Alright so i just wanna say I'm so sorry for the time it took to get this chapter out. A lot of stuff happened IRL between the whole global pandemic thing and school among other things. I promise the next chapter will be out by the end of November and after that updates will be more frequent. So without further adieu enjoy the chapter.
The forest of Forever Fall was quiet. Perhaps too quiet, Kirito thought as he made his way through the forest. While the other applicants had decided to dash ahead to try and get the task done as quickly as possible. Kirito had decided to take the stealthy approach to the exam. He was slowly making his way through the forest. Moving from cover to cover. Trying to stay hidden from any potential Grimm he may face along the way.
The Swordsman had figured this was his best chance of dealing with the Grimm. This was his first time dealing with them so he figured the less of them he had to deal with the better thus his strategy of sneaking through the forest. Although even if he avoided the lesser Grimm. There was still the literally elephant-sized problem he had to deal with. The Goliath. A Grimm even most experienced huntsman and huntresses avoided. Unfortunately due to the conditions of the exam if Kirito wanted to pass he would have to face the creature at some point.
The prospect of battling the creature made Kirito uneasy. He wasn't scared mind you. He had fought creatures that were way bigger and scarier back in SAO. His mind drifted towards the floor bosses of SAO. Terrifying creatures who served as the guardians of each floor in the death game. Kirito had faced each one and stared them in the eyes. So something like the Goliath didn't worry him in the slightest. He was confident that he could beat it. Maybe not alone. But he knew that he could win. He had to. It wasn't like he had anyone else to rely on right now.
Kirito heard gunfire as he moved. It seemed the other candidates had encountered the Grimm already. Figuring that there was a chance that the gunfire was coming from a group that had encountered the Goliath, Kirito began to make his way towards the sound and hopefully his target.
The Swordsman eventually came across a clearing in the forest. Figuring that it would be a good spot to try and reorient himself to his surroundings. He had been moving for at least half an hour at this point. So he figured getting a chance to take a quick break would be great.
Unfortunately for Kirito not long after he entered the clearing. He felt a dramatic change in the atmosphere. He could feel eyes watching him. He looked around and noticed bright red eyes glaring at him from the tree line. Four large figures then slowly crawled out of the forest. Their bodies pitch black. They had the appearance of wolves. They walked on their hind legs. Their faces covered with a bone-like mask and bones-like spikes were protruding from their arms. Kirito had seen them before during Tai's basic rundown of the Grimm. They were the most common type known as Beowolves. The four Grimm surrounded Kirito leaving the boy no time to analyze them properly. Only enough to notice their numbers.
"There's four of them huh?" Kirito noted mentally
Kirito then drew Elucidator from his back but left the Dark Repulser sheathed. He wouldn't need it for this encounter. The boy got into a stance. He leant forward. His hand holding Elucidator, The pitch-black sword angled directly down behind him. The sword began to glow a bright blue as he did. The Beowolves all looked confused as to what he was doing. Eventually, one of them got brave and lunged at Kirito. The boy noticed this and smirked. When the Grimm was in range Kirito attacked, slashing up with Elucidator. The slash cut-clean through the Grimm. Killing it instantly and causing it to evaporate into thin air.
The death of their comrade seemed to anger the remaining three grim as they all charged at him. Kirito's skill wasn't finished just yet, however. One swiped at him with its claws but he dashed to the left and avoided the hit. He then slashed horizontally to the left cutting one of the Grimm in half. Another Grimm charged but he slashed down again Elucidator's blade hitting the Grimms bone-like Armour knocking it back into its comrade. Kirito let out a yell and dashed forward slashing horizontally. The blade of Elucidator cutting through both of the Grimm at the same time. Killing both of them.
Kirito smirked as he watched them evaporate into a black mist. Truth is his win wasn't down to anything other than strategy. He knew he didn't have a skill with his dual-wielding that would allow him to finish the fight efficiently. So he turned to his one-handed swords skills. There were plenty of small combo attacks in that skill set that would allow him to finish fights with Grimm quickly. The skill he just used was one of the more simple skills. The four-part sword skill, Vertical Square.
