Chapter 209: The Last Day (2)

Back inside the Ashen Crown Hunting Grounds, the Crownheart exploded.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A shockwave tore across the battlefield. Students were launched through the air. Trees were flattened, and the ground split apart.

Wilson slammed into the earth and rolled several meters before recovering. An Aurelia Heights student crashed into a tree. Ironvale’s formation was scattered as the Crownheart collapsed.

Something emerged from beneath it.

A gigantic hand pierced through the earth, black, armored, and covered in glowing red cracks. It gripped the ground.

Then another hand appeared. Something pulled itself upward. The enormous figure slowly rose from beneath the ruins.

It was humanoid.

It stood nearly three meters tall, its body covered in dark gray skin with metallic-looking plates along its shoulders, chest, and limbs.

Its proportions were almost human, but there was something profoundly unnatural about it. Its body was covered in faint crimson lines that pulsed like veins.

Its face was expressionless, eyes completely black, and in the center of its forehead was a small red mark. The remaining restraints around its body began snapping.

The final restraint fell, and the creature slowly raised its head.

***

A monitoring window appeared inside the organizers’ control system.

[Artificial Combat Entity]

[Designation: Prototype-01]

[Classification: Humanoid]

[Estimated Rank: A-Rank]

[Combat Purpose: Final Battle Evaluation]

[Status: Active]

The control room erupted.

"Who activated it?!"

"I don’t know!"

"Shut it down!"

"We’re trying!"

"Why isn’t it responding?!"

The director stared at the monitor.

"That’s enough."

Everyone looked at him.

"Override the system."

"We already did."

"And?"

The technician hesitated.

"It rejected the override."

Silence.

The director slowly looked back at the battlefield.

"What did we create?"

***

The students had no idea. All they knew was that something had entered their battlefield. The creature looked around, its eyes moving across the remaining academies.

It moved.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

One punch. An entire group of students was launched across the battlefield. Ironvale’s defensive line shattered. Three students crashed into the ground, a white light swallowing them instantly.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

The creature disappeared.

BOOM!

Another student went flying.

BOOM!

Another.

It wasn’t particularly fast compared to the strongest students. It wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful either, but it was strong- extremely strong.

It was an A-Rank, and unlike the exhausted students surrounding it, it hadn’t spent three days fighting. It had been waiting.

The creature charged toward Silverlake. A barrage of energy projectiles struck it.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The smoke cleared, and it was still standing. A Silverlake student swallowed.

"It’s an A-Rank..."

Another student shouted.

"Spread out!"

The creature suddenly punched the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

The shockwave threw everyone backward. Saint Meridian’s formation broke, Aurelia Heights scattered, and Gravemont’s frontline collapsed.

The tournament had become chaos once again, but this time, the academies weren’t fighting each other. They were fighting the same enemy.

Wilson slowly stood. He looked toward the creature. Then toward the other academies.

"Everyone!" His voice cut through the battlefield.

The students turned.

"We can’t fight it individually!"

An Ironvale student wiped blood from his mouth.

"Then what?"

Wilson tightened his grip.

"We work together."

Nobody argued, because they all understood. This wasn’t about winning anymore. It was about putting down the A-Rank entity before it eliminated everyone.

Ironvale formed the frontline, and Gravemont joined them. Aurelia Heights attacked from the flank, while Silverlake provided ranged support. Saint Meridian kept everyone alive, Ravencrest disappeared into the shadows, and Erovile moved directly toward the creature.

Wilson looked toward the others.

"Now!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The combined attack struck- dozens of abilities collided against the humanoid entity. The explosion swallowed the battlefield.

For several seconds, there was nothing. Then a figure emerged from the smoke. The entity staggered. A crack had appeared across its chest.

Wilson’s eyes sharpened.

"It’s damaged!"

Lucian understood immediately.

"Again!"

The academies attacked.

This time, they didn’t hold anything back. Ironvale’s frontline pinned it down, while Gravemont hammered its defenses. Aurelia Heights attacked its exposed side, and Silverlake bombarded it from range.

Ravencrest struck its blind spots, Saint Meridian maintained the others, and Erovile waited.

Wilson watched. He waited for one opening- just one mistake. The entity swung at Ironvale’s leader, but he blocked, and his shield shattered.

He stumbled, and the creature raised its fist.

Wilson moved.

"NOW!"

He launched himself forward. His attack struck the creature directly in the damaged section of its chest.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The crack spread, and the entity froze. Ironvale’s leader understood.

"EVERYONE!"

The entire battlefield responded. Every remaining student attacked the same point.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion was enormous, causing the earth to collapse beneath them. The shockwave tore through the surrounding forest, and the creature was launched backward, crashing through the ruins of the Crownheart.

Silence engulfed the battlefield. Nobody moved. Then, the entity’s body twitched and stopped. A monitoring window appeared.

[Prototype-01]

[Combat Capability: Depleted]

[Core Integrity: 3%]

[Status: DEFEATED]

The battlefield went silent. The students stared. Ironvale’s leader slowly raised his head. They had done it. The impossible had happened.

The seven academies had temporarily put aside their rivalry and defeated an A-Rank artificial combat entity together.

Then the final objective notification appeared.

[CENTRAL CONTROL TOWER ACCESS: UNLOCKED]

Everyone looked toward the tower, but Ironvale was already moving. Their leader looked at his exhausted teammates.

"Move."

They ran.

Nobody stopped them. The other academies were too injured, too exhausted, and perhaps, after everything that had happened, they simply accepted what was about to happen.

Ironvale reached the Central Control Tower, and Lucian placed his hand against the control panel, and a mechanical voice echoed throughout the Ashen Crown Hunting Grounds.

[Academy identification confirmed.]

[Ironvale Academy.]

[Central Control Tower secured.]

The massive screens surrounding City B suddenly changed.

[CITY B QUALIFIER - COMPLETE!]

[WINNER: IRONVALE ACADEMY]

[IRONVALE ACADEMY HAS QUALIFIED FOR THE REGIONAL SELECTION.]

The stadium erupted. Cheers thundered through the stands. Ironvale’s remaining students just stood there, exhausted, bloodied, and bruised, but victorious.

The organizers began shutting down the Ashen Crown Hunting Grounds. Medical teams rushed inside, students were evacuated, and the artificial monsters were recalled.

The observation drones descended, while the gates opened. For the first time in three days, the Ashen Crown Hunting Grounds became quiet.

City B had its champion, Ironvale Academy, and with that, the City B Qualifiers came to an end.