With Hina and Luka’s block decided the two returned to the waiting area.

“You two were intense. I was on my toes the whole match.”

Miko said.

“So who were you cheering for?”

Hina asked with a sly smile.

“No one. You’re both my competition after all.”

Miko started laughing. The two girls seemed upset but they couldn’t argue with his answer despite knowing that he was avoiding showing favoritism.

“I’m up after this block, so I’m going to prepare myself mentally. You two be sure to rest up for tomorrow.”

After saying that, he left to be by himself.

“He’s good at running away. Now that’s a surprise.”

Luka nodded to Hina’s words.

After he parted from the others Miko paid attention to the block that was now underway. It wasn’t as intense as the previous block but it was exciting either way.

“I guess things are more fun when everyone are on the same level.”

He mumbled.

“Cough! Cough!”

He started coughing while covering his mouth. When he was done he looked at his hand and saw black and azure liquid on it mixed together.

“Well, this is just marvelous. They’re starting to mix together.”

He wiped his hand in a napkin and leaned on the rail in front of him and watched the fight. The final 8 of the block got decided after nearly an hour. With everyone being on the same level it took a while to decide the winners. Even then, the winners didn’t look much different from the losers, as they were both covered in injuries. Seeing that it was time to fight Miko stood up straight and approached the blocks.

(For some reason, my head feels unusually clear. Is it because I coughed up the bad blood inside me?)

While he was thinking, he found himself standing in the middle of the ring waiting for the match.

“This is bad…”

He smiled.

“It looks like I’m in my best condition right now.”

“The third block will now begin!”

The announcer’s voice woke Miko up. He looked around and saw that many people were avoiding him which made him laugh.

“I guess it’s only you guys.”

Miko turned and saw Robin not too far away from him.

“Are you going to fight me alone?”

“I would like to say yes, but I don’t think I can defeat you as you are.”

Kana, Aya, and Saika arrived one after the other. They along with Robin surrounded Miko from four directions.

“Miko, I hope that you won’t think badly of us, but this is all we can do.”

Said Aya.

“I see. This is a test isn’t it?”

“Lulu means a lot to us so we need to see if you’re good enough for her.”

Said Robin. Miko nodded.

“I understand. There’s no ill feelings here. However, do you know what it means to stand before me like this.”

The atmosphere quickly became tense.

“To be honest, I care little about whether you guys accept me or not. You could hate my guts for all I care. So this test of yours is meaningless. However, a fight is a fight. So I can’t turn it down nor did I have any intention to.”

“I see. Then there’s no more need for talking.”

Robin’s skin became metallic in front of Miko’s eyes.

“Armored Skin, a technique that turns your skin into metal. It’s my first time seeing it.”

He smiled.

“Then I take it that you all are ready.”

His smile broke out into a wide grin.

“Then let’s get this over with!”

Miko rushed towards Robin, who was the closest to him.

*Bam!*

He however wasn’t able to make it to him. He was hit from the side by a green light. Being hit created an opening in Miko’s defenses which Robin took advantage of and attacked him. He threw a kick at Miko’s head, which Miko ducked under it and went for a counter.

“!”

He however had leaped back to avoid something that was cutting towards him.

“A wind attack?”

He turned and looked at Aya, who had strong gusts of wind around her.

“Wind magic huh? Hm?”

Miko span around and threw a kick at Saika who was attacking from behind.

*Bam!*

Saika blocked Miko’s kick but was still forced to take a few steps back.

“Oh? I was trying to break your arms just now. You’re tougher than I thought.”

Miko said. Saika looked at him in silence. His body then started to under go changes as he took his Lion form.

“Now that looks fun.”

Miko looked around and spoke.

“You guys said you wanted to test me right? Then it wouldn’t be a test if I didn’t show you at least half of what I can do. Fortunately for all of us, I’m in tip top condition today.”

He smirked.

“I’m going to get serious. So try your best to stay alive.”

Miko’s entire body suddenly pulsated like a heart. Robin and the others saw azure scales cover a large portion of Miko’s face. These scales spread to the rest of his body, covering his limbs.Miko then started to get taller. In a few seconds, he was over 6ft tall. His eyes darkened until they were as black as the night. His azure pupils became slit like a reptile’s and looked like a savage moon in the darkest night. His hair started moving like it had a mind of its own, as it hardened and became spiky and stretched down until it swept against the floor.