Kirito let out a few deep breaths as he watched the last of the recently defeated Grimm. His first encounter with the species had been a success. He made a mental note to thank Tai later for briefing him on the most common types of Grimm. Knowing to exploit the Grimms aggressiveness and what the weak points of the Beowolves really helped him in that fight.
Kirito heard the sound of large footsteps from behind him. He turned around and saw another Beowolf emerging from the trees. This one was different, however. It was larger than the others. Almost twice the size of the ones before it and it had much more armour than they did. Kirito had read about these Grimm. They were referred to as Alpha Beowolves.
The Grimm stared at Kirito. As if it was observing him. Kirito didn't back down, however. Drawing Dark Repulser, Ready for when the creature decided to attack. The creature did worry Kirito slightly more than the Beowolves now. Alphas were notorious for being a tough Grimm to deal with so Kirito knew it was gonna take a lot to bring it down.
The creature finally decided to move. The creature stood up straight and let out an angry howl. Kirito tensed as it did moving into a stance. But before the Grimm or Kirito could make a move. The wolf-like creature was hit in the back by something which froze it solid. Kirito was stunned by what happened. It was almost instant. One second the creature was ready to murder him the next it was an ice cube. Frozen solid where it had stood.
Kirito didn't have time to move to check what happened before he heard a yell and a second later the Grimm shattered into chunks of ice. Kirito shielded his eyes from the ice and he was lucky that all of them missed him. He looked up and noticed a boy just behind where the Alpha Beowolf had been. He was positioned as if he had just finished a slash.
Kirito recognized the boy. He had seen him from the briefing before the exam. He recognized the brown hair but was now able to get a better look at the outfit. He wore a long coat similar to Kirito's own coat except it was a dark blue colour. The whole coat had a white outline. The boy also wore blue pants and a black pair of shoes. Everything about him seemed to be blue themed including his eyes. The main thing Kirito's eyes were drawn to was the blade in the boy's hand. The sword was a pale blue bordering on white. It was around the same length as Elucidator and Dark Repulser. The sword had a blue rose engraved into the cross-guard.
The boy sheathed his sword before looking up at Kirito. The boy smiled as he made eye contact with The swordsman. "Hey there," He greeted "Hope you don't mind me stealing your kill and all. But you looked like you could use the help". He explained
Kirito was briefly stunned by the boy's friendliness before responding "Nah you're good. Thanks for the help. I don't think I would've been able to beat it alone anyways" Kirito chuckled while sheathing his own swords.
"Your welcome. I assume you're one of the applicants for beacon right?" The boy in blue asked
"Yeah you got it, I'm Kirito" Kirito introduced "So do I get a name from the guy who saved my ass?"
The boy chuckled at Kirito's introduction. "I'm Eugeo. Eugeo Azure" The now named Eugeo introduced.
"Eugeo huh?. Why does that name sound so familiar?" Kirito thought to himself "Nice to meet you Eugeo" Kirito confirmed offering the boy a handshake which Eugeo gladly accepted.
"So any luck in finding the Goliath?" Kirito asked curiously. Hoping that the boy in blue would've had more luck than he had
Eugeo shook his head "None at all I'm afraid. My friend and I have been looking ever since we were given the go-ahead" Eugeo explained
"Same here" Kirito nodded "Your friend is the blonde knight looking girl right?" Kirito asked
Eugeo nodded a surprised look on his face "Yeah that's her. How did you know?" He questioned.
"I saw you two before we-"
Kirito attempted to respond by a loud noise coming from nearby. Kirito looked up and was shocked at what he saw. A golden swarm of what appeared to be flower petals burst out above the treeline in a nearby area of the forest.
"The hell is that?" Kirito asked shocked
"That's my friend and it looks like she's in trouble" Eugeo explained a worried look on his face.
"Right let's go," Kirito agreed. "After all, I owe you one," Kirito told him.
