Tournament Day 5.
10:34 A.M.
"Hey! Wake up!" Edric yelled straight into Max's right ear.
Max startled awake.
"H-huh, what?"
He slipped off the edge of his bed and crashed hard on the floor.
"Ow... My back..."
Edric sighed as he adjusted his glasses, already changed into his uniform.
"We're late."
He looked out the window towards the arena in the distance—
"Alex's match has probably started already. I don't think we'll make it in time."
—then back at Max.
"Go get fresh. I'll text her."
Edric walked away towards the kitchenette.
Max got back up on his feet, rubbing his back.
He let out a long yawn, then looked at the fan poster on the wall by his bed.
The poster showed a figure in combat, in a silver gear with visible blue mechanical lines and gear-shield segments above arms and legs, face hidden behind a helmet with sharp eyes glowing blue and red, a battle mask, a single tapered protrusion above the right ear, and a metal hood down.
The bottom of the poster said "PROTOCOL" in a stylish font.
Max smiled with pride and performed a salute—his usual morning ritual—then turned and marched away into the bathroom for a shower.
Edric, meanwhile, was serving omelets and fried vegetables on plates he had cooked way before his twenty-minute attempt to wake Max up.
He put a plate down on Max's desk, then grabbed his own plate, a suppressant energy drink, and sat down on his bed with his phone to text Alex the disappointing news that they won't make it, thanks to Max sleeping like a log.
10:50 A.M.
Alex sat on a bench in the Arena Two preparation room.
But she wasn't preparing. She was already tired, breathing unevenly.
She retracted her depleted gear to its housing unit, then arched her back and stretched her right arm.
Her gaze shifted to the display on the wall showing the live stream of the current match at Arena Two.
Sand and dust filled the surrounding air as the lightning elemental warrior sprinted fast with his one-handed rapier, leaving a blurry trail behind.
He charged at Kyoya.
Kyoya dove to his right.
The rapier went over his arm.
The warrior pressed his foot against the ground, sliding to a stop, then sprinted back at Kyoya again.
Kyoya's gaze never lost track.
His opponent was moving at an above-average speed for a lightning elemental. But not fast enough to disappear.
Distance closed.
The warrior swung vertically.
Kyoya sidestepped.
The warrior followed with a horizontal swing for Kyoya's head in the same motion.
Kyoya ducked and pressed a hard kick into his stomach, staggering him back, then another one straight to his face.
The warrior clutched his face.
Kyoya backflipped away to gain distance and immediately aimed his flaming dual pistols.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Every shot connected.
Shield dropped.
"32%"
The warrior gritted his teeth.
"Damn you, Aquila!"
He dashed forward with a cry, swinging at full force.
Kyoya's eyes narrowed.
"What a foolish move. You're wide open."
He ducked and sweep kicked.
The warrior lost footing, stumbled forward, and crashed face-first on the ground.
He immediately pushed himself up, and just as he stood back up, a shadow loomed over him.
He looked up.
Kyoya was flipping mid-air above him, messy hair covering half of his left eye, both guns flaring with fire already pointed at him.
His eyes met Kyoya's.
Kyoya smirked subtly.
"This is why you're a B rank."
His fingers pressed against the trigger.
Two flaming bullets shot out.
Then—
BOOM!
Both bullets exploded on impact.
Kyoya flipped away and landed safely on the ground.
The arena buzzer went off.
"A clean victory!"
"Two wins in a row for the Prince Charming, Kyoya Aquila von Solheim!"
Cheers and screams erupted, louder than any match before.
The warrior fell on his knees.
Medics rushed into the field.
Kyoya paid no attention.
He stood there for a second, smiling to himself.
"Speed is nothing without the right tactics."
He walked away back towards his preparation room, lazily spinning the pistol in his right hand.
Alex stared at the display for half a minute, then sighed.
"Ranged units sure are a menace to deal with."
The Arena Two entrance gate came into view.
Max and Edric were finally here.
Max's eyes landed on Alex, who was already exiting the arena.
He immediately ran up to her and clasped his hands in front of himself like a prayer with a nervous smile. "I'm sorry I missed your match. I'll treat you to pizza to make up for it."
Alex exhaled.
"Sure, I guess."
Edric caught up to them.
"So, how did it go?"
