Akashic Arcana CHAPTER I - Genesis || The Combat Examination - Team Crown - ARCHIVED

[Katie]

@Katie @Boxaman @0rganist

It had just been an hour after the long written examination. The students had been given a short break so they could prepare themselves mentally for the combat trials. Team Crown was the code name given to this batch of students who were about to have their merits in magic combat evaluated. By none other than Gregory Matthew Hawk, a 2nd-year Disciplinary Committee Lieutenant.

Team Crown Battle Stage

​

As the students of Team Crown exited the portal that took them down to the next stage, they were met by a sight of a world that could not exist in reality. It was like taken out of a fantasy book. They saw large statues of ancient mages carved out of two mountains, serving an archway over this mighty mountain ridge.

The battlefield was a straightforward one, a field of green stretched far and wide, and they were closed off by two tall mountain ridges. In short, they were fighting right between a glorified mountain pass. The only path ahead was forward.

In the far distant, the students of Team Crown could see a silhouette of a man in the far distant, it was without a doubt their examiner. As they saw but a lone man against their high numbers, a single student stepped forward.

Reviliere Beaumont: "Listen to me, all of you! You have all been graced by the great presence of the 3rd heir of Beaumont! My bloodline stood against the Confederacy during the Great War! If not for my ancestors, the world would have all been part of the Feds! Now, rally around me, and let us all pass this together!"

Spoiler: Beaumont

The majority of the students started to shout a cry of battle as each summoned fourth magic, creating a wide spectacle of light as their magic activated. Reviliere proceeded to take 40 out of 50 first-years with him, as they charged with vigor towards Greg, who was awaiting them between the statues.

The time started, they had 22.5 minutes to complete this stage.

About 7 minutes passed after Reviliere's group attacked Greg. And it was a slaughter. All of the First-Years under Reviliere suffered a humbling defeat. Their bodies scattered all over the field Greg as advanced towards the remaining group in a slow manner. In his imposing physique, Greg's left hand had completely grasped around Reviliere's face and skull. He held him like a ragdoll as he dragged the unconscious body of the French noble with him as a warning to people who foolishly commanded an army and sacrificed all of his pawns for nothing.

But how did it end like this?

Flashback to their zealous assault, they showered him with ranged abilities, using everything in their arsenal. The ground around Greg was nothing but a searing gorge of smoke and molten rock. As the smoke cleared, they could see a mighty shield formed of mana protecting him from all frontal attacks. It was a high-level defensive spell, Aegis.

And as they charged up to continue their attack, the examiner exploded out with intense speed, using Mana Bursts to increase his velocity over and over. He performed sharp turns with the bursts, dodging their ranged abilities until he ended up close and personal with the group.

Team Crown was composed of First-Years who specialized in ranged magic, their melee compatibility was almost null. Against Greg's Durendal and his high magic tolerance and defenses, they were but pigs for the slaughter once he got up close. He moved like a wild tempest, his blade cutting down students to near mortal injuries, causing them to be instantly teleported out of the battlefield once the injury was done.

For those First-Years under Reviliere who were fighting Greg, they were overcome by terror, as it felt like life and death. Greg's sword slashed across their comrade's chests and shoulders, causing blood to spray into the air. In their eyes, Greg was killing them one by one. While in reality, their injuries were going to give them a scar at worst. The students cut down by Greg were teleported out of the Arena.

"I-I am going to die!" Someone shouted, and soon, the large attack group was on a full retreat, wanting to stop this madness.

The real edge that Greg possessed was the North American Flight spell, with his aerial mobility and assault, the First-years could barely hit their moving target.
Present

It was a brutal sight, even if the French student was a spoiled noble brat, he did not deserve to be displayed like this to the world. Greg's fist digging into his skull. His mouth agape, his body dragging across the grass, while leaving a soft trail of blood. Because Greg was holding him, they couldn't teleport Reviliere out.
He came to a stop, as he would be within sight of Kei and Jayden. As he saw Jayden, Greg gave the boy a crooked grin before releasing Reviliere. The French boy's body was instantly teleported afterward.

"Yo Jay! Are you the only one left?-... Oh, wait. Who is that lady next to you? My apologies, I could not introduce myself after being rudely assaulted by all these little shits! Gregory Matthews Hawk..."

A soft diabolic grin formed on his face.

"Welcome to Arcadia Academy's Combat Aptitude Exam."

Greg was a tall imposing man. Standing nearly two meters tall with a muscular physique. His bloody sword resting on his shoulder. He wore black leather pants with combat boots and an open short-sleeved shirt. It seems like he hasn't shaved in quite a bit, giving more of a rugged appearance.

Spoiler: Greg

 

[Boxaman]

PREPARATIONS

Jayden sat alone outside the locker room. Inside, the others changed their clothes to more combat oriented clothing. Jayden had strategically went to the locker room to change while everyone else mingled after written exams. He wore a tight black tank top with military style cargo pants tucked into combat boots. In addition, as always, he wore his black leather gloves.

