Jack Savage the Captain of Bandit Academy impatiently awaited the sounds of victory, confident that his team would emerged triumphant, however, to his dismay, there seemed to be a delay.
"What a waste of time, they must be having a blast with those losers from the War God Academy if they're taking this long to wrap it up, how I wish I had joined them instead, it would have been more entertaining than this , now I'm just bored," Jack lamented, stretching his back on the rooftop of the Bandit Academy Castle.
Their own white flag fluttered above, mirroring how the War God Academy's flag was decorated on the other side.
Suddenly, Jack's attention was caught by rustling noises, when he turned, he was greeted by the sight of two unfamiliar Golems flying towards him.
One had boosters propelling him forward, while the other rode a sleek silver board in the air.
Raised eyebrows conveyed Jack's surprise, he hadn't expected to encounter these unknown elements.
Just as he tried to process the situation, the Hive Queen burst out of the nearby forest, her eight blade-like legs propelled her swiftly to join the other two flying Golems.
"What the hell is happening? Why am I being confronted by three Golems?, wasn't Raven supposed to handle things? Did he let someone slip through?" Jack's mind raced with questions as the trio of Golems headed towards him.
However, fear did not grip him, nor did the thought of his team's potential loss.
"Hello! We are here to cure your boredom!" Legion announced, his robotic face contorting into an evil grin, as he raised his customized AR-15 and swiftly pulled the trigger.
Without wasting a moment, Legion unleashed a barrage of laser bullets towards the unprepared Jack.
The sound of the bullets filled the air, and in an instant, Jack's expression transformed, as he sprinted towards the edge of the rooftop, desperately trying to escape Legion's shooting range.
"Fuck you!" Jack exclaimed, executing a somersault in mid-air. His hand morphed into massive furry claws, and elongated fingers, with the new sharp claws he swung towards Legion.
A long, black slash materialized and hurtled towards Legion, as Legion deftly moved his gun behind him, seamlessly attaching it to his jetpack, simultaneously, an iron shield materialized in Jack's left hand guard as a defensive measure.
The force of the impact sent Legion hurtling back into the dense forest, jack shifted his attention to Magnito, only to find that he had disappeared from his previous position. Swiftly tilting his head to the side, a sharp silver blade whizzed by.
Reacting instinctively, Jack turned with incredible footwork, extending his claws in an attempt to catch Magnito, however, Magnito's hands liquefied and transformed into blade shapes, parrying Jack's attack with his left hand.
Undeterred, Magnito countered, plunging by his right hand towards Jack's chest, but Jack swiftly attempted to retreat, but discovered that his legs were bound by webs, left with no other option, he chose to fully transform.
As his stature grew taller, bones popped and crackled as fur enveloped his entire body. Standing before them now was a fully transformed werewolf, just as the transformation finalized, Jack caught sight of the Hive Queen inching closer to the White flag, mere meters away from seizing it.
[> Bloodline Skill – Howl <]
Jack unleashed a mighty howl, releasing a shockwave that reverberated through his surroundings.
The powerful blast sent Magnito flying, although his hover board saved him from a disastrous landing.
But Jack, no longer concerned himself about Magnito again, as he exerted strength in his legs, breaking free from the entangling web.
In an instant, he appeared before the Hive Queen, freezing her in place as she laid eyes upon his menacing muzzle, but it was too late for her, Jack swiftly delivered a resounding slap, propelling the Hive Queen into the forest, causing considerable damage to numerous trees in her path.
Jack's power had surged exponentially, making him significantly stronger than before, his body radiated a tremendous amount of Qi, leaving even the Dean of the Bandit Academy praying fervently, by clasping his hands together, and harbouring hope that his most talented disciple would somehow emerge victorious against all odds.
Enraged, the Hive Queen issued a command to her two minions near the flag to self-destruct, aiming to take Jack down with them, yet, their efforts proved futile, Jack's endurance had reached an entirely new level, rendering explosion of such level merely capable of leaving scratches on his body.
Emerging from the forest, Legion reappeared, this time without his rifle.
Instead, a bazooka rested casually on his shoulder,
"Go to sleep, blockhead," Legion said a taunting remark before he pulled the trigger, igniting the rocket, as the projectile soared from the bazooka tube, hurtling towards Jack.
Witnessing the weapon heading his way, Jack stretched out his hand confidently, prepared to defend himself, however, upon impact, the force proved to be overwhelming, sending him hurtling off the rooftop.
In that moment, Magnito appeared near the flag on top his hover board, swiftly snatching it up.
The announcement boomed, penetrating the silent and confused crowd that stood by, unsure of what was unfolding before them as they are still in shock.
Even Titan, who just emerged from the forest, dragging his mighty mace, was taken aback to see Magnito triumphantly waving the white flag.
"Well, I guess you guys didn't need me!" he exclaimed, turning to Legion, who had dissembled all that his weapons.
"What's with the catchphrase at the end of every big attack? Take a break and start using your spear again, Or else, I might surpass you in weapon mastery," Titan boasted confidently.
"In your dreams. It's just that I have yet to meet a worthy opponent who would make me use my spear," Legion retorted.
As the dome covering the middle ring began to retract back into the ground as Alec quickly unsummoned his golems back, on one side lay the unconscious members of the Bandit Academy, all bearing various injuries.
Only Jack remained standing, with a conspicuous hole in his waist.
On the side of the War God Academy, everyone except Alec and Sophia also lay unconscious, Alec surveyed his surroundings, realizing in that moment that the Colosseum must undoubtedly be one of those extraordinary Artifacts. Otherwise, it wouldn't possess such remarkable capabilities.
The Colosseum had transported them to another space, and snatching the mages from the jaws of death. Mages with healing abilities swiftly rushed into the battle ring, tending to the fallen and unconscious team members.
It was then that the crowd remembered to cheer for the War God Academy.
Although many of them may have lost their bets, but they had just witnessed one of the most significant turning points in the competition.
The War God Academy had firmly established itself as a dark horse, leaving the spectators curious about just how far they could go.
Alec glanced around, the cheers of the crowd filling him with a sense of happiness, though he remained composed.
However, the same couldn't be said for someone on the opposing team.
"I'm not done! What cheating method have you employed? I will kill you!" Jack exclaimed, dashing towards Alec with his left hand still clutching his bloody wound, while his right hand poised to strike with menacing claws.
The referees observed the impending attack but displayed little enthusiasm to intervene or intercept it. Alec snorted, recognizing the blatant bias being displayed by the referees.
It was evident that they had never believed the War God Academy would emerge victorious, and realizing that Jack's attack would likely reach him before the referees took action, Alec made a swift decision. He summoned Titan, his only peak Tier 4 golem at the moment.
As Titan materialized, he quickly spotted the lunging Jack and swiftly raised the massive mace, aiming it upward.
With a powerful swing, the mace made contact with Jack's jaw, causing him to crumple to the ground.
The crowd erupted in cheers, their volume increasing as they began to cheer Alec's name, Only the mages from the Bandit Academy remained disheartened, refraining from joining in the jubilation.