First Training Session

Good 's training camp was silent.

The wind stirred the flags tied to the stone stakes, and the sound of boots hitting the ground echoed under the gray sky.

Aioze walked to the center of the makeshift arena.

"The first duel will be between Yuuki and Yumi ." She raised her voice firmly.

The two stepped forward, their gazes locked with rivalry.

Yuuki drew his sword, the blade glowing with a vivid red aura.

Yumi , on the other hand, held her short dagger with surgical precision.

Without warning, Yumi charged forward, activating CLONING, and two identical clones appeared around her, advancing simultaneously.

But before they could attack, a flash of light cut through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the clones vanished, reduced to smoke.

Yumi choked and knelt down, spitting out blood.

"Impossible..." she murmured, looking around.

Yuuki was already behind her, his sword pressed against his back.

Instinctively, Yumi raised her hand and struck the TIME FREEZE pose.

The air distorted, everything stopped.

Immediately afterward, she activated TIME RETURN, and her body went back in time to the beginning of the fight.

During the time jump, she saw the move that had defeated her: Yuuki using the SPEED OF LIGHT, moving in a straight line like lightning.

"So that's it... She spends a lot of energy on that," he thought . Yumi , landing back in the present.

Yumi began throwing daggers in quick succession, surrounding Yuuki in a metallic rain.

Yuuki dodged some, parried others with his sword—but his movements no longer had the same brilliance.

— “She can’t use the ability again…” — Yumi realized, and stepped forward.

The blades clashed, sparks flying through the air.

Yuuki forcefully pushed Yumi 's dagger away, sending it flying.

He smiled with superiority.

— It's over now, you're exhausted. — he said . Yuuki .

But Yumi , sweating and trembling, smiled too, and bit Yuuki 's leg hard.

Yuuki shouted.

— You damned woman!!!

She kicked Yumi violently, and her body exploded in smoke.

— “It was a clone...?!” — Yuuki's eyes widened.

Two daggers appeared flying out of nowhere, plunging into Yuuki 's legs .

She fell to her knees, screaming in pain.

Yumi appeared, walking slowly from behind, her face covered in sweat.

"Never declare victory until the battle is truly over," he said . Yumi smiling.

Yuuki sighed, defeated.

Shana entered quickly, healing them both with a soft light.

Aioze nodded respectfully.

"Good fight. Strategy and resilience in balance," he said .

— Now, Lysandra versus Filna . — he announced . Aioze .

The two women took their positions. The tension was almost palpable.

Lysandra raised her arm, sparks dancing around her fingers.

"I hope you're as interesting as your sister," he said teasingly.

Filna took a deep breath.

"I'll try... but remember, I'm more of a support fighter than a combatant," he replied . Filna .

Lysandra smiled.

"We'll see about that," he said . Lysandra .

The sky seemed to darken as she summoned LIGHTNING, forming an electric spear in her hand.

Filna teleported , appearing between the rocks, then disappearing again.

But Lysandra , with a swift movement, touched the air and activated TRACKING, marking Filna with a small blue spark on her shoulder.

"What an irritating skill ..." Filna muttered .

"You won't be able to escape for much longer. Your teleportation will soon run out," he said . Lysandra , confident.

— (She's right... I need to resolve this quickly.) — he thought. Filna , clenching her fist.

Suddenly, Filna ran straight towards Lysandra , something no one expected.

Lysandra gathered electrical energy in her hands and unleashed a colossal blast.

Filna used JIKŪ IKAN, switching places with a giant rock.

The blast struck the stone, shattering it into pieces. Fragments flew and hit Lysandra , cutting her face and shoulder.

Blood flowed, and she staggered.

— You can give up now. — he said . Filna , panting.

Lysandra clenched her fists, ready to counterattack, but Aioze raised his hand.

"That's enough. The victory belongs to Filna ," he said . Firm aioze .

The two exchanged silent glances. Lysandra nodded, still irritated, but composed.

Aioze stepped forward, his gaze stern.

"You two, come back now," he said . Aioze .

The two obeyed, leaving the training field.

Aioze then turned to those next to him.

Shouta 's turn ," he announced . Aioze .

The high sun illuminated the training field, reflecting off the rocky ground.

Aioze watched everyone with his arms crossed. The air seemed heavy, filled with expectation.

Gerald and Shouta looked at each other, with smiles of respect and challenge.

"I was already wanting to confront you," said Gerald, with a small smile.

"Funny... I was feeling the same way," he replied . Shouta , adjusting the collar of his clothes.

Aioze raised his hand.

— Begin. — he said Aioze .

Shouta charged forward with impressive agility, his feet barely touching the ground.

Gerald kept his guard high, dodging and blocking his opponent's quick strikes.

Shouta spun his body and threw two daggers in quick succession, aiming for the neck.

Gerald dodged at the last instant, the wind of the attack cutting a strand of his hair.

Gerald then lunged forward with a direct punch to the stomach.

The impact sent Shouta flying backward, rolling across the ground until he stopped a few meters ahead.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but he still smiled.

"You're very good," he said , wiping away the blood.

Shouta then began running in circles, throwing daggers with precision.

Gerald stretched out his arms and, one by one, caught them all in the air without cutting himself.

"You still don't understand," said Gerald, stepping forward with firm steps.

"I don't rely solely on strength," Gerald continued .

Shouta tried to back away, but he tripped on a rock and fell to the ground.

For a second, silence filled the field… until the two of them started laughing.

"What bad luck for me. But it was also due to a lack of attention," he said . Shouta , funny.

"You fight well. Anyone else would have a hard time taking you down," Gerald replied , extending his hand.

