To Leonel's back, a lanky youth ran with all his might. He most definitely hadn't expected for the speed round to start at such a level. If things were like this, what would he do if the speed increased again like it had during the first round?
It was already impressive enough for a Fourth Dimensional existence like him to be able to walk around and run in a Fifth Dimensional world like this one. But now they were most definitely asking for too much.
'I can't wait six months! I can't wait!'
The more pressure Valiant Heart was under, the more resources and opportunities they brought out for everyone.
Leonel and Aina weren't aware of this yet since they had just come back, but even the tournament for entry into the Valiant Heart Zone had moved up. Not only this, but they were allowing far more students in now than they ever had in the past.
But, the minimum requirement for entry into this tournament was to have a white belt. If he failed this time, there was no way he'd be able to join because by then, the tournament would have already passed!
Due to all this mental pressure, the moment this youth saw Leonel's back flying toward him, a mad light radiated from his eyes.
He didn't just need to survive. It was fine as long as he just outlasted everyone else. How could he pass up a chance to attack at someone's back?
Unfortunately for this young man…
Leonel's feet suddenly became wrapped in a beautiful golden sheen, causing his speed to grow explosively. In the blink of an eye, the dagger that had been at the tip of his nose was over a meter away from him.
Leonel, as though he had eyes at the back of his head, flipped into the air, soaring over the head of the examinee aiming for his back.
The young man suddenly found himself pincered from both sides. His own dagger was still chasing him from behind while Leonel's own dagger bore down on him from the front.
It was too late to dodge.
The youth felt a sharp pain rip through his chest, causing his speed to falter. Just that small split moment allowed his own dagger to slice through his back, leaving him completely paralyzed.
The twin spikes of pain left his body trembling. Even after the daggers became illusory and flew out of his body, he had still collapsed to the ground, only to be pierced through again by his own dagger as Leonel's chased after him.
That third strike was the final straw, laying him out completely. His vision went dark, his dreams fading along with it.
Leonel shot a glance over toward Aina. She seemed to have been targeted as well, but dealt with her pursuer much more straight forwardly. Unfortunately for the poor young man who targeted her, he was probably the only one to take on a true injury since the start of this competition.
And just like that, there were eight remaining. But… The round didn't stop.
The walls flashed.
'1% increase in speed.'
Leonel slowed down his own speed. After activating his Lineage Factor, even this 1% increase couldn't make a difference to him. It was also more convenient for future moves if his dagger was closer to him. It would allow this farse to end quicker.
"He's still here?" Gretta frowned.
When the exam began, Gretta and the other four had completely focused on themselves. Though they had entered together and planned to pass together, they knew that the entry of Aina had thrown a wrench into their plans.
Because of this, the four became slightly wary of one another, knowing that one of them would likely had to be sacrificed so that Aina could pass. But, obviously, none of them wanted to take the fall.
As a result, an exam that should have been easy left them walking on the tips of their toes, bringing out everything they had to be among the final four. In such a situation, they didn't even care to pay attention to exactly who had survived as long as they weren't being targeted.
It wasn't until yet another fell, leaving just seven remaining, that Gretta realized that Leonel, who she thought would have already fallen long ago, was still here. In fact, he seemed to be having an easy time as well.
If this was an exam where it was possible for Aina to help him, she would be more accepting of this. But, this was obviously impossible. Even though they took all the tests together, everything had been pretty individual. Without a certain level of strength you could call your own, it would have been impossible to make it to this stage.
Gretta's frown deepened.
Just one Aina was already enough of a headache, making their carefully planned alliance crumble before it could even start. But who the hell was this guy?!
Gretta swept a glance toward her three 'partners' turned ambiguous enemies.
At that moment, the young man who always had his hands in his pockets, Arnid, swept a kick toward the seventh participant.
BANG!
The youth slammed against the large tiled wall.
With his head spinning and his body practically pinned by the force, the slight acceleration he received from Arnid didn't help him to escape his dagger for long.
Just like that, there were six.
Aina and Leonel stood on opposite sides of the room, each focused on escaping their daggers. As though they couldn't sense the subtle change in the atmosphere, they remained stuck in their own worlds, not showing any sign of trying to come together.
The four Hero Peak members sent a gaze toward one another. Sparks flew, a silent communication whizzing through the air.
In a split moment, they all came to the same conclusion. If they wanted to give themselves a chance, there was only one logical path to take.
Arnid, Gretta, Edmorn and the last, Fox, stamped their feet down in unison, sending a resounding boom throughout they room as they shot toward Leonel as one.
Their plan was obvious. Take down Leonel first and as quickly as possible.. Then take down Aina.