The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Austin stared at Oscar and Frederick curiously. Frederick's demeanor and presence were the opposite of what he showed in their battle. It was after he asked Frederick who he wanted revenge on.

Back then, Frederick's entire being had changed. His eyes became deathly hostile like a madman. It was not real, but Austin felt like a dark shadow obscured and covered Frederick's entire being.

It was no longer the appearance and face of a person but like a ghost or monster. Austin felt like a snake had coiled around him and slowly sank its fangs into his neck. Although none of it was directed at Austin, he still felt like he would die.

What kind of anger was this, and who was Frederick looking at with those hateful eyes? Austin gave up revenge after seeing Frederick's other face. Whatever hatred Frederick had, it was far more than anything Austin felt toward him; he could tell Frederick had no regard for his own life.

He felt his revenge was quite comical compared to Frederick's. Naturally, he was still angered about his eye but not to the point of mutual destruction. He still valued his own life.

Right now, however, there's not a single hint of that. There's only the same playful and smiling Frederick. The behavior confused him, but with a sigh, Austin closed his eye to rest; he wanted nothing to do with him.

Meanwhile, George, Frederick, and Oscar were tended to in the healing station. Since George and Oscar's injuries were not as serious as Frederick's, they didn't need a bed and crowded around Frederick's.

"That's a cute hedgehog!"

George let his hedgehog rest on Frederick's bed. In this short time, Frederick and George got along well.

"He cost a lot of points. Those scammers at the Menagerie." He grumbled.

"Os and I will also need to get some Exalt beasts. Since we have beast-type Animas, the 'Meld Stage' will work better with an animal of the same type."

The 'Meld Stage' allowed the Anima to combine with an object. Only beast-type animas had the special privilege of melding into another living beast if that beast had some connections to it.

"I need to get a bow as well. The fight with Oscar showed me some weaknesses I need to work out."

Oscar asked, "Why did you decide to get a beast before a bow?"

Even if George couldn't meld his Anima yet, it could have stayed in the air and continually shot out arrows by his side.

George shook his head, "Arrows by themselves are too straightforward. I needed the means to attack from multiple directions. The 'Shifting Vector' has its limits on the number of arrows I can keep using it on."

Oscar exhaled in a complaint, "All these spells come with their limitations and quirks. Why can't I just have one spell to win everything."

"Agreed." George and Frederick said in unison.

It was all a joke, but it was indicative of how hard it was to use a spell and master it. Oscar recalled training for a while to envelop himself in 'Steel Scales'.

"If you want your spells to be stronger, keep practicing." A clear, powerful voice interrupted their venting session. Emily came before them, and her orange eyes looked scoldingly at the group.

"Emily, why are you here? I don't see any wounds on you." Oscar asked.

"Finished my match and went looking for you two. You guys were nowhere on the stages or the crowd, so I assumed you were here." Emily stepped to the side of Frederick's bed, making him freeze up.

"E-Emily? How was the match?" Frederick stammered out weakly.

"Fought a weak Grade Five." Emily did not care about her match. "What happened to you?"

Oscar interjected while smiling, "He burnt himself."

Frederick's eyes popped out at Oscar, the traitor. He was about to say his opponent did it, but if Emily knew he did it to himself, then he was in for a scolding.

For some reason, Emily designated herself as the person with discipline and ensured Oscar and Frederick continued to improve.

"Interesting; why don't you tell me?" Emily's eyes stared straight into Frederick.

George felt something was weird but did not say anything.

Frederick re-explained everything, and when he got to the part when he blew himself up, Emily's brows furrowed.

"Do you think you have more than one life? How can you be so reckless?" Emily scolded.

"I had to win." Frederick retorted.

"Even if it meant possibly blowing off your arms?!" Emily stomped her foot, making Frederick's bed quake. Oscar and George remained silent.

"I'm not that dumb to do that. I made sure to back away as fast as possible."

"You~"

The two continued to argue.

George nudged Oscar and whispered, "Is there something between them?"

"Not that I know of. But it does look like something's up."

In their eyes, this looked more like a wife scolding her husband. Oscar looked at the two with an odd expression and thought about a potential future.

Suddenly, he imagined Frederick and Emily having a wedding and laughed. Frederick would wear a nice suit, while Emily would wear a beautiful wedding dress. It seemed so off on the two of them together.

"Enough. Later on, we will keep training up your 'Brilliant Slash'." Emily ended the argument with her declaration.

"Are you kidding me? You'll kill me." Frederick complained.

"Don't worry. We'll fix your ineptitude soon." Emily spoke as though Frederick wasn't talking.

Oscar laughed some more. "Fred. You should just agree. I'm also worried about you. Training with Emily would surely help."

The best way to improve was through battling; Emily was the strongest among them, so she was the best partner for spars.

Frederick could not believe his friend's betrayal but felt warm in his heart that they were saying all this for him. Even Emily's harsh language was because she cared. In the end, he gave in. "Fine. I'll do it."

The group continued to talk about other topics. Emily and George introduced themselves while Austin ignored all of this.

"ALL THE MATCHES HAD CONCLUDED."

A loud voice reverberated across the stadium, reaching all the students.

"THE NEXT ROUND SHALL COMMENCE IN TWO HOURS."

Thin stone tablets appeared in front of Oscar, Frederick, and Emily.

"ALL THE WINNERS HAVE RECEIVED A STONE TABLET. IT WILL REVEAL YOUR NEXT OPPONENT AND PROVIDE RECORDINGS OF THEIR PREVIOUS BOUTS."

The voice vanished, and the stadium was bustling with activity.

