Hello people. Back with Chapter 11. This chapter will contain the remaining part of the test, along with some family bonding between Hikaru and Leila. This chapter will also contain the conclusion of the Legion test and the scene where Hikaru and Leila join the opposing armies (Britannia and EU). Mostly, it will focus on Hikaru and Leila's side but may also focus on the others. Enjoy reading!
Chapter 11
The Legion's Reaper
Leila started to wake up slowly, moaning in pain as she tried to sit up. The coat covering her body fell to the ground and she shivered. 'Why is it so cold?' She looked down, only to almost shriek, as she was only in her underwear.
A strong hand clasped over her mouth. "Please don't scream."
She relaxed slightly as she recognized the voice of the boy she considered a brother. "Why am I…?"
"You were wounded in that explosion. Nothing serious. I had to treat you for wounds. And I couldn't administer first aid properly without removing your uniform."
She looked down at her arms and legs, which were now bandaged and also felt a bandage at her back and shoulders. "Not serious?"
"Meaning that they were small cuts bunched together. So I just applied bandages on the whole area. It's been 4 days, so I think you can remove it. And your uniform is there."
He pointed to the bags where her uniform was laid cleanly on a cloth.
She got dressed in a minute and then said, "It's okay now." He turned back towards her as she sat down on the small bed he'd created out of the spare tents and cloth, occupying one end of the bed while he occupied the other.
"It has been 4 days, and it's night right now, so I'd say that we have 10 days left. And we have been separated from the others. However, we now have a tent and a bed, along with a source of water and some food, in the form of fruit. And the area where I laid out camp is safe."
"Safe?"
"I found a crevice facing a mountain on three sides. So, no storm winds to worry about and the only side, I built a small wall with a few rocks and firewood and then set fire to them. And the tent's covered too."
She looked at him in surprise and then said, "Turn around and take your shirt off."
"Huh?"
"Please." He took off his shirt and she gasped. Various wounds littered his back, some still fresh while others were closed.
"You… you protected me from the blast, right?" She did not need an answer as she recognized the look on his face and suddenly hugged him, tears freely falling from her violet eyes. "D-don't hurt yourself for me again. I don't want to lose my brother."
He removed himself from the hug. "I will hurt myself if it means I can protect you, Leila. I couldn't protect my sister back then. Let me protect my sister now."
She looked at his eyes and then asked, "Then why?"
"Huh?"
"Why did you act like that back then? You could've protected th-"
"No!" He exclaimed suddenly, his eyes starting to show a hint of fear.
"I don't want to. I don't want to let people become close to me. I'm scared of the pain that comes, the pain of losing a loved one. So, it's better that I destroy any bonds before they are even formed."
"Then why me? Why choose to protect me?"
"It's because I already have a strong and deep bond with you. And I love you, Leila. You are my beloved sister. My family. That's why I want to protect you. However, the others, I don't have a bond that strong. Then, it's better that I just destroy that bond."
"Will you listen to my request?"
"What?"
"The next time we meet them, promise me that you will protect not only me but also them."
He gave a hollow laugh, his eyes showing sadness and anger.
"I'm sorry, Leila. The only thing I cannot do is protect."
XXXXXXXXXX
"It's been 4 days now. And we took some rest for 2 days. And we need to proceed with extreme caution if we want to complete the objective." Carter said as he led the group towards the tower, which was clearly visible.
"What do you think happened to Hikaru and that girl?" Rei asked.
"They're safe. I doubt that Hikaru would die from that and he wouldn't let that girl die, so both of them are safe."
"I hope you're right." Sarah said.
Anya meanwhile just watched as the interactions took place.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Hikaru, are you alright?" He winced slightly in pain. "Sorry, but this will burn." The blonde continued to disinfect his wounds, wrapping bandages around the wounds. "I don't think that we should move for a few more days." Her voice was laced with determination and tones of order and authority.
"Fine." He sighed. "We'll stay for as long as required. But once it's 6 days from the deadline, we leave, no matter what."
She nodded as she moved before him, treating the wounds on his arm and torso.
"But still, how did you make all this?"