Alex's gaze shifted to the ground, then back up.
"My opponent was a high B-rank air elemental with a bow and arrows," she said, walking by Edric. "I couldn't close the distance, so I lost."
Max and Edric followed behind.
"Sorry to hear that," Edric said.
"Don't be," Alex replied. "It was nothing but my lack of training."
"Kyoya won his second match. Madoka Fuyukawa's also dominating other S ranks."
She looked at Edric.
"Who's your opponent tomorrow?"
Edric adjusted his glasses.
"The notorious prankster of section three."
Alex let out a small laugh.
"Oh, Jake. He already lost his opening match."
"Everyone's wondering how he even made it to the tournaments."
"Shouldn't be a problem for you."
She then looked at Max.
"Kyle," Max said, head leaning back against his hands.
Alex crossed her arms.
"I hope you've seen the replay of Princess Lysandra versus Kyle."
"I have." He smiled.
"And I have a plan this time."
"Oh? Care to share?"
"Well, he's a water elemental. So, I'll freeze everything he throws at me."
"That's your plan? To freeze his water?"
"Pressurized water will cut through your ice, you know."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. You're definitely losing if you don't practice."
Tournament Day 6.
Matches for second-year students were being held at Arena One.
The entire audience held their breath.
Even the commentators were watching intently in silence.
In the field, the earth elemental S-rank warrior swung his mace at Julianna.
Julianna blocked with the base of her lance, then pushed him back and swung at his head with a spin.
He parried with his shield and immediately countered with a slam.
Julianna backflipped away.
The mace smashed into the ground.
He picked it back up quickly and chased after her.
He swung his mace relentlessly.
Julianna parried, side-stepped, and ducked away as each swing came packed with the weight of a boulder.
She backed away to create distance again.
His mace began glowing golden. Then he slammed it hard on the ground at her direction.
The force crawled through the ground at blinking speed, tearing the surface apart.
Julianna barely reacted in time and formed a water bubble.
The force sent her flying.
She flipped mid-air, landed on her feet, and took an aggressive stance.
She checked her shield percentage. It had dropped from 56% to 49%.
The warrior sprinted at her with a roar.
But before he could close the distance, fog devoured the field, blurring his vision.
He reached the spot where she was standing.
But it was as if she vanished.
He looked around, heart hammering. But it was nothing but white.
Then his eyes widened as he sensed a strike from the left.
He raised his shield.
Blocked!
Next one from his back.
Parried barely in time.
Julianna's lance instantly slammed into his waist the next second.
Then a strike to his head.
Then his hand, knocking away his weapon.
He lost focus.
She didn't stop.
A kick to his abdomen, upswing, strikes from the left, strikes from the right.
His shield chipped away with each contact.
"CAUTION: 32%"
"WARNING: 27%"
"WARNING: 23%"
"19%"
"14%"
A sweep kick knocked him down.
He groaned as he pushed himself back up.
Just as he did, a water spear came from behind like a bullet and blasted into vapor.
"SHIELD DEPLETED!"
The buzzer went off.
He fell to his knees.
The fog finally cleared.
A few feet in front of him, Julianna spun her lance and rested the hilt on the ground, her free hand on her hip.
Part of the crowd burst into cheers. Part of it groaned in defeat.
"And the student council president, rank number one, Julianna Favina Marcevelle, takes home her second victory!"
4:04 P.M.
Julianna arrived at the training grounds for gear maintenance.
While approaching the maintenance hall, her eyes landed on Cassie at a distance, staring at the training fields with a smile.
She walked up beside her.
"Good afternoon."
Cassie glanced at Julianna, then back at the field.
"Good afternoon."
Julianna followed her gaze towards the training field.
From the training field, the sound of wood striking wood echoed.
Madoka swung her wooden katana with precise force to imitate heavy strikes.
"If you're up against a heavy weapon, you'll either have to dodge or parry with the same force."
Viara blocked and occasionally tried to parry with her wooden sword according to Madoka's instructions.
"Got it!"
Julianna smiled at the sight.
"She's recovering."
Cassie nodded.
"She said she's not fully ready to hold her scythe, but she'll build the courage to do so."
Both watched in silence, arms crossed as Madoka swung at Viara with moderate speed, and Viara blocked and parried each strike, though she struggled, but didn't fail.
