The arena floor was massive.

  Smooth stone stretched across the circular battlefield, surrounded by walls that rose several stories high. Platforms lined the upper edges where instructors and observers could watch training sessions. The air inside the arena felt heavier than the testing room they had just left.

  This wasn’t an arena for demonstrations.

  It was meant for sparring matches.

  Clarence stepped into the middle of the arena.

  “The eight of you that have already demonstrated your control,” he said, gesturing toward the stands. “Go sit over there.”

  Oscar and the others walked to the designated seating area.

  From the stands, they had a perfect view of the battlefield below.

  Oscar leaned forward slightly.

  This will be the perfect time to learn how the others fight.

  If he could compare their styles to Haruto’s training, he could gain even more experience.

  The remaining eight students stepped forward slowly, spreading across the center of the arena.

  Clarence stood with his arms folded behind his back.

  “You’ve shown me your cores,” he said calmly.

  His gaze swept across the students.

  “Now it is time to show me how you fight.”

  Several of them straightened immediately.

  “Guardians rarely fight alone.”

  He paused.

  “On real missions, you will rely on your allies as much as your own strength.”

  He pointed toward the arena floor.

  “So today, you’ll fight in teams.”

  Some students exchanged glances.

  “Two versus two.”

  Kakeru shouted from the stands.

  “I want to fight too!”

  Clarence ignored him completely.

  Aster looked over at Kakeru.

  “Worth a try.”

  “Shut it, kid.”

  Aster sighed.

  Clarence pointed toward four of the students standing below.

  “I’ll pair you so things don’t get awkward.”

  The four stepped forward.

  “Charlotte Kumojo and Tokiya Tachibana,” Clarence said.

  He then pointed to the other side.

  “Against Kageka Kurotani and Peter Terraeus.”

  The four nodded and stepped into position.

  Charlotte tied her purple hair back, thin strands forming a web-like pattern between her fingers.

  Beside her stood Tokiya, calm and focused.

  Across from them stood Kageka, a dark-haired girl with a quiet, ninja-like presence.

  Next to her stood Peter, a tall, muscular man whose broad shoulders looked capable of crushing stone.

  Clarence stepped back.

  “The rules of this spar are simple,” he said. “Pin your opponents down or make them surrender. How you do that is up to you.”

  He raised his hand.

  “Begin.”

  Tokiya turned toward Charlotte.

  “Fire a long-range attack.”

  “Why?”

  “Trust me.”

  Charlotte nodded.

  “Spider Core: Eightfold Web.”

  Thin strands of web shot from her fingers toward their opponents.

  At that same moment, Tokiya moved.

  “Velocity Core: Momentum Shift.”

  The webs suddenly accelerated, blasting forward at an abnormal speed.

  Kageka took a quick breath.

  “Ninja Core: Silent Slash.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Her blade flashed.

  The web strands were sliced apart instantly.

  Yet—

  It looked like she hadn’t moved at all.

  Charlotte blinked.

  “What the hell happened?”

  Tokiya frowned slightly.

  Before he could respond—

  “Shadow Step.”

  Kageka suddenly appeared behind Tokiya.

  A shuriken flew toward him.

  But Tokiya reacted instantly.

  “Velocity Core: Velocity Lock.”

  The spinning weapon slowed to a halt in midair.

  From the stands, Elaina observed quietly.

  He stopped the velocity of the throw.

  Kageka’s expression tightened.

  “Velocity Core: Velocity Strike.”

  Tokiya moved.

  The sudden burst of speed trapped Kageka in place before she could react.

  She had never been stopped so effortlessly during training.

  Across the battlefield, Peter frowned.

  He clearly didn’t like being left out of the exchange.

  “Stone Core: Earth Wall.”

  A thick stone barrier erupted from the ground.

  Tokiya punched the wall with kinetic energy gathered in his fist.

  THUD.

  The wall didn’t move.

  Tokiya recoiled immediately.

  “THAT REALLY, REALLY HURT!”

  Peter laughed.

  “It takes more than a punch to break my wall.”

  Kageka retreated beside Peter.

  “We should coordinate our attacks this time.”

  Peter crossed his arms.

  “You’re the one who left me.”

  She bowed slightly.

  “I apologize.”

  Her eyes shifted toward Tokiya.

  “We should take out the orange-haired one first.”

  Peter nodded.

  “They have a bad matchup against us.”

  From the stands, Aster leaned toward Oscar.

  “Who do you think wins this?”

  Oscar’s eyes sharpened as he watched the battlefield.

