Chapter 17 - The Start Of The Third Test (1/2)

Age 1990

”Finally back to one hundred percent!” Hero announced out as he jumped to his feet. He stretched his body as he smirked slightly. His arms seemed to flail around like noodles as he smirked. ”Oh yeah! I'm back to my full power!”

”It's nice that after we did all of that God damn exercise they gave two hours to rest up,” Ken said nodding slightly as she stretched out on the ground. ”That would have sucked having to do all of that and still have to do more test instantly afterward... I don't think I could have done it...” She said letting out a yawn.

”You two shouldn't be so relieved...” Kitsune stated calmly. ”All that exercise is nothing compared to what an Enforcer has to do every day... The first step to being an Enforcer is to train your body up to a superhuman level...” The Noble teen stated.

”I can already do superhuman things even without my Attribute!” Hero said rolling his multi-colored eyes. He slid a hand back through his black hair. ”After all I'm-”

”You're the third strongest person alive...” The other four all said rolling their eyes. ”Please stop saying that...”

”Actually I was gonna say I have the best Attribute!” Hero said smiling smugly. He crossed his arms as he stuck his tongue out at the group when they all frowned at him. ”My Attribute is really powerful after all! It lets me do a lot of cool things!”

”What is your Attribute anyways?” Kitsune asked.

”You first.” Hero stated as he stared at Kitsune with suspicion.

Kitsune gave a shrug as he lifted a finger up slowly. ”Well, I'll leave out most of the main details but to put it simply...” Flames suddenly appeared above his hands as they took shape. ”I can create and control fire to an extent...” The teen's orange eyes seemed to glow with power as a small orange outline appeared around his body. ”Pretty neat right?” He said as he smirked. The flames on his fingers took the shape of an orange fox as it danced around. ”Although I am a Noble, and we Noble are born with Super-Attributes...” He said simply.

”That is pretty cool...” Hero admitted nodding his head. ”Although I like mine more.”

”Well, what is it?” Kitsune asked. ”You can't just go on about how cool yours is and not tell us.” The Noble pointed out.

Hero smirked slightly as his gold and purple eyes seemed to shine. ”It's a bit complicated to explain... Basically, I can-”

A loud ring echoed out in the room as it once again began to shake. The entire room glowed a bright red as a red alarm shined through. Then a loud booming voice could be heard from the intercom.

”Good evening recruits!” A loud voice announced out in a booming voice. ”Today you will all be taking your last, and most important test.” The walls of the room were pushed back as the entire building now shook and began to expand. What was once a fairly large room was massive? The entire room was nearly a mile and a half big now. ”If you look around you, you will see several recruits. Your goal is to defeat all of them...” That got some people to begin muttering. Everyone began to glance at each other.

Suddenly the entire room seemed to become colder and more closed off as everyone began to glare at each other. Even though the shaking suddenly stopped that voice still managed to put everyone into a panic. Everyone now seemed to be against each other as they all slowly backed away from each other.

”Looks like our friendly encounter has ended...” Cloud said quietly as he backed away from the group.

Hero frowned slightly. ”Aww... And I was starting to like all of you... Oh well” The teen smirked slightly as his eyes glanced around the room. ”Since we'll all be doing battles I know just the person I want to fight...” His multi-colored eyes finally stopped on the lone teen who stood by himself...

The voice continued. ”When you see the signal you may begin. You will have a total of ten minutes to beat as many people as you can. Please note that the Captain's are all watching you now... You will be given points for every person you managed to take down...” There was a loud crack as the intercom went silent.

Then slowly a green light flashed through the room. No one said a word. No one moved a muscle. It was so silent until... ”Melt away!” Max screamed out bringing his hands down as hard as he could. There was a massive pillar of heat as molten lava began to explode out of it, causing screams of pain to ring out. ”I'm going to melt you all!” He announced.

Then all hell broke loose...

Hero jumped away from the group of people he had come to know as 'friends' as everyone simply broke out into fights. His jump carried him inhumanly far as he jumped nearly a half a mile away from his friends. ”That was close... I felt like if I stayed there a moment longer they all would have targeted me for sure...” Hero said letting out a nervous laugh. ”I don't think they really liked me?”

”Fancy meeting you here...” A feminine voice called out as a shiver went down Hero's spine.

Hero's eyes widened slowly as he recognized it. ”Uh oh...” He tried to turn around only to feel a powerful punch to the back of his head as white-hot pain soared through him. The punch slammed him straight into the ground as he hit it hard enough to kick up the ground as dust raised up ten feet high. ”Oww...” Her o said hissing out as he gritted his teeth.