"I used what was available. The crevice has a small stream flowing through it so I built a barrier around to keep animals and other people from entering. And for extra precaution, I used firewood to create fire. You know, people are afraid of fire. And the tent, I made it by using the tents we have."
"Made it?"
"I tore them and then stitched them back together to make a tent big enough for two and then made bedding using the leftover cloth. I also used the old clothes, the wet ones, for the bedding."
"You used those clothes?!"
"Don't worry. I used only mine. Yours are still in the bag. After all, I don't think you'd be happy with your clothes being used as spare cloth." He teased lightly and then said, "But have you been eating right?"
"What do you mean by that?!" She wrapped her arms around her stomach.
"Don't worry. I'm saying that you feel very light. Hell, I didn't feel that much of a struggle when I carried you from there to here in 5 hours."
He cursed internally as Leila's face shifted. 'Oh shit! I didn't tell her about how she got here.'
"You carried me?"
*Sigh* "Yes. I carried you in my arms while I just tied the bags together and carried them on my back."
"Why? You could have-"
A hand found its way onto her mouth as Hikaru ruffled her hair slightly, making her eyes widen. 'He used to do this when we were young. It was his way of showing his affection and love.' "I won't leave you, Leila. That's a promise. I will protect you."
He then poked her cheek. "Anyway, have you been eating right?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Or are you on a diet, to impress your crush, huh?"
He laughed as her face turned red instantly. "That's not it. I just-"
He stopped her from retorting. "Calm down, younger sister. I'm just teasing you." His face turned serious again. "But seriously, what's wrong, Leila? You are very light. And also, your eyes seem to be sad, just like mine." He looked at her. "I know that feeling. I saw that feeling in my own eyes, many times. Regret, sadness, fear, loneliness, anger, hatred, love, affection, gratitude, everything."
She was surprised as he continued to talk.
"Your anger and hate are directed at yourself. For not being able to protect your family and friends. Regret at not being strong enough to protect those you care about. Fear of being lonely. Sadness and loneliness. The sense of being alone, even in a crowd. The feeling of not belonging in the place you are. The fear of losing those you care about. Love, affection and gratitude for your family and true friends. For being there for you when you needed them the most." His voice then took a different tone. "And, resolve. The resolve to do whatever it takes to survive and make sure that your beloved ones survive. The resolve to protect." He turned to her with a proud look on his face. "Don't lose those emotions. No matter what. Those emotions are what make us human."
Both of them stayed silent as she took in his words. She nodded slowly as her eyes gained a determined look. "I will not lose those emotions. I will remain human, no matter what."
He smiled as he then stood up. "Hey Leila, you know aikido, right?"
"Ah yeah, but not as much as I wanted to before signing up for this."
"Well then, what are you waiting for? I'll teach you."
"Eh? You are ranked in aikido?!"
"You could say that."
A few days later
"You're getting better, Leila." Hikaru complimented as he held his hand for her to take and pulled her to her feet.
"T-thanks."
They then sat down on the bed and talked some more about the test.
"But I didn't think they would keep the test in Strys Forest. This is one of the most dangerous places in the world."
"How do you know about that? Normally, no one knows much about this forest. But you talked about it as if you had-"
"I was able to hack into a Legion database and checked about the Legion entrance test. All possible sites, all the methods and all the tests."
She gaped at him in disbelief as he continued. "But Strys Forest was not given much importance. So I prepared for that the most." "Huh?"
"Look underneath the underneath. They won't give away information that easily. Normally, people would think that either the desert or frozen iceland would be a good choice. However, those were the most mentioned and contained the most information. So that means they won't hold it there. Therefore, I looked into Strys Forest in all the databases I found, even the illegal ones."
"How did you do that?" She asked in obvious surprise. "I hacked into them. I have a Knightmare of my own. I tried to install an AI into it, one that my mother had created. She was an expert programmer and designer. My Knightmare was also designed by my mother. That AI was able to hack into databases from around the world. And that's how I knew what was happening. The train which didn't stop. The forest and the snipers. That's why I was armed fully. My katana, knives, guns. I carried a few weapons of my own. Because I had a strong feeling that the test was in Strys Forest."
