Hinata's blade flashed from its sheath, the tip steady as it leveled at Akira's throat.
"Aye," he said sharply. "We were supposed to knock them out, not kill anyone. Just how hard did you punch that man?"
Akira blinked, startled, hands raised. "I didn't even hit him!"
A woman knelt beside the fallen man, her fingers brushing the bruise on his neck. "This says otherwise." She looked up, eyes hard.
Hinata's grip tightened. The edge of his sword glinted inches from Akira's skin. "Akira," he said quietly, "since you think dreams are so important, let me tell you mine." His tone darkened. "I want to become a knight—to extinguish all evil. Maybe you're a good person, but I can't ignore what's in front of me. You just killed a man."
Steel sang as he swung.
Akira ducked, the blade cutting the air above him. "It's not me!" he shouted, rolling back to his feet.
Jackson was already moving. He slammed his palm into the ground, Tao flaring black and white. The earth beneath them twisted, reshaping—stone and light spiraling upward into a massive scythe. He gripped it and swung, the blade hovering a breath away from Akira's neck.
"Don't move," Jackson warned.
Hinata's star-shaped pupils glowed like four burning suns. Four Tao-forged stars materialized behind him, whirling forward in streaks of light toward Akira.
Akira's heartbeat thundered in his ears. They think I did it.
The stars closed in. Akira shifted aside, barely dodging, Tao sparking from his fingertips.
Behind them, chaos erupted. The other Hunters, panicked, scrambled to the gate. Keys clicked into place one after another.
"Go!" someone yelled.
Golden light flooded the room as the gate began to open. The two examinees who had fought alongside Akira, Hinata, and Jackson—the ones who only cared for the reward—rushed through the glowing archway without hesitation.
The gate began to close.
Only three remained.
Akira. Hinata. Jackson.
The air went still.
Hinata's blade hummed with tension. Jackson's scythe crackled with black and white Tao.
And Akira stood between them—breathing hard, sweat sliding down his temple—eyes locked on the gate's narrowing light.
There was only one space left.
One could pass.
The timer above them read:
00:02:14
The silence broke with a low, dangerous whisper from Akira.
"So… which one of you's willing to lose their dream first?"