The Mark of Mastery I

Gad

Gad gave a cold look at Samael, "I got nothing else to live for if I cannot be a..." Gad almost said 'cannot be a vanguard again!' Gad sighed, finding his cool. "My determination is not about running away, I am doing this to face it. To face my damn past, and if I am going to face it, I am going to face it after going through the real challenge." Gad turned around and faced Aeris. "So, are you accepting it?"

Then one of the trainees initiate her attack on Komori, Gad was not so sure what's the deal of her. Was she really trying to cheat her ways out of the challenge? Attacking the opponent before he could be ready; then again, such course of action was probably not a bad choice. Knowing Komori though, Gad knew he could handle it.

Gad's eyes still locked on Aeris, "Others' have started, are you accepting my condition?" Gad held his weapon ready, ready to attack Aeris as she says yes,

Zephyr Arc - Training Hall

When the random trainee suddenly started an attack, it really got Zephyr pumped. No longer able to hold himself back, he, too, took to the attack. Casting Boost and Overdrive, he followed her up right on her heels, going for Komori's face with the back of his spear as she went for his feet. A slightly crazed grin had replaced his usual aloof calm.

The Pixie that had been left behind by the sudden tush of savagery put a hand over her face and sighed.

Alignment Check:

Spoiler:

Aeris' challenge didn't seem to go over well. Most of the rookies either did nothing or adamantly refused. The ones who did nothing didn't event warrant a glance from Aeris, including Bastion. He was determined to let Komori handle the situation as the one in charge. The ones who vocally refused got a contemptuous look before being ignored.

When Gad approached her and accepted, however, her eyebrows went up. How interesting. He seemed reserved, but he had real spirit.

Then came something really unexpected. As a caveat, he demanded Aeris end his life if he failed. Her eyes flew open in surprise. Was he... serious? Yes... he was. There was no doubt about it in his eyes. And when his fellow trainees challenged it, he stated his purpose plainly.

"Aeris..." Komori said warningly, but she ignored him.

"I understand," she said, nodding. "And I respect that."

"Aeris!" Komori growled.

Then everything turned into chaos. Amira launched a projectile straight at Komori's head with near-fatal speed, then raced toward him with Zephyr following in her wake.

"Idiot!" Bastion snapped. What happened to all their strategies and plans?!

It didn't matter anyway. Amira's attack was fast, but Komori was faster. He bent backward just as the buckle sailed past his head, then flipped back into a standing position as Amira and Zephyr went at his legs.

Komori drew his sword in an instant and smacked the palm of his hand against the side of it. "Brightroar!"

A shockwave blasted Amira and Zephyr across the room, even knocking the trainees at a distance off their balance. Aeris flinched and took a step back, shielding her eyes from the flash of blinding light

"THAT'S. ENOUGH." Komori struck his sword against the floor, his expression fierce.

The room went quiet, and Komori took a moment to take a deep breath and calm himself. Bastion wobbled a bit as he tried to regain his footing, suddenly feeling less confident about his prospects in this face of this sudden display of power.

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated," Komori said slowly, glancing at Amira and Zephyr on the floor. "And I'd be lying if I said you were the first to try something like that." He shot a look over at Aeris, who frowned. "But the exam hasn't started yet.

He turned on Aeris and Gad, first directed his attention to his fellow Vanguard.

"Aeris, I think it's time you left. I'm in charge here, and I'm responsible for this exam, not you."

Aeris' expression turned cold, but she didn't respond. Turning on her heels, she offered Gad a passing nod before striding from the hall.

"As for you." Komori grabbed Gad by the collar and glared into his face. "Don't let me catch you talking like that again. I didn't spend all this time training you all for you to throw your lives away. Whether Vanguard or not, your lives have meaning, have value. Don't waste that."

He let go of Gad, then sighed and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He directed him back toward the others, then turned to face them.

"Now, all of you trainees ready to claim your Mark of Mastery..." He took on a fighting stance, his sword braced. "Begin!"