Her face shifted in realization. He then gave the balisong he had to Leila. "Keep it with you. Protect yourself with that if you need to."
She looked at the weapon carefully. It was purely black in colour and the blade and handle were both curved. "I modified it slightly so it's easier to open and close. You can just press the button on the side to open the latch and close it. And there are magnets in the handles to lock them together."
She thanked him with a hug and he pushed her away.
"Leila, I need to know. I can see obviously that you are not eating as much as is required. So now, I want to ask, what happened with your family? I can tell that it's not a problem with friends but it's your family. Tell me, what happened?"
She then told him everything, including her family and friends.
"I'll start with my friends. Well, friend. My only friend is Anna, Anna Clement." "Clement Factory?" "Yes. She is a nice girl and is nice to me. Very bright, mind and personality. And she worries about me more than myself. But, she needs to do something about her gossiping habit."
"Sounds like a good person. You don't seem to have any problems with her. Then your family?"
She grimaced and Hikaru sighed. 'So the problem is family, after all.'
"My father and mother are fine. They are kind and were good people enough to take me in, practically a stranger. Then there are my 3 brothers. Daniel and Stephan are… alright, I guess. They are kind to me, but they do voice their displeasure with my activities, you know, my aikido and the military, particularly the Legion."
"Let me guess. They want you to quit all these activities and learn the arts befitting that of a proper woman, I'd say. Stereotypical."
"The last brother is Ioan. But he's also my fiance."
"Wait what?!" He did a double-take.
"The Malcal family wanted to marry into Britannian noble blood and so, they set me to marry Ioan. However, he doesn't want to marry me. The feeling is mutual. He is extremely rude and misbehaves with me, insulting me, sometimes in public. He also scared Anna, insulting her demeaningly. And he is-" Hikaru held out a hand, signalling her to stop.
"For the lack of a better term, he's an asshole." Hikaru summarised crudely as she sighed and nodded. "Well, I'll give you one little advice. You can ignore him. You can simply make him fear you, that balisong is also for that purpose. You can threaten him. You can blackmail him. You can hit him. You can leave the house. You can introduce me to him." "Introduce you to him? What good will that do?"
"Nothing. I'll just talk to him about how he should treat a lady, properly. And I'll talk to him about how he should treat my sister. That's all."
The dangerous glint in his eyes told her that he didn't intend to just talk.
She nodded awkwardly as she said, "I will take some time and do that." She then thought back to the options presented by him.
"But if I leave the house, where will I… oh, I understand. You want me to come to you if I ever decide to do something drastic." "I'll support you in whatever decision you make. I always protect my family."
A small beeping sound alerted them and Hikaru sighed. "My phone is still working. But who even texts at this time?" He looked at the text. "Edith? Bring my Knightmare here? Already received permission?"
"Who is it?"
"My assistant, you could say. She said that she received permission to bring my Knightmare and a car here. There seems to be a part where we have to travel in cars and battle in Knightmares." He elaborated for her and then said, "Tomorrow, we will head out."
"Your wounds are-"
He silenced her. "No, Leila. We will head out tomorrow and head towards the tower. The faster we get closer, the better."
A few hours of discussing strategy later, they were lying on the bed, Hikaru laying down on the bed comfortably, hands behind his head as a pillow.
30 minutes later
"Leila, you're not getting any sleep and you have been shifting very much. What happened? A bad dream?"
"I h-had a ni-nightmare." 'She's stuttering? What the hell was that nightmare about?'
"A-all of my loved ones were being killed and I couldn't do anything, except watch."
Shivers racked her whole body as she recounted the nightmare. "Y-you d-died while protecting m-me. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't. I was weak and you pai-"
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her in a comforting hug. He whispered comforting words in her ears as she started to cry, her sobs being heard clearly in the barely occupied tent. He rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry about me, Leila. I will not die. I will not let anyone I love go through the pain of losing a loved one, and I will not be the cause of that. I will not die. That's a promise." He said, voice filled with determination.
A few minutes passed as they stayed, unmoving. A comfortable silence had fallen between the two. "Hikaru, promise me that you will not die."
