Chapter 59 - Testudo Formation

As we descended the wide, metallic stairs leading into the arena, the roar of the crowd echoed off the high domed ceiling, filling the air with palpable tension. My gaze fell on our final opponents for this Licensure Examination Tournament.

Even from a distance, Michelle Gehabich stood out like a beacon. Her slight smile radiated calm confidence, her golden eyes locking onto mine as if she could see through every layer of resolve I’d built. Long, wavy silver hair cascaded behind her, catching the arena lights with an almost ethereal shimmer, bouncing in rhythm with her steps.

Trailing a few paces behind her was her partner, Aurelio Monsieur. His towering frame loomed with an aura of stoic indifference, his chiseled features locked in a stony, impenetrable expression. Where Michelle’s energy was graceful and magnetic, Aurelio’s presence was cold and intimidating, like the sharp edge of a blade held just out of reach.

“Oh! What’s this?” Emcee Miles leaned forward on his desk, his voice crackling through the arena speakers. “Is that who I think it is? Yes, it’s Michelle Gehabich! The Number 1 Dean’s Lister of the Third Years! With her flawless academic record since her first year and her partner Aurelio Monsieur—both S-tier students—it’s no wonder they’re seen as the ultimate pair! Let’s not forget, they claimed the first and second spots in the written examinations! Although it’s curious why they waited until their third year at Orbital Tech to take this exam, one thing is clear: they are certified champions in the making, baby!”

“But hold on!” Emcee Dianca’s voice chimed in, cutting through the buzz. “Let’s not underestimate their opponents! Representing the first years, we have another Dean’s Lister, Myrrh Alicent, the daughter of the legendary heroine Mirana Alicent! She’s not just riding on her family name—Myrrh has consistently aced every exam so far, and her partner, Zaft Callahan, is no slouch either!”

“Oh, you mean that guy?” Miles’ tone shifted to one of mockery, his sharp words slicing through the excitement. “The one standing next to the daughter of the heroine? Are you sure he’s not just coasting on her legacy? I mean, look at him—he’s got ‘low-level hoodlum’ written all over him, baby!”

My fists clenched instinctively at the insult, my eyebrows twitching as I fought to keep my composure. Who does this guy think he is? It took everything not to shoot back some choice words of my own. Before I could even react, Dianca leapt to my defense.

“Hey, hey! Let’s give credit where it’s due! That so-called ‘hoodlum’ standing beside the daughter of a legend actually placed Fourth in the written exam—and as a first year, no less!”

“Shut up!” Emcee Miles snapped, his voice echoing through the arena, eliciting a wave of laughter and gasps from the audience. "Don't joke on me, Dianca baby! For real?"

“It’s true!” Emcee Dianca shot back, her tone fiery with conviction.

The back-and-forth between the two emcees, raw and unfiltered, seemed almost designed to stir the crowd further. Their open biases spilled through their live mics, broadcasting their vulgar thoughts for everyone to hear. Yet, the palpable tension they fueled only heightened the stakes, setting the perfect stage for this fifth and final battle.

I shifted my focus to Michelle and Aurelio. Michelle’s lips curled into a faint, almost mechanical smile, her golden eyes holding an unreadable expression. It wasn’t joy or excitement—just a subtle acknowledgment of the moment. Aurelio, in stark contrast, remained statuesque, his icy glare piercing through the noise as though the world beyond this fight didn’t matter.

“May the best examinees win,” Michelle said softly, her gaze fixed on me. Her voice was calm and poised, but there was a sharp edge beneath her words.

“Yeah,” I replied with a nod, forcing a grin that felt lighter than the heaviness pounding in my chest. My heart raced—not from the idea of a cute senior addressing me directly, but from the electrifying anticipation of the battle that was about to begin.

Without another word, Aurelio and I stepped onto our levitating platforms. The familiar hum of the anti-gravity mechanisms filled the air as the platforms ascended, granting us a commanding view of the arena below. The expanse of the battlefield glimmered with faintly glowing grids, a canvas waiting to be filled with the chaos of combat.

Myrrh and Michelle stood at the ready, their morphers gripped tightly in their hands. My gaze briefly flicked to Michelle’s morpher—a sleek, silver device streaked with vibrant red lines that seemed to pulse faintly, like veins carrying power. It was a sharp contrast to Myrrh’s own, its blue accents a reflection of her vibrant energy.

