The first challenge

The next morning, the erephors summoned all of the Paidiskoi to the meeting hall. The erephors were silent. Even as the others made a commotion, the erephors did not reply. They appeared to be waiting for someone. However the Paidiskoi did not know who…

Soon the commotion ended, as the emperor (whose name was Miyamoto Griffith) walked inside the meeting hall. The emperor was a warrior king and although seeming to not be clad in armour, Moloch was sure that he was wearing leather armour over his luxurious and expensive robes. He took his place on an expensive throne, which was hastily put up by the erephors upon hearing news of the emperors arrival. The emperor looked troubles, no doubt from the war, and his eyes scanned the entire room. Finally he spoke, his entire being showing regal grace. "If you have made it to this point, when most others would've quit. I aknowledge you. You are all warriors. " the emperor stopped for a moment, surveying the Paidiskoi "I believe that you are all ready for early graduation." Moloch could hear a hint of glee in the emperors voice. "However.." the emperor paused, his being which was earlier showing his grace had now turned bloodthirsty. "Only 10 of you will survive. This. This is your final test." The emperor, Miyamoto Griffith smirked, waving his hand in the air he unleashed a smidgen of his magical power. The room, which was empty suddenly transformed into a stadium and the emperors clothes, which were a luxurious robe transformed into more practical clothes. The emperor now wore a simple tunic and trouser combo. "Of course, fighting against me is unfair. And although I don't care, it'll be a shame if all of you were to die." The emperor smirked as he stood up "Now. I'll stand in the middle of this room. If you can get me to move from this spot." The emperor suddenly trembled into a laugh of pure mocking "If you can get me to move from this spot. You instantly graduate." The emperor then raised his hand and a magical force field  appeared around him, blocking all incoming attacks. The emperor then began to walk slowly towards the center of the room. The Paidiskoi were all silent, their eyes fixed on the emperor. They knew that getting past the emperor was their only chance at graduating. Slowly, but surely, the Paidiskoi began to make their move. Ikki was the first to move, leaping towards the emperor. However, Miyamoto easily sidestepped the attack, then sent Ikki flying back with a powerful strike. Ikki crashed into one of the walls, his body laying still. It was clear that he was not going to make it. And the  emperor gave a joyful laugh, "Ikki, you should know by now that this would not work against me. Remind me, who was it that taught you all that you know?" The emperor laughed and continued walking to the middle of the room. It was clear that Ikki would not be able to respond to the emperors provocation. Zeck was the next to move, launching a series of powerful blows at the emperor. However, Griffith easily blocked them all, then retaliated with a powerful strike that sent Zeck flying back. The emperor, Griffith scoffed, "Did you truly think that would work?" The emperor continued leisurely walking to the middle of the room. "Please. Have the erephors not taught any of you anything?" The emperor slowly reached the middle of the room. "Now. If any of you make me move a foot from here, it is instant graduation for you." Moloch, instead of rushing in with his bare hands, ran to the weapon racks at the corner of the stadium. As he was about to pick out his usual weapon, Moloch stopped. He felt an incredible feeling of pressure, as if he were being weighed down by something heavy, pulling on him. Everything in his body seemed to freeze at the same time as the voices started yelling "PICK THE SWORD" and he could hear the sword's desire to be wielded. He could see them, the erephors standing up in the 2nd row of the stadium spectating him. Their eyes, hawk-like staring him down and their frowns on full display, in a show of disapproval of moloch's choice of weapon. Yet moloch didn't care. As he gripped the sword, a sense of familiarity surged within him, as if he had long become one with the sword.

And with that, the voices in his head ceased and the heavy feeling within his body lifted. He knew what he had to do. He had to kill the emperor. For his revenge.

With eyes blazing in determination, moloch slowly came near the emperor. He pulled in something deep down himself. Something he had pulled on countless times in meditation. The emperor watched moloch and as moloch pulled that something out he let a sound of intrigue "Oh… what a pleasant surprise. For one of you to be like me. A natural magisword user… Very well young one…" The emperor, in a show of respect, removed his forcefield with a wave of his hand "to become so adept in pulling magic out of yourself. Most curious indeed. Tell me, what is it that drives you so much?" Moloch didn't respond, using the magic deep inside him to strengthen his body beyond normal for those in the agore, his body swelling up with muscle. "Is it revenge? Is it the desire to protect those you love? Or is it something else?" The emperor continued to speak, his voice dripping with curiosity. "I see. Very well. But remember this. Magic is not something to be taken lightly. It can be destructive and deadly." The emperor then suddenly flung his hand out, sending a powerful magic blast towards Moloch. Moloch ducked, barely dodging the blast. "Now, young one. Show me what you're made of."

Moloch, with eyes ablaze with determination, stepped forward towards the emperor. The emperor, sensing the determination in Moloch's eyes, began to laugh "Ohoho, I see. You're determined to graduate no matter what. Very well then. I'll give you a fair fight." The emperor bound his dominant hand, using Magic, "For you, I need only one hand. I've bound my left hand. I hope you can make me move." The emperor smirked, as he pointed at the weapons rack, and a silver rapier soon flew over to his hand. "I hope you do not disappoint." Moloch was scared and so he pushed more mana grouch his body. So much mana was pushed that his vision hazed, however it quickly faded as Moloch's vision cleared, and he could see the smallest details of his arms and body. His skin was smooth, and his muscles were tight, not a single trace of fat anywhere. Moloch looked at his hands and arms, noticing the veins pulsating with magical power and his muscles swelling with power. He noticed his skin surge with power, his body shimmering with hands and arms looking bulbous with power. He looked at his legs and feet a strong and powerful, ready to move. His hands looked like he belonged to a boxing champion, with his fingers curled like a boxer. He was grown, with bigger muscles. And his eyes were blazing orbs of red. If one were to look at moloch they'd think he's a scholar, after all, Moloch's face was thin and gaunt, his cheeks sharp and angular. Every line of his countenance spoke of hidden passion and a brooding intellect. His eyes sparkled with life, the very picture of intelligence. The erephors were sure that Moloch would grow to be a lady killer; he had a long, thick mullet that spilled over his shoulders in soft waves like a dark river. His fringe lay delicately across his forehead, like gossamer curtains at a grand ballroom dance. 