When Team Crown was announced for their combat exam, Jayden methodically arrived last, avoiding any other members until they all arrived. When the combat exam was close to begining, some pompous prick named Reviliere Beaumont started droning on an on about his precious family.

"My bloodline is the only reason you are not all Feds now! The best way to win is to follow me and swarm our target en mass!" Said the Pompous douche canoe. A large number of the idiots began to nod and agree with him, believing the overwhelming swarm would be their best bet.

Jayden finally broke his habit of avoiding others and scoffed "So you want to use the ineffective tactics your precious bloodline fought, and won, against? Not a very strategically sound plan. Particularly since you dont even know what we are facing yet."

Reviliere's eye twitched "What authority do you have to speak to me, boy?" said the Frenchman "I am clearly of greater blood than you, you should not mettle in the affairs of your betters. MY family lead the charge that broke the back of the Confederate Army while you Americans cowards behind your borders!"

The crowd in the room nodded and murmured their agreement, quickly wishing to garner favor with the supposed royalty in the room.

Jayden rolled his eyes "What a clueless dimwit, any who follow his idea are morons that will all fail the exam. Anyone who wishes to actually get a good score on the exam best just ignore him and develop an actual strategy." He then moved to the far back side of the room.

A few students murmured amidst each other, clearly on the fence one which to join. The majority were about to join Jayden when the Frenchmen began to tell a clearly exaggerated story of how his family seemingly single handily held back the entirety of the Confederate Army. The ever fickle and sheep-like mass followed the loudest idiot's charisma over the sound logic provided by a less charismatic source.

A few students moved over to Jayden, and they began to formulate a plan together. Step one was to prepare their spells while the majority of the students futilely broke against the enemy like water on rock. Step two was to unleash their spells strategically, either hitting the weak spots of the enemy to defeat them or delaying the enemy to win by time running out.

THE BROTHER
Jayden followed the mass of students out and into the battleground of their combat exam. Even he couldn't help but be in awe of the huge arena. He was so taken in by the sights that he nearly didnt notice the huge man in the center of the pass. His eyes go wide and he freezes in place. "Greg."

He flashes back to the time he spent abroad at US Military bases. Growing up with the mighty Greg as his bodyguard. Growing up knowing just what he is capable of.... and still not knowing everything about him.

THE MASSACRE
Just before the swarm of students charged the mighty Greg, Jayden attempted one last appeal.

"My fellow students, I know this warrior. He has nigh impenetrable defenses and is probably one of the best warriors in the American army! Don't charge, we need to methodically hold him off!" Jayden pleaded.

"NO! Ignore the cowardly Americans!" cried the French prick. "Listen to me, all of you! You have all been graced by the great presence of the 3rd heir of Beaumont! My bloodline stood against the Confederacy during the Great War! If not for my ancestors, the world would have all been part of the Feds! Now, rally around me, and let us all pass this together!"

The mass of sheep cheered and charged with their dimwit leader.

Meanwhile, Jayden turned to the remaining students whose support he garnered. He reviewed their stated strengths and weaknesses in his head.

"Richards! I want you, Serenia, Vincent, and these three..." He said, pointing at three others "..to form our front line. You guest have the best defensive abilities, so your job is to hold the line. The rest of us will provide support. Francis, I want you to stay behind the front line. Your healing magic will come in handy."

He looks at the last two, Robert and Keilantra Albescu. "Robert, get your long range spears ready. You are good with long range accuracy, so take him down if he tries to take to the skys." he looks at Keilantra also "I dont remember your strengths, but try and fit in where you are best at, ok?"

He then notices the group starting to start at the sounds of battle in fear. Jayden turned around to see the merciless slaughter of the 40 other students. His eyes go wide, his stomach balking in fear.

However, he summoned up the courage to stuff his fear into place. "Well, I told them this would happen, fricking dimwits." He looks at the rest of his group, noting their fear. Suddenly his self doubt kicked in, and he began to second guess their strategy. He began talking, more to himself "I don't know if we can win against him. But damned if we don't try and take him down with us."

The other students murmured in agreement and began to prepare their various spells.

Jayden himself stood way behind the others, on a slightly elevated position. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled a long wavering breath. He closed his eyes, his body shaking in wrecking nervousness. Using what he was taught all his life, he began to summon his magic within him. The magic swelled from his chest, burning hotter and hotter. Unlike everyone else's magic, Jayden's power stems purely from one thing: anger. He twists his burning, red hot anger into fuel. His mana may be limited, but his emotional based magic allows him to amplify the effects of his spells. He began to summon up the memories that taught him hate, taught him anger, and taught him meaning of fiery rage. Over and over, he heard the same sound:

"Thwack! Thwack!" Continuously, the sound of a whip or a twitch. He began to unconsciously rub his hands together, his face full of pain. The "thwacking" sound grew louder the more he focused, growing in intensity. Suddenly, Jayden stopped rubbing his hands together, his body grew still. Then, he broke his physical silence by snapping with his right hand. The snap aligned perfectly with the next "thwack" that occurred in his head. He then snaps with his left hand, again occurring simultaneously with the "thwack."

