"Akisada. Drop us off where the class can't see us, please." "Yes master." We landed behind the building. "Akisada, you may now return." Akisada vanished into the air. "Let's hurry." I said to them. We rushed to the training ground. It had bleachers on the far end sides facing opposite. Brown ground, a huge circle was marked inside, which was for combat.

The class was standing in front of a 6-foot-tall man with pale skin, black hair, brown eyes, round earrings, and a muscly figure. He turned to us with a smile and said, "Calm down; you're not late." He said to us. We reached him panting, trying to catch our breath. "You must be Akarui, Kaede, Sakura, and Akira! Mr. Musashi informed me you guys were on a mission. Great job! I was worried when they said you had to kill a level 400 Cyclops, with an army, a dragon, and 2 other rogues. Please. Join the class. Over there." We walked behind the crowd with Sakura leaning in towards Akira. "He seems nice."

"Yeah." Akira replied. We stood behind the class. Mr. Sigan cleared his throat and announced, "First clap for Akarui, Kaede, Sakura, and Akira for completing their mission and defeating 2 rogues, a level 400 Cyclops with an armada and a dragon. On their first day."

The class first stood silent, staring at us. Then they applauded. A bit of pride filled me. Warming me up. The applauds stopped. Mr. Sigan continued, "Well, I am going to host a single elimination tournament for this class! The billboard should have the order the matches take place and the pair fighting in them. Take a look now."

"Ok! Let's see who we are fighting." Kaede said cheerfully, walking to the huge billboard. "Well, we'll see." Sakura, who was warming herself up by punching the air, answered.

We looked at the billboard; it said Round 1 Pairs:

1. Luke De Angelo vs. Robin James

2. Kaede Yoshida vs. Naoko Ishimoto

3. Ren Nakamura vs. Akarui Hikaru

4. Jao Pedro vs. Noah Maxwell

5. Hiroshi Suzuki vs. Satoshi Sato

6. Kenji Watanabe vs. Daichi Tanaka

7. Yui Takahashi vs. Aiko Kato

8. Izumi Kinoshita vs. Chika Nishimura

9. Makoto Yamaguchi vs. Atsushi Yamashita

10. Reina Okada vs. Sayaka Morita

"Hmm. Who here is Ren Nakamura?"

"Me." I turned next to me to see a boy who looked my age, black hair, dark brown eyes, dark as a black hole, but skin bright as the sun; his hair was spikey like a hedgehog around 5 foot 8 inches. My height.

He closed the distance between me and him. Jeez. I should say something.

"Sup?" I asked him to try and lighten the mood.

He said in a serious tone but with a smile staring right into my soul, "Let's first make it clear I won't go easy on you just because you are a newbie."

I took a step towards him, staring back right into his eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way..."

Mr. Sigan announced, "Everyone take a seat! Luka De Angelo and Robin James at the center of the circle to fight."

Robin James was 5 feet 7; had messy brown hair, yellow eyes, and had a long iron pole. Luka De Angelo was 5 feet 9; had dark blue eyes, dark blue long hair, and had a trident. They moved to the center, each one staring at each other like lifeless robots.

Mr. Sigan announced the rules: "The rules are:

You have to either make your opponent unable to move/knock them out of the circle/knock them out cold. When you knock your opponent out cold or make them unable to move. You have to stay awake/stay moving for 10 seconds to be declared the winner, or that's a tie. Same with losing; you have to stay immobile or unconscious for 10 seconds.

You are allowed to physically attack, for example, by punching.

If you accidentally step out... you lose. Start the countdown!"

The class counted down,

"10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1! Begin!"

I want to observe their moves. I used all sight to slow down their movements. Robin had a good amount of aura. I looked at Luka. He had little to none. Is he a Mage? Mages don't have or have a little amount of aura. Robin closed the distance by lunging in, raising his pole up, and quickly starting to lower it. "Take this!" Luka De Angelo didn't move at all. "Is he crazy? Why isn't he moving?" Kaede asked.

"Watch and learn."

