The scoreboard flickered, and for the first time in a generation, the West Corp logo sat comfortably in the top slot. But as Maya walked back to the staging area, the "honeymoon phase" of the first victory ended abruptly.
"Don't get cocky, Rose," Cassie hissed, her flight-boots clicking sharply on the metal floor. Her hair was a mess from the wind tunnel, and her face was pale with frustration. "You saved a pillar. Great. But Trial Two is a combat simulation. This isn't 'Utility.' This is a war zone."
The arena floor transformed. The glass pillars sank into the ground, replaced by a holographic recreation of a ruined city—the "Dead Zones" at the city's edge. From the digital fog, Shadow Constructs began to emerge. These weren't mindless drones; they were liquid-black shapes that mimicked UMA movements, fast and relentless.
"Begin!"
Cassie didn't wait for a plan. She soared into the air, her arms sweeping wide. "Aero-Scythe!"
She unleashed massive, crescent-shaped gusts of wind. They were powerful enough to level a building, but the Shadow Constructs were like smoke—they simply parted around the wind and reformed instantly. Cassie grew desperate, blasting faster and harder, but she was only pushing the enemies around the field, scattering them into a chaotic, unpredictable swarm.
"Cassie, stop!" Maya shouted, dodging a Shadow that tried to lunge at her heels. "You're just spreading them out! We can't hit what we can't catch!"
"I'm the lead!" Cassie screamed back, her voice cracking as three Shadows began to circle her in the air, boxing her in. "Just give me more power! Be my battery!"
Maya looked up and saw the panic in Cassie’s eyes. The top-ranked elementalist was drowning in her own ambition. Maya realized then that Cassie didn't know how to work with someone—she only knew how to be seen.
You're the center, John’s voice echoed in Maya's mind. The world moves around you.
Maya didn't look for a "battery" to tap into. She reached into the ground. She sent her indigo energy deep into the simulated asphalt of the arena floor, creating a Gravity Well.
"Cassie! Drop the wind!" Maya commanded. The authority in her voice was so sharp it actually made Cassie flinch and obey.
As the wind died, Maya clenched her fists. "The Anchor!"
The purple tethers didn't go out toward the enemies; they stayed fixed to Maya’s feet, then rippled outward across the floor like a spiderweb. As the Shadow Constructs stepped onto the "web," they were instantly caught. The indigo energy acted like industrial glue, welding their feet to the ground.
"Now!" Maya yelled, her teeth grit against the strain of holding twenty constructs at once. "They're anchored! Finish it!"
Cassie looked down at the battlefield. The chaotic swarm was gone. In its place was a perfect, stationary grid of targets, pinned down by Maya’s unwavering light.
Cassie hesitated for only a second before diving. This time, she didn't use a broad blast. She focused her wind into a single, piercing spear of pressure. With Maya holding the targets steady, Cassie tore through them one by one.
Rip. Shatter. Dissolve.
The simulation ended with a digital chime. Perfect Clear.
The stadium was silent as the holographic fog lifted. Maya was on one knee, sweat dripping from her chin, the indigo glow slowly receding into her skin. Cassie landed nearby, her chest heaving. She looked at her hands, then at Maya.
The crowd began to murmur. They hadn't seen a "Primary" and a "Support." They had seen a Unit.
Cassie walked over to Maya. She didn't offer a hug—that wasn't her style—but she reached down and grabbed Maya’s forearm, pulling her to her feet.
"You... you timed the frequency to my dive," Cassie muttered, her voice low so the microphones wouldn't catch it. Her eyes were wide with a newfound, grudging respect. "Nobody has ever been able to keep up with my speed before."
"I wasn't keeping up," Maya said, wiping her face and offering a tired, steady smile. "I was just making sure you had a place to land."
On the giant screen above, the school rankings didn't just stay at #1; the "Synergy Rating" hit a record high. The West Corp students in the stands began a rhythmic chant of "MA-YA! CAS-SIE!"
Maya looked toward the tunnel, catching a glimpse of John leaning against the wall, a proud, knowing smirk on his face. She had found her rhythm, and for the first time, she wasn't just surviving the contest. She was winning it.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeAmHVFGgA
and then Add to home screen.