### The Arena of Echoes
Three days after the Mirror Dummy examinations, the remaining students gathered in the Grand Coliseum.
It was massive — a circular arena carved from white stone, surrounded by rising tiers of seats that could hold ten thousand spectators. Magical barriers shimmered around the combat area, their surface rippling like water made of light.
But today, the seats were empty.
No audience. No cheering crowds. Just the cold, assessing eyes of academy faculty positioned in high observation towers.
Leo stared up at the barriers, his face pale. "This is... this is where they hold the Inter-Academy Tournament. The one they broadcast across three kingdoms."
Mochiko nodded, her expression unusually serious. "And today, it's just for us."
Noah's eyes swept across the arena floor, where hundreds of students were already gathering. "How many passed the first exam?"
Leo's voice was hollow. "Final count was **1876 students**. Out of four thousand."
Kagari's eyes widened slightly — a rare display of surprise. "That many?"
"The strongest first-year class in decades," Noah murmured. "Or so they keep saying."
Ryo, leaning against a wall and somehow already half-asleep, mumbled, "Or the dummy was feeling generous."
No one dignified that with a response.
---
### The Announcement
Professor Whiskerbottom's voice boomed across the coliseum, amplified by magic.
**"ATTENTION, FIRST-YEARS!"**
His massive eyebrows appeared on every observation platform simultaneously — projected by illusion magic — looming over the arena like judgmental clouds.
**"You have survived the first examination. One thousand eight hundred seventy-six of you stand here today. By the end of this second trial, only seven hundred will remain."**
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. Seven hundred? From eighteen hundred?
**"The rules are simple!"** Whiskerbottom continued. **"You will be divided into teams of five — randomly assigned. Each team will enter the Arena of Echoes and face a scaled enemy force. Work together, or die separately. The constructs you face will adapt to your strength. Survive as a team, and you pass. Fail, and you're done."**
Leo grabbed Ryo's sleeve. "Random teams? RANDOM? What if I get stuck with people who hate me? What if they leave me behind? What if—"
Ryo patted his head without opening his eyes. "Breathe."
**"Team assignments are now being projected!"**
Above the arena, massive illusion screens flickered to life, displaying names in glowing script. Students scrambled to find their groups, pushing and shoving in the chaos.
Leo squinted at the screens, his heart pounding.
Then he found it.
**Team 47:**
- Leo Willheim
- Ryo Kazehaya
- Noah Von Reinhart
- Mochiko Qiuyue
- Kagari Hitsugi
Leo's knees nearly gave out. "We're... we're together? All of us?"
Mochiko exhaled — was that relief? "At least I don't have to carry strangers."
Noah's expression didn't change, but something in his shoulders relaxed slightly. "Efficient. We already know each other's capabilities."
Kagari smiled — that tiny, rare smile. "I'm glad."
Ryo finally opened his eyes. "Huh. The universe wants us to suffer together." He stretched. "Cool."
---
### Other Teams of Note
As they made their way to their assigned staging area, Leo couldn't help scanning the other team listings.
**Team 12:**
- Sora Yamino
- Ren Takami (the skilled swordsman from the dummy trial)
- Mira Ashford (the fire mage who passed)
- Kaelen Voss (the greatsword user)
- Lin Wei (the fast mage)
Leo pointed. "Look! The ones who passed before us — they're all together!"
Noah's eyes narrowed. "That's not random."
Mochiko followed his gaze. "You think the faculty arranged it?"
"I think they want to see what happens when strong candidates are forced to compete against each other." Noah's voice was cold. "And what happens when they're forced to work together."
**Team 33:**
- A group of clearly noble-born students, their uniforms immaculate, their expressions arrogant. They stood apart from everyone else, whispering among themselves.
**Team 71:**
- A ragtag group of nervous-looking students, none of whom appeared particularly strong. The weakest links, probably.
**Team 89:**
- A team composed entirely of students who had passed with distinction — including Sora's group, but also several others Leo didn't recognize.
"This is... this is like they ranked us and then distributed us deliberately," Leo murmured.
"Obviously." Noah's voice was flat. "The academy isn't testing our combat skills. They're testing our ability to adapt. To work with strangers. To lead. To follow." He glanced at Ryo, who was already ignoring everything. "Some of us will struggle with that more than others."
Ryo, without opening his eyes: "I heard that."
"I meant you."
"I know."
---
### The Arena Activates
**"TEAMS, REPORT TO YOUR DESIGNATED GATES!"**
The arena floor shifted — massive stone panels sliding apart to reveal twelve entrances ringing the coliseum. Each team was directed to a specific gate, where they would enter simultaneously.
Team 47 stood at Gate 7.
The gateway was a massive archway of black stone, its surface carved with ancient runes that pulsed with faint light. Beyond it, they could see the arena — but it wasn't the same empty floor they'd observed from above.
