Back to the Others' Training

  Daka's Blizzard Trial

  Daka trudged forward, his body barely visible in the raging snowstorm. The blizzard was unnatural—winds so strong they felt like blades cutting against his skin. His ice and wind magic should have been an advantage, but here, it felt like the storm itself was rejecting him.

  "This isn’t normal... this is a test to break me."

  His fingers were already going numb, but he clenched his fists. He wasn’t just going to endure—he was going to control it. Taking a deep breath, he focused, trying to synchronize his own magic with the storm. If he could make the blizzard his own, he could turn this trial into an advantage.

  But the storm roared louder, as if mocking him.

  Makoto’s Gunfight Against Beasts

  Makoto crouched behind a boulder, reloading his magic pistols with swift precision. The sound of monstrous growls echoed around him. These weren’t ordinary beasts—they were enhanced with elemental resistances, making them nearly immune to magic.

  "I have to aim for weak points… shoot before they even see me."

  A massive wolf-like beast lunged at him. Makoto sidestepped, spinning mid-air and unloading a burst of mana-infused bullets right into its eye. The beast howled, but three more took its place.

  "Alright," Makoto muttered, spinning his guns. "Guess I just have to shoot faster."

  Rizra’s Indestructible Punch Training

  Rizra stood in front of an obsidian-like boulder, cracks from her previous punches barely visible. Her fists were wrapped tightly, her knuckles already bleeding from the constant impact.

  "Punching alone isn’t enough—I need to break something that’s meant to be unbreakable."

  She inhaled, focusing all her power into her fist. Her breathing steadied, her muscles coiled, and—

  BOOM!

  The rock shattered into pieces, the force sending a shockwave through the area.

  Rizra smirked. "One down. What’s next?"

  Bondo vs. Lila—A Lightning Chase

  Bondo gritted his teeth, sparks of electricity crackling around him. His goal was simple: catch Lila.

  The problem? She was too fast.

  "Come on, slowpoke!" Lila taunted, zipping across the battlefield like a blur of light.

  Bondo growled, focusing his lightning magic. Instead of chasing her blindly, he closed his eyes and listened. Lightning wasn’t just about speed—it was about precision.

  The moment he sensed her next move, he vanished—and appeared right in front of her.

  "Gotcha."

  Yosuke vs. Sworda

  Yosuke barely had time to react before Sworda, his own grandfather, struck with inhuman speed. Sparks flew as their swords clashed, but Yosuke was already at a disadvantage.

  "Pathetic," Sworda said flatly, easily deflecting Yosuke’s attacks. "Your swings are predictable. Your poison magic is useless if you can’t land a hit."

  Yosuke panted, stepping back. He needed a different approach. His grandfather was too experienced, too precise. But Yosuke had something Sworda didn’t—unpredictability.

  Instead of attacking directly, he feinted left, let his sword slip from his grip, and conjured poisonous mist around them.

  Sworda raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. Interesting."

  Yu’s Elemental Endurance

  Yu’s body trembled as waves of fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, and darkness magic crashed into him one after another. His task? To survive.

  "If I can endure this… then I can endure anything."

  His arms felt like they were breaking, his skin burned from the flames, but he refused to fall. His body adapted, absorbing the pain, adjusting to the different elements.

  And then—he stopped feeling the pain at all.

  Yu opened his eyes, a new energy surging through him. He wasn’t just surviving—he was evolving.

  Emily Pushing Past Her Limits

  Emily’s magic had always been powerful, but she had a cap—a limit to how much she could release before exhaustion.

  Not anymore.

  She stood inside a massive magic circle, constantly pouring out energy, sweat dripping down her face. The magic runes around her flickered, warning her that she was close to overload.

  But she refused to stop.

  "Beyond my limits… beyond my limits… I have to go further!"

  The runes shattered. A new power surged through her veins.

  Amy’s Psychic Multitasking

  Amy sat cross-legged, 100 floating objects spinning around her at high speeds. Her task? Control them all at once.

  She clenched her teeth, her mind struggling to keep up. Sweat dripped down her forehead.

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  One wrong move—one slip in concentration—and they would all crash down on her.

  She exhaled.

  Her mind expanded, reaching past what she thought was possible.

  And suddenly—she was controlling 200.

  Angel’s Flight to the Heavens

  Angel soared higher and higher, pushing her wings past their breaking point. The air was thinning, the sky darkening—she was entering the atmosphere.

  "Higher than I’ve ever gone before… I need to see what’s beyond."

  Her wings trembled, her breath short, but she kept flying.

  And then—she broke past the clouds, seeing a sight no one else had seen before.

  The world below… and the endless sky above.

  She smiled.

  "I made it."

  The Music Club’s training was in full force—each of them pushing past their limits, preparing for the fight ahead.

  And Hajime, still recovering, had one thought in his mind:

  "I have to catch up."

  Hajime stirred awake, his body aching from the beating Ray gave him. His vision was blurry, but his hearing was crystal clear — and what he heard was pure chaos.

  In the distance, he heard Daka's voice echoing through the snowstorm:

  "WHAT THE F—" BOOM

  Hajime winced as he heard the sound of ice shattering, followed by a loud crash.

  Next came Makoto's voice, strained and exasperated:

  "Holy shi—"

  A deafening roar followed. Hajime didn’t need to see to know — that was definitely a dragon.

