Ricktor was a little stunned at this sudden change of heart, although at the same time, not so much. Although he and the other main disciples couldn't exactly call themselves friends, they had been in similar situations since the Academy started, so they regularly talked amongst each other.
Their positions were above the rest, so they knew how each other felt. That was why Ricktor never thought something like this would quite occur. However, what he didn't see was what had happened while he was passed out, and the fact that Lisa and Sherry had both walked past their seclusion room.
"Do you really think it's a smart idea, going against me?" Ricktor said, almost giving them a second chance to reconsider their positions.
"Do you really want to act all high and mighty with the position you are in right now?" Lisa asked. "You guys, all of you saw these guys like beasts, yet you seemed to forget that they are students just like us. They have been put into the same situation as us as well. They are human beings who you can talk to, so that's what we decided to do."
"And in your haste, you decided to work together with them in order to get rid of us?" Ricktor asked. "And what's your plan after that, to just battle it out against yourselves?"
"Shut up!" Sherry immediately shouted back. "We are just doing what our clans asked of us! They said that we would get through this. And we saw you going ahead talking to the others; we knew you were planning to team up with them, but where does that leave us? You know that Raze will be picked for the martial arts tournament unless we get rid of him and his friends. Yet now you're working for them? All we have decided to do is join the side that is most likely going to win; we're on the winning side!"
"And we could say the same to you," Lisa added. "When this is all over, what was your plan? We still have to get rid of each other after this; you think it will be all over after this."
Ricktor looked around at the other Red Headbands, the ones that were fighting on the side of Simyon and the others. They were helping each other. He understood those close to Raze helping each other, but why had the other Red Headbands changed their way of thinking? The only thing he could think of was if they were promised a way out of here, promised a way to still live when this assessment is over.
Thinking this, Ricktor smiled to himself as he lifted his wooden sword, pointing it at the two girls.
"Do you really think you've joined the winning side? If you truly believe that, then you guys have been blinded by your own arrogance this whole time. Us main disciples are not the strongest ones in this place!"
Mada was looking around for help, but everyone was struggling, mostly because of the lack of energy. It was frustrating them even more. If only they had eaten, then maybe even then their bodies would now have the energy to break through and help them out, but it felt like there was nothing they could do.
One of the students jumped up and thrust their sword toward Mada's head. He moved to the side, avoiding the hit, then spun around another student. As he turned, he received another kick to the stomach. He skidded across the floor in pain; his legs wouldn't stop skidding across the ground until he eventually stopped and fell onto his knees.
He was now away from the wall, away from the others, and away from his safety net, and he could see two others coming right for him.
'Darn it... darn it! Should I have stayed with the others rather than close to Ricktor? Did I make a mistake?' Mada thought.
He tried getting up, but his whole body was shaking, not from the pain, but just the lack of energy completely. He needed to pick up his sword; he needed to strike.
'Just one hit, if I just could deliver one hit at full strength, I would take these two down, in a single blow!'
Mada screamed this in his head, and right in front of his eyes, he saw a sword slash across their chest; the top of the two students' bodies fell to the ground; they were defeated, killed in an instant.
Mada looked at his own hand, but it hadn't moved; he hadn't picked up his sword, and with a wooden sword, he would have never been able to do such a thing.
"I'm ready," a voice said to Mada's right, and light steps were made as a figure walked past him.
"I'm ready to get rid of the ones that forced us all into this situation."
Turning his head, Mada could see it.
'Raze... you've returned, and the power around you, it's causing my whole body to shiver.'
