[DAIRON'S POV]
Noise.
Thousands of spectators, all shouting over each other—none of it mattered.
I stood still. Focused. Waiting.
The ground pulsed beneath my boots, thick with magic, dust, and tension. The air reeked of sweat and anticipation.
I hated it.
Katxu was talking again.
Danryu's voice cut through the static. "Katxu, what's that on your neck?"
I didn't bother turning. I already knew.
Katxu stiffened. Subtle. Not enough for most to notice. But I saw it.
Danryu leaned closer, smirking. "Ohhhhhh, I get it now. That's a vampire hickey."
I exhaled through my nose.
Predictable.
Katxu flared up, obviously flustered. "It's not—"
Danryu cut him off. "So only a vampire can make you shut up, huh?"
More laughter. Poco smirked. Kelly giggled.
Idiots.
Katxu rubbed his temples like it would help him think faster. "You're awfully bold for someone who nearly pissed himself last night."
Danryu clutched his chest. "Lies and slander!"
It went on.
I tuned most of it out.
He still didn't get it. None of them did.
That mark on his neck wasn't a joke. It wasn't a prank or some random accident.
It was a claim.
A warning.
And if he knew what it actually meant, he wouldn't be standing this close to me.
His gaze flicked toward me. Hesitant. Watching.
I met his eyes. My voice low. Even. "Didn't expect you to be this flustered, Katxu."
He twitched. Not much. Just enough.
Good.
Danryu, naturally, kept pushing. "Wait, wait, wait. So you do remember what happened, huh?"
Katxu shrugged it off. "That's not the point."
No, it wasn't.
But he wasn't denying it.
Danryu folded his arms. "Tch. I never said I was angry... just cautious."
Cautious?
Funny.
Poco added without missing a beat, "Translation: he sulked about it for an hour before finally giving up."
Danryu groaned. "Can we not bring that up?"
The chatter bled into background noise again.
I let it fade.
My patience was thinning.
We were surrounded by children playing pretend while the real threat walked freely among them.
Because I could feel it.
That presence.
I'd sensed it before the first trial, and now it was stronger. Closer.
It wasn't one of the examinees. It wasn't even in the arena.
But it was here.
Watching.
Waiting.
I scanned the crowd again.
Still nothing.
But I wasn't wrong.
It was here.
Somewhere.
***
The first Timeball was secured.
My so-called team made it back to the base, and Katxu was already grinning like an idiot, tossing the ball between his hands while Danryu scowled at him. Poco was checking our perimeter, Kelly was nervously placing more food traps, and Ren, as usual, said nothing.
It should have felt like a victory.
It didn't.
The feeling was stronger now.
Unbearable.
It was close—too close.
My fingers twitched near the hilt of my sword. My pulse remained steady, but the tension in my body sharpened.
I was wasting time here.
I turned, my feet already moving before I made the decision.
I heard Katxu's voice behind me.
"Oi, where's Dairon—"
Danryu's voice, more irritated than surprised. "The hell? That bastard just left?"
Poco exhaled. "Figures."
None of them followed.
Good.
They wouldn't understand.
The force pulling me forward was more important than all of them.
***
I kept moving.
The strong presence was still close—too close. The weight of it clung to the air, pressing down on my senses like a claw against my throat. It wasn't an ordinary Awakener's aura. It was something else. Something I should've left behind years ago.
I scanned the battlefield as I moved.
Other teams were still fighting, scrambling for a Timeball, desperate to secure their place in the rankings. It was chaos—bodies crashing into each other, flashes of magic igniting the air, the sharp clash of steel ringing through the arena.
I barely spared them a glance.
At our base, our team's score was still climbing. That meant Katxu and the others were holding their ground.
Good. That should buy me time.
But not much.
I needed to be quick.
If I failed again—if I didn't pass this year—I wouldn't get another chance.
Arkhos only allowed Awakeners to take the entrance exam three times. And after what I did last exam, they had cut my remaining chances to one.
This was it.
My last opportunity to get into this academy. My last chance to get close to the people who held the answers I needed.
Failing meant losing my only lead on the truth.
And I wasn't about to let that happen.
WOOSH!
I caught a flicker of movement. A familiar figure rushing toward our base.
The sealing magic user.
