The morning air in the grand coliseum felt entirely different from the day before. The raw, untested anxiety of thirty factions had been brutally compressed, leaving behind only the hardened, bruised, and highly caffeinated tension of the surviving fifteen.
Rias stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets, yawning so widely his jaw popped. He was exhausted. Even with a full night's sleep, the residual spiritual strain of channeling Raseus De Solaria's phantom had left his mana channels feeling like they'd been scrubbed with coarse sandpaper.
But as he looked around at his team, a small, genuine smile touched his face.
Serene stood at the front of their formation, her arms crossed over her pristine, abyssal-black coat. The burns on her hands were completely healed, leaving behind flawless pale skin, but the intense, commanding fire in her emerald eyes burned brighter than ever. Beside her, Aria was delicately inspecting her fingernails, looking as though she was waiting for a rather dull play to start. Lira was bouncing slightly on her heels, buzzing with nervous energy, while Trent…
Trent was staring at the massive, floating holographic screens with a look of profound, existential dread.
The stadium was packed to the brim once again, the crowds roaring in a continuous, deafening wave. But the noise instantly muted as the colossal, genderless voice of the Academy's artificial intelligence matrix echoed from the sky.
⟨Welcome, Surviving Factions, to the Second Trial of the Aetherion Election Tournament.⟩
The floating screens flickered. The image of the ruined fortress from yesterday vanished, replaced by a sweeping, breathtaking 3D topographical map.
It showed a massive, impossibly dense forest. The trees looked ancient, their trunks thick as watchtowers, their canopies woven together so tightly they formed a solid roof of dark green leaves. And rising directly out of the center of this suffocating jungle was a colossal, jagged mountain that pierced straight through a layer of gray clouds.
⟨The Second Trial is designated: The Apex Ascent.⟩
Trent let out a low, whimpering groan. "Please tell me we aren't climbing that."
⟨This Trial is a race,⟩ the system continued, completely ignoring the heavy-shield bearer's despair. ⟨In exactly five minutes, all fifteen teams will be transported to the starting line at the deepest, outermost edge of the Whispering Woods. Your objective is simple. You must navigate the forest, ascend the Apex Peak, and claim a flag planted at the summit.⟩
Rias tilted his head, studying the map. 'Simple? In this academy, simple is just another word for a death trap.'
⟨There are exactly ten flags waiting at the summit,⟩ the system announced, the words dropping like heavy anvils over the crowd. ⟨This means only ten factions will pass this trial. Five teams will be eliminated today.⟩
The murmurs in the arena immediately spiked. The royal factions across the sand began whispering furiously among themselves.
⟨The flags are numbered from ten to one. The number on the flag you claim will determine your official ranking for this trial. The faction that claims the Number One flag will receive an exclusive, high-tier reward that can be utilized in the Third Trial.⟩
Serene's eyes sharpened. "We are getting that first flag."
⟨The time limit for this trial is exactly nine hours,⟩ the system declared.
And then, the massive holographic screen pulsed an angry, violent red.
⟨There are absolutely no rules in this trial. Every faction is permitted to use any means necessary to reach the summit. Interference, combat, sabotage, and theft are all fully authorized parameters of this race.⟩
Silence.
For two agonizing seconds, the entire stadium was dead silent.
And then, the fifteen factions on the sand looked at each other.
Rias could literally feel the hostility radiating across the arena. Over at the Second Prince's pavilion, Arey was openly glaring at Serene, his hands resting casually on the hilt of his sword. Aurelius looked troubled, but his top brass—including a few very powerful third-year mages—were already casting calculating glances at the weaker teams.
'No rules,' Rias thought, a dry, incredulous laugh escaping him. 'In a school filled with magically overpowered teenagers suffering from severe superiority complexes? This isn't a race. It's a battle royale on a forty-five-degree incline.'
Down at Rias's hip, the rusty scabbard vibrated.
[Ooh, a race!]
Nyxaris's voice giggled in his mind, thoroughly rested and aggressively enthusiastic.
[Cut their Achilles tendons, Rias! Snip, snip! They can't climb a mountain if their feet aren't attached to their legs!]
'We are not systematically crippling the student body, Nyx,' Rias shot back, rubbing his temples to stave off the incoming headache.
"Cardio," Trent muttered, his face draining of all color. He looked down at his heavy iron boots and massive tower shield.