Zephyr Arc - Training Hall

While a bit stunned at being blown away, his innate fighting instincts allowed him to get enough sense back before he hit the wall to twist his spear and have it pierce in first, considerably softening his landing. Dispelling his buffs, he took a breath as clarity returned to him. They were really gonna need those plans from last night...

As he'd only had time to help himself, he went to check on Amira before he would try to join up with Vayu and Bastion, Cherry quickly flying to his side.

Gad

Gad quickly reacted to Komori's powerful blast; he quickly stabbed his scythe blade into the ground, holding himself firm. What it followed, Gad sighed. That two hot-headed trainees...

As Aeris walked passed by, Gad nodded in response to Aeris' passing nod. it was clear that the challenge was off. When Gad was grabbed by the collar, Gad was hardly surprised by Komori's reaction.

"Don't let me catch you talking like that again. I didn't spend all this time training you all for you to throw your lives away. Whether Vanguard or not, your lives have meaning, have value. Don't waste that."

Gad wanted to reply to that statement, but alas, he couldn't. He knew where Komori was coming from. "I will try," Said Gad shortly and after comforting pet on his shoulder from Komori, Gad made it back with other trainees.

As Komori finally announced the test had begun, Gad rushed in. Even though that up-hill challenge was off, he already knew well enough that Komori was not going to make it easy for them. But with that statement, he kinda felt some mixed emotions emerging from within, and someone had to create a distraction.

He wasn't sure about others but knew well enough that he probably had the two feet least affected by previous Komori's spell. Hopefully, his initiation gets the others rolling as well.

Gad slashed upwards as he reached Komori.

Vanguard Training Hall

- Vayu -

Vayu wasn’t fazed by Aeris contemptuous look. Instead the actions of Amira and Zephyr caught his attention. He was too surprised to do anything but stare. While Amira’s actions felt anything but spontaneous, Zephyr seemed to be caught in the heat of the moment.

However, their actions were of no use as Komori blasted them back with a shockwave strong enough to be felt where he was standing. Vayu tensed and took a step back to keep his balance.

Silence descended on the training hall after Aeris left at the request of Komori. This was it. Vayu’s grip tightened around his sword. It looked like all eight of them would take on Komori.

He nodded towards Bastion and Zephyr, hoping this would not end in more chaos.

“Let’s start this off with a bang!” he said and snapped his fingers. His gauntlet glowed.
Before he could do anything else, Gad rushed towards Komori. Vayu frowned and stopped the motion on his gauntlet. So not ideal. There was no sense in also rushing in.

“Ugh, nevermind. Another idiot rushed in recklessly,” he muttered. “Because that worked so well last time.”

“Confusion Wave,” he extended his hand towards Komori. While Komori was too strong to take the full effect, he would still feel dizziness and his balance would be affected.

- Komori -

Komori's eyes flickered to Gad, rushing for him, then the others. Someone was bound to use this as cover for another attack.

Ah, there is was.

Gad reached him and slashed, but Komori blocked it with ease using Biter. Then, with a grunt, he redirected Gad's momentum and kicked him back.

Right in the path of Vayu's Confusion Wave.

Gad was hit with the debilitating spell, and Komori used the opportunity to cast a buff on himself.

"Featherfoot." A ghostly white feather drifted through the air and passed across his feet, which glowed with white light. He then immediately leaped a ludicrous height through the air and grabbed onto one of the nearby pillars, clinging onto it like a monkey.

"Well now, I'm not sensing much coordination yet," he mused.

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- Bastion -

Bastion sighed and pinched his nose. This was going disastrously. Even after Komori's initial display, they still weren't coordinating at all.

"We're not going to get anywhere just throwing darts at the board and seeing what sticks!" he protested. "We need to fight intelligently!"

Ten to one no one would listen, but he couldn't help that. Time to focus on what he could do.

"Calibrate," he whispered, feeling his mind kick into high gear like a rush of cold air.