Eugeo looked shocked for a second. He stared at Kirito for a second before a smile appeared on his face. "Come on then" Eugeo nodded. Begging to head towards
Kirito and Eugeo dashed through the forest. Heading towards the golden glow. Kirito glanced curiously at the boy running next to him. Kirito wasn't sure what to think of Eugeo just yet. The boy had saved his ass against that Alpha Beowolf. Sure Kirito probably could have handled it on his own but Eugeo had not only saved him the effort. He had beaten the thing in almost one hit. Kirito made a mental note to ask Eugeo just how he managed to freeze the Grimm solid.
Kirito had no reason not to trust the boy. After all, Eugeo had helped him out. But he still was cautious around the boy. Tai had warned him that not all the huntsman and huntresses in training that he encountered would be trustworthy. Some willing to throw others to the Grimm just so they could succeed. But Kirito could already tell that Eugeo wasn't like that. He had saved him from that Alpha Beowolf Then again his friend might not feel the same.
As they drew close they noticed the swarm of flower petals beginning to die down. Kirito glanced at Eugeo but the same calm expression remained.
"Hey is your friend ok?. Her attack's dying out" Kirito asked
Eugeo glanced up before chuckling a little. "She's fine. She probably just took out whatever enemy she was fighting. Which means it wasn't the Goliath." Eugeo explained
Kirito nodded. Finding the explanation acceptable. Still, even though the danger was averted neither stopped running. For a reason, Kirito couldn't quite figure out. It made sense that Eugeo would want to make sure his friend was ok but for whatever reason. Kirito felt a strange sense of urgency. A similar feeling to one he remembered from SAO. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Either way, both swordsmen kept running. Neither slowing down for a second.
Not too long after they started running. They arrived in an area of the forest that shocked Kirito. Most of the trees in the area had been knocked over. Branches and leaves were strewn across the entire area. In short, it looked like someone had driven a bulldozer through the area. "What in the hell happened here," Kirito thought to himself
He heard Eugeo laugh to himself before speaking "You really did a number on this place huh?" Eugeo called out.
Only then did Kirito notice a person standing in the middle of the carnage. Her eyes were closed and a golden one-handed sword was gripped tightly in her right hand. The sword's blade seemed to shine more intensely in the sunlight than the cross guard or grip. She wore a flowing blue cape and was covered in golden armour. She wore a white skirt and also had a white hairband in her long blonde hair.
When she heard Eugeo's voice her eyes opened revealing a pair of bright blue eyes. She looked over at Eugeo and the stoic expression on her face softened slightly. As if his presence put her at ease. Her eyes then fell on Kirito and her expression hardened.
Kirito barely had time to process what was happening before he saw the Golden knight dash forward and slashed at him with her sword. Kirito jumped back just barely avoiding the attack. He quickly drew Elucidator and blocked her second slash. She quickly spun around using the momentum to increase the power of her incoming slashed diagonally, meeting the golden knight's upward slash. The two swords clashed creating a gust of wind that kicked up all of the leaves on the ground.
The two fighters pushed against each other. Each trying to gain ground over the other. Neither combatant moved an inch as their physical strength seemed evenly matched. The power of the two swords clashing proving to be equal. Throughout all this Kirito was thoroughly confused. He didn't know what he did to provoke the girl but whatever he did he better fix it quickly. The girl looked like she wanted to behead him and would probably do so with little thought.
"Wait Alice stop!. He's a friend!" Eugeo yelled trying to Reason with the girl
"Like hell, he is" Alice spat back "Look at his eyes Eugeo they're black," She told the boy.
That comment threw Kirito off. What was wrong with his eye colour. He got that Black Eyes were rare. Hell, he had been told that since he was little. But that didn't explain why they pissed this girl off so much. Was there something in her past that indicated that black-eyes were a bad thing or was she just acting on impulse?.
"I know Alice but he's not one of them. Please trust me" Eugeo pleaded with the girl.
The blonde girl glanced at him before staring back into Kirito's eyes. Her blue eyes met his now apparently important Black eyes. Their swords continued to push against each other and she glared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity to Swordsman stared back into them. Trying to figure out what the blonde knight was thinking. She eventually let out a sigh before stepping back and Sheathing her sword.
