Test of Endurance

The next day, we all stood in the battlefield of the academy. Yumeji yawned and crossed her arms. She looked around and heard the doors open. She looked back and noticed Satomi walking outside with the Student Council.

"Alright Ladies, good morning~ I hope you all had a well rest, but now it's time to prepare for war." Satomi said. "Judgement Order isn't getting any weaker so neither should we. Right now I'm sensing a team full of Rulers."

"Who?" I asked.

"Other than you and Liao Ru, the Rulers are Yumeji, Kikyo, Saito, and Orika." Satomi answered.

"M-Me? What Ruler would I even be?" Orika asked.

"The Ruler of Frost. I sense she's already chosen you to become her successor. All you have to do is draw out the power from within. The rest of you can become rulers, but there can only be 12 Rulers. Hisumi also is an Overlord, but to even be an Overlord you need a heart of despair and darkness. Luckily I don't sense that within any of you other than Hisumi." Satomi said.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. "I'm gonna take it as a bad thing?"

"Well taken you can also harness the Ruler of Raijin's power, I'm gonna say you can balance your light and your darkness." Satomi answered then looked at everyone else. "Iori, Usagi, Arei, Yumi, and Annie...You all have the power to become as strong as a Ruler and Overlord, but sadly as you are now, I don't see you all becoming Rulers."

"That's fine. Rulers hold a large responsibility for the protection of our world and other Realms that may exist." Usagi said then crossed her arms.

"I didn't want to become a Ruler despite how awesome their power is. Besides I'm better at being a strategist and coming up with plans that fighting." Arei said.

"The Ruler life isn't for me sadly. I'm not fit for it like Hisumi is despite us being from the same background." Yumi shrugged.

"Tch. After all the disadvantages I've been through in St. Fraskia I kinda hoped the Rulers would've thrown me a bone at least." Iori sighed.

Annie tilted her head and looked at Satomi. "I don't think I would've been prepared to even become one taken how late I joined the Valkyrias."

Misao walked outside and looked at us. "Sorry for being late. I got a call from Yusa. They are still alive, but had to go into hiding."

"Mom's alive? That's a relief." I smiled and watched Misao walk forward.

"I'm glad you made it, Misao. Orishi and Liao Ru told me a lot about you. You play a bigger role than we realize in Japan." Satomi said.

"Yeah...I am the only Shrine Maiden alive and my power is rare, so I have to keep up with the spirit guarding my Shrine but I'm no way shape or form more important than the Valkyrias. Here we are all equal." Misao said.

Kikyo, Yumeji, Saito, and Liao Ru smiled at what she said. The five of them share a powerful bond with one another as they've been with each other since the beginning from my knowledge.

"Alright everyone. From today until the end of the month, we will be hosting the official exams. Exams you all weren't able to take during your time at St. Fraskia from my knowledge. I will act in Orishi's place as I will host the exams. There are three types of matches of the tournament, one is the Endurance Match where you try to last for as long as you can against your opponent. The second match is the Speedrun Match, the rules of that match is you must be the first to reach a certain score. The third match is the Team Match. Team Match will be you and a partner against another team of two. The matches are random and will be picked randomly." Satomi said them clapped her hands together and her mecha landed beside her and displayed a holographic screen.

Satomi snapped her fingers and the wheel began to spin. We watched the wheel and the first match was decided. The Endurance Match was the first match then she went to pick two random names.

"Erika against...Hisumi." Satomi said.

"Alright let's get this started." I smiled and smacked my fist against the palm of my hand.

The others cleared the battle field for us and the only two on the battlefield was me and Erika.

"Just tell me when it hurts too much okay?" Erika smiled at me then summoned her rapier.

"I won't have to." I smiled back and summoned my staff.

"The rules are simple, the match ends when one person is unable to continue battling." Satomi said. We both nodded and she snapped her fingers then her mecha showed the words Begin from the holographic screen.

