Xiu bent forward, hands on her knees, still catching her breath from the speed test.
JaJa rolled his shoulders, veins still bulging.
Plum stood upright, scythe resting lightly in her grip.
Einstera's posture was loose but alert.
Roxer wore a confident grin, as if the results were already decided. He glanced over to Xiu "Man Xiu is kinda hot."
Xiu took note of his curiosity. She began to stretch in the direction of Roxer revealing her butt.
Roxer licked his lips and said to himself, Perhaps I should fix my attention on conquering an Amazon instead of a Scytherian.
Xiu, Omg I think he looking at me! Roxer you sexy fox have you realized I am 1 million times better than Plum or any other woman on this planet. Xiu smiled.
Marza raised one hand.
The simulation shifted.
The ground split apart as thousands of massive combat machines rose from beneath the surface, steel frames locking into place, eyes igniting one by one.
The air vibrated.
"What stands before you," Marza said calmly, "is a ten-thousand-unit Delta Robot Army."
A few of the students swallowed.
"A low estimate compared to real parasite swarms," she added. "Your objective is simple: destroy as many as possible before time expires."
She turned slightly.
"The condition: each of you must eliminate no fewer than one thousand units."
Roxer cracked his neck.
"This is exactly what I was made for."
Jaja grinned. "You ready, bro?"
Roxer smirked. "Always."
Einstera looks to Plum "Baby sis, are you feeling okay?"
Plum "Yep, I feel amazing."
Plum placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, Sun Bear," she muttered to herself. "Watch this."
Marza's voice echoed.
"Ready."
The ground hummed.
"Set."
Power surged.
"Go."
Roxer shifted his eyes to Plums neck, his anger boiled. "Is that what I think it is, a hickey."
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He launched forward first 'Sleeper boy!"
The sheer force of his movement sent Xiu, Einstera, and even Plum skidding backward.
He summoned his hammer mid-stride and crashed into the robot line, obliterating machines with wild, devastating swings.
"You see this, Plum?!" Roxer roared.
"This is what a real man does!"
Robots detonated in every direction.
Jaja followed, summoning his Wind Sword, carving wide arcs through clustered units. Together, the two tore through the front lines like a living siege.
Thirty seconds in, 2,600 units destroyed.
Plum moved.
She didn't charge.
She vanished.
Steel limbs hit the ground in clean slices as she reappeared again and again, her scythe chewing through armor like it was paper.
Marza narrowed her eyes.
"...She's faster than during the midterms."
Einstera dropped to all fours.
Her body warped mid-motion, bones shifting as she morphed into a sleek onyx wolf, tearing through robots with relentless precision, ripping joints apart and dragging cores free.
Xiu's muscles expanded until she took on the aesthetic of a bodybuilder.
she slammed her fist into the ground.
The simulated terrain ruptured.
Mini-quakes rippled outward, collapsing entire formations as robots lost balance and crushed one another.
"That," Marza said, watching closely, "is the Amazon way."
The bell rang.
The battlefield froze.
Numbers appeared overhead.
Roxer — 3,400 units
Plum — 2,600 units
Jaja — 2,100 units
Einstera — 1,250 units
Xiu — 1,050 units
JaJa stared at the results.
"...How the hell did Plum beat me?"
Roxer shrugged. "She's strong. Don't be mad."
Then smirked. "Just means you're not fit to marry her."
Jajascoffed. "Whatever, she's not my type anyway."
Marza stepped forward.
"Next test: Endurance and Battle IQ."
The robots behind them melted away.
"This exam will not be about speed or brute destruction," she continued.
"War is not a sprint. It is rounds."
The environment shifted again.
"One at a time, you will face a Sedmo-class combat unit."
Xiu swallowed. "Sedmo? Those are some of the strongest machines in the Skylands."
Plum nodded. "They are. 'Sedmo' is a brand, built to fight powerful Abi users."
Roxer rolled his shoulders. "Bring it on."
Marza's eyes sharpened.
"You will not use weapons."
Silence.
"You will defeat the Sedmo with your bare hands."
Plum stiffened. "I'm a Scytherian. My scythe is."
"not allowed," Marza said evenly.
Einstera's jaw tightened.
Xiu grinned. "This will be easy."
Jaja clenched his fists.
Marza turned.
"First: Jaja."
Jaja. vs Sedmo
The Sedmo powered up.
Its first step cratered the ground.
Jaja. charged.
His fist slammed into its frame.
Nothing.
The machine responded by punching the ground, shockwaves throwing Jaja back.
Roxer shouted from the sidelines. "Come on, bro! You're embarrassing us!"
Jaja wiped blood from his nose.
"I'm trying! This thing's basically indestructible!"
Marza spoke calmly.
"You're a Herculean. Raw striking power isn't your advantage."
Jaja froze.
"...What?"
"Your strength is lift, carry, displacement. Not penetration."
Roxer shouted, "Stay in your lane!"
Jaja's eyes widened.
"...You're right."
He darted forward again, not at the torso.
He slid between the Sedmo's legs as it swung, plunged his hands into its massive foot, muscles screaming.
Veins bulged.
Bones strained.
Blood dripped from his nose.
"I AM HERCULEAN!"
With a roar, he lifted the Sedmo, staggering under its impossible weight, then hurled it.
The machine crashed into the simulated wall and didn't get back up.
Silence.
Plum stared.
"...That was incredible."
Einstera swallowed. "I can't do that. I'll have to think differently."
Xiu crossed her arms. "I can do better."
Jaja dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
He wiped his face and grinned weakly.
"...I did it."