Chapter 23: Survival of the Fittest
’Did she look at me?’ Azrael didn’t miss the moment—he had locked eyes with one of the so-called angels.
However, since her gaze had swept over the crowd without lingering on him for too long, he hadn’t thought much of it.
As the members of the Elite School entered the Moon Breakers, principal Arthur welcomed them officially.
The Proven and the Marked of the military school merged into one group, while the newcomers stood on the other side, listening to the usual long, inspiring speech from the man.
Azrael paid little attention. His eyes were fixed on the members of the Elite School. These Chosen weren’t just students from the best academy in the world—they stood at the very pinnacle of it. Naturally, he expected great things from them.
But his observation was cut short by Arthur’s sudden announcement.
"So, while we give the chance for every Proven to challenge a member of the opposite faction, we will be sending the Marked into a room with a confined Rift."
Azrael’s eyes darkened. He had assumed that the rivaling meeting was meant for duels only, but he had missed a simple fact. Not everyone was going to challenge someone, and both of the schools wanted to show what they had nurtured. So the most efficient way to do so was by sending them into real combat.
The speech ended. Every Marked began walking toward the underground room that held the Rift—classified at Feral Danger Level.
’In hindsight, I should have seen that coming,’ he cursed his lack of foresight. They had used the Rifts only once, it had been obvious they had been saving the monsters for something. He’d been too focused on training to consider the political implications of the visit.
Without further delay, the gates opened letting the Chosen enter. This room was different than before. First, the sky was higher, meaning they were much deeper underground—no doubt, this one was designed to be significantly more difficult.
Second, instead of a forest, they were in a mountain range. The air had been simulated to be thinner, putting pressure on their bodies. The terrain was uneven, making scouting significantly harder.