"You had better be right about him Eugeo" Alice warned. Her tone was calm yet carried a sense of power to it.
"Hey, If it's any consolation. I'm just like you. I just want to make it into Beacon, My name is Kirito. You're Alice, right?" Kirito asked, trying to calm the girl down.
She glared at him for a few seconds before responding "I hope that is true for your sake. However, at the first sign of a double-cross, I will make sure there is less left of you than there are of these trees" She threatened.
"Hey, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to finish this exam." Kirito reassured her. "Why would you think I want to hurt you anyways?" He continued. Trying to understand the girl's anger.
Kirito saw Eugeo nervously glance over at Alice. The Blonde knight returned his glance, the stoic expression on her face remaining yet he could tell she was nervous.
Eugeo sighed "Where we're from Black eyes aren't exactly a good thing." Eugeo began to explain "You see where from Black eyes are usually associated with-"
Eugeo's explanation was drowned out by the nearby sound of Gunfire before a loud roar like noise resounded through the area. It was louder than any noise Kirito had ever heard a Creature make and it sounded close. Very close. What really caught Kirito's attention was how the noise resembled that of an Elephants trumpeting sound.
"Is that?" Kirito questioned his attention instantly, drawn to the noise.
Alice nodded "It would appear someone has found the Goliath and has engaged in combat with it" She observed. Her arm instantly reached down to her sword. Ready to draw it if needed.
"Alone? But that's insane." Eugeo stated "Professional Huntsman and Huntresses have problems with those things. Us Trainees wouldn't stand a chance alone"
"We have to go help them out," Kirito exclaimed. Begging to walk towards the source of the noise
"Right" Eugeo nodded before hesitating.
Kirito turned around and saw Eugeo glancing worriedly at Alice. He realized that the girl in gold might not be on board with the idea of teaming up with him. The girl noticed his glance and realized what he was worried about. She looked at Kirito. She stared at him , almost as if she was analyzing him. It made the swordsman feel slightly was like she was staring into his very soul. Looking for something. Eventually she sighed and took her hand off her sword.
"I will trust you" She agreed, causing a smile to make its way onto Kirito's face. But before he could respond she held her hand up to hush him "However it is only temporary and my threat from earlier still stands" She warned
"Got it. It's good to be working with you" Kirito agreed.
Alice nodded before turning towards the direction the noise had come from "We should move. They won't be able to fight it for very long alone" She instructed
"Right, let's get moving then" Eugeo agreed
The three of them then turned and began to move into the forest. Kirito led the charge as they all began to head towards the final battle of this entrance exam.
The sound of the Goliath began to get louder and louder as they ran towards it. They had left the cover of the tree's not long after they had started running. This wasn't by choice mind you. It was more because the area they had entered had been seemingly flattened by the Goliath. Luckily this also gave them a way to find it. Namely follow the trail of destruction it had left.
"Hey, how much further do you think it is?" Eugeo asked. His hand hovering his sword grip. As it had been for a little while now. Whether that was due to precaution or paranoia Kirito hadn't quite figured out
Alice went to respond to him before stopping. She crouched down before reaching down and picking something up off the ground. She studied it curiously as if she had just found an ancient artifact.
"Hey, what did you find Alice?" Kirito asked curiously
"It's a dust cartridge. From the looks of things recently discarded. We're close. Very close." Alice explained.
The Blonde knight then stood up straight and drew her sword. Its golden blade shimmering in the sunlight. Eugeo followed suit drawing his own sword. Deciding to mimic their movements Kirito reached behind him and drew both Elucidator and Dark Repulser. Alice looked at him and eyed him suspiciously.
"I have seen people make many attempts to wield two-swords at the same time before. However I have seen few who have been able to do it without making fools of themselves. You however , oddly-enough, look rather imposing" She commented.