After another couple of minutes, Madoka stopped.
"You're getting better at this. Let's take a break."
Viara gave a smile.
"Thanks!"
Both walked back to the maintenance hall.
Viara noticed Julianna standing beside Cassie and waved at her.
"Hi, Miss President!"
Julianna waved back.
"Good afternoon!"
"Actually, is everyone here free tonight? We can go out for dinner together. My treat."
"I'm down," Cassie said.
Viara's eyes lit up.
"That sounds fun!"
Then her smile slowly faltered, and her gaze shifted to the ground.
"…as long as we can pick a quiet restaurant."
Julianna gave her a reassuring smile.
"Not quite over crowds yet, I see. No worries. I'll make arrangements."
Madoka put her wooden katana away.
"You guys go. I'll be busy."
Cassie looked at Julianna.
"Guess it's just us three."
Julianna rolled her eyes teasingly.
"Ah, bummer."
The sun cast its final golden rays for the day over the city.
Saya and Zen strode through the footpath towards the nearest grocery store.
Saya stretched languidly while humming to herself.
"Thanks for lending me a hand with those gears. All that's left is to assign them a housing unit."
She took two quick steps ahead of Zen, then turned around to face him while walking backwards with her hands clasped behind her. "And, as promised, I'll make you a dark chocolate milkshake like my mom used to, once we buy the ingredients."
"You could've just ordered everything online," Zen said.
She turned around again and continued walking forward ahead of Zen.
"Oh, come on… It's nice to take a walk and wind down after spending an entire day in an underground lab, don't you think?"
Zen stared at the golden sun setting behind a tall building.
"I guess so."
That's when his eyes shifted to pedestrians on the other side of the road running in the opposite direction.
Even the vehicles on the road were turning around and driving away fast.
Saya stopped and watched them flee like they were running from a monster.
"What's going on?"
Zen quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside as a stream of people ran past them fast, tripping over themselves.
Saya stared in confusion as they ran.
Then their comms pinged. Both quickly answered.
Stelle's voice came through the system, fast and efficient.
"There has been a security breach at the East-Wing Containment Facility. Available armed forces and operatives are on their way. The GPS shows both of you are close by. I need you two to assist them in containing the prison break. No time to lose."
"On it," both Saya and Zen said in unison.
The call cut off.
Saya looked around in a hurry and spotted a dark alley close by.
She ran straight in. Zen followed.
Saya closed her eyes and focused.
From the earpiece in her left ear, hidden behind her hair, nanoparticles crawled out.
SR-01 Specter formed. Hood and mask snapped into place, magnetic wings spread, thrusters fired. She took flight without hesitation.
Zen clenched his left hand. Nanoparticles crawled out of the black fingerless glove.
Alpha-02 formed with the sound of thousands of tiny clicks, hood and mask on.
He stopped, then backflipped onto a wind pad and launched himself up, landing on the right wall, and bounced upwards to the left. Right, left, right, left, going back and forth, landing on the roof of the three-story building with a flip.
He dashed in the direction of the containment facility.
The edge of the roof had no walls.
He jumped towards the next tall building ahead with a boost of wind, skipping the smaller ones.
Only half the distance covered. Not enough.
Wind condensed mid-air and formed another wind pad.
He landed on it and launched himself forward in the same second like a bullet.
Both their gears connected into a voice channel.
"Bird's eye," he comm'd.
"Copy," she replied.
Max walked out of the pizzeria with a big smile.
"Man, I can live on pizza and chicken wings my whole life."
Edric smirked.
"Literally impossible."
"How are you smiling even after losing?" said Alex.
"That's two matches in a row. Lose two more, and you won't advance."
"I tried my best, didn't I?" Max replied, head leaning against his hands.
"Kyle is just a stronger fighter. There's no point staying upset about it."
Alex crossed her arms.
"Well, you could've won had you practiced instead of falling asleep on the bench!"
A loud wailing sound echoed from a distance.
Everyone's gaze snapped in the direction of the sound.
Max blinked.
"What's that noise?"
Alex listened carefully.
"That sounds like… the civil defense siren."
Edric looked around, noticing civilians running in panic, shops closing their shutters in a rush, street vendors packing things up and leaving.
