A sudden, brilliant glint caught the eyes of every contestant, drawing their gazes to the sky. High above the arena, the colossal airship hovered, its sleek form a silent, menacing titan. The name "Kyofu" was emblazoned across its polished hull in stark, bold letters, a declaration of power that seemed to press down on the entire forest.
In a quiet clearing, Goro, a hunter's grin spreading across his face, glanced up from the defeated team at his feet. His teammates watched, momentarily mesmerized by the vessel, but Goro's focus was on the airship, his eyes glinting with a mix of confidence and intrigue as he stared, silent.
Elsewhere, in a different part of the forest, Karna and his team also looked up. A calm expression settled on Karna's face, but beneath it, a flicker of cold, restrained anger glinted in his eyes. His gaze was serious, piercing through the distance to the airship above.
Karna's gaze hardened as he spoke to himself, his voice a low, cold murmur. "So, he showed up after all."
In the clearing where the Lycian team stood, a new shadow fell over them—a vast, silent form that blocked out the sky. Scattered on the ground were twenty unconscious mages, the result of their swift and brutal defeat.
All but one of the Lycians looked up, their expressions shifting from nonchalant ease to a new, curious solemnity as the imposing airship hovered above. Even George, his teacup still delicately held in his gloved hand, paused his sip to observe the massive vessel. Only Charles, still absorbed in his book, remained unbothered by the sudden darkness.
"I say," Charles drawled, without lifting his head from his book. "What, pray tell, is causing this rather ill-timed eclipse? Someone give me the gist of it; I should hate to lose my place."
Henry, a hint of genuine awe in his voice, pointed. "Kyofu? What is Kyofu? Is that some sort of airship manufacturing company, then?"
Albert cleared his throat, his voice taking on the familiar, lecturing tone of a learned professor. "Hardly. That airship, you see, is an artifact of the Kyofu Clan—one of the five ancient clans of this backwater continent. The leader, along with the first and second generations of the bloodline, are rumored to possess a degree of strength that is simply unfathomable. That particular model is exclusively used by those very individuals. It is not something one sees out in the open, even here."
Albert frowned, his composure momentarily faltering. "The question that truly vexes me is this: why would a magician of such considerable standing, a veritable bigshot of their caliber, be the least bit interested in a mere D-class wizard test?"
A quiet clearing in the forest. Uma, cloaked and still as a statue, sat against a rock. Unseen, a team of five was crouched on the branches of the surrounding trees, watching, preparing their ambush.
One of them whispered, "Now!"
Three of the mages unleashed magic beams, while the other two leaped toward Uma from opposite sides—one attempting a powerful kick, the other swinging a fist.
Uma, unfazed, simply sidestepped the magic beams. He moved with a speed that defied their expectations. As the two attackers closed in, he snagged the leg of the one attempting to kick him and, in a single, fluid motion, swung him like a battering ram. The groaning attacker slammed into his teammate with a bone-crunching impact. Both fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
Before the other mages could react, Uma hurled the first attacker down and swiftly pinned him to the ground with a foot on his back. The man screamed in agony as Uma wrenched his arm backward.
"Such tricks don't work on me," Uma said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
The pinned man's teammates stared in a mix of shock and fury. One of them shouted, "Let him go!" as they charged, their hands glowing with magic.
Uma calmly broke the pinned man's arm with a sickening snap before tossing him aside like a ragdoll. The remaining attackers closed in, but Uma effortlessly dodged their strikes, weaving between them as if they were moving in slow motion. As they regrouped for another attempt, Uma raised his hand. With a graceful, sweeping flick of his wrist, a violent gust of wind surged forth, roaring like a beast unleashed. The attackers were hurled into the air, spinning helplessly before they were slammed to the ground. The wind cut across their bodies like invisible blades, leaving them bleeding and writhing in pain.
Uma walked toward the fallen men, collected their devices, and then strode away
Karna, his expression curious and warm, turned to Fumiko. "So, what's your country like?" he asked. "I heard it's quite peaceful there."
A fleeting image flashed in Fumiko's mind: cold iron shackles clinking, a chain dragging against a stone floor. She quickly suppressed the memory, a calm expression returning to her face. "It's… complicated," she said, her voice even. "Sometimes, peace is a lot colder than war."