"I promise, Leila. I will not die." Her shaking slowly stopped and he lied on the bed again. He felt the blonde cling to him and ruffled her hair as she slept peacefully.
The next day
The young woman yawned as she woke up from her slumber. She blushed brightly at the position they were in. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, while he wore a T-shirt and pants. She was clinging onto him, hugging him tightly, her head resting on his chest. He had his arm wrapped around her waist protectively and was still sleeping, his breathing soft. She tried to move out of his grip and sighed. 'Well, I'll just sleep some more. It's been a long time since we slept like this.'
She went into her dreamland again, dreaming about a vacation with her friends and brother.
2 hours later
Hikaru slid the knives back into his sleeves, his katana ready at his back. He looked at Leila, who was checking her gear. She nodded at him and he walked out of the tent, looking at the small barrier he had built. 'She must have noticed it by now.'
"Hikaru, why do we have more number of weapons? The number is higher than the one we had when we entered the island."
He sighed and then said, "I fended off a group of 3 and took their weapons."
Flashback
Hikaru walked through the forest, hefting the bags on his shoulder, the unconscious blonde in his arms. 'Leila's unconscious and I'm injured too. The timing couldn't be worse.'
He shifted as he heard a group of voices talking together and stiffened.
The bushes covering the pair shifted to reveal 3 young men. "Hey, come here. We'll help you."
10 minutes later
Hikaru accepted the glass of water and gulped it down immediately. "Thanks."
"Anyway, what happened to that girl?"
"She was knocked out when a grenade went off near us."
One of them winced and then said, "Anyway, we can help you in treating her wounds."
"Alright." *Yawn* 'Huh? Why am I feeling so sleepy?'
5 minutes later
Two pairs of arms wrapped around his arms, holding him still. His eyes opened slowly, still lidded sleep. His eyes immediately darted towards his sister, who was being held by the third. A growl arose from the blue haired teenager at the lecherous look on the man's face. "Oh! Awake already? No matter! We'll just kill you and have our way with her."
Just as a hand strayed towards the blonde's face, two sharp snaps were heard, the sound of breaking bones being heard clearly. Two screams were heard not a moment later as the two men holding him fell to the ground, an arm broken and a leg damaged. A knife found it's way towards the straying hand and Hikaru kicked him in the gut, catching Leila at the same time.
"Before I change my mind and kill you painfully, run away." He spat at them, glaring with rage in his eyes.
3 minutes later
Hikaru continued his hike, after checking the blonde for any new injuries. The bag weighed more than it had previously, a few more weapons finding their way into the bag.
Flashback End
"You saved me, right? Thanks, Hikaru."
"Anyway, let's go. I'd guess that all things considered, we'll take only 6 hours to reach the tower."
"Alright."
The two of them set out for the tower, the looming building towering over them.
3 hours later
"A wall?"
"A fence, to be precise. And is that a road?"
Hikaru turned towards the gate next to the fence.
"Well, let's go inside."
As they entered the fence, closing the gate, they were called respectively by two different female voices. "Leila!" "Hikaru."
"Anna?!" "Edith." Hikaru nodded calmly, a far cry from Leila's reaction.
A violet haired girl with light green eyes was waving at Leila, while a brown haired woman with hazel eyes nodded at Hikaru. She had two keys in her hand, a Knightmare and a car.
"Hikaru, good to know that you are alive."
"What did you expect? Oh, let me introduce you to Leila."
He turned towards the blonde, only to find her being crushed in a hug by the teary eyed girl.
He stifled a laugh and then coughed, saying, "Miss Clement, I think my little sister would appreciate it if you didn't crush her in a hug, seeing as she wants to return the hug."
Anna Clement blushed and removed herself from Leila, apologizing about something.
She then turned to him, tilting her head while asking, "Um, who are you?"
"Oh, where are my manners?" He gave a slight bow. "Hikaru Alaina, Leila's brother, at your service."
Her face immediately scrunched up in displeasure. "You're another one of her rude brothers?!" "Wait, Anna! He's the person I talked to you about. When we were in the academy."
