Cinister lunged at Kaecha, but she simply jumped onto the next platform.
"Geez, this is impossible," he said, sighing heavily.
"Keep trying! You might just catch me~!" Kaecha replied as she jumped across two more platforms.
I guess we should go back to the beginning to see why Cinister is trying to catch her.
5 minutes earlier...
Cinister and Kaecha had just returned to the training room.
"So, how do you feel in the outfit?" Luck asked.
"It feels nice, but I need help," Cinister replied.
"With what?"
Before Cinister could answer, Kaecha suddenly pushed him into the training room.
"Basically, he wants us to help him improve his stamina~~!"
"Oh, then I guess we can do that, but we need Draen," Luck mumbled to himself.
"First of all, don't push someone while they're talking. And second, speaking of Draen, how did he become the school's principal?"
"Sorry~," Kaecha apologized, putting her hands together.
"Why do you want to know?" Luck asked as he handed his phone to Kaecha so she could call Draen.
"Well, he seems like a goofy and silly guy," Cinister remarked. "Being a principal just doesn't suit him."
"Well, that's because he isn't," Luck replied.
"But you guys refer to him as the principal?"
"That's because he's the-" Luck began, only to be interrupted.
"VICE PRINCIPAL!" Kaecha yelled.
"Yeah, that," Luck sighed.
"So, who's the actual principal, then?" Cinister asked.
"Well, have you heard of The Divers?" Luck responded with another question.
"No, not really."
"They're a guild that specializes in clearing the hardest floors first," Luck explained. "For example, they've cleared Floors 52, 68, and 79, which are some of the hardest floors. They were also the first group to clear Floor 100 in the American Tower."
"Okay, I get it. They're strong, but why do I need to know that?" Cinister asked, still confused.
"Well, one of their main officers is called HRZN, or, as I like to call him, The False Faker," Luck replied.
"HRZN? The False Faker? Is he the principal?" Cinister mumbled to himself.
"Yup! And his nickname comes from his relentless feints," Luck explained.
"Wait, feinting? Isn't that useless?" the mage asked. "Doesn't it just consume calories?"
"Okay, I guess I'll just show you a video of him fighting Draen."
Cinister's interest was piqued as Luck played a clip of HRZN and Draen fighting in the very same training room they were standing in.
On the screen, a black-haired, red-eyed man wearing black armor with red stripes on his sleeves stood opposite Draen. Both stared at each other with menacing expressions.
3
2
1
Both fighters lunged at each other in an instant, the ground cracking beneath their feet as their auras collided.
BOOM!!
A shockwave exploded throughout the arena, forcing several students to shield their faces from the sudden burst of wind.
HRZN slid forward, his right hand engulfed in blazing flames. The fire twisted around his arm like a living serpent, growing larger with every passing second.
He can use a Nexus through his hands?! Cinister thought to himself.
HRZN thrust his flaming fist toward Draen's face.
Draen immediately raised his guard, coating both arms in dense layers of earth.
But just before the impact, HRZN's flames suddenly vanished.
Draen's eyes widened.
In that brief instant, HRZN's fingers began crackling with electricity.
ZAP!!
A bolt of lightning shot toward Draen's liver.
CRACK BOOM!!
Draen twisted his body at the last possible second, but the attack still grazed his side, sending a jolt of pain through him.
He staggered backward, gritting his teeth.
"See that? He used the Fire Attack to feint Draen and catch him off guard! But keep watching, because the best part is coming up!" Luck explained, pointing at the screen.
HRZN rolled his shoulders, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Draen's expression darkened as he slammed his foot into the ground.
[Drill Storm]!!
Multiple enormous earth drills erupted from the arena, spinning violently as they rushed toward HRZN from different angles.
HRZN jumped backward, performing a backflip before suddenly accelerating forward. He weaved between the drills in a zigzag pattern so fluid that his movements almost seemed to disappear between frames.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Every drill missed by mere inches.