Luka swung his trident towards Robin, releasing ice shards at him. Robin broke them by slashing them, one by one. "You are strong." Robin said. "I know." Luka answered with the same blank expression. "Charge." Robin held his long 1-meter pole by its end and pointed it to Luka. Electricity started to build up. It launched itself towards Luka.

Akira elbowed me, "This is getting interesting!"

"I know right!"

Luka made a ball of water; it absorbed the electricity. Luka turned 360 degrees and shot it back to Robin.

"This is bad," Robin spoke to himself. He shot another huge ball of electricity, which disintegrated the water right before it hit him.

"Hmm, what do I do with you?" Luka smiled, "You are good."

"Thanks dude." Robin said while rubbing his back. "Well, let's continue."

Robin ran towards Luka. Luka, who was also running, swung his hands, summoning a curving wave that froze for Luka to run on. Luka jumped off with a back right on Robin. Robin moved his pole on top of his head, blocking Luka. Luka jumped off the pole. Robin swung his pole. Luke swung his trident. They collided with each other, creating a blast of wind, blowing them away. Robin was about to fall off the circle. Luka summoned an ice wall, saving Robin from elimination. "I am not winning that easily!"

"Neither am I!" Why did he save me?

"The dance of lightning." He started to swing his pole, turning round and round like a top spinner. Electricity started building up on his body slowly. Eventually his entire body was a spinning LED light bulb. He started to dash (while still spinning like a glowing top spinner) towards Luka. Luka raised his torch, creating an ice wall blocking the attack. Robin continued from different angles, sometimes left, sometimes right, from above, speeding up with every hit. Robin finally shattered a wall, hitting Luka. Luka got electrocuted. Luka's hair stood up on the ends.

Electricity still appeared in Luka's body, which made him lose his balance while standing up again with his trident. A creepy smile appeared on his face. Robin was still spinning a bit.

"Bro? you good?" Robin asked loudly.

"Yes! Thank you for your consideration." Luka replied with his creepy smile still plastered on his face.

"Pinnacle." Luka muttered. Water shaped like spikes appeared from the ground, making their way to Robin, freezing into ice. Robin held his pole like a javelin. Electricity started to build up. The pole made a lightning bolt exoskeleton. He then made the motion of throwing it without releasing the pole. Instead of the pole, the exoskeleton lightning bolt was released. It destroyed the ice pinnacles and struck Luka in the chest.

"Did Mr. Poseiden lose?" Sakura asked Akira.

"Wait till the last second." Akira answered, watching eagerly.

Luka lost his balance and fell, with a hole in his shirt. He grumbled. He muttered while slowly moving his hands, "Unify." Ice started to build up on his bare chest. It started to sink in his body. His dark blue long hair turned light blue with fragments of ice attached to some of his hair strands. His veins turned ice blue. His trident's 3 pointy tips had ice on them. He spun his trident faster and faster with every rotation.

"Look who came back from the dead!" Robin exclaimed, rubbing his hands in excitement. "Bye, bye!" He tucked his pole away in a pouch on his back. He made lighting extend in between his middle and ring finger, making dual blades. "Look who copied Denji!" Luka pointed out. "I know I know. I am a huge fan of Chainsaw Man!" Robin moved so quickly it looked like he was lighting, "Ahhhhhhh!" Robin screamed. His shirt got torn off.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Well, this is getting interesting, right, Kaede!"

"Mhm!" Kaeda mumbled, locked in focus.

Luka raised the trident; Robin swung his arms, blades, or whatever you want to call it. They clashed. Robin kept attacking at different angles. Luka was locked in. He looked a bit worried though. Luka jumped backwards and dashed back at Robin. He summoned a wave that froze that went over Robin but didn't touch the other side. Luka quickly slid on the frozen wave. He jumped, twisted back, facing Robin's back, and swung his trident, releasing ice shards towards Robin.

Electricity surged through Robin, creating a mini shockwave. Breaking all the ice. Blowing Luka in the air. Luka made an ice road connecting from the ground, which went up to him, curved downwards, and connected next to the beginning.