“Sorry for the wait.”

“He didn’t!”

Luka reacted strongly to Miko’s transformation. She was probably the one most familiar with it since she fought against it.

“Oh?”

Kaido who was watching became intrigued by the new form. Zora, Klaus, and even Tang instantly showed interest in this form.

“Oh, what’s that?! It looks badass!”

Tiana shouted in excitement after seeing Miko’s form.

“Well, this is bad.”

Said Momo.

“Holy shit….”

Robin mumbled as he stared at Miko. He blinked and when he reopen his eyes he was staring into a pair of terrifying blue eyes.

“?!”

He instantly realized that Miko was already in front of him. He put all his strength in his legs to leap back.

*BAM!*

But he was too slow. Miko slammed his fist in his midsection so hard his metallic skin started to crack.

“Guh?!”

Robin flew across the field so hard that it was like he had became a jet. He only stopped after he hit the wall where the audience was. The audience was fine thanks to a barrier that was set up to protect them. Even so, they all were drenched in cold sweat. The students who were fighting all paused to look at Robin who was lodged in a wall.

Miko’s punch had silenced the stadium.

“Robin!”

Everyone was only knocked out of their daze when Kana called out for Robin.

“Cough! Cough!”

Robin coughed and freed himself from the wall and landed on the ground. He then tried to get up, only to fall on his face. He then clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. The Apostle Crest on his hand started glowing.

“Infinity Element Release!”

Power started surging into him which allowed him to stand again. He glared at Miko who was looking at him with no particular emotion.

“Use your Apostle Crest! We can’t win without it!”

Robin shouted.

“Yes!”

The others immediately did as he said and made their crests glow.

“Infinity Element Release!”

They all felt power surging inside them. Miko stood in place and allowed them to do so.

“Are you preparations completed? Then, let’s get it on.”

*Bam!*

He moved with an explosive step and rushed towards Saika who was closest.

Saika threw a punch but his fist only went through an afterimage.

*Bam!*

“Ugh?!”

He was kneed in the gut so hard his feet was forced off the ground.

“Ah!”

Robin caught up and aimed a flying kick at Miko, who moved back so fast that it was like he teleported. Robin held Saika up and tried to ease his pain while keeping an eye on Miko.

“Fenrir’s Arrow!”

*Bam!*

Miko was suddenly it by a giant wolf made of green light. The wolf forced him to side while trying to bit into his body. Miko looked and saw Kana wielding a bow made of light. She pulled the string and released it. Miko then saw a storm of arrows rushing towards him. Those arrows transformed into a pack of giant wolves.

*Bam!*

Miko ripped the wolf that was clenching on him in two, and then faced the wolf pack.

“Hm?”

*Bam!*

But before he could even take on the pack he was attacked by a giant serpent like tornado. Aya floated in the sky while controlling the serpent. While he was occupied by the serpent, the wolf pack mercilessly attacked him.

*Boom!*

Miko was devoured by a huge explosion when he was hit from both sides. Yet, everyone still seemed tense and for good reason. They saw Miko emerge from the explosion without any major damages.

“I see. So the guys fight up and close while the girls support with long range attacks. Not a bad formation. I can think of many tactics you can use with it. However….”

Miko scanned them with his terrifying gaze.

“It won’t work against me.”

Miko suddenly disappeared from where he was, which caused Robin and the others to scan for him.

*Bam!*

Robin heard an explosive sound and saw Aya motionless on the ground.

*Bam!*

He heard another and saw Ana knocked out as well.

“This is an assassination move!”

Robin quickly figured out what was happening. Miko had made himself invisible and erased his presence at the same time.

“Correct.”

Miko suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Robin and Saika attacked him together out of reflex.

*Bam!*

Miko’s hair moved in front of him and blocked their attacks. This completely surprised them.

*Bam!*

Robin then saw Saika being forced off the ground with a kick to the stomach. He flew up into the air and the landed on his back in his human form.

“Only you’re left.”

Miko looked at Robin and said.

“….I’ll admit it. You’re far superior to us and we can’t defeat you. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll bring Lulu happiness in the future.”

Miko silently listened to Robin.

“I’ve seen countless people like you throughout my life. Monsters who only care about their inner circle and would gladly burn down the world. Well, guess what. Not one of those in their inner circles haven’t suffered because of them, because of their actions. You may believe that you’re only doing everything for their sakes but the only thing you’ll do is bring destruction upon them.”