The bastard Katxu fought earlier.
His face was twisted with something ugly—rage, desperation, revenge.
I narrowed my eyes. I could feel the energy radiating from him.
Stronger than before.
Not an ordinary Awakener.
"Damn it."
I should've helped them eliminate this guy the first time.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself forward. The sooner I dealt with the presence I was tracking, the sooner I could go back.
I had to trust that Katxu and the others could hold out until then.
But for how long?
I needed to finish this. Quickly.
***
As I closed in on the presence, my instincts sharpened.
The air was heavier here.
They were near.
Then I saw them.
Three masked examinees, draped in dark robes.
They weren't fighting like the others.
They weren't competing for a Timeball.
They were hunting.
Their movements were calculated, precise—targeting other teams, forcing them into submission, eliminating them without hesitation.
I watched as one of them grabbed an examinee by the throat.
A moment later, the victim's body went limp.
Their energy drained—completely gone.
"123 examinees remaining."
"121 examinees remaining."
The voice announcement echoed through the battlefield.
A massacre.
The masked ones were cutting down teams like they were searching for someone.
And that presence I was following?
It was coming from them.
I exhaled slowly, pulling back into the shadows, hiding my presence.
This wasn't the time to act recklessly.
They were strong. Too strong for me to go in without thinking.
I had to observe.
Find the right time to strike.
Or... should I?
WOOSH!
Another team arrived, stepping into the clearing where the masked ones stood.
Five of them.
One glance told me they weren't ordinary either.
Two identical boys—twins, no doubt—around fifteen or sixteen, with beige hair.
A large-built man with green hair, his presence solid and unshaken.
A girl—no, an old woman? No... a girl with a face that looked eerily drained, but her energy was terrifyingly strong.
The last one—a boy hiding underground, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Foolish.
I could feel him even if he thought he was undetectable.
Too reckless.
This was about to turn into another bloodbath.
I stayed hidden, watching, waiting.
And I wondered—
Do I interfere?
Or do I let them destroy each other?
***
The twin boys were the first to step forward, eyeing the masked ones.
One of them smirked. "I don't like the way you guys are hunting people down."
His brother cracked his knuckles. "Yeah. It's kinda pissing me off."
The green-haired man exhaled slowly. "Stay focused. If they're doing this, they have a reason."
One of the masked figures finally turned toward them. His voice was smooth, devoid of emotion.
"You should leave."
The first twin scoffed. "Or what?"
The masked one didn't answer. Instead, he lifted his hand.
A gust of wind erupted from his palm—no, not just wind.
Pure force.
The first twin was sent flying back before he even had time to react.
"Shit—!" his brother shouted, lunging forward, his fists coated in energy.
The fight began instantly.
And I just watched.
***
They were still fighting.
I watched.
The twins moved first.
"Shadow Clones!"
Their voices rang out in unison, a perfect harmony of sound and intent.
A dark mist exploded around them, splitting their forms into a dozen identical figures, each flickering like living shadows.
The masked enemies reacted immediately. One of them swung his arm outward, a violent gust of wind cutting through the clones—but it was a mistake.
Instead of dispersing, the shadows bent unnaturally, twisting around the attack, dodging without moving.
The twins—both of them—slipped through the air like wraiths.
One appeared behind the masked enemy, a dagger-like shadow extending from his palm.
The other mirrored the attack from the front.
A pincer strike.
The masked enemy shifted his stance, bending backward in a motion too smooth to be natural. Too fast. Too precise.
He twisted midair, his hand flicking upward.
BOOM!
An invisible force slammed into the twins, sending them skidding backward—but they caught themselves instantly, boots scraping against the ground as they flipped back into position.
Instead of retreating, they laughed.
"He's fast!"
"Yeah, but we're faster!"
Their grins never faded.
"Miki!"
"Kio!"
And then—they merged.
Their bodies dissolved into shadow before slamming back together, forming one tall figure.
A good-looking man, clad in flowing white robes, his left shoulder bare, dark energy coiling around him like a living entity.
His presence shifted.
Stronger. Sharper.
His voice was smooth, confident, laced with amusement.
"Shadow Blade."
He moved.
Too fast.
A silent blur cutting through the air, his form splitting and merging as he struck.
