Chapter 54: Challenge(1)
The entire third year had gathered inside the gymnasium, but unlike usual, there were no groups forming, no chatter filling the air, and no one eager to spar.
Everyone was waiting.
Their sharp, focused gazes were fixed on a handful of students who seemed to have been automatically singled out from the rest.
Those five students who have been chosen to be the face of the academy.
Rather than receiving admiring gazes and congratulations, all these five were getting was hostility.
Natalie gave a nervous smile. "It feels like we’ve committed some kind of crime," she muttered.
She has never thought there would come a day where she would be facing her classmates and friends like this.
Gizel folded her arms, huffing. "Look at that guy, hiding behind others," she said, nodding toward Caleb, who gripped his weapon tightly, eyes darting, ready to strike at any moment.
The sense of camaraderie that once existed among them was gone. What remained was raw competition.
Every student in that hall carried the same thought—this was their chance to rise. To earn a spot among the five chosen who would represent them in the big league.
To stand against the other academies and make their parents and the teachers proud.
And for that, they were ready to cast aside everything else. Old friendships, bonds, promises—none of it mattered anymore. Recognition and a secured future were all that counted now.
At the front stood Russel, silent and watchful. She didn’t need to say anything today.
Her orders were simple: let whatever happens, happen—
just make sure no one dies.
Just then, it began.
"Catch this!" someone shouted as a chained axe came spinning through the air toward Kevin.
The raven-haired boy leapt back in time—only to be caught by surprise when another student, the same one who had tried to pin Natalie down in class yesterday, lunged forward and grabbed him.
"Tch, really?" Kevin hissed, glancing between the two. "Teaming up now? How are you even going to decide who keeps the badge?"
The boy wielding the chained axe grinned, his tone playful yet sharp. "Simple. Whoever gets the badge becomes the new target. And I know for sure—it won’t be me."
Kevin blinked, his expression flattening. "Then why the hell are you even attacking us?"
The boy twirled the axe in a circle, the chain whistling through the air. "For fun," he said with a smirk, and hurled it again.
Kevin growled. As the axe came flying, he stomped down hard, twisting his hips to throw off the large guy holding him. The heavy body flipped over and the boy worked a shield to protect Kevin from the blade.
"Gaaah!" a sharp cry rang through the gymnasium—an alarm bell that snapped everyone else into motion.
"Gizel!" Caleb finally snapped, fury flashing in his eyes. "I’m going to wipe that smug grin off your face!"
Gizel didn’t flinch. "Fool... announcing your attack like that," she said coolly, pulling out her twin batons. "Well, let’s see how far you’ve come, Caleb."
The two childhood friends collided, their blows sharp and relentless, each strike carrying years of rivalry.
Meanwhile, Natalie found herself facing two all-too-familiar opponents.
"Lizel... and Laila too, huh?" she said with a grin, lowering her stance. "None of you are getting past my defense. You both literally use me as a spell tank during training."
Her tone was confident, but her eyes were sharp and alert. The atmosphere around her tightened—the calm before the next storm.
And just like that three friends got involved in a friendly exchange.
William and Emma were standing side by side, watching the chaos ensuing around them.
Just then, "Here it comes," William smirked as he saw it...a huge group of twenty students advancing towards them.
William rubbed his palms, ready to take them all.
However, "We challenge you, Emma." One of the students declared, "We have formed this alliance which we named the Anti-Enma faction to take you down and take your star."
Emma’s brows elevated, "Is that so?" She glanced at William, "Sorry to disappoint you, dear, but these fans are here for me."
William clicked his tongue. Just as he slid his hands into his pocket, a meek voice called out,
"Umm..." William looked down and found a small girl, about 5’3 standing there, fidgeting.
She was holding her metal knuckles in between her small hands as she asked, "I want to fight you."
William narrowed his eyes, but then he smirked, "Hmm~let’s go somewhere more silent then."
Emma narrowed her eyes at the small girl walking beside William—but then, she felt it. A chill ran down her spine. *Danger.*
On instinct, she jumped back—but it was a trap.
"Got you!" A man lunged from behind, his arm stretching unnaturally wide as it grew in size, aiming to grab and crush her.
But Emma moved like she had eyes on the back of her head. She leaped high, conjuring a small barrier under her feet as a platform, easily dodging the massive hand that closed around empty air.
Before she could land, another student charged in, swinging a wooden staff at her head. Emma blocked it with a flick of her wrist, her barrier flaring to life again. The impact cracked through the air, but she didn’t budge.
The boy swung again, faster this time—but Emma stepped inside his reach, ducked, and slammed her elbow into his stomach. The staff slipped from his grasp as he gasped for air.
"Haah." Sighing in weariness, she grabbed him by the collar, twisted his arm, and swept his legs in one smooth motion, pinning him flat on the ground before he could react.
He groaned, and she stated flatly. "You should’ve stayed hidden."
Without wasting a moment, Emma turned—and slammed the barrier down on the first man, who tried to grab her, knocking him to the floor with a painful grunt.
"Ahh!" he cried as the air left his lungs.
Emma exhaled, crouching low to dodge an incoming dagger, then spun on her heel to face the next attacker.
"My~my." She grinned. "Didn’t expect you to lose your cool this soon, Dorothy."
The girl smirked, summoning more daggers that floated beside her. "I wanted to attack you last night, but our friendship stopped me." Her eyes gleamed. "Now, I don’t have to hold back."
Emma straightened and glanced around—more than fifteen students had surrounded her, though none carried true hatred in their eyes.
Still, that didn’t mean she’d go easy on them.
"Well, let’s end this soon."
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please add a review.