Her face changed to a look of realization and she calmed down. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. So you're the Anna Clement that Leila has been talking so much about. A pleasure to meet you."
A small cough from Edith brought his attention to her. "Hikaru, I'm leaving. My brother is a bit ill and I need to look after him."
"Okay. Give Ethan my wishes." "Will do."
The woman then went towards a jet and then the jet flew, disappearing into the horizon. "Well, let's get into the car and go towards the tower." Hikaru said as he walked towards the car and groaned.
"Really? My dad's Mitsubishi and my mom's Reaper of all things?"
The two young women looked in the line of sight of Hikaru to find a Mitsubishi Eclipse, which looked heavily customised, along with an obviously scary looking Knightmare.
He entered the car and started the car, moving it towards Leila and Anna.
"Anna, I take it that you came here to support Leila?"
"Yes." "Well, then I need to pull some strings." He then revved up the car, the sound of the engine rumbling to life startling them.
"Hold on. And… seatbelts."
They took off, the Knightmare following after them. The two passengers almost screamed as he accelerated, the car going faster and faster.
He suddenly drifted, turning at a corner expertly. This time, Anna did scream, but in joy or fear, no one would know.
30 minutes later
Two of them stepped out from the car, disoriented, while the third went to the Knightmare behind the car and then gave it a once over before nodding in satisfaction. 'Good. The Reaper's secondary operating function is working well.'
"Hikaru, next time, inform us before going into 'Pro-racer mode', please. I thought that I was going to die."
Hikaru placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Oh, to think that my younger sister doesn't have enough faith in my skills! Today is a sad day. The heavens will weep for my sadness." He said in a dramatic way, making the two of them laugh.
"I had fun." "Anyway, we should register our IDs."
He walked to the desk at the door of the tower.
"Hikaru Alaina and Leila Malcal, reporting for Phase 4 of the test. Guest, Anna Clement."
The receptionist looked at him and started entering the data in the computer.
"Welcome. You're the first to reach the tower."
"Hmm, I think we should party for that after the test."
She then looked at his name and her eyes widened in surprise and shock.
"Hey, you, kid, are you related to Setsuna Alaina?"
"She's my mother. Why?"
"Nah. I just felt that you looked similar to her. I was her teammate back in this test when she took it. Top Candidate of Britannia. No one was able to beat her."
Hikaru smiled as he recalled the memories of his mother talking to him about her time in the Legion.
"Yeah, I know. She used to tell me about her time in the Legion. I think she said that your name was Rin."
"Yup, that's right. Anyway, are they members of your team?"
"Wait. The rules are that if one member of the team is dead or seriously injured, then the team is disqualified, right?"
"Unless the opponent argues against the disqualification."
"And the boarding?"
"They get the same room. Naturally, the guest also is in the same room. However, since your team was the top candidates' team, you get a better room. You could say it's like a luxury hotel. And you could cash in a favour I owed your mother. She saved my life during this stupid shit."
"Well, we'll take it then. Thanks, Miss Rin."
"Oh, and your car and Knightmare will be in the hangar attached to your room. That's the favour I owe."
"Thanks!"
15 minutes later
"Woah!" "It's just like back at Paris!"
"Reminds me of home."
These were the reactions of Anna, Leila and Hikaru as they looked at the room. He noted one problem though.
"There are two beds and three people." Anna noted.
"You two take the beds, I'll take the couch." Hikaru said, dropping his bags near one corner of the room and occupied his space on the couch and quickly went to sleep, sprawled out on the couch.
"I will sleep a little too, Anna. Sleeping on a soft bed is much much better than sleeping on a makeshift bed." Leila said, immediately falling asleep.
1 hour later
Hikaru woke up, yawning and stretching his arms. He went to the small kitchen, almost colliding with Anna.
"Sorry. Didn't see where I was going."
"No, it's alright."
"Were you about to cook something?"
"Um… I don't know how to cook."
Hikaru laughed slightly and then said, "I'll cook something for you." He offered and then whipped up delicious looking noodles along with a cup of hot chocolate for each of them.
"Could you wake up Leila? It's better if she eats it fresh."
