Chapter 3-  The Big Shot

A sudden, brilliant glint caught the eyes of every contestant, drawing their gazes to the sky. High above the arena, the colossal airship hovered, its sleek form a silent, menacing titan. The name "Kyofu" was emblazoned across its polished hull in stark, bold letters, a declaration of power that seemed to press down on the entire forest.

In a quiet clearing, Goro, a hunter's grin spreading across his face, glanced up from the defeated team at his feet. His teammates watched, momentarily mesmerized by the vessel, but Goro’s focus was on the airship, his eyes glinting with a mix of confidence and intrigue as he stared, silent.

Elsewhere, in a different part of the forest, Karna and his team also looked up. A calm expression settled on Karna’s face, but beneath it, a flicker of cold, restrained anger glinted in his eyes. His gaze was serious, piercing through the distance to the airship above.

Karna’s gaze hardened as he spoke to himself, his voice a low, cold murmur. “So, he showed up after all.”

In the clearing where the Lycian team stood, a new shadow fell over them—a vast, silent form that blocked out the sky. Scattered on the ground were twenty unconscious mages, the result of their swift and brutal defeat.

All but one of the Lycians looked up, their expressions shifting from nonchalant ease to a new, curious solemnity as the imposing airship hovered above. Even George, his teacup still delicately held in his gloved hand, paused his sip to observe the massive vessel. Only Charles, still absorbed in his book, remained unbothered by the sudden darkness.

"I say," Charles drawled, without lifting his head from his book. "What, pray tell, is causing this rather ill-timed eclipse? Someone give me the gist of it; I should hate to lose my place."

Henry, a hint of genuine awe in his voice, pointed. "Kyofu? What is Kyofu? Is that some sort of airship manufacturing company, then?"

Albert cleared his throat, his voice taking on the familiar, lecturing tone of a learned professor. "Hardly. That airship, you see, is an artifact of the Kyofu Clan—one of the five ancient clans of this backwater continent. The leader, along with the first and second generations of the bloodline, are rumored to possess a degree of strength that is simply unfathomable. That particular model is exclusively used by those very individuals. It is not something one sees out in the open, even here."

Albert frowned, his composure momentarily faltering. "The question that truly vexes me is this: why would a magician of such considerable standing, a veritable bigshot of their caliber, be the least bit interested in a mere D-class wizard test?"

A quiet clearing in the forest. Uma, cloaked and still as a statue, sat against a rock. Unseen, a team of five was crouched on the branches of the surrounding trees, watching, preparing their ambush.

One of them whispered, "Now!"

Three of the mages unleashed magic beams, while the other two leaped toward Uma from opposite sides—one attempting a powerful kick, the other swinging a fist.

Uma, unfazed, simply sidestepped the magic beams. He moved with a speed that defied their expectations. As the two attackers closed in, he snagged the leg of the one attempting to kick him and, in a single, fluid motion, swung him like a battering ram. The groaning attacker slammed into his teammate with a bone-crunching impact. Both fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

Before the other mages could react, Uma hurled the first attacker down and swiftly pinned him to the ground with a foot on his back. The man screamed in agony as Uma wrenched his arm backward.

"Such tricks don't work on me," Uma said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

The pinned man’s teammates stared in a mix of shock and fury. One of them shouted, "Let him go!" as they charged, their hands glowing with magic.

Uma calmly broke the pinned man’s arm with a sickening snap before tossing him aside like a ragdoll. The remaining attackers closed in, but Uma effortlessly dodged their strikes, weaving between them as if they were moving in slow motion. As they regrouped for another attempt, Uma raised his hand. With a graceful, sweeping flick of his wrist, a violent gust of wind surged forth, roaring like a beast unleashed. The attackers were hurled into the air, spinning helplessly before they were slammed to the ground. The wind cut across their bodies like invisible blades, leaving them bleeding and writhing in pain.

