The gate creaked open, and I stepped out into the dim light.

My breath misted in the air as a cold breeze swept through the area. I could see the dark, looming shapes of trees and bushes in the distance, and hear the rustle of leaves and branches as the wind stirred them. The sounds of the approaching horde echoed through the forest, the howls and screeches of otherworldly creatures growing closer with each passing moment.

I glanced back, and the gate slowly swung shut behind me. I gulped nervously as the door locked shut, the only sound of it's closing the gentle clunk of an electronic lock falling in place.

This is it... I thought, taking a deep breath.

I'm doing this.

Hundreds of eerie blue eyes stared back at me as the monsters continued to pour through the trees.

They were all kinds of different creatures. 'Beowulves' were by far the most numerous. There were also the strange, shadowy creatures with raptor-like talons and razor-sharp beaks, and finally, there was the giant juggernaut, towering over the rest of them at nearly 20 feet tall with mutated, discolored skin that looked a sickly blue and purple in the lighting.

Its arms and hands were disproportionately large, as were its feet, and its veins glowed blue with the sickly corruption I associated with zombies.

My stomach churned at the thought of facing such a massive, powerful monster again.

But at least this time I'd be outdoors instead of trapped inside a shelter.

If only there weren't so many more of these things than half an hour ago.

"F-frostburn's moving into position?" Clipboard asked as he crept over to my side, his eyes wide with fear. He was a head taller than me, with a slender but well-built frame, but he looked so small against the backdrop of the plains we were in.

"Yup. Him and Null are gonna take point with Vanna. I've got a few more tricks to pull out of the bag, but I'd prefer not to burn myself out."

He nodded nervously, looking at the massive beast that lumbered toward us. "A-alright... I'm just going to uh, stand beside you and uh..."

"I appreciate you covering me, Clipboard," I said with a weak smile.

He gulped, giving me a thumbs up.

I breathed, trying to calm my nerves. My hands shook, and my heart raced as I stared at the approaching monsters, but I forced myself to remain calm.

We were invisible behind my Luminary Mirage, but there was no guarantee there weren't monsters that could sense us.

As I watched the beasts, I could feel my resolve wavering. I was scared. Terrified. I didn't know if I could do this. There were so many more with this wave than the one we'd already fought, and the juggernaut was even larger than the one I'd fought at Refuge Zeta. The very thought of facing it made my knees tremble, and my palms sweaty. I could feel the bile rising in my throat, but I pushed it down.

This is my chance.

I had to do this.

"Hey."

A gentle hand landed on my shoulder, and I glanced up, meeting Elysia's warm gaze.

"You're going to be fine. You can do this, okay?"

"I'm just..." I started, but the words wouldn't come out.

"You're just a little overwhelmed," she finished. "It's okay."

"Y-yeah," I nodded, feeling the knot in my chest loosen. "Yeah."

She patted me on the back, giving me an encouraging nod.

The strange gut feeling I had at the previous zone came back to me.

I could see the soft glow of her platinum blonde hair, and the warm light of her eyes, but there was something else, too...

There was something else to her I couldn't put my finger on, but I trusted her. I didn't know why, but I did.

I just nodded, feeling a little less scared.

"I'll do what I can," I said.

She chuckled, a small, wistful smile forming on her lips.

"Good luck, then," she replied, summoning those strange hooked swords in a flash of blue.

And with that, she was off, rushing through the mist in the blink of an eye — a blur of motion that was gone before I could say anything else.

"She's so fast," Clipboard muttered beside me.

I nodded. "I... I just hope Frostburn does his part."

Clipboard chuckled nervously, "Well, that guy seems pretty full of it, but I'm sure he's a good fighter. Probably. Right? Right?!"

"Y-yeah," I agreed, my heart pounding in my ears.

The ground shook with each step of the juggernaut as it stomped closer. I could hear its massive, powerful legs pounding into the dirt.

It was still a good eighty yards away and far ahead of the horde, but the air grew thick and heavy, the scent of ozone and rot filling my nostrils.

Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious laugh filled the air, and the massive juggernaut paused, turning to face the sound.

The frosty-haired teen stood on top of a nearby ridge jutting out from the forest on my right, a wild, manic grin spread across his face.

"Hey there big guy, why don't you pick on someone your own size, huh?!"

The juggernaut turned its massive head to look at Frostburn, and I shivered as the giant behemoth's glowing eyes narrowed on the magical knight.