The snapping steadily grew faster, getting a few curious looks from his companions. He then starts moving his arms, snapping his each arm outwards when they snap. When he snapped, a small fireball the size of a fist appears in the air just out of reach of his outstretched arm. He snaps up, down, left, right, over and over at varying degrees, a fireball appearing for each. He continues this for the next five minutes as the massacre continues.

Just before Greg finished off the last of them, Jayden was completely surrounded by fireballs. He suddenly shot both arms straight up, snapping with both as he does. The fireballs shot high high into the air and out of sight. Jayden then closed his eyes and waited.

A minute later, Greg came walking up, giving Jay a warm welcome. The other students stayed between Greg and Jayden/Kei, clearly in fear. When Greg finishes his sentence, Jayden suddenly opens his eyes. His eyes were glowing a firey hot red, more intense than the brightest flames. A wicked smile forms on his lips as he says "Hello, brother."

Jayden then screams an ear shattering scream as he shoots both arms towards Greg... and snaps.

All the fireballs, now completely combined into one huge ball, came down from the sky like the fist of the Sun God Apollo smiting the Earth. Their target: Greg.

 

[0rganist]

Kei had always despised locker rooms, the smell of cheap perfume, the sly under-the-breath comments women shared with each other and the almost palpable cloud of hormones that surrounded the entire area as long as they all sat within feet of each other.
She slid into the outfit she had planned ahead of time in order to cut down the time it would take her to get in it. The outfit was a simple set up, long thigh-high bandage socks, simple sneakers, some flexible top she found in her closet, her bag, and most importantly, her hood. Albinism has its pros... but it comes with its major cons; one of them being the absolute need to hide from the sun. The choker with her talisman pressed against the hollow of her throat as she tucked away her long silky hair.

Spoiler: Outfit Reference

She hurried out of the locker room and towards the combat exam as it was being announced, upon arriving she saw who she recognized as Reviliere Beaumont arguing with Jayden, or at least who she thought was Jayden. Up until now he had been only a name, but based on the description, he matched it.
A small smirk crossed her lips as the group of students huddled around and planned around the target. How foolish, she thought as she pulled a small burlap and cotton doll, two small blue gems sewn on to the head as if they were to resemble eyes, running her index finger around its neck, the Americans might be beef cakes filled with nothing but air.... but what they lack in brains they make up in brawn... Bastards can take a beating. She pressed her nail into the neck of the doll, the small gems popping out. Thankfully... I don't need to give anyone a beating....

As the group of students let out a pathetic-sounding battle cry and charged into their target, she slid the doll back into the small bag that hung across her chest and rested against the upper rim of her hip.
"Richards! I want you, Serenia, Vincent, and these three..." Jayden had said, pointing at three rather confused students that stood around like scarecrows on a field, their faces pale with a mixture of insecurity and fear "..to form our front line. You guys have the best defensive abilities, so your job is to hold the line. The rest of us will provide support. Francis, I want you to stay behind the front line. Your healing magic will come in handy."

She raised her eyebrow, the young man spewing orders seemed to scare them enough to have them bow and nod their heads in agreement, basically signing a contract that sold them to be the first to be taken into the slaughter house.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught glimpse of yet another student, his hands resting by his sides as if he were some sort of soldier, stiff as a paper soaked in glue. "Robert, get your long range spears ready. You are good with long range accuracy, so take him down if he tries to take to the skies." Jayden said confidently, his light crimson coloured eyes moving over to look at her, "I don't remember your strengths, but try and fit in where you are best at, ok?"

Her lips curled up into a cocky smile, her voice accented by a hint of her native tongue, "It's definitely a first, an american child trying to lead me into battle," her eyes locked with his, "I'll make sure you don't get shredded, boy."

Almost immediately following their interaction, shrieks of panic resounded; the once confident Jayden becoming pale, his eyes widening... Funny to see, how the human mind allows itself to be caught in such a vulnerable state as he quickly went back to his strong stance, managing to cover the obvious fear that had overcome him as their peers got mauled by an obviously superior opponent.

It was fascinating to watch her peers channel the power within them, their auras glowing around them as they did so. Jayden's , however, appeared differently than the rest... maybe because of his age? Whatever the case was, they all seemed to follow some sort of procedure where they would need to search within themselves. As if it were not an active part of them... How can they put it to sleep?

She stood in place, observing, waiting.

Her hand reached into her bag and pulled out the little doll she had made just the night prior. The fireballs shot by Jayden lighting up the sky.

She bowed her head and began her enchantment, whispering against the head of the doll, the ruby in her neck shining dimly as her lips moved rapidly, brushing against the blue gems. The dolls' eyes begin to light up.

The beauty of one's soul... is that it is oh so easily controlled...

Jayden's scream echoed in her ears, the fireballs lighting up the once quiet horizon.