"Why is it always cardio? I'm a tank. I'm built for taking hits in a doorway, not hiking up a vertical cliff face!"
Aria let out a soft, melodic laugh, patting the massive boy's armored arm.
"Think of it as a brisk, scenic walk, Trent. With the added excitement of high-explosive magical warfare."
"We need to move smart, not just fast," Serene said, pulling the team into a tight circle. She reached into her coat and pulled out the tarnished brass compass they had won yesterday—the Navigator's Paradox. The glass was cracked, and the needle was spinning in lazy, chaotic circles.
"The system said this points to our greatest hidden threat and allows us to bypass one rule. But there are no rules today."
"Which makes it even more dangerous," Rias said, his crimson eyes serious. "If a trial has no rules, it means the environment itself is the primary enemy. Keep that compass handy, President. If it locks onto something, we don't ask questions. We just run the other way."
VWWWOOOOM.
The ground beneath them flashed with blinding blue spatial runes.
"Brace yourselves!" Lira squeaked, gripping her staff with both hands.
The roar of the coliseum vanished instantly. The bright morning sun was snuffed out, replaced by a sudden, suffocating gloom.
Crunch!—
Rias's boots hit damp, rotting leaves. The smell of wet earth, moss, and decaying wood flooded his senses. He blinked rapidly, letting his eyes adjust to the jarring darkness.
They were standing in the Whispering Woods.
The trees here were monstrous. Their roots were as thick as carriages, snaking across the forest floor in massive, treacherous loops. The canopy high above was so incredibly dense that only the thinnest, palest slivers of gray light managed to pierce through, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to dance in the periphery of their vision.
Directly in front of the fifteen gathered teams was a massive, shimmering golden barrier. It stretched endlessly to the left and right, blocking the path up the mountain.
The air was so tense it felt like a drawn bowstring.
All fifteen teams were lined up horizontally behind the barrier. They were shoulder-to-shoulder with their political enemies.
"They're looking at us," Lira whispered, shrinking slightly behind Trent's massive frame.
She was right. The moment they had materialized, at least four different factions had turned their bodies toward Serene's team. Arey's elite guards were already drawing mana into their palms. Lady Aurora's faction, consisting mostly of high-tier battle mages, had their staves leveled in their general direction.
"It's basic math," Rias muttered, casually resting his hand on Nyxaris's hilt.
"There are no rules. Why waste energy running for nine hours when you can just eliminate the competition at the starting line? They want to thin the herd before we even hit the incline."
"Let them try," Serene sneered, a terrifying crimson heat already warping the damp air around her hands.
Aria simply smiled, her eyes turning pitch black.
"A bloodbath at the starting line. How delightfully uncivilized."
⟨The Apex Ascent begins in... 3.⟩
The golden barrier hummed, vibrating violently.
⟨2.⟩
Magic flared to life across the entire starting line. Fireballs formed. Ice lances condensed. Broadswords scraped against scabbards.
⟨1.⟩
BZZZZT!
The golden barrier shattered like fragile glass, dissolving into the damp air.
Absolute, unadulterated mayhem erupted.
A massive, roaring wave of blue fire shot from Arey's faction, aimed directly at Serene. At the exact same moment, the ground beneath Trent's feet erupted into a barrage of jagged earth spikes courtesy of another rival team.
"Aria!" Serene yelled.
The Silver Rose didn't even blink. «Abyssal Aegis!» A towering, curved wall of impenetrable, liquid shadow erupted from the dirt in front of them, swallowing the blue fire and the earth spikes effortlessly. The impacts sounded like heavy stones dropping into deep water.
"We don't fight here!" Serene commanded, her voice cutting through the chaotic explosions echoing up and down the starting line. "We run! Break the perimeter!"
Serene didn't wait for the shadow wall to drop. She pointed her palms at the thickest, most tangled cluster of giant roots to their right, a path the other factions were actively avoiding.
FWOOSH!~
A concentrated beam of crimson fire incinerated the massive wooden roots, blowing a burning, smoking tunnel straight into the dense undergrowth of the forest.
"Move!" Rias shouted, shoving Trent forward.
The five of them bolted. They dove through the smoldering gap Serene had blasted, leaving the chaotic warzone of the starting line behind them. As they ran, Rias could hear the sounds of shouting, clashing steel, and pained screams echoing through the trees. At least two factions were already being ripped apart by Arey's overwhelming assault.
