Luca landed a few meters away and dashed to the side as a blue wisp of flames smashed at his former position and detonated on impact.
He ran across the platform, not too far from his group as he couldn't interfere with the others– intentionally or not.
As he did, Adessa's eyes widened with passing time as her head spun for answers.
'Wasn't his synchrony low? How was he able to knock them both in one swing?!'
Her gaze turned murderous as she stretched both arms forward.
The spark that ignited next was a fraction larger than the former. But suddenly, it began to swell in seconds.
The tendrils of the blue flames danced in the air erratically, surging into a large ball the size of a soccer ball.
She shot it out immediately as Luca attempted to charge in.
The boy clicked his tongue, kicked the air and dashed to the side, dodging the ball's trajectory by a hair's breadth.
The eruption that followed swallowed his former position and stretched towards him.
It swelled into a blue smoke that sent a spiral of air blast in waves.
'She's using more Ego now.'
The air blasted past him. A powerful breeze threatened to pick him off his feet.
'This is why Knights and Spell Casters don't mix.'
Adessa began to prepare another ball of flames. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she began to pant heavily. She was weakened.
Luca took the chance.
He charged forward in a flash, appearing before her before the ball could even reach half of its expected size.
The girl's eyes widened. 'Is he really 5%–'
Her question was cut short as a fist came crashing into her face with a wet crack.
'Shit, hope I didn't break anything.'
Luca growled as he lifted her into the air with his fist, then with a deep breath, smashed her into the ground with a wicked crack.
The air shook and the earth cracked like clay.
Jagged lines spread throughout the concrete platform as a crevice formed beneath her body.
Luca stood straight with a sigh and shook his right hand and the blood stain with it.
'That should do it.'
He thought as he glanced around.
To his surprise, most of the groups were already done and just like him, were standing while the others were either unconscious or incapable of fighting back.
The instructors were around the corner, and occasionally, one or two stepped out to stop irresolvable fighters.
There were many wounded. Some even lost a limb in the scuffle.
Perhaps because he had chosen to end his, as quickly as possible, it had been different for him.
His opponents or former teammates had been unprepared from the start.
Taren was too mild to take a proper fighting stance, Seradino was stalling, Marik had underestimated everyone and Adessa chose to remain in the background.
From what he observed, and his knowledge of structures, he could pinpoint exactly where his attacks would be most effective.
Humans were easier to study than Null Creatures, after all and the result was expected.
With controlled movements, his mind and body synced and Luca was able to quickly take them down.
'It's a shame since I couldn't expend everything in my arsenal… but at least I know that one of my title works.'
Just then, a loud whistle echoed in the air, cutting his thoughts and grabbing the attention of everyone present.
They turned to the source in unison– Instructor Raziel.
"Alright, it seems like we're done here. All three hundred and one of you will now take one of the seven paths and find the instructor who will guide you in your next task." As he explained, the other instructors began checking on the rest.
"The ranks have been updated as well. I wish you luck."
The Cadets turned to head towards the pavements. The destination being the end of it and Luca was about to join in the mix when a groan caught his attention.
He looked down and to his surprise, Taren had woken up.
'I had held back, but that hit should have shut them off for another five minutes.'
Taren blinked slowly before his face contorted in realisation. "Yo– You?!" He stammered.
Luca waved at him. "It seems like you're more than what meets the eye, Taren. I hope you don't let these posers hold you back."
Then he turned to the pavement and headed in that direction, pulling out his card as he did so.
The information was updated and his Cadet Ranking rose by a large margin.
'300… not bad.'
Here on out, the rank would be based on personal strength, and Luca couldn't have it any other way.
Behind him, the red-haired boys from before– four of them, walked together and lingered behind Luca. Their gazes etched on his back.
"So Mirak ended up being a fraud."
One said with an irritated tone. He spat at the floor in disgust.
"I should have known he was since my dad had kept his family in that lower district for so long."
Another answered, his tone laced with displeasure.
"You guys didn't watch the fight did you? He took care of your minion in one move, Orveth. You should have seen it. It was sad."
One laughed with a mad glint in his eyes.
The last glared at the group in annoyance.
"It doesn't matter if a failed noble failed at his task. There's a reason why he's called that."
The group fell silent at the boy's words.
They went down the same pavement as the one Luca took with clear intent.
"So… what do we do now?" Orveth, the red-haired with a side swept bang asked with hesitation.
The one from before grinned as he replied.
"What else? We take matters into our own hands."
He slammed his fist together.
"The next task will be at the Illusionary Gate. With Null Creatures spawning all the time, there won't be a chance to suspect the Cadets for taking care of one loose student."
The others chuckled at his words, a small fit of laughter that caused the people to shift momentarily.
Further away, Luca heard the same synthetic laugh and felt a chill across his spine.
He turned and scratched the back of his hair.
'Is someone talking about me?'
*
*
*
A few minutes later, a group of 43 found themselves on another cement platform. Though much smaller than the former by a large margin.
When Luca looked ahead, he saw a vast clean field and in the middle of it, an iron, circuit-inbuilt mechanised Arch.
The Arch had inscriptions– symbols that hummed with a metallic red hue.
In its midsection, that same energy was channelled, but at a much lesser rate.
Luca tilted his head as he observed the contraption, attempting to use his Identification talent on it.
[ILLUSIONARY GATE– TRANCENDED WEAPON]
His eyes nearly bulged out.
'A Transcendent weapon right from the get-go? Did the Institution always have this kind of wealth?'
Luca was beginning to believe those promised resources weren't mere talk, and from his title, he knew he would need them more than anyone.
'Hah, now I need to get that first position. Screw holding back!'
Of course, he didn't mean that literally. After all, a short-term goal wasn't up to a long-term one and Luca could tell the difference. Even if he did things a step at a time, he still needed a safety net.
That didn't mean he would limit himself. In that moment, he decided to obtain the top ten position.
His thought process was immediately halted when a gust of wind blasted out and in front of him, an Instructor flew from the skies.
The Cadets gasped at the sight, watching with intrigue and excitement as she landed with a graceful edge.
The woman dusted her hair to the side with a swipe of her hand and proceeded to address the students.
"I see you worms have become bigger ones." She began, her stern brown eyes peering through the crowd as they instinctively froze up under her gaze.
"Raziel must not be doing his task properly."
She stopped at the centre of the group, occupying not just the space but their minds.
She had lush green hair and a uniform which had been tailored specifically for her lush figure. It had a long skirt with a slit that ran down from her knee and a military peak cap tilted to the side of her head.
Her presence seemed to take the whole room in a way that Instructor Raziel never did.
Luca could instinctively feel the difference in the air and aura.
'She's at least a Reckoner… no… maybe even an Invoker.'
Invokers were strong, no, they were extremely strong.
He wasn't certain since he refrained from using his Identification talent, but the feeling was enough.
'Reminds me of the Agents that came to round us up.' The thought resurfaced like the aftertaste of coffee. 'Shit, didn't I use Identification blatantly on those guys?'
"From here on out, I want you to forget everything you knew about the Trance or what you heard from your mummy or daddy about the Abyss."
Luca arched his brow while a few choked a laugh.
"You will be taken on a mock trip to a version of the Abyss where your task will truly begin."
A smirk grew across her otherwise flawless face and this instantly sent a shiver down the spines of the Cadets.
________
AUTHOR'S NOTE
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