Around fifteen cadets from different branches stepped out from the trees, surrounding Reol, Geno, and Selene. Their eyes glowed as their Manifestos hummed with energy, already activated.
Selene instinctively stepped back.
"Why are cadets from different branches here…?"
One of them scoffed.
"I refuse to let lowlife Honeybadgers pass the exam."
Another cadet stepped forward, spinning the twin axes in his hands.
"So we decided to beat the crap out of you."
Reol let out a small laugh. "Ahh… typical weaklings," he said mockingly. "Couldn't obtain a crystal, so now you're being spiteful."
He pulled out his bat, blue energy humming along its surface. Beside him, Geno's eyes darkened as his Manifesto formed into twin black daggers.
Reol rolled his shoulders.
"Geno, protect Selene and deal with the stragglers. I'll take care of these bozos."
Geno clicked his tongue. "I was already planning to do that," he muttered. "I did make a vow to protect her, remember? And don't get used to bossing me around, jackass."
Reol smirked. "Good. Then let's break some egos."
The cadets lunged.
*****
Back at headquarters, Terrisia watched the monitors in silence.
On the screen, Reol, Geno, and Selene stood surrounded by cadets from multiple branches, their Manifestos already drawn.
Fifteen against three.
Terrisia's eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the formation.
"So they finally decided to act," she murmured.
She studied the cadets circling them, their hostility obvious.
"Pathetic."
Her voice was calm, almost bored. "Unable to obtain crystals on their own, so they resort to mob tactics."
On the screen, Reol stepped forward with his bat while Geno positioned himself in front of Selene.
Terrisia's gaze lingered on them for a moment longer.
"Still…" she said quietly.
"Being targeted by the entire forest is the price of standing out."
Her eyes sharpened faintly. "If they can't survive something like this…"
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
"...then they were never worthy of passing my exam."
*****
Jack and Alicia returned to Xeno, his clothes worn from battle, though his injuries were only minor.
Both of them stopped short when they noticed the Strider was gone.
"D-don't tell me you actually beat that thing?!" Alicia asked, stunned.
Xeno calmly brushed the dust off his shoulder.
"Nah. It decided to leave, said it wants to kill me when I'm stronger or something like that. Though… it did whip my ass."
Jack burst out laughing. "Even Voletiles can tell you're a badass in the making!"
Xeno then glanced toward Alicia, noticing only a single crystal in her hand.
"Hey… what happened to the other one? Don't tell me someone stole it from you."
Alicia flicked her glasses upward with an annoyed expression.
"A certain musclehead decided to hand one over to some other cadets."
She shot Jack a sharp look.
Jack raised both hands defensively. "Hey, hey! Look, the green-haired guy put up a decent fight, so I figured I'd reward him with a crystal. We only need one anyway."
Xeno smiled faintly. "Very well. It's not like it hinders our success, so I'll let it slide."
He then turned and began walking.
"Now let's head to the rendezvous point and end this exam."
With that, the three of them moved through the forest, a single crystal in hand as they made their way toward the rendezvous point.
*****
Eren and his squad pushed through the forest toward the rendezvous point, the distant sounds of battle echoing faintly between the trees.
Then the ground trembled.
Shapes emerged from the undergrowth.
E-rank Voletiles.
One… two… then more.
They crawled and lurched from every direction, surrounding them.
Eren stared for a second before groaning.
"Seriously?!"
Fargo glanced around at the tightening circle. "What's the plan of action?"
Eren didn't hesitate.
"Run."
They bolted.
Branches snapped beneath their feet as they dashed through the forest, leaping over roots and ducking beneath low limbs while the Voletiles thundered after them.
A massive rock came crashing through the air.
Eren slid to the side just in time.
"Watch it!"
More stones tore through the canopy as the creatures gave chase.
Eren's eyes flashed as his Manifesto formed—his yoyos snapping into his hands.
With a sharp flick of his wrists, the threads shot out and wrapped around nearby tree trunks.
