I declare the entrance exam to officially begin. Immediately, all the remaining students were teleported to an unknown arena with a big display in the sky—almost like a TV—and a scoreboard. The students were confused about where they were, but they all heard the Headmaster's voice: "Survive!"
On that instant, Vultra disappeared. Using his Nyx powers, he created eternal darkness, which amplified his strength since it was his domain. Leo had already amplified his strength and used his power to create his own domain. Coincidentally, both Leo's and Vultra's domains looked like the iconic yin-and-yang symbol. The remaining commoners' fate was sealed: power belongs to the strong. The weak students were eliminated, and the strong remained. Leo and Vultra each eliminated 500 students. The Headmaster took notice of them: 998 commoner students were left, while the remaining two—Leo and Vultra—prepared for a showdown.
The scene shifts to the Headmaster. He said, "Oh, these two commoners are very interesting. It seems they know each other. Hmmm, this would be a good battle. No matter what, these two will be on my list. They are worthy of it."
The scene shifts back to the arena, where Leo's and Vultra's powers flared up. Leo said, "Well, Vultra, it's been very long since we last saw each other. What do you have for me? I hope you've been training."Vultra answered, "That's for me to know and for you to find out.""Alright then. Leo, less talk, more action."
Using his dark powers, Vultra performed a night-walk and, wielding his daggers, instantly appeared in front of Leo, trying to strike him. Leo parried it with his bare hands. "Oh, Vultra, you've become weak. Weren't you training all this while?"Vultra gritted his teeth. "Just you wait. I'll show you who's boss."
They both leapt to gain space. Leo used his domain to his advantage. "Rise from the ashes, from the depths—arise, my warriors!" Dark warriors, some resembling generals, began to rise from his domain. Vultra smirked. He then said one word: "Attack!"
All his dark warriors charged at Leo. "This is bad… Luckily, not all my powers were taken." Leo flared his aura as he summoned clones of himself, each possessing his powers. "Charge!" They all clashed.
Leo instantly teleported to Vultra. He activated his tech-powered boots, materialized his twin blades, and landed a clean cut on Vultra's cheek. Vultra touched it, rage flickering in his eyes. His aura alone began destroying the arena.
The scene shifts to his caged self: Vultra opened his eyes as leaks of his previous power began to flow out. Leo thought, Oh no… he's losing control. He instantly teleported away to give himself a bit of space. I can't just leave him like that… I need to think critically.
The scene shifts to the Headmaster. "I have to put an end to this duel now—otherwise the repair bill will bankrupt the academy! At least we need to keep extorting money from unfortunate individuals." He instantly teleported to the fight, then delivered a chop to Vultra's neck. Vultra fainted. Next, he struck Leo's kidney. Leo gasped for air before he passed out.
The Headmaster declared, "Well, that concludes it—the entrance exam is over. The MVP of the exam will be announced shortly." He turned to the remaining students. "To all the bugs remaining: well done. Your name will be upgraded to 'maggots.' As for the unfortunate bugs, you can use my uniform to make a fortune. This academy just isn't meant for you." After his short, cutting speech, he left with Leo and Vultra.
Some hours later, they woke in his office. The Headmaster began: "Rags aren't worthy of knowing my name. Bugs aren't either, and maggots are clearly out of the line. But you two… you aren't worthy of any of those classes. For your exceptional display, I commend you. Next time, don't destroy my arena—the repair costs could buy your entire bloodline, both past, present, and future, and still leave change to buy the king's castle."
Leo and Vultra gulped. The Headmaster fixed them with a hard stare. "Time to get down to business. My name is Alucan Givots, and this is strictly confidential." His aura flared. Leo sensed the atmosphere shift. He interrupted, blurting, "I'm Leonar—emm, sorry—I mean, I'm Nicole Venzsra.""Oh?" Alucan raised an eyebrow. "And what's your rival's name?""He is Gale Falszer," Vultra answered."Well, those are your names now. The display of power you two performed is far from normal by our standards. So tell me—who are you guys?" Alucan demanded.
Leo managed a smile, but cursed Vultra inwardly for showing off."I'm still waiting," the Headmaster pressed.Vultra chimed, "Yo, gramps—"Alucan sighed heavily. "Oh shit, here we go again." He shook his head. "You are very strong. Let's settle this with a one-on-one duel to see who truly is stronger."
Unbeknownst to Alucan, Vultra had drunk some wine from a table not realizing it was alcoholic—hence his boldness. Impatient, Alucan said, "Kid, I don't have time for your ranting.""No, I'm serious—or I'll tell your mom about your under-the-table connections!" Vultra taunted.Alucan tutted. "Clearly, you're not in your right state of mind. This meeting is adjourned. Get some rest and a factory reset. I'll give you a date for the rematch later. For now, get out of my sight."
Leo helped carry the half-asleep Vultra from the office. Once outside, Leo whispered, "Thank you, bro. You truly are the best." That was a close call…
A distant ruler spoke to his attendants: "How long until we reach the Multiversal Meeting Hall?""At this pace," came the reply, "we'll arrive by the next holiday.""Good—hurry up. That multiverse calls to me."
Leo suddenly woke, gasping, "Something's coming—I can feel it. My body's signaling war… I need to prepare."Vultra stirred. "You felt it too, right?""This academy is the least of our worries," Leo said. "If we don't prepare, we'll regret it.""But let's enjoy this peace while it lasts," Vultra replied.
They slept again. The next day, at the academy grounds, they noticed students gathering. Curious, they rushed over and saw the scoreboard: for the first time in its history, two commoners—Leo and Vultra—had ranked first.A haughty noble girl shoved past them. "How am I not first place? How could commoners surpass me?" she demanded.Leo shrugged. "Looks like we've got ourselves a talker." Vultra and Leo exchanged practiced smirks. Then they both laughed."Hilarious," the girl seethed, and she slapped Leo across the face. "Do you know I am a lady? I clearly have more power than you!"Leo's expression turned ice-cold. "Bitch, try that again and I'll personally kill you, worthless noble. You disgust me."The girl froze."Know your place," Leo said quietly. "You don't know what I've faced to get here."He strode off with Vultra. In stunned silence, the humbled girl watched as they disappeared—and a voice from behind reached her ears...