A military truck sped down the road and stopped just ahead of the restaurant with a screech of tires.
Boots hit the ground as seventeen soldiers with ballistic shields in hand hopped out onto the road and assembled in a line like a wall to stop any escapists from reaching the four-way crossroads behind them.
A few meters ahead, a group of thirty criminals in bright orange attire was running straight for the soldiers.
"Charge!" said the mercenary leader with a scar on his face.
"Hold the line!" the captain yelled.
The pizzeria shop owner rushed out of the shop.
"What are you kids doing outside?! It's dangerous! Come back quickly!"
Edric pulled on Max's shoulder, who was too focused on watching the scene.
"Back inside!"
Max snapped back to his senses.
"Right!"
They all turned towards the shop.
The group of criminals smashed into the soldiers.
Seventeen against thirty. The soldiers pushed back harder.
The mercenary leader and four more criminals slipped through the cracks.
The leader laughed as he ran.
"Finally free!"
Max entered the shop, Edric right behind him.
Just as Alex was about to, she paused at the doorway and looked behind, watching the five criminals flee.
She gritted her teeth, torn between two decisions.
She didn't enter. She turned around and dashed towards the criminals escaping while deploying her standard gear.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Stop!" the shop owner yelled.
Edric and Max didn't hesitate to follow after her.
The mercenary leader and two more made it to the crossroads.
The other two hadn't yet.
Alex reached them before they could. She swept the first one's legs, knocking him down.
Edric immediately tackled the other to the ground hard.
The first one turned over to get up.
Alex pointed her claymore at him.
"Stay down!"
The soldiers got overwhelmed. Their formation cracked.
Half of the criminal group pushed through.
Max deployed his gear, Iridescent Tundra. His longsword formed in his hand.
He performed an upswing on the ground. Ice shot out from one side of the road to the other, forming a solid ten-foot ice wall with an uneven spiky top.
Edric deployed his standard gear and Great Axe.
Max, Edric, and Alex regrouped and took a combat stance in front of the ice wall.
The criminal group rushed faster in hopes of breaking through the wall.
Edric channeled his elemental energy and slammed his foot on the ground.
The ground shook hard in a small area.
The fleeing group lost its balance and tripped over itself.
Another military truck arrived from the containment facility. Twelve more soldiers hopped and rushed into formation with the previous group.
The criminals got back on their feet but found themselves trapped.
All thirty criminals in the middle, twenty-nine soldiers on one side, and three students from the East-Wing Warriors Academy standing in front of a thick ice wall in combat gear and lethal weapons—a Longsword, a Great Axe, and a Claymore.
The mercenary leader didn't stop, running through narrow alleys one after another.
One last turn, and at the end of this alley, he could see a white van waiting at the planned spot.
The van's door slid open. He ran and jumped straight in. The van started at full speed without even closing the door.
The driver, a young thug, laughed out loud.
"Welcome back, boss!"
Another thug pulled the door shut.
The mercenary leader relaxed.
"My element's not working, damn it! Those bastards put something in our food!"
The driver pointed at the back of the van.
"Don't worry, boss. We stole some antidotes for ya."
"All your stuff's there too."
The leader got up and looked behind his seat, finding the medicine, his extra pair of cleavers, and clothes. "Haha! Perfect!"
He looked back at the driver with a big, evil smile.
"What orders did we get?"
Saya flew in and perched on top of the tallest building near the East-Wing Containment Facility.
She deployed her sniper rifle and tapped a few buttons on her HUD to take out a magazine full of rubber bullets from her gear housing unit, just in case.
Night had already settled. She activated the thermal scope and began scanning the streets and alleys outside the prison.
Her sight landed on multiple people hiding in the dark of the alleys, behind trees, bushes, unable to escape due to armed forces camping at key chokepoints in the streets.
"Targets spotted, two blocks north-west of the containment facility."
"Good," Stelle replied.
"All available squadrons, sweep every corner of the north-west quadrant," a female voice in the background comm'd.
Jumping from one building to another, Zen was passing by the facility towards the north-west quadrant while constantly scanning his surroundings.
That's when he slid to a stop as a figure on top of another small building on the opposite side of the road, visible only by the light bulb overhead, caught his attention.
Laptop under his left arm, Hector greeted with his wide-brimmed hat, chuckling beneath his mask.
