Maybe he wasing up with excuses just to fight them.


    In truth, there was something lingering in his mind.


    And it was,


    ….He wanted to smoke them.


    Rolling his sleeves up, he then pulled his gloves, fastening it. Feeling the ring on his finger, he felt his body lighten as if he could stretch his muscles.


    Swoosh—!


    Immediately, Brandon''s figure blurred away as he grabbed the pathways, appearing right before Raven.


    Bang—!


    The two''s fist''s collided, sending shockwaves as if the air had been distorted by a single exchange.


    Brandon immediately leapt back, setting a fixed distance from Raven. But it was then when he felt his senses disorientated. Or most probably his hearing?


    Was he hearing right?


    He could hear a couple of footsteps around him, but as his eyes abruptly flicked all around, there was nothing.


    Most likely Sarah''s ability.


    To think she could create such realistic auditory hallucinations.


    Maybe he had too many expectations for herbat capabilities. Clearly, she seemed to excel in support.


    And that was his assessment of Sarah.


    Boom!


    All of a sudden, explosions rang from the corner. Crackling mes ignited, obscuring his vision as it sent tremors, shaking the ground with intensity.


    A hand engulfed in mes appeared right before his peripheral vision, only for Brandon to twist his body to the side, barely dodging Reinhard''s attack.


    At the same time, Brandon felt a sharp, heavy pain in his stomach, right before he noticed Raven''s fist imnted right in his abdomen, sending him hurling back several distances away.


    Just as he was about tond on his feet, water bullets pierced right through his leg in rapid sessions. Condensing with purple electricity, his drenched figure spasmed spontaneously.


    Abo attack between Amy and ire, perhaps?


    "Khh…!"


    Boom—!


    Sensing Reinhard rushing towards him, as mes loomed around him, he was about to grab the pathways, when he realized his legs had been encapsted in ice, swiftly crawling up to his waist.


    Boom—!


    An explosion resounded, and Brandon gritted his teeth as he was sent flying upwards.


    While recovering from the pain that had just urred, he felt the back of his head mmed, and Brandon was sent flying down, crashing hard on the ground.


    "Akh!"


    Spitting out blood, Brandon massaged his head. His hair had alreadye undone and he brushed his bangs back, the ends of his mid-length hair smoothly flowed down.


    This was no sparring session anymore. They were out for his blood, as if they wanted to deny his strength, his dominance over them.


    Brandon couldn''t have that.


    It should''ve been a friendly spar at first, to teach them of the world''s strength, but this….


    He wanted to win.


    Out of sheer pity, Brandon''s figure blurred in that instant, the fog scattering from where he once stood as he appeared right before Reinhard. His fist d in amethyst mes swiftly struck Reinhard''s cheek, sending Reinhard flying back.


    Smoothly swaying the hand that had just struck Reinhard to the side, Brandon felt a light tug on his fist, and as he subtly increased the mana output, his hand moved fast as if disappearing.


    He did not know who he had just hit, just that, he knew his attack worked as he felt the vibrations all over his arm.


    Then, once again, his senses disoriented. No, as of this moment, he could see several silhouettes emerging from the fog. Sending his hand forward, chains shot from the ground, scattering the fog and the silhouette''s.


    However,


    There was nothing.


    "....?"


    "Nice one, Sarah!"


    A scream resounded.


    He surmised that Sarah''s sound illusion was much more immersive than at first nce. The auditory illusion was powerful enough to trick the brain, or more precisely, his sense of sight.


    He had to give her credit for it.


    Sarah was the most annoying opponent at the moment.


    With such thoughts, his first priority was taking Sarah out.


    Swoosh—!


    Before Raven and ire could hit him, Brandon''s figure blurred once again, sending the fog in a scattered manner, and appeared right before Sarah.


    Sarah''s eyes widened at that moment. But it was only for a brief moment, as she sped and twisted her hands together, a veil of sound materialized, and Brandon paused in his attack.


    He felt his ears start to bleed from the static sound, a frequency high enough to make him feel like his eardrums were bleeding.


    "Ukh!"


    A shadow entered his peripheral vision, and he felt his ribcage shatter as he took in the full brunt of Raven''s attack.


    But pain.


    He could handle pain.


    Pain was nothing.


    Gritting his teeth, Brandon recovered before he was sent flying and appeared right behind Raven.


    Catching him off guard, Brandon reached out with his hand. Chains sprouted from the ground,tching onto Raven''s key points. Both of his shoulders, and both of his legs.


    It seemed like he tried to break free from the chain''s hold, it was to no avail as Brandon heavily struck him in rapid session, amethyst mes procuring from his attack, dancing in the air.


    At the moment, Raven had to recover somewhat. Before that could happen, he needed to take out the other variables that would make him lose this fight.


    This fight would''ve been way easier if he used his sword, but he refrained from it. The only one who used a weapon as of this moment was ire, who''s rapier shimmered closely, catching his attention.


    Chains appeared at that moment, easily repelling the tip of ire''s spear. Brandon rushed through the chains and swung down hard at ire, sending her head in collision with the cold, hard, ground.


    BANG—!


    The ground shattered on impact, and ire''s body grew limp.


    She had passed out.


    "That''s one."


    Brandon indifferently muttered.


    Swoosh—!


    Just as his leg was about to be wrapped in water whips, Brandon blurred away and Amy''s figure registered in his sight.


    "You just don''t fit in with this crowd."


    He provoked her. But that was the truth. Amy had contributed the least in this fight.


    Wherever he went, the others would try to follow him. In fact, he could still feel the cold breeze beneath him.


    Rachel was onto him.


    Snow started to congest his body, trying to freeze him, and before he noticed it, his fingers had been affected by frostbites.


