The Battlefield Reaches Its Climax
Clana Starlight stood her ground, but against Dawn Polaris, she was utterly powerless.
He commanded both fire and earth, weaving them seamlessly into his attacks. From start to finish, she hadn't managed to land a single strike.
Then, in a desperate gamble, three stars blazed around her heart.
Pouring everything into one final assault, her sword burned with radiant light as she launched herself forward at terrifying speed.
"Stardust: Northern Star!"
A devastating strike—
But Dawn merely laughed.
"Sorry, girl, but this is where it ends."
Dozens of stone walls erupted in her path.
She shattered most of them, but the moment she broke through—
Dawn was gone.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her softened, trapping her in place as the earth itself lifted her skyward.
Above her, Dawn spun at blistering speed, his sword engulfed in roaring flames.
All Clana saw was a whirling inferno barreling toward her—
While she remained helplessly bound to the earth.
Then—
The flames crashed down.
And just like that—
"Fatal Strike!"
"Clana Starlight, B-5, has been eliminated."
Dawn landed effortlessly, not a single scratch on him. His gaze shifted to the distant battlefield.
"Looks like they're about to finish up over there…"
---
Elsewhere…
Amidst the ruined battlefield, Seris gasped for breath.
The unbreakable ice she once prided herself on—
Was shattered.
From the very start, Snow Lionheart had bombarded her with an onslaught of elemental fury: fire, lightning, wind, sound, light, and above all… the power of the star.
He wasn't just a warrior—
He was an entire army in a single body.
Seris let out a breathless chuckle as her body began to glow.
"Do monsters like this really exist?"
The ground beneath her froze solid.
Snow narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Seris didn't answer.
The ice spread further—100 meters, then more—turning everything around them into a frozen wasteland.
Her voice was quiet but resolute.
"A farewell gift… Ice Formation: Frost Explosion."
The very ground erupted, sending a colossal wave of ice surging into the sky.
Everything was swallowed whole.
And Snow—
Was at its center.
At first glance, it looked like total victory.
But then—
From deep within the frozen monolith, a blazing blue light ignited.
And in an instant—
The entire attack was split in two.
Snow tore through Seris's final strike as if it were nothing.
He appeared before her, unharmed.
"I told you… it's useless."
His sword was already descending toward her throat—
But in that moment—
Seris whispered under her breath.
"Skill: Blink."
She vanished.
All that remained was a lifelike ice sculpture in her place.
Snow scowled.
Behind him, Dawn clicked his tongue.
"Damn it, man. You let her get away."
---
Far Away…
Seris reappeared in the distance—
And collapsed.
Her breath was ragged.
Blink had drained every last ounce of her aura, teleporting her as far as her remaining energy allowed.
She leaned against a tree, exhaustion crushing her.
"We lost…"
Only three members of Class B remained.
Class A still had six.
It was a total defeat.
---
Snow and Dawn scoured the battlefield, but Seris was gone.
They turned to the clock—
The numbers flashed before their eyes.
Distance: 5900 meters
Time remaining: 10 minutes
Just then, two figures emerged—
Aegon Valerion, with Emilia Atarax following close behind.
Snow frowned.
"What are you two doing here?"
They were headed in the opposite direction of their objective.
Aegon let out a dry chuckle.
"We've been deceived."
Snow and Dawn spoke in unison.
"Deceived?"
Aegon exhaled, his voice steady yet grim.
"I reached the test boundary earlier—there was nothing there. No objective. From the very start, we weren't moving toward our goal… we were moving away from it."
Snow's eyes widened.
"You mean the target…?"
Aegon nodded.
"Yes. It was in front of us all along."
Snow cursed under his breath.
Dawn scowled, checking the time.
9 minutes left.
His voice was grim.
"It's useless. We won't make it in time."
But at that moment—
Snow's aura detonated.
A violent storm of power erupted from his body, stunning everyone.
"It's not over yet."
And then—
He vanished.
