August forced himself to recover. That wave was pure arcane. In theory, he'd be able to defend against it, so he raised his shields at the last moment. But the attack shattered his shields and blasted him sky high.

What was that? It was unlike anything he'd experienced. He tried to collect himself, and saw that Seven was trying to free herself under the rubble. The Knight Mage lowered his hand. Another wave blasted the construction, causing a massive burst of dust, sand, and wood.

Seven flew up in the air, away from the ball which spun and fell into the hands of the Knight Mage. He looked at the ball, then at Seven, and scoffed. He passed the it to his teammates.

Dust built up, and August had to cover his nose. He sniffed. He couldn't see far ahead, and his eyes were stinging. He didn't want to find a splinter of wood getting stuck in his eye.

But the wave depleted Tulet's arcane pool close to zero. He was a dead man walking. Then something happened that August wasn't prepared for. Tulet's arcane surged back to near its full capacity. It was as if he never used his ability.

"What?" August shook his head. There was another person that needed his attention. He ran to the tower to see if Seven was alright, and saw the deception through the dust.

Tulet Argav tossed back a glass flask to one of his teammates. Whatever liquid that was contained in that flask allows him to replenish his arcane. He messaged Seven.

{ His teammates have potions that replenish arcane. We need to steal them or deny him that. Can you target the teammate that doesn't have the ball? Once Quann and I distract him, use that chance to slip past the mage. }

{ Affirmative. }

August glanced at Quann, who was hesitating to take a step forward. Then, without a word, August distanced himself right near the edge of the arena. Quann moved to the opposite side. If Tulet was determined to use the Wave again, either he or Quann would get that chance to strike.

"Smart," Tulet said.

"Quann!" August said. "No more tricks. We rush him together."

"Ha!" Quann grinned ferociously. "Now You're speaking my language."

August sprinted across the arena. Quann quickly followed suit. Tulet, who was watching both of them, seemed unfazed. August reached him first, and as he expected, Tulet raised his hands and blasted him back to the edge.

Quann got too close for the Knight Mage's comfort. He stretched his arm and a needle immediately lunged onto Tulet's stomach. August expected the mage to run. But he didn't.

The needle pierced the shirt, and August watched, with grim satisfaction, that the mage would bleed. But the needle stopped at his abdomen, and the tip of the bone snapped.

Quann grimaced. "He has armor!"

"I've seen your tricks, Torturer," the mage said.

Tulet grabbed his arm, tackled him, and lifted him high up in the air. Then, in one motion, slammed him back on the ground before lifting him up again. Quann gasped for breath.

August tried to recover and scamper back to distract Tulet, but he was too late. The mage threw Quann sky high. And, when he was about to fall, Tulet used a wave, blasting him directly onto the climbers, striking the rails.

Quann collapsed on the ground. He tried to get up, but he coughed blood, and he found it difficult to move. August tried to read Tulet's arcane. He was dangerously low, and before one of his teammates could toss him a flask, August shouted.

"Now!"

Seven bolted from the rubble. Achieving top speed in under a second, she was even faster than August who was going to distract Tulet.

Tulet quickly noticed and moved to block Seven from reaching his teammates, but at that moment, August lunged for Tulet however he can.

The mage wouldn't be able to pry him off. And while he could only slam himself onto the man, it gave enough room for Seven to slip past him.

August wrapped his arms around Tulet's neck. But this beast seemed unfazed as he ran back to catch Seven.

Then, Tulet did something unexpected. He lowered his body, and charged in long strides. August clung tightly onto his neck but the man was unfazed.

Seven was meters away when Tulet reached her, grabbed her arms, and pulled. Just like what he did with Quann, he raised her up in the air and slammed her down on the ground.

August heard the groan of metal coming apart. Then, almost in eerie casualness, Tulet flung Seven against the far wall of the outside the arena.

A flask was flung up in the air. August tried to reach it, but it only took one of Tulet's hand to keep him away. Tulet drank the flask, and, with a satisfied grin, a wave thundered against August's chest and he was flying high and rolling on the ground.

He couldn't breathe. His ribs seemed to have weathered most of the impact, but every time he moved, his chest protested. He gasped, trying to breathe.

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Out from the corner of his eye, he saw Quann shaking his head and standing up. Seven was able to stand again, but the damages to her body made it look like her metal skin were about to fall off. Small parts of herself clattered on the ground.

August tried to pick himself up. In just a single minute, the Knight Mage was able to control the battlefield. Not only did the man have an overpowered ability, he had some sort of arcane armor underneath his shirt, and his body was as hard as iron.

August needed more information. He wouldn't go down here, not at the first floor. He forced himself to use sonar wave, but this time, instead of analyzing everything around him, he pinpointed one specific location: Tulet.

This allowed him to see Tulet's armor underneath. The smaller details that made up for it was... well, crude. Additionally, it looked like Tulet was conjuring the arcane armor, similar to how August did it.

But the arcane flowed to a small device at his nape. Maybe he could use that against the mage. But he had one chance. If Tulet realized that August knew what his potential weakness is, the man might end up being more cautious.

August cracked his knuckles.

"Giving up?" He asked Quann.

Quann spat on the ground. "He humiliated me," he rasped. "Me. I'll be certain to spill that worm's intestines and see if his blood is just as steel as his order."

He messaged Seven. { One last time. Wait on my signal. }

{ Affirmative. }

"Can you charge one more time?"