Vanguard Training Hall

Samael

"Geez, even without his demon he's that good!" Samael stated in a mixture of surprise and excitement, his mouth agape for a moment before he began recoiling from the impact of his last attack.  Regardless, this situation could work out to their advantage now, they could work together and pass this exam so...  And, they're still acting by themselves....

"Agreed, here we'll want to surround him if possible" Samael loudly retorted to Bastion so the rest of the group could hear what he was saying.

He placed his hand under his chin, thinking how he could catch this man off guard before an idea came to him.  He quickly flicked his wrist and bicorn appeared out of his gauntlet and back on the field,.

"and time for another one..." Samael stated with him gently moving his hand in the air, as suddenly another bicorn was standing there him now petting the new 'demon'.

What he did was cast Spectral steed and transformed it to look like a bicorn.  It wouldn't be able to cast, but the advanced movements and strength might catch Komori off guard.

"I'll try to limit his movement, give you some breathing space" Samael stated, as he jumped on the new bicorn and took off in the direction of the pillar in an attempt to surround him, he wasn't attacking yet though he was going to keep his distance and wait for Bastion to make his move.

Vanguard Training Hall

Amira

Amira had underestimated Komori, she had thought that he would never expect a surprise attack this early. Well, she thought wrong, how many vanguards had existed so far? The chances that she was the first were ridiculously low. Forgive me.

Amira was thrown back by the shockwave. Dammint, her broken arm, and legs would make the landing impossible. Golden light leaves her body as a large form manifests behind Amira, catching her within its arms.

"Forgive me Amira, I had expected the frail body of a human... It seems I acted too brashly."

The large figure in black and gold spoke in a voice neutral of both emotion and gender. It held Amira off the ground as the light from its body fled into Amira's body. Her broken arm and legs healing back to their default state.

*crack*

Cracks form around the figure's arm and legs. "It's fine Haita." Amira finally is able to drop down on to the ground. Breaking her members had really hurt, but she had bitten through it. She had gone through worse.

Another trainee approached her, she only gave him a glance before she returned her attention to Komori. Was she nervous? Yes, but the adrenaline rushing through her body didn't allow her to hesitate. "Don't bother with me, focus on Komori instead." She didn't even notice that he had jumped against Komori like her, nor did she remember who he was.

"Zephyr."

Haita communicated. Well, now she knew. Regardless her attention was on Komori still. Just as Komori used his spell to jump around. "Haita stop him!"

Haita pointed his staff towards Komori. "Denial." A single word and an interruption of the flow. Komori would soon realize that his Featherfoot spell had stopped working.

PS:
Due to Amira being full on target lock murder mode towards Komori. She hasn't noticed that by removing the buckle of her belt, that her pants fell off with the blast.

Scarlet

"Brightroar!"

Scarlet covered her face with her arm at Komori's spell, stumbling back at the unexpected force. She hadn't expected that whole chain of events to occur. And Amira had injured herself in that attack!

"Are you okay?!" Rushing to Amira's side, Scarlet crouched, a concerned look etched on her face. She was interrupted by Komori dismissing Aeris, followed by his pronouncement of the trial beginning.

As Scarlet turned back to Amira, her eyes widened at the sight of her limbs whole once more. Her attention was quickly grabbed by the sounds of her fellow students beginning their attacks. Opening her briefcase, she retrieved her bow and began to string it.

"Neko, see if you can get him down from there!", she commanded, nodding at Komori's position on the pillar.

"No problem~", she purred, sidling up to the pillar. "How about you be a good boy and get down from there? You can't resist my Wicked Wiles~", she addressed Komori, striking a pose.

Vanguard Training Hall

- Vayu -

Vayu rolled his eyes when Gad got his with his spell. Well that didn't go as planned.

"That was dumb luck," he said and walked over to Gad while some other participant kept Komori occupied.

He grabbed Gad's shoulder, knowing full well he was disoriented.

"Hey!" he said and snapped his fingerd repeatedly in front of Gad's eyes. "Focus. The fight is not over yet. By the way, I think you're an idiot for charging in by yourself."

