Tournament Day 2.
Cheers could be heard from Arena Three.
At the arena field, Justin chased his opponent around, clad in standard combat gear.
The ground shook in a small radius as he slammed his Great Hammer continuously.
His opponent barely dodged most strikes with a boost of wind, visibly panting and sweating.
Max was watching on a screen from the preparation room, already changed into his gear tracksuit. "Man, this match is completely one-sided."
"Sure is." Alex arrived.
Max's head turned towards her, then back at the display mounted on the wall. "Thought you'd be here sooner."
"Ed's got a match at Arena Two. Visited him before coming here."
Alex stopped beside him, eyes on the display.
"You're up next, against Finn. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, I'm excited," Max replied with a confident grin, right hand clenched into a fist.
Alex raised an eyebrow, arms crossed.
"Did you do your research on him?"
"Well... only the basics like his weapon and gear stats," he replied.
She sighed.
"Do you have any plans to beat him?"
Max scratched the back of his head.
"To be honest... not really."
Alex palmed her face.
"You're definitely losing."
"And how are you so sure?"
"Remember I told you about sync rate a while ago?" Alex asked.
Max blinked.
"Yeah... What about it?"
"Finn is exceptional at managing his sync rate. I almost envy him," Alex said.
"On top of that, he's a precision brawler with a custom gear like yours. He'll definitely kick your ass."
"Well then, how do I counter him?"
"It's not so simple. You'll have to throw like seven different problems at him so he gets lost in the chaos and his gear's nervous system fails to respond."
Max blinked again.
"That sounds hard."
"Because it is! The only other option is to respond to his brute force with more brute force."
"I can do brute force."
"If only you had enough to surpass his!"
The audience suddenly burst out in cheers.
Both their eyes snapped back to the display.
Justin's opponent slammed into the perimeter wall.
"And our winner is Justin Juan!" the announcer screamed.
The arena erupted.
Medics rushed into the field.
Justin turned and walked back, carrying his hammer in one hand.
Kyoya was watching from the executive suite.
His friends sitting around him were busy laughing the entire match.
"Bro, that poor dude got crushed. I feel so bad for him."
Kyoya chuckled. "A cat chasing a mouse. More funny than exciting."
"Some people don't even deserve to be in the A ranks."
Justin returned to the preparation room.
Finn was preparing inside.
Zen was standing just to his right, leaning against the wall.
Finn waved at Justin.
"Congrats on winning your opening match."
Justin retracted his gear and weapon as he walked by Finn.
"Should've picked a stronger opponent."
"Good luck with yours."
He didn't even look at Zen before leaving.
"Thanks," Finn said right as Justin left the room.
Zen straightened up.
"He's surprisingly polite when speaking with you."
Finn shrugged.
"Yeah, we get along pretty well, which he doesn't with most people."
He pulled out a silver pocket watch. The lid clicked open, revealing a fully functional digital interface.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a fashion item. But from the inside, it was a gear housing unit.
Resilient Knight deployed.
Finn adjusted his gauntlets.
"What's the plan?" Zen asked.
"Playing the long game," Finn replied.
"See if I can exhaust his energy reserves just like Alex did with Sarah."
"I don't think that'll work this time," Zen said.
"Though I've only been around your friend a few times by chance, I can tell he has an unusually strong elemental signature."
"Well, what do you recommend?"
Zen closed his eyes, thinking.
"Just punch him hard. He doesn't seem like someone with high endurance."
Finn laughed, shaking his head.
"That's not the type of advice I expected coming from you."
Zen shrugged.
"Might work in this case."
An announcement came through the system.
"Attention: Next match will begin shortly. Combatants, please enter the arena."
Max's ears perked up.
"Alright. Let's do this!"
He pulled out an off-white sports headband from his pocket, a plain and simple accessory.
He strapped it around his scalp, then focused.
The headband shimmered, and pale nanoparticles spilled out, crawling over and covering his entire gear tracksuit.
Iridescent Tundra formed.
Max's longsword materialized in his hand.
He gripped it firmly and turned towards the hallway.
"Best of luck. You'll need it," Alex said.
Max nodded, then headed out.
Alex followed behind till the field perimeter.
Up at the executive suite, Cassie, Viara, Julianna, and Saya were observing.
Saya was analyzing the data from the last fight.
"Who's Finn fighting?"
"Alex's friend, Max," Cassie replied.
Max entered the field.
Finn entered from the opposite side while Zen waited at the perimeter.
