Chapter 24: Ten Minutes

"It's time to begin the test!" Dante shouted, seizing the moment of confusion. He quickly blinked behind the kids, teleporting directly behind them and catching them off guard. Both Tyler and Thalia instinctively raised their guards as soon as they heard his voice and sensed his killing intent. Meanwhile, Theo slowly stood up from the fetal position he had been in, presumably now assessing the seriousness of the situation.

"Time's up!" a deep voice boomed behind them. They all recognized the voice, and it sent chills down their spines. "I had no idea you cubs were so full of energy. And to think I was going to allow you 15 more minutes to strategize," Dante said from behind them, his hazel brown eyes glowing with power. His killing intent filled the air as his purple aura raged around him.

"Alright, wolf cubs, it's time to show me that you are ready to graduate from being students at the Apex Institute to becoming full-fledged members of a unit within the Retrieval Corps. This is your only chance to earn a spot on my team."

Dante takes a step forward, increasing his killing intent to the point that it became hard for them to breathe, let alone move and fight. His dark purple aura became fully visible, giving them a glimpse of his full power. Dante drops into a battle stance and places his hand over the hilt of his Katana.

"Now, all of you come at me with the intent to kill and the knowledge that your life is on the line. I want you to come at me as if we were on the cold streets of New Roark, and I was a rogue terrorist hell-bent on destroying this district city. If you can manage to stay conscious by the end of the ten minutes timer, you pass. If, by some miracle, any of you could take the medallion from my neck, then you all pass."

They glanced at each other nervously, realizing the gravity of their situation. Their heart rates quickened as the reality sank in.

"However, if I manage to incapacitate the three of you within the time limit, then you all fail. I want you to know that if you fail, there is no redo or second chance. I will personally make sure you never have an opportunity to join the Retrieval Corps or hold any special assignment in the institute."

Alexander took out a gold stopwatch from his breast pocket and flipped it open.

"I believe you all will succeed; it's important to try your best!" Alexander flashed a crooked smile and gave a thumbs up before starting the stopwatch, setting it to ten minutes."I believe you all will succeed; it's important to try your best!" Alexander flashed a crooked smile and gave a thumbs up before starting the stopwatch, setting it to ten minutes.

Thalia felt a wave of anxiety rising in her stomach, intensified by the palpable tension of Dante's killing intent. His aura enveloped her, making it seem as though she were standing before a mountain whose peak was constantly ascending.

Thalia was honestly scared out of her mind. Dante did not strike her as the type of person to lie, especially when he mentioned that he might never get another opportunity to join or be placed in a special assignment again. Thalia had come far and worked hard to chase her dream of becoming a real relic hunter. Now that the opportunity was in front of her, she refused to let fear hold her back. Ever since she passed out in the vault, she had made up her mind that only death could prevent her from achieving her goals and aspirations.

Determined, Thalia summoned the wind to lift her into the air. She was not going to waste any time or hold anything back. The man before her was the same one she had been pursuing her entire life. He was her goal and the reason she wanted to become a relic hunter in the first place. Thalia pulled out her storm fan and prepared to unleash its wind blades.

Suddenly, Dante used his ring blink to teleport in front of her, catching her off guard and kicking her down, sending her crashing toward the ground.

It seemed Tyler had finally found the courage to join the fight, as Dante barely twisted his body in time to dodge one of Tyler's astral arrows. Still mid-air, Dante blinked and teleported down to the ground right beside Tyler. He swung his sheathed blade at Tyler's temple, but the blade passed directly through Tyler's head, causing him to reel back with the momentum of the swing.

Quickly evaluating the situation, Dante performed a somersault backward to create distance between them. Tyler seized this opportunity to take advantage of their close range and fired another astral arrow. This time, the arrow was smaller but two to three times faster than the previous one. It whistled as it cut through the air. Dante drew his ebony katana just in the nick of time, deflecting the arrow before it could hit him in the sternum.

"Ah, you guys are pretty good! I wasn't expecting to unsheathe "Night Shade" this early in the fight," Dante said, filled with excitement.

Out of the corner of Dante's eye, he saw a blue lightning bolt, the size of a light pole, barreling toward him.

He used Blink to teleport a few meters forward, barely dodging the bolt, when Theo slid underneath him and leaped up, hoping to grab the medallion around Dante's neck. Theo's fingers were only inches from the chain of the medallion when Dante swiftly kicked Theo in the side, knocking him away.

"Darn it, I was so close," Theo cursed under his breath as Thalia flew up behind him.

"It's okay. We just need to apply more pressure. We'll get it next time, and at this rate, we may even knock him out altogether," Thalia said, floating behind him.

"Don't get cocky just yet. Have either of you noticed that he has yet to outright attack us? He's only been defending himself from our attacks. Be on guard. Let's charge in again!" Tyler said, pulling back the string of his astral bow.

The three of them charged in together. This time, Tyler unleashed a volley of short bursts of small astral arrows. Dante performed a series of somersaults combined with short-distance teleportation to dodge the onslaught of arrows. Thalia charged up her Storm Fan and successfully released a volley of wind blades. Dante did not avoid them this time but instead dropped into a sword-drawing stance.