 

[Katie]

Spoiler: Some Music

The Fireballs that Jayden unleashed were so hot that they lit the air on fire as they surged towards one another and made one huge orb of flame. The soldier could only gaze towards this burning sun in awe as Jayden unleashed the artillery spell, a closely guarded magic sequence only meant for military use. It made Greg grin with anticipation. As the mighty sphere of fire moved its way towards him, Greg could already see that Jayden's artillery version unique, as it produced a similar effect to napalm.

The following blast exploded in a fiery cataclysm that lid up to the very skies themselves. The shockwave produced could be felt for a mile, as if it was a 155mm artillery shell had struck the ground. The dirt was dug up from the floor en masse, as it rained down with molten rock and sand. The scent of ashes and coal seems to be the dominating factor other than the sensation of heat radiating from the point of impact.

Some of the more impressive factors were the dome of fire and black smoke that emerged from ground-zero, even if the target managed to dodge, the surrounding area had been deprived of oxygen, and the air replaced by a miasma of poisonous sulfur. Without a doubt, it was difficult to see if -anyone- survived the impact. The black smoke lingered for so long, and all there was now, was to wait in anticipation.

When the wind started to blow out the smoke, something was really wrong. The devastation of the land was truly severe, with a huge crater and a lava-like surface, except for one area, the place where Greg stood. The man stood like a statue, the ground behind him was unharmed, despite it looked like desolated soil as the grass had been completely burnt out by the heat.

Viktoriya was watching Team Crown's battle from her hospital bed, and from the looks of it, the Student Council president could only utter one sentence. "Damn brute..."

Before the Blast

Greg could only stand his ground as Jayden unleashed the spell he had prepared for so long. It was blinding, to say the least, as he could even feel the heat when the spell was still building up. When the massive fiery orb of Apollo was unleashed towards Greg, it blocked all view between him and the impending doom. The soldier raised his sword, Durandal high above his head as he focused a large chunk of mana into the blade itself. "Atlas..." He whispered.

The Sword began to gather strength, the edge began to glow with blue mana residue as Greg had to charge his sword until the very last moment of impact. As more mana was being poured into his attack, the air around him changed. Impulses of force started to erupt from the sword over his head, the kinetic force that was gathered exploded in rings of white, followed by a crushing noise in the air. As the massive fireball was just 3 meters away from him, he felt how he was burning up. Even with his Iron Flesh body enhancement skill, he had to close his eyes to avoid them being torched out of his skull. The fringes of his hair started to melt.

When the globe of fire was just within the range of his sword attack, Greg swung down Durandal with all of his might, unleashing all of the stockpiled kinetic force he had been gathered within the sword. From his sword, a large crescent moon arc of white and blue had been projected with such intensity that it negated the heat waves around him from the generated wind of the attack. The Atlas attack struck right into the center of the Fire sphere, causing it to implode towards its own center before he triggered the artillery spell's explosion prematurely in the air.

The following blast was massive, from the arc of his sword, he felt two walls of fire spreading to each of his sides, their heat so intense as it felt he was being baked in an oven. The Iron Flesh was what prevented him from being reduced to a cinder.

Present, Ground-zero

He had overcome Jayden's attack, but not without effort. From all perspectives, he should had used his flight magic to fly out of the explosion as fast as possible, but instead, he wanted to meet Jayden's Apollo head-on and shatter his pride in this battle. The kid had been called a prodigy for too long, if anything, he was about to make this combat exam a humbling experience. He stood like a Gatekeeper, a serious expression on his face with Durandal pierced into the ground and used it like a crane. Greg's jacket was gone however, the heat and blast had torn it apart, what was left was his leather pants and combat boots. His body imposing, sinews of muscles that spanned from his neck and down. His Crow tattoo could be seen from his naked back, and the swings of the crow seem to continue all the way down his arms.

Greg saw that Jayden's troops started to move, but one seems to be autonomous in her actions, what was she preparing? No matter, not knowing is what makes this interesting. "Ohooo... I almost want to give you extra points for relying on teamwork for once, Jay."

Richards, Serenia, and Vincent somehow managed to gather up their courage to move forward, but not too far ahead as all three of them began to pool their mana together and formed a high-level mana barrier, Aegis. It was far from the A-Rank version of Aegis, Greg could guess by the look of it that it was a C+ rank at best. Not bad for first-years. Robert, as instructed by Jayden, began to shape his magical spears.

Robert: "O'Lord, grant me your strength, to smite the snakes of paradise..." He was chanting, focusing his magic as five spears of celestial energy formed in the air behind him. From the looks of his chanting and magic form, he was from the Union as well, but what country? For those who were familiar with Germany, they could see Bismarck's Crest on his coat. Robert unleashed a barrage of his divine spears, each surged with different patterns as they sought to strike Greg from every direction.

Greg grinned, he initiated another Mana Burst technique within himself, generating more internal pressure as he moved with incredible speed. Paired with his Flight Magic, Greg performed a tall backflip as he dodged the incoming spears with ease. However, Robert wasn't done. His eyes closed, but his hands still moving as if he was a maestro, directing a symphony. The spears were controlled by Robert, and at the speed of missiles as well, they quickly turned their edges towards Greg as they chased him in the air.