He looked around for Zephyr. When he found him, he let out a loud whistle between his fingers to catch Zephyr's attention.

"Zephyr!" he called. "Can your Pixie remove ailments?"

Zephyr Arc - Training Hall

Zephyr approached the other trainee, glad to see she was alright. Even one more fighting potential would be a lot considering what Komori just showed them. Just as he was about to tell her about her missing pants, she interrupted him. Since she told him not to bother with her, he naturally agreed and turned back to go fight Komori as another traineed came to Amira's side.

As he started walking, Vayu called out to him, asking whether Cherry could remove ailments. "Yep. Your friend there get stunned?" He replied, Cherry having already flown to Gad's side and cast Mercy Wind, causing a light gust of wind to wash over the boy. "So, where's Bastion? We're gonna need them strategies. I've confirmed as much directly just now."

Gad

Gad knew it was futile, but if Komori moved to a different area, he could target that area with his spell. Of course, he did not expect something to come right after.

Stunned and confused, when Gad come back with his sense, Gad sighed looking at Vayu. "I was not being reckless. I was trying to provide an opening. But thanks." Said Gad, standing up. "It won't happen again."

When Zephyr mentioned about the strategy, Gad looked at him, as if Zephyr said something uncharacteristic. But he did not say anything. The other trainee were doing their best to get Komori down or so. Well, particularly one of them using her Neko, but it was not going to cut it without actually casting spells. "Whatever." Said Gad, he waited for how Komori would react to that. Gad had his hand ready to direct his spell.

If the trainees somehow get Komori to move away from Pillars, forcing him to jump to another one and such, Gad would use that as an opportunity to fire his force bullets to attack Komori while he was in mid-air.

- Bastion -

Bastion's thoughts flew by in an instant as he watched the battle progress, trying to formulate a new strategy. He activated his Analysis spell, searching for something he could exploit.

Weaknesses? None. None. None. Ah, there. To his eyes, there appeared the ghostly trace of a red line crossing the back of his knee. Yes, whenever he lands from a jump, he lands with the right leg first.

The others can't be relied on. No, that was the flaw in my calculations from the start. The number of participants refutes attempts at coordination and control.

The line is very faint. An old injury, possibly only a trace of discomfort or even completely healed. Psychological, perhaps? An injury trained him to brace with the other leg while healing and turned into habit.

Chances of success with singular efforts... minimal. Allow the others to run wild for cover. Choose an ally to boost success.
Gad, Amira - too reckless
Cleo - ...incompatible
Samael, Scarlet - insufficient trust for coordination
Zephyr - minimal trust established; far too reckless, however
Vayu - acceptable


Aim for his strong leg. Create even a small injury. A split second will occur where he favors the injured leg on habit or switches to the unfavored leg can't react in time.

Komori can't be beaten directly. He's far too skilled.

How to create that opening? We can't hold him where he doesn't want to be. He's too agile. He'll jump to avoid any attack. Yes, work with that. Maneuver him where we want instead. Get him into the air to avoid an attack. Xiezhai's Thunderfoot can get him in the air. Wait for someone to distract him with an attack, then go for it. The other trainee will be a casualty. Acceptable loss. More believable that way. He'll be expecting such sloppiness after what he's seen.

Precisely. Too skilled. Our attacks would seem amateurish and sloppy to him.

He's now airborne. He'll expecting a direct attack. Xiezhai's Holy Horn will do. He'll dodge that. Attack the back of his knee with my Precision spell.

Play into that. Give him exactly what he expects. A feint. He'll be expecting a unskilled strike and react accordingly to it.

The setup is complete. What is the next step? Other trainees will recklessly rush in for an attack. Let them. He'll likely use Brightroar for crowd control. Wait until after his retaliation to go in for the feint attack.

Komori will counter. Take the hit and catch hold of him. Use momentum, plant both feet in his stomach to knock him back. Previous setup attack on leg will bring him down or set up a fatal opening when he tries to land.