30 minutes later
"Seriously, how did you learn to cook that deliciously?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm multi-talented?" He asked sarcastically?
"Yes." The blonde deadpanned.
"Let's list out your skills." Anna followed along as Leila started.
"Pro-racing, Knightmare ace pilot, Knightmare and weapons designer, master hacker, interrogation specialist, martial arts master, weapons specialist, master at bladed weapons, stealth specialist, fighting, on the spot thinking, good tactics, strategic mind, good leadership skills, general knowledge, improvisation skills, fast reflexes, top physical condition."
Hikaru grumbled something about "Blonde observing too much…", making his two companions laugh as Anna piped in. "Good cooking skills, negotiations, good arrangement skills and self-sacrificing personality." "... along with violet haired girls."
"Anyway, let's go and check on our Knightmares."
"Your Knightmare." Leila corrected.
"Our Knightmare. My Knightmare features a two-seater cockpit."
"Oh! I see."
They entered the hangar, going straight towards the Knightmare.
"It looks scary." Anna said, whimpering slightly.
"Wait till you see it in action."
"What is its name?"
"That is or rather was my mother's designed Knightmare. It's full designation is S-01 Reaper, it was designed by my own mother. I used my family's money to get it manufactured. And I'm using it now."
"Wait. If only you are piloting it, then why is it a-"
"I piloted it alone, and that produces large amount of stress, both physically and mentally. That is why I am this strong. I trained myself to overcome the limitations of the Reaper but I'm still not strong enough. That's why, Leila, I want you to be my co-pilot. Will you-"
"Of course I'll do it! My brother is asking me after all!"
She held his hands, shaking them.
"Thanks, Leila."
Anna suddenly interrupted them, spinning a pen between her fingers expertly.
"Let me check the Knightmare."
"I'm trusting you, Anna."
Anna nodded excitedly as Hikaru walked towards the Reaper, while Anna and Leila looked at the Knightmare.
The Reaper was almost black, it's whole body appearing almost horse-like. It's four legs and two arms were pure black and flexible in movement. The face was the scariest part, its face covered by a mask of sorts, its red eyes visible through it. The mask was the only white part of the Knightmare, apart from the white tribal markings on the body and the weapon. The mask was shaped like a hanya mask, shaped like a demon. It had horns on its head and the mouth had sharp fangs, which opened to give way to a flamethrower. It looked like a devil with the scythe on the back. The gigantic scythe had a white handle with a black blade, along with markings of black flames on the handle. There were two slots on the arms for guns and the legs had claws which were currently retracted. There were two small scythes also located in the front legs, while the hind legs were fixed with non-retractable blades along the length of the limbs. There were also blades along the front legs and the two arms. The blade of the main scythe was serrated on the blunt edge, making both edges dangerous and sharp. The cockpit was situated on the back, making it such that a hood partially covered the face, making a shadow fall on it. The interior of the cockpit was advanced, the main part being the two seater cockpit. It also had more number of screens, along with different controls for the weapons.
"The devil look is present, that's for sure." Leila commented.
Anna climbed onto the Reaper with the help of Hikaru. He pulled a little too strong, resulting in her falling into his arms, making her blush a bright red.
"S-sorry." She went into the cockpit while Hikaru guided her on the different functions of the Reaper.
1 hour later
Anna smiled at Hikaru as she gave her conclusion. "No problems with the Reaper. And the glide panels are also operational."
"Whew. Thanks, Anna."
"It's alright."
They stepped down from the Knightmare, well, Anna stepped down while he jumped down from the Knightmare, landing perfectly.
"Acrobatics." Leila commented, adding it to the list of skills.
"Anyone have any ideas? Because my plan is to just watch some TV and sleep."
"Same."
The next day
Hikaru woke up on the bed, looking over to the other bed to find Leila and Anna snuggled together. He chuckled slightly and then went to the training gym, going through the set routine he had created.
2 hours later
"Hikaru, are you here?"
Leila rubbed her eyes, yawning as she stretched her arms.
The said young man stepped out of the shower, now dressed in a black T-shirt and pants.