Quann looked at him. Then he gave a nod. He didn't question August, not when someone could hear them, and August didn't want to give out any clue to his intentions. Quann was smarter than he initially looked.

"Surrender," Tulet said.

Quann sneered, taking deep breaths. Time was closely approaching the 2-minute mark. "With your attitude, I doubt you've bedded a woman."

August started walking toward Tulet. "What do you mean by bedding a woman?"

Does that mean they would sleep together? Based on Quann's description, bedding a woman seemed important. He'd slept with his master on the floor. But his master wasn't a woman. Perhaps he should ask a woman about bedding with a man.

Quann was speechless. It was Tulet who spoke up. "Well. Um. When a man and a woman love each other very much--"

As much as August would love to hear what he was about to say, this was the perfect chance for a distraction. Behind him, past two of his teammates, August willed Threadlock into existence.

{ Now, Seven! } he messaged her.

It snapped one of his teammates back, and at the moment, Seven quickly ran for the person that was pulled back. Tulet heard the yelp from the man, but it was too late. Seven kicked the man's head as soon as threadlock closed in on him, knocking him out unconscious.

"Quann!"

"On it."

August let Quann run first. That way, Tulet would aim at him. And he was right. He blasted Quann with a wave, and at the same time, August was sprinting for him again. He was getting tired of that ability.

Tulet turned around, as if contemplating to use the wave against Seven. August didn't let him.

{ Flask, } he told her.

Time slowed.

He could feel it again. The world seemed to slow down as Tulet raised his hand. Invisible threads of connection formed between him and Seven. It was as if they were communicating unconsciously. He instinctively knew where Seven would toss the arcane flask, and he knew where he needed to be to catch the flask.

His head churned at the puzzles forming into one cohesive piece. One step leads to another, and another steps leads closer to the perfect spot, where he leapt high above in the air, with all his strength, without thinking about it first.

He stretched his legs, wrapped it around the Knight Mage's neck, and when he raised his hand, he caught the arcane flask without even taking a look at it. He knew that was the ideal place where Seven would toss it. The connection pulsed.

And much like before, the world disappeared. There was only him, and the goal of taking down this monster so one of them could steal the ball. August popped the cork and drank the arcane.

Tulet pointed his palms upward, and August bent his back just before the wave hit the empty air. He felt it then. His arcane was suspicious of this foreign liquid at first, but when the two energy met, they assimilated.

Life flowed through him, burning his stomach, his lungs, and as he breathed, it was as if his throat was on fire. August could feel the arcane and he grinned.

"All I ever needed," he coughed. "Quann!"

He used this foreign arcane to create the most complex and riveting Threadlock he'd ever done. In the span of a single second, he threaded the strands into thick ropes, wrapped it around Tulet's feet, ankles, around his stomach, his arms, and then his neck.

August wasn't done there. He wouldn't give Tulet a second chance. He tightened his hold used himself as the base origin of Threadlock. Then, he spun these threads around Tulet's entire upper body, locking his arms into place, covering him in strands so thick his mouth was forced open as the arcane stretched his cheeks.

Lastly, he tied the Threadlock around the core of Tulet's defense, wrapping it and tugging it as if it was an insect. He heard a snap, and Tulet's armor started flickering on and off.

Being this close, August didn't have to use so much sonar weave to study his weaknesses. Tulet have gaps in his armor. His armpit, his groin, just above his calves. He shouted them all to Quann, who eagerly ran to Tulet while August bought them time.

Behind him, Seven chased Tulet's teammate, who was losing speed because of the ball he was carrying.

"Tulet, Knight Mage from the Order of Steel," Quann said, grinning, as he closed the distance that they were only a few feet from each other. "Let's see if your armor is as good as you thought it was."

Tulet looked horrified. He shot August a pleading glare, and tried to speak, but August wouldn't take chances.

Quann struck the spot just above the calves, making Tulet scream. He would've fallen down on both his knees, but the Threadlock was wrapped so tightly around him that he couldn't be spared that luxury.

Quann wasn't done there. He targeted that spot, piercing both his legs again and again and again. Then, when he found out the armor wasn't strong enough, he started wounding Tulet on other parts of his body. "Don't move too much!" Quann laughed. "You don't want me to sever your artery."

Tulet tried to say something. "...ield. I yield!"

In the distance, Seven already got the ball, and the man was unconscious. Holding time: 5 seconds. Time remaining: 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

But the match wasn't over yet. As the time ticked down, he saw tears coming out of Tulet's eyes. Because there was no resistance any longer, August could still maintain Threadlock.

Quann relished this moment. He licked his lips, and he let his needle slowly pierce into Tulet's mouth. "Here's your blood, little Knight Mage," he said. "How does it taste?"

"You really like to torture people?" August asked.

Quann seemed confused. "They call it torture. But my sister always told me it's an educational experience. People ought to feel the blood and bones in their body more. They'll be thankful to acquiant themselves to the limit of their constitution. And if they die, well, they shouldn't die."

"Is that why you don't kill people?"

Quann didn't answer that. But he lost his smile, and for a moment he seemed to stare somewhere far away.

When the timer reached zero, August waited for the announcement. He felt the stillness of moment as even the climbers didn't utter a word. Until Aeladine announced:

Round 4 ended. Team August won the 3rd Trial. Team Lightbearers have now been eliminated.

August raised a fist in the air. And silently, quietly, he let himself be basked in victory. He was going up.