“Final Round!” Emcee Miles bellowed, his voice rising above the hum of machinery and the crowd’s restless murmurs. “Examinee Number 1 versus Examinee Number 11! Let the battle begin, baby!”

The moment those words left his lips, the arena erupted into cheers. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me as I tightened my grip, my mind clearing of all distractions. The fight was here. It was time to give everything I had.

As soon as the sharp whistle pierced the air, both WAIFUs raised their morphers high, their voices ringing in perfect unison:

“Frame Unit, Awaken!”

In an instant, towering pillars of light engulfed them, bathing the arena in a radiant glow. Myrrh’s form was encased in a brilliant white and gold shell, her transformation blooming like a mechanical phoenix. Michelle, on the other hand, emerged from her cocoon of silver light, her Frame Unit gleaming with crimson armor plates and intricate, pulsating circuits that seemed alive with power.

Without hesitation, both Frame Units ignited their boosters. The air crackled with energy as their metallic legs burned trails of fire, propelling them toward each other at breakneck speed. The impact was thunderous.

A deafening metal clank reverberated across the arena, followed by a shockwave that rippled through the air, sending a gust of wind into the audience. Myrrh’s arm had collided with Michelle’s in a brutal clash of strength. Though a small dent marred Myrrh’s gold-plated armor, it seemed minor, nothing worth panicking over—yet.

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But what happened next sent a chill down my spine.

Aurelio’s sharp fingers danced over his WEEB System with precision. His left arm glowed with crimson circuits, and his voice echoed with command:

“Chaos Drones, Equip!”

From the silver Frame Unit’s back, a cybernetic circle materialized, its edges shimmering like a digital sun. The circle unfurled into crescent-shaped wings, eight sleek, docked drones glinting ominously along their edges. With a powerful whoosh, Michelle’s Frame Unit ascended, the glowing wings giving her an almost angelic—yet menacing—presence above the battlefield.

And Aurelio wasn’t done. His eyes narrowed as he activated his WEEB System once more.

“Beam Gatling, Equip!”

A colossal machine gun barrel materialized on Michelle’s right arm, its surface glowing faintly with green circuitry. Without hesitation, she unleashed a torrent of green laser fire. The arena lit up like a storm of starlight, the beams cascading toward Myrrh with relentless fury. Each laser crackled as it sliced through the air, scattering sparks where they struck Myrrh’s armor.

My heart lurched. I knew I had to act, and fast. My fingers raced to my own WEEB System. The interface lit up under my touch, its soft hum grounding me amidst the chaos.

“Light Shield, Equip! Times two!” I shouted, thrusting my glowing hand forward, its circuits pulsing with vivid blue energy.

Two shimmering cybernetic circles materialized on either side of Myrrh, spinning like ethereal gears. In a fluid motion, Myrrh reached out and equipped the shields that emerged from the circles, their translucent surfaces glowing faintly with a protective aura.

The relentless barrage from Michelle’s Beam Gatling rained down like a neon storm, each green laser streaking through the air with a sharp hiss. Myrrh raised her shields, the glowing barriers absorbing the onslaught. Sparks erupted as beams connected with the shields, leaving faint scorch marks on their radiant surfaces, but they held firm.

I narrowed my eyes, analyzing the attack. Despite the ferocity of the barrage, something felt off. The lasers lacked the devastating punch of a full-powered weapon. I quickly realized the truth—Michelle’s Beam Gatling was designed for speed, not strength. Each shot was only a fraction as powerful as a standard beam rifle. The shields I’d provided were more than enough to weather the storm.

“So this is why she suggested the Roman tortoise tactic,” I muttered under my breath, the faintest smirk curling at my lips.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

Michelle shifted tactics, and I felt the shift in the air—a subtle but undeniable escalation. The eight drones docked on her crescent wings detached with a sharp metallic whir, hovering momentarily before spreading out in an intricate formation.

Aurelio’s WEEB System pulsed, his sharp, deliberate movements controlling the Chaos Drones like an extension of his will. They began to circle Myrrh, weaving through the air like predatory birds. Then the first lasers struck, streaking toward her from all angles.

Myrrh’s shields snapped into position, one blocking a shot from the rear, the other intercepting a blast from the side. Sparks flew with each deflection, her movements sharp and precise, her instincts honed to near perfection.