"Now, this is interesting!" Greg roared out.

The Soldier proceeded to slash through the spears with his Durandal, one by one, with swings that had as much force as velocity and speed. With Durandal feeding off his mana, its edge was blue and could cut through magic. The spears shattered with each of Greg's precise slashes as he descended back to the ground. Greg swiftly kicked off the soil as he launched himself into a full frontal assault towards the defensive line of Richards, Serania, Vincent and their healer Francis.

Vincent: He is coming!

It was a given that Greg smashed through their improvised Aegis spell, it was expected, even by the three first-years, it was why they had devised a plan. The moment Greg smashed through the Aegis barrier, Richards, Serenia, and Vincent disengaged quickly to get out of his range. Surprisingly enough, they weren't afraid, they put their faith in their teammates.

Robert: "Tannhäuser!"

To Greg's surprise, he felt a stark chill run down his spine in the name of that spell. Robert's 5 spears had been a diversion, and now, floating above him, was one mighty spear. It looked divine as if it was a weapon wielded by an Arch-Angel. The spear launched itself with a powerful blast of mana, it accelerated to Mach 3 speed by the time it was about to hit Greg. The soldier only managed to twist and turn his body to the side. The Spear slashed deeply into his side as blood splattered out from the wound. The Tannhäuser continued all the way towards the mighty statues several miles away from them. The impact was so great they could hear it all the way over here, and the statue began to crumble.

Robert, however, fainted after using his inherited magic, pushing his own limits.

Greg's attack was stopped as he grinned diabolically. He placed a hand on his wound. The Spear had penetrated his Iron Flesh, as it was an Armor Breaker spell.

"Mmm... That was a close one... Not bad at all." Despite the injury, Greg didn't seem frazzled. He pressed Durandal's heated blade against his wound, a sizzling noise of flesh being melted and burnt together could be heard as Greg cauturized his own injury. Even for the soldier, he had to let out a roar of pain, but he was smiling throughout it all.

"Come... Show me what you can do."

10 minutes left

 

[0rganist]

3....2.....1.....

It had been a few minutes since the trial started; The battle around her had broken loose, in the back of her brain, the spirits that surrounded her aura kept her aware of the movements around her, from Gregory's sword counter to what she was sure was going to be the end of him, to the impressive team work her peers had demonstrated.

She pressed her lips against the doll.... A halo of blood to circle the dust that once was and will be....

The doll slipped from her hands, the ground beneath her trembling as the doll shook against the ground. The two blue gems shining a bright blue as a long, arm reached out of the doll's torso. A monstrosity of flesh, materializing itself from the innards of the doll, the creature was grotesquely long, humanoid in appearance. It's skin taut, and grey-ish in color... long oily hair draping behind it and covering what appeared to be a horse's skull for a head.

Kei looked at her creation with pride. Catching glimpses of her teammates from the corners of her eyes, their faces drained in color as this monster stood before her and out of the small doll that now laid motionless behind it.

"K-Keilantra.... what have you done!?" Serania exclaimed in panic, voicing the obvious fear that had overridden her teammates.

"Don't worry guys," Kei smiled maliciously, "he doesn't bite..."

The creature let out a soul wrenching screech and without hesitation lounged after Gregory as a drop of sweat ran down the side of his forehead. Kei's talisman shone as the eyes of the creature did, a corrupted soul in the physical plane... a real life flesh golem.

The creature was easily 7 feet tall [226 cm approximately to be exact], it's long arms pulling its weight forward, running in all fours as a horse would. The hair on its head floating behind it, leaving a trail of black matter that seemed to sizzle as it hit the ground.

 

[Boxaman]

NUKE
While the fight was going on, there were many spectators from around the world watching this fight with interest. Sure, most combat exams were televised globally but this one was of special interest to select persons around the globe because the son of the American General Roy "Nuke" Williams was fighting.

General Williams, who is well known as Nuke, was a Five Star General in the US military who was pushing his late 60s. He is a veteran of the Hundred Years War and is often credited as the reason Alaska still stands defiantly against the Russian Confederacy. Known for his personal variation of the Artillery Spell, known as the Nuke, General Williams is a widely feared military commander and mage.

Little did they know, General Williams enjoys a good cup of tea. He currently sat in a conference room, surrounded by other military officers as they joked and laughed with each other, with General Williams being the loudest of them. He was a solid 6'1" with black hair that had a dash of grey in it. His left eye was gone, covered by an eye patch. His face was covered in scars. Despite this, he smiled warmly around the room and told many jokes. As the broadcast began, General Williams sips Earl Green Tea, a gift from a British colleage, from a small coffee mug. He watches with interest as the roster of Team Crown was listed on the screen, along with their portraits. As the combat exam begins, General Williams smiles warmly at the sight of his son leafing the small batch of survivors.

