Light. Noise. Chaos.
Then, impact.
I hit the obsidian floor like a thrown ragdoll. The world spun once, twice, then politely decided to stop existing for half a second.
When my vision refocused, I realized three things:
1. I was in a giant circular arena surrounded by pillars of blue fire.
2. The air buzzed like a live wire, every breath felt charged.
3. Everyone was staring at me like I'd just insulted their ancestors.
"Oh no…" I muttered, brushing dust off my coat. "Don't tell me..."
"Rank Two. Leonhart."
The collective muttering confirmed it. Twenty-four sets of murderous eyes locked onto me.
"...Yeah, of course."
The disembodied announcer's voice thundered from nowhere, dramatic as hell.
"Welcome, combatants. You are divided into four groups of twenty-five. The last two standing in each will advance to the semifinals. The rest, your survival time will decide your rank."
"Perfect," I whispered. "Because who doesn't love being target practice?"
DING.
The timer hit zero.
And hell broke loose.
Someone screamed, "GET LEONHART!" and the world immediately tried to kill me. Fireballs, lightning bolts, arrows, every flavor of pain imaginable.
"OH COME ON!" I yelled, diving behind a broken column. "I JUST GOT HERE!"
The floor trembled as a brute with a hammer the size of a car charged at me.
"Buffs first, murder later," I hissed, stabbing my sword into the ground.
Golden light exploded around me, my body humming with energy.
Strength up. Defense up. Reflex boost. Confidence slightly misplaced.
The hammer came down, BOOM! The shockwave almost ripped my legs off, but Leonhart's instincts kicked in hard. I sidestepped, flipped, and brought my sword down like divine retribution.
Light flashed. The brute vanished.
"Twenty-four left," I muttered. "Easy."
Lightning sizzled past my face, close enough to singe my hair. I turned, parried the next bolt with my blade, and felt the surge of raw power in my hands.
"This body's cheating," I said with a grin. "Alright, Leonhart. Let's see what you've got."
Then I moved.
A spin, a lunge, a slash that carved the air. Sparks flew. The ground cracked beneath my feet as muscle memory I didn't even own took over.
It wasn't graceful, it was feral. Brutal. Effective.
Two elemental users tried flanking me. "Fire and wind combo?" I taunted. "Bold move."
They both yelled, cast their spells, and immediately detonated each other.
I shielded my face as debris rained down. "Idiots," I coughed. "Thanks for thinning the herd."
Ten enemies remained.
An archer rained arrows from above. I leapt into the air, caught one mid-flight, spun it back at him, and yelled, "Special delivery!"
The explosion was… satisfying.
"Alright," I panted. "No breaks, huh?"
More came, mages now, five of them, chanting in unison.
I tightened my grip. "Divine Cascade!"
Light exploded outward like a storm of comets. The floor lit up in radiant gold, and when the glow faded, five empty spots.
The crowd watching somewhere beyond the barrier erupted. I could feel their roar vibrating through my bones.
But I wasn't thinking about them.
I was learning.
Every swing felt smoother. Every dodge sharper.
Leonhart's instincts weren't dragging me anymore.
I was catching up to him.
A spear came from behind, I didn't even look. My sword caught it mid-thrust, twisted it free, and kicked the wielder square in the chest.
Gone.
The remaining fighters hesitated. I smiled. "What's wrong? You wanted the Rank Two experience....this is the tour package!"
They attacked together. Finally. A challenge.
The arena turned into a whirlwind of metal and magic. Flames burned the air, ice shards shattered mid-flight, and I was dead center, laughing, bleeding, unstoppable.
Each strike wasn't just muscle, it was rhythm.
Slash, pivot, kick, parry, cast.
I wasn't copying Leonhart anymore.
I was becoming my own version of him.
When the dust cleared, only three of us remained.
A sniper. A swordsman. Me.
The sniper fired, three perfect shots. I deflected two, used the third as cover, slid forward, and slashed the swordsman across the chest.
Gone.
Now it was just us.
"You're not winning this, Leonhart," she said, voice trembling but fierce.
I smirked, resting the sword against my shoulder. "Then don't lose to him."
I stepped forward. "Lose to me."
Her eyes widened.
Flash.
Lightning. Steel.
And silence.
The system roared before I could land the hit.
It was already us two remaining, the sniper Manaya and me.
[Notice: Leonhart and Manaya. Advancing to Semifinals.]
I stood there, chest heaving, sweat dripping, the light around me slowly fading.
The others disappeared in flashes, respawned safely back to where they'd started before this madness began.
I dropped to one knee, laughing breathlessly. "Note to self: cardio before next event."
Then, through the haze, I saw distant flashes, Kael's silhouette moving like smoke, Zeref's side of the arena lit up like the apocalypse.
I grinned. "Figures. The pyromaniac's having fun again."
The ground beneath me shimmered, signaling the next teleport.
I lifted my sword, exhausted but grinning. "Semifinals, huh?"
The light rose around me once more, warm and blinding.
This time, I didn't flinch.
I wasn't falling.
I wasn't running.
I was rising.