"And now, we are entering the third match of the group stage, tournament day two," said the cheerful announcer. "We have, first year section two A-rank number twelve, Finn Morrison!"
"And on the other side, first year section one A-rank number fifteen, Max Elliot Bennett!"
"A non-elemental versus an elemental! Oh, but both sides are using custom combat gear."
"For fairness and safety reasons, customs gears are limited to seventy percent power output."
"This will be fun! Best of luck to both!"
Saya's tablet scanned Max's gear, showing all the accessible stats.
"So that's Iridescent Tundra…"
"Madoka's not here?" Viara asked.
"She has a match at Arena One," Julianna replied.
Finn and Max walked forward until they were standing face-to-face.
Finn smiled and extended his fist.
"Let the best Warrior win."
Max bumped his fist with a competitive smile.
"Don't go easy on me."
"I won't."
Both walked back until they were five meters apart, then turned to face each other.
Finn loaded his fists.
Max's grip tightened on his sword.
He took a stance.
Thin layers of frost formed around his sword and gear as if almost failing to contain excessive energy. Sunlight reflected off his gear in faint colors of green, red, blue, purple, and violet.
The crowd chanted as the mega screen began the countdown.
"Five… Four… Three… Two… One…"
"FIGHT!"
Max dashed forward in a blink.
Finn did too.
Max swung his longsword straight at Finn's neck.
Finn covered his head with his arms.
A GONG sound echoed.
The sword hit the gauntlets. The layer of ice on the blade shattered off.
Finn staggered back.
Max followed with another.
Finn ducked and dashed forward, landing a punch on Max's abdomen.
Max slid backwards.
Finn charged without hesitation.
He aimed a heavy punch.
Max blocked with his sword.
He followed with more, fast!
Punch after punch after punch.
Four! Five! Six!
Max blocked in unison while stepping back.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Each block scattered ice dust in the air.
The force of the punches made his shield tick down.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 96%"
"93%"
"89%"
Finn pushed him back with a kick, then charged again.
Max picked up the pace.
He swung to counterattack.
Both got locked into a chain of punches, kicks, swings, dodges, and parries, never letting the other land a strike.
"Finn is dangerous in hand-to-hand combat," Julianna observed.
"Resilient Knight hits like a truck," Saya said with a smile.
Max parried Finn and followed up with an upswing.
Finn's armor took contact, throwing him back.
His shield sparked.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 83%"
"SYNC RATE: 88%"
He reloaded his fists, bouncing on his heels.
"That's one sharp sword."
Max regained his stance, catching his breath.
"Thanks. The frost layer helps."
"Your punches hurt too. My shield's already at 56%."
Finn chuckled.
"You shouldn't say that out loud to your opponents, you know."
Max took a second to process.
"Uh… right."
Finn dashed forward.
Max sent ice crawling on the ground, turning it slippery.
Finn jumped and aimed a punch at Max.
Max reacted late and rolled to his left, barely dodging.
Finn's punch tore into the layer of ice.
It shattered, shaking the ground lightly.
Max got back up, channeled, then spun and threw three rapid ice slashes at Finn that broke into dozens of ice shards mid-air.
Finn put his arms in front in an X shape.
A visible barrier formed.
The shards rained down and exploded on his barrier, surrounding him in a cold fog.
His shield ticked down badly.
"SHIELD INTEGRITY: 47%"
He sprinted out of the fog towards Max.
"You gonna stop anytime soon or what?"
Max threw another slash.
More ice shards rained down.
Finn didn't stop.
He rapidly punched one shard after another on his way through.
Max did an upswing on the ground.
A trail of ice crawled fast towards Finn and then immediately formed into a spike pointed at him.
Finn quickly sidestepped and punched the spike into dust.
Max dashed back, raised his sword, and channeled again.
"All in!"
The blade glowed white as layers of ice formed on it, getting heavier each second.
Zen's words echoed in Finn's mind.
"Just punch him hard."
His jaw tightened.
"Alright…"
Sync rate shot up!
"92%, 99%, 100%!"
His gauntlet charged up with three heavy metallic bursts.
Max swung his sword at full strength.
"Here…"
Finn jumped in the air.
"We…"
Both groaned.
"GO!"
The swing met the punch!
A loud GONG echoed.
Then BOOM!
Ice exploded!
A heavy mist shot out in all directions like an avalanche!
Zen stood arms crossed as the icy mist rushed toward him.
He didn't move.
The layers of ice and snow crashed into the invisible perimeter force field in front of him.
The force field protected the audience.
