The desert burned hotter than ever. Venom hissed into the sand like acid, and the endless screech of the monsters filled the battlefield.
Tendou Mori's breathing was steady and focus, his sword gripped tightly in his hand. His eyes scanned the chaos—the scorpion hordes spilling from the dunes, the colossal King of the Desert looming above, and the scattered groups struggling to hold their lines.
'So this is it. The Gate isn't testing us with just one monster. It's testing if we can survive hell itself. Now this is fun.'
A lesser scorpion lunged at his flank area, pincers snapping. Tendou's body moved before thought, his blade flashing in a single flowing arc.
"Flow Style: Rising Current!"
The creature was split in two, its black blood soaking into the sand. Tendou didn't stop. He sprinted across the dunes, cutting through the smaller monsters while barking orders.
"Howard, hold the left side with Louis! Felix, cover Selina's spells! Selina, drown that nest before more of them crawl out!"
"Yes!" Selina's voice was shaky, but her hands steadied as a globe of water swelled over her staff.
"Flood Ball!"
The orb burst, cascading into the hole where a cluster of scorpions had emerged, washing them away in a torrent.
Howard slammed his shields down, his skill ringing across the field.
"Iron Fortress!"
Beside him, Louis Guard planted his tower shield.
"Bulwark!"
Together, they held the collapsing left flank, keeping the smaller monsters from overwhelming the students.
But Tendou's eyes never left the true enemy.
The King of the Desert was moving again. Its triple stingers glowed with venom, aiming for the defenders. The monster's endless body coiled like a mountain-sized serpent, its shadow swallowing the dunes.
Tendou's jaw tightened.
'If we keep playing defense, we'll all be crushed.'
He turned to the other leaders, his voice cutting across the battlefield.
"Trueso, Angela, Yuvel, Damian, Uriel! Forget your pride—focus fire on the stingers! Bring that thing down, or none of us are leaving this gate alive!"
For once, no one argued.
Angela raised her Frozen Hammer, ice spirals racing up her arms.
"Ice Prison!"
Shards of frozen mana locked around one of the stingers, slowing its descent.
Yuvel's shadow flames ignited into a black inferno.
"Dark Pyre!"
The second stinger shrieked as cursed fire crawled up its surface.
Damian's saber gleamed with crushing force.
"Heavy Style:Shattered Mountain!"
His strike cracked into the third stinger, splintering part of its armored shell.
The King roared, its colossal body thrashing in agony, but its movements slowed just enough.
Tendou's heartbeat steadied.
'This is my chance.'
He leapt. Mana surged into his blade, water flowing like liquid moonlight across its edge. As he sprinted up the monster's side, the battlefield blurred behind him. His entire world narrowed to the flow of his blade and the monstrous body beneath his feet.
"Flow Style…" His voice was calm, but his mana flared like a storm.
"…Moonlit Sever!"
He brought his sword down in a radiant arc.
The slash tore through the monster's armored carapace, opening a wound that bled black venom. The King of the Desert howled, its stingers flailing wildly as its massive body twisted, collapsing dunes in its thrash.
The students below cheered, but Tendou knew better.
He landed lightly, his sword dripping with venom. His eyes locked on the glowing runes of the gate, pulsing brighter, feeding off the battle.
The whispers in his head grew louder.
"Fight more… bleed more… only the strongest will remain…"
Tendou grit his teeth. The Gate itself was testing them, taunting them, feeding on their desperation.
And yet—he smiled.
"Fine. If you want strength… I'll show you strength."
He raised his sword, pointing at the King of the Desert as the hordes of scorpions and worms surged from every dune.
"Everyone! Don't give in! This fight isn't about pride, or rank, or who gets the last hit! It's about survival! We end this thing—together!"
The roar of six groups answered him. Lightning, ice, flame, shadow, and steel erupted across the battlefield in unison.
The King of the Desert reared back, venom boiling, hordes swarming like a tide.
And Tendou Mori charged first—blade blazing with the flow of the moonlit waters.
The dunes burned red with mana and venom.
The battlefield was chaos—six groups scattered, clashing not only with the King of the Desert but now with an army of scorpions and worms erupting from the sand.
But Tendou Mori stood still.
His sword hummed with water mana, steady in his grip as the storm of battle raged. His breathing was calm, eyes sharp.
This… this is no ordinary gate. It's testing us. It's forcing us to act as one—or be destroyed.
He tightened his stance.
"Listen up, everyone!" Tendou roared, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Forget groups! Forget who's stronger! If you fight alone, you die here!"
The others glanced toward him, even as they struggled to fend off swarms.
"Felix, Claire—combine your storms! Angela, freeze the ground beneath the worms so they can't dive! Howard, Louis—rotate the shields, take turns holding the boss stingers!"
Trueso glared at him, pride flashing in his eyes.
"You think we'll just take your orders?"
Tendou's blade flashed, cutting down three scorpions in a single flowing strike. Water sprayed from his sword like a tide, washing their corpses into the sand. His voice didn't waver.
"You want to argue, do it after we survive."
Uriel snarled from across the field, "And if you're wrong?"
Tendou met his gaze, unwavering.
"Then I'll take the fall first."
For a moment, silence clung to the battlefield. Then, Yuvel raised her staff, lightning sparking.
"I'll lend him my magic spells. At least he's got a plan."
Angela followed, ice blooming across the sand.
"Better than letting pride get us all killed."
Even Trueso clicked his tongue and raised his burning blade.
"Fine. But if you mess this up, Mori, I'll carve your name into your gravestone myself."
*********
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