The arena stretched before them—a gauntlet of shifting terrain, mechanical hazards, and sheer drops.
Sonic Burst hovered above the starting line, his voice booming through the stadium's speakers.
"Welcome to the second examination round!" His grin was razor-sharp.
"Three sections: Running, Swimming, and Climbing. Each of you will take one leg—no substitutions, no outside help. And if you're last?" A dramatic pause, "You're out. Permanently."
He gestured to three glowing circles that appear behind the group, "Runners, blue! Swimmers, red! Climbers, green! Choose wisely—you've got thirty seconds!"
---
Arthur's team huddled.
"I'll take the run," Arthur said, rolling his shoulders. "Got a little surprise for anyone who tries to pass me."
Miles shyly fridge his hair, "I can't swim so climbing is the only option for me."
Gwin licked her lips, "Guess that leaves me with swimming~ Try not to fall too far behind, boys."
They split up, stepping onto their designated platforms.
A flash of light—and they were gone, teleported to their starting positions.
Arthur materialized at the runner's line. To his left stood Joseph, "This will be the first time I will get use my trigger amongst my fellow hero's." As he talked with Arthur, he kept his his eyes shut to prevent him from blocking his powers.
"Heard your Trigger isn't built for mobility," Joseph taunted, "You sure you wanna start first?"
Arthur grinned, "Trust me. You are not the only one who wants to test out his skills."
A horn blared.
"GO!" Sonic burst scream on his amplifier speaker.
---
Fire erupted from Arthur's soles, a searing blue. The ground scorched beneath him as he launched forward, a comet streaking across the track.
One of his new skills that came from his right eye. To ability to control his blue flame. He calls this Mage form.
Catching up to him was a speedster who was summoning a gale at his back to keep pace.
Arthur's left eye pulsed. His pupil twisted forming an infinity symbol, "It's time to call it's quits." He turned to face the speedster.
The speedster leg locked mid-stride. A phantom cramp tore through his thigh, sending him stumbling. Suddenly his head was decapitated by Galahad.
His sound faded, light dimmed, until all that remained was silence and his own ragged breathing in motionless void.
"Am I… dead?" He asked himself but unfortunately for him. He was still alive but trapped in an illusion.
The real Joseph collapsed, body rigid, eyes wide and unseeing.
Arthur new skill form his left eye, Death door. Causing a target to experience a realistic death from Arthur where they can only broken free if they figure out if it's an illusion or when he feels like freeing you.
Arthur didn't slow, "One down." He said with a smirk on his face.
---
Arthur skidded to a stop at the water's edge just as Gwin plunged in her blood-surfboard cutting through the churning currents.
Turbines churned beneath the surface, their blades razor-sharp. Gwin weaved between them, laughing as her board morphed into a serpentine whip, lashing out to shatter one turbine in her wake.
Behind her, Team 4's swimmer—a hulking man with gill-like implants—snarled as he gained ground.
Gwin glanced back, smirked, and flicked her wrist.
A spike of hardened blood shot up from below—impaling his shoulder.
"Oops~"
---
Gwin tagged Miles by giving him a high five, "Your up."
Miles stood at the base of a sheer, his shadow hands expend from his back each begun climbing as fast as they can.
Below him moving running up was a girl from team 5 with web based abilities.
She managed to attached her webs on Miles legs and plan to pull him down but his Wyrm coil around the girl body in a tight strangle hold, "Don't you hurt him."
Causing the girl to suffocate before falling from the hight before being caught from Jackie who puts her down safely.
Miles exhaled, after climbing over the cliff noticing the finish line.
The Wyrm appeared, "Climb." To which Miles climbed on her back and flew all the way there.
As Miles pass the finish line, "Team 3 are the first to win the second round. There's still time for the other teams try not to make it in last place. So give it your all." Sonic burst shouted.