The alliance surrounded Trevor and Arthur in a semi-circle as they prepared for the incoming ancient troops. They looked on with tense faces as Trevor attacked the noble youth that had given them a headache.
As the sword descended, Arthur looked on unfazed. His hand glowed grey as the air was compressed inside the ethereal rods, increasing the density of the restrains that shot out of his hands.
The restraints coiled around the knight and his sword, making the giant blade halt its movement an inch away from Arthur's face. Arthur's blonde hair fluttered in the wind as the air pressure from the attack descended.
"You can't break my restrains, Trevor," Arthur said as he tugged hard. "My ability might be of the support type, but it has its uses."
"Oh, is that right?" Trevor leaned forward and rushed forward, appearing in front of Arthur in an instant. "It's still useless in an actual fight." He punched toward Arthur's ribcage with crystalized hands.
Arthur guessed this was a skill Trevor had that he was employing. He didn't wish to take the attack head-on since that would be a waste of time. Using his agility, Arthur redirected Trevor's fist before he headbutted Trevor in the face.
Trevor's head jerked backward as blood spurted from his nose after a distinctive crack. His nose took a weird angle and he covered it with his hand, hiding his face.
"Oh, damn." Dalo looked to the sides with a side-glance as the scene turned as still as a picture.
It happened so fast and smooth that no one had any reaction. Trevor's nose dripped blood on the grass as he stood there in silence.
"Ah," Arthur paused. It was purely a reflex to his attack, but he didn't think it would be this bad. "Well, would you look at the time? I better get going." Arthur turned away before sprinting toward the ruins.
"Holy Black Knight!" He heard Trevor's roar from behind him as his restraints were broken. Arthur felt a heavenly presence descend and turned to see that the knight was glowing with runes on its armors as wings protruded from its back.
The knight had a black halo on its head and rushed toward Arthur, cutting across the sky. Even though it had no legs and was simply an ethereal creature, it was still a high-grade manifestation that was as strong as real summons.
The knight stabbed with its sword as Arthur felt a pulling force gravitate him toward the tip of the blade. It was as if his body and the sword were meant to meet but he simply slipped into his shadow.
However, Arthur felt his shadow space get breached by the knight's blade, following after him. Away from sight, Arthur summoned Ruki in the shadow space where she was at her strongest.
The shadows coagulate in front of her as the attack was blocked. Without a moment of delay, Arthur emerged from the shadows and resurfaced onto the world.
As coincidence would have it, he appeared next to Rae. The two looked at each other for a moment and glanced toward the incoming troops.
"How many have you killed so far?" Arthur asked and Rae grinned.
"Six."
"Keep at it and you might win." Arthur gave her a thumbs up before sprinting toward the troops.
"Stinky Rat!" Rae shouted from behind him and followed after. Soon, the whole alliance was also following after them.
Arthur jumped over a set of ruined pillars and threw himself in the middle of the knights where he began his attack. The white scarf of Rae covered most of the battlefield as it sliced up the knights like vegetables.
"Alexie!" Arthur heard Trevor roar with madness as he dashed toward him, killing the knights in his way. He had no idea from where he learned of his name, but it was probably told to him by Rae when he left them together earlier.
'Jeez, this guy is persistent.' Arthur felt a headache as he wondered how he should deal with this person. Trevor wasn't weak in any way; he was objectively strong.
That's why Arthur wondered why these people remained behind and didn't try to pass the test as soon as possible. Instead, they chose to team up with others and gather the crystals.
All he could think of is forging connections and establishing circles. The elites were gathered here for more than just studying, there was also politics involved and trades made.
As for the genius commoners and those that managed to make it, they would be recruited as well by the guilds and families. It was strictly forbidden that a student at Jerano enroll in a guild before their senior year as that would clash with their studies.
'Oops, I got absorbed in thoughts.' Arthur saw the black knight's blade head his way so he grabbed an ancient knight and used it as a shield.
"Does that count as my kill?" Arthur shouted toward Rae who was madly fighting.
"No way in hell!" Her reply came and Arthur sighed. It would be difficult to get this person off his trail but he didn't need to. He was only here to distract them.
If that was the case, then he can simply make a mess of things. That's why Arthur grabbed another armored knight and threw it in Trevor's direction.
A knight closed on him from behind and it was taller than the others. It was a high-tier monster that was a league above the other knights. Arthur dodged his attack before circling behind the knight and kicking it in Trevor's direction.
As the suit-wearing demon got busy fending off his attackers, Arthur kept tackling the other knights as he kept his count. Six, seven, eight, and nine. He was fighting multiple enemies at the same time, something he prepared for in the Tower of Yearning.
His restrain rune showed its might as Arthur used it to hinder the enemies before taking them out. As the ruins turned into a battlefield, Arthur found himself enjoying the chaotic situation.
After his fifteenth kill, Arthur felt the earth shake. He turned toward the center plaza of the ruins as a giant head peeked from above the pillars.
The Great Ancient Knight, who was at the peak of the high-tier, left its post to attack the offenders. Arthur and Rae both stopped and looked with a serious face before turning to each other.
"Your kills?" Rae asked him and Arthur told her the number. She gritted her teeth and seethed. "I'm also fifteen."
"How about we settle this?" Arthur smiled at her. He dodged the incoming attack of a knight before striking it with his knee. "Whoever gets to kill the Great Knight wins."
"Deal."
They moved at the same time and rushed from the battlefield toward the Great Knight. The monster paused for a second before grabbing a pillar and taking it out of the ground.
What Arthur thought to be a pillar turned out to be a handle. His shadow, which he used to scout earlier, didn't get to see this part so he was stunned.
The giant sword was almost seven meters tall, only a few meters shorter than the knight. Looking like a small house, the knight swung its sword with a horizontal slash the turned into an arc of hidden force ripping through everything in its path.
"Dammit," Arthur prepared himself to use his shadow space but heard the cries of the people behind him. He glanced backward and saw that Dalo and the ginger head girl from earlier were directly behind him.
If he dodged, Arthur didn't know what would happen to them. Eliminated, most likely. However, he wasn't their savior or guardian for him to interfere.
'Ah, whatever.' Arthur resigned himself as he braced himself. He stood in the face of the wave of destructive energy as his skin turned metallic. With a stomp on the ground, Arthur waved his arm in a punch that collided with the destructive energy.
The moment before he struck the force, a wall appeared in front of him to hinder it. Arthur smiled knowingly as he saw the wall get torn down easily, albeit it managed to hinder the attack.
Rae appeared by his side as her scarf coiled around her arm. She didn't dodge as well and punched alongside Arthur to stop the horizontal slash.
Their fists collided with the great force as it pushed them back. Without using his Release rune, Arthur's strength was still below the peak-high-tier.
His feet left a trail on the ground as his fist shook. However, the force slowed down as Arthur and Rae shouted and pushed with every strength that they had.
There was a booming sound as the field of force was broken and negated by the two. However, the fact that it was a horizontal slash remained to stand, making it impossible to fully block it.
Arthur huffed as the knight took another step in their way. He turned to Rae smugly as the words left his mouth.
"How come you didn't dodge?"
"I'm not a coward. Moreover, we planned to distract them." She grinned at him. "I'm still going to win this, Stinky Rat."
"In your dreams." The Great Ancient Knight slashed at them vertically this time. Arthur grinned and turned to face the monster.