A large plot of land void of any foliage, covered in red sand, was what Kana saw when she arrived at the testing grounds for knights. In the center was a large metal cage around it where many lizard men wearing armor and a sword strapped to either the hip or back. Some even had their swords out doing practice swings. Although few, there were still some females other than Kana standing off to the side. Kana wandered over to where the other females were, not sure where she should stand. She did not go over and join their group. She instead found a spot and sat down a distance away from them. She laid her sword on top of her lap and closed her eyes.
The other females took a glance at her but not for more than a few seconds before going back to chatting amongst themselves. Kana had no idea what the test where she only knew she would be going all out this time around. She had asked Bridan, but he refused to say anything since it would be considered cheating to know what the test will consist of ahead of time. It was also against the law to give such information as well. She was even told specifically that she was not allowed to speak of what happens within the testing grounds when she signed up.
Kana sat under the hot sun from early morning to almost noon when a large lizard man in shiny armor finally walked onto the testing grounds. "Alright. We have over one hundred of you here. We need to widdle down these numbers. The cage over there is where you will all enter. The last ten alive will be deemed worthy of taking the test to become knights. No weapons allowed and no magic! How you fight from there is up to you. Cheaters will be killed on the spot. Let's get to it. Everyone file in!"
Kana sighed, thinking of how brutal this was going to be. But she did not care. If she had to massacre, she would massacre. She had to finish this dungeon and evolve so she can then take the final trial of the black tower. Kana stored her sword away into her inventory and stood up. She watched as everyone stabbed their weapon into the ground and walked towards the metal cage.
Kana waited for the others to enter before following the rest in. As she was the last one in the group, she heard the cage door shut loudly behind her. "As I said before, the last ten alive will be able to take the knight's test. Now that you have entered, your lives are up to you. I do hope you can survive long enough to reach the end. Let the battle begin!"
Kana didn't waste any time before she bared her claw like fingernails and swiped it across a young man next to her. Blood spurted out from the man's neck as he looked at Kana in disbelief. He never expected that he would be the first casualty of this deathmatch. Since Kana was the first to move and the first to kill, the rest of the people in the cage finally began to follow suit. The smell of blood filled the air as it flowed out of the cage. Seeing the red sand soak it up, Kana now knew why the sand was red. It was dyed in the blood of those who have died here.
A huge man charged at Kana throwing a fist straight at her face. Kana sneered as she reached up and caught the man's fist. The fact that such a frail looking girl was able to block his bunch stunned the huge man but only for a second before his vision went dark. Kana had already stabbed her head into the man's chest and crushed his heart. He felt no pain as he died standing up.
Kana poked his body, sending it backwards before using it as a trampoline, springing herself up into the air doing a front flip. She landed upside down onto one female's head doing one handed handstand. With a twist of her body female's head twisted, killing the girl instantly. Her combat prowess had grown by leaps and bounds since she entered this place. She had long learned how to kill effectively and efficiently. To her, the people in front of her were no different than brainless monsters, and she moved around the crowd.
Outside the cage, the knight who was watching over this death match nodded his head in approval. "Not bad at all..."
"She is indeed good. I would not expect anything less from her." A dirty man dressed as a beggar said as he walked up behind the knight.
"Your Majesty! I am surprised you are here..." The knight was truly shocked since the king had never shown any interest in this test before.
"I had to come this time because one of them has finally shown up after so long." The King replied with a smile. "If she passes, send her straight to the battlefield and let her begin gaining her prestige."
"By your command, Your Majesty." The knight replied, bowing his head. He never thought one of them would show up after so many thousands of years. He now understood why this young lady was so amazing at killing. With her on the battlefield, she would easily demolish the enemy's forces without even breaking a sweat.
"Remember she has to the last one standing." The king's eyes showed a glint of ruthlessness.
"Sir, you mean…?" He was supposed to pick five out of the batch after all the tests. Now it was going to be a last man standing kind of competition? The knight felt a little aggrieved. He really needed more men!
"Yes, after the battle royal, I want you to have one on one matches where only the last one alive gets to move on." The king replied, confirming the knight's assumption.
The knight once again let out a sigh. He really hated when things changed so suddenly. He had planned so much for this new group, and now all of it was tossed out the window. His two month training regime was gone just like that! He had just gotten the funding for it too! He couldn't help but think that sometimes his King can be truly unfair...