Uma walked toward the fallen men, collected their devices, and then strode away

Karna, his expression curious and warm, turned to Fumiko. "So, what's your country like?" he asked. "I heard it's quite peaceful there."

A fleeting image flashed in Fumiko's mind: cold iron shackles clinking, a chain dragging against a stone floor. She quickly suppressed the memory, a calm expression returning to her face. "It's… complicated," she said, her voice even. "Sometimes, peace is a lot colder than war."

"I see." Karna looked up at the stars, a new kind of sadness in his eyes. He remained silent, but his empathy was clear.

Gyoda returned from scouting the area, a confident stride to his step. "Didn’t find anyone near us. It should be safe for now."

"You're pretty quick," Fumiko said.

Gyoda's chest puffed out with a boastful grin. "I know, right! I'm the fastest of them all! Let me tell you about this one time I single-handedly saved all three of them. Once, we were stuck in a forest..."

The voices of his friends, once so clear, slowly began to fade as Karna drifted off to sleep. The world around him went black.

Karna’s eyes opened to find himself in complete darkness. As he gazed around, a faint figure appeared behind him in the distance. It was his mother, her form barely visible, trapped under a burning wooden beam. Her voice echoed faintly: "Karna... Karna..."

Panic flooded his voice. "MOM!"

As he turned, she vanished, and a massive, dark figure materialized before him. It was engulfed in black flames that radiated a silent, suffocating heat. The figure suddenly opened its glowing eyes, a pair of piercing golden embers in the otherwise empty darkness.

At that moment, Karna's own eyes snapped open. The nightmare was gone, replaced by the pale light of a new day. It was almost dawn. Fumiko and Kenta were already awake. Kenta noticed the troubled look on Karna’s face and seemed to understand that he had a bad dream.

Fumiko approached Karna with a soft smile.

“Good morning,” she said.

Karna simply nodded in return, his usual warm demeanor replaced by a calm, almost distant, expression. Fumiko, caught off guard by his unusual response, watched him with a flicker of concern in her eyes.

However, Gyoda’s excitement was a sharp contrast to the morning's quiet.

“Get ready, guys!” he exclaimed, burning with a fiery determination.

He looked across the clearing at his teammates.

“The rabbit’s gonna show up today!”

The scene shifts to a quiet clearing in the forest. The morning light filtered through the canopy as Uma, the cloaked figure, calmly stretched his body, his movements fluid and precise. A sly grin formed on his lips as he looked out at the arena.

“Let the fun begin.”

Meanwhile, on the immense Kyofu airship, Hatake stood next to Mawang Kyofu. Mawang's face remained shrouded in shadow, but his imposing aura was palpable, a heavy pressure that filled the space around him. Hatake, a deferential smile on his face, looked down at the expanse of the arena below.

“Things are about to get interesting.”

A voice cut through the silence of the forest, crackling through Khara’s communication device.

“How many points did you collect?” Adheera’s calm voice asked.

“25,000,” Khara replied with a confident smirk. “Who’s going after the Bunny?”

A moment of silence passed before Adheera's low voice returned, tinged with a cold, triumphant humor. "Uma."

The scene shifts to Uma. A sly grin forms on his lips, exuding a quiet menace that feels far more dangerous than any roar.

Suddenly, a high-pitched alarm cuts through the air. Everyone’s radar lit up with a single, blaring alert: The Bunny is about to spawn.

The air hums with a focused, manic energy. Goro's eyes narrow in furious determination. Kenta’s gaze turns sharp, his mind already racing with calculations. Uma’s grin widens.

A new marker appears on every radar. The Bunny’s spawn location is at a random point in the forest, and it just so happens to be dangerously close to Karna’s team.

“I didn’t expect it to spawn right next to us!” Reiko exclaimed, her voice thick with surprise and urgency. “Catch it, no matter what!”

The team immediately sprang into action. Karna led the charge, his feet eating up the ground as they raced toward the objective. A few yards ahead, a small, vibrant blue creature with a translucent body and an inner glow darted through the trees. Its speed was incredible, leaving Karna’s team struggling to keep up.