"What a bright boy, I knew he had it in him to work with others." he said, to his fellow officers' nods and affirmations of agreement. Suddenly, the room goes silent as Jayden unleashes his Napalm Bomb. One officer's jaw practically hits the floor while another spit out his coffee onto a fellow flabbergasted officer. After their brief reactions of shock, they all slowly look over at General William, who simply takes another sip as he smiles with pride. "Such a gifted boy."

PRICE
Back on the Combat Exam Battlefield, Jayden doubles over as he falls to his knees. His body convulses and his stomach churns. He then retches as blood comes pouring out of his mouth. He grunts in pain as this continues as his companions battle Greg. He struggles to maintain conciousness, his body threatening to shut down as he blows the majority of his mana into one spell. He manages to stay concious on pure willpower alone, pushing through the enveloping darkness.

After clearing his stomach, Jayden manages to to groggily stand up just as Robert strikes Greg with his spear. Jayden smirks slightly, blood trailing out of the corner of his mouth. "Good hit." He mumbles out.

However, he groans in frustration as Greg is merely grazed. He then watches in shock as Kei summons her ferocious beast. His jaw drops at the summoning of the monster, taking a reactionary step back slightly.

The brief moment of shock managed to clear his groggy mind, and he managed to stumble over to his fellow Team Crown members. Several of them look surprised to see that he is still standing.

Francis runs up Jayden, clear worry on his face. "Dude, you should be unconcious." he exclaimed in shock as he checks Jayden over. Realizing there is internal bleeding, he sighs as he channels his mana. Two bright green orbs form in his palms, glowing brightly as he then presses them into Jayden.

Jayden screams in pain as the orbs slowly began to fix his internal wounds. After a brief moment, Francis stumbles backwards, clearly weakened by the spell. "I.... don't.... think I got it all." he gasps out. "I've only seen my father do that once. It should hold you together for a little longer, but..." he gasps once more "You really need to get proper care."

Jayden gasps several times in pain before straightening up. "Alright. Kei has her pet as distraction to Greg. What we need to do is containment. We have to force Greg to focus on the beast while we try and buy ourselves the time rundown." He looks at his watch "We should have a little under 10 minutes."

Jayden then grabs his stomach in pain, gasping loudly with a groan. He manages to ignore it as he finishes their orders. "I know you guys are more defensive fighters, and Robert was the only attacker we had besides me. But I need you guys to stay close to the beast, stay near its flanks. Use it as a meatshield between you and Greg, then I need you guys to pelt Greg with any attack spells you got and try and keep Greg from hitting the beast too hard. But, your primary objective is to keep Greg contained. We cant let him get off the ground or use his superior agility. Keep him in range of that beast's attacks!" He then looks at Francis "I need you to work with Keil. I want you to focus everything you have on keeping that beast alive."

Jayden looks around, noticing his teamates dont seem very confident. Self doubt gnaws at Jayden's stomach, threatening to force him to puke again. He manages to swallow it and say "We got this guys. Team Crown will finish this exam."

He then looks at Greg, watching him do battle with the beast. He internally goes I hope we are not too fucked.

PRIDE
Back in the confernce room, General Williams smiles deeply as his child rallies his teamates. "Such a good kid." he chuckles as he takes another sip of his Earl Green Tea.

 

[Katie]

Greg could only stare at this abomination of flesh that was charging down the lane towards him. He grinned wickedly, it looked strong, and against better judgment, Greg was going to fight it in melee. The Soldier ran up towards the Golem in its charge, but not before tossing his sword into the air with all his might, the sword itself was nowhere to be seen.

The man suddenly stopped himself as he recoiled his right fist. His arm started to throb as he was tensing his muscles, preparing to meet the monster head on. A soft grin on his lips as he lashed out with all of his might. Other than the Iron-Flesh Enhancement, Greg didn't put any extra magic into his punch. The Flesh Golem lashed out as well, and as their fists connected, a painful sound of thunder followed with a white ring of kinetic energy that exploded from the air, where their fists connected. Greg and the Monster pushed one another back, Greg, however, seems to be the one taking the most damage. His fingers completely snapped in different directions as he was stumbling back.

"That's what I call a PUNCH!" He has those sparks in his eyes again, he was enjoying this brawl. With sheer willpower, Greg clenches his broken fingers into a fist, popping each segment of his hand back together with a painful noise of crackling bone.

Greg smashed both of his fists together, but this time, a blue radiant light of mana surrounded his hands. "Atlas..." He whispered the American Marine's Melee Spell. It boosted the attacker's strength tremendously, where every part of the limbs became a reactive explosive armor. Greg lashed forwards towards the Flesh Golem, he met its punches, only this time, he was pushing back the monster with each connecting fist. Greg's strikes gave off the noise of a Howitzer artillery cannon firing up close, which only added to the idea of how strong each punch was.

However, as he was to make body blows to the monster, the three defensive mages started to cast their spells. Forming shields of light to shatter like ceramic plates, each time Greg tried to deal damage. He smirked, they were learning and supporting this monster well.