Risks within parameters. Possible casualties acceptable. Chances of success high... enough.

Bastion nodded to himself and raced over to Vayu. Gad and Zephyr were already there, but Gad was paying him little attention, already looking to attack again. Just as well.

"Just... go do you thing," Bastion said, waving impatiently at Zephyr. "You're of no use to me."

He turned his back on Zephyr and grabbed Vayu by the shoulders.

"I've devised a strategy. I hope you can keep up," he said before quietly rattling off his plans.

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- Komori -

Komori surveyed the group, seeing them try to rally. Some attempted to be coordinating, however poorly, while others were pressing onward as best they could.

At the base of the pillar, Samael and two bicorns were riding about in a circle, trying to keep him there. Leaping from pillar to pillar would be easy enough, but-

"Hmm?" Unexpected. His Featherspell was abruptly dispelled, and gravity became a pressing issue. He jammed his sword into the pillar to hold onto, just as a Nekomata scaled her way around the pillar, ready to cast her charm spell.

"Down it is then!"

Pulling his sword loose, Komori dropped out of range of the Nekomata before kicking off the pillar. Without Featherfoot, his momentum wasn't as great, but still enough to clear the circle of Bicorns.

A flurry of Force Bolts was hot on his heels, but not a huge concert. Spiraling through the air, he dodged one, knocked aside the second with his blade, then dropped below the last. As soon as he hit the ground, he was ready with his next spell. "Quick Spike!" he cast, ready for the inevitable counterattack.

Zephyr Arc - Training Hall

Normally, if anyone did what Bastion did, Zephyr would laugh at the weirdo. But this was Bastion, whom he knew from the previous night to always be plotting something or other. "By that you mean go nuts and distract him while you make with the theatrics? Gotcha." He replied, making sure it was loud enough for Gad to hear.

He cast both Boost on himself and had Cherry cast her Protection of the Fairies on him before casting Overdrive, reaching the peak of physical ability he was currently capable of on his own. This time, however, he didn't lose it and go berserk. Next, he turned to face Komori, who had just landed, and charged. He made sure to put up the usual mad grin just to be sure the old man thought he was on one of his rampages again, spear poised to strike.

- Cleo -

As he took his hand away from Nekomata’s cheek, the woman from before stepped forward again, cutting off Komori’s speech with a challenge. Cleo stood in place, watching as the others reacted. As he’d mentioned to Komori the night before, he wasn’t entirely stupid, but a part of him was curious to see what things were like outside the walls. For all the training they’d received, it was obvious that the gloves had never come off.

One of the recruits seemed more than happy to take up the challenge, even going so far as to bet his life on it. Cleo smirked. At least the guy had resolve.

“Please tell me that you’re not seriously considering this.” Nekomata said, leaning into his shoulder from behind. When Cleo didn’t instantly produce an answer, she planted one hand on his shoulder, digging her claws into his skin through his shirt. “Fine. Maybe I’ll have to put some scars on her pretty face.” She took a step around him, and Cleo reached out to grab her elbow.

That’s when all hell broke loose…

As several of the other trainees turned down Aeris’ offer, Amira unleashed a savage surprise attack on Komori. The old weasel countered it with seeming ease, and Cleo had to respect that. His own spells would have made escaping the onslaught more easy, but even with that advantage, Amira probably still would have connected with one of those attacks.

While he waited for the dancing greens and purples to leave his field of vision, Komori laid down the law about the exam. It was an honest tragedy that meant the striking beauty excused herself from the room, but Cleo didn’t allow himself to dwell on it right now. Their instructor’s display of strength made it strikingly obvious how little they all knew about Komoir’s actual power level.

Cleo actually had to fight not to laugh when Komori easily turned aside Gad’s attack, forcing him into the path of Vayu’s spell. While he and Bastion did not typically get along, Cleo could agree with the young man’s assessment of the situation. The trainees’ attacks could barely be considered coordinated.