Cassie, Viara, Julianna, Saya, Kyoya—all of them stood up.
The audience held their breath.
"Whoa! What just happened?"
"Who won?"
"I can't see a thing."
Alex's eyes narrowed.
Zen stared at the mist, waiting for it to clear.
Thirty whole seconds passed as the mist slowly faded.
The field was finally visible again, covered in patches of shattered ice and snow.
Max lay on the ground, still gripping his sword, breathing heavily.
A few meters away, Finn was on his knees, already trying and struggling to get back up.
Max checked his shield.
"9%" blinking red.
Finn checked his.
"7%"
He pushed himself back up and walked over to Max, panting.
"Hey, you good?"
Max let out a breathless laugh.
"I give up. I can't move."
A dialogue box popped up on his gear HUD.
"Surrender?"
"Yes/No"
"Yes…" Max murmured.
The mega screen updated, showing Max eliminated.
Cheers erupted!
"And Finn Morrison STANDS VICTORIOUS!"
Finn kneeled and extended a hand.
"Here, get up."
Max grabbed on.
Finn pulled him up.
Both took a second to catch their breath, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Zen and Alex smirked, shaking their heads.
At the director's office, Stelle watched on the wall-mounted display.
Sayuri was also present.
"Shall I write his name down?"
Stelle leaned back in her chair, considering, then nodded.
"Max Elliot Bennett… Seems like the recommendation letter was correct."
"He has high potential. Canada made a good investment."
Cassie, Viara, Julianna, and Saya exited the arena.
"That was an epic fight!" Viara exclaimed.
"Yeah. This is the first time I've watched Finn fight. I'm impressed," Cassie said.
"So, what are you guys up to next?" Saya asked.
"I'll be heading to the training ground gear hanger," Cassie replied.
"I have a match tomorrow, and my gear needs some maintenance."
"Same. I have to prepare as well," Julianna said.
"I could help. I specialize in that field," Saya offered.
Cassie hesitated, then smiled.
"You know what, I'll take all the help I can get."
Viara led the way.
"Let's go."
Zen and Finn were waiting at the arena gate.
"You sure you're okay?" Zen asked.
"You could take care of maintenance later, you know."
Finn was stretching his arms.
"Yep, I'm fine. I just want to get my gear maintenance done with for the next fight."
Madoka finally arrived.
Finn waved at her.
"How did your match go?"
"It went fine," she replied.
Zen looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
"You look quite unhappy, though."
"Because I am," she said, flat.
"You didn't come to watch my match."
Zen smirked.
"What do you think I'll enjoy in watching you decimate your opponents?"
Madoka smirked back.
"Fair point."
The three started towards the training grounds.
As they walked, a voice called,
"Hey! Finn."
Finn stopped and turned.
Max, Edric, and Alex were right behind.
Finn gave Max a high-five.
"Still having trouble walking?"
"A little. The nurse healed me just enough."
"What about you?"
"I also got some much-needed healing from the nurse."
"You two went all out in a group stage matchup," said Edric.
Finn laughed.
"Yeah…"
"How did things go for you?"
Edric adjusted his glasses.
"Didn't stand a chance against me."
All of them walked towards the training grounds together.
Alex looked at Zen.
"Zen Fuyukawa, correct?"
Zen didn't look at her.
"Finn told you about me?"
"I would know even if he didn't," she said. "The whole damn academy knows about you at this point."
"Being the brother of a top S-rank, and then the demo match against Princess Lysandra."
"I don't mean to be rude, but you're quite infamous because of that restroom incident."
"People talk poorly about you, but then also envy you for your social connections with some of the highest-ranking students of the academy."
Zen's expression didn't change.
"I don't care what others say about me."
"I have better things to do."
Alex chuckled.
"I love the fact that you don't give a shit."
A short walk later, they reached the training ground gear hangers.
The hall was lined with stalls of gear hangers like mini workshops. Some had gear standing in them while students conducted repairs and modifications before and after matches.
Saya noticed everyone approaching. "Looks like the whole gang is here."
"We're here for maintenance."
Edric deployed his gear in the second stall—a standard gear.
Max deployed his in the first stall, Finn in the third, and Madoka in the sixth.
"Well, feel free to call me if you need help," Saya said.
"Will do," Finn replied.
Everyone became busy with replacing and cleaning parts of their gear.
Madoka sharpened her katana.
Cassie checked the string of her staff's arrow launcher.
Saya helped fix some wiring, software bugs, and glitches.