The young man exuded a kind of refinement, with each gesture speaking volumes about who he truly was. The way he moved, the way he talked - even the smallest details seemed imbued with meaning and significance. At heart, moloch was a warrior. He had been groomed and bred for war. He had been turned into a weapon. His mind, once full of childish innocence was now tempered into a calculative and scheming weapon. His body was a temple, as if sculpted by god himself and then perfectly maintained.

As moloch looked at his own body, the emperor let out a soft laugh, "Indeed. This, is the the advantage a magisword user has." The emperor smirked, as if he was revealing a secret "of course, the way you use it is… unrefined. Allow me to show you how to properly use magick." The emperor then pulled the mana out of his body and began circulating it inside himself. The emperors face now resembled a wolf, large and powerful. His hair was golden and shoulder-length. He had the rippling musculature of a professional warrior who had taken care of himself his entire life. And behind him? A throne. And although it looked to be empty, the throne knew its owner. The emperor looked like a god. Moloch watched in awe as the emperor's body glowed with magick. The golden aura surrounding him was something Moloch had never seen before. It was as if the emperor had tapped into a power beyond anything Moloch could comprehend. The air around him hummed with power, and every inch of him seemed to vibrate with energy. The silver rapier was held loosely in his left hand, and even though it was clear that the emperor was not using his full strength, Moloch could feel the air pressure change around him. "Do not disappoint me." The emperor spoke, seemingly relaxed. Moloch gulped. The saliva felt thick and viscous as it went down his throat. Moloch took a deep breath and steadied himself. He knew that this was it, the moment he had been waiting for. The moment where he would finally get his revenge on the man who had destroyed his life. He gripped his sword tightly and took a step forward, his eyes locked on the emperor. "I won't disappoint you," he said, his voice low and steady. The emperor chuckled, "We shall see." And with that, moloch charged. With a frontal high swing of his sword, moloch's sword clashed against the emperor's rapier, before quickly sliding off. True to his promise, the emperor was not moving his lower body. The emperor was also only using his weaker hand, the right hand. Yet somehow, with strength that seemed impossible for one arm to possess, the emperor had blocked him, and even deflected his sword… Moloch despaired. The emperors over bearing presence had not rescinded, instead it had become thrice as strong. Moloch quickly retreated, desperately trying to come up with a strategy. He could feel the power emanating from the emperor, and it was overwhelming. He knew that he had to find a way to break through the emperor's defenses, but he couldn't think of anything. Suddenly, the emperor spoke, "Become one with the world." The emperors calm voice shattered moloch's despair, "Focus on your sword. Your magic and your opponent…" Moloch did as the emperor recommended, "That… That is how you become known as one over heaven. That is how you reach my realm." The emperor felt disappointed, "Although a good seedling you may be, you've disappointed me. Seeing as your yet to grow…" the emperor smirked, "Ill let you pass. If only to see what you grow to become." The emperor wasted no time, waving his hand and instantly putting moloch to sleep. The last moloch saw, was Ikki and Zeck sneaking up on the emperor. When Moloch woke up, he was lying on a soft bed in a dimly lit room. His body felt heavy and his head was throbbing with pain. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his body, forcing him back down on the bed. "You used to much mana." An erephor was in the room, sat and watching moloch. "Mana?" Moloch repeated what the erephor said , wanting to know more about mana. "Yes. Mana, Magicka, Magic and rarely, will. These are all one and the same, although most texts use magic or mana." Moloch looked dumbly at the erephor, before he sighed, "Usually, one can only choose a path, they either become a swordsman, or a wizard. They, often rely on the heart stones to collect mana since it's the most efficient..

However, in some rare circumstances, an individual like you and the emperor appears. An individual blessed enough to be a will-swordsman. Essentially it means you can use both mana and  the sword." Moloch's eyes widened at the realization of what the erephor was saying. A will-swordsman? Moloch had never heard of such a thing before. He had always believed that a person had to choose between being a swordsman or a wizard. But to be both? That was something entirely unheard of. Moloch felt a sudden rush of excitement at the possibility. The erephor looked at Moloch with a hint of amusement in his eyes, "You seem to be excited at the prospect," he said. Moloch nodded fervently, "Of course! To be able to wield both the sword and magic, it would make me unstoppable!" The erephor chuckled, "Perhaps. But it's not as easy as it sounds. Being a will-swordsman is a rare gift, and it takes decades of training to master one  disciplines, let alone two." Moloch's excitement dimmed slightly at that before he suddenly tried to sit up, only for the pain to cause him unable to move, "of course, this doesn't come without consequence. After all, the gods are fair. Using magic while fighting with the sword is too much to handle. As such, one must constantly put themselves under pain in order to use the magic for longer periods of time. I reckon, at most, you can only use it for 15 or 20 seconds." Moloch's heart sank at the thought of the pain he would have to endure in order to become a master will-swordsman. The erephor chuckled, "I suppose I should leave you to rest. Soon you will join the army. We only have the mess hall ceremony left." The erephor stood up, quickly leaving. Moloch lay back down on the bed, his mind racing with all that he had learned about magic and being a will-swordsman. He knew that it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to become a master. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, trying to calm his mind and body. He could feel the pain in his body slowly fading away as he continued to focus. He soon fell asleep.