"I see." Karna looked up at the stars, a new kind of sadness in his eyes. He remained silent, but his empathy was clear.
Gyoda returned from scouting the area, a confident stride to his step. "Didn't find anyone near us. It should be safe for now."
"You're pretty quick," Fumiko said.
Gyoda's chest puffed out with a boastful grin. "I know, right! I'm the fastest of them all! Let me tell you about this one time I single-handedly saved all three of them. Once, we were stuck in a forest..."
The voices of his friends, once so clear, slowly began to fade as Karna drifted off to sleep. The world around him went black.
Karna's eyes opened to find himself in complete darkness. As he gazed around, a faint figure appeared behind him in the distance. It was his mother, her form barely visible, trapped under a burning wooden beam. Her voice echoed faintly: "Karna... Karna..."
Panic flooded his voice. "MOM!"
As he turned, she vanished, and a massive, dark figure materialized before him. It was engulfed in black flames that radiated a silent, suffocating heat. The figure suddenly opened its glowing eyes, a pair of piercing golden embers in the otherwise empty darkness.
At that moment, Karna's own eyes snapped open. The nightmare was gone, replaced by the pale light of a new day. It was almost dawn. Fumiko and Kenta were already awake. Kenta noticed the troubled look on Karna's face and seemed to understand that he had a bad dream.
Fumiko approached Karna with a soft smile.
"Good morning," she said.
Karna simply nodded in return, his usual warm demeanor replaced by a calm, almost distant, expression. Fumiko, caught off guard by his unusual response, watched him with a flicker of concern in her eyes.
However, Gyoda's excitement was a sharp contrast to the morning's quiet.
"Get ready, guys!" he exclaimed, burning with a fiery determination.
He looked across the clearing at his teammates.
"The rabbit's gonna show up today!"
The scene shifts to a quiet clearing in the forest. The morning light filtered through the canopy as Uma, the cloaked figure, calmly stretched his body, his movements fluid and precise. A sly grin formed on his lips as he looked out at the arena.
"Let the fun begin."
Meanwhile, on the immense Kyofu airship, Hatake stood next to Mawang Kyofu. Mawang's face remained shrouded in shadow, but his imposing aura was palpable, a heavy pressure that filled the space around him. Hatake, a deferential smile on his face, looked down at the expanse of the arena below.
"Things are about to get interesting."
A voice cut through the silence of the forest, crackling through Khara's communication device.
"How many points did you collect?" Adheera's calm voice asked.
"25,000," Khara replied with a confident smirk. "Who's going after the Bunny?"
A moment of silence passed before Adheera's low voice returned, tinged with a cold, triumphant humor. "Uma."
The scene shifts to Uma. A sly grin forms on his lips, exuding a quiet menace that feels far more dangerous than any roar.
Suddenly, a high-pitched alarm cuts through the air. Everyone's radar lit up with a single, blaring alert: The Bunny is about to spawn.
The air hums with a focused, manic energy. Goro's eyes narrow in furious determination. Kenta's gaze turns sharp, his mind already racing with calculations. Uma's grin widens.
A new marker appears on every radar. The Bunny's spawn location is at a random point in the forest, and it just so happens to be dangerously close to Karna's team.
"I didn't expect it to spawn right next to us!" Reiko exclaimed, her voice thick with surprise and urgency. "Catch it, no matter what!"
The team immediately sprang into action. Karna led the charge, his feet eating up the ground as they raced toward the objective. A few yards ahead, a small, vibrant blue creature with a translucent body and an inner glow darted through the trees. Its speed was incredible, leaving Karna's team struggling to keep up.
Gyoda's chest heaved as he panted, his voice laced with frustration. "Damn, it's so fast!"
The pursuit continued, the glow of the Bunny a fleeting light in the dense forest. Suddenly, the creature shuddered, its single form rippling before it split into four identical figures, each darting off in a different direction.
Kenta, analyzing the situation even as he ran, shouted, "It split up! Only one of them is real. Let's split up!"
The team quickly divided, each pursuing a different Bunny clone. All except for Fumiko. She came to a sudden halt, her expression blank and confused. As her teammates raced after their chosen clones and grew farther away, she glanced around, panic beginning to set in. Her gaze finally settled on the figure of Karna disappearing into the distance. She chose.
