Several groups went up, and they all were knocked back by Zac. Not a single one of them could make him bleed; in fact, Watabe had been the closest up to this point. It became apparent that only some here were natural fighters, and their teamwork left much to be desired. They also noticed that Zac was more than happy to take advantage of their lack of chemistry and coordination. 

“It looks like it’s easier for him to deal with us in a group. Maybe we should go solo?” Kenji said. 

“I disagree. That Watabe guy is a beast. I don’t know what he did before this, but he’s a trained fighter. I would have been shredded to bits by those daggers.” Genkei said reluctantly. Kenji stared at Zac as he defeated another group. Zac looked back at Kenji with a smirk. 

“Alright, 15-minute break. I’m going to replace this coffee with some water. I’m wide awake now.” Zac chuckled as he left the room, leaving the recruits in silence. 

“Shit, that guy’s insane. He’s just playing with us.” 

“What do you expect? He fights people with powers. He’s not normal.” The recruits chattered. 

“Speaking of not normal. Kenji, you’re the one who broke his records. When will you and your group take a shot at him?” Watabe asked. It was clear that he was  hostile towards Kenji. Kenji frowned at him, but before he could respond, Ume interjected, 

“We will take our shot when I am assured of at least a 40% chance of success, Ken.” 

“What do you think your chances are right now?” Watabe asked, 

“20%. I need more time.” 

“Fine,” Watabe announced curtly as he went towards the middle of the room.

“Do you know him?” Kenji asked. 

“Yes, he's my cousin. We were both recruited by our uncle, who works here.” Ume spoke placidly. 

“I knew it!!” Genkei shouted excitedly; he knew this little woman couldn’t just be a science nerd. He was willing to bet that she was trained by her uncle with Watabe. 

“She must be very impressive. Especially considering that Watabe seemed to trust her judgment. Since his head is so far up his own ass I doubt he could see the sun at noon.” Kenji muttered to himself, as Genki nodded in agreement.  

“Why didn’t you team up with your own cousin?” Akiko asked. 

“Our personalities clash more often than not. It’s better this way.” Ume turned her attention back towards the center of the room as Zac walked back in. 

“Up for another beating, Mr. Watabe?” Zac asked callously. 

“I guess so.” Watabe sounded a bit defeated. He looked over his shoulder at Ume before he charged in.  

Nothing much changed from Watabe’s first encounter with Zac. Actually, things went a little worse. As Zac said, he was now wide awake and sharper than when things began. Also, it seemed that Zac had picked apart Watabe’s fighting style in their previous encounter. Watabe could make no ground; he was only toyed with by a jovial Zac. 

“Dammit!” Watabe cursed as he picked himself off the ground and walked towards Ume. A new group of recruits went up to try their luck. 

“How much?” Watabe asked curtly. 

“30%. If you can fight him again, that would be for the best. The others hardly give me new information.” Ume said with a sigh, watching the next group being quickly dispatched. She could gain next to nothing from that performance. 

“I can’t be of any more help. He saw straight through everything I did. If I went up there again, I’d be no different than the other groups.” 

“Understood. We’ll just have to make do with a 90% success rate. I needed 40% assurance; the other 60% was contingent on Kenji's uniqueness. A 10% chance of failure makes me uneasy.” Ume said as she stared at Zac, like a lioness stalking her prey. 

“I thought so. You have too much faith in him.” Watabe said as he looked over at Kenji. Who stared back blankly. 

“And you have too little faith in anyone but yourself. This is why I refuse to work with you. Genkei and Akiko come here. I’ll tell you two what we’re going to do.” Ume commanded. 

“What about me?” Kenji asked. 

“Your job is simple. Watch, learn, and guard me with that shield. When you see an opening, take it.” Ume said as Genkei and Akiko leaned as she began to whisper commands to them. 2 more groups were quickly dispatched, 

“Next!” Zac commanded. 

“Oh, man, it’s about time,” Zac said gleefully as Kenji’s group approached.

 “Do not deviate from the plan. Go!” Ume called out as she knocked an arrow. 

Genkei and Akiko both charged forward, Genkei on the left and Akiko on the right. Akiko performed a drawing slash aiming at Zac’s left leg, and Genkei then a sliding kick for Zac’s right leg. Zac jumped into the air avoiding the strikes, only to see Ume with her arrow trained on him. His trusty traveler's mugs parried the arrow aimed for Zac’s chest. 

“Nice,” Zac commented, looking down to see Akiko swinging her blade toward him. He contorted his body in mid-air, spinning out of the way of the attack. That exchange happened in an instant and was the closest all night Zac had come to getting hit, and the look of excitement on his face was plain for everyone to see. He landed on the ground a bit off balance. Before fully gathering himself, he was forced to parry another arrow with his mug. 

The force of the arrow caused his balance to stagger even more. At that moment, Genkei appeared in front of him with a smile. He sent a flurry of punches, kicks, and knees. Zac was on the back foot, and they knew they could not let up the initiative. If they gave him a second to breathe or attack himself, it would be over for them. Even now, Zac was still able to defend himself. Even though he was constantly backing up, he parried and dodged each blow.  

Not only that, but he was cautious about ensuring that Genkei’s body blocked Ume’s view of him. Zac couldn’t simply dodge those arrows; if he did, the recruits in the area ran the risk of being struck, and he would have to defend. Ume predicted this and used it to her advantage. Zac had similar ideas. While Ume used the recruits to limit Zac's actions, Zac used Genkei’s body as a shield against her attacks. 

“As planned. Kenji, watch closely. Phase 2!” Ume called.

At the call out of Phase 2, Genkei disengaged his assault and jumped back. However, Zac had no time to catch a breather, as Akiko seamlessly continued the assault. Sending ruthless slash after ruthless slash at every vital on Zac's body. 

“I see. The Tots want to switch the rhythm; they don’t want to give me enough time to read their fighting styles. Not bad.” Zac thought to himself as he gracefully dipped and ducked out of Akiko’s attacks. Everyone one of them had the intent to kill behind them. Ume had told her not to hold back; if they wanted to touch a single hair on Zac's head, they needed to try to kill him. Akiko sent a slash towards Zac’s neck and then immediately crouched. As she crouched, an arrow came flying toward Zac’s head. He brought his mug up to deflect the arrow and then arched his back. 

Genkei soared through the air with a flying kick that trailed that arrow. Zac’s free hand touched the ground to help himself balance in this crab pose. After Genkei flew overhead, the shadow of Akiko replaced him, sending a downward slash. Zac pushed off with that free hand turning his body on all fours, well, 3, as he was still holding his tin mug. He pushed off the ground with his free hand and legs, narrowly avoiding an arrow that shot his way. 

“I need to get rid of you first.” Zac thought to himself as he looked over at Ume. 

“Looks like he’s getting serious,” Watabe said as he saw the dark look in Zac’s eyes.

Zac burst forward and shot past Kenji and his shield faster than the recruits thought possible. He punched Ume, intending to put her out of commission.

“I’m still here!” Kenji shouted out, as he was able to just barely track Zac. He stepped in front of Zac’s fist with his shield extended.