He glanced around the room to see what the others were up to and had to do a double take. Now there was something you didn’t see every day. Clearing his throat to ensure he didn’t surprise her with his presence, Cleo stepped up beside the least clothed member of their squad.

"Sweet Amira, while I will be the first to admit that fuchsia is most definitely your color, I would like to note that in one of our previous lectures, Komori made it very clear that we should never be caught, and I quote ‘with our pants down’. So, might I suggest you either pull them up or kick them off?"

"It would be a tragedy for you to cover up such an excellent figure, but it would be even worse for you to trip and fall during a combat exercise."

Vanguard Training Hall

Amira

Amira stared upon the battlefield, her eyes scanning Komori's movements, even by removing his spell, he could still move like that???

"Truly Vanguards are a different breed."

Haita's voice resonated through Amira's body. How was she even supposed to beat that!? She wasn't offensive at all! Her best bet had been to strike while the hammer was cold. But now that Komori was also in battle mode how-

"Sweet Amira, while I will be the first to admit that fuchsia is most definitely your color, I would like to note that in one of our previous lectures, Komori made it very clear that we should never be caught, and I quote ‘with our pants down’. So, might I suggest you either pull them up or kick them off?"

She slightly turned her head to the side. Oh, it was... Cleo, right? Yeah, the guy that greeted her before. What was he even saying anyway? Something about pants? Amira slowly turned down to her legs only to be met by their pale color...

Ohgodohgodohgodohgod

Amira lifts her head again towards Cleo. Then back to her legs, then back to Cleo... Her cheeks and ears are red as blood as she was clearly trying to keep a straight face. Slowly her hand reaches down as she pulls her pants up. "Thanks... Please stop staring..." She whispered as she clearly avoided eye contact.

Gad

"This is why I wanted to weight him down..." Said Gad, recalling his first mark of mastery test. "Bicorn," Gad took out his demon and he mounted it.

He could see the guy with pixie rushing to Komori, Gad curled his lips. Perhaps, his failed strategy became an example of what everyone should do, which was not his intention from the beginning.

In any case, he cast himself a spell. "Invisible Armor." To make sure nothing would hinder his attack and protect himself from fellow trainees' debuffs and ailments.

Last time, he had a helping hand to surprise Komori from behind. This time it was different. "Wish I could approach him silently." Muttered Gad.

But he had no time to dwell on that. Instead of rushing towards Komori, Gad quickly let Bicorn enchant itself with "Fleet Foot" and let it dashed towards the area where he could see Komori's back, he was trying to re-position himself and get out of Komori's sight.

Gad just hoped that guy with Pixie distracts Komori enough so that Komori would not be aware of where Gad went with his Bicorn. Gad looked for the right timing to cast his burden of Guilt; he had to do it as Komori jumps and tries to land on a different area.

Gad was confident in his ability to get the timing right, but he was not so sure if a sudden change of gravity would make Komori slip; hopefully, it would still create a good opportunity for others to attack Komori at once.

Vanguard Training Hall

- Vayu -

Gad seemed to be okay after the Pixie cast her ailment removal, so Vayu let him go. Gad seemed intent on attacking Komori once again, to no avail it seemed.

Bastion joined them and after sending Zephyr away to cause a distraction, he grabbed Vayu’s shoulders.

“Woah, woah,” Vayu said and removed Bastion’s hands from his shoulders and took a step back. “Personal space, dude.”

However, he listened intently to the Bastion’s plan, nodding a few times. It was risky, but looking around, the others were scrambling to attack Komori, providing the perfect distraction.

“Let’s do it,” he agreed.

Vayu snapped his fingers and the Zhen demon appeared from his gauntlet.

“Time to get to work. Get airborn and support Zephyr with Cyclone Bomb on Komori when you have a chance,” Vayu commanded. The Zhen demon rose into the air and encased himself in a field of wind, waiting for the opportunity to strike down Komori after Zephyr and possibly Gad had completed their attacks.

Vayu on the other hand moved to the side, slightly further away from Komori and out of his field of vision. The less the other man saw of him, the better.