”You asshole! You just left me with that annoying Nobel girl!” Emma yelled out as she grabbed Hero by the ankle. Her hand seemed to hum slightly as Hero's entire body began to vibrate. She brought her arm up punching Hero into the ground as he sunk down into the metal as it seemed to mold around him.

”W-Wha-What! A-re-Y-ou doing?” Hero tried to tell out as his entire body vibrated at an intense speed as he shook. ”Wh- y- am - I- sha- king?” He tried to speak but accidentally bit his tongue.

”My Attribute allows me to control vibrations...” Emma said smirking slightly as she kept her hand on Hero's back. ”Right now your insides are being shaken around. Don't worry. I won't kill you but you're gonna need to go to the hospital after-”

Hero's fist slammed into the girl's gut as she gasped out. She fell to her knees as she broke out into a coughing fit dropping to her knees. ”Sorry, but messing with my organs doesn't work!” Hero said smugly. ”Also... Sorry about this...” Hero brought his foot up as he slammed it down into the girl's head slamming her down onto the floor below, so hard her head actually broke through the floor, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. ”But I want to win...” The teen said as he crossed his arms. A smile crossed its way onto his face. ”Sorry, but I won't hold any punches on anyone.”

Emma didn't say a word as her eyes rolled back into her head. She was completely unconscious. The young teen placed her on the ground gently as he sat her down.

Hero turned away as he looked out across the room. It was in pure chaos as several people all just fought... Flames danced around in the air as glowing lights went crazy. Several Attributes went across the air as pure anarchy danced through the sky. It was kind of like looking into a disco ball. A disco ball of death. Amongst the crowd Hero spotted the man he was looking for.

With a slight smirk, Hero stepped forward. His smile grew as he headed over to where the pillar of lava was. He headed over to where Max was.

Meanwhile, Ken managed to step back avoiding the cane that was slammed down in front of her. She frowned as her eyes narrowed slightly. ”What the hell...” She questioned as Cloud twirled his cane in front of her.

”Sorry... I tried to take my shot?” Cloud said shrugging slightly. ”I saw you were open so I went in for the attack...”

Ken frowned as she raised her sheathed sword up getting into a stance. ”I was really wanting to smack that asshole Hero on the head but I guess you will have to do...” She said as her dull red eyes flickered slightly. A red glow surrounded her weapon as she stepped forward. ”Get ready you blind badass. I'm gonna kick your ass!” Ken announced out.

Cloud smirked as he held his cane out. ”Then let us duel...”

Off to the side Kitsune smirked slightly as he stepped to the side dodging a large icicle that was thrown his way. ”My, oh my!” He said as his orange eyes danced with excitement. ”What a surprise. You attack me first North?” He stated sliding out of the way of a second chunk of ice that threatened to crush him. ”You might have even managed to take me out with that attack too but luckily for me, you hesitated... But I am surprised, that you took the first attack.”

Irene frowned as she brought her hands up. They glowed a light blue as ice formed out. ”Only because I know that if I didn't you would have attacked me first.”

”Well... You aren't wrong...” Kitsune said shrugging. ”But tell me... Do you really believe that your ice can best my flames?”

”Do you really believe your simple flames can get past my ice?” Irene shot back at him.

Kitsune's smirk only grew wider as an orange glow covered his body. ”Ahh, but my dear North... Whoever said these were ordinary flames?” In a bright flash orange flames covered his body, then slowly they began to form? Nine flaming fox tails appeared behind him as a pair of flaming fox ears materialized on his head. ”I am Kitsune Nine! Heir to the Noble family of Nine, one of the twenty sacred branches passed down to us by God! I have the flaming fox spirit within me!” He announced as the outline of a massive fox appeared behind him. ”This is my Attribute. The Nine-Tailed Fox!”

”Th-That power is quite unreal...” Irene said gulping slightly as she stopped her hands from shaking. 'I can't keep hesitating...' She thought as she shook her head. ”I guess it's true what they say about Nobles... They really are gifted... But! Even so! I will not lose to you! I can't lose here!” Ice appeared around the boy-dressed girl, as she brought her arms out forming several ice sickles around her. ”Whatever you can do I can match it with my own power!” She announced boastfully.

”I'll quickly prove that claim wrong!” Kitsune stated as he boldly lifted his hands up bringing a wave of flames with him. Flames exploded out of him as the two elemental teens clashed. Fire and ice met as steam filled the room, and the two of them began their dance...

