Annabelle’s Bastion

The core’s body remained unchanged—a pulsing vibration that shook the air around it—except it now had three tall greatswords hovering above it.

A deep, powerful gash in the ground before it told of what would have happened to Anna had she not reacted instantly to the threat. That speed and ferocity weren’t something she could overcome easily.

On a positive note, it did seem like her sixth sense had improved!

Yet, it didn’t help much in her current situation.

“Annoying,” she muttered, walking around the edge of what she assumed to be its area of effect.

Anna picked up a rock, upped her strength, then threw it.

The moment it reached about the same distance she had dashed, one sword swang and effortlessly destroyed it. There was only a black flash before the rock exploded. However, the other swords by its side didn’t move an inch as the primary one smoothly returned to its position.

“Interesting,” she said.

She repeated the experiment using three rocks thrown as simultaneously as she was able but without enhancements.

As expected, all three swords whipped through the air, destroying the three rocks the instant they seemed to reach its effect radius.

So, she picked up four and upped her enhancements.

She threw them in sequence, one a small moment after the other and from each direction.

Three were destroyed by the corresponding blade, but the fourth broke through and slammed into the core.

It shimmered, and the rock fell to the ground—no damage or changes to the core’s body.

As expected, a fourth blade formed behind it.

“Huh.”

Anna lowered her enhancements to their minimum and returned to pacing around the core.

She pretty much understood how it worked after those few tests.

It would form another weapon in response to the number of perceived threats. Also detecting mana since it did have a sword before she reached it that swang as she neared. It also wouldn’t use more than a single sword on each threat—either natural limitations due to its tier or only used with multiple attackers.

That was why it was F-tier, then.

However, despite knowing that, there wasn’t much else Anna could think to do.

Her first option was to keep throwing a series of rocks and hoping one shattered the barrier—but that also meant hoping it couldn’t just form infinite blades. Or, waiting for someone to help her... then doing the same, but from multiple angles.

Just to test, she disabled the enhancements on her left arm, then threw a small twig with no enhancements.

As she theorized, the blade ripped through the air with just as much force as it did for a fully enhanced rock.

“No threat distinction...” Anna mumbled.

The only problem, then, was the strength of the core’s barrier. If its primary purpose was corruption, then its defense capability could be assumed to be high. Anna’s six previous rocks weren’t thrown weakly, each one equivalent to her maximum-enhanced punch. The three that landed were with all the force she could pull, yet the barrier didn’t even crack.

There was a high chance her enhanced punch wouldn’t shatter it, either. Plus, she’d need another blow after to actually destroy the core once the barrier shattered. Not to mention, she only had an instant to do both, and every time an attack failed, it would just gain another layer of offense.

Eventually, it’d have a barrier of swords!

Another scary, yet likely possibility was that it was entirely resistant to pure physical attacks.

Yet the only option was to wing it and hope her strength was enough… or gamble and wait for Aria.

Anna rustled her hair in annoyance as she sat on the grass and stared at the core.

If only she didn’t have to enhance the entire expedition because they were stupid and didn’t bring more supporters!

Which, now that Anna thought about it, was odd. Alice said the general rule was either one supporter for every ten combatants or one to five, depending on the mission rank.

How could she forget that oddity? A simple explanation was simply that she was leagues more talented than others, and they didn’t want to waste slots. But…

“Don’t get sidetracked!” She said, shaking her head and dismissing those thoughts—a mystery she could ask Alisha all about later. Hell, even Alice might get angry at it!

But first, she had to destroy that disgusting core—something she was sure would happen regardless of what she had to do.

“Frost... how...” Anna jumped at the sound of Cole’s voice, nearly falling over. She whipped toward the noise, and the sight caused her heart to sink. He had a pale but recovering face caked in sweat. His eyes were wide, and he looked like he struggled to find the words. “This… this is...”

This was the worst-case scenario, and Anna struggled to find the words.

What should she do?

For an instant, a dark thought found its way to her mind—one she instantly dashed, disgusted with herself for it.

Anna stood off, nonchalantly dusting her pants. “Hi, Cole,” she said and waved.

That was awkward!

Even if she did fight, she stood no chance against him, even at full capacity.

“How?” Even the stoic man couldn’t seem to put aside his shock, ignoring the ball with literal massive greatswords floating around it after only a few glances.

Interesting priority.

Anna shrugged. “I’m mentally strong, I guess.”

Well, she actually had no idea.

He shook his head. “Please—”

“I don’t know, Cole—really,” Anna interrupted. She shook her head. No way was she about to convince him it wasn’t an act. No time. “I was hoping to be able to destroy this core before anyone broke out, but...” She sighed.