"These pesky wind blades are starting to get annoying," Dante said as he quickly re-sheathed his black katana.

"First stance: Crouching Tiger claw!"

Dante drew his katana with inhuman speed, unleashing a shockwave of purple aura that took the shape of five claws. The purple aura collided with Thalia's wind blades, redirecting their trajectory and sending them crashing into the dome's walls. The impact shook the dome, and the vortex of wind disrupted Thalia's balance, causing her to plummet uncontrollably toward the ground. Dante noticed Theo charging sooner this time and quickly turned to rush toward him.

Theo shouted, "Give me Great Shield!" which caused Dante to pause momentarily. He was fortunate that Theo announced his move with such a loud call. Dante jumped back just in time to avoid the massive shield's impact.

Suddenly, an astral arrow the size of a small comet was hurled straight toward Dante's landing spot.

With no time to dodge, Dante activated the power of his second relic, a jet-black cloak called the Cloak of Nightingale. The long coat expanded to envelop him in a protective barrier. As the blast struck, the force sent him flying backward, but he quickly regained his balance and landed on his feet. To slow himself down, he pushed the sheath of his katana into the ground, ultimately coming to a complete stop.

At this point, Dante had to admit that fighting three mythic-ranked contractors was proving to be quite difficult, especially while trying to use nonlethal force. It didn't help that Theo and Tyler made a fantastic team; their coordinated attacks made Dante wonder if they had battled together before today.

"Alright, enough playing around!"

Dante's aura enveloped his body, branching outward as its purple hue sharpened. The ground beneath his feet crumbled as he pushed off into a full sprint toward Theo.

Ready for the assault, Theo called for his shield once more, but Dante used Blink to teleport in the opposite direction at the last moment. Tyler released another comet-sized astral arrow aimed at where Dante would have retreated if their combo had succeeded. However, Dante had already positioned himself directly behind Tyler.

"That bow comes with some terrifying powers, but it has one glaring weakness. After firing a large arrow, there is a 5 to 8-second interval during which the user cannot move and is vulnerable to attack."

Dante swung the blunt side of his katana, hitting Tyler hard enough to send him flying and tumbling across the dome. "Okay, now we are getting somewhere. One down, two to go!"

Dante scanned the area to locate Thalia. He figured she was hiding somewhere, likely nursing her wounds after her fall from such a height. He spotted her across the field, gripping her arm in pain. He dashed toward her, but Theo stepped into his path, dropping a shield where he anticipated Dante would step. However, Dante jumped just as the shield came down, using its impact to propel himself over Theo.

"I'll deal with the minor annoyance last. Just sit tight; you'll get your turn."

Dante approached Thalia like a blur, teleporting around and over the massive shields summoned in his path. When she saw him coming, she tried to retreat into the sky before he could reach her. As he got closer, Dante noticed that she was clutching her arm, which seemed to be dislocated from her earlier fall.

However, Thalia wasn't finished. She summoned the strength to conjure lightning, but her body was in no condition to be its conduit. Instead, she planned to beckon it down from the sky. The sky darkened, the clouds rolled overhead, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Thalia, there is no doubt about your power. Honestly, your powers are the most dangerous among the three of you. However, your weaknesses are quite obvious.

Thalia ignored him and focused on gathering the electricity into one spot. She struggled to lift her arm, but she needed to position the storm fan to act as a conductor. Her goal was to turn it into a makeshift lightning rod. Thalia waited until she had accumulated enough electricity before thrusting all of it toward Dante.

Dante made no attempt to dodge or move; instead, he watched in awe as the vibrant blue streams of electricity descended toward him. Just before they reached him, he sprang upward, using his blink ability to teleport right in front of her.

Dante grabbed Thalia's already injured arm and forcefully pushed it down toward the ground. Thalia screamed in pain as he held her wounded arm behind her back, forcing her to bend forward. Theo sprinted toward his sister, shouting for Dante to release her.

"Release her right now! She can no longer fight."

Dante looked down at Thalia, who was now crying from the pain. "Is that true? Can you no longer continue? Are you surrendering and forfeiting?" Dante asked her.

Thalia, silently cried out and shook her head defiantly.

"I didn't think so." Dante pulled her arm back and, with a pop, pushed her dislocated shoulder back into its socket. Thalia let out blood curdling scream, followed by a series of soft whimpers.

"What about now? Are you ready to surrender and forfeit?"

Theo was finally within range of Dante. He attempted to tackle Dante off Thalia but received a sharp kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Theo couldn't help but cry out in pain from the blow.

"Is that all your made of, boy? Your sister has more fighting spirit than you, even in her pathetic state. She is still willing to suffer to achieve her goals. Will you lay there and allow your sister and comrades to suffer?"

Theo sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. The air around them shifted, swirling like a vortex of pressure and setting a very ominous tone. A sinister, demonic red aura began to manifest around Theo's small frame, growing in size and intensity. Clenching his fist and grinding his teeth, he walked toward Dante.

"I won't say it again. Let her go! While I am still in control." A deep, ancient tone now overshadowed Theo's usual small and timid voice.