  “Hard to say.”

  Elaina spoke quietly beside them.

  “Tokiya and Charlotte.”

  Aster glanced at her.

  “You really think so?”

  Elaina nodded slightly.

  “I’ve known about Tokiya for a while. His Velocity Core is powerful. People underestimate how much speed he can manipulate.”

  Below, Tokiya leaned closer to Charlotte.

  “They’ll come after me.”

  He briefly touched her hand.

  “When they attack, I’ll launch a counter.”

  “I’ll activate my Inertia Grip.”

  Charlotte blinked.

  “No idea what that is, but sure.”

  Peter and Kageka rushed forward.

  “Ninja Core: Nightfall Cut!”

  “Stone Core: Tectonic Slam!”

  Tokiya smiled faintly.

  “Too predictable.”

  “Velocity Core: Inertia Grip.”

  The battlefield froze.

  Everyone within a small radius suddenly stopped moving.

  Even Tokiya himself stood frozen.

  Only Charlotte remained unaffected.

  From the stands, Oscar noticed immediately.

  The range is limited.

  Charlotte had jumped high into the air before the ability activated.

  Peter’s eyes widened.

  “We forgot about her!”

  Tokiya’s ability could only freeze movement within a one-meter radius.

  Charlotte was still outside it.

  “Spider Core: Widow’s Binding Web!”

  The webs shot downward.

  At the perfect moment—

  Tokiya released his Inertia Grip.

  Movement returned instantly.

  But it was too late.

  The webs wrapped tightly around Peter and Kageka, slamming them to the ground.

  Clarence clapped once.

  “You two demonstrated excellent coordination.”

  He turned toward Peter and Kageka.

  “You lost because you underestimated your opponents.”

  He sighed.

  “Let this be a reminder. Never underestimate someone simply because they appear weaker.”

  The two lowered their heads.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Clarence turned toward Tokiya.

  “You were impressive.”

  He paused.

  “But are you really winning if you sacrifice yourself?”

  Tokiya sighed.

  “I thought it gave us the best chance to win.”

  Clarence nodded.

  “Your bravery is commendable.”

  “But I don’t want my students sacrificing themselves when there are better options.”

  In the stands, Alexander looked toward Elaina.

  “Nice call.”

  Elaina didn’t react.

  “It was obvious.”

  Lillie laughed.

  “Take the compliment.”

  The four students left the arena and joined the others in the stands.

  Lillie stood up.

  “Great job!”

  Tokiya and Charlotte smiled.

  “Thanks.”

  Clarence turned toward the remaining four.

  “Aurelia Mamori and Archer Kazehaya.”

  He pointed to the opposite side.

  “Against Tsukiko Umbra and Kaori Sayaka.”

  The four stepped forward.

  Clarence stepped back.

  “Same rules.”

  “Begin.”

  Archer immediately drew his bow.

  “Line Manipulation Core: Trajectory Bend.”

  The arrow shot forward.

  “Shadow Core: Midnight Abyss.”

  Tsukiko slipped into Kaori’s shadow, disappearing instantly.

  Kaori extended her arm.

  “Fragrance Core: Black Lotus Aroma.”

  A dark mist spread toward their opponents.

  “Barrier Core: Silent Dome.”

  Aurelia raised a barrier around herself and Archer, sealing the mist outside.

  Archer smiled calmly.

  “It’s over.”

  The arrow he had fired suddenly curved back across the battlefield.

  It struck Kaori’s shadow.

  Both girls collapsed instantly.

  The arena fell silent.

  Archer lowered his bow.

  “I coat my arrows with specialized mixtures.”

  “These were tranquilizers.”

  From the stands, Aster blinked.

  “That was way faster than the first fight.”

  Oscar watched carefully.

  “Those two were a perfect matchup.”

  “It’s not surprising they won so quickly.”

  Clarence waved the students from the stands back toward the arena.

  “It’s clear that most of you lack experience,” he said.

  “You rely too heavily on your cores.”

  “You don’t yet have full control.”

  He looked across the entire class.

  “I will put you through intense training.”

  His gaze sharpened.

  “You will train together.”

  “You will fight together.”

  “And by the end of this year…”

  He paused.

  “You will understand what it truly means to be a Guardian.”

  The class nodded.

  Clarence turned toward the exit.

  “Class dismissed.”

  Aster looked toward Oscar.

  “Looks like we’ve got some rivals.”

  Oscar grinned slightly.

  “Good.”

  Because Aegis Academy had just become far more interesting.