"It was a mess", was the only way Yang could describe it but it was "the best thing I've ever seen", she thought to herself.
All of them were fighting for her favor. They each fought one another, and in five mere minutes, more than 70% of students have already been knocked out. When everyone around you aimed to take you out, it didn't matter how strong or skilled you were, you'd fall. Still, there were plenty still left fighting. Some upperclassmen, strong and skilled, and a few more recent students there by either incredible luck, quick wits, or maybe just pure skill.
Out of grand total of about 400 students -second largest out of all Huntsmen schools with Haven Academy having the lowest around 250, Beacon having around 300, and Atlas academy, largest of them all with its 600 students- only 120 remained in some form of a fighting form.
The 120 fighters spread out around their arena, trying to keep as much distance from another as possible. Now they can plan their method of attack.
However in such a free-for-all strategy was hard to come back until far less people remained. There wasn't nearly enough freedom of space for any sort of plan when your neighbor could ambush you while you do it.
They rushed at one another.
"That's what I would have done to", Yang thought to herself observing the fight, "being on defensive is just a death sentence".
Taking her eyes off the mass of bodies now fighting each other again, she saw a young man who had initially rushed alongside them carefully slow down his run and when the rushers started fighting, he slowly began walking away.
"Smart", Yang thought, "let them exhaust themselves and take them on yet. There's the Vacuan Huntsmen viciousness I have heard about"
While all others were fighting, the young man rested, and made sure his weapon, a gunsword –a sword with a rifle attached on top of it- , was in good condition and loaded with dust.
In few short minutes out of 119 fighters that rushed in, 10 remained. The young man aimed his gunsword and with a shot of electrical dust took out one of them.
Out of the group only 4 remained. They had taken advantage of the confusion from the attack, and finished off their neighbors.
Yang nodded in satisfaction. "Finally, the Vacuanians are showing their fangs", she thought.
The young man launched another shot at the leftmost man who dodged further to the left only to fall as his neighbor also shot at him. That same neighbor was then cut down by his friend on the right, who then was finished off by the young man.
Now it was one on one. One tired, but very capable student in his last year, and the young man student in his first year who was plenty rested.
Yang stood up.
"Fighters!" she called their attention. They turned to look at her. "You are what remain of the 400 students who attend this academy. Whichever wins, be proud of how far you have come. But! This is no excuse to laze about! Seek strength, always, and victory will follow!"
After her speech, she sat back down, and the two students turned back at one another.
"You, newbie, what's your name?", asked the senior student.
"Finster Wolf", the student replied. After a moment of silence he returned the question out of politeness.
"Stahl Vanadium", the older student responded.
They nodded to one another, and Finster shot at him.
Stahl, although exhausted, still dodged with relative ease, and rushed at him.
The younger student swung his sword downwards, which the older student parried with his axe-weapon, before punching Finster straight in the face. Or attempting to anyway, as he managed to dodge, barely, at the last second by jumping back.
Finster re-aimed his weapon and attempted to force his senior to dodge back by shooting at him, but, once again, Stahl knocked the weapon's path away from himself, before trying to trip Finster with his foot, which he succeeded in.
Finster fell, but positioned himself to fall on his left hand, the one not holding his weapon, and used it to jump back on his feet, and rushed towards his opponent.
Stahl swung his axe sideways, from the right side to left, but Finster jumped over it with a beautifully pulled off front flip, and kicked Stahl away before successfully shooting him with Lightning dust momentarily paralyzing him. Finster used this opportunity to swing at Stahl's near depleted aura reserves. The hit connected, but Stahl wasn't auraless yet, even if his previous fights significantly depleted his reserves.
"Few more hits should do it", Finster murmured to himself before jumping back to evade Stahl's attack as the paralysis wore off.
Stahl inhaled, and seemed to be preparing for something. Then he rushed at Finster, who shot some more Lightning dust bolts at him.
Unlike the previous times, he seemed to now shrug off the force of attack and its properties, and rammed into Finster who got subjected to the effects of his own attack as Stahl was still electrocuted.
Yang turned to look at Verstand.
"Stahl Vanadium's semblance allows him to ignore the pain and the after effects of any attacks in exchange for taking more damage from it.", the combat instructor quietly explained, "very useful when facing opponents who like to use dust-based attacks, or things like poison."
At Yang's questioning look, Verstand continued. "Yes, he did try to poison himself to test that theory. Stupidity aside, he seems to be immune to even poison when using his semblance"
Back in the arena, Stahl was pummeling Finster with his axe. Finster hooked his legs with Verstand's, and tripped him to the ground. He stabbed at Stahl from above, and when it connected, Stahl responded by kicking him in the stomach, launching him in the air.
Finster realized that this was to his advantage, however, and while he could not be reached, unloaded as many rounds into Stahl as he could. He responded by throwing his axe like a boomerang, but with a well-aimed shot, Finster shot it out of its course.
He landed, and Stahl was already there with a punch. Lucky dodge later, he retaliated with a kick to the stomach, and a swipe of the sword.
Stahl rushed towards him again, and Finster dropped something at his own feet. When his senior got close, he jumped back as far as he could and shot the object.
It was a vial of ice dust, which exploded and encased mostly Stahl in ice.
"It worked!", Finster cheered happily, "I figured lighting dust wasn't worth using since you could shrug it off seemingly, but something physical did!"
He finished off the fight with a shot to his opponents head, shattering his aura and knocking him out.
Yang stood up, and began to lightly clap. The other teachers followed her lead and began politely clapping to, as did the students that were defeated but conscious.
"Finster Wolf", Yang started, "congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you, your majesty", he politely responded, a small blush on his cheeks.
"You are not the strongest, not fastest, not most agile, and I imagine not the smartest either."
She moved her hand around the arena, to all the bodies lying around, people who have lost.
"And, yet, all of them failed. Among them all, you stand victorious. Be proud of that. You used all of your talents to emerge the only victor."
Finster's face blooms into a barely contained smile.
"I did not come here looking for the best. I came here to look for one who could win, with skill, luck, or whatever way they find possible."
"You were looking for someone, Emperor?", Xanthe, asked.
Yang ignored her for the moment, and addressed the student below her again.
"I promised you a great prize, right?"
Finster nodded
"Yes, your majesty".
"Your prize is an opportunity many would kill for, and I suspect quite literally, and that opportunity is…"
Yang waited to make the pause a bit more dramatic.
"I am looking for an apprentice to teach what I know. To teach how to win, how to be the best"
As shocked silence reigned on, Yang continued.
"You, Finster Wolf, are my apprentice now. Be happy, my dear apprentice, for you are the only apprentice I intend to have"