"Oh you think" Kirito chuckled nervously "Well what can i say. Dual-wielding is just my style" He explained his grip on the two swords tightening slightly
"Yet you only used one sword against me" Alice countered. narrowing her eyes at the Kirito. Her gaze made the swordsman feel uncomfortable. "Either way we should get moving and be prepared for an attack. Like I said judging by that dust cartridge, whoever is fighting this thing has been through here recently, And with them fighting it, they can't have gone far."
"You got it," Kirito agreed as he resumed following the blonde knight.
The three then began to follow the Goliath's trail again. This time having more of a sense of direction as they had something to follow. Kirito began to wonder if everything he did relating to beacon would be like this. Having him run after evil monsters with other Huntsmen and Huntresses beside him. Deciding not to dwell on it he focused on the path ahead of them. Mentally bracing himself he kept walking a head.
However the trio wasn't walking for long before the sound of the Goliaths trumpeting and the gunfire grew louder. Much louder. Kirito hesitated as he realized this. They shouldn't be getting that much closer with the speed they were going.
"Uhh guys" Kirito said to his teammates
The two turned to look at him. But before he could say anything the tree's in front of them were smashed over by a large black entity. The tree's falling over kicked up a lot of dust temporarily blinding their vision. Kirito covered his eyes for a few seconds to stop the dust getting into them. When he finally uncovered them, he instantly looked to both Eugeo and Alice to check if they were ok.
Luckily he saw both of them still standing on their feet and relatively unharmed. Relieved, Kirito quickly diverted his attention to whatever it was that had knocked the trees over. He saw that it was a large creature shaped like an elephant. It had a pair of giant white tusks with white bone-like armour plating on its face with two blood red lines around his eyes.
"Is that?" Kirito asked, not believing what he was seeing. The swordsman being in awe of the huge creature
"It is. That is the creature of Grimm we have been looking for." Alice confirmed "The Goliath"
The name seemed to suit the creature. The images Kirito had seen of the creature hadn't been able to truly showcase the insane size of the creature. The tree's in forever fall where easily as tall as a two story house and this creature was just as tall if not taller than that.
The next thing Kirito noticed was a person leap down from a nearby tree branch and land in front of the creature. She seemed to share Kirito's love for the colour black as almost her entire outfit seemed to fit around the colour. She had long black hair with a black ribbon tied in a bow on top of her head. She wore a black buttoned vest and sleeveless white crop undershirt.
The girl didn't hesitate after landing and immediately pointed her weapon and the creature and pulled the trigger. Firing multiple dust shots at the Elephant-like Grimm. The Grimm let out a loud screech in response and slammed its trunk down on the ground. The girl was blown backwards by the attack but managed to flip backwards and land on her feet.
"So that is who was fighting the Goliath" Alice realized
"Come one we gotta help her there's no way she can fight that thing on her own" Kirito told them both
"Right, let's do it," Eugeo agreed.
Kirito, Eugeo and Alice all charged towards the Goliath. The girl who had been fighting the Goliath saw them coming and immediately a scowl formed on her face. Before as quickly as she was there she seemed to fade out of existence. The sight would've made Kirito concerned when he first came to remnant but after seeing the semblances of both Ruby and Yang as well as others he had grown to accept it as normal.
The Goliath also saw them coming and let out a loud screech. It turned around to face the three incoming Huntsman in-training before wrapping its trunk around a nearby fallen tree. The Grimm then proceeded to pull the tree out of the ground before using its powerful trunk to throw the tree at them with little to no effort.
"Ah shit" Kirito groaned before stopping running and bracing for impact.
"I got it!" Alice yelled. The blonde knight stopped running just in front of Kirito before she stopped and dug her feet into the ground. She raised her sword in the air above her head. Her sword then began to glow before not even a second later began splitting apart into thousands of what Kirito recognized as flower petals. The petals began to swarm around Alice before she stepped forward and pointed her swords handle towards the incoming tree. The petals then swarmed towards the tree. Within seconds of contact the powerful petals reduced the incoming tree to nothing but splinters on the ground.
"What the hell did she just do?" Kirito asked Eugeo
"That's her semblance, Focus on the Goliath now ask questions later, ask questions later" Eugeo told him
"Right got it" Kirito nodded before resuming running at the Goliath.