"Clear the path!"
He yanked hard.
Crack!
The trees tore loose and toppled backward, crashing down onto the pursuing Voletiles and blocking their advance beneath a storm of splintering wood.
But it only slowed them.
Milan sprang onto the fallen trunks with the agility of a cat.
Her eyes shifted as her Manifesto formed—a sleek spear of energy appearing in her hand.
She took one step forward and hurled it. The spear cut through the air like lightning.
Thunk!
It pierced straight through a Voletile's chest.
For a brief moment its core flickered—
Then shattered.
The creature dissolved into fading particles.
"Nice shot!" Fargo shouted.
But there was no time to celebrate.
More Voletiles were already climbing over the fallen trees.
Eren glanced back, clicking his tongue.
"They just don't quit!"
"Less talking!" Milan snapped. "Move!"
The squad pushed forward again, sprinting deeper into the forest toward the rendezvous point with the monsters still hunting them from behind.
*****
The clearing exploded into motion.
Steel, energy, and shouting all erupted at once.
Reol rushed forward first, his bat humming with blue energy as a cadet with twin axes charged to meet him.
Clang!
The bat collided with one of the axes, sparks and energy bursting between them. The second axe swung toward Reol's ribs, forcing him to twist aside.
"Tch—"
A kick followed immediately, slamming into Reol's side and sending him skidding across the dirt.
"Cocky bastard!" the axe wielder snarled.
Before Reol could regain footing, another cadet lunged in from the side, his Manifesto forming into a curved blade.
Reol raised his bat just in time.
Crack!
The impact rattled through his arms.
Three already.
"Figures," Reol muttered with a grin. "You guys only fight when the numbers are good."
Meanwhile—
Behind him, Geno moved like a shadow.
Two cadets rushed Selene at once who carried the crystal.
Geno stepped forward, his twin black daggers flashing.
Clink! Clink!
He parried both strikes in rapid succession before spinning and slashing across one attacker's chest.
The cadet staggered back but didn't fall. Another cadet came from behind.
Geno ducked as a hammer-like Manifesto smashed into the ground where his head had been.
The shockwave rippled through the dirt.
Selene stumbled back.
"S-sorry—!"
"Stay behind me," Geno said coldly, not even looking at her.
Three more cadets began circling him.
"Tch," Geno clicked his tongue."You guys really want to try this?"
One of them laughed. "Fifteen against three?"
His eyes glowed.
"You Honeybadgers are finished."
The attack came from every direction.
Blades, spears, axes—Manifestos flashing in the moonlight.
Geno deflected two strikes but a third clipped his shoulder, drawing blood.
Behind them—
Reol ducked under a swinging axe and drove his bat upward into a cadet's jaw.
Bam!
The cadet flew back into another, but neither stayed down for long.
Reol landed lightly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Man…"
He rolled his shoulder. "You guys are tougher than the Newborns."
More cadets closed in. One slammed a hammer into the ground, forcing Reol to leap back as the earth cracked beneath him.
Another thrust a spear toward his throat.
Reol barely tilted his head aside.The spear grazed his cheek, blood ran down his face.
Across the clearing, Geno kicked one cadet away and caught another's blade between his daggers.
Their eyes locked.
"You protecting that girl is slowing you down," the cadet sneered.
Geno's expression darkened. "Try touching her."
His daggers twisted—
Snap!
The enemy's blade shattered.
"And I'll end you, even if you a fellow Fortextile." He said.
But before Geno could follow up, another cadet slammed into him from the side.
He crashed into a tree, bark splintering.
Selene gasped.
"Geno!" Selene cried out.
More cadets stepped forward, surrounding them again. Reol looked over at Geno.
Geno looked back.
Both of them were breathing heavier now.
Fifteen opponents.None of them weak.
Reol smirked.
"Well…"
He rested the bat on his shoulder.
"This is getting interesting."
Across from them, the cadets tightened the circle, their Manifestos glowing brighter.