One.
Two.
Three rapid strikes—each one aimed at a vital point.
The masked examinee barely reacted, his body twisting unnaturally to avoid the slashes, but he was on the defensive now.
The newly merged figure didn't stop.
"Shadow Step!"
His body phased mid-motion, flickering between forms—attacking from different angles at once.
His dagger-length shadows twisted into a katana, slicing forward in a seamless arc.
CLANG!
A thin, transparent barrier flickered around the masked enemy, blocking the strike.
He's shielding himself.
But the twins—no, the merged figure—was already moving.
He split again mid-strike, reforming into two figures.
One above the masked enemy.
One below.
"Shadow Guillotine."
The attack came simultaneously from both directions.
A blade of darkness from above, a shadow dagger rising from the ground.
For the first time, the masked enemy struggled to react.
BOOM!
His form flickered as the attack connected, sending him crashing backward.
Dust exploded into the air.
The twins grinned.
"You're good."
"But not good enough."
They rushed forward, shadows bending unnaturally around them—ready to finish it.
Before the twins could land their next attack—
The old-faced girl moved.
Not like a normal person.
Like a lizard.
Her body bent backward, spine twisting unnaturally, her limbs folding in ways that shouldn't be possible.
Her tongue flicked out, saliva dripping onto the ground as she crouched low, eyes gleaming.
She whispered something.
The air shifted.
From the ground—bodies began rising.
"Necrotic Army..."
Her voice slithered through the battlefield.
Dozens of zombies clawed their way up from the earth, their hollow eyes glowing a sickly green.
They weren't slow.
They weren't mindless.
They moved like trained soldiers.
The masked team immediately noticed.
One of them cursed under his breath.
"Tch. This is getting out of hand."
The contortionist girl crawled across the battlefield, limbs bending unnaturally as she weaved between the chaos.
She lunged at another masked examinee—but this wasn't a normal attack.
Her arms wrapped around his torso, twisting mid-air, spinning violently before launching him toward her army of undead.
The masked enemy slammed into the ground, momentarily stunned.
The zombies pounced.
At the same time, the green-haired alchemist attacked.
He was calm.
Precise.
He didn't rush in recklessly like the others.
Instead—he crafted.
Sheets of paper unfolded from his hands, shifting mid-air, forming into weapons as he moved.
A spear.
A sword.
A barrier.
Each one lasted only seconds before dissolving—but that was all he needed.
He threw the paper spear forward—
The masked enemy dodged—
But Mel was already reforming it mid-air, shifting it into a paper whip, catching the enemy's wrist and yanking him forward.
The masked examinee stumbled—just for a moment.
But that was enough.
The contortionist girl pounced, wrapping her limbs around him in a bone-snapping grip.
"Checkmate," she rasped.
The masked team was losing ground.
Their movements weren't as fast.
Their attacks weren't as sharp.
Their stamina was draining.
Too fast.
And they knew it.
One of them suddenly stopped mid-fight, scanning the ground.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he found it.
The guy underground.
His presence was subtle, nearly invisible—but the masked examinee saw through it.
A barrier.
A trap that had been draining their power the entire time.
One masked enemy immediately moved to attack—
But the other masked examinee stopped him.
A short silence passed.
Then—
"We're leaving," the second masked enemy said.
The first hesitated.
"We can't waste time here."
The second one's voice was calm. Commanding.
As if they had something more important to do.
The first one exhaled sharply.
"Tch. Fine."
They retreated.
The twins' team didn't chase.
They won this round.
But I watched closely.
Because even though the masked team was pushed back—
They never fought seriously.
And I was sure of one thing.
The real fight hadn't even begun yet.
***
These twins' team... They fight as one.
Every move—seamless. Their attacks—relentless.
For a moment, it looked like they had the advantage.
But I knew better.
The masked team wasn't even trying.
They defended efficiently, countered precisely, but they weren't using their full strength.
I could feel the power coiled beneath their movements—an aura they refused to unleash.
They were hiding something.
And I wanted to know what.
Before the masked examinees disappeared, one of them turned.
His gaze locked onto me.
I froze.
I had been hiding. My presence concealed. My energy suppressed.
And yet—
He knew.
For the first time in a long while, a cold sensation trickled down my spine.
