The academy bulletin board buzzed with an unusual fervor, drawing crowds like moths to a flame. The cause of the commotion: an announcement for the impending group fights. As Kaiser, Adriel, and Sentry approached, a wave of hushed whispers and pointed remarks rippled through the assembled disciples. "Whoever defeats them will be lucky," one voice snickered. "The weakest team came," another chimed in, followed by, "It's so good that all the morons were put in one team."
Adriel, his face flushing with a familiar rage, took a step forward, ready to confront their detractors. But Kaiser laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Adriel, not now," he murmured, his voice low and firm. "You'll get your vengeance soon." As they scrutinized the group matches listed on the board, Sentry let out a despondent sigh. "We're screwed," he muttered.
Hours later, deep within the academy's training grounds, Sentry's despair lingered. He sat slumped against a pillar, watching Kaiser and Adriel train with a quiet intensity. "We're screwed," he repeated, his voice devoid of hope. "We're down by one member, and we're not strong enough."
Adriel, mid-swing, paused, his eyes narrowing. "You question my strength?" he challenged, his voice laced with indignation.
Kaiser, deflecting Adriel's attention with a subtle shift in his stance, calmly addressed Sentry. "Don't worry. Even if it's only Adriel and I, we'll win. I mean, I'll take one person, and Adriel will take everyone else."
Adriel's chest swelled with pride. "He knows my power!" he declared, launching into a furious assault on a nearby dummy.
Sentry, however, looked at Kaiser in utter disbelief. "We're done," he stated flatly. Kaiser knew how ridiculous it sounded, the sheer improbability of two people facing an entire team, especially one lauded for its synergy.
"Well, let's train," Kaiser urged, attempting to inject a measure of optimism into their dire situation.
"We still have one week. We have to get stronger. And who knows, the team we'll be fighting might also have problems within it. They'll come after three days."
Three days later, Kaiser, Sentry, and Adriel found themselves once more in front of the bulletin board, their eyes scanning for their opponents. A collective groan escaped Sentry's lips. It was Clara's team. The list of names sent a chill down Kaiser's spine: Clara, the leader, alongside Pierre, Frey, and Ken. Each of them was a top-tier performer in their individual selection fights, known for their skill and formidable reputation. Whispers around the academy hailed Clara's team as one of the best, renowned for their exceptional chemistry and strategic prowess. To make matters worse, their designated battleground was a forest area, a terrain considered their home field. "We're screwed," Sentry reiterated, his voice barely a whisper.
Back in the training grounds, Sentry's dejection was palpable. He sat with his head down, while Kaiser and Adriel, despite the grim news, trained with a ferocious determination. Adriel, mid-lunge, noticed Sentry's despair. "Why does he look so sad?" he asked Kaiser, before unleashing a mad flurry of attacks.
Kaiser blocked Adriel's onslaught with basic stances, his movements fluid and efficient. "He's afraid we'll lose," Kaiser responded, before launching a sword slash that Adriel expertly stopped.
"You're getting good at swordsmanship," Adriel grunted, impressed by Kaiser's defensive capabilities. He attacked with renewed ferocity.
"After all," Kaiser replied, meeting his gaze, "I fight with the best." Not far from them, Hella too was practicing furiously, her blade a silver blur in the afternoon sun.
As the day ended, Hella retreated to her solitary room, collapsing onto her bed. She rolled around, her gaze fixed on the unassuming ceiling, trying to escape the thoughts that gnawed at her. But as she closed her eyes, visions from her past resurfaced, vivid and cruel. Her parents, their faces blurred by time, abandoning her. The chilling image of a swordsman and another man, their faces contorted into sadistic smiles, keeping her in slavery. The horrifying memory of being forced to kill other children for their amusement, caged with fellow child slaves where she had once made a friend, only to be forced to take his life.
She snapped her eyes open, a raw, primal scream trapped in her throat. "No, never!" she whispered, her voice hoarse with torment. "I will never work with anyone other than myself! I am Hella, the Accursed!" The shadows of her past clung to her, a constant reminder of the betrayals she had endured, solidifying her resolve to trust no one but herself.
Finally, the day of the group fights arrived. A palpable buzz of excitement filled the air as disciples gathered, eager for the spectacle. A light mage had been invited, his shimmering spell weaving a grand screen into existence, ready to broadcast the battles unfolding within the designated arenas.
Clara's team made their entrance, a vision of polished precision and confident swagger. A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd, disciples praising their disciplined formation and renowned prowess. Ken, Frey, and Pierre, all top contenders, acknowledged the adulation with confident waves, fueling the cheers even further.
Clara, however, maintained a focused demeanor. "Keep yourselves focused," she instructed her teammates, her voice calm but firm. "We're going to fight Kaiser's team."
Pierre scoffed, "Their team is having problems, and they are weak."
Clara's gaze sharpened, silencing him. "They are not weak by any standards. Adriel might look weak, but he is way stronger than he appears. Sentry's powers are unknown, and Hella is ruthless. Not to mention Kaiser; he outwits his opponents instead of fighting them head-on."
Frey, unable to resist a jab, retorted, "You lost against Kaiser, that doesn't mean we would lose too." Clara merely stared at him, her silence a potent rebuttal.
Then, Kaiser's team emerged. A sudden, palpable pin-drop silence descended upon the crowd. The contrast was stark: Clara's team, a picture of cohesive strength, versus Kaiser's, an apparent ragtag assembly of outliers. Kaiser, undeterred by the hushed whispers and judgmental stares, turned to his companions. "Are you two both ready?" he asked, his voice steady. Sentry and Adriel both nodded, a silent pact formed between them. Hella, true to her independent nature, walked at a noticeable distance from the other three, a lone wolf among a strange pack.
As they reached the elder overseeing the matches, he began to lay out the rules. "Within this forest," he explained, his voice booming across the arena, "each team will have a crystal on a platform. For a team to win, they will have to destroy the crystal of the other team. Use of direct sorcery is forbidden, and you could only use sorcery with your sword. Do you understand?"
Clara and Kaiser both responded in unison, a resounding "Yes!" Two guides then escorted each team to their respective starting points within the vast forest.
As they entered the dense foliage, Kaiser's eyes scanned their surroundings. "We can't see where the other team is located, huh?" he mused aloud, the strategic implications immediately apparent. "This is going to be a huge problem. However, if we utilize it well, we have a chance to win."
Before he could elaborate further, Hella, without a word, broke away and ran towards the deeper parts of the forest, her figure quickly swallowed by the trees. Kaiser sighed. "Sentry, keep the crystal safe," he instructed, turning to his remaining teammate. "We're going to secure the opponents' crystal." With that, Kaiser and Adriel plunged into the forest, ready to face the unknown challenges that lay ahead.