"Yeah. I'm ordering room service."
"Alright."
"After everything, we will practise in the simulators and the gym. No breaks."
Leila whined slightly before submitting. Hikaru walked past her, ruffling her hair.
"Don't be like that, my cute younger sister."
8 hours later
"Leila, you did good today. Get some sleep today. The deadline is tomorrow. We won't be training tomorrow."
"Alright!" Her two companions chuckled at her reaction.
Sleep overtook them by night.
2 days later
The candidates stood in two files, some refreshed and a few still looking tired.
Hikaru and Leila fell in the first category. Hikaru noticed that his previous group were in the latter category.
They looked at the people before them.
'The Britannian Emperor and his Knights of the Round, along with Odysseus and Schneizel. And General Gene Smilas of the EU.'
One of them stepped forward and said, "Cadets! You are the ones who have survived the dangers till now. However, be prepared! This is the Legion! The best of the best! The ones who are here are the top of the world! The strongest soldiers your country has to offer. Now is the ultimate test! Fight against those who stand amongst you! Those who win are the strong and those who lose are the weak. The Legion needs only the strongest! Be the strongest! Fight! Win!"
Most of them erupted into cheers while Hikaru growled, his hands tightened into fists and Leila was glaring at them.
2 hours later
'Leila Malcal and Hikaru Alaina vs Damian Hart, Jack Hunt, Daniel Collins and Zeo Abyss'
Hikaru calmly walked forward, followed by Leila, facing his opponents, their opponents not knowing their future.
"Begin!"
Hikaru stood in his place and slid into his stance, Leila doing the same, while their opponents rushed them.
He fluidly blocked and redirected each and every strike aimed at him, not breaking a sweat. This continued for a few minutes. His tempo suddenly became disrupted as he heard a pained gasp from Leila and immediately turned to her direction. She was clutching at a wound in her arm, one of his opponents holding a knife.
He rushed towards her, unsheathing his katana all the while. He slid a distance away with Leila in his arms.
"Don't move! The knife is poisoned." He took his katana and cut her arm, making the blood flow out and then quickly bandaged her wound with a makeshift bandage.
He turned towards his future victims, his eyes belying the anger he felt. "You scum are… DEAD!"
He ran towards the quartet, dragging his sword across the floor. Small sparks started to form from the friction.
"Leila, move back! Now!" He barked at her, the oil on the floor slowing down his movements. 'Damn it! This oil is slowing down my movements. But I should've expected this, it's the Legion after all.'
The oil on the floor slowly started to collect onto his blade and he suddenly increased his speed, the oil catching fire. The floor started to burn in flames while the black blade was surrounded by flames.
In the few moments that the fire had covered them from sight, all four of them were slaughtered brutally, their screams still echoing in their ears.
The survivor jumped over the flames, landing next to his sister.
"Are you alright, Leila?"
"It hurts, but I'm alright."
"Good."
He pressed a button on the Reaper's activation key, a rumbling sound being heard from the tower's top. The Reaper burst out suddenly, looking every bit like the Bringer of Death.
"Our next opponents, get into your Knightmares. I don't have time to waste with you."
"What are you saying, Hikaru?!"
"The last contestants are us and a group of 15. And they are a team. So it's us vs them."
15 minutes later
As the flames were starting to die down, Hikaru activated the Reaper, the eyes glowing to life as the cockpit closed over itself, the Reaper's hood covering its face. It held the scythe in its arms, while the machine guns and bladed weapons soon came into view. The Reaper's mouth also opened to reveal the flamethrower. A few embers of the audience whimpered in fear at the Reaper while Anna looked at it in awe.
Slowly, the Reaper started to rise a few inches above the ground, hovering above the oily floor. Hikaru smirked as he faced the group of 15 Sutherlands and almost laughed hysterically.
"Younger sister, get ready."
"Begin the battle!"
The group of Sutherlands rushed towards the Reaper. Hikaru smirked at their action and then grabbed a hold of the controls, the Reaper moving according to his whims. The Reaper spun the scythe in its hands before slashing at the first Knightmare in range. The whole Knightmare, cockpit included, was bisected and exploded. The Reaper suddenly froze and Hikaru grunted as the Knightmare was hit by the Stun Tonfa of a Knightmare.
