A week passed quickly at Aegis Academy.

  The days were relentless.

  From sunrise to sunset, the Initiates trained under Haruto’s watchful eye.

  Core control drills.

  Flow stabilization exercises.

  Endless corrections.

  At first, almost every attempt ended the same way.

  Cracked ground.

  Exploding abilities.

  Haruto shaking his head.

  But slowly…

  The students began to improve.

  Kakeru’s flames no longer exploded wildly the moment he activated his Core.

  Aster could control his flow of water without flooding half the arena.

  Alexander learned to regulate the intensity of his lightning.

  Even Peter could create multiple barriers at once.

  Across the arena, Oscar stood quietly.

  “Combat Mode: Dead Man’s Intuition.”

  The skeletal figure appeared behind him and merged with his body.

  This time—

  The ground didn’t crack.

  The energy remained steady.

  Oscar exhaled slowly.

  “Better,” Haruto said.

  The students gathered at a different facility to begin their new training for the week.

  Compared to the week before, they looked far more composed.

  Still sore.

  Still tired.

  But stronger.

  Haruto stood in front of them with his arms crossed.

  Clarence remained by the side as usual.

  Haruto scanned the class.

  “You’ve improved.”

  A few students smiled.

  “But this is just the beginning,” Haruto added.

  The smiles disappeared immediately.

  “Control is only the first step to becoming Guardians.”

  He turned toward them.

  “Now we work on your greatest weakness.”

  The students already knew the answer.

  “Teamwork.”

  Haruto gestured toward himself.

  “Guardians rarely fight alone.”

  He looked at the class.

  “I fight alone because of how I fight. But when the situation demands it…”

  He paused.

  “I fight with a squad.”

  His voice remained calm.

  “You fight in squads.”

  Several students exchanged glances.

  Haruto raised four fingers.

  “Standard Guardian squads consist of four members.”

  Kakeru grinned.

  “Finally. A real fight.”

  Haruto ignored him.

  “You will now be divided into four teams.”

  The students straightened.

  Haruto began pointing across the group.

  “Team One.”

  “Oscar. Elaina. Aster. Aurelia.”

  Aurelia smiled confidently.

  “I got some of the strongest with me.”

  Aster sighed.

  “This is going to be chaotic.”

  Elaina said nothing.

  Oscar’s eyes sharpened.

  Haruto continued.

  “Team Two.”

  “Vega. Peter. Yuki. Lillie.”

  Several students looked around.

  “Those are all the quiet ones besides Lillie.”

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  Haruto raised another finger.

  “Team Three.”

  “Alexander. Tsukiko. Archer. Kageka.”

  Alexander smirked.

  “This will be great.”

  Haruto finished.

  “Team Four.”

  “Tokiya. Charlotte. Kakeru. Kaori.”

  Tokiya smiled.

  “Try to keep up, Kakeru.”

  Kakeru cracked his knuckles.

  “I could say the same to you.”

  Haruto stepped forward.

  “Listen carefully.”

  The students went silent.

  “You have multiple objectives during this training.”

  “Your objective is coordination.”

  He pointed toward the teams.

  “You defend each other.”

  “You combine your abilities.”

  “Everything you do… is together.”

  His gaze hardened.

  “If even one of you fails…”

  He paused.

  “…the entire team fails.”

  He handed each team leader a walkie-talkie.

  “I’ll be communicating through these.”

  The students grew more serious.

  Haruto stepped aside.

  “Each team will be placed in a different section of the Terrain Simulation Facility.”

  He gestured toward the massive structure.

  “Each area replicates environments found in the corrupted lands.”

  He pointed north.

  “The northern field is a snow region.”

  Cold wind swept across the frozen ground.

  He pointed southeast.

  “The southeastern field is volcanic terrain.”

  Heat shimmered from cracks in the stone.

  He pointed southwest.

  “This region represents an oceanic battlefield.”

  Artificial waves crashed against the rocky shoreline.

  Finally he pointed toward the center.

  “The central zone contains a mixture of terrains.”

  He paused.

  “Expect the most beasts there.”

  His eyes returned to the students.

  “Corrupted beasts will be released in every terrain.”

  “Work together and they won’t be a problem.”

  He continued.

  “Each terrain contains objectives your team must complete.”

  “The first team to finish all tasks wins.”

  He paused again.

  “And remember the rules.”

  “All team members must remain in the same terrain.”

  “Damage to the environment must be minimal.”

  His voice hardened.

  “If you break either rule…”

  “You fail the exercise.”

  The students nodded.

  Each team moved toward their assigned terrain.

  Team One stepped into the central zone.

  Rocky ground blended into patches of grass and shallow water.

  Aurelia stretched.

  “This looks manageable.”

  Aster frowned.

  “Why do I feel like it won’t be?”

  Oscar scanned the area.

  “We stay alert.”

  Elaina nodded.

  “We can’t underestimate anyone.”

  Oscar glanced toward the other terrains.

  “Every team here is strong.”

  Moments later Haruto’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkies.

  “Beasts are being released…”

  A pause followed.

  “…Begin.”

  Immediately the terrains erupted into action.

  Snow exploded in the northern field.

  Lightning flashed in the ocean region.

  Flames roared across the volcanic terrain.

  In the center field—

  Oscar stepped forward.

  “Combat Mode: Dead Man’s Intuition.”

  The skeletal aura merged with him.

  A corrupted beast lunged from the brush.

  Oscar moved first.

  “Left!” he shouted.

  Aster reacted instantly.

  Water surged upward, slamming the creature sideways.

  Aurelia raised a barrier.

  The beast crashed against it.

  Elaina stepped forward calmly.

  Gravity compressed.

  The beast collapsed to the ground.

  Oscar finished it with a clean strike.

  The team paused.

  Aurelia blinked.

  “…That actually worked.”

  Aster laughed.

  “Teamwork.”

  Oscar nodded.

  “Stay sharp. More will come.”

  Nearby another beast emerged.

  This time Elaina called the move.

  “Aster, now.”

  Water surged again.

  Aurelia sealed the opening.

  Oscar intercepted the attack.

  The creature fell seconds later.

  They were adapting.

  Working together.

  Across the facility, other teams were doing the same.

  Lightning echoed across the ocean terrain.

  Ice shattered in the snow region.

  Flames erupted in the volcanic field.

  From the observation platform above the terrains, Haruto watched.

  A small smile crossed his face.

  “Better.”

  Then—

  Something changed.

  Oscar felt it first.

  A strange pressure settled across the battlefield.

  Elaina felt it immediately after.

  Her World Balancer Core reacted.

  Something was wrong.

  “Did you feel that?” Elaina asked quietly.

  Oscar nodded slowly.

  “…Yeah.”

  Before anyone could react—

  A door appeared in front of Team One.

  The metal frame materialized from nothing.

  The ground around it warped slightly.

  Haruto’s smile disappeared.

  “…So they’re making their move.”

  His voice was calm.

  But serious.

  He picked up the radio.

  “Students.”

  His voice echoed through every walkie-talkie.

  “Looks like you’re getting a different kind of training.”

  The students felt their stomachs drop.

  Because this time—

  It wasn’t an exercise.