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 with 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 stabilizing the ether flow.
He just 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 diffused 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 it 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 centre."
"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, 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 honour promises. If I ask him, he'll probably say he just helped me avoid elimination and reach the centre. 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, clutching 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 in a steady voice "I'll be back with the flag," and disappeared into the wide, shadowed tunnel.
Minutes later, he emerged with flag in hand.
They moved toward the centre. Lian glanced at his tiny screen at the map. "Heads up. Six people are waiting to ambush us when we get there. You can handle them right?"
"Sure. No problem," Kair replied, mask of confidence firmly in place.
The center came into view. It was a desolate, broken playground. Rusted swings swayed with the wind, some snapped and bent twisted by the passage of time. Grey grass crunched underfoot, brittle and dead, as though life had abandoned the place long ago. Trees stood skeletal, stripped of leaves, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky. A silence pressed down, heavy, almost suffocating, broken only by the distant echoes of their own steps.
Four figures erupted from the shadows, launching a coordinated attack.
But Lian and his team were ready. They had already marked enemy positions before even arriving. Not a single one caught them off guard.
Kair met the attack head-on. Four enemies at once—Sequence 1, middle stage, all Class C. Most of Class C were weak and predictable, but facing four simultaneously was no joke. He moved with deadly precision, striking at openings, exploiting every mistake, fighting with brutal efficiency. Yet exhaustion weighed him down, and no matter how sharp his strikes were, he couldn't seize a decisive upper hand against all four at once.
Meanwhile, Lian and Nox pressed toward the tower. Suddenly, a lone Class C student lunged from cover, wielding a crimson reaper scythe. He swung once, and the ground between Lian and Nox cracked violently, rippling with invisible shockwaves—ether frequencies colliding with the environment, distorting the very space itself.
Lian's eyes narrowed as he analysed the rune. This… is way too powerful for a mere 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 Crimson Reaper 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 must avoid the other guy at all costs, teeth clenched, Lian thought, calculating the battlefield in seconds. 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 with their runes making up for their lack of skill. Like a skilled wrestler facing a child with a gun— His black belt wont save him from the bullet.
Excluding the one Nox was fighting, only one remained. I just needed to get past him, Lian calculated.
Then something moved toward him.
A dry tumbleweed.
With legs.
Lian froze.
…Is this guy serious? That was the hiding method? I'd have to be blind to not 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.
Damn did this guy really dumped all his money into flashy attack runes for his squad completely ignoring stealth.
The tumbleweed burst open.
Inside was a student wrapped in an absurdly expensive-looking armour, 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 offence.. 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."
"Yea sorry man its my fault for being born rich and into a top clan" the guy said with a mocking tone.
When ever Lian tried to run away a water wall slammed down blocking his escape.
Lian analysed rapidly.
Armour is strong and heavy. He's slow as hell.
This one maxed defence.
The other guy Nox is fighting maxed offence.
A perfect idiot duo.
If I don't leave now, I'm dead, Lian thought. Once his teammate finishes with Nox and comes back, it's over.
Kair's still busy with four people. No backup 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 till now just to end up getting eliminated by Class C kids with daddy's credit card.
Lian had ran out of time, now he is all alone.
Two versus one.
Lian's jaw tightened.
The battlefield closed in around him.