[Your last trial: …Face Me…]
The voice came and this time they saw the very being who had been speaking to them since the beginning of the second half of the trial.
Observing the towering figure that stood over 2 meters, way taller than Ross, Alex narrowed his eyes as he took in the entity's form.
The being was clad in heavy black armour of old and with no shred of technology. A helm covered his face leaving only a long slit across his eyes for sight; eyes that glowed a menacing red. In his right hand was a long sword that almost matched the great sword Ross carried, like it was just another toy.
The entity's aura was equally suffocating as the students couldn't help but groan in discomfort. But Alex could tell there was something else.
'His aura is weaker than what we experienced before. Otherwise, we might not have a chance to even move, much less defeat it.'
The revelation made him swallow nervously and when his eyes met Ross, he could tell his line of thinking was similar.
Yet…
With the chance given to them, there was another glaring issue.
Their mana and stamina.
Alex had been out of mana for a while now and while the others just run out of mana from their last fight, he could see it on their faces as their expressions were slightly pale as well as the subtle intake of deep breaths.
Considering all these things, Alex understood that their chances were very slim and they might even end up dying here.
The entity observed the participants with a relaxed stance. It decided to give the participants ample time to get ready for him and the moment he noticed all participants had gotten their weapons and stance, it stormed forward with breakneck speed.
Before the students could react, the entity appeared before one of them and sent them flying with a powerful kick to the gut that elicited a loud grunt from them.
*BOOM!*
In an instant, the person slammed into one of the pillars and was knocked out. Just like that one of them was out for the count!
The others reacted immediately and created as much distance from the entity as possible.
[…Come at me…]
The being muttered with a relaxed stance as if the students were no threat at all. Alex exchanged glances with his colleagues and their expressions were not the best.
The fear and exhaustion in their eyes could not be hidden. Luckily for them, the being just knocked out that student and for some, they wished it was them. At least they would only end up being knocked out!
Alex and Ross exchanged another glance and nodded, exchanging a silent message.
Teamwork might be the only way to defeat the entity, yet that would be a challenge as most of them were strangers and were not familiar with their fighting styles.
Even Zen and Philip who shared a class with Alex and Ross were no different. The only person Alex could fight in a team battle with was Ross.
As if by command, both Alex and Ross stormed at the entity, taking the other participants by surprise. While they were still considering what to do without their mana, Alex and Ross were charging in.
"Hey! What's the plan?!"
Zen called out, but the duo were already inbound to deliver their attacks. Zen also understood that teamwork was the only but he knew almost nothing of Alex's combat style and while he had studied him extensively in the past to defeat him, it had all been but useless.
Alex was simply too versatile as he could switch weapons to a staff or even use them as double sticks. He was not sure if what he knew would be helpful as he doubted Alex knew anything about his combat style.
Ross attacked first as the moment he got close; he leapt and swung his greatsword in an overhead cleave that cut through the air with absolute ease.
It aimed sight for the entity's head, however, things wouldn't be that simple and Ross knew that. However, he wasn't alone.
The moment his sword swing got in range, the entity raised its sword without even looking back and blocked the powerful and heavy swing with just its sword held in a reverse grip.
It was as if there was no power in Ross's attack which he knew was false. His eyes widened in horror after experiencing the power of the entity.
Alex narrowed his eyes as he observed how the entity stopped the attack with ease, but it was his turn as he arrived at the left side of the entity and lunged his spear at its side.
His attack was performed with absolute finesse as he made use of his momentum to generate a much stronger thrust.
Even then…
*CLANG!*
The tip of his spear was blocked by the opened palm of the entity and while there was a slight push of its palm it blocked the attack nonetheless.
Alex expected his attack to be blocked but not in that manner. The others who were observing to see how the two would fare had to pick their jaws from the ground.
It was absolutely nuts. How were they supposed to defeat such a thing without their mana skills?!
'It's far stronger than a low-tier class E hunter, so how are we supposed to defeat this thing?!'
Even knowing their situation looked bleak and had no apparent solution, Alex and Ross did not despair and swiftly changed their attacks.
The entity remained silent as it responded to their attacks and decided to move on its own accord. It moved back with graceful and practised movements as it dodged and blocked the flurry of attacks thrown by the duo.
Their movement was a combination of short bursts of speed, blurry afterimages and exploding attacks, yet it was clear to Zen and the others who only stood back and watched as Alex and Ross pressed their 'advantage' to no end.
'This is impossible! If those two can't do anything, what about the rest of us?!'
Zen wanted to cry but had no tears to spare. The reality was slowing drowning him in despair as his complexion grew paler by the second.