Kitsune waved his hand as flames fired out hissing at the air as they soared towards Irene. Irene raised her hands up creating a wall of ice that blocked the flames.

Several spikes made out of ice fired out towards the Noble fox teen all of them nearly managing to impale the young teen. Kitsunes finger danced through the air as a fox made of fire blasted out towards his foe melting the ice. A flaming fox launched forward towards Irene forcing her to counter.

Irene threw her arms out creating a dome of ice right as the fox slammed into her. The dome shook as steamrolled off of it. With a yell, Irene brought her arms down causing it to explode out sending chucks of sharp ice everywhere.

Kitsune hissed in pain as he was pelted from all sides by the ice. He waved his hand as a wave of fire shot out hitting Irene's arm and eating away at her as she yelled in pain. The girl hissed out as she brought her arms up and ice melted over the flames putting them out and saving her arm. She glared at the Noble as he met her glare.

And from there, their dance only continued as fire and ice repeatedly met again, and again. The two held nothing back as they threw out attack after attack each one more devastating than the last.

Over with Ken, the young girl matched Cloud blow for blow as the two clashed sword on cane. Ken smirked slightly as she brought her weapon down only for Cloud to parry it away. ”Your skilless...” Cloud said slapping her away. ”You clearly have no idea how to use that weapon...”

”Screw you,” Ken said bringing her hand down and punching Cloud across the face. The Blind teen stepped back clutching his bloody nose as he glared at her with his unseeing eyes.

Cloud raised his hand as a dark green mist came out of his palm. The floor beneath him began to get eaten away as it bubbled and dissolved as the sickly green mist rolled over it breaking it apart.

”What the hell? Acid mist? That is so unfair!” Ken complained as she jumped back avoiding the mist.

”Well, my Attribute is pretty powerful,” Cloud stated. ”Not only can I create and control mist, but I can also mess with its properties. In this case, I have given the mist the property of acid.”

Ken frowned as she brought her sheathed sword up. ”Well, then I'll simply have to get rid of that mist of yours...” She stated. A red outline coated her weapon as she suddenly slammed it down as hard as she could. The force was so strong that it actually seemed to tear straight through the air sending out a massive shock wave that parted the mist.

Cloud gritted his teeth as he stabbed his metal cane into the ground using it to stop himself from being blown back from the attack. ”That's some strength that you are packing in that tiny body...”

”F.u.c.k you! You can't even see how short I am you asshole!”

Cloud simply smirked as he brought his cane up. ”Your power. It is a physical enhancement correct?”

”I guess you could say that,” Ken said shrugging. ”Its called Amplifier.” She stated. ”To put it simply I can amplify an object or part of my body to a set amount. For example. If I was to hold a bat I could amplify its durability making it harder. Or I could amplify its bluntness. If I had a blade I can amplify how sharp it is. With it, I can make even a dulled blade sharper than anything found on this planet. Using that power on my body I can increase my speed, my strength, and even the rate at which I heal. Although it does have a cost. The ability requires quite a lot of energy to maintain. And if I don't have the energy it will begin to drain it from my body...”

”I guess that explains why you're so short...”

”I'm gonna kill you-”

”You overused your power as a kid, and the result was you never got the proper nutrients before it was too late. And here I was thinking you had a strong ability-”

”Screw you!” Ken yelled out running forward. The girl almost seems to teleport as she appeared in front of Cloud swinging her weapon up.

Cloud was ready for it though and brought his cane down clashing with her. The two fighters slashed at each other with their weapons as they clashed again, and again. Neither one of them being able to break through the other one's defense.

Cloud gritted his teeth as he was actually forced to slide back with every swing Ken threw at him. His arms began to shake from the intense force from every strike. The blind teen smirked for a second as he brought his head back.

”What are you-” Ken began only to be stopped when Cloud threw his body forward viciously head butting the girl. Ken gasped out in shock as she slipped back. Cloud quickly saw this as his chance as he struck bringing his cane down onto the girl's head.

Ken hissed in pain as she brought her fist up slamming it straight into Clouds gut stabbing her hand into his gut hard enough to actually break some skin.

The two fighters slid back from each other as Cloud held his stomach. ”N-Not bad. I'll have to get serious...” Cloud coughed out.

”Screw you. I don't even need to try yet.” Ken gasped out clutching her head slightly.

Cloud simply smirked. ”I'm sure you will...”