Now within range of the creature Kirito lunged at the Goliath. He slashed at the creature's legs before running underneath the creature and attacking it's stomach. The creature let out a screech in pain before attempting to crush Kirito under its feet. Kirito narrowly dodged its first step but it attempted to attack again. Kirito just barely avoided its second attack before taking a step back from the creature. Eugeo slashed at its legs with his own sword before it tried to step on him too. Just before it could however a swarm of flowers slammed into its head. Kirito ran back to put some distance between himself and the creature before flashing Alice a grateful smile.
"Eugeo,Kirito, we need to slow it down, Attacking it's only making it angrier!," Alice called to the other two huntsmen in-training.
"Leave it to me, just keep me covered!" Eugeo called back.
Eugeo dashed back a good few feet before spinning his sword around in his hand so the blade was pointing down. The creature noticed Eugeo stop moving and went to attack him but before it could the Girl with the bow from earlier leapt out of a nearby tree and fired into one of the creature's eyes point blank. The creature let out a pained howl before flailing its trunk wildly. It glared at the girl with its remaining eye before taking a step towards her in an attempt to crush her which she back flipped to avoid but only narrowly.
"Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" The girl yelled
Eugeo nodded before stabbing his sword into the ground. Seconds later the sword began to glow a bright blue light. Seconds later a huge wave of ice began to emerge from the sword and head straight for the Goliath. The wave eventually grew into huge spikes of ice spouting from the ground. The Goliath did have time to react as the ice crashed into it, freezing its front legs in place as well as dealing a large amount of damage to the creature. The creature let out a thunderous roar as it tried to free its legs from the ice.
Kirito was briefly stunned by the sheer magnitude of the boy's semblance. Not only had he frozen the creature in place, But there was now also a massive trail of ice spikes in the ground from the boy to the creature. Kirito looked in awe at Eugeo. He had read about powerful semblances during his research but Eugeo's and Alice's were like nothing he had ever seen.
Realizing he was still in the middle of a fight, Kirito ran to join Alice and the Girl in black in hitting the creature. Eugeo hadn't returned to fight yet. Most likely taking a quick breather after using his semblance "That ice isn't going to hold forever!, Hit it while we've got the chance!" Kirito yelled to the two girls.
Neither Girl responded. Alice stood a distance away from the creature using her Semblance to constantly bash the creature, Mainly keeping its trunk occupied so it couldn't use it to free itself. The cat girl was on the creature's back repeatedly slashing at it but not having much luck getting through the creature's bone armor. Kirito moved in leaping over the wall of ice and resumed his attacks of the creature's armor quickly letting out a rapid barrage of three hit swords skills with his twin blades.
The creature was struggling with the assault on three fronts not being able to use its trunk or its weight to deal with the three attackers. It was growing frustrated. As it grew more and more angry it used more and more effort to free itself from the ice. Only Eugeo noticed the cracks that began to form in the ice from the creature's struggles.
"Oh Crap". He breathed "Guys get out of there now!" He yelled at the top of his lungs
Kirito spun around to see what he was talking about only to notice too late the massive cracks in the ice holding the creature in place. The swordsman barely had time to get out from under the massive creature before it finally lifted its front legs in the air and broke free of the ice before slamming it feet down on the ground creating a large shock wave that sent both Kirito and Alice flying. In the process the Girl with the bow was also flung off the creatures back.
Kirito and Alice both slammed into surrounding tree's, Both of their auras nearly shattering in the process. The other girl managed to right herself in the air and land safely on her feet next to Eugeo. Kirito groaned before forcing himself to stand. He quickly offered a hand to Alice to help her up. The blonde knight looked hesitant to accept his help at first but ultimately accepted his hand and stood up.
"None of this is working, We've barely made a dent in the thing" Kirito complained
"No it's hurt" The girl in black noted
"She's Right" Alice confirmed "It's fighting way more aggressively than normal. That and it hasn't charged at us yet."