The two of them got up and went back to the group together.

— Great fight. Technique and respect are rare virtues. — he praised. Aioze .

Aioze looked at Himeno with a firm gaze.

" Himeno , I will fight without using the legendary swords. I want to test your progress in hand-to-hand combat," he said . Aioze .

"Okay... I won't disappoint," she replied , her heart racing.

They both took their positions. The air vibrated.

Aioze was the first to move; his punches were quick, precise, and with restrained force.

Himeno dodged and counterattacked, the sound of her footsteps echoing across the ground.

(She's improved a lot. Her reflexes and focus are on another level.) — he thought. Aioze .

The exchange of blows was intense, each movement generating a small wave of energy.

Aioze then landed a direct punch to Himeno 's stomach , followed by a spinning kick that knocked her to the ground.

She tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't respond.

Aioze walked over to her and picked her up in his arms.

"You did great," he said with a slight smile.

— Thank you ... but I still have a lot to learn. — she replied . Himeno , with a small, tired smile.

Upon returning, Aioze looked at Shana .

— Heal her. — Aioze ordered .

— That's right. — he replied . Shana .

A green light emanated from Shana 's hands , enveloping Himeno and healing her wounds.

Aioze then turned to her.

"Now it's your turn, Shana . I want you to fight without relying on your transformation," he ordered . Aioze .

— Understood. — he replied. Shana , stepping forward.

On the other side, Max clenched his fists and gave a slight, provocative smile.

— Shana and Max , begin the duel! — Aioze raised his voice.

The wind blew across the training field, kicking up golden dust.

Shana and Max looked at each other in silence, sizing one another up.

The air between them felt heavy, vibrant — as if the field itself awaited the first blow.

"I'm going all in." Max cracked his neck and spoke coldly.

Shana maintained a calm expression.

— You can come. — he replied. Shana .

The ground shook when Max activated Physical Enhancement.

His muscles expanded, veins pulsing red. The pressure around him increased, making the air vibrate.

Max charged forward with a straight, devastating punch.

Shana crossed her arms in front of her face, blocking the impact, but was thrown backward, sliding across the rocky ground.

Her body glowed with a lilac hue as the Regeneration kicked in.

Max didn't give them time to breathe, he launched into a flurry of kicks.

The blows came swiftly, each one charged with enough force to fell a tree.

Shana dodged slightly, her body flowing between the thrusts.

"I'm going to win this battle," Max said confidently.

"If I were you... I wouldn't be so sure," he replied . Shana , wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

Max spun around and landed a kick to her abdomen. The impact cracked the ground.

Shana fell to her knees, breathing heavily.

(My body aches ... but it's almost at its limit.) — he thought , clenching his fist.

Max tried to move forward again, but stumbled. The red glow of his muscles began to fade, weakening him.

Shana smiled slightly.

"Your time is up," he said . Shana .

She lunged forward with a fluid motion, rotating her body.

The kick landed squarely in Max's abdomen, causing him to stagger back.

Before he could recover, Shana jumped and delivered a direct punch to his face, knocking him down for good.

Shana took a deep breath and looked at her fallen opponent.

"I told you I wouldn't run away," Shana said firmly.

Max looked away, exhausted.

They both returned together to where the others were watching.

Aioze crossed his arms, assessing the situation.

— Shana , you did great. — Aioze praised her.

"Thank you," she replied , smiling slightly.

"Max, you didn't learn anything from what I said earlier," Max said .

"I'm sorry, sir," he replied , looking downcast.

Aioze sighed.

"Now it's Hiroshi and Koharu's turn ," he said . Aioze .

Hiroshi looked at Lysandra and smiled slightly.

"Hey, honey... did you make that gun I asked for?" Hiroshi asked .

Lysandra responded with a provocative smile.

"Yes," he replied . Lysandra .

She threw a pistol in his direction. Hiroshi caught it in mid-air and spun the cylinder, satisfied.

He and Koharu walked to the field.

"I'll show you how skilled I am with a pistol," Hiroshi said , adjusting his sights.

— (I need to concentrate...) — Koharu thought .

A blue aura began to emanate from his hands, forming an ethereal sword made of light.

She moved forward.

Hiroshi fired a shot.

The shots crossed the air, bang , bang ! And Koharu dodged with graceful movements, approaching little by little.

Hiroshi, with a cold gaze, calculated her every move.

He then fired a direct shot at the ethereal sword.

The impact shattered the blade of light in a burst of energy.

Koharu was shocked, unable to believe it.

Hiroshi smiled, raising his pistol.

"The next one is the last one," Hiroshi said .

A dry shot.

The bullet struck Koharu in the chest , and she fell to the ground, stunned.

The field fell silent.

Aioze raised his hand.

"Hiroshi is the winner," he said . Aioze .

They all looked at each other, surprised.

Koharu , breathless, looked at her own body, unable to understand how she had lost so quickly.

Hiroshi simply twirled the pistol on his finger and put it back in its holster, with an arrogant smile.

They went back to join the others.

"Rest a little. We'll have another training session later," he said . Aioze .

Everyone nodded. The group spread out, chatting and reflecting on their previous performance.

Some seemed excited… others, dejected.

Ten minutes have passed.

Aioze stood up again and looked at everyone.

"I'm going to announce the new training pairings," he said firmly.

— Hiroshi and Shana . Koharu and Shouta . Filna and Yumi . Himeno and Lysandra . Max and Gerald. Yuuki and I. — Aioze announced.

Some exchanged glances, excited, worried, or tense.

The second training cycle was about to begin.