“You…” That seemed to remind him of the situation, and his gaze finally turned to the core. He took the thing in, checking each sword as his face became more and more disappointed, which only made Anna more and more hopeful.

Finally, he sighed, then said, “So that’s its ability? Creating swords?”

“What do you mean?” She asked expectantly, trying to keep her tone even.

“I…” He turned back to Anna and sighed. “I fight with my body; I have little desire to learn magic that goes against my training.” He shook his head. “Especially with something as permanent as an Apex Sigil.”

He definitely seemed the type!

“Then let’s cut to the chase,” she said as she approached him, then pointed at the core. “I want that Sigil.”

His eyes widened. “You’re a supporter. Why?”

She shook her head. “Not for me.”

The shock only lasted a moment before recognition came, and he nodded to himself. “Aria.”

“Yes.”

No need to hide it—he was Ashton’s partner.

“Wells told me about it.” He squinted, looking at Anna like he wanted to glean something from her. “He informed me you would attempt to steal the Apex Sigil so Aria could maintain her top spot at the academy for the future prospects they intend to offer.”

Anna scoffed. So that was his choice of poison!

Even if that was the case, it wouldn’t matter at all; destroying the core got her the Sigil—period. What she decided to do with it afterward was entirely her decision.

Still… Ashton had to go before he could make something far more damaging. If only Jaxon wasn’t such a stickler for the rules!

“You scoff at the idea, but she has already killed a competitor.”

To call that man a competitor was straight insulting.

“You would have to be a hopeless moron to believe she chose to kill him.”

He paid no heed to her words. “Then, tell me.”

Anna looked between the core and him. “Now?”

“You’ve lied to the expedition.” He nodded without glancing at it. “Yes.”

“Well…” She clicked her tongue.

She had little choice if she wanted to convince him to let her take the Sigil… so she told him. Despite how messy it was, the story wasn’t that long, which made Anna realize how silly it was. Everything boiled down to simple pride. From beginning to end, Anna left nothing out as she regaled Cole with the story of shattered egos and ulterior motives.

When it was done, Cole didn’t look surprised or doubtful. He simply looked back to the core as if contemplating his next choice. It was a big one, too. If he chose to take the Sigil, Anna couldn’t stop it.

So she eagerly waited, barely holding herself still.

She looked at the fog, yet Aria was not there. Her friend was likely battling an illusion catered specifically to her and how to best trap her. To think they could avoid it was… naïve.

The best she could do was vile—not tell him her findings and let it slice him apart.

How could she even have that disgusting thought?

Maybe it was the feeling she had for the core leaking into her other thoughts. She wasn’t that violent!

Cole still looked as though he couldn’t make up his mind.

“Aria will be murdered, and nobody will care,” Anna said quietly. She moved in front of Cole and looked up into his eyes. “She needs that Sigil more than anybody here.”

Cole met her gaze. “For now, your story makes more sense than his...” He nodded, and the ghost of a smile came to his face. “I’ll make you a deal, Frost.”

“Oh?”

“Become my supporter for the tournament.”

Anna’s heart fell, and she instantly shook her head. “I ca—”

He raised a hand as he interrupted, “Aria will have no reason to participate in the tournament if she gets this Sigil—no reason good enough to miss out on a cornerstone of her strength. This Sigil is good for her, no?” He patted his waist, indicating the katana that was practically a part of Aria’s being.

“But—” Anna stopped herself.

From what she knew, even having the Apex Sigil didn’t bar them from participating in tournaments, but the only benefit was for their official record. That would probably be clarified after this, though. Regardless, unless the prize was an ordinary Sigil, they wouldn’t win it.

Aria was competitive and would likely participate—if able—just to hone her abilities further. But did she really need Anna if she had the Apex Sigil?

Why was she even doubtful?

There wasn’t a choice for Anna—Aria needed this Sigil, and casting an ability on Cole to help him win was the easiest trade of her life!

“Just for the tournament?” she asked.

He nodded. “Unless I somehow lose, in which case our partnership would be extended.”

“Okay… Deal.” Anna extended her hand, to which Cole obliged.

Aria would just have to avoid the first tournament. But really, she’d likely have missed it anyway since it was only a few days after the expedition. Her punishment discussions were bound to last a while—purposefully, just to get her out of it.

“Good.” Cole nodded. “As a show of good faith, I will say that the Apex Sigil in the tournament is called Beast Modification.”

“What?” Anna exclaimed. “How?”

He chuckled wryly, shaking his head. “My professor gave me... special treatment. He knows that Sigil would be best for me due to it presumably allowing me to take the forms of beasts. I—we assume that meant I can use their inborn powers as well.”

