Chapter 4: New Rivals and Allies

The battlefield was chaos. Students fought desperately, summoning their XO Beasts while others failed and were eliminated on the spot. The entrance exam was brutal, just as Free and Shawn had expected.

Free ducked under a lunging XO Beast, its claws barely missing his face. He rolled to the side, feeling the heat of the battle all around him. Shawn was right beside him, eyes sharp as he analyzed their opponents.

"We need to take one down quickly," Shawn muttered.

Free nodded. "I have an idea."

As another XO Beast—a massive, ape-like creature with glowing blue veins—charged toward them, Free activated his card for the first time. A burst of light exploded from his hand, and in a flash, a wolf-like XO Beast materialized beside him. Its black fur shimmered with an eerie glow, and its golden eyes locked onto the approaching enemy.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"A Shadow Fang?" one student whispered.

Shawn smirked. "Looks like we got lucky."

Without hesitation, Free commanded the Shadow Fang forward. The wolf lunged with supernatural speed, dodging the ape's attack before sinking its fangs into its shoulder. The ape howled, but Free didn't hesitate—he pulled out a blank XO Card, channeling his energy into it. A swirling vortex opened, sucking the beast inside.

The exam proctor nodded in approval. "Not bad."

The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the trial. Many students had failed, but Free and Shawn stood victorious.

As the students caught their breath, a loud voice rang out.

"You got lucky, street rats."

Free turned to see a tall, muscular student with slicked-back brown hair and a smirk of superiority. Behind him stood a girl with long silver hair, her piercing blue eyes unreadable.

"I'm Leon," the boy continued, crossing his arms. "And that's Luna. Don't think for a second that just because you made it past the first trial, you belong here."

Shawn scoffed. "We belong here more than you."

Leon smirked. "We'll see about that."