It raised one massive hand, and I saw its palm crackle with electricity as a blue arc of energy flashed in its palm. Then, the creature swung, a bolt of energy rocketing toward Frostburn with the force and speed of a meteor. The teen jumped out of the way just in time, and the blast exploded on the ground, sending rocks and dirt flying everywhere.

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"Nice try, ugly!" Frostburn jeered. "You'll have to do better than that!"

The giant roared, stomping towards the teen. But Frostburn just laughed, a wide grin splitting his face as he summoned a wall of icicles aimed toward the juggernaut. I saw the air around him shimmer and distort, a trail of ice and snow following his movement as he pivoted into a cartwheel and dodged another sickly blue bolt. He twirled his fingers, and the icy spikes flew, striking the juggernaut in its shoulder and side.

The icicles shattered harmlessly on its sickly flesh, but it didn't seem to care at all. It just continued to lumber forward, its massive hands swinging and its feet stomping as it broke into a shockingly quick sprint.

"Aw man, this thing's tougher than I thought!" Frostburn yelled, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "I can barely scratch it! Can you believe that, little bird?! It's a real monster, that's for sure!"

"Oh fuck," Clipboard squeaked beside me.

The ground rumbled as the juggernaut continued its charge. I could feel the earth trembling beneath my feet as the massive beast closed in on Frostburn, its massive hands swinging wildly, trying to smash him into a pulp.

But Frostburn's cocky grin never left his face. Instead, he laughed and danced, twirling and spinning as the creature swiped at him again and again.

And then, a bolt of lightning slammed into the creature's side, making it stumble and crash to the ground with a thunderous thud.

"T-this way!" Vanna yelled, her hands sparking with lightning as she nearly lost her balance, tripping over a root.

She dashed into the tree line, the shadow creatures and wolves all following her.

Frostburn quick leapt off the ridge and joined her, leaving a cloud of frost behind. Together, the pair of them led the monsters into the trees and disappeared into the woods.

The horde in front of us began to split, some continuing to charge at us while the rest chased Vanna and Frostburn.

"Ready?" I turned to Clipboard, who gulped.

"R-right!" He said. "S-shit..."

I could see the fear in his eyes.

He was shaking, and his breathing was labored.

"Clipboard?" I asked gently.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't," he whispered. "I just can't."

Hundreds of the creatures were running towards the gates now, the ground shaking with the pounding of their feet.

"Okay, it's okay. Just take a breath and try to relax," I said.

He shook his head. "No, it's not okay. You need me out there to open up for our heavy hitters. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

I grabbed his hand, staring at him firmly as the horde grew closer and closer. "Clipboard, listen to me."

The ground shook violently with every step of the approaching horde, the rumble growing louder as they closed the distance.

"I'm scared too, you know?" I said.

His eyes widened, and he stared at me with confusion. "B-but, y-you lived through this already... Y-You're so strong and confident and... and... and..."

"And what?" I asked. "You think I'm some kind of hero? Some badass magical warrior who's gonna save the day? I'm just a girl. A scared little girl who took the contract to protect the only family I have. And I'm terrified. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can keep everyone safe when — not if this starts again for real. But I have to. I have to try, or else, it's game over. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not again."

I looked down, shaking my head.

"Listen," I continued, getting on my toes to reach up to his shoulder. "I need you to be strong for me. I can't do this on my own. And neither can Elysia and Sparrow. We're all in this together. I'm not going to ask you to be brave for me. I'm going to ask you to be brave for them. The people in the school, our teammates, the other students, the professors... Everyone's counting on us to protect them when the time comes. We have to be brave for them."

I gave him a warm smile, hoping he could hear the sincerity in my words. I could see the fear in his eyes slowly dissipate but not leave entirely, and his breathing steadied as he met my gaze with his own.

He swallowed hard. "Y-you really believe that?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. And so should you."

Clipboard smiled at me. "Thank you," he said.

"Hey, we're in this together," I replied. "And I'm going to make sure we vaporize those damn things. So, I'll ask you again. Are you ready?"

He nodded, sucking in a deep breath.

And then, he drew his katana and closed his eyes.

"Just give me a sec to compose myself... Do you know why they call me Clipboard?" he muttered, gripping his katana with both hands as he knelt.

"Not really," I giggled, trying to keep him relaxed. "I just assumed you liked taking notes."