“Damn, that’s…” Anna paused. That was highly illegal! Even Alisha wouldn’t tell Anna what the Apex Sigil was, dismissing Anna before she even finished the question!

And that ability sounded ridiculously powerful in a world where there was probably an endless variety of monsters. What sort of bizarre things could he do?

“Powerful,” Cole agreed. “The only reason it’s being offered at the academy is because the headmaster found it, and he answers to no one.”

“Wow.”

Anna almost felt envious. She pictured herself transforming into a lion, a shark, and even potentially a dragon!

Technically… she could try to win it.

Maybe.

“We don’t have much time. Tell me, what is—” A muffled explosion interrupted Cole, and he whipped his head toward the skies.

“Yeah, that’s been happening—third time.” Anna turned her attention back to the four greatswords. They wasted way too much time. “We have to hurry.”

“This...” Cole shook his head. “What could he possibly be fighting?”

“I’m trying really hard not to think about it.”

It was surprisingly easy to forget about it when she had this primal urge to destroy the core subtly eating away at her. When she looked at it, it was as if all other thoughts easily faded.

Cole’s face scrunched, but he shook that away and turned to the core. “Let’s hurry.”

“It’s still attacking?”

“Yes. Your mental strength is astounding.” He shook his head before Anna could comment. “We’re getting sidetracked. Tell me, please.”

“Okay.”

Anna told him her findings about the core: its barrier, the sword formations, the straight-laced attack patterns, and how powerful it could swing. Destroying it should be easy. Now that there were two people, one could easily take advantage of the sword’s focus for the other to levy a powerful blow.

“We could continue throwing an extra rock each time with maximum energy.”

Anna shook her head. “They didn’t seem to do anything. We’d just give it an extra sword, and eventually, we wouldn’t be able to throw enough.”

He nodded. “So one throws—you—and I charge.”

“A gamble. I’m not sure how strong its barrier is or if we have enough strength to break the core itself.”

“I will be fine,” as he spoke, a mint-green ring softly hummed around his forehead.

“Wha—” Anna stared like a deer in headlights. “Y-you can do that?!”

“Simple.”

She ran up to him. “How!?”

“Well...” He scratched his cheek like an embarrassed child and cleared his throat. “I suppose I can tell my future collaborator.” Again, he cleared his throat. Whatever he did, he was clearly embarrassed by it. “I completely disabled my barrier while my ring was active, then enhanced my head.”

Anna shook her head and exclaimed, “No, no. I tried that, though!”

“Because...” He switched his gaze from the idle core to Anna, then sighed. “It doesn’t have a purpose.” He tapped his left bicep. “When you enhance your arms, it’s because you want to do something with heightened strength.” He then pointed to his leg. “When you enhance your legs, it’s because you want to move faster, jump higher… you get it.” Finally, he patted his chest. “When you enhance your body, it’s because you need to engage all your muscles for fights, training, things like that. Get it? Whether conscious or unconscious, you have a goal in mind when you do it. At least, at first—until you can do it just because.”

“That’s…” Anna nodded a few times.

It fell into place, along with an understanding of why Cole was embarrassed!

“You’re telling me...” Anna resisted the urge to chuckle, instead lightly coughing. “You slammed your head into a wall?”

Cole only nodded but avoided meeting her gaze. “Completing the… slam… it wasn’t necessary, but I was too surprised to stop.” He rubbed his forehead, then shook his head.”Anyway, you can’t try right now. We have a task to complete.”

“Man…” Anna mumbled, “why didn’t they just tell us that?”

He shrugged as he pushed past Anna. “Discovery is important—but let’s stop wasting time.”

Anna clicked her tongue.

He was right, though. They had plenty of time after the expedition to delve into that, and Aria would be there for it, too!

But to think it was that simple had her feeling quite dumb.

“What will you do?” Anna asked as she picked up as many rocks as she could stuff into her pockets.

Cole smirked and held up his fist, which quickly encased in a minty shell with a sound akin to rapid ice. “You said physical attacks may be ineffective, but this is technically not.”

“That’s...”

Brutish, but she suddenly had an urge to see a fight between him and Aria.

“Mana Shell—my Sigil.”

Anna finished stuffing herself with rocks and then stood next to him. “Utility?”

“Yes. It should mesh with whatever element I decide to pick.”

“Oh? Interesting.”

Utility Sigils were lower in desirability than supporting ones. Lily told her that most of the utility Sigils offered were tame—boring. When the option of choosing something like Firebolt was the alternative, very few chose the dull choice.

But Cole already admitted his professor paid him special attention, so there had to be more to it.

It also confirmed a theory she had; the ring around the head meant some abilities could be activated without conjuring another ring! Obvious, but good to confirm. Although she’d need to see it done for outside abilities like projectiles.

