Humanity's Last Hope

Chapter 6: Phase Two

"Now, now... What should I do...?" muttered Dusk with a smile on his face.

"Why don't you attack?! Don't underestimate me!" shouted Hikari

 He then approached Dusk with his sword, making him defend once again. He shot directly the defensive magic circle Dusk used and finally, he broke it...

"You did it! Now, since my defence is down, I think I will start fighting too!"

 And then, Dusk finally started using his magic for attacking, instead of defending. He cast the first attack spell of this match with EZ, ready to defeat Hikari.

 Magic: Death Claw

However, Hikari managed to break that spell with a single swing of his sword. But right after that, Dusk got in close range with him and delivered a strong punch to Hikari's jaw.

 Hikari took a few steps backwards, then wiping away some of the blood that dripped from a corner of his mouth, he said:

"So you started fighting, huh?"

 But Dusk didn't wait for this monologue to end since he started approaching Hikari once more.

Magic: Freeze Mark

With this spell, Dusk created a magical mark on the ground that gave Hikari a negative effect called freeze.

"How do you like my freeze mark? Chilling, right?" said Dusk while laughing.

"That's just... The worst joke I've ever heard!" then Hikari continues with: "It is cold, but I can handle it..."

Hikari then powers up his light sword and heats the area a bit... He neutralized the freeze mark effect that way.

"To be honest... I could use my strong magic now... But I will probably get a punishment that I can't handle from some devil if I do so..."

 Meanwhile, while in the supervising room, the principal sneezed once thinking: "What are those guys saying? I can't hear them..."

"So, I'll finish this without magic..."

 And just then, Dusk finally called for his weapon, for the first time in front of Hikari.

"What is that big thingy over there?" asked Hikari

"Your death my friend..."

 Dusk then stopped using magic to attack, but instead, he powered up his speed with the magic and then approached Hikari with what looked like... A scythe... He started delivering strikes to Hikari, but he managed to evade them all 'till this point.

"To be honest, I didn't use a scythe in my life..."

"I can see it..."

 Then, from the handle of the scythe, a dark magic chain with a big blade on the end appeared. Dusk started throwing the blade at Hikari and defended with the scythe.

"When did you get that good with it?! You literally just bought it for god sake!"

"Umm... A-Adrenaline, maybe?" says Dusk while smiling.

 While getting overwhelmed by Dusk's continuous wave of attacks, Hikari finally got an idea.

"Okay, it's time to get serious as well..."

 Then. Hikari chooses to put the gun back, and instead, he drew out yet another light sword.

"Umm... What?" says Dusk dumbfounded.

"Don't even ask! I paid for this!"

 Hikari approaches Dusk with blinding speed. However, Dusk stopped him and countered his attack with the scythe. Then he ran towards Hikari with the blade in his hand... Hikari also ran with his swords towards Dusk and now, the two of them were ready to launch an attack... But just then, they hear an alarm...

"And it is over! The exam's winner is- Class A with 0 casualties!"

 Dusk instantly made his scythe disappear and then smiling, he said:

"Well, I think it can't be helped... This was a good fight!" 

"No... In a real situation, you would've won. Look around you... And in the end, your blade was 10 centimetres close to my neck, while mine was 12 to yours... You also moved with 5 Km/h faster than me..." explained Hikari

"Dude... Are you insane?! How did you figure that out?!"

 Then, from the sky, a loud sound could be heard... Looking up, Dusk and Hikari witnessed a helicopter approaching... And from that helicopter, the principal jumped at once, landing perfectly on the ground.

"It was a good fight brat... But Hikari... Why did you not beat him?! And Dusk... Why did you use such a small amount of power?!" he shouted upon landing from the helicopter.

"You said to restrain myself!" shouted Dusk

"You couldn't kill him for real! You could've abused this! Anyway... The other students went back to the ship by now..."

"Wait! So you mean you allowed him to kill me?!" shouted Hikari

"Basically, yes... Now get back to the ship. We have something to talk about this competition..."

 While on the ship, everyone had a moment of silence for all the students killed by the disguised killer: Kazami Satoshi. He was taken to the military prison after the exam...

"If you came here without the thought that you could actually die, your place is not the army!" shouted the principal while facing the rest of the students that were either sobbing or just really saddened by their comrades' deaths.

 Afterwards, all the present students went to the meeting hall of the ship, since another important announcement had to be made. After arriving there, the principal got the attention of everyone and then said:

"As much as I'd like to congratulate Class A for winning this special exam, I just can't... The way they played might be the best strategy to win an exam, but in war, that would not help anyone... That's why... There is no winner by now! Tomorrow, we'll enter phase two of the exam! We will have Class A fight against... Dusk Aome and Hikari Ianku! A two-man against an entire class, let's see how you act kids! That's all!" and just like this, he turned back and left the meeting hall, leaving all the present students with their complaints and anger.

"Wait, what? Why?" asked Dusk and then he faced Hikari asking him as well: "Did you know this will happen?"

"Not really knew... But kinda expected it..." he replied.

"And also, now that I think of it... How did you get the money for a second sword and the guns?!"