He wasn't all brawn over brains. After all, he made it look like he had tossed his own sword away, but in reality, he just angled the axis of Durandal, as it was now falling straight down towards the Flesh Golem. While the students were busy watching Greg, Durandal's edge buried itself deep into the skull of the Golem, causing it to stagger for just a second. And it was enough.

Greg performed a high frontal flip, as he grabbed the sword's hilt, only to slash through the entire monster with one single swing. A soft smirk on his lips as he stepped behind the beast with his sword in hand. The monster sprayed gallons of blood from the two halves he had cut. Greg himself was covered in blood, except for one clean line between his eyes.

"Now... Anything-..." Greg heard something stir from behind him... "Else?..." He had a bad feeling about that monster he just cut down.

 

[0rganist]

She watched her beast hunt its prey. It's what her father always taught her, keep an eye on the predator chasing its prey, it's easier to root for an obvious victor than a might-be loser. Her father, a never ending box of mysteries, the man that single-handedly turned his own daughter into a ruthlessly relentless necromaniac.

It was rather fun watching the man try to take on the monster bare handed, admittedly, she found it strangely charming from him. Perhaps she might consider a merciful end...? Her cheeks coloured a rosy pink under her dark hood, making it hard for anyone to notice that her mind was elsewhere as the fight progressed.

I did promise the boy I would make sure he wasn't shredded to pieces, she told one of the spirits that danced around her aura, ensuring that Jayden and Robert made it far enough that they were away from the line of fire, poor little thing... his aura is weak... he must've thrown all his power into the fireball...

Kei licked her lips, a soft smile still imprinted across her lips as the spirit confirmed that her fearless "team leader" sat far enough away that he would not be immediately targeted. She knew her peers were desperately trying to survive the remaining minutes, Jayden himself looked like he was ready for a coffee break. The three mages obviously charging a follow up spell, scrambling to defend against Gregory; it's not everyday you see some American fruit cake split a literal monster in two.

Her golem laid in two against the floor, its dark blood covering the surrounding area. The blood splattered across the man, adding some sort of imposing power to his already "macho" aura.

"It isn't very nice to break other people's toys..." she pouted mockingly, her entire left side cramping from the not really obvious pain that was inflicted because of the fall of the monster. Kneeling next to where the doll laid, she traced a cross on the dolls forehead.

"All we will be at the end of the day will be nothing but dust..." she whispered the chant to the doll, perhaps loudly enough for anyone within feet to hear, intendedly so... All is dust is a chant that must be loud enough to enchant the doll.

Her eyes locked with Greg's, the remains of the monster trembling as it reanimated into two identically grotesque canine-looking-golems. Their skulls now covered with the once hair of the previous, their maws dripping with blood.

"You see," she spoke as she picked up the doll, its bright blue eyes shining like Greg's had earlier, "the thing with my dolls is... they are made for sharing..."
She twisted the arm of the doll, letting out a loud crunching sound, " the one you broke was mine...." one of the hounds cringed and opened its mouth to let out an agonizing screech of pain; her own side aching more than it had a minute ago.

The hounds backed up, their bloodied tongues hanging out of their poorly constructed, teeth filled mouths, "but this one.... is yours, Gregory"

Her eyes widened in lunacy, the hounds lounging after him, her talisman shining brightly like the fire had earlier in the battle, the All is Dust ritual finally completing.

 

[Boxaman]

STONEWALL
Team Crown was working together like a well oiled machine.

First Richard cast Aegis to block Greg's mighty blows, shielding the flesh golem with his glowing wall. His did nothing but slow down the force of Greg's attacks.
Once Richard's spell broke, Serrenia cast hers next, creating a second layer to soften the impact after Greg plows through.
The third layer is where it worked best, as Vincent's shield layer finally stopped Greg's attack, the previous layers dampening the blow. Vincent was the best defensive caster, and a large part of why Greg's attacks were ineffective.

This was working perfectly until Durandal came back down. While his teamates were watching Greg, Vincent caught sight of the massive sword coming down. He shouts for them to look up before instinctively casting his shield spell. This was a mistake, for without his teamates the blow was not softened. Vincent screamed as he channeled everything he had into the shield. The shield went from a solid C to a B. However, it was not enough as Durandal shatters the shield and cuts the Golem in half as Vincent collapses from exhaustion.

All members of Team Crown seemed to freeze in shock, Francis immediately running over to check on Vincent. Serrenia and Richards slowly moved in front of Greg, puting up only two layers of barriers up as they stoicly stood their ground against Greg, attempting to buy Francis time to revive Vincent.

Suddenly, their fearful silence was broken by Keil's long, morbid speech. They watched in shock as the two halves formed into grotesque canines. The two in front even took fearful steps backwards.

However, the Canines were behind Greg and nothing was stopping him from ending the three in front of him right then and there.

OFFENSE IS THE BEST DEFENSE
Before anyone could react, a loud "snap" was heard and a burst of fire shot from behind them and struck at Greg. The power would be minimal, but capable of significant damage if he catches fire. Immediately after the first one struck either Greg or was blocked, a second snap is heard before the immediate follow up of flame. Then a third, a fourth, a fifth, and so on.

