Kuro and Hajime were nervous.
Their nerves were on edge.
Despite their training and constant improvement, the two knew very well that they were far inferior to their master and even to their teammate Cloe.
After all, the former was a [Beta Rank], albeit at a lower-middle level, which made him weaker than average, even though he compensated for his lack of raw power and an offensive [magic] with his versatile abilities.
While the latter had a power, albeit unstable, that approached the highest peaks of the same [Rank] as Fumio. And with her deadly mix of different powers, no one could deny that she was the strongest in the group.
Not even together could the two boys defeat one of them. Yet today, they had to.
After the incident with Goto's stepson's new ability, the training room had been renovated by the five after many hours of work. Hajime dedicated himself more than anyone else to repair the damage; after all, it was he, albeit involuntarily, who caused it.
Once the floor was restored to its former glory, Fumio set about creating a rigorous program for the two boys to make up for the time without training.
Despite both Kuro and his teammate being only [Gamma Ranks], their natural talent and dedication had made them extremely strong for their level.
Even someone with years of experience over them would have struggled to kill them. And if they fought together, it would have taken a [Beta Rank] to defeat them.
Today, Fumio had decided to test them in a simple yet effective way.
"Fight me as if I were your worst enemy."
Simple words that had a massive impact on both. There was no way they could defeat their master, the one who had taught them almost everything.
Nonetheless, neither of them would back down from the challenge.
Donning their gear and preparing their weapons, the adolescents braced for the impending clash.
"Do you have a plan?" (Kuro)
"Oh, so you admit you're a stupid, arrogant idiot? Finally." (Hajime)
"Shut your mouth, you head of-"
"No, I don't have a plan anyway."
"Shit. What do we do then?"
"I'd say we fight together... I know! I don't like it either, but together we're stronger, and it pisses me off to admit it, but I trust you enough to cover my back, Kuro."
The boy with the scythe fell silent at those words. Despite all their childish banter, Kuro and Hajime were friends and comrades-in-arms. They had the utmost trust in each other because they knew that one day this could save them from death.
However, it remained the first time that this line of thinking was put into words by one of them.
"I-I won't throw any knives at your back if you get between me and Fumio-sensei."
Goto's stepson laughed at those words. In Kuro's vocabulary, it meant he would work with him as much as possible.
"Shall we go?" (Hajime)
"You seem really happy about getting your ass kicked by someone; you're not a masochist, are you?" (Kuro)
"Shut your mouth, bastard! Tsk, and I thought we could have a decent conversation for once!" (Hajime)
With some of their nerves dissipated, the two entered the training room. Their master was already waiting for them, while Cloe and Kohaku sat off to the side cheering for them.
"Good luck, guys." (Cloe)
"Don't get beaten up right away, okay?! I want some entertainment!" (Kohaku)
Fumio held a metal staff with other weapons he had crafted hidden among his clothes. Hajime and Kuro knew that each of them was a potential danger, so they would keep their guard up throughout the match.
"I'll toss a coin; as soon as it hits the ground, we'll start. Ready, Kusanagi-san, Kamijo-san?" (Fumio)
"Ready." (Hajime)
"Let's begin." (Kuro)
The 30-year-old tossed a coin, and to the eyes of the two boys, it seemed as though it was slowing down, as if time itself were slowing down, though in reality, the coin would hit the ground in a matter of seconds.
When the metal made contact with the floor, the two students charged into action.
"[Overwrite]: [physical enhancement]! [Overwrite]: [blood katana]! [Mana manipulation]: [armor]!"
The silver-haired teenager charged straight at Fumio. As a pawn, it was his duty to open the way for the other pieces.
Raising his [Blood Katana]: [Tepes I], the boy attempted to slice his master in half. In response, the man used his metal staff to deflect the blade. [Tepes I] slid over the metal until it slammed against the floor. Fumio didn't waste time and gave a hard kick to Hajime's stomach, sending him flying.
"UHG—" (Hajime)
The teenager flew several meters before doing a backflip and landing on his feet. For a moment, he almost stumbled to his knees before regaining his balance.
"(God, that hurt! Fumio-sensei is really strong!)"
While Goto's stepson recovered from the hard kick, Kuro approached his master from behind, swinging his [Bloody Sickle]: [Carmilla I] in an attempt to decapitate him.
"Too slow, Kusanagi-san. And you're a little late." (Fumio)
The [mage] crouched down, dodging the three blades of the scythe. Then, while still crouched, he used his staff to strike at his opponent's legs with a horizontal motion.
