"I see, so you don't have anything to show here," the prisoner boss remarked.

But in the meantime, Kyren had grabbed a stone from the ground after stumbling. He aimed it at the earth wielder's head and threw it, catching him off guard. The earth wielder instinctively blocked with his hands, unknowingly holding the button all along. The force of the stone caused the protective case of the button to shatter, pressing the button in the process.

After a moment, the earth wielder was teleported away. Meanwhile, Hiro began attacking the two shooters. Knowing they were weak in close combat, he swiftly subdued them.

"It works!" Kyren thought, feeling a surge of relief.

But at that moment, the boss's eyes started to glow a dark red.

"You're truly brilliant and outsmarting my league, you are dangerous wandering around this realm. I really need to kill you," the boss declared ominously.

"Hiro, run!" Kyren shouted desperately.

Hiro began to sprint, but he was engulfed by the massive flames cast by the boss prisoner.

"Arghh!" Hiro cried out in pain as his left leg was burned, rendering him unable to walk.

This time, Kyren attacked the prisoner boss recklessly, driven by the desire to save Hiro. However, the prisoner countered with a fiery punch. Kyren managed to parry it with his Gladius, but the impact destroyed his weapon. Undeterred, Kyren prepared to block the next attack with his bare hands. Thankfully, Hiro intervened, kicking the boss and catching him off guard, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Thank you, Hiro," Kyren said gratefully, while Hiro assessed the severity of his burn. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, this is nothing," Hiro reassured him with a smile.

But as the prisoner boss stood up, he unleashed his second roots, electrically charged and blended with fire.

"This is on another level, Hiro. We need to run away. This one is like the level of Patricia," Kyren warned.

"Yeah," Hiro agreed.

The two began to retreat, but the prisoner boss, fueled by his electric roots, moved with astonishing speed. He landed a powerful punch on Hiro's chest, knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, witnessing Hiro being beaten stirred up Kyren's nightmares once more. The girl's haunting hiss echoed in his mind. "You will die... if... you will die..." The cryptic words shook Kyren, causing him to lose focus and stare at the ground, distraught by Hiro's battered body.

...

As the prisoner boss prepared to deliver his finishing blow to Kyren, a sudden light barrier materialized, restraining him and lifting him off the ground. Kyren snapped back to his senses and swiftly grabbed Hiro, pulling him away from danger. He scanned the surroundings, searching for the caster of the barrier, and spotted a girl with ash ash hair, roughly their age, accompanied by four other students. She pointed her wand towards the prisoner boss, maintaining the barrier with determination.

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"Hiro, wake up," Kyren urged, shaking Hiro gently.

Hiro slowly regained consciousness, still groggy from the attack.

"We've got backup," Kyren informed him.

"What...?" Hiro mumbled, confused.

"Yeah, look at the prisoner," Kyren directed Hiro's attention to the struggling prisoner boss trapped within the light barrier.

"What's happening?" Hiro asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"I don't know, but let's use this chance to get out of here," Kyren suggested.

"Alright." Hiro nodded.

But just as they were about to make their escape, the prisoner boss unleashed his full power, shattering the barrier.

"I'll kill all of you!" the prisoner boss roared furiously.

However, the girl with light-root abilities retaliated, blasting him with a powerful beam of light. Though he managed to block it, he suffered severe damage. "ARGGGGGGGH!"

"Enough of this. I don't want to kill you. Just press the button," the girl urged, her voice firm.

"Don't play games!" the prisoner boss charged towards the girl with incredible speed, but she swiftly cast a protective light barrier around her group. As he punched the barrier, it triggered a massive explosion upon impact.

When the smoke cleared, the prisoner boss's right hand was badly mangled from the explosion.

"Don't throw your life away. You still have your left hand to press that button," the girl advised calmly, her words enraging the prisoner boss even further. He prepared to unleash a final, suicidal attack, but the girl's eyes lit up, signaling the unleashing of her potent light-root abilities. With a concentrated beam of light, she caused the prisoner boss to vanish without a trace, leaving behind nothing but empty air.

...

"Whoa, that girl is so powerful, What the hell?" Hiro exclaimed, still trying to process the incredible display of strength.

As the attention shifted towards Kyren and Hiro, the girl who had intervened approached them.

"Thank you for saving us," Kyren expressed his gratitude with a smile.

"No problem, hehe," the girl smirked, returning the smile.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over them, Kyren and Hiro stood up, realizing they were now among allies.

"Nice to meet all of you guys," Hiro greeted, though he still felt the lingering effects of the previous fight.

"You too. Nice to meet you guys. Now you can press your buttons," the girl said casually, her demeanor relaxed.

However, Kyren and Hiro were taken aback by her suggestion, feeling a sense of unease creep in.

"But why?" Kyren inquired, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Well, just cooperate, guys. You seem kind, and I don't want any more encounters like that before. We're almost done with this qualification exam," the girl explained, trying to reassure them.

Kyren and Hiro exchanged uneasy glances, realizing they were in a difficult position. They didn't have their buttons, and even if they did, they wouldn't press them.

"Wait, let us explain," Kyren pleaded, hoping to clarify the situation.

"Explain what?" the girl's eyebrow raised in curiosity..

"The guy you incriminated stole our button, so even if we wanted to give up, we can't. Maybe you can help us find one," Kyren suggested, hoping for a solution.

"Alright," the girl agreed with another smile, seemingly willing to assist them.

...

Relieved after seeing the girl's smile, Kyren and Hiro were unaware of the impending danger. Suddenly, the girl's eyes glowed again as she cast another potent light beam, like she have done with the prisoner boss.

"Then I guess I have no choice but to kill both of you," she declared calmly, her tone sending chills down their spines.

"Kyren, we're fucked!" Hiro panicked, realizing the severity of their situation.

"Yeah, let's get out of here, Hiro," Kyren urged, his mind racing with fear and desperation.

As the girl unleashed the deadly light beam, Kyren and Hiro ran for their lives, hoping to evade the impending danger. However, they soon realized the beam was tracking them relentlessly, and the inevitable collision loomed closer.

With no other options left, they braced themselves, facing the blinding light as it engulfed them.

"Is this really our fate?" Kyren whispered, his voice tinged with resignation as the light flashed before his eyes, enveloping them in its brilliance.