In the elite chamber, Tsubasa—the Tech Guild's Vice Head of Analysis—stood by the reinforced observation glass. He was adjusting a massive, humming machine that secretly scanned Team 42, its sensors chirping as it broke down their internal biometrics.
Raizen frowned, his impatience growing. "Hurry up with those readings. We need the initial data before the real fight begins."
Tsubasa rolled his eyes behind his visor. "I've already mapped the Orvex flow to their weapons, but I'm trying to calculate the leakage—the amount of wasted Orvex being bled into the air."
"Time is running out," Kuro interrupted sharply. "The leakage doesn't matter yet. Just give us the output readings."
Tsubasa sighed, tapping a command that spat out a printed report. "Fine. As you know, the weapons are capped at 5% of their original potential. Any number above that is the candidate's active Orvex at work. Here are the results: Candidate 121, Inuzuka Hoshizaki. Orvex channeled into his claymore: 0.5%."
The Elites remained unimpressed. "Half a percent without training?" Fujimura, Rank #8, leaned back with a yawn. "Better than nothing, I suppose."
"Candidate 122, Inuzuka Tsukiko," Tsubasa continued, his tone shifting to mild surprise. "Orvex channeled: 2%."
"That just means she has a decent reservoir," Tatsuro scoffed. "She's likely leaking enough energy to power a city block just to get that tiny bit into the weapon. It's not impressive; it's sloppy."
"Regardless," Akihito replied tonelessly, "she is manifesting raw power. That's the point of this stage. If she survives, she passes."
Tatsuro glared at him. "Shut up, you nerd."
Tsubasa cut them off. "Hoshigawa Aiko, Candidate 111. Orvex channeled: 25%."
Ayumu's eyes brightened, and he clenched a fist in relief. "She improved her output by 5% on her own. That puts her blaster at 30% total capacity. That's my girl."
"Kurogane Zen, Candidate 234," Tsubasa read, his voice wavering with disbelief. "Orvex channeled: 7%."
The chamber went silent. The Elites actually looked shocked.
"Seven percent?" Ayumu whispered. "Untrained high-potential candidates usually hit five percent by accident, but seven requires conscious focus. This kid is a natural stabilizer. I'm glad he's on her team."
"And the last one," Tsubasa finished, "Kurogane Ren, Candidate 112. Orvex channeled... absolute zero."
"Zero?" Kaoru asked, confused. "Aren't he and Zen related?"
Tsubasa nodded. "Yes. But not a single drop of Orvex reached his weapon. It's as if the blade doesn't even exist to him."
Ayumu searched for a bright side, his eyes fixed on the arena. "Maybe his reservoir is just small. With training, he might find the tap. Let's see how he progresses."
On the battlefield, Team 42 was retreating from the towering mechanical spider. The surrounding crowd of candidates watched in terror as the machine's serrated legs hissed against the floor.
"If there was ever a time to get nerdy, it's now!" Tsukiko cried, her heart hammering as she clung to Hoshizaki's arm. "Anything, Aiko? Zen?"
"Keep your cool," Zen commanded, his eyes darting across the spider's frame. "It's slow for now, but it will likely shift to long-range or high-speed modes soon. Here's the plan: Ren, Hoshizaki, you two are the decoys. Keep it distracted, land small hits, but do not commit to an engagement. Its reflexes will be faster than its movement. Aiko and I will provide suppressive fire. Once we've weakened the joints, we end it with Tsukiko's special attack. Underst—"
Zen stopped. He looked to his left, then his right. "Where is Ren?"
"What?" Aiko turned. "He was right next to me!"
A sudden, savage war cry echoed through the arena. The team spun around to see Ren already mid-air, charging the monster. He plunged his dagger into a gap in the leg plating, but the blade simply sparked against the reinforced steel. Zero damage.
"Damn it!" Ren hissed, stabbing again.
"What is he doing?!" Aiko screamed.
"You were supposed to watch him!" Zen yelled back.
The spider's sensors locked onto Ren's heat signature. With a mechanical whine, it swung a massive leg with enough force to decapitate a man. Ren ducked just in time, the wind of the strike ruffling his hair. The momentum sent him rolling beneath the robot's chassis. Scrambling to his feet, he began pointlessly hacking at the machine's underbelly.
"You piece of shit!" Ren roared, his dagger chipping as he struck the metal.
From behind, another leg swiveled, aiming to puncture Ren through the chest. The crowd gasped; there was no way he could dodge from that position.
BOOM!
A concentrated blue bolt slammed into the spider's side, the force stumbling the massive machine and knocking its aim wide. Aiko stood with her rifle smoking, her 30% output actually showing visible power.
"Hoshizaki, go!" Zen barked, firing his own blaster (Nova Spire) to keep the spider off-balance. "Grab Ren and get back here!"
"What? Me?" Hoshizaki's legs were like jelly.
"You said you were meant for this!" Zen's voice was a whip. "Prove it! Go!"
Tsukiko, hiding behind the blasters, gave her brother a desperate nod. Hoshizaki roared in terror and ran forward, swinging his claymore at the spider's legs. Though the blade did little, the combined pressure from the blasters caused the robot to tilt.
Hoshizaki reached under the machine, his hand outstretched. "Take my hand!"
Ren scrambled out from the other side, ignoring the gesture. "Screw your hand!"
The robot crashed to the ground, and for a moment, the stadium erupted in cheers. It looked like Team 42 was winning.
"Now! Together!" Zen yelled. Ren and Hoshizaki charged back in, striking the downed machine with everything they had.
High on the pillar, the L.E.C. looked at Raizen. The Elite gave a slow, cold nod. The L.E.C. signaled a supervisor, who rotated a dial on a control console from Combat to Hard.
The spider's optical sensors flared from a dull red to a blinding, demonic crimson.
Zen felt the shift in the air before he saw it. "REN, GET BACK!"
It was too late. The machine moved with a speed that defied its size. A blurred limb struck Ren with the force of a speeding truck. In a sickening instant, Ren was sent flying through the air. A spray of blood stained the battlefield as his dagger shattered into a cloud of metallic dust.
The blade had taken the brunt of the impact, shattering to save its master's life, but the damage was done. Ren hit the ground and didn't move.
"REN!!" Zen's scream tore through the arena.