Like a chess match, classes of each team has begun to play om the board of the ruined city.

Class S was first to send two pairs of players, with Class D also responding with 2 pairs in their defense formation. As they begun to confront each other, one of the pairs in Class D managed to slip off and execute a two way combo against the first pair scouts of Class S.

With the tactical play of Gypsy, the first one to come down was from Class S. And with the roar of approval from the audience, the first scouts had retired. Class D’s first blood against the Class S lightened the heavy effects of the arena on them, only that it was short lived.

A high summon from one of the Class S’ aces had come out from nowhere and eliminated the scoring pairs of the Class D, evening out the tide. Still, the now eliminated Class S members managed to aid the remaining scouts for them to escape and report back.

During this time, Class D steps back and turns to their monitor on the eastern side. Gypsy knows that the Third Prince was well aware of them. “Marly, Randeir, both of you will try to move forward. We need to keep minimum skirmishes with Class S…”, Gypsy paused for a bit.

“You are the knight Randeir, do try to guard and scout the eastern entrances with everything you’ve got…”, Gypsy nods at him, while Allen looks a little troubled.

It appears that some sort of tension is building up in the match, as he continued to look onto the sensors and monitors. A signal approached, one S Class student just managed to slip and avoid their traps.

“The Class S is doing direct confrontations this time…”, Mumbled Gypsy, while looking at the group that had been staying conscious for quite some time. The effect of the arena continues to pick up strength.

“Looks like Allen’s sensors had managed to detect an enemy, who’s quite fast too. Class S managed to save one of their own… We’ll call it ‘bishop’ for the time being…” Several members of the group suggested sending out a few more scouts to the enemy, as to increase their safety and chances of not getting caught in ambushes and traps. Everyone seems to agree to this, and Mely had volunteered to be one of them, a ‘bishop’ for the group, so to say. After all, she wasn’t the Ocean Songstress for nothing.

They were one of the best at movements that allow for fluid attack and retreat.

Her summon, the ‘Sky Merman’, has flight capabilities and can travel very quickly in both water and aerial. It’s power and speed also gets highly amplified when it makes contact with water, and is one of the uniquely natured summons, being capable of summoned in locations that are not near it’s summoner.

For this reason, the Song Tribe Bloodline always has freedom and wide range in combat, which gives them the advantage of monitoring both the group and opponent, while not risking many of their other teammates.

“Mely will monitor us while keeping guard on Allen. We’ll be needing him for the late term scenarios. Randeir will be advancing and guarding the left side of the east, we’ll be trying to stay defensive while taking out the Prince’s troops. For the meantime, Aldrein, you are one of our fastest hitters, your summon will be fitting here.”, Gypsy ordered to the group.

Aldrein is one of the strongest of Class D, with his summon dealing with both power, versatility, and speed. The ‘White Pegasus’, a rather rare summon that can run very fast on land and also fly very fast. It could also become a dangerous monster when agitated, as it could imbue it’s body in hot white light to increase it’s defensive and offensive abilities, an ability that it’s user could also use for their own when mounted onto the summon.

He was the perfect candidate in blitzing the Class S’ defenses, but the offset is at full power, he’ll quickly be exhausted. However, breaking off some of the defenses of Class S was too good of an opportunity to pass up. The White Pegasus, together with Aldrein, ascended and flew away from the east, towards their destination. Together, the two looked like a divine knight riding it’s trusted steed.

Their visage contrasted the dark and gloomy place, a light of hope to the Class D and a light of majesty to the awed spectators.

Allen looks at the furthering visage of Aldrein and back to their group. With a light sigh, he turns his monitors to the summon that’s been guarding the backlines of the eastern part of the city, Jack the Ripper.

All that he could really do was stay put until they’ll have the perfect opportunity to strike at full power. After witnessing the immense destructive power of his summon, they were confident of their win against the Class S. However, there was still another variable that Gypsy and Allen cannot seem to grasp.

The Third Prince, Abbey. There was something wrong with him, and Gypsy knows that even Jack, a Tales summon with immense intellect, can still be caught and trapped by the tricky and fickle mind of the prince. This is why they were playing defensively, trying to locate and discern the movements of Class S as to minimize the players they can send out, as well as giving them the higher chances of taking them out slowly.

The Prince has something to deal against Jack. “I know that there’s something that the Prince is hiding. Even my summon tells me so.”, Gypsy frowned as he conversed with Jack, who nodded in agreement.

“There already was something wrong with him since the beginning, and it only got stronger as we stepped in this place.”, Jack simply said through the communication link.

“I see… We’ll try our best and avoid him while taking out other Class S members. So for now, just defend the backlines.”, Gypsy said to Jack, who just grunted at his command. Allen looked at Gypsy while he conversed with his summon, then to Mely. It seems that the curse of the ruined kingdom is quickly taking ahold of them as they tried to push their minds in being the commanders of the group. This was evident on the rashness of Gypsy and the hollowness of Mely’s eyes. Allen took a sparing glance at Mely’s blank eyes, who was gazing at the Umbral City.

“I…remember…this place…you are light…”, Mely mumbled incoherently, before a bright light enveloped her being and she snapped out of her daze.

She then saw Allen's Summon, Jack, who was casting a purification light spell that were colored in gray, it was to reduce and minimize the effects of the cursed city and the color to minimize enemies visual advantage.

----

I noticed Mely’s gaze at Allen. I was concerned of her than anyone on in here.

Sure, there was the Prince and his insane acts, but according to my [Plotter’s Discernment], can still pretty much lose to Class D.

It’s odd on how obsessed she was with Allen… But the guy keeps avoiding her. I tried to discern Allen, and here I found something odd…

‘Sadness, longing, regret… Guilt?’.

Before I could think of it much longer, a sudden explosion rang out on my comm's link.

BOOM!

"Agghhhhh!" then, a deafening shout came out from the sky, which I instantly reacted and casted a skill.

[Shade Walker: Active] In one moment, the shadows consumed me and I was there immediately.

The other group members were panicking. Scanning the area, I saw Alrein, all bloodied and tattered. Similarly, his summon was also exhausted and limping, it’s white aura now lost. Still Aldrein, tried his best in maneuvering his way out, only it was pointless.

The Third Prince suddenly came out of nowhere, shocking everyone, and immediately stuck Aldrien.

He then grinned as Aldrien’s face contorted in agony. Serpents came out of the Prince’s cape and gnawed on the Pegasus, while a few wrapped themselves on Aldrien’s body.

“This place can make us certainly go insane, but what if we’re already mad from the start?”, The Prince grinned savagely, as he slowly descended from the sky.

“This city was where the first rebellion against the Lady of Joy, who became known as the Lady of Sorrow because of us. This was also the place where the Sage put his final light and the Hero’s final strength.”

“This is the very place that drove us into a new era, the realization and guilt put to us by the Sage, an outsider…”, The Prince then laughed maniacally. This gained a not so few raised eyebrows from the participants and the audience, which pretty much had confirmed the rumors that he was the scariest and most insane of the Magika Royalties.

“But… This was also the place where the Hero, Agis saved the world from the Sage’s final moments of corruption, who tried to take the world and shape it as his own… And we accept both of them as reminders of our past… Their teachings, their values, and virtues… Trying to redeem ourselves of our sins…”, The Prince utters those words passionately, gaining the interest of all spectators, including the Noble’s Oblige and Prestige, as well as the Black Zodiac, who were observing from afar.

“Tell me…”, He slowly asked.

“Are we not mad from the start?”, He grins.