They ran hard for ten solid minutes, navigating the treacherous, uneven terrain. The forest was an absolute nightmare. Giant, thorny vines hung from the canopy like hangman's nooses, and the ground was slick with foul-smelling mud that tried to suck their boots down with every step.
Trent was already panting heavily, his massive shield clanking against his back. Lira was keeping pace, feeding him tiny, subtle streams of stamina magic to keep his heart from exploding.
"Are we clear?" Lira gasped, jumping over a rotting log.
"Keep moving," Rias instructed, his crimson eyes scanning the dark canopy above. He hadn't drawn his sword, but his hand hovered over the hilt. The compressed mana in his core was perfectly still, waiting for the slightest trigger.
"The royals aren't going to let us just walk away. They'll send hounds."
As if the universe was actively listening to his pessimism, a sharp, whistling sound tore through the air above them.
THWIP—
An arrow made of pure, crackling wind magic shot down from the canopy, embedding itself into the mud mere inches from Aria's foot.
"Snipers!" Trent roared, raising his shield just as three more wind arrows rained down from the darkness above.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The arrows shattered against Trent's steel, but the concussive force made him slide backward in the mud.
"Up there," Serene pointed, her eyes tracking the movement in the high branches.
Four figures dressed in sleek, dark green leather armor were leaping effortlessly from branch to branch, pacing them perfectly. They were from Lady Aurora's faction—specialized Ranger Mages.
"They're trying to pin us down so their main force can catch up!" Aria noted, her eyes narrowing.
"Annoying flies."
[Let me cut the trees down!]
Nyxaris screamed, thrilled by the sudden ambush.
[I'll turn this entire forest into toothpicks!]
'Not the trees, Nyx,' Rias thought, an exasperated but sharp smile curving his lips.
'The branches.'
Rias stopped running. He planted his boots firmly in the slick mud, letting the rest of his team pull ahead slightly.
"Rias!" Serene yelled, looking back.
He didn't answer. He drew the rusty sword, channeling a precise, razor-thin thread of mana directly into its core.
He didn't aim at the rangers. They were too fast, too agile.
He aimed at the massive, overlapping canopy branches they were using as a highway.
Judgement of Heaven: First Form—
Severing the Gale.
Rias swung the blade in three rapid, consecutive horizontal arcs. The pale white Sword Aura hissed through the dim light, flying upward like spectral boomerangs.
The aura didn't just hit the wood; it passed straight through it.
CREAAAK!
For a second, nothing happened. The four Ranger Mages landed simultaneously on a massive, fifty-foot-long branch directly above Rias, drawing their bows back for another volley.
Then, the absolute certainty of the cut caught up with reality.
SNAP!
The massive branch—along with two adjacent ones—sheared completely off the trunk.
The Rangers' eyes went wide with sheer terror as the floor literally vanished beneath their feet. They didn't even have time to fire their arrows before they were plummeting fifty feet down into the muddy, thorn-filled underbrush below.
CRASH!
The impact of the massive branches hitting the forest floor shook the dirt beneath Rias's boots. The rangers groaned, tangled in the heavy foliage, completely neutralized.
Rias sheathed his sword with a smooth, practiced click.
"Flies swatted," Rias called out, jogging easily to catch up with his dumbfounded team.
Aria let out a delighted, ringing laugh that echoed through the dark woods. "Oh, you are going to be so wonderfully problematic for them, Rias."
"We can't afford to slow down," Serene said, though she shot Rias an approving, fiery grin.
"The mountain is still miles away, and we have a long climb ahead."
"Wait," Lira suddenly stopped, pointing a trembling finger at Serene's coat pocket.
"The compass."
Rias turned his head.
Through the thick fabric of Serene's coat, a faint, unnatural golden light was pulsing.
Serene frowned, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Navigator's Paradox.
The cracked glass of the brass compass was glowing warmly. The needle, which had been spinning in chaotic circles since yesterday, had violently snapped to a halt.
It was pointing dead ahead. Straight toward the path they were running.
"It points toward our greatest hidden threat," Serene read the system description aloud, her voice tightening.
"Well," Rias muttered, the humor completely draining from his face as he stared into the oppressive, suffocating darkness of the forest path ahead.
"That can't be good."
A low, vibrating, unnatural hum began to echo from the trees ahead of them. It didn't sound like magic. It didn't sound like an animal.
It sounded like the forest itself was grinding its teeth.
The real trial had just begun.