“Are you done?”

Robin’s eyes widen at Miko’s response.

“I’ll say this again. I appreciate you looking out for Luka, however I owe you guys nothing and I don’t care about what you think.”

*Bam!*

Miko punched Robin in the gut and made him quickly lose consciousness.

“However, I’ll take your words into consideration as a sign of respect.”

Robin fell on the ground and laid there unconscious. Miko then looked at the other students.

“Decide the other 7 among you in 5 minutes or I’ll start taking you all out at random until the final 8 are left.”

After saying that he turned and looked at Luka. She didn’t seem upset that Miko beat all of her friends but she had a complicated look in her eyes when looking at them laying at his feet.

Eventually she took a deep breath and sighed. She then pointed at him.

“I’ll be sure to take you down.”

Miko smiled.

“We’ll see about that.”

*******

Aloe Kingdom.

In recent times, the Aloe Kingdom has been really intense. This was because of tensions between it and its neighbor, Dale. Many thought that war was going to break out between the two but this never came to be. The two countries somehow were able to squash all tension between them.

Then why was the Kingdom tense? It was because crime was at all time high. It wasn’t just Aloe, Dale was also experiencing a boom in crime and violence. The citizens of these countries didn’t know it but their nations had now turned into a battlefield between two crime syndicates.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

In the streets of the Aloe capital, there was a gun battle occurring between two different groups of people.

*Bam!* *Bam!*

They hid behind buildings and vehicles while firing at their enemies. Since they were using magic guns this didn’t do more than buy them a few seconds before their shields were destroyed.

“Look out!”

Suddenly one of the group was attacked by a new group of attackers wearing red and black masks. These men didn’t flinch before their enemies’ attacks and attacked them without a care for their lives. The masked men quickly overwhelmed their opponents and disarmed them.

“Are these members of Dragon Storm?”

Jason approached the Renacido members who were with his puppets.

“Yes, sir. However, they seem to rookies.”

“So they don’t know anything huh? Kill them and leave them in the street.”

“Yes sir!”

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

The Renacido members didn’t hesitate to blow out the brains of the men they captured.

“Dragon Storm seem to be using this war as a way to train their men. They’ve only sent out rookies recently.”

Jason stepped over the dead bodies and walked down the streets with the Renacido members and his puppets around him.

“They’re looking down on us, Sir!”

“Then let them. The more we kill the more we’ll be able to gather information about them. Even if they don’t know anything they were given equipment and received basic training. This allows us to vaguely gauge their strength.”

“And that’s good?”

“It’s better than not knowing anything about them.”

Jason answered. His phone then started ringing.

“Oden.”

(Yo, Jason. I’ve got new orders from the boss lady. She wants you to destroy a warehouse that’s owned by an Aloe politician. Apparently it’s housing a whole lot of drugs that Dragon Storm wants to distribute into the country.)

“Destroy it, not rob it?”

(I asked the same question. She says she wants to send a message. We don’t need their shitty products to make money.)

“I see. Then Oden, where are you?”

At the same time at Dale.

“Me?”

Oden was standing in a dark room with a smile on his face.

“I’m completing a job.”

He hung up the phone.

“Sorry about that. I just had to make that call.”

He put away his phone and sat on chair. He then dig into his pocket and took out a pack of gum.

“Your mouth must be dry. Maybe this will help.”

He offered the gum to the person in front of him. It was a woman who was in her nightgown and trembling from head to toe. She took the gum with trembling hands and looked at it.

“Minister Nancy, I assure you that it isn’t poison.”

Oden said after seeing the woman hesitate. She slowly put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly.

“Now like I was saying. I want the names of everyone in your government who is working with Dragon Storm to acquire beast slaves. Oh, and please don’t say you don’t know. We don’t want this to end up like the last time.”

The woman looked behind oden and saw a man’s headless body leaning on the wall. This was her husband after Oden squashed his head earlier.

“Minister Nancy, you might not know but I’m not human nor do I like humans. So what I did to your husband is similar to you squashing a bug. It doesn’t linger on your mind and you only feel relief that it’s dead.”

Oden leaned over.

“Do you want me to feel relief again, Minister?”

Nancy quickly shook her head.

“Good.”

Oden sat back in his chair with a smile.

“Then the names and addresses please.”