The terrain was shifting.
One moment, it was desert — rolling dunes of golden sand. Then it flickered to frozen tundra, ice cracking beneath invisible weight. Then to dense forest, then to volcanic rock, then back to desert.
"The Arena of Echoes," Kagari murmured. "It adapts. Creates environments to challenge us."
Mochiko drew her blade, testing its weight. "Good. A static battlefield is boring."
Noah's hands were already gathering frost, preparing. "We don't know what we're facing. Number. Composition. Rank. Stay alert."
Leo was hyperventilating. "Five of us against... against what? How many? What rank? What if—"
Ryo, still leaning against the gate, reached over and flicked Leo's forehead.
*Tok.*
Leo froze, hand flying to the spot. "Wh-what was that for?"
"You were spiraling." Ryo grinned lazily. "Worked on the copy. Works on you."
Leo's face went red. "That's not— I'm not—"
The runes on the gate flared bright red.
**"TEAM 47 — BEGIN."**
The gateway dissolved, and they were in the arena.
---
### The First Wave
The terrain solidified around them — a rocky highland with scattered boulders and crumbling stone pillars. The sky above was a sickly purple, lit by no visible sun.
And they were not alone.
From the shadows between pillars, figures emerged. Constructs of light and shadow, their forms flickering between solid and translucent. They moved with eerie synchronization, spreading out to surround the team.
Leo counted. "One... five... ten... TWELVE?"
**Mage-Knight Constructs — Rank 3 x12**
Mochiko grinned. "Twelve? That's all?"
Noah's eyes scanned the battlefield. "They're probing. Testing our reactions. The real threat—"
The ground erupted beneath them.
A massive construct burst from the stone — easily three times their size, with four arms wreathed in crackling energy. Its core pulsed in its chest, visible through translucent armor.
**Elite Hybrid Construct — Rank 5**
"—is that," Noah finished.
Ryo yawned. "Called it."
---
### Team Combat — Finding Their Rhythm
What followed was chaos that slowly became coordination.
**Mochiko** engaged the smaller constructs first, her phoenix flames drawing their attention while her blade carved through them methodically. She moved with precision, each strike purposeful — but she was conserving energy, waiting for the real threat.
**Kagari** erected barriers around the group, deflecting spellfire from the mage constructs while picking them off with precision hellfire. Her movements were economical, beautiful — and she was watching Noah, responding to his hand signals before he finished gesturing.
**Noah** stood at the center, directing. His spells were surgical — **Gravity Crush** to pin enemies, **Ice Sheath** to coat Mochiko's blade in freezing frost, **Glacier Wall** to redirect charging constructs. He wasn't just fighting; he was *enhancing* everyone else.
**Leo** stood behind Kagari's barrier, shouting.
"THE BIG ONE — ITS CORE FLICKERS WHEN IT ATTACKS! LEFT SIDE, THREE SECONDS AFTER EACH STRIKE!"
**Ryo** was... everywhere. Wind carried him through the battlefield, Hien and Tsuyukusa singing as they cut through construct after construct. He wasn't fighting — he was *playing*. But somehow, his chaos was creating openings the others exploited.
The smaller constructs fell, one by one.
Eight. Six. Four. Two. None.
Then only the Rank 5 remained.
---
### The Elite Construct
It regarded them with glowing eyes — if it had eyes. Its four arms shifted, each wielding a different weapon of solidified light.
**"HOSTILES PERSISTENT. ESCALATING TO MAXIMUM PROTOCOL."**
It moved faster than something its size should. The first strike came at Mochiko — she barely blocked, the impact driving her to her knees.
Kagari's barrier caught the second strike, but cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
Noah's gravity twisted the third strike, deflecting it — but the strain showed on his face.
The fourth strike came at Leo.
Ryo appeared between them, all three swords crossing to block. The impact sent shockwaves across the arena. Ryo's feet carved grooves in the stone as he was driven back.
"Okay," he said, still smirking. "That one actually hurt."
Leo's voice cracked: "RYO—"
"Relax." Ryo's eyes — normally half-lidded, lazy — were suddenly sharp. Focused. "Noah. Tell me where to hit."
Noah's eyes tracked the construct's movements. Calculating. Predicting. "Leo — the core exposure window?"
Leo forced himself to watch, to analyze. "When it attacks with all four arms simultaneously — the core is exposed for exactly 0.8 seconds after. But that's its strongest attack. If you're in range when it does that—"
"I will be." Ryo's grin widened. "Mochiko. Kagari. Keep it busy. Make it angry. Make it use that attack."
Mochiko nodded once. "Don't die."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
---
### The Gambit
Mochiko launched herself at the construct, her phoenix flames blazing white-hot. She struck and retreated, struck and retreated — a deadly dance designed to infuriate.
