Vastarael found himself in a white space. It was similar to the one he was in when he saw Thyrexxa for the first time. In front of him was a blue hologram with empty details and a holographic keyboard on it.
'It's a profile to see what I'm capable of, huh?'
And of course, Vastarael knew exactly what it wanted.
[We're not going to reveal everything, are we?]
He shook his head as his began typing the keyboard.
"Nope. I like keeping my secrets hidden, especially my name."
Vastarael kept typing for a few seconds until he was fully done with the profile. He double-checked it for a few seconds before nodding with a smile.
"That's good."
The masculine voice spoke again after the hologram vanished.
"Welcome, Prince of Anqerise. Shall we start the evaluation test?"
"Yes."
"There are seven levels of this test which will determine your academy rank. Pass all seven levels and you will be considered as one of the highest rankers in the academy. Good luck."
The white space began to change.
One second, a bright light illuminated the area. The next, he was standing on a hard stone floor. The first thing he heard were...
Cheers?
He blinked his eyes twice when he saw thousands... no, tens of thousands of people cheering all around him. Their shouts shook the arena he was in...
"Wait a second. Arena? Where—"
"Ladies and gentlemen of Anes Panara! I welcome you to this grand and beautiful event! Today, we are going to experience a show of a lifetime of a fighter who is so strong that he can kill creatures with his bare hands!"
Vastarael's eyes widened when he looked at the people cheering.
'This is not a simulation. They're real. They're all... real.'
As an Aeterium, he could see the souls of other beings and how powerful they are. This was one of the Base Tethers of being an Aeterium, Soul Vision. Every single one of them had souls. The skies were sunny and the weather was relatively hot. Vastarael could feel the warmth on his skin. He could breathe. He could even speak.
"This is real. But how—"
"And now," the booming host's voice continued. "Introducing the first opponent, one who is hailed from many lands and known to be a famous warrior, Minafallen!"
"Wha..."
Everything was moving too fast as he barely had time to understand the situation. Suddenly, the ringing of chains alerted him. One of the arena gates was opening, revealing a figure behind it covered in chains.
'Phaenora, what is happening?'
[I don't know either! All I know is that this place is real and this arena is from ancient times! Whatever this place is, it's like—]
'We're in the past.'
Vastarael's mind was on overdrive as he tried to understand what is going on.
'Okay. Let's summarize things. I was sent to the past in an arena where I have to fight the half- immortal who sacrificed his life to save both sides of his people.'
Vastarael narrowed his eyes when the figure came out of the shadows and into the light of the arena, causing more cheers to erupt from the audience.
The figure was... beautiful?
Despite the heavy chains on her wrists and feet, she was still walking fine as if they didn't weigh anything. She had long tousled brown hair and onyx eyes. Her skin was pale from malnourishment. She wielded a sword on her hand that was tainted in dried blood. Her white dress was tattered. She was looking at the man in front of him, who wore a black faceless mask with white curly hair and an outfit that looked foreign.
"Wait a second. Minafallen is... a woman?"
Minafallen's chains suddenly disappeared the second they touched the light. Vastarael's senses spiked when he saw a wicked smile on her face.
She vanished.
'Oh crap!'
He immediately materialized a sapphire glaive and instantly turned around, blocking a massive sword slash from the chained woman. The force drove his feet to the ground and caused a shockwave that reverberated across the arena.
'She's strong!'
He didn't want to reveal his main cards yet, especially his Divine Weapon. He still had many questions but there was one thing he was sure of. He would not reveal them in this evaluation, no matter what.
He stepped back and began moving around, observing the smirking chainless woman. Her sword technique was... barbaric. It has no style or control. Instead, it was full of openings and blind spots. The only reason she managed to use it well is because of her abnormal speed and body constitution. Her soul was bright, brighter than any other being in the arena.
Now, his doubts were cleared. This was definitely real and he was sent to the past. Minafallen... was real. But why was she not a man? Did something happen in the past that was not recorded?