  Bondo’s voice came next, mixed with crackling electricity:

  "Lila! What the hell are you—"

  The sky rumbled as Lila’s laughter echoed, now charged with lightning.

  Then Sworda’s voice, his usual calm tone turning harsh:

  "Enough games, boy. Let’s see if you’re worth the Yosuke name."

  Hajime flinched, hearing the sound of clashing steel intensify.

  Yu’s voice came next, panicked:

  "S-Selene!? Why are YOU here?!"

  A massive surge of magic exploded — Hajime could feel the sheer pressure from where he was.

  Then came Angel’s furious voice from above:

  "F— YOU, RAY!!"

  Hajime blinked, looking up just in time to see Angel plummeting from the sky, a gust of wind spiraling behind her.

  Amy’s voice cut through the chaos, her usual calm broken:

  "D-DANGEROUS OBJECTS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

  The sound of metal whirring and slicing through the air made Hajime’s stomach sink.

  Finally, Emily’s voice, strained and on the edge of breaking:

  "A-A HUNDRED SPELLS?! RAY, YOU PIECE OF—"

  Hajime slowly sat up, holding his head. He looked at Ray, who was watching the carnage unfold with a smug grin, arms crossed like he was watching a sports game.

  Hajime sighed, shaking his head.

  "Poor them."

  Ray glanced down at Hajime with a grin.

  "Don’t get comfy. Once they’re done… it’s your turn again."

  Hajime groaned. "Rage on desu…"

  As Hajime groaned, struggling to sit up, a strange shift stirred inside him. His sword — Storyshift — began to glow faintly from where it rested nearby. The light wasn’t its usual blue, but a distorted, deep red hue.

  Suddenly, the glow pulsed, and in an instant, Storyshift took on a human form.

  A tall, ethereal figure emerged, with long, flowing dark blue hair, eyes glowing a dull azure. Her expression was blank, but her gaze pierced through the battlefield, focusing directly on Ray.

  Hajime blinked in disbelief. "S-Storyshift…?"

  The figure didn’t answer Hajime. He stared at Ray with an almost human intensity — except the expression wasn’t neutral anymore.

  It was disgusted.

  "You call this training?" Storyshift’s voice echoed, deeper and colder than Hajime remembered. "This is torture."

  Ray turned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? So the sword finally speaks." He smirked, unfazed. "It’s not torture. It’s necessary."

  Storyshift took a step forward, her blue eyes narrowing. "You’re pushing them to their limits — but not to make them stronger. This… this is cruelty. You’re breaking them."

  Ray’s smirk faltered for a second, but he recovered quickly. "And what would a sword know about that? They’ll survive — or they won’t. Only the strong make it."

  Hajime stared at Storyshift, his heart pounding. He’d never seen his sword react like this before. It wasn’t just talking — it was angry.

  Storyshift’s voice lowered to a near growl.

  "I’ve seen monsters in my time. You’re no different from them."

  For the first time, Ray’s smirk fully faded. His eyes darkened. "Careful what you say, sword. You’re not even human. You wouldn’t understand."

  Storyshift stepped in front of Hajime protectively. Her voice stayed low, calm — but the rage behind it was undeniable.

  "And you wouldn’t understand what it means to truly protect someone."

  The tension was suffocating. Hajime could barely breathe, watching the two stare each other down.

  For a moment, he thought Ray might attack.

  But instead, Ray scoffed, turning away. "Tch. Whatever. If they break, they weren’t worth saving in the first place."

  With that, Ray walked off, leaving Storyshift standing there, her blueeyes still locked on Ray’s back.

  Hajime, still dazed, looked up at his sword’s human form. "...Storyshift… you…"

  Storyshift finally looked at Hajime, her expression softening. The anger faded from his eyes.

  "...I’m with you, Hajime. Always."

  Hajime, still sitting on the ground, let out a weak chuckle, his voice light despite the pain.

  "Haha… c-come on, Storyshift. Ray's just joking with you…" he grinned, trying to ease the tension. "He’s not really a monster… well, maybe a little, but not like, evil evil…"

  Storyshift blinked, her glowing blue eyes flickering with confusion. "...What?"

  Ray, who had been walking off, suddenly burst into laughter. He held his stomach, doubling over. "Pfft— HAH! Oh man, you really thought I was serious?! ‘You’re no different from a monster’ — that was gold!"

  Storyshift’s intense, stoic expression immediately dropped. Her eyes widened, and her face flushed a faint red hue — as much as an ethereal sword spirit could blush.

  "...Are you kidding me?" Storyshift muttered, sounding utterly baffled.

  Ray wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Come on, lighten up, sword girl. You think I’m heartless? I know what I’m doing. I’m tough on them because they need to survive. I’m not out here trying to kill ‘em." He grinned, glancing at Hajime. "Though, watching you all suffer a little is good entertainment."

  Hajime laughed weakly, slumping back on the ground. "Yeah… sounds about right."

  Storyshift groaned, covering her face with his hand. "I can’t believe I just got emotional over this…"

  Hajime smirked, looking up at her. "Aw, don’t worry, Storyshift. You were really cool there for a second."

  Storyshift glared down at him, her voice deadpan. "Gee. Thanks."

  Ray leaned on a nearby post, still grinning. "Well, that was fun. Back to work, Hajime. Break time’s over."

  Hajime groaned, dragging himself to his feet. "Yeah, yeah… rage on desu…