"We need a plan," Eugeo noted "Attacking individually hasn't worked so far and a direct approach hasn't been effective either" The boy pointed out.
Kirito turned around and observed the creature. It was staring at them angrily. It was waiting. It knew it was hurt and that being aggressive would only hurt it. Kirito hadn't seen a Grimm behave like this before. Making note of that Kirito quickly analyzed the creature in front of him. Its greatest strength's were obviously its Trunk,Its tusks and its weight. If they were gonna win they would need to neutralize all three. Kirito glanced at it's damaged eye before it hit him.
"I've got a plan, Its crazy but it just might work" Kirito told the others
"What have you got?" Eugeo asked
"OK so first up… Uh sorry what was your name again?" Kirito asked the Girl in black realizing he didn't know her name.
She stared at him for a few seconds. Her amber eyes are almost searching for something. "Blake" She finally spoke
"Right, Blake. That thing i saw you do when you can disappear and reappear. How quickly can you do that?" Kirito asked
"I don't disappear and reappear. I leave behind a shadow of myself that eventually fades" She explained "Why?"
"We need to take out its eyesight. So long as it can see us it's gonna cause a problem. Think you can handle that?" Kirito asked
"You got it" Blake nodded
"Alright, Eugeo I'm gonna need another ice attack, One small and One large. Can you do that?" Kirito asked
"I can. I'll need a few seconds to catch my breath after the larger one though" Eugeo told him
"OK, Once it's blind I'll need you to freeze its tusks. That way me and Alice can run in and remove them." Kirito explained looking at Alice for approval.
Alice nodded at him in response. "After that i assume you plan to deal with its trunk?"
"You got it. Well actually I was planning on taking out its trunk and feet in one fell swoop. I'm gonna need you to pin it's trunk down." Kirito told her
"I can help with that part" Blake chimed in
"Alright once it's pinned Eugeo you need to freeze it. Then once it's pinned we hit it with everything we have. Everyone ready?" Kirito told them
Before he could get an answer they heard the Goliath let out a rage filled shriek and heard the large elephant begin to charge towards them.
"You better hope your plan works, Kirito" Alice told him.
Kirito just nodded before turning to Blake. "Go for it" He told her
Blake charged in as soon as she was given the command. When she got close the creature slammed its trunk down on the ground attempting to crush her. It's trunk hit the Girl. Or rather it seemed to as Blake used her semblance to create a clone of herself. The actual Blake avoided the hit and ran up the creature Trunk. Blake then jumped onto one of its tusks before pointing her weapons in it's pistol form at its eye, She pulled the trigger multiple times The creatures other eye was completely destroyed causing the now blind creature to let out an inhuman screech and shake its head furiously. Launching Blake off of its tusks and into a nearby tree line. Before charging blindly towards the three of them
"Oh no!" Eugeo yelled in concern
"Don't worry she'll be fine" Kirito reassured him. "Now get ready. you're up" he told Eugeo.
Eugeo nodded gripping his sword as it began to glow before slashing horizontally letting a crescent shaped wave out. The wave hit each of the charging beats three of them then dived out of the way before they were trampled by the Elephant Grimm. It heard them as they fell to the ground and turned around before running at them again. Kirito and Alice ran towards the large creatures to fulfill the next part in the plan. Kirito readied a sword skill with only Elucidator causing the blade to glow whereas Alice's own sword began to glow as she charged her semblance.
When the two of them were near the Goliath. Kirito attacked with a powerful horizontal slash with the sword skill of the same name slicing straight through the creatures frozen tusks while Alice used her semblance to blast off the other. A few of the shards from Alice destroying the tusk of the Goliath lodged itself in the creature's feet. Forcing the creature to stop in its tracks.
"Alice!,Blake! Now!" Kirito Yelled.
Alice quickly reacted, Redirecting her already summoned flowers towards the creature's trunk, pinning the large trunk down to the ground. The creature howled in pain as it tried to remove its tusk. It was slowly succeeding before Blake leaped off of a nearby tree and quickly threw one side of her weapon over the creatures trunk, The blade planted itself in the ground while Blake pulled the other side causing it to bind the creatures trunk down to the ground.