He chuckled, his shoulders trembling. "I'm not brave or a natural leader like our team lead, Telegraph. I'm not a prodigy like Elysia seems to be, or even as hardy and tenacious like most of the other kids here. But I am a professional student of my craft, and I've learned how to pick up on patterns. I'm the kind of guy who sees the connections and knows how to use them, and that's the reason I got my nickname from Telegraph. Because I was always taking notes of how the others fight while I trained in kenjutsu. I was always studying their techniques and trying to find their flaws. And that eventually earned me a World Skill. One that earned me a Pioneer status which I carried with me into my contract."

Clipboard began to glow with a dark blue, inky energy. It pulsed and swirled around him as he focused. The mana formed around him, creating an intricate pattern of light that resembled an ocean of swirling ink. It was beautiful, but it also radiated power and intensity. It reminded me of a deep sea storm, with the mana forming swirling vortexes that seemed to be alive.

"We might have an office theme going on, but truth be told, we stay out of our Dream Shifts intentionally."

I blinked, realizing that Clipboard was in a partial cadet shift. "What? Why?"

Clipboard smirked, opening an eye to look at me. "Because activating our full forms fundamentally change our World Skills. Telegraph's ability and mine are both incredibly useful for supporting the veteran Knights. We lose access to them when we are fully transformed — or rather, they are transmuted. That's the trade off. That said..."

He breathed deeply, forcing his diaphragm to suck in as much air as he could before continuing.

"We're a public team based out of Ruby Springs, and people loved our dynamic and our personalities. A well-spoken and handsome black kid in a business suit with his two awkward, shy, nerdy friends who always manage to foil the bad guys there. Two dudes and a girl who have been friends since they were little, who would always protect and watch each other's back... People love us. I love being part of it, and all three of us were driven enough to develop World Skills before we even qualified as knights. So we decided to keep the public personas. But this, this is the me I keep hidden from the public."

The ground rumbled beneath me, and a gust of wind blew my hair as the vortexes of energy spun faster and faster.

"I am a diligent student of the Shinomiya school of Kenjutsu. With not one, but six recognized Swordmaster Skills to my name that become the foundation for my Five-Rings Arts."

He opened his eyes, revealing they had turned from a dark brown to the deep blue of stormy seas. A dark energy began to swirl around him as the inky aura of mana continued to dance. His Nexus Device appeared in a swirl of dark blue motes, floating above him as he stood, his form now outlined in a matching glow.

And then, an armor appeared. The same shade as the blue aura with dark grey trim.

It appeared in a flash of light, forming a lamellar cuirass reminiscent of his button-down shirt. It was composed of small, overlapping plates that fit together perfectly. It looked like he had stepped out of feudal Japan. The rest of the armor was made from the same dark blue plates, but with a flowing hakama and a black belt that tied around his waist.

His messy schoolboy hair was now swept back into a long, dark blue ponytail that trailed down the middle of his back alongside two flowing dark blue half-capes. His face was covered with a kabuto helmet and a mempo mask, which were the same dark color as the rest of the armor. He looked like he'd aged a solid five years in an instant from what I could glean beneath the mask.

In his hands was an ornate, lacquered scabbard. The hilt of the blade was wrapped in dark blue silk cord, the pommel capped with a golden disk.

"My mana capacity and Magic talent isn't all that great. Even below average for a student here," he said, looking up as he his transformation finalized. "For that reason, it's more useful for me to just be Clipboard, a normal guy with a World Skill who can help our team lead strategize from the sidelines."

I stared, watching in awe as the dark, inky aura of mana slowly dissipated. His sword, however, seemed to absorb it all, the weapon pulsing with energy.

"But for now, I am Magical Knight Tenman Daijizai Tenjin. Or Tenjin, the Avatar of Heavenly Wisdom, for short," Clipboard smiled, his dark brown eyes now blue.

The hordes of creatures were growing closer and closer. Their growls and roars echoed throughout the battlefield, the ground shaking as their claws tore up the dirt.

I couldn't see the forest where Frostburn, Vanna, and Null had led the rest of the horde, but I knew that the battle was still raging on in that area.

"So. Still scared?" I asked, looking back at him.

"Duh!" He smiled, lifting the mask.

"That makes two of us, then," I laughed, shaking my head. "Ready to get started, then?"

Clipboard — no, Tenjin — nodded. "Ready when you are, boss lady. Let's give them hell."

"Okay then. Let's see what you've got!" I smiled awkwardly, steeling my nerves.

And then, I dropped the mirage in front of us and broke into a run, firing a Luminary Bolt into the air to signal the start of our attack.