The drones didn’t relent. Aurelio adjusted their positions constantly, his control seamless and relentless. One drone zipped behind Myrrh, attempting a sneak attack, only for her to whirl around just in time, shield raised to block. Another drone darted to her left, firing rapidly, but Myrrh’s reactions were too quick, her other shield meeting the attack with a resounding clash of light and energy.

The chaos was mounting. Lasers crisscrossed the battlefield in blinding patterns, forcing Myrrh to stay on high alert. Every movement, every block, was a calculated response to an unending assault. My stomach tightened as I watched, knowing that Aurelio wasn’t just testing her defenses—he was searching for the tiniest crack, the slightest lapse in her concentration.

The relentless barrage of lasers continued, each streaking toward Myrrh with precision and speed. She moved with disciplined agility, her light shields intercepting every strike. Still, the pressure was unrelenting, and a single laser managed to graze her metallic left cheek, leaving a faint, glowing scar across the surface. It wasn’t critical, but it was a reminder of the razor-thin margin for error in this battle.

Myrrh’s Testudo Formation was holding, just as she had planned. The strategy gave her the defensive edge, but it also left her hands full, her focus consumed by blocking the chaos of Aurelio’s drones. We needed a way to turn the tide and go on the offensive.

My gaze flicked to my WEEB System, hoping the WMD series—our trump card—would unlock soon. This was shaping into a battle of attrition, one we couldn’t afford to lose.

Across the battlefield, Aurelio stood with an icy calm, his eyes sharp and calculating. I could see the gears turning in his head as he activated his WEEB System once again. His hand glowed with crimson circuits, the air around him crackling with energy.

“Beam Buster Cannon, Equip!”

A cybernetic circle manifested before Michelle’s Frame Unit, pulsating with a crimson glow. Without hesitation, she released her Beam Gatling, letting it fall to the ground with a heavy thud, and reached for the weapon materializing before her. The crowd gasped as the massive, twenty-meter-long Buster Cannon took shape, its size dwarfing her Frame Unit’s sleek form.

Michelle raised the weapon, her movements precise and methodical. The cannon gleamed with an ominous light, its barrel aimed squarely at Myrrh, who was still preoccupied with the ceaseless drone fire.

“Eliminating the target,” Michelle intoned, her voice devoid of emotion as her finger tightened on the trigger.

The cannon roared to life with a deafening boom that shook the arena. The recoil was immense, forcing Michelle’s Frame Unit to skid backward, her crescent wings flaring to stabilize her. A blinding surge of energy erupted from the cannon, a massive beam tearing through the air toward Myrrh.

“Now!” Myrrh’s voice rang out, powerful and commanding, cutting through the chaos like a blade.

I had already activated Myrrh’s [Ultimate] the moment she shifted into defense, waiting for the perfect opportunity to unleash it. When her voice echoed across the battlefield—sharp and unwavering—it was the cue I had been anticipating.

“Blade Wing, Activate!” I commanded, pointing my glowing hand toward her.

The response was immediate. A colossal explosion erupted at the center of the arena, shaking the very ground beneath us. A shockwave tore through the battlefield, scattering debris and sending up a dense cloud of smoke and dust that obscured everything from view. The crowd gasped, murmurs of uncertainty rippling through the stands as they strained to make sense of the chaos.

When the dust began to settle, the devastation became clear. A massive crater now scarred the arena floor, its edges jagged and raw. Shards of the shattered light shields littered the battlefield like pieces of broken glass, catching the flickering light of the arena’s spotlights.

But of Myrrh, there was no trace.

Confusion spread through the crowd, their voices a mix of concern and intrigue. Some leaned forward, others craned their necks, searching for any sign of her. Then, amidst the quiet tension, a child’s voice pierced the air:

“Look up!”

All eyes turned skyward, and there she was—Myrrh Alicent, soaring high above the battlefield in resplendent glory.

Her Frame Unit had transformed into something awe-inspiring, almost divine. Brilliant, sword-like wings extended from her back, each blade shimmering with radiant light and trailing streaks of golden energy as they shifted and adjusted like feathers. Her armor, once battered and defensive, now gleamed with renewed brilliance, radiating an aura of unyielding power.

The spectators erupted into cheers and gasps of astonishment, the energy in the arena reaching a fever pitch. Myrrh hovered like a celestial warrior, her wings slicing through the air with an audible hum, each movement smooth and elegant.

The battle was far from over. It had only just begun.