Zen stood still, not even blinking.
"Zero's here… Is The Rebellion working with The Foundation?"
"So, the sniper that night was actually The Rebellion's plan?"
"But the ammo used suggests it was Black Helix. They influence almost every criminal organization you can find. Kageri mentioned them too when we fought."
"But if The Foundation is working with Black Helix, why is The Rebellion with them? Black Helix and The Rebellion are morally opposite."
Kuroha's voice reached his ears.
"Did you enjoy the skewers?"
Senses flared. His eyes widened.
He instantly ducked as the slender, curvy blade of a sword swept for his head.
Kuroha swung vertically with dual swords.
He backflipped away to create distance and deployed his staff.
"Damn it! I don't have time for this."
She spun her swords lazily.
"Oh. So, you have time for those damsels in distress at school but not for me?"
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What do you want?"
Her eyes narrowed playfully with a teasing grin.
"I just want to have some fun with my dearest. Is that too much to ask?"
He spun his staff and rested the hilt on the concrete.
"Right now, yes. Leave me alone."
He turned to leave. She appeared right in front of him, face to face, inches away, smiling like someone gone mad.
Her red eyes became brighter in the dark.
"You can't just leave. I've been tasked to keep you busy, you know."
She took deliberate steps forward with predatory grace—
"Come play with me, my darling⁓"
—he took a step back with each step.
She swung her right sword.
He blocked and swung to create distance.
She parried and slid back.
He dashed at her.
She took a stance.
He dropped into a slide and slipped past her.
Kuroha turned around.
"Oh?"
Zen sprinted and jumped from the edge of the roof with a wind boost towards the next one.
The floor closed in. He landed with a roll.
Kuroha blinked in with her teleportation—
"Not so fast⁓"
—and pressed a kick into his stomach, sending him rolling on the concrete.
He regained footing mid-roll, pressed on his feet to stop the momentum, and instantly turned and bolted.
She chased after him at full speed.
"You can't run from me."
Hector watched as Zen bolted, and Kuroha chased.
He adjusted his hat with a nod and walked away towards the edge of the four-story building.
He looked down, clutched his hat, and jumped without a second thought.
Right as he neared the ground, the wind softened his fall.
Kageri was standing in front of him, right hand on her sheathed katana's grip, left hand clenched into a fist, shimmering with elemental energy.
"Job's done here. Onto the next step."
Hector laughed in amusement as he landed on the ground with a click of his shoes.
"Hehe. I could see the look on his face even through his battle mask."
Kageri walked ahead. He followed behind, unhurried.
Zen kept jumping from one building to another.
Kuroha kept chasing, blinking in and out of sight, closing the distance and swinging her swords at every chance she got.
He jumped again. She blinked in mid-air and swung.
He formed a wind pad ahead of him, landed, and backflipped to dodge.
She missed and blinked out of sight again.
He landed on another pad behind and boosted himself to the next building.
"Saya," he called on his comms.
"I'm being kept busy. Leaving it to you."
"Copy!" she replied.
Kuroha blinked in again with another swing.
"Really? Talking to another girl while with me?"
Zen parried the strike and stepped back. She stopped a few feet away.
Kuroha's gear HUD popped. She tapped a button.
Zen's comms went static.
She pointed her right sword at him, eyes gleaming, expression serious, yet she was slightly blushing. "No one to disturb us anymore. Just YOU and ME."
Zen let out a long sigh, gripping his staff tighter.
She dashed forward at great speed!
He did too!
Kuroha swung her swords!
Zen swung his staff!
CLANG!
Stelle watched live footage from the security cameras and drones on a big screen in the administration room of the East-Wing Warriors Academy.
Several operators were at their computers, busy with comms, coordinating forces.
"We've successfully set a three-block radius perimeter around the facility. Roughly seventy individuals are on the loose," said the young female researcher operating the main console.
Stelle crossed her arms.
"What's the situation at the prison?"
"The guards were able to close the main gate before more could escape," she replied.
"But the prisoners are still trying to break through with sheer force, even at gunpoint."
"Alpha-o2 is occupied. No one is there to handle the main gate."
Stelle paused, thinking, then closed her eyes.
"Dispatch Instructor Sayuri Harukaze."