"Please wait!" she called out, running to catch up.
As Karna was closing in on his target, a cloaked figure appeared from the trees, moving at an impossible speed. It was Uma, and he had placed himself directly between Karna and the Bunny. The Bunny, sensing an opportunity, darted away, leaving the two men face to face.
Fumiko caught up moments later, her expression tense as she stared at the newcomer.
Uma's smirk widened as he stared directly at Karna. "Yo, Twilight," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "Finally, I get to meet you."
Karna's body tensed, and his mind raced. He's strong.
"Fumiko," Karna said, his voice low and tense. "Stay behind me."
Uma laughed. "Let's see what you're capable of."
A crackling, purple light formed in Uma's hand, solidifying into a thin, glowing needle. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it toward Karna. Karna sidestepped just in time, the needle embedding itself into a nearby tree. The bark splintered with a small explosion, a plume of smoke and wood shards erupting outward.
"Not bad for a Twilight," Uma said, his smirk returning. "But let's see if you can handle this."
Uma raised both arms skyward, summoning a flurry of glowing needles. They hung in the air for a moment, a silent, shimmering threat, before cascading down like a lethal rain.
Karna glanced at Fumiko, who was frozen in shock. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms, his movements swift and precise as he dodged the needles. Fumiko's eyes widened, glowing faintly with both embarrassment and awe as she was carried to safety. Once they were clear, Karna set her down gently.
"Th- Thank you..." Fumiko stammered, flustered.
Karna didn't respond. His eyes were locked on Uma. His face set in a look of fierce determination, he charged forward. Just as he closed in, a crackling sphere of brilliant blue lightning formed in his hand. The air hummed with its intensity as he hurled it toward Uma.
Uma narrowly dodged, landing a few steps back. His confident smirk faded.
"It intrigues me," Uma said, his voice losing its mocking edge. "How a mere Twilight, a scum like you, can use the lightning element."
Uma's mind raced as he watched Karna's steady gaze. Did the Lightning Spirit themselves bless him? No... It can't be! His clan was the reason why the Lightning Spirit abandoned humanity!
Uma's voice rose. "No lightning user has been born in centuries! How can you—a Twilight, of all things—be able to use an element like that? It's impossible to master an element on your own this early. Yet here you are dancing lightning at the tip of your fingers."
"And you don't seem surprised," Karna responded, his tone tense and observant. "As if you are aware that I use lightning."
A sudden, crackling electric orb flew toward Uma. He leaped aside, narrowly avoiding it. His face hardened as he glared at Karna.
Uma gritted his teeth. "Looks like I'll need to take this up a notch."
Kenta, Gyoda, and Reiko, each in their respective locations, successfully captured their decoys. Reiko cradled her bunny in both arms. Gyoda collapsed to the ground, clutching his bunny's leg with a victorious grin. Kenta held his bunny by its ears.
Then, with a soft puff, all three bunnies vanished. They were decoys.
Realizing they had been duped, the trio immediately sprinted back to the rendezvous point where they had first split up.
Meanwhile, Uma began channeling the wind element. He crafted shimmering vacuum bullets in his palms and launched them at Karna. The bullets streaked through the air with a high-pitched whine, forcing Karna to dodge. One bullet grazed his arm, leaving a shallow cut.
Fumiko watched anxiously, her fists clenched. Her thoughts raced as she saw Karna under relentless attack. Summoning her resolve, she raised her hands, and medium-sized trees erupted from the ground. The trees intercepted Uma's next volley, weakening the attacks enough for Karna to evade.
Both Karna and Uma paused momentarily, turning their attention to Fumiko.
Uma's grin widened with amusement. "Oh? Plant magic? Now that's a rare sight. Your team keeps surprising me, Twilight."
Karna gave Fumiko a short, acknowledging nod and charged forward again. Meanwhile, Fumiko commanded tree vines to lash out at Uma, attempting to entangle him. Uma raised a hand, summoning a small but intense wind whirl that tore through the vines with ease.
Karna closed the gap, lightning crackling in one hand and a glowing magic sphere in the other. He hurled the sphere at Uma, using the distraction to extend his lightning-charged arm forward. Uma deflected the magic sphere with his wind-enhanced arm and, seeing Karna's lightning strike incoming, leaped into the air to avoid it.