Cinister struggled to follow his movements. Each time Draen adjusted his aim, HRZN had already changed direction, leaving the earth drills tearing through empty space.
Cinister narrowed his eyes, carefully studying HRZN's footwork. The vice principal wasn't simply dodging. He was slipping through the smallest gaps between the attacks, minimizing unnecessary movements.
HRZN planted his foot against the side of an approaching drill and launched himself into the air.
Draen immediately raised his hand.
The ground beneath him split apart as a colossal earth drill emerged, dwarfing the others. Its rotating tip tore through the arena, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction.
HRZN looked down at the incoming attack.
His right arm ignited.
Flames spiraled upward until a massive fireball formed around his hand.
Draen immediately raised his earthen shield, reinforcing it with layer after layer of compressed rock.
But the flames surrounding HRZN's right hand suddenly disappeared.
They hadn't vanished.
They had transferred to his other hand.
Draen's pupils widened.
He rapidly turned his shield, anticipating a [Fire Serpent] from HRZN's other hand.
But instead, a burst of electricity flashed toward him.
[Grand Lighting Spear]
Draen barely reinforced his shield in time.
BOOOOOOM!!
The impact sent him sliding several meters backward, his boots carving trenches through the stone.
HRZN landed lightly on the ground, his expression completely composed.
The feint had forced Draen to redirect his defense at precisely the wrong moment, leaving him vulnerable to the lightning attack.
Before Draen could recover, the vice principal was already moving again.
Furious, Draen slammed both hands into the ground.
Massive stone pillars erupted around HRZN, crushing inward and engulfing him in a cloud of dust.
KRRRRSH!!
A silhouette suddenly appeared above the rubble.
HRZN stood atop a pillar, completely unharmed, before leaping toward Draen with his fist engulfed in flames.
FIRE FEINT #1
Draen raised his shield, but the flames vanished.
FIRE FEINT #2
Anticipating a lightning strike, Draen reinforced his defense and prepared a counterattack.
However, HRZN twisted in midair, slipped past his guard, and landed right beside him.
Before Draen could react
BOOOOOOM!!
Lightning erupted around HRZN's fist as he punched Draen straight in the face, sending him crashing into the ground.
The audience erupted into cheers.
Luck then turned off the TV.
"See what kind of monster he is?" Luck asked.
"Yeah, I guess feints aren't as useless as I thought," the Eldritch replied.
"Looking at some of my old clips, huh?" Draen remarked as he suddenly sat on Cinister's back.
"AHH! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!" Cinister shouted, jolting in surprise. However, Draen's weight made it difficult for him to get up.
"I got him, so we can start our training!" Kaecha chimed in as she pulled out a pair of bells.
"What are the bells for?" Luck asked as he walked into the training area.
"Well, you and I will have these bells attached to our uniforms, and Cini has to grab them~!" she explained, attaching the bells to her and Luck's uniforms.
"So, why am I here?" Draen asked sarcastically.
"To make the platforms," Luck replied irritably.
"Sure, whatever, I guess."
Draen slammed his shield against the floor, and several rocky platforms of varying heights and sizes erupted throughout the training room.
And now, back to the present...
Cinister was still struggling to catch Luck and Kaecha's bells.
"Fine, then! I'll use [Ashen Vei-]"
Before he could finish casting his Nexus, a dagger flew toward him and impaled his eye.
"No Nexus, cutie~~!" Kaecha teased as she jumped onto another platform.
"GUH!!" Cinister grunted in pain as he pulled the dagger out of his eye and hurled it toward her.
Kaecha effortlessly jumped into the air.
FWOOSH!!
Cinister immediately launched himself toward her, reaching out to grab the bell attached to her uniform.
KICK!!
Luck suddenly kicked Cinister in the side, sending him flying into a wall.
"Damn it! I'm getting that bell!" Cinister declared as he struggled back to his feet, his determination unwavering.