Max was scratching his head, wondering why his gear's segmented armor piece kept popping out of its slot.
Saya took a look. Turns out there was a small piece of ice stuck inside.
Zen and Viara were standing a few feet away, leaning against a wall, watching.
Alex was helping Max.
"I'll go get some drinks for everyone."
Madoka raised her hand.
"I'll have a Pepsi."
Julianna gave her a side eye.
"Coke tastes way better."
"Black coffee," Cassie said.
Everyone named their preferred drink.
"Monster."
"Red Bull."
"Iced Tea."
Alex looked at Zen, waiting for him to name his drink.
Zen stayed silent for a few seconds, then finally spoke.
"Chocolate milkshake."
Alex gave him a thumbs-up before leaving for the cafeteria. Edric tagged along to help her.
While everyone was busy working, Zen's eyes were constantly scanning the hall and the training field outside.
He had been since he arrived with the group, noticing a few men in black patrolling the entire training ground.
"That's unusual," he murmured.
Viara heard him, however.
She stayed silent for now, fiddling with her fingers and debating something internally.
"Hey, Zen..." she finally called, her voice low.
Zen looked at her.
"I uh... wanted to talk to you about something," she said.
"I'm listening," Zen said.
"Hypothetical question, umm... Those bandits who attacked us… Do you think the report could be false? And there could be... a bigger picture behind it?" she asked.
Zen didn't answer immediately.
He looked up at the ceiling, thinking.
"It's possible."
Viara's ears perked up.
"Really?"
"Then, why weren't we told about it?"
Zen exhaled. "The academy can't conclude without proof."
"Right now, it's a suspicion. The academy is actively working to ensure student safety. So don't worry."
Zen looked back at her.
"What made you think that, though?"
Viara looked away, embarrassed.
"Well... Kyoya found out about this... through my behavior. We had a discussion."
"I'm sure you've noticed the extra guards around the academy. That's his doing."
Zen's eyes shifted to the floor.
"I see."
"I'd be lying if I said I already didn't know," he thought.
Both stood there in silence for a minute.
Then Zen spoke again.
"I heard that you've been struggling to hold your weapon."
Viara nodded.
"I've been trying to figure things out."
Zen sighed. "You know, even though you have forgiven me, I haven't been able to forgive myself for arriving late that night."
"So, I would like to help you in your recovery, if you don't mind."
Viara blinked, surprised.
"Umm... Sure. It wouldn't hurt, I suppose."
Zen straightened up.
"Follow me."
Viara followed behind.
They headed out to the open training field while others were busy.
Cassie noticed them leave, but didn't try to follow or stop them.
Only a few students were at the training field.
Zen and Viara found a quiet corner far enough not to draw attention.
Zen had grabbed two wooden swords on the way.
"I have a practical method in mind that might help."
He handed one sword to Viara.
"Let's start small. Try holding this."
Viara gripped the sword with both hands. But she was constantly adjusting her fingers.
Zen observed her hands, noticing that they were already sweating.
"Feeling uncomfortable?"
Viara nodded.
He grabbed the sword back from her.
"Go ahead and rub your hands against the ground."
Viara hesitated, but eventually complied.
"...Okay."
She kneeled, rubbed both hands on the soil, and got back up.
She stared at the palms that were now dirty but dry.
Zen handed her the sword again.
She tried gripping them. Her grip was strong this time.
"That... feels better."
Zen held his sword up horizontally.
"Good. Now try some swings."
Viara took a stance.
"Alright."
Her left foot took a step forward, and she swung vertically, hitting the other sword. But it felt weak.
"Try again," Zen said.
She reset her stance, then swung again. Still weak.
"Again."
She complied and swung, over and over again, as many times as Zen said.
Twelve swings later, Viara stopped.
"I don't think it's working."
Zen lowered his sword.
"Here's an idea. Try channeling your anger against those bandits that hurt you that night."
Viara's face fell.
"I don't know how to."
Zen sighed. He paused, thinking.
"Let me ask you something. What did I do to that bandit who dared to hurt you?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, you... punched him into a wall, stomped on his leg over and over again before kicking him in the face and knocking him out."
"Answer honestly. Do you think he deserved it?"
"I... don't know. I feel like you overdid it a little."
Zen crossed his arms.
"I'm glad you can speak your mind."
"Now, let me give you a lesson I learned the hard way."
He pointed his sword at her.
"If your enemy shows no mercy towards you, then they don't deserve yours until they're begging for it."
"If you don't give those people a dose of their own medicine, they'll never learn."