Behind the group and next to Kei stood Jayden. His eyes were glowing red and he was continuously casting Flash at Greg. He was keeping the mana cost and power to minimal, but he was casting it continously so it drained his mana quick. As he hits his 4th cast, a steady stream of blood trickles out of the corner of his mouth.

His goal here was not to defeat Greg, but rather to either hold him off till the Canines arrived or to push him back away from his team.

"You are not getting them so easily." he says as he casts the final one before the Canines arrive at Greg's position.

 

[Katie]

It was as Jayden had anticipated, a wide grin on his lips as he ignored the hounds, for now, to dispatch the other four still standing. And there it was 'SNAP' - the echo was quickly deafened out by the intense bright spark that connected to Greg's chest. It exploded, to say the least in a wave of fire. Greg smirked wickedly, as his magic resistance and Iron-Flesh protected him from most of the damage. Yet, he did not anticipate for the boy to unleash consecutive blows, as he had burnt most of his mana earlier. Each explosion against his body took a portion of his mana and left burn marks on his body. He was literally covered in black smoke, and by the last 'Flash', a large fiery explosion emerged from where Greg stood after the lightning made contact with his body - It stopped him in his tracks.

He was a shadow inside the mass of fire. A demon almost as he walked through it. Parts of his body was searing hot with orange as if he was made of steel. Greg himself looked serious. His eyes narrowed and his jawlines tensed. Playtime is over. Greg extinguishes a small fire on his shoulder by clapping it several times. His flesh at that mark received a 3rd-degree burn. No cocky words, just dead focus from the eyes of the soldier.

The Hound leaped towards Greg, the man merely catching the beast by its throat in mid-air. The canine tried to snap at his face, yet, Greg's strength moved to be enough to keep it at bay. Greg glared towards Kei, his killing intent could almost be felt physically.

In his hand, Greg started to squeeze the dog's throat, his strength nearly inhuman as he snaps its neck to the core with a chilling CRACK. It was at that point that Greg felt the curse of voodoo. The moment he killed the dog, a wave of pain washed over him. Several areas of his body started to tear open. Blood gushed out and hit the ground. Both small and medium-sized cuts, it was as if someone had put him in a blender. Yet, the man still remained on his feet, his face expressionless, despite enduring all of this pain.

Eventually, Greg dropped the hound as it was but a bloody sack of meat. He turned around towards Jayden and his small army, his gaze frigid cold. When Francis slowly blinked his eyes, Greg disappeared with an imploding noise, Mana Burst. Greg used this spell to accelerate his speed tremendously for a short second but triggering a burst of mana within him, building up the internal pressure as he released it all at his jump forward.

He appeared before Jayden. Up-close, Greg was all bloodied and torn up to the point that he looked like a horrible monster from a movie. The air around him was cold, and as he raised his hand towards Jayden, it looked like he was about to gorge out the boy's eyes.

It was at that instant, however, that the alarm echoed across the entire battlefield. STAGE CLEAR!

Jayden would receive a flick on his forehead with Greg's middle finger, drawing a little bit of a bloody fingerprint. His expression changed tremendously, he started to let out a joyous laugh to the point it almost seemed like the man was crying.

"The look on your face! AHAHA! Worth it! Fucking worth it! Good job Jay, and the rest of Y'all! You pass!" He would slap Jayden harshly on his back, despite not meaning to, it was just his stupid gift of being a gorilla in strength.

 

[Boxaman]

FEARLESS
Jayden gasped for breath as Greg starts shredding the hounds. He and his companions watched his slaughter with wide eyes. The others were blasted away by the Mana Burst, tumbling and sailing across the battlefield.

Jayden's eyes go wide as the bomb goes off, but he stood his ground and didnt blink when Greg practically appeared in front of him. Jayden defiantly stood against him, his eyes glowing red hot.

If Greg were to look down at any point, he would see Jayden's right hand pressed against Greg's stomach, ready to snap. He could even feel Jayden prepare to channel every bit of mana he had into that snap.

However Jayden didnt release the spell, more gasped in surprise as the alarm goes off. The flick would cause an annoyed look on his face. "Yeah yeah, laugh it u-ACK." he is cut off as Greg slaps him on the back. Jayden's eyes go wide before rolling up into his skull. He then falls forward, blood gushing out of his mouth like a waterfall as he faceplants. Immediately after he hits the ground, he is teleported into the medical wing of the Academy.

CHEERS
After Jayden was teleported away, the camera on the TV focused on members of Team Crown cheering on screen. In the Conference room the officers erupted into applause, congratulating General Williams. One by one, they shook his hand and exited the room. General Williams was smiling the whole time, laughing and enjoying the fact that his son won their exam.

He shakes the last officer's hand, agreeing with him. "Yes. Yes, my boy is exceptional alright!" he laughs as the other officer walks out. He then turns back to the screen where replays of the exam were going. His jolly expression turns serious as his brow furrows. "But he should be better." he says in a venomous tone as he clicks the TV off.