Nightmares, and Ravens

The battle started within the second they drew their weapon. Mathias didn't make short use of his large body, rushing to Team 7 in brutish fashion.

"Here he comes!"

Penguin shouted, taking a quick step back. He drew his silver bow and arrow, the weapon artifact he brought to the test.

Just as he was about to shoot, his expression changed. He ducked to the ground and rolled away as fast as he can.

In his previous position, Latios quietly stood with an unreadable, gloomy expression. His hands were in some sort of sealing sign.

'This feeling... He's powerful!'

Penguin breathed nervously as he put his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating louder than usual. He felt intense danger from the man.

This was the first time he felt like he had no chance against someone.

"Little guy, come over here!"

Over Natasha's side, Mathias relentlessly targeted Bruce. He didn't even give a single second of his attention to Natasha or Noah.

Natasha was about to come and fight him, but a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her from coming forward.

"I'll handle this."

Bruce spoke without any room for objection. He cracked his neck twice and went on to confront Mathias, not waiting for her reply.

Natasha was stunned, immediately looking to the middle where they both ran to each other. Oh no! Bruce!

Although Bruce said he would rely on Natasha to win, he preferred fighting his own battles. It struck a wrong chord in him to let Natasha fight for the consequences of his actions.

Mathias grinned cruelly, excited. He clenched his fist and thrust it forwards, a powerful force gathering around it.

This was his ability—[Fist Under The Sky]—letting him increase the overall output of his fists massively. One strike from his fist can reduce a house to rubble.

Bruce pupils dilated, immediately coming to a stop. He assumed a stance, gathering aura around his fist as a power pressure erupted from him.

His breathing changed, becoming more powerful and noticeable.

When Mathias' fist neared, he struck a punch of his own, causing both fists to collide with a thundering sound.

Boom!

Mathias lost all of his arrogance, feeling shocked internally. Their strength... was equal? No, that was... impossible!

Natasha watched in amazement as Bruce traded blows with Mathias. She didn't expect him to be so strong. This was unbelievable!

Mathias Glorious was considered to be the strongest in the entire freshman year when it came to physical strength.

No one, except a few, rivaled him in the realm of raw, physical power.

But... Bruce he... Natasha's hand clenched, feeling relieved. She could leave Mathias to him. She turned around and stared at Latios.

"I'll take care of the other one."

Woosh!

Natasha's body moved like the wind, becoming a dark fading blur. She was like a raven who was finally freed from its caged existence.

The Raven Clan held a mysterious, forbidden level technique that made everyone fear them...

It was called [A Crow's Wailing].

Natasha, for a brief moment, was like a raven. Her back seemed to have sprouted faint, black feathered wings as her speed increased greatly.

Leaving a trail of black feathers, she appeared

behind Latios in an instant, like the God of Death herself.

Then, with a beautiful, deadly grace, she swung her Black Scythe.

Woosh!

It only took five seconds. The time Latios took to blink. If he didn't have excellent senses, he was sure he might've been incapitated.

Unleashing his talent, he moved his hand slightly and spoke hoarsely.

"Nightmare."

At that moment, Natasha and Penguin paused, staring into the air blankly. They were left at a daze, fear overcoming their expressions.

It was as if they had seen the most terrifying thing in their entire life.

Latios saw their eyes and sighed in relief. But it wasn't over yet. The world around his eyes changed, showing two tall familiar figures.

He bit his lips, clenching his hand. His ability was called [Nightmare], putting everyone nearby in a terrifying illusion.

It was powerful, but he rarely used it because he was also affected.

Looking at the two figures in front of him, he let out a sigh before moving away from his position. Different from others, his nightmares no longer scared him, but empowered him instead.

Woosh!

"Down so quickly?"

Bruce saw Natasha and Penguin's state, frowning. But he didn't help them. If they couldn't survive this first challenge, they might as well be eliminated here and now.

It would spare him the trouble of this test and let him have a good, long rest in his apartment. That would be nice.

