Hell's Jaw III

|Gary|

Despite my defeat, I couldn't help but smile. She had been wrong about me all along.

"I'm not so sure about that," I called out to Alexis as he turned to walk away.

He paused, his back to me as I stood up.

"Because I finally feel like I can go all out."

When I first journeyed to the Beast Glades several years ago, I had many expectations of the place and how much it would strengthen me. However, I made a shocking discovery that was almost as profound as aether itself - ice magic.

This element was dormant within my primary mana core, and I had not used it at all back home. I was amazed to discover the incredible synergy between aether and ice magic during my time in the Beast Glades. Despite my initial reluctance to use ice magic due to my preference for wind and lightning magic, I couldn't ignore my raw talent for the element.

I decided to make it the last card up my sleeve, honing it in secret as I continued to train in my existing swordsmanship styles. However, as I delved deeper into the intricacies of ice magic, I realized that I needed to adjust my swordsmanship style to fully capitalise on its potential. It was a long and difficult journey, but I persevered and finally completed my new style just after the tournament.

|Alexis|

I couldn't help but feel intrigued by this mysterious boy, standing up as if nothing happened, claiming he had been holding back. Was he bluffing or did he have yet another card up his sleeve?

"How interesting," I muttered under my breath before turning to face him, my golden aura flaring with power.

And then, the world itself seemed to stop as Gary unleashed a power from deep inside him. Suddenly, his grey hair turned a stark white, and his amethyst eyes transformed into a piercing blue. He exhaled, and with his breath came a sudden drop in temperature throughout the cavern.

I looked down in amazement to find the once-reinforced ground now frozen solid, the ice creeping up the walls and encasing everything in its path.

This boy had an incredible talent for ice magic, one that I had never witnessed before. I felt a shiver run down my spine, as I realized that I might have underestimated him.

|Gary|

As I unleashed my ice magic to its fullest potential, I felt a surge of exhilaration. Until then, no opponent had been worthy of facing the full force of my power, but now I finally met my match in Alexis.

My cores spun to life, surging with their maximum potential as Realmheart activated. I felt a deep connection with the ambient mana and aether around me, sensing their movements and patterns.

As I looked around, I could see the particles of the four basic elements of mana and the purple motes of aether lighting up the cavern, becoming visible to my enhanced senses.

Curious, I focused on Alexis's golden aura and observed the peculiar dance of aether and mana intertwining within it. It was as if witnessing a new discovery that could potentially unlock new levels of power.

But for now, I couldn't quite grasp its full potential.

As I entered Realmheart, I gained a newfound appreciation for the true extent of Alexis's power. In terms of the power scale from my old world, Alexis would easily be classified as B+ rank.

Comparing him to the Lances, they would barely scrape by as B- rank, with Varay being the only one above them, almost reaching B rank.

Yet, even that didn't seem to do justice to Alexis's true power. It was evident that he had already surpassed B+ rank and had entered into the realm of A rank.

As for myself, I had almost reached the pinnacle of B+ rank. However, my underdeveloped mana core was still holding me back from breaking into the A rank.

With a flicker of concentration, I shifted the essence of my ice magic into frost fire, molding it with the power of vivum to take on a new form. I shaped the magic into a set of crystalline armour that enveloped my body, a light blue hue shining protectively over me.

As I infused my blade with my potent ice magic, the black hue of my sword transformed into a bright, shining white. I unleashed a surge of magic, blending it with aether to form a massive stream of white energy that flowed from my sword.

As the stream of magic calmed and took shape, it transformed into a new sword, imbued with the same powerful magic that flowed through my veins.

My aura, thick with the pulsing power of aether, began to transform in response to my ice magic. The once deep purple hue now glowed with a vibrant cyan, melding the elements of ice and aether in a beautiful dance.

As I focused on my own transformation, I suddenly noticed a shift in Alexis's aura. His golden light flared, with shades of orange and red intermingling within. The heat emitting from him caused my ice to melt, and I couldn't help but think of the sun itself.

"The Sun," I murmured, awestruck by the sheer power radiating from him. It was as if he embodied the very star that basked the world in its light.

"Gary Whiteborn, you truly are an interesting individual," remarked Alexis as he gripped his golden sword tightly. "It's no surprise my mother chose you over me," he continued, his tone tinged with a hint of envy. "However, don't expect me to hold back just because you're the supposed future saviour of this world."

I took mental note of his words, storing them away for later analysis. But for now, I needed to focus on the battle at hand.

"Come at me with everything you've got, Gary!" he yelled, his voice filled with determination.

Without hesitation, Alexis charged towards me, his golden aura blazing brightly. I met his attack head-on, my own ice blue aura colliding fiercely with his aura of the golden sun. The clash of our auras created a brilliant burst of light that illuminated the cavern, signalling the start of an epic battle between two powerful warriors.

|Lancelot|

Unexpectedly, after we cleared the A-class dungeon, Hell's Jaw, we found ourselves teleported to an unknown location. As they say, life is full of surprises.