'I'll think about it later. For now, I need to defeat her here.'
His glaive vanished into sapphire particles, shocking both his opponent and the crowd, who gasped in unison.
"I don't need a weapon to kill you. I'll just solve it using my body instead."
He swore he saw a smirk on her face. To his surprise, she also dropped her sword. She didn't speak but it was obvious what she was trying to say.
"I see. Bring it on, Minafallen."
The crowd erupted in cheers the moment the two combatants squared off with their weapons discarded. It was a spectacle they didn't expect. Minafallen's smile widened as she raised her hands, beckoning Vastarael to make the first move.
Vastarael didn't hesitate. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, his fist flying toward her jaw with enough force to shatter stone. Minafallen, however, moved with unnatural agility, ducking under his punch and twisting her body to deliver a spinning kick toward his ribs. He blocked it with his forearm, creating a slight shockwave that sent dust spiraling around them.
Minafallen didn't give him the luxury of thinking. She lunged at him. Vastarael parried and dodged, weaving through her attacks. Each missed blow from her cracked the stone floor beneath them, sending fragments flying into the air.
As her fist aimed for his face, Vastarael caught her wrist mid-strike, using her momentum to spin her around and slam her into the ground. The impact created a crater and the crowd roared in amazement.
But Minafallen wasn't fazed. She grinned up at him, twisting her body in an unnatural way to kick him square in the chest. The force sent him skidding back.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Vastarael said, brushing the dust off his shirt.
She didn't answer but her smirk said enough.
'Alright, let's see how far she can go.'
Vastarael shifted his stance. When Minafallen charged again, he met her head-on. They exchanged a rapid series of blows. Their movements were a blur to the audience, who could barely keep up with the ferocity of the fight.
Minafallen aimed a roundhouse kick at his head but Vastarael ducked, sweeping her legs out from under her. She twisted mid-fall, landing on her hands and springing back up with an elbow aimed at his chest.
He sidestepped, grabbing her arm and locking it in place. "Got you—"
Her knee slammed into his stomach before he could finish, sending him stumbling back. She followed up with a flurry of strikes, each one faster and stronger than the last.
'She's adapting. Let's see how you handle this.'
He pretended to throw a punch, drawing her into a counterattack, then unleashed a burst of Essence from his palm. The force sent her flying across the arena, slamming into the wall with enough power to crack it.
The crowd gasped in unison.
Minafallen staggered to her feet with blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. Then, with a sudden surge of energy, she leaped into the air with her fist glowing with blue Essence. Vastarael raised his arms just in time to block her strike but the impact drove him to one knee. The ground beneath them shattered, sending shockwaves rippling through the arena.
'She's insane. She can use essence too?'
He unleashed a pulse of energy that sent her flying backward. He didn't give her a chance to recover, dashing toward her with speed that made the air displace around him. Minafallen met him mid-charge. The crowd erupted into cheers and screams, unable to contain their excitement. Minafallen's speed and raw strength were matched by Vastarael's precision and technique. It was a battle of equals and neither was willing to back down.
'She's stronger than I expected. But strength alone won't win this.'
As Minafallen came at him again, he sidestepped her attack, using her momentum to flip her over his shoulder. She landed hard but rolled to her feet. Minafallen's smile widened as if she could read his thoughts. She raised her hand and black chains materialized around her. Vastarael dodged the first wave, using his agility to stay ahead of the glowing chains. They moved with a will of their own, forcing him to materialize a sapphire glaive again. With precise strikes, he cut through the chains. Vastarael decided to push forward a little. He infused his glaive with Essence. However, he wasn't even going all out. He was using the same abilities he wrote in his evaluation. He never wanted to reveal his main abilities, not when he was in a den of predators.
Minafallen was not holding back and she seemed to realize this with him. He was merely attacking even though she could feel immense power inside him. She couldn't see his face either but she could tell that he was enjoying this.
His movements and skills said so. And so, she did the one thing that completely shocked Vastarael as they fought close to one another.
"Help... me..."