Selene stood behind the two boys, her hands trembling slightly.
The forest had gone quiet.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Then—
All fifteen cadets attacked at once.
The clearing erupted again.
Cadets surged forward from every direction, their Manifestos flashing through the trees like streaks of steel and light.
Reol met them head-on.
Clang!
His bat smashed against an incoming blade, the shock vibrating through his arms as he twisted and drove his elbow into the attacker's ribs. Another cadet swung a spear toward his legs forcing him to jump back.
"Tch… persistent, aren't you?" Reol muttered, rolling his shoulders.
But behind him—Geno's stance changed.
The casual irritation vanished from his face.
His breathing slowed. His daggers lowered slightly. Selene noticed it immediately. The air around him felt… colder. Three cadets rushed him together.
"Take the quiet one first!"
They lunged.
In the next second—
Geno vanished.
The first cadet blinked.
"What—"
A dark blur slipped past his shoulder.
Slash!
A clean cut ran across the back of his armor as Geno reappeared behind him, already moving.
Another cadet swung a hammer toward Geno's head.
Geno stepped inside the swing, his body almost brushing the attacker's chest.
His dagger flicked upward.
Clink.
The hammer's handle split.
Before the cadet could react, Geno drove his knee into the man's stomach and shoved him into another attacker.
Two bodies crashed together. A spear shot toward Geno's back.
Selene gasped.
"Behind you!"
Geno didn't even turn.
He leaned sideways at the last possible moment.
The spear passed his cheek by a hair.
His dagger flashed backward.
Clack.
The spear shaft snapped in half. The cadet holding it froze in shock.
Geno's eyes were cold.
"You talk too much."
His second dagger struck the man's wrist.
The Manifesto flickered.
The cadet dropped to his knees clutching his arm.
Two more attacked at once.One from the left. One from above.
Geno kicked off a tree trunk, flipping sideways between them like a shadow slipping through a crack.
Both attacks missed.
They collided with each other instead.
Thud!
Geno landed silently behind them.
Two quick strikes—
Slash! Slash!
Both cadets dropped. Across the clearing Reol noticed and grinned while blocking another axe.
"Oh wow."
Clang!
"Look at you actually working."
Geno didn't answer. He was already moving again.
He slipped through the battlefield like smoke between blades.
No wasted motion.No dramatic swings.
Just precise cuts, dodges, and redirections.
Selene watched in awe as she thought "
'Geno... he moves... almost like a ninja.... or assassin.'
One cadet tried to charge Selene directly.
Geno intercepted him mid-step.
The attacker barely saw him coming.
Crack.
Geno's elbow slammed into his throat before his dagger tapped the cadet's chest and shoved him back.
The man collapsed coughing.Selene stared wide-eyed.
"H-how are you moving like that…?"
Geno spoke calmly while scanning the battlefield.
"I'm not fighting them."
Another cadet rushed him.
Geno stepped aside and tripped him into a tree.
"I'm dismantling them."
Across the clearing Reol swung his bat in a wide arc.
Bam!
Two cadets flew backward.
Reol laughed as he stood atop fallen cadets with his bat on his shoulder.
"Man! You're getting scary over there!"
Geno finally glanced toward him.
"Focus."
Three remaining cadets hesitated now, their confidence cracking.
They looked at the fallen teammates scattered across the clearing.
One of the cadets whispered nervously.
"What the hell are these Honeybadgers…?"
Reol rested his bat lazily on his shoulder, the faint hum of blue energy vibrating through the metal.
Beside him, Geno twirled one of his daggers once before settling back into a low stance, the black blades catching the dim light.
To the cadets surrounding them, the two didn't look like fellow examinees anymore.
They looked like monsters standing in the shadows.
Behind them Selene swallowed.
The forest was silent again.
The last cadet ran away. "Those guys are frickin monsters!"
*****
Back at the headquarters Terrisia smirked faintly and thought 'Commander Zackery sure knows how to pick em.'