"Bell," I called out to my bonded spirit, who appeared by my side in an instant. A powerful mana signature was intruding onto my senses, and it was nothing like I had ever experienced before.

The cavern we found ourselves in was vast, and suddenly illuminated by a blinding light, revealing a colossal hawk-like beast. The sheer amount of mana pouring out of its skin was overwhelming.

'This is no ordinary beast... it's SS-class,' I thought, my heart racing with excitement and fear. Without wasting a moment, I activated Spirit Dive, preparing for the battle of a lifetime.

|Alistair|

As the lightning strikes approached, I slowed down time and contorted my body with precision to avoid them. Once I had successfully dodged the attack, I weaved a blue fire spell into my next move, aiming to strike the wyvern.

Unfortunately, the spell dissipated as it made contact with the beast's electrified scales, doing little damage.

In response, the wyvern charged towards me, and I met its attack head-on with a vertical slash from my sword. The blade was infused with blue fire and lightning, and managed to cut through the beast's scales, causing it to bleed. However, the force of the wyvern's left wing nearly sent me flying backwards.

As the Lightning Wyvern inhaled deeply, I could see it gathering small motes of lightning mana around its gaping jaws. Suddenly, it exhaled a barrage of lightning tendrils that crackled with deadly energy. The tendrils were so numerous and unpredictable that they reduced my chances of dodging them successfully.

But with my enhanced perception and quick reflexes, I was able to predict the trajectory of the lightning tendrils and evade them with ease. For the few that managed to get close, my blue fire incinerated them in an instant.

'I can't defeat an SS-class beast without aether,' I thought to myself. 'I have to rely on my black vivum flames to penetrate the wyvern's defences.'

The wyvern charged towards me, surrounded by crackling lightning. Instead of dodging, I activated my ribcage armour, which formed a protective shield around me. The impact of the wyvern's attack was absorbed by my armour, stunning the beast momentarily.

Using this opening to my advantage, I summoned black flames of destruction and enveloped Faithkeeper in them, before plunging the sword deep into the wyvern's body. The black flames were able to penetrate the tough scales, causing internal damage as they spread through the creature's body.

The wyvern's roars of agony filled the air as my flames consumed it from the inside out, its mana defenceless against the power of my vivum.

After a few more moments of writhing in pain, the beast finally succumbed to its wounds and fell silent. Exhausted from the battle, I collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

Suddenly, I felt a shift in the world around me, and before I could even process what was happening, I found myself teleported to a viewing station. Multiple screens displayed my fellow Paladin members engaged in intense battles against their respective opponents.

To my surprise, I saw Professor Fejalk.

"Professor!" I called out to him, relief flooding through me at the sight of a familiar face.

"Prince Eralith!" he replied with a smile, "I am glad to see that you are safe. I was hoping that one of you would emerge victorious and defeat the beasts."

"That's unfortunate, Professor," I sympathised with him, realizing the gravity of our situation. "But don't worry, we'll find a way out of here."

As I surveyed the various screens showcasing my fellow Paladins fighting their battles, I couldn't help but wonder about Gary's fight.

"Where's Gary's battle?" I asked, turning to the Professor for answers.

"He's not being shown yet," the Professor replied, shaking his head. "The person who teleported us here explained that his fight would only be displayed once everyone else passes."

"Person?" I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What person?"

"I didn't actually see them," the Professor explained. "But I heard their voice. They explained what was happening and how you Paladins are here to be tested."

Before I could reply, my attention was caught by Rachel's battle against the Ocean Maiden. Rachel completely overwhelmed her opponent in terms of mana and control over water, and defeated her soon enough.

"Rachel is a formidable fighter, isn't she?" Professor Fejalk said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Unfortunately, she doesn't get as much attention due to the four of you. However, she's almost on par with your strength. Her only limitation is her lack of battle experience and technique."

I nodded, agreeing with his assessment of Rachel. It was true that she had been overshadowed by Arthur, Gary, Lancelot, and myself, but that didn't diminish her abilities as a fighter. She had the potential to become just as strong as the rest of us with more training and experience.

After a short while, the remainder of the Paladins were teleported to the screening room after defeating our opponents. I quickly rushed towards Tessia, who was the last to arrive, looking like a complete mess with bleeding injuries all over her body.

"Are you okay?" I asked, embracing her tightly. She nodded, shivering in my arms.

"Great job, everyone!" the voice announced. "Now that all of you except Gary are here, I will grant you the honor of witnessing his battle against his chosen opponent."

Excitement and anticipation filled the air as the seven of us gathered around the screens to watch Gary's battle. We were all eager to see what surprises he had in store for us this time.