"Good morning, everyone. As you can see, today's lesson will be different from usual," Yuna explained.
Unlike normal, the students of Class 10 had been summoned to the gym. While some were puzzled by the change, others seemed to have an idea of what was about to happen and couldn't hide their excitement.
"Behind me," said Yuna, turning around to show a small and unusual arena with four strange pillars at the corners.
"This arena is one of the few epic-grade corrupted artifacts we've discovered."
Gasps of surprise immediately echoed through the room.
Artifacts were objects either scattered throughout the Inverted World or obtained from defeated monsters. They were classified into five categories: Low, Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. Additionally, artifacts were divided into three subcategories: Normal, Elite, and Corrupted.
"Many of you may be wondering why an arena like this has such a high classification. The answer is that once you enter, no matter how much damage you take, you'll come out exactly as you went in."
At her words, everyone looked at each other, realizing where she was going with this.
"It's been a week, and I assume all of you have gotten used to your spiritual weapons. That's why, starting today, you'll begin sparring with each other three times a week and once a month with other classes."
"Excuse me, why only three times? Wouldn't it be better to do it every day?" someone asked, raising a fair point.
"First of all, spending too much time inside this arena isn't healthy. Any growth you gain in there is reset once you leave. Secondly—"
"The essence cost is extremely high," interrupted Rita Seraphim, who, like Lyra, was standing next to Lucas.
"Exactly. Just activating it three times a week already puts a heavy strain on government resources," Yuna nodded.
"You could just not use it, duh," Cain said casually.
"A few years ago, we tried that. But after a member of the Drakon Clan cut off the arm of a teammate who had already surrendered, we realized it was necessary, Mr. Cain. Does that answer your question?" she asked sarcastically.
"We call it a skill issue," Cain replied with a grin, making his classmates and Yuna sigh in exasperation.
"But aren't these kinds of matches unfair for those with long-range or support-type weapons?" Nathan asked.
"The real unfair thing is that I've been assigned to this class," Yuna said bluntly, leaving the students unsure how to react.
"Jokes aside, you'll often find yourselves in situations where you'll have to accept your disadvantage. That said, you're right, it's not a level playing field. That's why only those with spiritual weapons purely focused on support will be allowed to use an artifact, obviously of the lowest grade and balanced."
At those words, many sighed in relief, and a list appeared showing those eligible to pick artifacts, including Nathan and Axel.
"Wait, his weapon isn't support-type!" Lyra protested, pointing at Axel.
"Look at him again and tell me he doesn't at least deserve an artifact," said Yuna, clearly exasperated.
Lyra glanced at Axel's skinny frame for a moment before turning away with a huff.
With the matter settled, the students began searching for a suitable artifact, Axel among them.
'What should I choose?' Axel stared indecisively at the pile of weapons.
He had no experience with weapons; everything he had learned in the confinement zone was about using his wits to survive.
After a brief moment of thought, he decided to pick a knife, but something strange happened. As soon as he touched it, a shock ran through his hand, and the knife dropped.
"?"
"Ah, must be the rejection process. Sometimes, our spiritual weapons refuse to associate with certain artifacts. That's the result," Nathan explained, holding a short sword.
Axel listened silently, but he was more interested in the message that appeared in front of him:
[Refined Knife, low-normal grade, incompatible. Convert into a blood rune? (Warning: Once confirmed, the item will be lost.)]
'So that's where they come from,' he thought, realizing something important, though he still didn't understand why he had this ability.
Unwilling to explain how one artifact could magically vanish, Axel moved on to the next, with the same result. He tried one after the other, but his spiritual weapon repelled them all. He tried everything: spears, shields, armor... but nothing worked.
Yuna watched silently, and the others had similar reactions. It was just too absurd.
"Amazing how he always manages to entertain me. It looks like our history boy is about to get a second chapter of humanity written about him. Wait, I already have a title," Cain cleared his throat, trying not to laugh.
"The One Even Artifacts Don't Want, pfft."
"At this point, I just feel sorry for him," said Rhea, moved by pity.
"Yeah," her twin brother Sora nodded.
"Let's skip straight to the fights," said Yuna, finding the whole situation too much to handle.