"Leila! Don't freeze up! We die if either one of us makes a mistake!" He shouted harshly at her, maneuvering the Knightmare away from them and towards the wall.
A Slash Harken was launched and speared the wall, holding it in place as the Reaper fired a second one at the Sutherlands following them.
The big scythe was suddenly launched forwards, slicing up the Knightmares and got itself stuck in the opposite wall.
"Let's go. It's unarmed."
Hikaru laughed at his opponent's remark and the Reaper launched forwards, the Slash Harken still lodged in the wall. Another third Slash Harken lodged itself next to the scythe, followed by another. The black Knightmare suddenly accelerated towards the scythe, grabbing the weapon.
Harken 1 suddenly dislodged itself and the sharp cable cut through a Knightmare.
The four legged Knightmare ran towards the remaining group of Sutherlands, hefting its scythe while its pilots activated the machine-guns in its arms. "Unarmed, you say? I can't see my Reaper empty-handed, that's for sure."
His voice brought them to their senses as the Bringer of Death jumped up, hanging by the Slash Harkens in the air.
It rained death on the machines, missiles firing repeatedly and the bullets raining down like hailstones. A blue barrier formed around the machine as a few shots were fired at it by the Sutherlands. 'The Blaze Luminous is good. And the Glide Panels are working too. Anna outdid herself.'
It descended on them, its mouth open and the flamethrower ready to fire.
"Will you guys surrender or should I burn you alive?" Hikaru asked rhetorically.
He sighed as he received their answer. 'Idiots will stay idiots and die idiots.'
The oil suddenly caught fire as the Reaper attacked, the flamethrower at full power. The Bringer of Death dashed forward, systematically cutting up the Knightmares, leaving the cockpits to be burned by the fire surrounding them.
The screams of their opponents rang in their ears, unnerving them until they died out from the lack of air and the heat.
A gust of wind passed through them as the Reaper swung its scythe, the flames instantly put out by the strong wind. The Reaper stood in the middle of everything, the burning wreckage starting to cool down from the strong gusts of wind as the scythe was being spun repeatedly.
The cockpit opened and the two pilots jumped out, visibly calm.
"Winners, Hikaru Alaina and Leila Malcal." The announcer announced (pun intended), visibly shaking at the form of the Reaper.
"I believe that ours was the last match."
"Y-yes." His demeanor changed as he tried to look serious.
"Now, all the finalists have been decided. On the vote of the candidates, a final deciding battle may be held. In that, the top candidates, standing beside me, will be facing the rest, in a duel of Knightmares. Now then, let's vote. Those who want to battle, raise your hands."
Hikaru smirked with each word as no hands were raised.
"Then… Dismissed!"
1 hour later
The three of them laughed as they recollected the last question.
"Looks like they were scared of the Reaper." Hikaru stated the obvious.
"Anyway, what are we going to do now?"
"In one day, we'll be on our way. Leila, you're joining the military and Anna's coming along with you, right?"
"Yes."
"Hmm… then I hope that the next time we meet will be as allies, instead of enemies."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Hikaru intends to join the Britannian Military, Anna. Britannia and EU are enemies right now. That's what he meant." Leila elaborated, looking a bit sad.
"Hey, why are you looking so sad? Don't worry. I'm sure that we will be allies the next time we meet." Hikaru said with conviction.
"Yeah." The two of them said with a slight smile on their faces, though Anna seemed to be teary-eyed.
1 month later
"Brigadier General Hikaru Alaina, reporting for duty."
XXXXXXXXXX
Finally, Chapter 11 completed. This chapter, as I said, contained everything I talked about. The next chapter will be Hikaru in the MEF, also the chapter where it shows how he got the name The Black Dragon.
Also about the test, if people have guessed, the part of the test is taken from the Chunin Exams in Naruto. I liked the part about the Forest of Death. I changed it slightly to make it that a few members of the military were out to get them.
Hope you liked this chapter.
Read and Review…
-HikaruAlaina