"Void Step."
A deafening shockwave shattered the ground as Snow reappeared far ahead, tearing through the battlefield like a meteor.
And then—
He did it again.
"Void Step."
Each step cut across vast distances, a blur of overwhelming speed.
His destination?
The place where everything began.
...
...
...
-Frey Starlight Pov-
I leaned against the bus, drowning in boredom.
Glancing at my watch, I saw there was only one minute left.
I let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally, it's over."
I had been watching the test for a while now. Class A had completely dominated Class B.
But they wouldn't win.
After all, they had no idea what this test was truly about. And by the time they figured it out—
It would already be too late.
Victory was mine.
I was just about to step onto the bus when a sudden presence caught my attention.
Frowning, I activated Hawk's Eye—
And what I saw was impossible.
Through my enhanced vision, I spotted him—a figure drenched in a multicolored aura, streaking toward me like a shooting star.
"You've got to be kidding me."
He was coming.
Snow.
I glanced at the timer.
40 seconds left.
Tch… 40 seconds is more than enough for him to reach here with Void Step.
He must have been spamming it nonstop to cover this much distance.
In that case—
I drew my sword, muttering a curse.
"Nothing ever comes easy, huh?"
No matter.
I was getting bored anyway.
Taking a deep breath, dark aura exploded from my muscles.
Then, I leapt—plunging straight into the darkness toward Snow.
At that moment, he saw me.
"Frey?!"
He must have been completely drained from using Void Step so many times.
Which meant I only had one job to do.
"Sorry, hero, but this is where you turn back."
Time remaining: 30 seconds.
This time, I could handle it.
Before, my body couldn't unleash it properly, but now—
"Ten thousand Steps of Shadow: Infinite Darkness."
Snow's expression twisted in shock as a massive wave of darkness surged toward him.
A violent burst of starlight aura erupted from his body as he swung his sword in a desperate attempt to block it.
Time remaining: 20 seconds.
Darkness and starlight collided—
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
But this time—
The darkness devoured the stars completely.
My attack wasn't enough to eliminate him—
But it was enough to send him flying, tearing through everything in his path.
Trees, land, even the monsters themselves—nothing survived the shockwave.
Time remaining: 10 seconds.
I landed back beside the bus, exhaling as a loud voice echoed across the battlefield.
"The Target Test is over! Please remain in place for transportation!"
A smirk tugged at my lips.
"Like I said… victory is mine."
---
A bright light engulfed everyone as they were transported one by one.
Aegon and Dawn were making their way toward us, Emilia trailing behind them.
Seris, still leaning against a tree, vanished as she was transported.
"It's finally over," she murmured weakly.
Not far away, Ghost let out a tired sigh.
He was carrying Lara Croft, who had been completely overwhelmed by Feyrith's madness, leaving him no choice but to carry her.
"That was a pain in the ass."
Despite his complaints, his gaze remained fixed on a lone figure floating unconscious in the sky.
Feyrith Earlet.
The sheer power he had displayed left behind more questions ..
Whether they had been eliminated or had survived until the end—
Everyone returned to the starting point.
And with that—
Reaching the Goal Test came to an end.
---
We stood near the bus as the instructors gathered in the center.
Sophia stepped forward.
"The test was a success. Class A eliminated seven students from Class B, while Class B only managed to eliminate four from Class A."
"So far, the results favor Class A. Now, onto the individual rankings."
She manipulated the smart tablet in her hands before announcing—
"In first place, with a perfect score—Frey Starlight, B-9!"
A stunned silence fell over the group.
Everyone—except Snow, who already knew I was here—turned to stare at me.
Seeing their dumbfounded faces, I burst into laughter.
Then, with a dramatic flip, I leapt into the air and struck a flashy pose.
"And this Suiiiiii for you all!"
Even Sophia frowned at that.
As for the students?
They were looking at me like I was certifiably insane.
I sighed, shaking my head.
"They just don't appreciate the GOAT anymore."