"Shit!"
The black-haired teenager ended up on the ground before he could move. Fumio pounced on him with his weapon, intending to strike him on the head.
At the last moment, the man shifted his staff behind him, deflecting the trajectory of Hajime's katana.
Kuro seized the opportunity, got to his feet, and pulled back, but not before throwing a few knives at his master.
"There we go, that's better, but still not enough, [Cancel]." (Fumio)
Using the power of his left eye, the 30-year-old nullified all the [magic] that the silver-haired boy had been using. Weakened, poor Goto's stepson couldn't avoid being struck in the ribs by Fumio's staff.
Hajime flew several meters before landing on his back. Meanwhile, Fumio fully exploited his superhuman speed to avoid the black-haired teenager's knives.
"(Tsk! I didn't even graze him!)"
Things were going worse than expected. They were all aware of who would win today. But this power gap was truly too much. Something was wrong.
"Have you become a bit too arrogant, or am I mistaken? I thought I told you to fight me as if I were your worst enemy. Instead, you hold back as if you don't want to hurt me. If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to break some bones, just to get some courage out of you; you look like frightened rabbits!"
Both boys furrowed their brows at those words. As hard as it was to swallow, what he said was true.
Kuro and Hajime glanced at each other for a moment, both nodding before closing their eyes to concentrate.
"(In front of me is Goto, not Fumio-sensei. I can't hesitate; I have to kill him. I must fight as if my life depended on it! And that of Kaori-chan and Mom!)" (Hajime)
"(He's not Fumio-sensei. He's not Fumio-sensei! It's the woman who gave birth to me and abandoned me in that lab years ago! I must slit her throat!)"
With determination in their eyes, the two charged forward. Both utilizing their powers to the fullest, without limitations or hesitation.
"There we go." (Fumio)
Goto's stepson struck first. His [Tepes I] clashed multiple times with Fumio's staff.
Though the man tried to deflect all the attacks, the blade of the katana was damaging the metal of his weapon.
From behind the 30-year-old, the black-haired adolescent came, ready to strike him with his scythe from behind.
"A perfect combination, but it's still not enough." (Fumio)
Fumio halted [Carmilla I]'s attack with a high kick to the handle while using his staff to attempt to strike Hajime on the head.
Both adolescents stepped back before beginning to run around their target to confuse him.
The [mage] decided to raise the stakes, rotating a section of his weapon, the man activated a mechanism that transformed the staff into a Chinese San-Jie-gun.
Holding it by the center, Fumio charged forward, using the ends of his weapon to strike at them; the man could break a few bones in his students if he used all his strength.
His first target was Kuro.
The 17-year-old avoided the first strike with his scythe, while the second struck him in the side. Seeing him in trouble, his teammate rushed to his aid.
That was exactly what their master wanted. From his clothes, he pulled out a metal sphere which he threw toward Hajime's katana.
"(What the hell!?)" (Hajime)
The object latched onto [Tepes I]; the wielder of the [Grimoire] realized it was due to magnetism. Despite his superhuman strength, he couldn't detach it from the metal.
"Oh, shit!"
Before he could do anything else, the 30-year-old threw another sphere while keeping the black-haired teenager on the defensive; this time, though, it stuck to the ceiling. The object latched onto it.
It didn't take long before the two spheres were attracted to each other. The teenager's katana flew upward, taking its wielder along with it, despite all his attempts to stop it.
Now Fumio could focus entirely on Kuro, with a blow at maximum power, the man sent his student's scythe flying.
"Damn it! [Shadow Step]!"
[Shadow Step] was a [magic] that Cloe's half-brother used to dissolve and move within his own shadow. It was ideal for escaping or moving unnoticed. Unfortunately for him, he had the wrong opponent.
"[Cancel]!"
Kuro's power was deactivated. Despite this, the boy pulled out some throwing daggers to throw at his master.
The 30-year-old gracefully avoided them before charging forward. From his blind spot came a punch, which Fumio narrowly dodged before striking his attacker in the side with his San-Jie-gun.
"You returned early, Kamijo-san."
"Kkh- I'm not stupid enough to try to reclaim [Tepes I] while this idiot is getting his ass kicked!"
"Bah, I was doing just fine!" (Kuro)
Despite his words, the black-haired boy threw two knives to Hajime, passing them to him to be used as weapons while retrieving his scythe with his shadows.
"You two have done well up until now. But now, I'm going serious!"
The green eye of their master began to shine, a clear sign that he was about to use his [magic]. If it had been tough so far, it was about to become impossible.