Scarlet

Having strung her bow, Scarlet looked around to take stock of the situation. Having so many people to track at once was tricky - quite unlike her previous experiences hunting.

Komori had come down from the pillar, though not due to Neko's interference it appeared. One student was charging him while another manoeuvred around his back for an attack. For the most part, the other students were hanging back. Amira... had her pants down? And another student standing next to her, looking at her...

Scarlet stomped over to the guy. "Hey! You should be paying attention to the fight!" she stated indignantly, prodding him with a finger to get his attention.

Vanguard Training Ground

Samael

"How are you able to jump that far without his spells?!" Samael thought with intense aggravation, as he tried to quickly get back into formation around Komori.  But, there wasn't enough time, everyone was already getting ready for their second line of attack.

"Crap this isn't good, it's just going to be a repeat of last time!" Samael thought nervously, as he quickly tried to weight his options. If he just ran in then he would probably just get knocked out, while his options of ranged attack were limited.... but he had to make use of this moment... it's what he was waiting for.....

Right, let's go with that then!

"Noise Manipulation" Samael quickly stated, as he snapped his fingers and the area around Komori began to reverberate with a high-pitched ear piercing ring that would cause some discomfort but more importantly make it harder for Komori to hear his allies attacking.

- Komori -

Komori saw Zephyr coming in and smirked. Boy never learned. He activated Buster Force and prepared to rush Zephyr when a high-pitched ringing started in his ears. He paused a moment, wincing, giving Vayu's Zhen the time it needed to swoop in with its Cyclone Bomb. Komori brought up his blade to take the hit, then batted the Zhen aside.

By then, Zephyr was right in front of him. Kid had some force behind him when he tried. For a little while, it seemed like he was making progress, swinging wild, powerful blows against Komori, who only seemed able to parry them in time.

Then, Komori caught Zephyr's blow, their weapons sliding against each other.

"Not bad," Komori said, grinning. "But you didn't think you could outmuscle me, did you?"

With a sudden flex of his arms, he knocked Zephyr back, then went in for the offensive, hammering him with powerful blows. Zephyr did his best to block him, but one particularly powerful one clashed into his weapon and sent him hurtling back.

That's when Komori saw them. Cleo, Amira, and Scarlet - looking like they were in the middle of a school yard argument than a make-or-break final exam.

Those kids... He felt a pang of sympathy, but... no, he couldn't let this slide. It would go against everything he stood for.

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- Bastion -

Their efforts were decent, but still not enough. As expected.

Bastion watched as Komori dispatched Zephyr, the turned his sights on the trio on the other side. In an instant, Bastion understood. Those idiots!

"Move!" he yelled.

The instant his voice rang out, Komori had already sprang right into their midst. With a yell, he swung the flat of his blade around with whirlwind force, enough to knock all three out cold... and possibly break a few bones.

Bastion's mind kicked into overdrive.

Can we do something to save them? Is there time?

Stick to the plan. We can't risk it. This is the perfect cover.

They might fail if we don't... An acceptable loss. It's been calculated.

Xiezhai. Thunderfoot. Focus. Holy Horn. Precision.

Begin.

"Xiezhai!" Bastion called, summoning forth his demon. "Thunderfoot!"

The sheep-like creature sprung out from his gauntlet and pounded its hooves into the ground, sending out an electrical shockwave toward Komori and the trio. No sooner had Komori unleashed his attack than the shockwave reached them. Komori activated his Featherfoot buff and leaped high into the air out of range. Bastion didn't wait to see if the trio took Komori's hit... or his own spell. His attention was focused solely on Komori.

"Holy Horn!" he ordered.

Xiezhai sent a shaft of light shooting through its horn up into the air straight at Komori's chest. As expected, he spiraled neatly through the air, avoiding it.

NOW.

"Precision!" Bastion slashed his fingers, directing the Meta spell right at the back of Komori's knee. It scored a hit, and Komori flinched and changed trajectory in the air.

