?I swiftly descended the stairs and landed on the ground. "Where?"
However, when I raised my gaze, I was left shocked by the scenery.
The second floor, supposed to be the men's section, was unrecognizable. It was completely devoid of any clothes.
At the center, back-to-back stood Elizabeth and Cain, surrounded by masked individuals—no doubt people set up by the academy. A dozen of them, with the farthest one standing as their leader, an unmasked, beautiful woman. I recognized those familiar blue eyes I had seen often last year.
Lowering my gaze to her waist, I spotted three dangling cards—undoubtedly containing information about the location of the mana beast for each of us.
So, she was the one evaluating us in this exam.
That's what they meant when they said we aren't meant to harm them. We just have to steal from them.
Two of them immediately lunged at me with dull swords.
If I'm knocked out, it's over then?
I took a step back, dodging one of the swings, and sidestepped the other man's attack.
"Redgrave Art! Piercing Wave!" Cain swung his sword at his opponents, knocking them back slightly, but they quickly regained their footing and lunged at him again.
Was the exam about recovering information without resorting to extreme violence?
Elizabeth extended her hand, and blood-red mana gathered in front of her, creating a shockwave powerful enough to slam her opponents against the wall. She then rushed toward Jennyfer.
However, Jennyfer, without moving a finger, disappeared in a crackle of lightning.
It was Jayden's lightning, but with a lighter blue. Zeus had blessed her as well, and she was very proficient with it.
Thinking about Zeus stirred revulsion within me, souring my mood. I drew a sword from my bracelet and parried a swing. Though I couldn't see their faces, these assailants seemed older than Jennyfer, probably former students.
Another man joined in, swinging his sword at my left side. Using the force on my sword, which bore on the other man's blade, I slightly shifted its position and deflected the second attack as well.
He let out a surprised sound at the turn of events, and I took advantage of his distraction to jump away. While I didn't want to inflict severe harm, it wasn't in my nature to hold back completely.
'I don't want to fail this exam, or Mom will beat me up.'
My gaze shifted toward Jennyfer, who was now in another location observing us. Elizabeth, having just disposed of her opponent, was again surrounded, and the same was true for Cain.
As if that weren't enough, two more people joined the others to face me.
A faint smirk appeared on my face as I coated my body with Ruah. I learned this from you, Louisa.
A sword reached for my back, but I ducked down, dodging the stab. Then, I swung my legs, disrupting his balance.
"Fly!" As he fell to the ground, I grabbed his shirt and threw him toward his two other mates rushing toward me.
"Ugh!" He collided with one of his mates while another one dodged the impact.
Soon after, a powerful punch struck my shoulder, sending me flying—or rather, I propelled myself away. When I deemed it enough, I slapped the ground and shot toward one of the men fighting Elizabeth.
Before he could stand up, I raised my knee and struck his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. The grip on his sword loosened, so I gratefully borrowed it.
Tracing the dull blade with my fingers, I smiled and rushed toward my four opponents. "Come now."
My speed was normal, but my reflexes were exceptional. Tilting my head to let the sword graze my cheek, I swung the blade at his stomach, rendering him unconscious.
I looked at the three who observed me carefully and smirked, kicking away their comrade's body. All three of them, for the first time, showed a reaction, shooting me fierce glares. I also felt Jennyfer's discontent glare, but I chose to ignore it.
It felt liberating to do as I pleased for once.
As expected, this time, all three of them rushed toward me with the sole intent of disqualifying me.
I scoffed and sprinted toward them. Once close enough, I threw my sword toward the last man at an unbelievable speed. He quickly crossed his arms, but the impact knocked him backward. In that split second, his two mates lost sight of me, and I reappeared next to them.
"Weak, aren't you?" I taunted, swinging my Ruah-embedded leg at his side.
He gasped in pain before being sent flying with his last mate, colliding with the wall.
Before I could process the situation, Jennyfer materialized out of nowhere and executed a swift kick. I ducked my body backward, narrowly evading the fast strike.
Jennyfer wasn't done. Shifting her body midair, she swung her other leg even faster.
Reacting quickly, I took up my sword and used the blade as a narrow shield. The ground beneath me trembled, but it seemed protected by a layer, preventing it from cracking despite feeling the force of her kick on my arms.
Jennyfer narrowed her eyes, reassessing my strength immediately.
I didn't want to draw attention for now, especially against her, but I had no choice.
Sensing danger, Jennyfer jumped back suddenly.
"A pity…" I retracted my hand, which nearly seized one of her cards, and sighed in disappointment.
"Who are you?" Jennyfer asked with surprise.
"Amael," I stood up, introducing myself. "…Falkrona or Olphean. Choose whichever you want, Senior."
A resounding crash echoed as someone forcefully tore down a part of the wall, joining us on this floor.
"Am I the last?" His voice resonated, drawing all our attention toward him.
He shared striking similarities with Amelia, but his demeanor was a far cry from hers.
In that moment, Elizabeth, Cain, and I all came to a realization.
There were three location cards, yet four of us were assigned to this location.
A silence settled in as we exchanged glances, and Jennyfer's associates began to rise.
The expressions and postures of Elizabeth and Cain shifted ever so subtly.
It seemed our alliance had lasted less than an hour.