Gyoda’s chest heaved as he panted, his voice laced with frustration. “Damn, it’s so fast!”

The pursuit continued, the glow of the Bunny a fleeting light in the dense forest. Suddenly, the creature shuddered, its single form rippling before it split into four identical figures, each darting off in a different direction.

Kenta, analyzing the situation even as he ran, shouted, “It split up! Only one of them is real. Let’s split up!”

The team quickly divided, each pursuing a different Bunny clone. All except for Fumiko. She came to a sudden halt, her expression blank and confused. As her teammates raced after their chosen clones and grew farther away, she glanced around, panic beginning to set in. Her gaze finally settled on the figure of Karna disappearing into the distance. She chose.

“Please wait!” she called out, running to catch up.

As Karna was closing in on his target, a cloaked figure appeared from the trees, moving at an impossible speed. It was Uma, and he had placed himself directly between Karna and the Bunny. The Bunny, sensing an opportunity, darted away, leaving the two men face to face.

Fumiko caught up moments later, her expression tense as she stared at the newcomer.

Uma’s smirk widened as he stared directly at Karna. “Yo, Twilight,” he said, his voice laced with mockery. “Finally, I get to meet you.”

Karna’s body tensed, and his mind raced. He’s strong.

“Fumiko,” Karna said, his voice low and tense. “Stay behind me.”

Uma laughed. “Let’s see what you’re capable of.”

A crackling, purple light formed in Uma’s hand, solidifying into a thin, glowing needle. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it toward Karna. Karna sidestepped just in time, the needle embedding itself into a nearby tree. The bark splintered with a small explosion, a plume of smoke and wood shards erupting outward.

“Not bad for a Twilight,” Uma said, his smirk returning. “But let’s see if you can handle this.”

Uma raised both arms skyward, summoning a flurry of glowing needles. They hung in the air for a moment, a silent, shimmering threat, before cascading down like a lethal rain.

Karna glanced at Fumiko, who was frozen in shock. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms, his movements swift and precise as he dodged the needles. Fumiko’s eyes widened, glowing faintly with both embarrassment and awe as she was carried to safety. Once they were clear, Karna set her down gently.

“Th- Thank you...” Fumiko stammered, flustered.

Karna didn’t respond. His eyes were locked on Uma. His face set in a look of fierce determination, he charged forward. Just as he closed in, a crackling sphere of brilliant blue lightning formed in his hand. The air hummed with its intensity as he hurled it toward Uma.

Uma narrowly dodged, landing a few steps back. His confident smirk faded.

“It intrigues me,” Uma said, his voice losing its mocking edge. “How a mere Twilight, a scum like you, can use the lightning element.”

Uma’s mind raced as he watched Karna’s steady gaze. Did the Lightning Spirit themselves bless him? No... It can’t be! His clan was the reason why the Lightning Spirit abandoned humanity!

Uma’s voice rose. “No lightning user has been born in centuries! How can you—a Twilight, of all things—be able to use an element like that? It’s impossible to master an element on your own this early. Yet here you are dancing lightning at the tip of your fingers.”

“And you don’t seem surprised,” Karna responded, his tone tense and observant. “As if you are aware that I use lightning.”

A sudden, crackling electric orb flew toward Uma. He leaped aside, narrowly avoiding it. His face hardened as he glared at Karna.

Uma gritted his teeth. “Looks like I’ll need to take this up a notch.”

Kenta, Gyoda, and Reiko, each in their respective locations, successfully captured their decoys. Reiko cradled her bunny in both arms. Gyoda collapsed to the ground, clutching his bunny's leg with a victorious grin. Kenta held his bunny by its ears.

Then, with a soft puff, all three bunnies vanished. They were decoys.

Realizing they had been duped, the trio immediately sprinted back to the rendezvous point where they had first split up.