Chapter 104: Kara vs Kris
Four hours had passed since the start of the entrance exam. Out of the five hundred new students, only about twenty remained. The rest had been eliminated by monsters, by fatigue, or by their own mistakes.
Kris Donoghan advanced cautiously, his spear firmly gripped in his hands. His amber eyes swept across the clearing. His dragon tattoo extended along his neck down to his arm, glowing faintly under the sun. He knew the exam spared no one and that every movent could be fatal.
The ground was littered with debris, broken branches, and monster tracks. Kris had already eliminated several giant spiders. Each creature fell under his precise and powerful strikes, and he gave no chance to his opponents.
Kris hurled his flaming spear toward a giant spider that burst from a bush. The fla crackled on the tip, enveloping the creature’s body in a scorching burst. The spear pierced the arachnid’s abdon, and it collapsed in silence. Every movent Kris made was fast and destructive. He knew ti was running out and that the most powerful students would soon appear.
"Another one..." he murmured, his voice firm but without nervousness. He adjusted his grip on the spear and shifted slightly to the side, dodging a jet of venom spat by another spider.
Adrenaline and aura coursed through his veins.
A second spider erupted from the ground, faster than the previous ones. Kris saw it in ti. He raised his spear, charged the air around him with his Art, and unleashed concentrated fla in a precise motion. The creature was struck in the torso, its legs twitching before it collapsed. Kris straightened up imdiately, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He knew other arachnids were lurking.
He paused for a mont, breathing deeply, and watched the monsters approaching in small groups. His thoughts drifted briefly to Kaiser. The grudge had not been forgotten. That bastard had trapped him twice in the past, but today, Kris had to focus on succeeding in the exam and preventing that bastard from getting his hands on his sister. Every fight here allowed him to strengthen his mastery of the Art and his coordination with magic.
Kris roared, concentrating all his energy into a burst of fire. The wave swept across the ground and undergrowth, repelling the spiders and the webs they had spun. He took the opportunity to adjust his position. The heat was intense, but his skin could still withstand it. He felt his muscles vibrate with the effort. His spear was an extension of his body, and every movent was precise, almost instinctive.
A spider larger than the others erged ten ters in front of him. Kris leaped back slightly, gauging the distance and the exact mont to strike. The creature opened its venomous maw, ready to attack.
He took a deep breath, channeled his focus, and hurled his flaming spear with precision. The tip penetrated the monster’s skull. The creature collapsed without a sound, its legs folding beneath it. Kris landed back on his feet, out of breath but still perfectly in control.
He continued advancing, dodging and striking, his breathing asured and steady. His Art remained active, flas dancing around his spear. Every spider that approached was eliminated quickly, without wasting unnecessary energy.
Kris surveyed the terrain. The ground was now covered with arachnid bodies, charred or crushed. Silence fell again for a mont, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the wind.
"The longer ti passes, the more we tire, and the stronger the remaining students beco. My concentration must be at its maximum."
As he advanced cautiously, a movent caught his attention. Ten ters away, a figure moved with almost supernatural agility. Kris froze. His amber eyes locked onto her.
A half-beast Kitsune, her long white ears erect and her fluffy tail swaying gently behind her.
Kris felt a strange sense of recognition.
"I’ve seen this half-beast sowhere before, but I can’t rember exactly where."
After all, he had not often encountered half-beasts, and even less one who exuded so much power and had such very, very convincing assets under her crop top.
She was looking at him too, her bright red eyes fixed on Kris with intensity.
Their gazes t, and a heavy silence settled in.
’The tension is strangely hostile... Does she know ?’ Kris thought.
Kris steadied his breathing slightly and observed the details of his potential opponent. Her long white hair fell to the middle of her back, her claws sparkled faintly, and electricity coursed through her legs and arms.
’Half-beasts don’t use mana, which ans this electricity cos from her Art?’
Kris activated his
This half-beast was not like the others. She possessed an innate mastery of her Art, and he could feel her contained speed and strength in every movent.
For Kris, this was a first encounter. His mind was already working to anticipate her movents and assess her skills. Because the fight was about to begin.
Kara had not moved further. She seed to be sizing him up, asuring his strength and reaction. Kris felt his heart beat a little faster, not from fear, but from excitent. The fights in the exam were designed to test his limits, and now the real challenge had presented itself.
Kris gripped his spear and pointed it toward her.
"Co on then!"
***
POV: Kara
That red hair, that imposing build... Even though I hadn’t seen his face that day, everything ca back to . That tattoo on his arm that climbed up to his neck. And above all, his scent. Impossible to mistake. My heart raced, but it wasn’t fear. It was rage.
It’s him. The pig who wanted to buy
when I was a slave. The one who treated
like rchandise, as if my life was worth nothing. And yet, there he stood, a few ters away. Just from his scent, I rembered the chains, the hunger, the beatings. The pain in my arms, in my legs. The constant fear, the sha, the loneliness. Everything ca flooding back in an instant.
My claws tightened instinctively. The lightning of my Art was already pulsing in my legs. I could feel it.
’He’s strong, but he has no idea who I’ve beco. Like The Predator said. We must beco the beasts to devour our predators!’
I straightened up, my tail swaying behind .
"My first taste of revenge!"
I leaped into the air, leaving a trail of lightning behind .
*End of POV*
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