"They are just going back and forth!" I said, slouching on the seat, my hands on my head, yawning.

Robin's blades expanded, and four more grew in the middle of his index, middle fingers, and between his ring and baby fingers. (That is 2 extra on each hand.) Lightning blades also grew on his back, shoulder, and between his eyes. The electrical flow through Robin increased. With more electricity flowing on his skin.

Luka exclaimed, "Nice makeover. Can we fight now?" Robin screamed, "Of course!"

Robin lunged towards Luka. Luka raised his blue trident, "Dome." A huge dome materialized and covered the circle. "No way! A dome?" The dome froze, but it was transparent so we could see what was going on inside. A huge snowstorm suddenly appeared inside, freezing everything inside. "Cold dragons. Dome enhancement." Dragons made of ice started appearing, flying towards Robin. Robin kept breaking them by slashing them quickly. "Subzero barrage. Dome enhancement." Ice pillars quickly kept materializing from the roof of the dome and quickly extended to Robin and retracting. Like it was punching no stop, except from all sides. Robin bent down and cast a protective electrical barrier, which kind of blocked the barrage. "Is that all you got?" Robin taunted jokily. "I think so?" Luka responded, emotionless.

Robin found an opening in the barrage and rolled to the gap. "Hah." He started running around with the barrage chasing right behind him. What is he doing? Luka looked confused.

"What is Luka even doing? Why is he being a brainless NPC? Is he that one NPC who has the most overpowered skill in a game but still aims it 25 kilometres away from the target?" Sakura asked.

"Shh. Let him cook." Akira responded.

"But he isn't cooking well..."

"Everyone has to wait for a good meal."

Robin started running faster and faster. Eventually he ran all 360 degrees. Making the dome glow brighter and brighter. The dome started to crack more and move with every second. The dome exploded, with Robin jumping out, looking like he was running in the sky. Robin landed with a thud on his feet.

"What the?" Luka muttered. "He actually did it. Well, I can't go easy now. That's enough toying around." Luka held his trident like a javelin, and an icy vortex appeared in front of him a bit far away. He threw his trident in the vortex, and it sped the trident up right at Robin. The trident missed Robin by a millimeter. A ball of ice also came out quickly, and it hit Robin. Ice rapidly grew on Robin, making him immobile.

We applauded along with Mr. Sigan, who applauded the loudest, "Match 1 Luka De Angelo wins!"

Luka walked up to Robin and flicked the ice, crumbling it.

"Hey, good game." Luka gave his hand for a handshake.

"Yeah, next time I am not losing." Robin shook Luka's hand.

"So won't I." Luka responded with the same blank expression, almost like he didn't have a care in the world. They left the circle and started walking towards the bleachers.

"I told you, Sakura! Let. Him. Cook!" Akira exclaimed. "Yeah yeah, I know." "Quiet please class." He walked towards them. "Good match Robin and Luka. Now Match 2 contestants please walk to the circle please. We gave her a thumbs up with a cheeky smile. Naoko was 5 feet 7, Purple hair, dark blue eyes, whitish brown skin and thin.

They stood in front of each other at the center of the arena, faces taut with focus. Mr. Sigan declared, “Start!”

Naoko punched first, but Kaede swiftly caught her fist and threw her behind her. “Divine Arts Resounding Punches!” Naoko called out, her energy surging as she began to unleash a flurry of punches into the air. The force from her strikes created shockwaves that rippled toward Kaede.

“Barrier!” Kaede countered, summoning a shield of light just in time. The barrier crackled under the pressure but held firm, though cracks began to spiderweb across its surface. “What just happened?” Kaede asked, panting slightly.

“I manipulate my aura into attacks,” Naoko explained, her stance steady as she prepared for the next strike.

“You can do that?” Kaede replied, surprise flashing in her eyes.

“Yes, my aura is stronger than normal, allowing me to manipulate it into various attacks. Watch!” Naoko kicked the air, and an enormous dragon made of orange light materialized, roaring as it lunged toward Kaede.

“Impressive!” Kaede exclaimed, dodging the ethereal beast. “But I won’t go down easily!” She charged forward, launching a low sweep kick aimed at Naoko’s legs.

