All five participants shook their heads, so the guild members stepped aside while the examinees drew lots to determine their paths.
Once each had taken their place, they focused forward, tension running high as they waited for Noah to announce the start.
"On your marks… set… go!"
At Noah's signal, the five competitors leapt forward at the same time, sprinting with all their strength.
"Requip wait, it doesn't work?"
Erza, who had tried to switch into armor suited for speed, suddenly realized she could not use her magic.
Mirajane and Sorano encountered the same problem. Mirajane had planned to gain flight using Satan Soul, while Sorano had intended to summon her Angel to assist her. Both attempted to activate their magic as soon as the race began, but nothing happened.
"Is this… a magic seal?"
The five, all too familiar with Noah's tricks, instantly recognized it as one of his obstacles. They pressed forward, every sense alert for sudden attacks.
Without warning, a barrage of ice daggers shot out from the forest ahead, streaking down each path toward them.
With magic suppressed, the examinees had no choice but to rely on their physical abilities jumping, rolling, twisting their bodies to evade the deadly barrage. Yet they also had to maintain speed, unable to slow down.
Just as they dodged the first wave, a second came, then a third.
The ice daggers weren't fired close to the ground; theoretically, they could have simply lain flat and avoided them. But none of the examinees would stoop to that. Each wanted victory, and each showcased impressive agility, weaving and leaping past the blades.
After five successive volleys, they finally broke through the sealed zone.
The four in front were unscathed, though their stamina and focus were already taxed. Simon, however, wasn't as fortunate. His larger frame made him less nimble. Unable to avoid the last volley, he blocked with his arm. A dagger slashed across it, drawing blood.
"Brother!"
Kagura cried out anxiously. Simon waved his hand without looking back, pressing on despite the wound. Kagura could only watch his retreating back with worried eyes.
The moment they left the magic-sealed area, their abilities returned. The five wasted no time.
"Requip! Flight Armor!"
"Satan Soul: Full Body!"
"Angel Summoning: Flying Angel!"
"Ice-Make: Floor!"
Erza, Mirajane, and Sorano all gained the ability to fly, soaring forward at blinding speed into the forest canopy. Lyon conjured a long, slick path of ice beneath his feet and sped along it like a skater.
Simon alone had no efficient means of acceleration. His darkness magic could manifest wings, but at an immense drain of power, so he chose instead to rely on his legs.
Watching from the beach, Noah raised his right hand. Five glowing projections appeared overhead, displaying the competitors from an angled view, along with the terrain around them.
No sooner had they entered the forest than their bodies suddenly sank, nearly slamming into the ground.
All three flyers just barely managed to stabilize themselves before crashing.
"This is Noah's gravity magic."
They recognized it immediately gravity manipulation, one of Noah's specialties during training.
Erza and Mirajane bore the strain best, their expressions hardly shifting, bolstered by their superior physical conditioning.
Sorano, however, faltered under the weight. Her movements stiffened, her face tightening as she struggled to withstand the oppressive pull.
Lyon, who had just entered the area, also felt his body sink under the pressure, but his reaction was far calmer than Sorano's. He only tensed slightly, showing little strain.
"!!!"
Erza, who had barely stabilized herself, suddenly sensed a surge of magic power gathering beneath her. She immediately dodged to the side.
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground, shooting skyward with explosive force. One hit would have been devastating.
"A trap…"
After avoiding the strike, Erza scanned the path ahead carefully, adjusting her trajectory. She veered to the front left, then shifted again to the right, weaving through the danger.
Mirajane noticed Erza's caution but only smiled and shook her head. Without hesitation, she suddenly accelerated forward.
But almost instantly, a prickling current surged from the soles of her feet up to her head. A wave of danger coursed through her.
She reacted on instinct, rolling sideways in midair.
A massive lightning pillar blasted upward from the earth, crackling with terrifying power.
Had Mirajane been a heartbeat slower, she would have been struck likely knocked unconscious and eliminated on the spot. Even if she had remained conscious, the injuries would have been crippling for the rest of the exam.
Breaking into a cold sweat, Mirajane no longer underestimated Noah's traps. She obediently copied Erza's cautious movements, advancing slowly and staying alert for sudden triggers.
After witnessing her close call, Sorano and Lyon also abandoned any thought of rushing ahead. They began observing carefully, avoiding traps whenever possible, or preparing to defend with magic if there was no other choice.
Simon, entering last, noticed the other four slowing their pace and realized what was happening. He followed their example, carefully studying the ground.
Thanks to his strong physical build and natural endurance, the gravity field hindered him little. He quickly caught up with the group and advanced alongside them.
Together, the five moved forward cautiously, constantly dodging or neutralizing traps.
Mirajane, hot-tempered as ever, cursed loudly at the unseen culprit while evading one ambush after another.
Back at the starting point, every guild member turned to stare at Noah. His magic projections not only displayed the examinees' images but also transmitted their voices.
Naturally, he heard Mirajane's sharp complaints. His face darkened, already thinking about when he would give her "special training" later, to show her the consequences of insulting him.
Still, no one could really blame her. Noah's traps were relentless and devious layered arrays of different elements, even chained sequences set to trigger one after another.
Mirajane had only just escaped one trap when a cluster of others activated nearby. Countless branches shot upward from the ground, nearly ensnaring her before she twisted free.
And it didn't end there. The deeper they went, the more varied and brutal the attacks became: glowing bullets of light, spears of ice, whips of trees, jagged rock lances, arcs of lightning. The traps and assaults came in endless waves, forcing the examinees into a constant frenzy of evasions.
At last, Erza, aided by her arsenal of Requip armors, was the first to break out of the trap zone. But by then, even she had drained a great deal of stamina and magic power.
....
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