"Now Eugeo!" Kirito Yelled
Eugeo nodded once again, stabbing his sword into the ground and letting lose his semblance. The wave of ice froze the ground below it creating the same large spikes of ice it had the first time Kirito had seen him use it.
The attack hit the Goliath. Slamming into the creature's whole lower body freezing it in place and locking the creatures. The creature pulled against it and began thrashing. Trying desperately to free itself. Alice took this as her mark to start hitting it and let loose her semblance. The sharp flower petals slammed into the creatures head repeatedly attacking. This lasted for a few seconds before Kirito saw a crack form in the creature's bone armor.
Seeing his opening Kirito charged up a sword skill as he ran at the creature. Alice and Eugeo watched him run. Eugeo was about to call out to him to stop but noticed how long it was taking to charge the skill as well as the swords glowing.
Kirito finally reached the creature and attacked with a diagonal slash before striking with another diagonal slash in the opposite direction. He slashed down with both swords before slashing back up with both swords. The creature's bone armor became more and more cracked with each hit. Kirito then lept back before thrusting the Elucidator forward
. The pitch black sword stabbed into the center of the creature's cracked bone plated armor on its face. The sword pressed against the armor more and armor eventually shattered and the sword pierced straight through the creature's armor and skull. The Grimm let out once last pained snarl Before it's body went limp and tipped over as much as it could with its body stuck in the ice. Before the creature eventually evaporated into a black mist. Signifying it's defeat.
Alice,Eugeo and Blake watched with different looks on their faces as Kirito finished off the Goliath. Alice's expression was unreadable but if one looked close enough they could see the beginnings of an impressed smirk on her face. Eugeo was more shocked that it was over and looked relieved. Blake's expression was also unreadable but unlike Alice there was no trace of a smirk on her face.
Kirito took a few deep breaths. The swordsman didn't know what skill he had just used but it had apparently drained whatever aura he had left. Thinking back on it the motions of the skill were incredibly similar to that of his old ace in the hole skill. The Starburst Stream. Although it was way shorter than the original, only being eight hits. Kirito mentally made a note of this and decided to name it the Starburst Streak for now. He eventually regained his composure before sheathing both his swords.
"Nice work" Alice acknowledged
Kirito turned to face her with a surprised look on his face. Clearly not expecting praise from her. Especially considering she had tried to take his head off not too long ago. Kirito smiled at her before turning to face the rest of the huntsmen and huntresses in training.
"Everyone alright?" Kirito asked. Looking between Eugeo,Blake and Alice.
Eugeo sheathed his sword before he responded "I'm alright. Just a few scratches. What about you?. You three took way more hits than i did".
"I am unharmed. My aura absorbed most of the tougher blows" Alice explained finally sheathing her own sword.
"What about you Blake?" Kirito questioned
Kirito turned around to look at the girl in black. Only to see that she was gone. Kirito quickly looked around to see if he could see the girl but she was nowhere to be seen. Even her weapon had been removed from the ice.
"Well that was kinda… rude" Kirito sighed
"She didn't even say thanks for the help" Eugeo complained
"Oh for the love of" Alice nearly yelled "Does it really matter if she said thank you or not?."
"I guess not" Eugeo chuckled sheepishly
Alice glared at him for a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh "Honestly."
Kirito chucked to himself at the pairs antics before speaking "Anyways we should probably head out to. Right?."
Alice turned to him and nodded "Agreed. If we remain here for much longer there is a very high chance that we will be attacked by another pack of Grimm. Which i do not believe any of us are prepared for considering that you are out of aura" Alice pointed out. Bringing attention to Kirito's current condition
"Right. Let's get going then" Eugeo told the other two
The three of them then began to head away from the newly destroyed area of the forest and back to the place where they had begun the exam. Hoping that they wouldn't be attacked by any Grimm. Kirito was feeling pretty good about how things had gone. He had not only passed the entrance exam, He had also created a new sword skill. So he felt good not only because of those things but because he was one step close to finding his way out.