Kagari's hellfire rained from above, forcing the construct to raise its guard.
Noah's gravity pulled at its limbs, slowing its movements, making every strike cost more.
The construct's eyes — if it had eyes — tracked them all. Calculated. Then—
All four arms rose simultaneously. Energy gathered at each weapon tip. The air itself screamed.
**"TERMINATION PROTOCOL: ABSOLUTE ANNIHILATION."**
The strike came down — a cross-slash of pure destructive force aimed at Mochiko.
And in that 0.8-second window, when the construct's core was exposed and its guard was down—
Ryo Phantom Stepped.
Not around the construct. Not behind it.
*Through* it.
Three sword slashes. One afterimage. Zero hesitation.
Hien carved through the core's outer shell. Tsuyukusa followed the exact path Leo had described. And Muramasa?
Muramasa *drank*.
The construct froze. Its core flickered. Cracked. Shattered.
It exploded into light — a silent detonation that washed over them without harm, leaving only fading sparkles and the sound of their own ragged breathing.
Silence.
Then, from the observation towers: applause.
---
### The Aftermath
Professor Whiskerbottom's voice echoed across the arena.
**"TEAM 47 — PASS. Report to the staging area for recovery."**
The terrain around them dissolved, returning to the empty arena floor. The gates reappeared. Other teams were emerging from their own battles — some victorious, some being carried by healers.
Leo collapsed to his knees. "We... we did it."
Mochiko was breathing hard, leaning on her sword. "Of course we did. I was there."
Kagari's barrier dissolved, and she swayed slightly — Noah caught her arm, steadying her. Their eyes met for a moment, then both looked away.
Ryo sheathed his swords, yawned, and immediately lay down on the arena floor. "Nap time."
Noah stared at him. "You just fought a Rank 5 construct."
"And?"
"And you're going to sleep? Here? On the ground?"
Ryo was already snoring.
Mochiko sighed. "I hate this group."
But she was smiling. Just a little.
---
### The Numbers
Hours later, after all teams had completed their trials, the results were posted.
**Second Examination Results:**
- Total Participants: **1876 students**
- Teams that passed: **140 teams**
- Total students passing: **700 students**
Leo stared at the numbers, his expression a mixture of relief and terror. "Seven hundred. From four thousand to seven hundred in two exams."
Mochiko crossed her arms. "And it'll only get harder from here."
Noah nodded slowly. "The S-Class only takes fifteen. The odds are..."
"Don't," Leo begged. "Please don't do the math."
"One in forty-six point seven," Noah said anyway.
Leo made a sound like a dying whale.
Kagari patted his shoulder安慰ingly. "You passed both exams. That means something."
Ryo, somehow awake again, stretched. "Means we're not dead yet. Good enough for me."
As they walked back toward the dormitories, they passed other teams — some celebrating, some mourning, some simply too exhausted to move.
Sora Yamino stood against a wall, watching them pass. Her team — Team 12 — had clearly passed as well. Ren, Mira, Kaelen, and Lin Wei stood nearby, looking tired but satisfied.
Sora's eyes met Ryo's.
For a moment, neither looked away.
Then Sora nodded — just once — and turned to rejoin her team.
Leo whispered, "Did she just... acknowledge us?"
Ryo shrugged. "She acknowledged me. You're incidental."
"That's somehow worse!"
Mochiko snorted. Leo's suffering was, apparently, universal comedy.
---
### The Night Before
That evening, the five of them sat on the academy roof — their unofficial gathering spot. Stars wheeled overhead. The city below glittered with lights.
Leo broke the silence first. "Seven hundred of us left. And only fifteen make S-Class."
Mochiko shrugged. "Then we'll be fifteen."
"You sound so confident."
"I am confident." She glanced at Ryo, who was already half-asleep. "Well. Confident in most of us."
Ryo, without opening his eyes: "I heard that."
"Good."
Kagari's soft voice: "Whatever happens tomorrow, or the next day... I'm glad we're together."
Noah said nothing, but he didn't disagree.
Leo looked at them — at this strange, chaotic, infuriating group of people who had somehow become his friends. His first real friends.
"We're going to make it," he said quietly. "All of us. I don't know how, but... we're going to make it."
Ryo opened one eye. "That's the spirit, glasses." He closed it again. "Now let me sleep."
Mochiko threw a pebble at him. He didn't react.
She threw another. Still nothing.
"He's actually asleep," Leo realized.
"Incredible," Noah deadpanned.
And for a moment, under the stars, they were just five students — tired, scared, hopeful — sitting together in the dark.
`[System: Second Examination Complete]`
`[System: 1876 → 700 Students Remaining]`
`[System: Team 47 — Pass]`
`[System: Team Cohesion +35%]`
`[System: Next Trial — The Final Selection]`
`[System: Only 400 Will Remain]`