Uma, mid-air, grabbed Karna's extended arm and used the momentum to hurl him away. As Karna was thrown, Uma unleashed a barrage of wind slashes. Karna twisted his body mid air, dodging most of them, but one slash grazed his arm, leaving another small cut.
At the rendezvous point Kenta, Gyoda, and Reiko regrouped. Kenta looked around, his expression filled with concern. "Karna's not here. Something's wrong."
Without hesitation, they sprinted toward Karna's last known location. As they arrived, they saw the intense battle between Karna and Uma.
Kenta and Reiko wasted no time. Kenta conjured a water bullet and fired it at Uma, who deftly dodged. At the same time, Reiko unleashed a flurry of magical beams aimed directly at Uma.
Uma, smirking, formed an air element sphere around him, blocking the beams with ease. He retaliated by launching the sphere toward Kenta.
Kenta, reacting quickly, erected a barrier to block the attack, but Uma's sphere tore through it, hitting Kenta squarely in the chest. The force sent him skidding backward, leaving small scratches on his body.
Gyoda, seeing Kenta get hit and pushed back, clenched his fists in anger. A glowing magical orb formed in his hand as he glared at Uma.
"How dare you hurt my friends!" he roared, and heaved the orb at Uma with incredible force.
Uma smirked and raised a magic shield, confident it would hold. However, the orb slammed into the shield, pushing Uma back. Cracks spread across the shield until it shattered, forcing Uma to leap away, his expression shifting to one of surprise.
This guy… broke my shield? Uma thought, startled. I shouldn't let my guard down.
From a distance, the examiner, Hatake, and Mawang Kyofu watched the battle from the airship.
"Interesting.." Mawang Kyofu said, sounding amused.
"Impressive, but even then, they should be no match for Uma," Hatake replied calmly.
Back in the fight, Uma summoned a barrage of magic needles and fired them at Gyoda. Despite the enhancer still tied to his back, Gyoda weaved through the attacks with raw agility, narrowly dodging the needles. He closed the distance to Uma, his fist reared back for a punch.
Gyoda swung at Uma, aiming straight for his face, but Uma blocked it with his forearm and countered with a swift kick. Gyoda caught Uma's leg by the ankle.
Uma, however, twisted his body mid-air, breaking Gyoda's grip, and landed a powerful kick that sent Gyoda flying backward toward Karna and Kenta.
Uma wasted no time, conjuring multiple wind whirls and firing them at the group.
Reiko raised a magical shield to protect them, only for the whirls to shatter the barrier on impact. One of the whirls headed straight for them. Gyoda jumped forward, shoving Karna and Kenta aside.
He took the wind whirl head-on, the force of it blasting him backward and leaving him sprawled on the ground with scratches across his body.
"Gyoda!" Karna, Kenta, and Reiko exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with worry.
Uma clicked his tongue in frustration, glancing at the radar. "Tsk! The rabbit is getting away. I'll deal with you idiots later."
He raised his hands, summoning a massive wind whirl, which he hurled at the group to distract them. The whirlwind churned the ground, forcing them to shield their eyes.
"It's your lucky day, Twilight," Uma said with a smirk as he walked away. "Next time, you won't be so fortunate."
Uma disappeared in the direction of the Bunny's last known location.
The group rushed over to check on Gyoda, who was lying on the ground, scratched up but grinning.
"He got me," Gyoda chuckled. "Guess I should've used more strength."
"Thank goodness you're alright," Reiko said, relieved. "But why didn't you use the enhancer? You had it the whole time!"
Gyoda blinked in realization, patting the still-attached enhancer on his back.
Karna grinned, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Knowing that you will use it like an idiot, you didn't pull it out, did you? I'm so proud of you, Gyoda—you've finally realized you're an idiot!"
"Oi Karna!" Gyoda said, sitting up with a glare. "You wanna get your butt kicked?"
Before they could start bickering further, Reiko smacked both of them on the head.
"Cut it out!" she scolded. "You two are impossible."
Hatake narrowed his eyes as he watched the fight below. "I'm surprised he sustained that attack with nothing but a few scratches. He's strong."