Naoko jumped over the sweep, landing gracefully behind Kaede. “Nice try!” she said, launching into a series of rapid punches. Kaede blocked the first few but felt the force of Naoko’s strikes reverberate through her arms.

“Let’s see how you handle this!” Naoko shouted, gathering energy. “Divine Burst!” She unleashed a concentrated beam of light that shot toward Kaede like a missile.

Kaede reacted quickly, rolling to the side and narrowly avoiding the blast. The beam struck the ground, causing a small explosion of light. “Nice try!” Kaede shouted, quickly regaining her footing. “Light’s Cyclone!”

Kaede extended her arms, summoning a swirling vortex of radiant energy that spiraled toward Naoko. The cyclone picked up speed, drawing in the surrounding air. Naoko’s eyes widened as she prepared to counter.

“Divine Barrier!” Naoko raised her hands, creating a shimmering wall of light. The cyclone slammed into the barrier, causing it to ripple and crack, but Naoko held her ground.

“You’ll have to do better than that!” Naoko yelled, pushing forward and breaking through Kaede’s attack, sending a wave of energy back at her.

Kaede braced herself, arms crossed as the wave struck her. “That’s more like it!” she exclaimed, feeling the thrill of battle. As Naoko charged, Kaede ducked under a punch and retaliated with a swift kick to Naoko’s abdomen. The blow landed solidly, causing Naoko to grunt.

“I’ve been practicing!” Kaede grinned, then quickly followed up with an uppercut that sent Naoko staggering back. “Light’s Flash!”

Kaede focused her energy, launching a series of quick punches that glimmered with radiant light. Each hit landed with a satisfying thud, pushing Naoko further back. But Naoko wasn’t finished.

“Divine Fury!” Naoko retaliated, channeling her energy into a powerful strike. She swung her fist, creating a shockwave that surged toward Kaede. The ground shook, and Kaede barely had time to react.

She leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the shockwave. “Whoa! You’ve really upped your game!” Kaede said, adrenaline pumping. “But I won’t let up!”

“Let’s see how you handle this!” Naoko called out, gathering energy into her palms. “Divine Lance!”

With a swift thrust, she sent a spear of light shooting directly at Kaede. Kaede’s instincts kicked in, and she raised her arms, summoning a barrier of light. “Light’s Guardian!” she shouted, a shield appearing just in time. The spear struck the shield, causing it to tremble under the force.

“Not bad!” Naoko shouted, pushing forward, trying to break through. Kaede felt her shield cracking. “Stay strong!” she urged herself, channeling her remaining energy. “Light’s Reflection!” With a surge of power, she redirected the energy, sending the beam back toward Naoko.

Naoko’s eyes widened as her own attack came hurtling back. “What? No way!” she exclaimed, diving to the side just in time. The beam struck the ground, exploding in a burst of light.

“You’re getting better at this!” Kaede laughed, exhilarated. “But I won’t let up!” She charged forward again, determination shining in her eyes. “Light’s Whirl!”

A whirlwind of light erupted around her, the energy swirling in a dazzling display. Naoko was momentarily caught off guard, the force pushing her back.

“Nice move!” Naoko shouted, quickly recovering. She focused her energy, summoning her own attack. “Divine Eruption!”

With a fierce roar, Naoko unleashed a wave of energy that collided with Kaede’s tempest. The two forces clashed, causing the ground to shake beneath them.

“Impressive!” Kaede shouted, grinning at the intensity of their battle. “But I’ve got more!” She jumped into the air, spinning to gather her energy. “Light’s Ascension!”

With a radiant glow surrounding her, she aimed to land a powerful kick on Naoko. Sensing the incoming attack, Naoko braced herself. “Divine Shield!”

A barrier formed around Naoko just in time, and Kaede’s kick struck with tremendous force. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the arena, both fighters feeling the strain.

“Let’s keep this going!” Kaede called, landing and quickly pivoting to launch another attack. “Light’s Tempest!”