Seeing that Bruce was distracted, Mathias' eyes burned in anger. He clenched both of his fists and unleashed a barrage of punches.

Woosh!

Bruce activated Time Dilation, slowing everything around him. He could see the punches very clearly as if they were in slow motion.

Walking around Mathias' back, he clenched his fist and gathered aura around his arm once more. Soon, the time dilation wore off, restoring time to its normal state.

Mathias looked in front of him in disbelief. He hurriedly moved his eyes through the battlefield, looking for Bruce.

But unfortunately, the man was gone. It was as if he vanished completely...

But!

Boom!

A strong, powerful force struck him from behind with a thundering boom, causing a shockwave that blew the wind around the field.

Mathias' mouth and eyes widened in pain as he was blown a several feet away, landing on the ground pathetically.

Thud!

Bruce clapped his hand together, dusting them off. He turned his attention to Natasha and Penguin's side in the battlefield, his eyes widening in surprise.

Before he knew it, Latios had his hands up while surrounded by three of his teammates. A scythe on his neck. A bow pointed at his head, and a floating ball of fire that targeted his body.

Latios looked at both Penguin and Noah, seemingly puzzled. He understood that Natasha was able to escape the illusion quickly...

But Penguin and Noah? Latios was in doubt. How did they escape the illusion so quickly? Did they have strong mental defenses?

'We didn't bring the Banner of Glory, thinking that we could defeat them quickly... but Mathias was apprehended easily. This is bad.'

Latios thought, glancing at Mathias body a few feet away from them. The key to this battle was Bruce: the man was able to defeat Mathias so quickly

Moreover, they also underestimated Natasha.

Even if Latios went all out right now, he had no chance of winning against the four of them. The two were not a problem, but Natasha and Bruce...

'Mathias was eliminated too quickly... How strong is that man?'

He glanced at Bruce apprehensively. They failed miserably, without a doubt. But it wasn't all for naught, they obtained valuable intel.

Letting out a short sigh, Latios activated his [Nightmare] ability once more... but this time in full force.

The three, Natasha, Penguin and Noah, were unable to react. Before they fell in a daze, they were staring at his hands.

Latios hand movement earlier deceived them. In reality, he had no need to move his hands to activate his ability.

It only took a thought.

Seeing that everyone was at a daze, he immediately moved away. The murky forest around him sprouted several shadows.

"You... save us..."

"Help us... your parents..."

"Son of devils... die... die..."

"Hell comes... no matter what..."

The shadows screamed at him, wailing in pain and horror as they slowly crept towards him.

Latios looked at the shadows with an unreadable expression. He had already experienced this scene countless times already, more than he could count.

From fear rose bravery, and most finally, numbness.

He cast a simple pre-evolutionary spell [Shadow Sneak] and appeared in Mathias' position, grabbing the man's body and taking off.

"Interesting."

A voice echoed behind him, freezing him from his tracks. Latios body was rooted on the spot, slowly turning his head around.

Bruce stood a few feet away from him, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at both of them with a fascinated expression.

'How?! How was he not affected?'

Latios expression changed slightly. The full force of [Nightmare] was enough to render most, if not all, pre-evolutionaries senseless.

Even the strongest, the leader on their team, would experience immense struggle before being able to escape his ability.

But... Bruce, the man was smiling as if fear itself was a concept that eluded his very being.

"Interesting, indeed. Go on ahead. Run away."

Bruce said, waving his hands casually.

For a moment, Latios couldn't tell whether the man was pulling his leg or not. But he trusted his words and ran away at the fastest he can!

After a few seconds, his figure disappeared along with Mathias' body.

"There's no point leaving the two of them here. No one is going to guard the two of you from escaping, that would be too much trouble."

Bruce picked on his ears, shaking his head. He looked at Natasha, Penguin, and Noah, who returned to their senses.

"It seems," he smiled softly. "I'm gonna be stuck in this test for a while."

Although brief, Team 7 had won against their first challenge.