"Do you really think the principal hired me to supervise you for free...?"

"And... What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"We are going to win and I think that's clear... After all, if I get those A grades, I can sleep easily in class... Now, please excuse me, but I am going to bed..." said Hikari

--- In that night, Hikari stayed a few more hours, making strategies and unfortunately, he fell asleep...

Then at 02:00 AM...

Both Dusk and Hikari woke up at the same time and shouted:

"I need to train!" shouted Dusk

"I need a new strategy!" shouted Hikari

Then the two of them stared at each other for two seconds straight, without saying anything.

"How big were the chances for us to wake up at the same time?" asks Paul quietly

"Maybe the fate..." says Hikari

"Well, screw fate... I am going to train..."

"Wait... I am coming with you... If you want to make a proper strategy, I have to see how you fight more..." says Hikari

"Do as you wish..."

On the cruise ship's training field, just the night before disembarking on the island, Dusk started his training, while Hikari analyzed his fighting style and starts making strategies and sceneries.

Then the next day...

"The match between Class A and Aome Ianku team may begin!" shouted the announcer of the second phase of the exam.

 The competition started, but before that, the principal gave both Dusk and Hikari an advantage since they were still really outnumbered. They got on the island 15 minutes earlier than Class A did...

 In that small time they got, the two of them revised their strategies...

"Good, now... What plan would you like?" asked Hikari who then continued explaining them once again: "The plan A where we go together and use team play. It would be better since my strategies and your firepower together might win against sheer numbers... Or plan B where we go our separate ways, but it's a high risk, high reward..."

"I've got an idea..." then says Dusk

 And after the two of them talked for some more minutes, the competition started for real, with Class A deployed on the island.

"Hope your plan will work..." says Hikari while running through the forest.

 It seems like Dusk and Hikari chose to go on their separate ways...

"I wonder what plan those brats made to beat class A," says the principal that was carefully watching over their exam.

Class A has 23 students, being the largest class from the first year... Not even 5 minutes have passed since the competition started, and we can already hear a kill announcement...

"Kanata Yuno has been "killed" by Hikari Ianku!"

"This plan might really work... Class A is really underestimating us and overestimating our powers. So they chose to go in small teams or even solo..." thought Hikari

"Two students from Class A were eliminated by Dusk Aome!"

 The competition went on just like this, with Dusk and Hikari eliminating every member of Class A that they could get their hands on. Hikari goes silently through the forest and assassinates silently, while Dusk goes for more reckless approaches and kills entire groups of people with large radius magic... And just like this, Class A had just 10 more students remaining...

"Sanada Cana was eliminated by Hikari Ianku!"

 But after getting this kill, Hikari witnesses another student approaching him while talking...

"Why would you choose to go separate ways...?" asks the Class A student that just arrived in front of Hikari. 

"Hmm? But it worked, right?"

 Then Hikari turns around and readies his sword.

"It's an honour to meet you, Hikari Ianku... The best normal class student."

"So you've heard of me?"

"Yes, I am Mikage Hakuren. Class A Discipline responsible."

"Oh, so you must be strong then..."

 But then, Hikari could hear yet another person in the bushes approaching them...

"If he is one of the strong students in this class, it is clear that some of them are following him... I can hear them... They are not going to attack me, but if I beat him up, they sure will..." thinks Hikari

 And then, he charged towards Mikage with his sword at high speed... But then, up to his surprise, he got stopped by... Two lightsabers that were exactly like his... The sword collision being quickly followed up by a loud screech...

"This sound had a short length... I don't even know where it came from..." thinks Dusk from afar.

"So this is your power then...?" asks Hikari

"Shadow magic, weaponry copy... I can copy my opponent's weapons and their properties as well... And god damn, those weapons are expensive you know?" says Mikage

"Yeah, I know..." and then, Hikari forces Mikage to take a step back.

 The two of them started to duel, but Hikari instantly found out what the downside of Mikage's skill was...

"You are impressive... But can you copy this?" Hikari takes out his gun and then ran towards Mikage. Then, from not paying attention, he fell onto the ground and fired a bullet in the sky...

 Mikage doesn't even understand how he should react seeing this... He stood, dumbfounded on the spot...

"I could finish this battle quickly... But the other ones from the bushes will jump on me... I have to drag the fight a bit so he can come..." thinks Hikari

"So... You know your power's disadvantage, right?" asks Hikari

"My power's disadvantage... Is the disadvantage if your weapons of course..."

"True, but that's not what I mean..."

 Hikari then approached with blinding speed and put his sword on Mikage's neck...

"Experience... It is impossible for you to use them better than me..." says Hikari

 And then, with a small move, he eliminated Mikage...

"Mikage Hakuren was "killed" by Hikari Ianku!"

 Then, at that moment, 3 more students attacked Hikari from the bushes just as he predicted... However, they got easily eliminated by one fast dark attack...

"Three students from Class A got "killed" by Dusk Aome!"

"Good signal... For a moment I thought that you were so i***t that you wanted the other students to find you..." said Dusk

 And after that, Dusk and Hikari go on their separate ways once again...