"ALRIGHT, STUDENTS, ROLL CALL!"
"If I say your name, say 'here.' Ready?"
Lucatiel Kahn.
Kiri Yamaroshi.
Hanzokin no Musashi.
Jozuryu Valkirin.
Bojin Godkin.
"If I called your name, say 'here' and introduce yourself."
Hanzokin no Musashi stepped forward.
"Hello, I'm Hanzokin no Musashi—Hanzo for short. I've been here for seven years, and I'm ranked in the fifth spot. You can catch my highlights and motivation videos online for free. I encourage everyone to be one and live in peace. That's all."
The speaker nodded. "Alright… how is the court feeling? Good, hopefully. Anyways, I'll let the rest introduce themselves."
The others stepped forward at the same time. They bowed, then said a prayer. Kiri Yamaroshi and Lucatiel Kahn stepped up and announced themselves as the second and first ranks.
Then Bojin Godkin and Jozuryu Valkirin stepped forward, ranked third and fourth.
As all the students returned to their seats, the speaker approached the stand once more.
"ALRIGHT, SO YOU'VE MET THEM ALL. NOW YOU KNOW WHO WILL BE SCOUTING YOU THROUGHOUT THIS BATTLE. WITH THAT SAID… DO YOUR BEST."
He dropped the mic. The buzzer sounded, signifying the first exam had begun.
Lucatiel Kahn stepped forward, gesturing for the others to join him in the combat ring.
"The first person able to pressure me into using my heirloom wins. Understand that, you simpletons."
He took his stance, readying himself for his lower-ranked companions—then casually tossed his heirloom outside the ring.
The lower four were shocked. Lucatiel Kahn seemed too confident in his ability to defeat them all at once.
The combatants took their time getting into position, forming a three-pointed team stance—a triangle.
Hanzokin no Musashi stood up front and summoned his club.
Jozuryu Valkirin stood to the far left, twitching. He wasn't sure they could stand against such overwhelming might.
Bojin Godkin stood in the far back, clutching his weapons, ready to assist if needed.
Kiri Yamaroshi rushed Lucatiel Kahn, unleashing a flurry of punches that laid waste to the support beams behind him.
Kahn slid back two feet, blocking every strike. Then he vanished—reappearing behind Kiri.
"My feet are faster than anything you have," he whispered.
He leapt, leaving behind a violent gust of wind that knocked Kiri uncontrollably into CITY B2. Kiri rose, brushing debris off himself—but Kahn descended with a ferocious axe kick, striking the top of Kiri's head and knocking him unconscious.
Kahn turned toward the others. He reached out his hand and clenched it, grasping at their frequencies and pulling them toward him.
While being dragged forward, Jozuryu placed a mark on himself and said a quick prayer. He hastily summoned his Bodhisattva, its massive hands slamming outward. He placed soul patchwork marks on his companions—even Kiri.
Once marked, Kiri woke instantly and blitzed behind Kahn, grabbing his arm so Jozuryu could strike his soul.
But Kahn was no stranger to being cornered.
He spun, kicking Kiri in the midsection, sending him ricocheting off the Bodhisattva and back into Kahn's reach. Smirking, Kahn charged up a Lopo and struck Kiri in the face. He followed with a crushing bear grab from behind, digging his fingers into Kiri's side before slamming him onto his head.
Kahn scowled. He couldn't break the Bodhisattva in one hit.
He released a vibration that disabled everyone's weapons—yet the Bodhisattva still stood.
That truly pissed him off.
Jozuryu's Bodhisattva remained unfazed by what Kahn considered an unrivaled attack. Jozuryu knew he couldn't win on the front lines—but his prayers could carry his team. Even if they were knocked unconscious, it was his duty to lift them.
Still, even his will wasn't enough for Kahn.
Kiri rose again, bloodied and barely upright. Jozuryu opened a hole in the Bodhisattva's palm for Kiri to jump into. At the same time, another hand swept the battlefield, recovering their weapons and regrouping the team.
Kahn leapt upward and pierced through the Bodhisattva's head, applying Dark Sign to his hands.
Jozuryu's prayer shattered, knocking him out of his Bodhisattva—but he was prepared. He scrunched his fingers into the shape of a bunny, activating the marks placed earlier.
