The sun filtered softly through the high windows of the training camps in the morning. Lucien sat on a couch, wiping the sweat from his neck when Rylen entered, hands folded and an unreadable look on his face as always.
"You're officially entering the next week, Week Three," Rylen said. "This week, you rest from Day One through Six. Then, on Day Seven… the trial will begin"
Lucien tilted his head. "Trial?"
"A battle royale," Rylen explained. "Fifteen recruits are still left. Only ten move on to the final week. That means five of you are getting cut and are going home. The rules are simple: you earn one point each time you pin someone to the ground for five seconds straight. The ten with the most points survive and go on the next week."
Lucien's eyes sharpened. "Anything goes?"
"Anything," Rylen nodded. "Your powers, their suits, weapons—whatever you have, use it. Just don't die. And don't lose control."
Lucien's hands clenched. "I won't lose."
—
Despite being ordered to rest, Lucien couldn't sit still. On Day One, he returned to the training ground alone and began perfecting his combat form. Punches, dodges, kicks, positioning—he drilled everything until sweat soaked through his shirt. He practiced focusing his telekinesis into tight bursts, using it to deflect imaginary blows. He sped around the arena, learning how to make tight turns with his super speed.
A few hours into his training session, Rylen appeared again, arms crossed as he watched Lucien from the sidelines.
"You're pushing yourself too hard kid," he said calmly. "This week's meant to heal and recharge your body. You'll burn out if you keep this up."
Lucien, breathing heavily, didn't stop for a second. "There's no point in resting if I'm not ready yet. I have to get stronger."
Rylen studied him for a moment. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Then he left.
Lucien trained until the stars were out.
—
Day Two was different.
Lucien sat cross-legged in his room, eyes closed, spine straight. For the first time since arriving, he tried to meditate by himself. His breathing slowed. The world dimmed. And for a few small moments, he found something close to stillness. Memories of his battle with the reptile monster flickered through his mind, followed by moments of his training yesterday, his failures, and his relentless hunger to join the fifth.
He opened his eyes slowly. The calm lingered.
"Not bad," he murmured.
—
Day Three was brutal.
He met Jason at the edge of the sparring ring. Jason wore his suit, already charged and gleaming with light-blue lines.
Lucien, in his usual black tank top and gloves, nodded. "Let's go."
Jason smirked. "First to ten pins?"
"Fine."
It wasn't even close.
Jason was faster, more reactive, and precise with every move. Even with Lucien using his speed, strength, and telekinesis, Jason managed to ground him ten times—sometimes using only footwork. Lucien got one pin in return.
After the final fall, Lucien lay flat on his back, breathing hard.
Jason offered a hand. "You're not bad. But if you go at the top ten like that, you're getting steamrolled."
Lucien took his hand and stood. "I'll be better by then."
Jason nodded, but his look said he wasn't convinced.
—
Day Four brought a change of pace.
Lucien returned to the training ground alone, but this time, someone else was already there. A girl with short blond hair. She was practicing a slow, deliberate sequence of strikes. She moved with grace and control.
Lucien recognized her instantly—it was the girl he had seen standing beside Kagetsu.
He approached her cautiously. "Hey. You're Kagetsu's teammate, right?"
She stopped and turned to face him. With short dark brown hair and her green sharp eyes that scanned him, but she didn't smile. "Yeah."
"What's your name?"
"Ayumu Jagagiri," she said flatly. "Sixteen."
Lucien gave a polite nod. "Lucien. Good luck next week."
She hesitated, then gave the smallest nod. "You too."
Lucien turned to leave but couldn't help himself. As he stepped away, he activated his mind-reading ability, letting his thoughts slip into hers.
"He seems too quiet. Too controlled. I don't trust him. I'll crush him in the trial if I get the chance."
Lucien paused mid-step. His face remained neutral, but inside, something shifted.
He left the training hall without another word.
—
Day Five began before dawn.
Lucien was shaken awake by Rylen. The man's face was stern. "Come. Central Command Post. Now."
Still groggy, Lucien followed him across the campus. Inside the command post, the last fifteen recruits had gathered.
Rylen stood at the front with a digital map hovering behind him. He pressed a button, and the arena appeared in three dimensions. It looked massive—forests, ruins, canyons.
"This is your battleground," Rylen said. "Tomorrow, the battle royale begins. One hour. Every pin you score earns one point. You must hold your opponent down for five full seconds."
He scanned the room with cold eyes.
"The top ten in points move on to Week Four. Everyone else goes home."
He stepped away, letting the image hover in silence.
Lucien turned to leave—but someone blocked his way.
A tall boy with broad shoulders and jet-black hair stepped forward. He was at least a head taller than Lucien. His eyes burned with arrogance.
"You're Lucien, right?" the boy asked.
Lucien said nothing.
The recruit chuckled. "You think you're hot shit just because you fight without a suit? You're nothing. Tomorrow, I'm going to break you."
Lucien slowly looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."
The boy leaned closer. "Remember my name—Ryu Watanabe. I'm going to bury you in that arena."
He turned and walked off.
Lucien said nothing. But inside, the fire was roaring.
—
Day Six was quiet.
Lucien rested in his room most of the day. His body ached from the week of training, but his mind was sharp. He discussed potential tactics with Jason for a while—ambush strategies, weak points in the terrain, how to best use Lucien's mind-reading in battle.
That night, Lucien tried to sleep.
But sleep didn't come.
Instead, something strange happened.
He felt weightless. Cold. The world around him began to blur and dissolve into a deep blackness. It was as if he had been pulled from reality.
And then he saw her.
A woman stood before him, around her was a divine aura. She had long, flowing white hair and eyes that glowed with otherworldly light that it blinded Lucien. Her robes swirled around her like stardust.
She didn't speak at first. Then she called out Lucien ´ s name.
Lucien knew instantly—this was the voice. The one from the day he received his powers.
"You," Lucien whispered—but no sound came from his lips.
His mouth was sealed shut.
The woman's voice echoed inside his mind. "God of Vengeance," she said. "Your path has only just begun."
Lucien's breath caught.
"I am the Creator of Gods. The maker of this universe. And you... are the vessel of the Vengeance God."
A flashback surged through his mind—the day at the underground station, the overwhelming voice, the moment his powers awoke.
He shuddered.
"You will surpass me one day," she said. "You will become a being who can destroy entire worlds. But that day is not today. Today, you are still a child, crawling."
Lucien wanted to respond, to demand answers—but he couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
"This trial is a step. Face it. Survive it. Grow from it."
And just like that, he was back.
In his room.
Sweating. Panting. Eyes wide.
The darkness of the real world was somehow more suffocating now. He hadn't slept. Not even for a second.
But the next day had arrived.
—
Lucien stood at the edge of the big arena, bathed in early morning light. His heart pounded in his chest—not from fear, but from excitement. The battlefield stretched before him: trees, buildings, broken roads, places to stike and hide.
The final fifteen stood ready in a wide circle, each waiting for the command.
From a platform above, a commanding voice echoed across the field.
"Battle Royale begins… NOW!"
The voice belonged to a tall man with short silver hair and a military cape that fluttered in the wind.
Karu Arakizawa. Captain of the First Division.
A flare shot into the sky.
The trial had begun.