"Don't worry, Axel. It's just a rough start," Nathan tried to encourage him.
[First match: Axel vs. Lucas Seraphim.]
"For fuck's sake!"
****
And so began the first match, if you can call it that. Axel stood in the arena, looking around curiously, while Lucas felt like the bully of the situation.
"...Umm, let's do our best," Lucas said, trying to ease the tension.
"?" Axel looked at him in confusion for a few seconds.
Meanwhile, Nathan, watching from below, covered his face the moment he saw that familiar confused expression on his friend's face.
"Please, don't say it," he silently begged, but it seemed his prayers had no effect.
"Do I know you?" Axel asked with a puzzled look.
Once again, Axel left everyone speechless, even Lucas didn't know how to respond.
"I'm Lucas... Lucas Seraphim. We're in the same class," Lucas replied, trying to keep a friendly tone despite the awkwardness.
"I see," Axel nodded as if receiving a mildly useful but unimportant bit of information.
"Please, Lucas, just end it quickly. Even I can't take this," said Nyx.
Lucas nodded, and as soon as Yuna gave the signal, he dashed forward. In the blink of an eye, he had the tip of his sword at Axel's throat.
"Lucas wins," Yuna announced.
Axel looked at the blade and sighed. Being able to follow something was one thing, and reacting was another.
Lucas and Axel stepped off the platform. Lucas had hoped for a more balanced match, but the situation made his victory feel almost embarrassing.
[Next match: Nyx Aether vs. Lucy Ombra.]
Finally, a real match, people thought, two fighters wielding spiritual weapons with high-neutral potential.
"I've been dying for this!" Nyx said with a laugh as she stepped into the arena.
"Don't underestimate her," Orion warned.
Lucy nodded and stepped into the arena with silent grace. A thin-bladed sword materialized in her hand. Nyx summoned a black whip with red thorns.
"Who wants a good spanking?" Nyx teased with a mischievous smile, snapping her whip in a playful but threatening way.
Lucy didn't bother responding and took her stance.
At Yuna's signal, the battle began.
Nyx struck first, lashing her whip at an impressive speed with a sinister hiss.
Lucy dodged the attacks with light footwork, only blocking when she had no choice. Nyx's relentless assault left her no room to counter.
"What do you think of this!"
With a quick flick of the wrist, the whip changed direction unexpectedly, catching Lucy off guard and wrapping around her arm, immobilizing it.
"Drain Energy!"
The thorns on the whip began to glow with a vivid red light. Lucy instantly felt her strength fading.
With a great effort, she tried to free herself. She used her sword to cut the whip or at least weaken its draining effect.
Nyx, taking advantage of her position, didn't let up. She kept the pressure on, moving the whip to keep Lucy struggling and to look for new openings.
With a swift move, Lucy finally broke free, but she was visibly drained. Still, she gritted her teeth and charged.
Nyx tried to block her, moving the whip like a barrier, but Lucy managed to break through and got right up close.
Nyx barely dodged a strike to the head, but Lucy didn't stop and followed up with a diagonal slash.
Seeing she couldn't dodge, Nyx tried to use the whip as a shield.
"Shadow Materialization."
Lucy's blade vanished just before it touched the whip, but somehow, Nyx ended up with a deep cut across her chest anyway.
The arena lit up and Nyx was thrown out, but she was completely unharmed. Shortly after, Lucy stepped out too, without a single scratch.
"Lucy Umbra wins," Yuna announced.
The audience let out a breath of admiration at their performance.
"You Umbra and your damned shadow attacks... next time I'll break you," Nyx said, frustrated. Lucy just answered with a mocking smile, which made her even more irritated.
"Good job," Orion congratulated her, and she nodded with satisfaction.
With the atmosphere charged by the intensity of the duel, the students began to challenge each other eagerly.
The heirs of the clans stood out in particular, showing exactly why they were at the top of the rankings. Hiro and Lyra, with their ability to merge with their spirits, demonstrated deadly synergy in battle. Aria and Cain, on the other hand, displayed impressive power, while Orion impressed everyone with his flawless technique and deadliness.
