Lian stepped forward, already moving past Kair and his unconscious teammates.
"You hold him," he said calmly. "I'll take the flag. As long as one of us reaches the center, our squad scores full."
"Not so fast," Aren replied.
Heat condensed between Aren's palms, ether spiraling inward as a fireball took shape. Lian closed the distance instead of retreating and triggered his interference rune.
The fireball stuttered.
The flame wavered, its structure destabilizing, its edges wobbled as Aren's ether flow fractured for a fraction of a second. The flame thinned, collapsed inward, then flared again as Aren forcibly restructured his circulation, manually stabilising the ether flow.
He bypassed the disruption instead of fighting it.
In the end, Lian's trump card— the rune that had flipped every fight so far—proved useless against Aren. His control over ether was too refined, too precise. He regulated the flow in real time, countering the interference through sheer mastery.
…Yeah. This guy really is built different, Lian thought with a quiet sigh.
Still, a second was a second.
Lian slipped past him, boots scraping stone as he sprinted toward the tower. Nox was already moving, keeping pace just behind.
Aren twisted, palm snapping forward to release the fireball.
A streak of compressed water cut across the air.
Lin Ling's Water Arrow struck the fireball mid-flight. Steam erupted in a violent hiss, the blast dissusing before it could reach Lian.
Several spears of water hovered in the air, suspended by Lin Ling's control. He flicked his hand toward Aren. Instantly, each one shot forward like a volley of bullets, slicing through the air with lethal precision.
Aren dodged them effortlessly, not even breaking stride.
Hazy was already there.
She closed in, sword flashing. Aren responded by activating a rune of his own. A plain, unadorned sword materialised in his hand. Steel met steel, the impact ringing sharply through the ruins.
They exchanged blows in rapid succession.
Hazy was pushed back— step by step— her arms vibrating from the force. Aren handled her with one hand while casually evading Sunny's ranged attacks and Lin Ling's follow-ups, his movements fluid, almost relaxed.
Aren laughed, eyes shining.
"You've really improved since the last time we sparred."
Hazy clenched her jaw, gripping her sword tighter.
"But I'm still far below you," she admitted. "Your swordsmanship… your ether control. I can feel the gap."
Aren's smile only widened.
The sword in Aren's hand was plain—just a steel alloy capable of conducting ether. The secret wasn't in the blade; it was in him. Ether flowed through the sword and his body, making the weapon an extension of his movements. By channeling it precisely—into his arms, legs, core—he regulated force with surgical accuracy. Every strike hit with maximum efficiency, overpowering without wasting a single ounce of ether.
The other Class A guy tried to strike from Aren's blind spot—but before he could even land his attack, a sudden eruption of fire blasted from the ground, eliminating him. Aren didn't even glance at him. His attention was locked entirely on Hazy.
Sunny gritted his teeth. "Dude… didn't you just hit a perfect hundred? Why are you still fighting?"
"Because it's fun," Aren replied calmly. "And on the battlefield, your enemy doesn't give mercy. You train to expect the worst, not the best."
Kair had barely recovered from exhaustion when his communicator buzzed. Lian's voice came through, steady.
"I captured the flag. Close your eyes. Wait for my signal to move toward the center."
"What signal?" Kair asked, his voice tense.
A few seconds later, a small cylindrical tin sailed across the battlefield. It erupted in a blinding flash of white light and a high-pitched sound. Everyone staggered, momentarily deaf and blinded.
Kair, already facing the center with eyes shut, barely flinched. As soon as the flash hit, he sprinted, muscles burning, moving at full force. He regrouped with Lian and Nox, falling into their pace as they pressed toward the center.
So… he planned to keep the flag for himself, Kair thought bitterly, chest heaving. And now I'm exhausted and alone. If I tried to take it by force, they could crush me. I was stupid to trust him—to think he'd help me.
The battlefield was chaos. Four flags, over two hundred students scrambling. He had no idea how many flags remained—or if any did.
He doesn't seem like the type to honor promises. If I ask him, he'll probably say he already helped me reach the center—that should be enough. At least I'll pass and won't get expelled. Still… it stings to be used like this._
Summoning the courage to swallow pride, Kair finally spoke. He hated appearing weak, hated eating scraps from someone else's kill. Still, he had his principles: he wanted to fight and get the flag with his own hands.
"Hey… about my flag…" he began, voice tight with embarrassment and grit.
Before he could finish, Lian cut in smoothly. "So, have you recovered?"
"Yeah… almost," Kair muttered.
Lian stopped at the entrance to an old tunnel. Kair and Nox froze behind him, following silently.