A whirlwind of light erupted around her, the energy swirling in a dazzling display. Naoko was momentarily caught off guard, but quickly focused her energy. “Divine Burst!”

With a fierce shout, Naoko unleashed a concentrated wave of light that pushed against Kaede’s tempest. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion of radiant energy that illuminated the arena.

“Wow!” Kaede exclaimed, exhilarated. “This is amazing!”

“Just wait! I’ve got something special!” Naoko shouted, her eyes sparkling with determination. She gathered energy in her hands, the air around her vibrating with power. “Divine Phoenix!”

A magnificent bird made of pure light soared into the air, spiraling down toward Kaede. Kaede’s eyes widened in awe. “Incredible! But I can handle it!”

“Light’s Shield!” Kaede countered, creating a massive barrier of light to intercept the Divine Phoenix. The two forces clashed, creating a stunning explosion that sent shockwaves through the arena.

Both fighters stood firm against the onslaught, their bodies glowing with energy. Kaede felt the adrenaline coursing through her, igniting her competitive spirit. “Let’s go all out!” she declared, determination in her eyes.

“Agreed!” Naoko shouted back, equally invigorated. They charged at each other, fists raised, exchanging a flurry of blows. The sound of their strikes echoed, punctuated by bursts of light with each impact.

Kaede ducked under Naoko’s punch, launching a counterattack with a spinning kick. “Light’s Cyclone!” The kick sent out a wave of energy that caught Naoko off balance.

“Divine Spiral!” Naoko retaliated, creating a swirling vortex of light around her. The energy collided with Kaede’s attack, causing a brilliant explosion.

Both fighters staggered back, breathing heavily but unyielding. “I won’t give up!” Kaede shouted, her spirit ignited.

“Neither will I!” Naoko replied, her eyes shining with determination.

With renewed vigor, they faced each other, ready for another clash. Kaede charged forward, unleashing a powerful punch. “Light’s Flash!”

Naoko blocked the attack with her forearm, quickly transitioning into a kick aimed at Kaede’s side. Kaede barely managed to dodge, countering with a low sweep.

As they fought on, each move became more intense, energy crackling in the air around them. The crowd erupted into cheers, their excitement fueling the battle.

Kaede launched a rapid series of punches, each filled with radiant energy. “Light’s Fury!” she called, her punches glowing brighter with each strike.

Naoko retaliated, spinning around to launch her own series of strikes. “Divine Dance!” she shouted, her movements fluid and graceful as she landed hit after hit.

The arena was a whirlwind of light and energy, both fighters pushing each other to their limits. “This is the best fight ever!” Kaede exclaimed, exhilarated by the challenge.

“I agree!” Naoko replied, panting but determined. “Let’s finish this!”

With one final surge of energy, both fighters charged at each other, fists raised high. The arena was filled with a blinding light as their attacks collided, creating an explosion that sent shockwaves throughout the space.

When the light finally faded, Kaede stood panting heavily, sweat glistening on her brows. Naoko however was on the flour. The crowd erupted into cheers, celebrating the incredible display of skill and determination they had just witnessed. Naoko stood up.

Mr. Sigan stepped forward, clapping his hands. “What a spectacular display of talent! Kaede and Naoko, you both fought valiantly!”

He looked at us and announced, "Now Match 3: Akarui Hikaru vs. Ren Nakamura!" The class erupted in cheers. "Hey. Good luck." Kaede wished me while walking back up. "Yo, don't disappoint us." Akira patted me on the back. "Good luck bro." Sakura said. "Thank you."

"Step in, please!" Mr. Sigan commanded.

Me and Ren stepped in from opposite sides.

We stepped inside. "You're going down." Ren provoked; he had lots of dark aura; I had a bright red aura, just a bit smaller than him. "Over. My. Dead. Body." I said, furious inside, but I kept a blank expression. My aura grew bigger, overwhelming his. I could see him look shocked. What? How is his aura so big? Either way, I have to win against a Hikaru. It's the sworn duty of my clan. I wasn't going to lose. Over my dead body. Mr. Sigan announced, "Start!"