Kiri consumed the surrounding energy.
Bojin froze Kahn in place.
Jozuryu summoned a Bodhisattva arm to strike—but Kahn teleported just in time.
Drained by Kiri's energy absorption, Kahn had no choice but to rely on mind cultivation. Before he could react fully, a massive Gluttony beam fired at him. He couldn't move—Bojin had frozen the surroundings.
Kahn charged a max-output Dark Sign, splitting the beam down the middle and shattering Bojin's ice. He turned and blocked the incoming Bodhisattva arms, parried Jozuryu, grabbed him by the head, and hurled him into CITY A.
He followed by ripping a tree from its roots, charging it with Lopo, and throwing it. Swapping places with it mid-flight, he crushed Jozuryu's lungs and screamed, rendering him unconscious—though Hanzo caught him before he hit the ground.
Another Gluttony beam fired. This time, Kahn wasn't fast enough to dodge, so he phased through it. Charging Lopo again, he clapped—reappearing behind Bojin.
But he was met with unstoppable force.
KAHN VS. KIRI BEGINS.
Kiri circled Kahn, creating afterimages. Kahn stood unfazed. He cracked the ground and pulled up a rock, materializing his war hammer.
Bojin flew in on an ice bird, landing atop a nearby building.
Hanzo, helping Jozuryu to his feet, leapt toward the commotion and landed beside Bojin. Setting Jozuryu down, he said, "Stay here. Don't let him move until he's fully healed. You got that, Bojin?"
Bojin nodded.
Hanzo jumped down, summoning his giant steel club. He crashed into the ground, glancing back at Bojin, who manifested twin ice dragons.
Now the odds were in their favor.
Hanzo poured his Jui demon into his club for reinforcement and summoned Hellfire Incarnate.
Kiri dashed back as Hellfire Incarnate slammed into Kahn, burning his arm and peeling flesh away. Forced on defense while healing, Kahn struggled under Bojin's raining ice arrows.
With no escape, Kahn let out a cry, blasting everything back and giving himself time to partially heal. Before he could finish, two Bodhisattva hands crushed down on him.
Hanzo seized the moment, striking Kahn's soul directly with Hell Flame Rabo.
Kahn wavered. Fighting and healing simultaneously was overwhelming.
He reached for his heirloom—it soared toward him.
Then he stopped it.
"That's what cowards do." He exclaimed
Instead, he formed a plan.
Spinning rapidly, he created a massive vortex, forming a barrier at its center. Hanzo was flung toward Kiri, forcing Kiri to deactivate the Gluttony beam he was charging.
Bojin, unfamiliar with this move despite studying Kahn's footage, shouted for Kiri to target the heart and legs.
Kahn launched above the buildings, expanding the vortex into devastating winds before collapsing everything in CITY A onto Kiri—forcing another cancellation.
Hanzo used the chaos to leap from behind, grabbing Kahn and activating Soul Bond: HELLFIRE SCORCH.
Kahn's soul burned. He fell unconscious.
Hanzo, Kiri, Bojin, and Jozuryu stood over his body, wondering if they had truly won—
Kahn's eyes burst open.
A shockwave blasted everyone back except Hanzo. Kahn grabbed him, absorbing 25% of his soul to heal, then tossed him toward Kiri.
"Pick that useless idiot up." Said Kahn
But to Kahn's surprise, Kiri kicked Hanzo instead. "Get up. Stop being useless."
Hanzo snapped back, "How am I useless? You got knocked out three times, dumb—"
"Enough!" Jozuryu shouted. "Stop arguing like little kids!"
Kiri, furious, launched at Kahn with another barrage of punches—all countered by kicks.
He side-dashed and unleashed a Gluttony Grab, inhaling and pulling everything inward. Kahn was yanked left, giving Hanzo time to resummon his club and shatter the ground, kicking up dust.
Bojin rained down more ice arrows before entering ice coma.
Kiri charged a max-output Gluttony blast.
When the smoke cleared,Kahn stood unfazed- But he had lost.
He had accidentally called his heirloom.
Kiri declared it a forfeit.
And in his eyes, that was victory.