There was only a day or so left until the principal would announce what the next assessment would be for them. This was the case for the new students who had arrived and the old students.
The two groups would be going through different assessments, so there was no need to worry about strange incidents possibly happening, at least between the two. What it meant though, was this was the chance, the one last time, for everyone to get stronger before heading to the next stage.
In the courtyard, Liam had chucked his sword up in the air and grabbed it by the handle, swinging it and clashing it right off Simyon's body. As it bounced, he held it again and struck once more. He continued as he grabbed the sword, hitting Simyon in different areas bit by bit. It was an impressive display that would go on for a full ten minutes.
When the new students were there, they would stop what they were doing to look at what was happening.
'I can feel it, the tension's high after that portal break. It feels like even the teachers are on edge. They still haven't figured out what's happened, and no one is telling us what's happened either!' Liam thought as he struck harder, moving Simyon slightly, shifting his feet.
'Raze helps us out, Dame helps us as well, telling us how to absorb these crystals to be stronger, but all of that, it's all just so we can catch up and not be in the way. I don't want to be an afterthought!' Liam held out his hand, and the wooden sword was drawn right into it, holding it then with both of his hands he shifted forward.
Doing so, he slammed the sword from below as strong as he could and bashed it right in the center of Simyon's stomach; he was lifted slightly off the ground, and his hand was seen holding onto the wooden sword.
"I want to fight by their side as an equal," Liam said, letting out the thought from his mind.
"I know how you feel... I hate to say it, but the two of us, we're in the same boat," Simyon replied, as they stopped there for a moment and went on to continue absorbing the new Qi pills they had obtained.
Hopefully, they could push through and at least reach the fifth stage. With their special items, then maybe they could do something to help out.
At the back of the main family academy building, Safa was sitting in the middle of the forest patiently. She was meditating, but what she was actually doing was absorbing a Qi pill.
She would alternate between a Qi pill and a crystal, the Qi pill to improve her stage so she could become a stage 5 Pagna warrior, and the regular crystal to try and improve her magic core as well.
Raze had actually told her, now that she was at the third star level, there was no need for her to try and increase it more. At least not for now, but she wanted to make this a regular habit.
The reason she was here though was for another reason as well. In the middle of her meditative state, loud noises were being heard in the forest. Trees falling and being torn apart, the rabbit beasts scattering off in every direction, and eventually breaking through a tree, and then hitting a large rock that was by her side, Dame was seen falling to the ground.
Right after, a large stone statue had landed in front of Safa. Its eyes were heavily fixed on Dame, and it placed its sword by its side, ready to strike again.
"Stoney, stop!" Safa commanded, and immediately the stone statue stayed in place, standing up straight.
Right after, Dame on the floor started to pull using his hands across the floor. Doing so, he inched himself forward until he was in front of Safa. He looked up, wounds covering his body, even a large cut on his shoulder that was bleeding now, and gave a smile.
"Healing, please," Dame asked.
To which Safa just shook her head and placed both hands on the main areas of the wound, and started to use her powers.
"Why do you idiots keep training like this?" Safa asked. "I mean, do you have to get hurt so bad, is this really the only way to increase your stage level?"
"You'll understand when you reach a point where you can't increase your stage no matter what you do," Dame replied. "Extreme measures are needed. Besides, the statue, it also is linked to Ricktor.
"And although the Principal and Ricktor don't both use exactly the same techniques, they are somewhat linked in a way. The statue is at a high level, so if we are able to fight against it while it's using Ricktor's skill, it will prepare us the best for when we go against the principal."
Hearing Dame's explanation, Safa thought back to what they were told. What they had all seen with the portal break and what had occurred.
"I'm not sure this is the best idea yet. I mean, are we ready to fight?" Safa asked.
"I'm sure they've been ready to fight for a while. The real question is, do we think we can win?" Dame replied. "And the longer we spend in the academy, the more I feel like we don't have a choice.
"The Clans now have a vendetta against Raze. I'm sure Feebie will even try her best to come after him. She will be the first to strike, I'm sure of it. Once we get rid of her, the war will have already started."
"And this is working. Remember before, I couldn't even get a hit on the statue, now both of us are fighting, I may be getting beaten, but I'm lasting longer and longer than before."
Dame was actually taking a page out of Raze's book. After seeing him progress just a little, he was seeing it build up, and he needed to do the same. Push the small steps forward until he could eventually break through.
If he could just fight the statue for a second longer than last time, then that was an improvement. Even if he didn't reach the middle stage, he would be the strongest initial stage warrior there was in existence, until his body needed to break through.
"The next test, it will be announced tomorrow," Safa moved her hands, having healed the biggest of wounds and now went towards Dame's ribs and was working on that area next.
"The month, it's up... the next test, it's most likely where they will go after Raze... and most likely when the fighting will start, we don't have any time now, this is it."
Dame was quite surprised about how insightful Safa was because she was right. Which was why he was pushing himself even harder than he had done any other day before.
Right now, he was regretting his earlier days. Just how much stronger would he have been if he had always been like this?
Just then, Dame stood up, his body fully healed and ready to take on the statue again. The sound of rustling leaves behind them was heard, and the two of them turned their heads to see someone surprising to say the least.
"Raze!" Safa called out. "You should be resting!"
Raze shook his head as he looked at Dame, and in a soft, croaking voice that was barely audible, he managed to say a few words.
"Let's... fight."
It was quite clear that Raze still hadn't healed from his condition, and yet he wanted to fight with Dame. If he did, did it mean he really thought that he could win?
