The sky above Shrek Academy turned a steely gray as morning broke. A strange stillness hung in the air—too quiet for a campus full of spirit beasts and hot-blooded cultivators.
> "It's starting," Kiyanotoka murmured, fastening the last strap of his black combat vest.
His Fire Dragon gave a low growl, sensing the tension. The Storm Roc perched silently, its feathers lightly charged with energy. The Sylph-Hare blinked in and out of existence beside his leg, as if warming up its spatial powers.
> "Team 7," came Kaelus's voice through the loudspeaker crystal. "Report to Gate Seven."
> Time to burn or break.
---
🛡️ Welcome to the Gauntlet Zone
The Inter-Academy Trials weren't held on campus. They were conducted in an isolated, enchanted territory known as the Gauntlet Zone—a spirit-forged battlefield with dynamic terrains, roaming wild beasts, and high-stakes illusions.
Thirty teams entered.
Only ten would move forward.
Each team was assigned a launch gate. Team 7—Kiyanotoka, Fuyue, Kale, and Jin—stood before Gate Seven, a massive stone archway inscribed with spirit runes that pulsed with faint violet light.
> "Any final words of strategy?" Fuyue asked quietly, strapping on her light armor.
Kiyanotoka glanced at the others.
> "Kale, no charging alone. Jin, please don't fight any wildlife that talks. Fuyue, just keep doing what you do."
> "What if the wildlife deserves it?" Jin said, raising an eyebrow.
> "Don't."
A gong echoed.
The gate shimmered—and Team 7 vanished into the mist.
---
🌲 Zone One: Whispering Forest
They landed softly on mossy ground, surrounded by tall, hollow trees. Strange echoes danced between branches.
> [ TRIAL OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT 3 ELITE BEASTS AND FIND THE HEART CRYSTAL ]
> [ TIME LIMIT: 4 HOURS ]
> [ COMMUNICATION WITH OUTSIDE: BLOCKED ]
Jin unsheathed a bamboo flute and started to blow into it.
> "Are you summoning something?" Fuyue asked.
> "Just calming my nerves. It's a dragon song."
> "It sounds like a frog drowning in soup."
> "Ah, then it's working."
Kiyanotoka activated his command field.
> Fire Dragon – scout the left ridge.
Roc – high altitude sweep.
Sylph-Hare – tunnel navigation forward.
The beasts responded immediately, weaving into the terrain like shadow and flame.
---
⚔️ First Encounter: Barkhide Titan
Barely twenty minutes in, the earth shook.
A Barkhide Titan—a forest elemental with stone-thick bark skin and tree-sized arms—emerged, tearing a log in half with a grunt.
> "We go now?" Kale asked, knuckles cracking.
> "Not yet," Kiyanotoka said, observing its gait. "Weak joints in the back knees. Slow reaction to flanking."
> "Still talking. Going now."
Kale charged.
Kiyanotoka sighed. "Fuyue, cover him. Jin—watch out for—"
> WHAM!
Jin was already halfway up a tree.
> "Don't worry, I'll attack from above!"
> Slip—thud.
> "Never mind."
Kiyanotoka clicked his tongue and sent his Fire Dragon in a spiraling arc to distract the titan while the Storm Roc dove in with Wing Charge, clipping its earthen eye.
> "Fuyue! Now!"
Her Moon Serpent slithered from the bushes, fangs glowing with lunar toxin, biting the Titan's calf.
> CRACK!
Kale punched the rear joint, and the Titan crumbled.
> [ BEAST 1 DEFEATED ]
---
⏳ Middle Ground: Trick Marsh
With one beast down, they made for the next terrain: a shifting bog called the Trick Marsh, filled with illusions and mimic creatures.
> "Stay sharp," Kiyanotoka warned. "Nothing is what it seems here."
Jin nodded solemnly—and immediately chased a glowing fairy that turned out to be a spirit frog with gas problems.
> POP.
> "I think I inhaled marsh fart. I'm blind."
> "You were already blind, Jin. Come back."
The Sylph-Hare helped navigate with brief flashes, marking safe ground. Kiyanotoka and Fuyue kept the team close.
Until something unexpected happened.
---
🧠 Inner Challenge: Kiyanotoka's Doubt
A voice echoed in his mind. A familiar one.
His old self.
> "You think you can lead? You're just some loser who got lucky. Without the system, what are you?"
He froze.
> It's an illusion.
> Just an illusion.
But deep down, the words stung.
He'd buried that part of himself, but the pressure of leadership, secrecy, and maintaining his composure was building.
The Fire Dragon nudged him gently, sensing the shift.
> Not alone, it seemed to say.
He exhaled.
> Right. I'm not that guy anymore.
---
💎 Heart Crystal and Final Beast
At the center of the marsh was a glowing pedestal with the Heart Crystal—but it was guarded.
A sleek, obsidian-colored beast with six legs, glowing runes on its shoulders, and a liquid-like body: a Runic Fenra.
> [ ELITE BEAST - S RANK - AGGRESSIVE ]
> "Now this is a real fight," Kale grinned.
> "Spread out. We take it together," Kiyanotoka commanded.
The Fenra moved like mercury, dodging the Roc's thunder dive and slicing through Kale's shoulder armor.
> "It learns fast," Fuyue said. "It's mimicking us."
> "Perfect," Kiyanotoka said. "Then we overwhelm it. Jin! Use your noise for once!"
> "You mean the dragon song?"
> "Yes, but louder and worse!"
Jin took that as a compliment and screeched a note so violently the Fenra's runes flickered.
> NOW!
Roc above. Fire Dragon left. Moon Serpent below. Sylph-Hare behind.
Kiyanotoka surged forward himself, flame core blazing, body and beast in sync.
The Fenra cracked—and burst into light.
> [ BEAST 2 DEFEATED ]
> [ HEART CRYSTAL OBTAINED ]
A portal shimmered open.
Team 7 stumbled through, muddy, bruised, laughing.
> "I can't feel my legs," Jin said.
> "You rode the Roc mid-fight. I'm surprised you're still alive," Kiyanotoka replied.
---
📘 End of Chapter 22
---
📊 Kiyanotoka Ash – Full Stats (Updated)
👤 Name: Kiyanotoka Ash
🌐 Class: Spiritual Beast Master (Hidden Body Cultivator)
📈 Body Level: Level 2 – Flame Core Initiate
🔥 Traits:
Core Flame Pulse (Short burst every 30 seconds)
Pulse Guard (1 fatal strike negation/day – cooldown: 24h)
Iron Breath Band Training (Passive resistance growth)
Efficiency: 99%
Weakness: Struggles with doubt and emotional suppression
---
🐉 Spirit Beasts:
1. Fire Dragon (Juvenile)
Rank: S
Skills: Refined Fire Arc, Heat Surge
Mood: Protective, empathic
Evolution: ~60%
2. Storm Roc
Rank: A
Skills: Wing Charge, Thunder Dive (Unlocked)
Mood: Focused
Evolution: ~47%
3. Sylph-Hare
Rank: B
Skills: Shadow Step, Spatial Skip
Mood: Playful, deeply bonded
Evolution: ~68%
---
🧬 Beast Synchronization:
Current Sync: 31%
Next Bonus: Tri-Layered Coordination (35%)
---
🌍 Trial Progress:
Gauntlet Zone Stage 1 Complete
Team 7 Status: Passed First Stage
Next Objective: Survive the Shattered Bastion