Perfect! Now if-

No, that was off! Komori landed closer than expected. Bastion had barely a moment to bring up his spear before Komori lashed out with his uninjured leg. The force crashed against Bastion's spear and threw him back into the pillar behind him.

"Gahh!" Bastion cried out as his head and back struck the pillar. He fell to his knees, dazed and winded. He brought up his hand to the back of his head, wincing as it came away with blood.

No, that was the least of his worries. As he looked up, Komori pulled out his baselards and threw them through the air at him.

Bastion's eyes widened. He couldn't possibly move in time.

- Cleo -

“It will be a hardship to avert my eyes from such beauty, but if that’s what you wish.” Cleo responded with a stoic expression, turning his eyes back towards the fight.

Only a moment later, his attention was pulled back away when a very feminine finger landed in the center of his chest. Ah, to have the attention of another spirited beauty. Perhaps today really was his lucky day.

“My sincerest apologies.” Cleo responded to the red-haired woman before him. “I was simply making sure Amira didn’t hurt herself due to an equipment failure.”

“Lookout!” Nekomata’s voice rang out a moment before Bastion’s, giving Cleo the extra seconds he needed to realize what was going on and react. Bending his legs, Cleo reached out and shoved both of the ladies off their feet. He hated having to push them, but the alternative would be worse.

As Komori sailed through the air, Cleo leapt as high as he could. Hopefully he timed it right.

The moment Komori’s feet hit the ground, Cleo held an open palm towards the instructor, and the air around them warped slightly as they suddenly switched places.

Cleo himself tried to duck under the swing, which was now located above his head, but the edge of Komori’s blade caught the hilt of his zanbato, which was strapped over his shoulder. The shock of the strike didn’t cause Cleo any real damage, but it did send him to the ground in a manner similar to how he’d shoved the girls. Instant karma…

Before Cleo even hit the ground, Komori had already adjusted his trajectory and leapt away again, but at least Cleo got the satisfaction of watching a fireball trail after the man as Nekomata tossed a Flameflick at his retreating form.

Zephyr Arc - Training Hall

As Komori looked away after sending him sailing away, Zephyr smirked. His spear abruptly lengthened as Komori leapt away, stabbing into the ground below and stopping his momentum. Thanks to the enhanced defense buff, he hadn't taken too much damage. Just a couple cracked ribs... his arms might have been sore. Maybe. Feeling was dull through the overdrive. While making sure he was still in Komori's blind spot, his spear shaft grew to its maximum height, leaving him airborne for just long enough to watch the next course of events.

Bastion 'accidentally' sending an attack at their allies, then getting cornered even with Cleo's assist left him a bit disappointed in the other man's abilities. He'd expected better. He pulled his spear free from the ground and shrank it, before re-aiming and lengthening it again, striking the floor before the two girls, allowing him to absorb the spell, while at the same time firing a three-bolt volley at Komori, targeting the same leg Bastion had hit, just as Komori threw his Baselards.

He'd generally been rampaging in most classes with Komori and hadn't shown anywhere near this level of ingenuity before, not to mention he should still believe Zephyr was just blindly charging as usual, so he hoped Komori would at least be taken aback. Combined with him being distracted by Bastion at the time, it should improve his chances pretty well.

Samael

Nice!  Bastion managed to score a hit!  Samael was impressed but his face soon turned pale when he realized the situation his ally was in, there wasn't much time... who knows what would happen to him if that baselard hit him.

"Hold on Bastion!  I've got you!"  Samael shouted out, as he quickly turned to the bicorn besides him and yelled "Use fleet foot, NOW!"

As if on command the bicorn Samael was riding on speed picked up significantly, as the bicorn launched itself into the air towards Bastion.  Samael grabbed his ally and flung him onto his horse using his increased strength from the spectral steed spell, as he made sure to stabilize bastion on the 'bicorn' to make sure he didn't fall off.

"Pixie get over here and heal his wounds!" Samael commanded at cherry, as he and his 'bicorn' skid across the ground from launching himself from earlier and bolted towards the pixie.