Mawang simply smirked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "They're holding back. I wonder why?"
Meanwhile, Uma, having left Karna's team behind, successfully captured the Bunny. A notification blared across the arena, adding 30,000 points to his team's total. The scoreboard now displayed a daunting 90,000 points for Uma's team.
In another part of the forest, Goro's team was engaged in a fierce fight with a rival group. They quickly overpowered their opponents, knocking them out with cold efficiency and collecting their points. Goro's team now held a total of 35,000 points.
The fifth cloaked figure, Han, sat on a big boulder, his attention fixed on the transparent shop menu floating before him. He scrolled through the list of items, his gaze finally settling on a massive Earth Enhancer Hammer priced at 40,000 points. He tapped the icon, and a distinct "cling" sound confirmed the purchase.
As the menu vanished, the view widened, revealing the gruesome aftermath of his last battle. A lifeless body lay crushed between two enormous rocks. Nearby, another figure was pierced through the chest by a massive, rocky thorn. A third was simply flattened beneath a colossal boulder.
Just then, two black-suited delivery men appeared and handed the colossal weapon to him. Han rested the immense hammer on his shoulder, the weight of it barely affecting him. He then smirked, a look of pure menace on his face, as he began to walk away, the head of the hammer gleaming ominously in the sunlight.
Back with Karna's team, Reiko was carefully healing the wounds on Karna's arms. Fumiko watched them, her head down, a look of guilt on her face.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I couldn't help you guys much."
Karna grinned reassuringly. "Don't say that! You were a great help." His eyes lit up with curiosity. "So, you can use plant magic, huh?"
Gyoda's eyes widened with excitement. "Really? Can you show me? Please, please, please!"
Fumiko nodded and, with a soft hum, a beautiful rose plant sprouted from the ground. Gyoda's jaw dropped.
"That's amazing!" he exclaimed in awe.
Before Gyoda could say more, Karna rushed forward, kicked him lightly in the shin, and dropped to one knee. He grabbed Fumiko's hands, his voice laced with exaggerated drama, "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. You're an angel!"
Before Fumiko could react, Reiko smacked Karna on the head.
"Get healed first, idiot," she scolded.
As Karna sat down, rubbing his head, Kenta checked their team's points on the radar.
"We've only got 9,000 points," Kenta said, his voice grim. "That's not enough."
Suddenly Karna's expression turned intense. His eyes met Kenta's as he spoke in a low voice. "Looks like those caped guys we saw during the start of the test are spying on us. They knew I could use lightning. They didn't seem surprised at all."
Kenta's brow furrowed in thought. "Hm… Looks like HE has made his move as well."
The scene shifts to Goro, standing in a dimly lit area, his eyes fixed on the radar. The faint glow from the device illuminates his cold, menacing expression. He speaks in a calm yet intimidating tone, his voice low and chilling to his teammates:
Looks like the first bunny was captured. As expected, you guys are good for nothing. If you fail to capture the second one… I'll end your lives."
His words hung in the air, a heavy weight that sent a shiver down the spines of his teammates.
A faint orange hue began to blanket the sky, signaling the coming dawn. Adheera quietly departed from his position, leaving Bagi behind.
"Stay here. I'll collect more points," he said.
Bagi simply nodded, settling into a relaxed, almost lazy, position on the forest floor.
Just then, a group of shadowy figures emerged from the nearby brush, their eyes locked on Bagi. He appeared to be asleep, but his Zone ability had already detected their presence.
"Now's our chance," Ambusher 1 whispered. "He's completely defenseless."
"Let's finish this quickly," Ambusher 2 said with a smirk.
The ambushers moved in simultaneously, striking from all sides. A moment later, a magic circle materialized in front of Bagi, glowing with a fiery intensity.
"What the—?!" Ambusher 3 exclaimed in shock.
A torrent of fire erupted from the circle, engulfing the attackers.
A massive explosion shook the forest, and a plume of smoke and fire rose into the sky, silhouetted against the early dawn light. Unaffected by the chaos, Bagi sat up nonchalantly, his calm demeanor contrasting starkly with the devastation around him.
"Amateurs," he muttered.
The forest grew quiet again, but under that silence, pressure mounted. Day 3 would not be kind.