Atlas Vs Aiden
"Well, this is awkward," Felix muttered, gripping his weapon tightly.
"Stay focused," Aiden said, his amethyst eyes narrowing as he studied Atlas. The golden-haired leader of the other team stood with his arms crossed, his piercing gaze unwavering.
Atlas smirked. "So, we finally meet, Aiden Cross. I've been hearing things about you."
"Can't say the same," Aiden replied coolly. "But if you want our flags, you'll have to fight for them."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Atlas said, unsheathing his sword in a fluid motion. The blade shimmered in the sunlight, radiating a faint golden aura.
The tension snapped like a taut wire as both teams surged forward, the clearing erupting into chaos.
Aiden found himself face-to-face with Atlas. The two exchanged no words, only focused stares as they closed the distance between them. Aiden touched the ground with his palm, activating Overhaul. The earth beneath Atlas erupted in a fan-shaped array of sharp spikes.
Atlas reacted instantly, leaping into the air with grace. While airborne, he unsheathed his sword with one hand and conjured a flame spell with the other. His blade became engulfed in a fiery aura as he swung mid-air, sending a blazing arc of fire straight toward Aiden. The ground beneath the flame scorched and cracked as the projectile shot forward.
Aiden's hand slammed onto the ground again, reshaping the earth into a thick wall of stone that shielded him from the oncoming attack. The flames struck the wall with a deafening roar, sending sparks and ash flying. Rolling to the side, Aiden spotted a boulder and dashed toward it. Using Overhaul, he transformed the rock into a sleek stone spear.
The clash began in earnest. Aiden thrust his spear toward Atlas, who deflected it with his sword. The sound of metal clashing against stone echoed through the forest as the two exchanged a flurry of attacks. Sparks flew with every strike, neither gaining the upper hand. Mid-swing, Aiden altered the spear into a heavy mace, catching Atlas' blade mid-attack. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, forcing Atlas to stagger back three steps.
Atlas' expression hardened as he conjured ice magic with his free hand. The ground around Aiden froze, binding his legs in place. Without hesitation, Aiden swung his mace downward, shattering the ice in a single blow. Atlas charged forward, sword ready to strike. Aiden quickly reshaped his mace into a broad shield, meeting the sword with a loud clang.
Nearby, Elena was locked in battle with Luna. The mysterious transfer student moved with eerie precision, her shadow magic creating tendrils that lashed out at Elena. Each tendril forced Elena to conjure defensive barriers of wind magic, deflecting the attacks with sharp gusts.
"You're holding back," Luna said, her voice calm and almost taunting.
"And you're underestimating me," Elena retorted. She thrust her hands forward, summoning a powerful gust of wind that forced Luna to retreat. Without pausing, Elena followed up with a crackling bolt of lightning that streaked through the air. Luna countered with a barrier of shadows, but the lightning struck through, forcing her to dodge.
Elena smirked. "Still think I'm holding back?" She raised both hands, combining wind and lightning magic into a spiraling storm of electricity that shot toward Luna. The ground quaked as the spell exploded upon impact, sending Luna skidding backward.
Back with Aiden and Atlas, the battle raged on. Atlas pressed forward, his sword moving with relentless precision. Aiden raised his shield and shoved it toward Atlas, forcing him to stagger. Seizing the opportunity, Aiden reshaped the shield into a blade and launched an offensive. The two exchanged strikes once more, their movements a blur of steel and stone.
As the fight continued, Aiden altered his blade into a gauntlet, taking on a boxing stance. He deflected Atlas' sword strikes with precise blocks, weaving around each attack. With a swift pivot, Aiden delivered a right hook to Atlas' ribs, causing him to grunt in pain. Atlas retaliated with a downward slash, but Aiden sidestepped, pivoting on his foot to land a left hook aimed at Atlas' head. Atlas managed to block with his sword, though the impact forced him back three steps.
Atlas stared at Aiden, his expression a mix of surprise and intrigue. "That fighting style… it's not normal."
Aiden smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Let's just say I'm full of surprises."
Before they could resume their fight, a low rumble shook the ground. Both fighters paused, their eyes darting toward the forest. The tremors grew stronger, the trees swaying violently as heavy footsteps echoed through the air.
"What the…?" Atlas muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.
In Aiden's mind, alarms were blaring. Here comes the first main story mini-boss, he thought. Should I just escape and avoid meddling with the main characters?
Before he could decide, a system notification appeared before him:
[Mission: Defeat the Forest King] [Reward: Skill Upgrade]
Aiden groaned internally. For God's sake, I just want to live peacefully, he thought. Still, the promise of a reward was hard to ignore.
The tremors grew stronger, the ground splitting in places as the source of the disturbance finally emerged. From the dense foliage, a massive creature stepped into the clearing. Standing at seven meters tall, the beast was a monstrous boar with three jagged horns protruding from its face. Its dark, matted fur bristled as it let out a deafening roar, shaking the ground and sending birds scattering from the trees.
Dust and leaves flew as the beast stomped forward, its glowing red eyes locking onto the students. The sound of its heavy breathing filled the air, each exhale like a gust of wind. All the students instinctively covered their ears as the roar reverberated through the clearing.
Aiden clenched his fists, his mind racing. Alright, let's do this.