The doors opened. Cadets poured back into the arena.
"THIRTY-SIX!" Larry's voice boomed across every broadcast. "THIRTY-SIX CADETS REMAIN! BUT ONLY SIXTEEN CAN ADVANCE TO THE FINALS! TWENTY MUST FALL TODAY!"
Jango took a sip of his soda. "Gonna be a bloodbath."
"YOU HEARD IT HERE, FOLKS! DAY TWO! THE CULLING BEGINS NOW!"
Juli and Javar sprinted across the sand, eyes scanning for targets.
Nothing.
Just empty dunes. Rocky formations. Scattered vegetation.
"Where is everyone?!" Juli skidded to a stop, frustrated. "Yesterday they were everywhere!"
"Smart ones learned, mon." Javar's wings spread. "Dey hidin' now. Strategic-like."
"What kind of hide and seek nonsense is this?!" Juli kicked at the sand. "We're supposed to be FIGHTING!"
"Don't worry, blonde yout'. Me got dis." Javar reached into a pouch on his belt, pulling out two small devices. They looked like tiny earbuds. "Here. Put dis in yuh ear."
Juli took one, examining it. "What's this?"
"Communication device. Me fly high, scout from above, tell yuh where dey at. We coordinate like proper soldiers, zeen?"
Juli's eyes lit up as he inserted the earbud. "Yo! That's actually genius! Why didn't I think of this?!"
"'Cause me di smart one." Javar grinned, launching into the air. "Now let's hunt."
Juli watched him soar upward, impressed. "Man, this is such a unique strategy! We're gonna dominate!"
Eastern Sector
Kade's nose twitched. His yellow Resonance aura concentrated around his nostrils, amplifying his already exceptional sense of smell.
"Three cadets. Northwest. Thirty meters. Buried in sand near the rock formation."
Through his earbud, Pam's voice came clearly. "Tessa, can you get an angle?"
"Already on it." From her elevated position on a rocky outcrop, Tessa's scope found the targets. Three heat signatures partially concealed.
"On my mark," Pam commanded. "Three. Two. One. Mark."
Tessa fired.
The plasma bolt screamed across the distance, striking one cadet square in the chest. They materialized from their hiding spot, gasping. Eliminated.
The other two panicked, emerging from the sand.
Kade was already moving. His enhanced speed carried him across the thirty meters in seconds. His claws extended, gleaming in the sunlight.
The first cadet tried to block. Kade's swipe tore through their defense like paper. Blood sprayed. Not lethal, but devastating. Their tracker beeped. Eliminated.
The third was tougher. They had a shield. Braced themselves.
Pam's battleaxe came down from the side. The fluorescent green blade shattered the shield and sent the cadet flying. They hit the ground hard. Eliminated.
Three down in under ten seconds.
"Excellent coordination," Kade said into his earbud.
"Nice work, team," Pam replied.
Juli's unique strategy. Right.
Southwest Sector
C'luppo's tentacles wrapped around a cadet's legs, yanking them off balance. McGee's shot came immediately after. Perfect timing. Eliminated.
"Two more behind the ridge," McGee said through his comm, positioned on high ground. "Twelve o'clock from your position."
"Got it, mate!" C'luppo surged forward, his skin shifting colors to blend with the sand.
Another cadet fell. Then another.
"This communication thing is brilliant!" C'luppo said, his tentacles flashing satisfied purple.
McGee didn't bother responding. Just kept scanning. Kept calling targets.
Mountain Region
Tessa lay prone on a rocky ledge, rifle stabilized. Her pink Resonance aura coated her eyes and hands. Every movement below was crystal clear.
She'd eliminated two more cadets since the day started. Her score was climbing steadily.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps. Behind her.
She rolled left just as an energy blade sliced where her head had been. Two cadets. Both close-range specialists. Both had climbed up the back way.
"Tessa to team! I'm compromised! Mountain sector, grid seven!"
She scrambled backward, rifle not designed for this range. One cadet lunged.
Then they stopped.
Their eyes went wide.
Both collapsed simultaneously, holes burned through their armor.
Tessa blinked.
Behind them stood Polo. Dual pistols still smoking. His black eyes cold. Empty.
He'd appeared like a ghost. No sound. No warning. Just... there.
"Th-thank you..." Tessa managed.
Polo holstered one pistol. Didn't respond. His earbud glowed faintly.
"Two more snipers northwest," Stone's voice came through his comm. "Elevated positions. Grid nine."
"Copy." Polo's eyes shifted to Tessa. Really looked at her for the first time.
She was alone. Vulnerable. An easy elimination.
Through her own earbud, Pam's voice was frantic. "Tessa! Status!"
"I'm... I'm okay! Two attackers eliminated but—"
"We're coming!" Kade's voice, urgent. "Hold position!"
But Polo heard it too. His head tilted slightly.
Tessa's grip tightened on her rifle. She was in no man's land. Too far from her team. Too close to one of the tournament's most dangerous cadets.
Stone's strategy was clear now. He hunted ground fighters. Polo hunted snipers. Eliminating the ones who thought they were safe. The ones perched high, thinking distance meant security.
It was brutally efficient.
Tessa stood slowly. Her rifle transformed, settings shifting. The long barrel retracted slightly. Spread mode activated. Better for mid to short range.
Her hands shook. But she raised the weapon anyway.
Defiant.
Polo's expression didn't change. "You're friends with Julian Weiper."
It wasn't a question.
Tessa's chin lifted. "Yes. Proudly."
Something shifted in Polo's black eyes. The cold neutrality twisted into something darker. His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"Good," he said quietly. "Then I'm going to enjoy this."
His hand moved to his second pistol.
Kade's Position
"TESSA!" Kade was RUNNING. His yellow aura flared around his entire body now, conservation be damned. His legs pumped like pistons.
Pam sprinted behind him, struggling to keep pace with the Felinari's enhanced speed. "Kade! Wait!"
"NO TIME!"
His enhanced hearing picked up the sound. The distance. Grid seven. Mountain region.
Too far.
They were too far.
His claws dug into the sand as he pushed harder. Faster.
Hold on, Tessa. Just hold on.
Tessa's Position
Polo drew his second pistol.
The cameras zoomed in. Captured every detail.
Pink-haired girl. Shaking but standing. Rifle raised.
Red-haired prodigy. Cold. Calculating. Dual pistols aimed.
One of Jango's top five versus a member of Team 9.
The arena held its breath.
Polo's fingers tightened on the triggers.
Tessa's breathing steadied. Her pink aura flared.
If she was going down, she was going down fighting.
The twin suns blazed overhead.
The Crucible showed no mercy.
And Polo's sadistic smile widened.