    But still…


    Gritting his teeth, Brandon pushed through.


    "Amy!"


    A resounding scream.


    But Brandon was ruthless.


    His fist, dded in amethyst mes ignited as it rushed through the fog. But in that instance, he felt his hand phase through a bubble of water, the sheer speed of his attack decelerating.


    Realizing that, Brandon grabbed the pathways once again, repositioning himself before Amy from another angle.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    A rapid flurry of attacks reached Amy, and she too had passed out on the ground.


    "Two."


    Flicking his head to the side, Brandon reached out and grabbed something.


    "Hua!"


    Rachel gasped in horror as she realized Brandon had grabbed onto her wrist before she could even do anything.


    Brandon pulled Rachel''s arm close and struck her abdomen. In response, Rachel''s saliva spattered in the air.


    Bang! Bang!


    Ruthlessly mashing his fist with her figure, and in thest attack, Brandon let go of her wrist and swung hard for onest attack.


    Bang!


    Rachel''s figure was sent flying in the air and she crashed on the ground soon after.


    "Three."


    "At least go easy on them, man!"


    Raven scolded with a frown as his fist met Brandon''s palm, sending the fog scattering, as the ground trembled from the sheer impact of the exchange.


    "No."


    Brandon shook his head.


    This was training.


    They knew that, which was why they had never asked him to go easy on them.


    Except for Sarah, at least.


    Just as he was about to deal another exchange with Raven, a throbbing pain echoed all over his back and an explosion rang once again.


    "Ukh!"


    Then, he felt his entire cheekbone shatter as Raven twisted his body in the air, striking heavily on hisjaw.


    He was sent flying, rolling all over the ground. A stinging, burning pain seethed all over his back as he felt the pain on his jaw vibrate.


    Lifting his body up, his eyes widened upon noticing a boot wrapped in shadow aimed squarely at his face.


    However, swiftly grabbing the pathway, he managed to dodge Raven''s kick in time.


    The moment he did appear, he felt another attacking his way as explosions rang, the ground shaking intensely.


    By instinct, Brandon moved his arm somewhere, blocking the iing attack.


    Boom—!


    Feeling a hand brush past his arm, an explosion ignited, sending him toppling back once again.


    Just as he was about to grab a pathway mid–air, he felt an attacking from the back of his head.


    In that instant, a chain shot from the ground and he used it as a foothold, backflipping, narrowly dodging Raven''s surprise attack.


    Amethyst mes erupted, engulfing his entire leg as he counterattacked, hitting Raven squarely on the face, sending him away.


    However, Brandon extended his hand forward. Threads shot from his fingertips andtched around Raven.


    Clenching his hand, Raven was pulled back towards him and Brandonnded another attack.


    Bang! Bang!


    Attack after attack. The same instance urred, but that was until what seemed to be a ming arrow shot towards his direction.


    However, the arrow''s trajectory was slightly off, piercing brushed past him.


    At that moment, an explosion echoed from behind Brandon and he looked back.


    There, he could see arge gaping crater etched on the ground.


    The sheer destructive force of the arrow amounted to that much.


    It was quite scary.


    But most probably, Reinhard missed due to theck of control over his attack.


    That was the most optimal conclusion Brandon coulde up to.


    Seeing Raven down on his knees, Brandon''s rm bells suddenly rang and he looked up.


    Arge magic circled hovered above him, and ice began to encapste his legs once again, swiftly crawling up.


    Just as Brandon was about to break free of the ice''s hold….


    Tzz—


    Sparks of purple lightning entered his peripheral vision. That, and searing mes ignited from a different direction.


    Having no time to grab a single pathway, Brandon crouched down and chains shot from the ground,pletely repelling the oing attacks.


    nk—!


    ire''s rapier seemed to be stuck in between the narrow gap of the chains, while Reinhard''s attack scattered away.


    Brandon turned to look at their directions.


    There, he could see ire ring at him, her chest heaving up and down as she tried catching her breath. Reinhard, who seemed to be ring at him as well, his blue eyes flickered ominously.


    Rachel on the other hand, had her hand held up as her chest heaved up and down in the same manner as ire.


    They all seemed to be on edge.


    But the same could be said for Brandon.


    He too was on edge.


    He wanted to go all out. To use everything in his arsenal.


    But just as he was about to continue…


    Beep—


    A beeping sound rang from somewhere, and a static voice followed shortly after.


    —Attention! Your time is up! If you would like to extend, ring the button once. If not, please proceed to the exit.


    It seemed like their rental had expired.


    "Looks like this is it for today."


    Brandon shrugged as he looked at ire.


    nk—!


    Immediately the chains dispersed, and ire''s rapier fell on the ground.


    "Haaa… H-haaa…"


    ire went down on both knees and tried to catch her breath.


    "You''re fucking…. Haa…. Insane."


    "You guys almost got m—"


    Boom—!


    Another attack pierced through. But Brandon was able to block just in time with his chains. The mes immediately dispersed soon after.


    ire turned her head to the side.


    "Reinhard, what are you doing!?"


    However, Reinhard seemed out of it. As if he had never heard the announcement, he bursted forward, mes igniting behind him, and appeared right before Brandon.


    However, at that moment, just before Reinhard''s palms reached him, threads loomed in the air andtched onto Reinhard.


    "Rein, didn''t you hear the announcement?"


    "Fuck why am I so…. Hm? What announcement?"


    A look of realization washed over him as his brows raised.


    "We''re done here."


    "Oh."


    He may have sounded like he had just realized it. But Brandon could see Reinhard biting his lip in frustration.


    It seemed like he was still on edge.


    Shortly after, they cleaned up after themselves, changed their clothes, and stepped outside the training facility.