A gust of wind swept above my head as I ducked and lowered my hand. At the same time, I manifested a shield right next to me in the air, but Luka nimbly changed his posture and switched out on the attack. His feet landed on the shield that had just materialized and he kicked downward at me.
With a swift back-step, I dodged his oncoming blow and struck him with my knees, but he blocked it in the nick of time.
At that very moment, the block we were standing on started to crumble as Albert used his magic to destroy it from its structure. Luka and I immediately jumped back and the both of us started attacking Albert. Or rather, the air around Albert since we couldn't attack each other. As he focused his attention on the analysis monster, I took the chance to swipe the core from Luka's hands but—
—THWACK!
A loud sound resounded as Albert averted my swipe… by punching me.
The quick punch turned into a strike from the back of his fist as he attacked Luka, but his other hand was reaching toward the golem core.
Since one had already punched, I decided to kick Luka in the stomach and sent him reeling back, narrowly avoiding Albert's hands.
Right then, three loud gongs resounded all over the inside of the tower.
"It seems the time is coming to an end," Albert muttered.
We had left behind the other two cores for these kids here, so it was just all three of us with one each. This would have been the perfect victory… but…
"I thought we couldn't attack our teammates?" I said.
"I lied," Albert stuck his tongue out.
"What the heck? Why are you so… so fucking lazy and crafty?" Luka burst out at Albert right then. "You even knocked people out, I thought you were the type to flip people's skirts!"
Albert turned his gaze my way.
This regressor was kinda, sorta admitting his position. But it made sense to say this stuff since he thought we didn't know. But he didn't know that we knew. I wished he could know that we know so that I could say we didn't know he knows that we know.
The gongs rang again.
"There's a time limit?"
"Of course, how else will you manage with just five cores?"
Heh… then was the entire event being monitored too? Inside the tower? That spoke lengths about their advancement.
Soon enough, a strong mana turbulence spread inside the tower and one after the other, the prospects' brooches handed over by the academy started to glow.
"Well, this is it, we might end up with a tie…" Albert smiled.
"Tsk," Luka clicked his tongue.
How pathetic, was I really going to lose here? No. A tie didn't count as a loss, did it? No, wasn't that just weak? In the first place, was it worth winning? Who am I kidding, it was always worth winning. The strongest never losses.
In the blink of an eye, our brooches started glowing too.
From Luka.
Since we could attack, I could steal it from Luka.
I lowered my stance and was about to jump out when a voice stopped me in my tracks.
"That's why, the ones in your hands are fakes," at Albert's words, both of us were stunned.
Albert reached into his pocket and pulled out two more cores.
"I swapped them out long ago, guess it's my win."
What bullshit.
I frowned and turned to Albert, there was no way he could create fake cores like this.
"Did you really think we would fall for something so stupid—"
Luka loosened his grip in shock, and Albert jumped away from his position. Before I could reach him, Albert's hands had already grabbed the core from Luka's distracted gaze.
The light flashing from our brooches grew more and more intense.
And the world changed again.
***
I was on my feet when I opened my eyes. The dark world inside the tower and the maze of levitating stone blocks had both disappeared and had been replaced by a stretching, wide field of grass and a sky of blue.
A fairy floated in front of my eyes at that very moment.
"Eh, a mass kick out from Alfheim, how curious. This academy's ties with the fairies has grown stronger since the last time I saw it."
I was on my feet when I opened my eyes. The dark world inside the tower and the maze of levitating stone blocks had both disappeared and had been replaced by a stretching, wide field of grass and a sky of blue.
A fairy floated in front of my eyes at that very moment.
"Eh, a mass kick out from Alfheim, how curious. This academy's ties with the fairies has grown stronger since the last time I saw it."
"Seven thousand years? It's a fairly long time." I spoke in between breaths.
"Woah, woah, why are you so down my Eugy!"
I bit my lips and clenched my fists.
Idiot.
That fucking idiot.
As I shifted my gaze, the hundreds of students on the ground all appeared in front of me. It was a crazy sight as all of them were on the ground after the mass kick out.
Not too far away, two more students were getting up.
Albert…
And that fucking redhead Luka.
"LUKA RUNE!" I screamed out loud.
"Heh?" Luka shifted his gaze around before he looked my way. That white fairy of his was nowhere to be seen.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
I LOST!
I LOST BECAUSE OF THIS BASTARD!
"How could you fall for such a blatant lie you dumbfuck! You walking human disgrace. You waste of breathable air, you fucking mixed fruit jam on pizza!"
"What…?"
I was almost about to jump out and sock the bastard, but a membrane of air wrapped around me. I had no choice but to stop in mid air as the swirling magic covered my entire body.
All attempts to move were thwarted straight away as the coiling magic energy around me choked my neck and froze my mana veins. It was similar to the feeling that the chains from Hell had brought, except, those only stopped materialization making it possible to still move the things inside your body, but this sensation stopped everything.
"Hoho, how fiesty of you children… truly, that fighting spirit is admirable."
My neck was forced to the side and I saw a man shining under the sun.
His robes… he was the principal of the academy.
"But, the exam has ended, please don't fight anymore. Thanks to you, we were able to get some great data on our live magic connectivity device!"
The principal snapped his fingers and every student was floated up into the air and pushed on their feet.
"Now, white hair there… would you mind calming down? I'll loosen your head so speak—"
The energy around my neck loosened and.
"Let go you son of a bitch! You think you're strong? EH? Come fight me like a man, I'll take on both of you!"
"Wow, Eugy, you just don't learn."
The strongest man's gotta fight.
"I guess that's a no," the principal laughed. "It's been ages since someone called me a son of a bitch, hahah!"
All students on the island paled, even Albert. My old friend whispered. "Yuyu, just shut up for a bit."
My head was frozen again, though, so I couldn't answer even if I wanted to.
"Anyway, we all were deeply entertained. You played a huge role in that, white hair, you have my praise."
Why, you're welcome. Just meet me in an alley now you fuck. How dare you make ME lose?? ME!
"Then, here are the rankings and the list of admitted students."
Oh? This principal was actually pretty to the point? I thought that announcement would take three days.
A giant blue window appeared in the midst of the sky and many different letters flashed in front of us. The numbers and lettered merged together and started forming names from the bottom up.
[150: Jun Mandom [Team Jun]]
[149: Min Mandom [Team Jun]]
Like that, names started flashing one after the other. From 150 to 100, the names flashed very quickly and different characters assembled together.
[10… Anatolia]
[9… [Team Phones]]
Hoh…
The next two were Fonias too.
[6… [Team Sophia]]
My, my…
[3. Luka Rune [Team Albert]]
TEAM..
TEAM WHAT YOU SON OF A BITCH?
[2. Eugene Hall [Team Albert]]
AHHHH!
I was second.
In a line of names, I was actually fucking second.
I could feel my heart crushing in on itself.
What was this? What in the world happened here?
[1. Albert Pinot Rizzler [Team Albert]]
"And that's the list. Good job, all of you."
"Hehe…" Albert giggled. That scum dared giggle.
"Now then, I guess you two owe me a request?"
Luka let out a defeated sigh. Still frozen in place, I didn't even have the option to react right now.
"Then," Albert continued. "It's decided... you guys will be forming a faction in the academy with me."
NOOOO!!
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