Oscar and his friends quickly checked their stone tablets. George leaned over in interest, and even Austin opened his eyes.

"Hah." A chilling sound came from Emily as her eyes glinted with glee. Her lips curved upward in a smile.

"Who did you get?" Oscar asked.

"Samuel." Emily turned her tablet over, revealing Samuel's face and name.

Frederick laughed so hard without restraints, causing bouts of pain, that people started to give weird stares in their direction.

Austin suddenly got up, surprising Oscar and the others. They didn't think he'd be interested in the next matches since he wasn't participating. His one eye wandered to Emily's tablet with Samuel's face, then to Emily.

"Beat that bastard down." His voice contained a hint of anger. Frederick was the one who took his eye, but Samuel was the one who brought him there and insulted him.

Except for the clueless George, the group was happy to get a chance at Samuel. This payback was a long time coming.

"Don't worry. I'm far stronger than that scum now. I'll make sure he pays." Emily put her tablet away to watch the recordings later. Her focus turned to the other two, Oscar and Frederick. "Who did you two get?"

"I got this girl, Rachel Foster. It says she's a Grade Six and a year above us." Frederick showed the details of his next opponent. The girl looked fairly cute with rosy cheeks and long blond hair.

"Rachel? I know her. We've done a few missions together." George was surprised.

Frederick's eyes lifted in joy. "Can you tell me about her? Any weak points? The recordings are fine, but a second opinion would be great."

"Nope." George refused to help.

"Why not? I thought we were becoming great friends here!" Frederick said.

"It's fine, Fred. George must have his reasons." Oscar smiled cheekily.

The two of them were close enough to understand the little hints they gave out. Oscar's smile drew Frederick's attention. He looked from Oscar to George and then to Rachel on the tablet.

"Oh, I see. Then I'll politely back down here." Frederick also put on a cheeky smile. He and Oscar noticed how George's eyes never left Rachel's picture.

Emily sighed, looking at the two, no three stooges now.

Oscar looked at his tablet with great interest. His next opponent would most likely be the strongest he faced.

The image formed on the tablet. It depicted a young boy with sharp, distinct features like his pointed chin and radiant purple eyes. His long rose-colored hair flowed down his shoulders.

"He's…." Oscar's eyes widened. "I got Phillip Raeven."

Phillip Raeven was said to be one of the best geniuses of the same generation. His handsome appearance was enough to swoon all the girls, but his strength drew the admiration of all.

They said it was a shame he was not a Grade Eight because he was hardworking and diligent with a good attitude. Ever since he stepped foot in the Pavilion, he showed great prowess. The more frightening aspect was that he was from the Raeven Family, one of the most powerful and oldest families in the Empire.

Emily, Frederick, George, and even Austin looked at Phillip's image on Oscar's tablet. Phillip was so famous that even the upper years knew about him.

"Well, you did great so far. You beat me, and that's an achievement." George consoled Oscar.

"Isn't that a little harsh? Oscar might pull it off." Frederick said. "Emily, back me up on this."

"Oscar, give it your best. Don't be disappointed if you lose." Emily only shook her head.

Oscar felt depressed that his friends did not have much faith in him. But he understood why; Phillip was just that monstrous. A hand grasped his shoulders, getting his attention, and Oscar looked to the side to see Austin.

Although they did not interact much, even Austin offered some comfort.

Frederick fumed and shouted, "You're all acting as if it's his funeral!"

"Then, can you see a way? Oscar is strong, but there are limits to that." George said.

Oscar closed his eyes to gather his thoughts as the group mildly argued. In his mind, there was Phillip, standing with a confident look. However, the image changed to Isabella, then to Celestina, and finally to Gilbert.

'My goal is to become a great Exalt. If I back down here, how can I hope to catch up to them.' His obsidian eyes opened, free of all doubts.

"I'll fight with everything I have." The winner was never decided before the match began.

…….

The other participants kept to themselves all over the stadium with their eyes fixed on their tablets.

Oscar sat in the audience area. His hands held the stone tablet tightly as it replayed Phillip's earlier matches. Oscar manipulated the recording in various ways; he reversed, started over, slowed down, and paused.

Phillip's movements in his past two matches were light and steady, as if he was simply taking a walk. But the most alarming point was his sword. Every strike was immensely swift and sharp that the air seemed to slice around it.

Oscar observed the opponents' reactions when they attempted to block the sword. Their faces looked strained but also shocked because they didn't think Phillip was so powerful. It looked like they focused all their efforts on blocking the sword, but it was not enough.

'It's not just his Ein and Exolsia. His physique is also top-notch.' There was no doubt that the sword strikes also carried an immense power behind each one. Even if they managed to block it, the opponents were forced back.

Phillip looked like a pretty boy, but well-developed and toned muscles showed in his arms. Like Oscar, he must have done strength training as well.

'Is it possible he knows about Reis?' The suspicion grew, but Oscar denied it shortly after. 'Exalts become physically stronger after each advancement, but some train their bodies. Master said Reis was an abandoned concept due to the time and effort needed for little progression compared to the more important Ein.'

Oscar was certain Phillip only trained his physical strength. This fact was good to Oscar's advantage. Reis could help fight on that field, but the other concern was Ein. 'I can't let this become a drawn-out battle. His Ein is more powerful than mine.'

Phillip was further than Oscar as a Middle Apprentice Exalt. It wouldn't be surprising if he could become a Greater Apprentice Exalt at any time. His supply of Ein was far more than Oscar's.

High above the stadium, a large hourglass indicated only five minutes were left in the break. Most students hastily ran to the platforms. Oscar walked slowly among the rushing crowd, his mind still deep in thought about the upcoming battle.