"Two students were hiding inside with a flag." Lian said, his tone casual.
"Didn't I promise? I'll help you get the flag." he added.
Kair felt a spark of satisfaction inside, but not a muscle of his face betrayed it.
"Alright," he said with a steady voice "I'll be back with the flag," and disappeared into the wide tunnel.
Minutes later, he emerged with flag in hand.
They moved toward the center. Lian glanced at his tiny screen at the map. "Heads up. Six people are waiting to ambush us. You can handle them, right?"
"Sure. No problem," Kair replied.
The center came into view.
It was a desolate, broken playground. Rusted swings swayed in the wind, some snapped and twisted. Grey grass crunched underfoot, brittle and dead. Trees stood skeletal, their branches clawing at the sky.
Four figures erupted from the shadows, launching a coordinated attack.
But Lian and his team were ready.
Kair met them head-on—four enemies, all Sequence 1 middle stage, all Class C. Most of Class C were weak and predictable, but facing four simultaneously was no joke.
He fought with precision, exploiting every opening—but exhaustion weighed him down. No matter how sharp his strikes were, he couldn't gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Lian and Nox pushed forward.
Suddenly, a lone Class C student lunged out, wielding a crimson reaper scythe. He swung once—the ground cracked violently, shockwaves rippling outward—ether frequencies colliding with the environment, distorting the very space itself.
Lian's eyes narrowed. This is way too powerful for a Sequence One.
Judging by the wielder, he concluded the scythe-wielder and the other nearby student must be part of the same wealthy clan—rich kids loaded with premium resources.
He ran a quick mental calculation, weighing odds. Even together, neither of them would stand a chance against the scythe guy alone—but facing them both simultaneously? Lian couldn't risk it. He sprinted toward the central tower, forcing Nox to hold the line.
And above all… I need to avoid the other guy at all costs, Teeth clenched, Lian calculated. One wrong move, and it's over.
Those runes… they are literally pay-to-win.
In the Academy, strength fell into three categories.
The first was pure skill—mastery over ether. Hazy and Aren were in this tier. Even the simplest runes became deadly tools in their hands. Aren's level of control meant his basic sword could probably cut through the strongest runes and win.
The second was average skill paired with average runes—the majority of students, including Lian. But Lian had rune engineering on his side, able to modify or craft runes to suit his fighting style, giving him a slight edge.
The third was premium runes: rich kids buying expensive tools to compensate for weak skill, stronger than most students because their runes made up for their lack of ability. Like a skilled wrestler facing a child with a gun—his black belt wouldn't save him from the bullet.
Excluding the one Nox was fighting, only one remained. I just need to get past him Lian calculated.
Then something moved toward him.
A dry tumbleweed.
With legs.
Lian froze.
…Is this guy serious? That was his hiding method? I'd have to be blind not to notice a walking tumbleweed.
Lian didn't even bother checking his interface. He already came in contact with enemy in under a minute barely after getting away from Scythe guy.
Did this guy really dump all his money into flashy attack runes and completely ignored stealth?
The tumbleweed burst open.
Inside was a student wrapped in an absurdly expensive-looking armor, layers of ether plating stacked so thick it looked more like a fortress than equipment.
Lian attacked.
And attacked.
And attacked.
Ten full minutes of relentless offense. The guy didn't dodge. Didn't block. Didn't even flinch.
He just stood there and tanked everything.
Not a scratch.
Lian stared, breathing hard.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
"Yeah, sorry man. It's my fault for being born rich and into a top clan," the guy said mockingly.
Whenever Lian tried to run away, a water wall slammed down, blocking his escape.
Lian analyzed rapidly.
The armor is strong and heavy. He's slow as hell..
This one maxed defense.
The other guy Nox is fighting maxed offence.
A perfect idiot duo.
If I don't leave now, I'm done for, Lian thought. Once his teammate finishes Nox and comes back, it's over.
Kair's still busy with four people. No backup is coming.
Lian stepped closer, baiting him.
The rich kid instinctively raised the water wall again.
That was the moment.
Lian activated the interference rune.
The water wall collapsed mid-formation, ether dispersing like mist. Lian turned and sprinted, pushing every ounce of stamina he had left.
Then—footsteps.
The scythe guy had returned after finishing off Nox.
I dodged Class A monsters…
survived Aren…
endured everything until now just to get eliminated by Class C kids with daddy's credit card.
Lian had run out of time. Now he is all alone.
Two versus one.
Lian's jaw tightened.
The battlefield closed in around him.