"And just think about how many they would hurt to achieve their goals."
"So, I'll ask you again. Do you think he deserved it?"
Viara shut her eyes. Her grip on her sword hardened.
Zen's eyes narrowed.
"Answer me."
Viara's jaw tightened.
"Do you think he deserved it?"
"Yes!" she snapped.
"Yes, he did! He deserved every bit of it! He disgusts me!"
Zen raised his sword again.
"Now... give him a taste of his own medicine."
Viara instantly took her stance.
One deep breath, and her left foot took a step forward.
She swung at full force. The wooden sword erupted in flames mid-strike.
CRACK!
The sword in Zen's hand broke into two pieces with a crunch.
Viara stared at the broken sword in his hand, then her eyes shifted to the sword in her hand, now on fire.
Her brain took a second to process, then she gasped and dropped her sword.
The fire grew the moment the sword touched the ground, and consumed it into ashes.
Viara stared at the palms of her hands, unable to find words.
Zen threw away the broken sword.
"That's all for today. We'll keep practicing."
"Fear is part of being a warrior," Zen said as he walked by.
"What matters is how you overcome it."
Viara stood there in silence, staring at her palms as Zen walked away.
They were clean now.
The soil and dust had burnt away.
She slowly clenched them into fists, her voice a whisper,
"Show them no mercy, until they are begging for it."
The industrial zone was still at night.
Nearly two weeks after the old warehouse was raided, it actually looked like an abandoned facility this time.
Or at least, it did on the surface.
Behind a heavy, rusty metal door, down the staircase lay the warehouse basement—originally designed to preserve raw goods at a controlled temperature, with a narrow drain on one side to carry the waste.
The original purpose abandoned, previously used as a criminal hideout, and raided once, this place had changed significantly.
The room was as clean as it needed to be.
Four small sleeping bags alongside a few boxes of canned food and bottles of water could be seen in one corner.
At another corner, Andreas had stacked a few wooden boxes for a makeshift table and turned it into a functioning workshop.
Spare parts for Hector's guns lay scattered alongside necessary hardware.
At the opposite corner, Hector had done the same with wooden boxes to set up his electronics.
A custom high-end laptop, spare hard drives, a second monitor, a portable router, a signal booster, a small server unit he had assembled from individual parts bought locally, and most importantly, a small notebook for writing down the most critical and sensitive information he always kept close.
The last corner was left empty for flexible use.
The center of the room was a large, clean space.
Outside, the only sounds were dogs barking and bugs minding their own business.
In an environment where even a water drop could be heard from meters away, Kageri kept the sound of her footsteps suppressed as she walked.
She checked her surroundings before entering the warehouse and approaching the metal door.
But right as she was about to open it, she paused.
Inside, faint noises of movement and groaning could be heard.
She sighed before carefully opening the door with minimal noise, slipping in, and closing it behind her.
Kuroha and Andreas were sparring at the center of the room.
Hector was quietly working on his laptop.
Kuroha threw punches with practiced precision while Andreas blocked each with his arms.
Even though Kuroha's slender figure didn't make her look the strongest, her attacks carried more than enough force to stagger Andreas back continuously, even though hand-to-hand combat was his domain.
Kuroha smiled confidently as she continued her assault—
"You're no fun, Andy."
—then jumped and threw a kick at Andreas, which he blocked with his arms but still sent him sliding back.
Kageri walked down the staircase.
"Keep it down, you two, will you?"
Kuroha giggled, stretching like a cat who had just woken up from a nap.
"I was just bored. It's really disappointing that no one here can match me."
"Then go out and find someone else who can," Kageri said.
Andreas sat down and grabbed a bottle of water.
"Well…" Kuroha rolled her eyes, hands clasped behind her back.
"There is someone who can… but you won't like to hear his name, and he doesn't take me seriously enough."
"I'm not surprised."
Kageri walked by, then turned around.
"If you want someone to take you seriously, then you'll have to make them."
Her eyes narrowed with disdain.
"And I have just the task for you, where ignoring you is not an option for him."
"Got something?" Andreas asked.
"Their next move," Kageri replied.
"They have failed to capture their targets twice outside their den."
"This time, they are planning to invade the den itself."
Andreas raised an eyebrow.
"Bold move."
Hector got up from his chair and walked over, chuckling like he was silently waiting for this exact moment. "Then we don't need to continue stumbling over more missing person reports."
He tossed a pen drive to Kageri.
"Just find me a way into the system. I'll handle the rest."