Nathan also stood out with his medium-neutral grade spiritual weapon: a round shield that covered part of his body and an artifact sword. He managed to defeat an opponent who attacked with wind arrows using a bow, tiring him out through solid defense and well-calculated counterattacks.
"So, how did I do, Aria?" Cain asked affectionately, gently brushing the tips of Aria's pink hair. His familiarity, however, was immediately shut down by a slap.
Hiro, watching from nearby, couldn't help but laugh at his cousin's pathetic attempt. Even if, in some strange twist, the two did end up together, Hiro was certain he still had a better chance of becoming the next clan leader.
"You're so cold... but if you want, I wouldn't mind warming you up a bit," Cain added with a more suggestive tone.
"Disappear, Cain," Aria replied with icy coldness, keeping her eyes fixed on the ongoing fights.
"Haaa… I'm seriously starting to lose my patience with you," Cain muttered, his brows furrowing.
"I'm giving you the chance to bring your clan back to life," he added, trying to sound more persuasive.
"I am my clan. So don't compare me to a woman whose only role is to spread her legs and produce children," Aria snapped back, looking at him like he was garbage.
"Hahaha, you're funny. Have you forgotten all the lives lost to save you?" Cain whispered threateningly in her ear, making Aria clench her fists in frustration.
Seeing her reaction, Cain pressed further.
"Do you think the clans are generous enough to let you go after such a loss? They were already furious when you chose to side with the Government. They decided to wait for you to mature, but believe me, once that happens, it won't matter how much the Government protects you. They'll be forced to give you up."
Cain's words made Aria clench her hands tighter. She knew the burden of debt she carried, and that one day she'd have to make a choice. But she didn't want to be seen only for her legacy—no, she wanted to be someone who brought change.
"The Umbra clan won't risk protecting you if it means going against the others. The Seraphim clan? Lucas already has two contenders, and he doesn't even come from a noble bloodline. The other is his failure of a brother. The Aether clan has no male heirs, so you'd end up with someone with no real value. Finally, there's the Drakon clan. Hiro isn't allowed to marry, and the only one left is me," Cain continued, explaining the situation with cold clarity.
"With me, you'd have no restrictions, and the other clans couldn't say anything if it's your choice. So what do you say?" Cain asked, extending his hand toward her.
"Go-fuck-yourself," Aria spat, saying each word with absolute disdain.
"Argh! I hate that damn Luxoria pride of yours. It's exactly why they were butchered like pigs!" Cain blurted out, exasperated, saying something he should never have said—especially not to her.
CLANK!
There was a deafening metallic sound. In front of Cain's shocked eyes, Aria's gunblade was just inches from his face.
"What's the meaning of this, Aria?" Yuna asked, blocking the attack with her rapier with disarming ease.
"Oh! The Black Hydra, I never thought I'd see it," Nathan's eyes sparkled as he looked at the weapon.
Yuna owned a high-positive grade spiritual weapon. The entire blade was black with glowing green veins, and on the guard were seven serpent heads. It was known as the most toxic weapon in existence.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Aria screamed in fury. She wouldn't let anyone insult her clan.
"What, can't handle the truth?" Cain kept provoking her.
"CAIN!" Aria tried to strike again, but Yuna stepped in.
"Awaken, Black Hydra."
At Yuna's command, the serpents on the hilt of her rapier magically came to life. Like lightning, they coiled around the two of them, completely immobilizing and silencing them.
"Listen up because I won't repeat myself. I don't care what happens once you go to the Inverted World, but here in the Academy, it doesn't matter if your clan is insulted," Yuna said, turning to Aria. "Or if the girl you want to fuck sees you as a piece of shit." She added, turning to Cain.
"If you kill each other, you'll spark a diplomatic war, and I'm not cleaning up the mess you leave behind. Are we clear?" she asked coldly.
Both of them, still trapped by the serpents, gave reluctant nods.
"Then get up there and settle this now."
At her command, the serpents returned to their place. Once free, Cain and Aria gave each other a deadly glare and stepped into the arena.
"I'll make you crawl at my feet on all fours, let's see how you keep that pride of yours then," Cain laughed arrogantly, summoning his hammer.
If looks could kill, Cain would've died a dozen times already from the intensity of Aria's gaze, as he took her stance.
"Begin!"