A blinding orange light ignited at the base of an imposing mountain, and the figure of a white-haired lady materialized.
Aurora's fiery gaze scanned her surroundings, her guard raised to the peak.
'A forest…' she noted. There was greenery and wildlife surrounding her. After confirming that there were no immediate threats in the area, she turned her gaze toward the mountain.
The trees didn't just stop around her, they littered the mountain, its form appearing like a massive overgrown tree rather than a mountain made of stone.
Aurora's gaze suddenly narrowed into pinpricks. 'W-what…'
She raised her arms, gazing at them as though she couldn't believe her observation.
"No mana?" she muttered. She could feel her mana core. She could feel the mana surging through her body. However, there wasn't a single shred of mana in the area, and somehow, Aurora knew that it was everywhere.
When she tried to use her mana, her gaze hardened. It wasn't responding. It was as though something was… negating it.
'The Nullites?' she suspected. Aurora had picked up a habit from the countless spars she'd had with Atticus, if she could call it that.
'He always analyzes,' a small smile appeared on Aurora's face as she thought about Atticus, despite her current situation.
She always saw Atticus analyzing everything, even while fighting those weaker than him.
Everything she had just noted had all the signs of Nullites, considering the things they had been taught about the other races in the academy. Currently, there was mana in her mana core, but she couldn't use it, no matter how much she tried.
Her gaze turned serious as she faced the peak.
'There's no time to waste.'
Unfortunately for her, this environment was the bane of any Ravenstein or elementalist.
No mana meant no control over the elements. She had to climb this mountain with her passive strength alone.
Aurora shot forward, her figure slicing through the green forest. She minimized any wasted movements and focused solely on ascending.
In another part of the mountain base, the other division leaders had started ascending as well. Just like Aurora, none of them could feel any mana in the air nor utilize the mana inside their cores.
Regardless, none had flinched, and they had instantly started climbing, racing to the peak.
Loud cheers rocked the different floating islands of the training camp.
Nate, Lucas, along with the other subordinates of the division leaders, still remained in the large coliseum.
As the blinding light took the leaders away, they had each been confused, their gazes darting around.
However, their heads snapped upwards as large screens appeared all around the coliseum, showing a live feed of the leaders' test.
It wasn't only here. The other division members of humanity and all the other races had been carried to different floating islands and were all gathered inside coliseums, watching the same live feed.
As their respective division leaders appeared on the screens, their cheers intensified.
This was especially true for the members of the White Omen division. The moment Aurora's face flashed on the massive screen hovering above the training camp, her division erupted into wild cheers, screaming her name at the top of their lungs.
Their cheers drew hateful, venomous glares from recruits of other races, but that only seemed to fuel their excitement.
The competition was fierce, with every leader having been teleported to different points across the sprawling mountain.
But the military had planned this carefully. The division leaders had been deliberately shuffled, scattered across the mountain's base, ensuring that no two leaders from the same race started near each other.
This forced confrontations as they ascended. As the mountain narrowed toward its peak, the inevitable happened, leaders began to meet, and the clashes that followed were immediate and brutal.
The military men watching from their observation towers knew exactly what they were doing. By shuffling the races, they were basically forcing them into contact with others.
The cheers from the divisions on the ground grew louder and more frenzied as battles broke out across the mountain.
Tensions were at their peak, and as soon as opposing races saw each other, they attacked without hesitation. Blades clashed, fists flew, and the mountain echoed with the sounds of combat.
But amidst the chaos, Aurora moved fast.
She sprinted up the rugged path, her breathing steady, every muscle in her body honed from years of relentless training.
After Atticus had left, she had done nothing but train. She had always made remarks about Atticus and his crazy training schedule, but she basically became the new Atticus at the camp.
Everything she learned from Atticus, she honed and honed. Every habit, every piece of advice, everything had been mastered to a high level.
No mana. No abilities. Just raw skill and instinct. But that was more than enough for her.
Suddenly, she felt it, a sharp, cold presence cutting through the air. A chill ran down her spine.
Her gaze snapped to the side just in time to see a glint of silver.
'An arrow.'
Aurora darted left, her body moving before her mind fully processed the threat. The arrow whistled past her ear, embedding itself into the bark of a tree with a dull thud.
She pivoted sharply, her fiery eyes narrowing as they locked onto a figure perched gracefully on a branch, a tall, lithe figure with angular features, pointed ears, and sharp emerald eyes. The mark of the Elves.
Their gazes collided like flint striking steel. The elf wasted no time, loosing another arrow.
Aurora didn't wait to see where it landed. She bolted toward the trees, weaving through the trunks as a barrage of arrows rained down behind her.
The elf's accuracy was terrifying, but Aurora had no intention of being a moving target forever.
'Think. Analyze.'
The elf had the high ground, superior range, and a clear line of sight. She couldn't outrun him forever, and without mana, she couldn't risk a direct charge.
But there was one thing she could count on: predictability.
She darted behind a thick tree trunk, steadying her breathing, feeling the tremor in the bark as another arrow struck just inches from her head.
'Good,' she thought, a plan forming.