Orion's Ring

With us in the middle, it was pretty clear that we had the worst spot possible. We could easily get overwhelmed from all sides if the fight goes poorly.

And since our Class consists of the strongest, the rest will surely target us first. I could already feel the battle-hungry glares in my neck, eager to tear me apart.

The tension in the air was palpable. As the other classes settled into their designated spots, a loud voice boomed through the colosseum, explaining the details of the event.

"Welcome students in Orion's Ring. I'm sure most of you are already excited about what awaits ahead. But before we begin, allow me to tell you the whole point of this."

"Most of you are still exhausted because the entrance test was only yesterday. But that doesn't mean that you can laze around today. Impress us with your strategic thinking, team play, and cunning abilities."

"Now, before the divide between the classes will grow too deep, test yourself against those stronger than you and overcome them with any means necessary. Gain insight into what you currently lack and find ways to improve yourselves!"

"This will serve as a perfect opportunity for you to learn from other talents and implement new elements into your fighting style. Learn to fight together to topple even those way stronger than you."

"Let's make things a little more interesting for you. We will take the 10 best performers with us on a special excursion in a month's time. You will get the exclusive opportunity to venture deeper into the mana rift beneath the academy."

"We will watch every single one of you carefully so make the best out of this fight and prove yourself."

The voice of the announcer echoed throughout the Colosseum, causing a buzz of excitement to ripple through the crowd. Everyone wanted nothing more than to show off their skills.

They cheered and whistled wildly as the announcement ended and the signal rang out across the Colosseum. Greed filled their minds, urging them to win and claim bragging rights for themselves.

I wasn't an exception to this as I too was eager to fight. I wonder how my ability Embodied Artistry will fare here. Sadly, I can't kill so the gains won't be anything exceptional.

I could feel the greed radiating from others around me. They seemed ready to pounce and rip into whoever they encountered. However, going offensive doesn't look exactly favorable for us.

It is clear that Class A will be targeted early on, leaving us no chance to gain much ground.

Fortunately, although there are teams, all that counts is the individual effort and how he affects the battlefield.

It was clear from how the announcer phrased it. In essence, this isn't a competition of who has the better team but rather which student does the best job within the given parameters.

"Now then, let the battle begin!"

A roar of approval went up when the words left the speaker's mouth.

Immediately, all eyes turned towards Class A, looking for weaknesses and openings. Some immediately moved forward while others chose to stay back behind their teammates.

Overall, it was pretty chaotic and disorganized. No one really knew what to do. The only ones that seemed to have some sort of plan was Class B as they slowly closed the distance between us.

With a mediocre formation, they approached us which also motivated the other classes to join in. Even without communicating with each other, they all agreed on one thing; eliminating us first.

Our Class is in a tight spot right now. It didn't take a genius to predict that this would happen.

Fortunately, I don't need our Class to get through this. If they fall quickly, I have an even higher chance of getting noticed.

A selfish way of thinking but life showed me that this works quite well.

The pride of my classmates doesn't allow them to listen to someone "weaker" than them anyway. So why even bother?

With battle hungry people like Luna already rushing ahead without caring about the dangers, I also decided to break away from the group.

Class E is my goal as they should be around the same strength as me.

Darting straight into their spear-like formation, I utilized their cramped position to my advantage so that they can't wildly swing their weapons at me lest they injure their classmates.

With a short sword in my hand and a dagger as a parrying tool, I began my onslaught.

Their faces were full of confidence which irked me to no end.

How can they appreciate the impending beauty when their focus is consumed by the baseless belief that their numerical advantage guarantees success?

I know just what exactly will make them wake up to reality.

Whilst solely focusing on defense, I slowly broke through their tip, heading towards the weak links.

The turmoil caused by them being unable to make a coordinated attack against an enemy in their lines bought me more than enough time to advance.

After parrying an attack heading my way, I swiftly disarmed him and threw his weapon through the crowd, hitting someone straight in the gut.

Although my superior martial skills allowed me to abuse the short windows of opportunities presented to me, sooner or later, they will wear me out.

After bringing another one off balance, I promptly severed some of his tendons and blood vessels alike to ensure he won't be a threat to me later. I didn't intend to go for the kill as his suffering will help me break their morale.

I'm not a sadist by any means, really. But how else can I invoke their emotions without the academy interfering. If I were to try and kill him, he would have just been fetched by the staff and no one would even notice.

As I went for another round of slash attacks, I couldn't help but smile. Every time, my attack was about to hit, they slightly winced.

They feared the collision that is about to happen, they feared the possible aftermath of it.

It reminded me of why I chose death as my form of art. They do everything in their power to avoid lethal attacks. They aren't ready to face death yet.

That's why bringing it so close to them invoked their turbulent and raw emotions in the first place. It is so intense to comprehend. There is nothing like it.

Training, sparring, eating, flirting, laughing — these things are all so boringly mundane. Death is where the real fun lies. The tension, the dread, the fear, the yearning... the emotions.

Back in my world, the people called me insane for thinking like that. They told me that I was wrong and that I had lost my mind.

But I always wondered, why was I in the wrong? Just because they all think alike? Because I was different?

If the amount of people that believe in it dictates that it is right or wrong, doesn't that mean that the society is rigged from the get-go? That there is no real free will?

I would rather die expressing myself than be a slave to a society that never understood what it meant to live. And that's exactly what I did before, and what I will do again if I must.

When you see your own friends dying before your very eyes, it changes something deep inside. You learn to cherish every single moment. You learn to truly live instead of merely existing.

And that is what I want to show them. The art of living by dying.

My blade met flesh after striking several times, sending forth a shower of red droplets across the ground. However, I had no time to finish my opponent off as another barrage of attacks came my way.

Luckily, they are all at around high F-Rank. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gained an upper edge that quickly. Though it's still a bit early to truly call it an upper edge as their numbers didn't dwindle one bit.

As I relentlessly fought, all of a sudden a chain lashed out from nowhere, almost impaling me with the speed it shot through the air.

My body moved reflexively and I managed to duck under it by a hair's breadth.

"Let me fight him." Called out a voice.

A young man, easily towering over everyone else present, walked forward. With two giant sickles in his hand, he approached me with a confident stride.

His classmates immediately made way for him to pass, not even daring to attack me anymore as they formed a circle around the both of us.

The chain retracted right into his hands, making it clear that he was the perpetrator.

From the looks of it, that wasn't the only thing to back up his strength either as the aura that emanated from his was quite something as well.

He has to be at least E-Rank. No doubt about it.

"You're from A-Class eh? Let me taste the difference between us. If there is any to begin with..." said the young man, as he grinned ferociously.

"I'll show you." I replied, matching his grin.