Cole clenched his minty fists. “This will technically make my fists mana weapons.”

“Right!” Anna said, nodding. The shell was thin, almost like the barrier, but filled with little streams of color. “But how strong is it?”

“For now, I’d say it’s Similar to wearing brass knuckles.”

“Oh, how relatable.” Anna rolled her eyes. “I mean, can you use it to block?”

“Oh… yes.”

“Perfect!”

He would have two layers of defense! The swords would have to pierce through two layers, which would hopefully give him enough time to escape if things go south.

Anna embarrassingly conjured her rings around her wrists, feeling inferior all the while. “I can only do this a few times before my mana is gone.”

“I’m ready,” Cole said as the hardening occurred all over his body, making him look like a minty statue up to his head. “Worst case, I am defended.”

“Alright, let’s get—”

Another explosion shook Anna, that one closer as it reverberated in the skies above them.

Whatever the battle was, it was obviously heading toward them.

“Go, now!” Cole shouted.

Anna heightened her enhancements to the max and immediately felt the beginning effects of mana exhaustion. Luckily, it wasn’t anywhere close to how it was after her battle with Jared. Aria was correct; her body just wasn’t used to mana. But after a month, it was almost as if she had been born with it.

She split the pile of rocks in two and into her right and left pockets, leaving two in each hand.

Cole looked at her, and they exchanged a nod.

He kicked off the the grass, launching forward.

The moment he moved closer, another sword formed around the core in response to his mana presence. It now had five.

Anna began her assault.

Fearing that two thrown simultaneously might register as the same threat, she threw them with a minute difference in timing.

Cole clearly controlled his speed to not outpace her rocks and only accelerated once five were past him.

Anna’s rocks quickly reached the range of the core as the blades rushed through the air in black arcs.

Cole sped up in a substantial burst, instantly reaching the core just before the swords swang toward the first round of rocks.

Anna kept her barrage of rocks firing as fast and powerful as she could—one after the other like a machine gun.

The core couldn’t react fast enough, even though tendrils of black expanded out to create more swords as a rain of rocks hit its body. Yet—as Anna expected—those rocks seemed to do nothing.

With another ring around his wrist, Cole slammed his fist into the core.

Simultaneously, every sword whipped around to attack the moment they destroyed their designated rock.

It all happened at once.

The core made a noise akin to reverberating shattered glass as it was assailed by a powerful fist and a barrage of rocks. The sound was loud enough that Anna instinctively covered her ears.

But the swords were too quick for Cole to retreat.

Anna’s chest tightened as each sword whipped around.

“Cole, care—”

His mana shell saved him, only cracking as one sword slammed into his waist, sending him crashing into a tree with a heavy impact. The force threw him outside the range of the others, whose swords cut through the air, striking nothing but air.

Even then, Anna didn’t stop until her pockets were empty.

Yet the rocks simply bounced off the core, not even denting it.

To make it worse, tens of swords formed around it, and a second later, it had a layer of defense in the form of a sword wall.

“Cole...” Anna muttered, putting her hands down and dismissing her rings. “We failed.”

No response.

“Cole?”

She ran up to him, only to see his eyes distant and mouth open. His ring shrank into his head, his shell broke like fallen glass, and his body slumped over.

Anna caught him and rested his head against the tree.

He had fallen into the corrupted attack—again.

“Damn it!” She adjusted his body so he’d be comfortable. “Now what—”

“Girl,” a deep, old, and powerful voice sent a shiver down Anna’s spine. She almost didn’t want to look back. “Purity, Sigil—unexpected. Will make you a deal.”

She slowly turned.

A cloaked man with his face covered by a gold and black mask stood beside the core… and it didn’t attack him.

The moment Anna saw him, a revulsion stronger than even what she felt for the core almost made her gag. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not charge like a wild animal. It felt like her fight-or-flight instincts took over… and they urged her to fight. Not an urge—a demand.

She tried her best to collect herself, her breathing heavy and chest tight.

“Who?” she spat.

At that moment, it didn’t even matter that it was the man who likely beat Jaxon—maybe even killed him.

“Call me Eclipse. Don’t worry—Interloper alive. Knocked out. For now. Will you take my deal?”

“What deal?”

He pointed his gloved hand at the core. “I will destroy core. Give Sigil to girl outside.”

“Absolutely n—”

“If you reject,” he interrupted and moved his hand ominously toward Cole. “I will kill all students. Girl included, last.”

Anna clenched her fists so tightly that it hurt. She didn’t doubt those words at all. Spoken so callously and simply, it seemed like, to the man, it was just another day in the office.

“What... what do I have to do?”

“The wise choice. Worry not, will benefit you.”