turned a glowing red.
The air shimmered around the weapon.
A furnace. A living weapon ready to consume everything.
A smile curved Sacha's lips.
— Let's see how long you last.
With a bestial scream, the creature lunged at her.
It charged full speed, tearing through the air.
She didn't flinch.
At the last second, her body shifted — swift as a shadow.
In one fluid motion, Sacha's spear sliced the air.A flaming arc ripped across the night, trailing behind her weapon.
The blade tore into the monster's flesh, unleashing a geyser of boiling blood.
The beast roared in rage,Its massive fist flew forward.
Sacha blocked the blow.The impact sent her flying backward.
She skidded across the ground, gouging the earth with her feet to stay upright.
Her gaze hardened.
This wasn't just some random monster.
Around her, the air warped.Ether surged along her spear, pulsing in waves.
Deep red... then burning orange...Until the weapon blazed with incandescent white.
Ether radiated from her body, pulsing like a living inferno.
Sacha tightened her grip. Her breath stilled for an instant.
An iridescent trail of ether split the space.
Reality warped around her — and then she vanished.
The next instant, she was on him. No distance. Just impact.
The ground exploded beneath them.Their titanic clash bent the trees.
Sacha moved with icy precision,dodging with sharp grace and counterstriking at every opening.
Each blow seared burning grooves into the monster's flesh, forcing it to retreat step by step.
Its breath grew ragged. Its fury consumed it.
Sacha saw her opening.
She shortened the spear in one swift motion, concentrating the heat —Its blade now burning pure white.
A breath cut through the air.
She struck.
The glowing point pierced the monster's chest —and in the same fraction of a second, carved it clean in two in a flash of blinding light.
The body collapsed in a thunderous crash,a rain of fiery ash scattering in every direction.
Sacha stood still, her face calm amid the chaos.
Her spear still smoked in her hand.
In a fluid motion, she twirled it —and it dissolved into red sparks, like a fire fading into the night.
Silence fell.Heavy. Total.
Around her, the scorched ground drew a funeral circle —the only trace of the battle that had just ended.
Then Mugen addressed the remaining candidates:
— A monster like that should never have appeared in this forest.The area has been secured.
— All candidates who used their distress flares will be escorted out of the trial.For the rest of you… the test continues.
His voice was sharp. Uncompromising.
— If you still want to become Watchers…Then hold your ground. Don't let go of anything.
Ezekiel, Yajiro, Zeke, Reon, Meilin, Rikimura...
The Watcher's words echoed in their minds.
Each one of them was ready.Ready to endure.Ready to overcome the second trial — no matter the cost.