Goosebumps.
He didn't attack.
Didn't call me out.
He just... smiled.
And as he vanished, I read his lips.
"Keep watching."
Then he grinned.
Tch.
They weren't just strong.
They were dangerous.
The twins' team secured the Timeball from the last group the masked ones defeated. Without wasting time, they flew back to their base.
The battle was over.
But something was wrong.
I glanced at the floating dashboard in the sky.
Our team's score wasn't increasing.
29 minutes left.
That meant only one thing—
They had lost the ball.
"Fuck."
I clenched my jaw, pushing forward.
I had to get a ball. Now.
I moved fast, cutting through the battlefield like a shadow.
Teams were still fighting everywhere, some barely standing, others desperately clinging to their Timeballs.
Most were exhausted.
But I couldn't waste time picking an easy fight.
I needed a guaranteed win.
Then I saw them.
A four-man team, huddled near the remnants of a stone wall.
Two of them were injured.
One stood guard, scanning the battlefield.
And the last?
He was holding a Timeball.
That's mine.
I didn't wait.
I struck.
WHOOSH!
I blurred forward, unsheathing Win, my blade humming with energy.
The guard barely had time to react.
"Enemy incoming—!"
Too late.
I closed the distance in an instant, my elbow crashing into his ribs.
CRACK.
The breath left his lungs in a violent gasp as he flew back, smashing into a pile of rubble.
The other two scrambled to react.
The injured ones? Useless.
That left two fighters.
The one with the Timeball.
And the one lunging at me now.
His blade flickered with fire as he swung.
I ducked low, pivoting on my heel.
His attack missed by inches—but I didn't.
My knee shot up—slamming into his stomach.
"Guh—!"
His eyes widened as spit flew from his mouth.
I twisted, grabbing his wrist mid-motion.
Then, with a sharp jerk—
SNAP.
A scream tore from his throat. His sword clattered to the ground as he cradled his broken wrist.
"Two down," I muttered.
Now—for the ball.
The last one—the Timeball holder—was already running.
Coward.
I exhaled, gripping Win tightly.
Electricity crackled along the blade.
Lightning Step.
BOOM!
The ground exploded behind me as I launched forward at blinding speed.
The runner barely had time to blink before I was in front of him.
He gasped, skidding to a halt, but I didn't let him react.
My sword flickered.
I swung.
The flat of my blade slammed into his gut.
The impact sent him flying backward.
He crashed onto the ground, the Timeball slipping from his grasp.
I didn't even let it hit the dirt.
I caught it mid-air.
Mine.
I turned without looking back, my body already moving toward the base.
26 minutes left.
Time to go.
I pushed my speed to the limit, dashing through the ruins of the battlefield.
The air was thick with exhaustion. The last remaining teams were either desperate or already beaten.
I ignored them.
Nothing else mattered but getting back.
20 minutes left.
I saw our base in the distance—
And my eyes narrowed.
They were still under attack.
I gritted my teeth, pushing forward.
I had the ball.
Now, I just needed to make sure we survived long enough to finish this exam.
I moved fast.
The battlefield blurred past me, ruins and broken structures flashing in my periphery. The weight of the Timeball pulsed in my grip, but I barely felt it.
15 minutes left.
I could already see our base in the distance—or what was left of it.
My eyes narrowed.
The perimeter was nearly destroyed. The wooden barriers Danryu had built were shattered, chunks of rock from Poco's earth defenses littered the ground. Even Kelly's food bombs had left scorch marks across the dirt,
evidence of a last-ditch effort to hold the base together.
The fight was over.
But the damage had been done.
They barely held out.
I exhaled sharply, slowing my pace as I reached the outskirts.
Poco was leaning against a broken stone wall, rubbing the back of his head. Kelly was sitting nearby, her hands still trembling slightly, no doubt from overusing her magic. Danryu was pacing, muttering curses under his breath.
Katxu—
Katxu was standing at the center, looking pissed.
The second he saw me, his eyes flicked to the Timeball in my hand.
I tossed it toward him without a word.
He caught it, his fingers tightening around it as a slow grin spread across his face.
Danryu clicked his tongue. "Tch. Took you long enough."
I ignored him, scanning the area.
"...What happened?"