Erika placed a hand behind her back then took one step forward then vanished and appeared behind me. I turned around to block her attack, but she vanished and appeared behind me again then struck my back once but five more attacks hit me. I grunted and stumbled forward.

"Erika's Specialty is her speed. She's not faster than Liao Ru who can outspeed Hisumi, but she's fast enough to catch her opponent off guard and hit them with a multi strike move." Ambrosia explained to Orika.

"I can't even keep up with Erika because she moves so fast.." Orika said and tried her hardest to keep up with the battle.

I managed to block one of Erika's attacks and smirked. "Seems like you can keep up with me while I'm in base. I am quite impressed.."

"Well you are in base mode, so I didn't expect you to be godlike in speed." Erika smiled then jumped backwards.

"Alright. Now it's time for me to get serious." I smiled and changed my weapon into a katana.

Erika got prepared and her emblem shined on her hand. "I also have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Here we go..~ This is the Erika I love watching." Ambrosia smirked.

Erika appeared behind me and I looked back then slashed at her. She blocked the attack then her afterimage finally vanished. She began to move around me, creating solid afterimages. Her speed clones began to attack, catching me off guard. The speed clones struck me rapidly, but I used my lightning to break out of the attacks.

"This is Erika's secret technique, the Speed Mirage Technique. She moves so fast that she creates solid afterimages that can attack and get hurt. She's moving so fast that she can be in more than one place at once." Ambrosia explained to Orika.

"And she's slower than Ruler/Overlord Form Hisumi and Liao Ru?!" Orika looked surprised.

"Well both Hisumi and Liao Ru utilize Invisible Speed when they move at high speeds. They are faster than the eye can see." Ambrosia said.

"Everything felt like slow motion when Hisumi saved me." Annie said then remembered being saved during the rescue mission at St. Fraskia.

"Speed that fast can do that to you. You'll feel like the world moves in slow motion." Ambrosia said.

Erika walked forward and left afterimages behind her then her afterimages dashed to me. I dashed forward and coated myself in lightning then slashed and vanished then a barrage of slashes struck the afterimages. I appeared behind Erika and my eyes shined.

"Gotcha." Erika smirked then turned around and palmed my chest and sent me crashing into the wall.

I groaned and fell to one knee. I panted and looked at the ground. "She's student council for a reason I guess...but I can't lose here. I have to be stronger!"

Satomi looked at me and her mecha began to make noise then she noticed my Divine Energy surging. She watched me closely and crossed her arms.

I stood up and looked at Erika then the third tomoe in my eyes appeared, completing the Eyes of Raijin. I vanished and appeared behind Erika then stood up straight and performed a chiburi. Multiple slashes hit Erika then I turned around and walked forward then everything began to feel like slow motion.

I held my hand out then a ball of lightning energy appeared in my hand. The lightning ball formed the Raijin symbol inside of it, boosting it's power. "Raijin Comet."

Erika began to create more speed clones and they moved around to confuse me. I dashed forward and dodged all the attacks from the clones then threw the Raijin Comet at the real Erika. She looked surprised that I found her so easily then was hit with the Raijin Comet.

She groaned as the lightning ball exploded and blew her away. She hit her back into the wall and coughed a bit. "Alright, alright! I'm out. That one actually hurt.." Erika said then looked at me with a smile on her face.

I looked at my hand and balled it into a fist. "Even though my Eyes of Raijin are completed...I still have a long way to go.." I said then reverted to my normal clothing.

"I'm impressed. Now I kinda want to put her through the test. Can she awaken her Ruler or Overlord powers at will..?" Satomi asked herself and crossed her arms.

I noticed Erika walking to me and held my shoulders.

"Orishi would've been proud to see you use your abilities so efficiently.." Erika smiled.

I felt my heart getting a bit heavy, but I kept my cool. Erika rubbed my hair then walked off to the sidelines. I looked at the sky and closed my eyes then took a deep breath and exhaled. "She would....wouldn't she..?"

I walked to the sidelines as well to take my seat.