UNIFIED W

Chapter 24: The Maze Of Truth, part 3

"AARRGH"

"What is going on here?"

May felt the ground shift beneath her feet and saw the maze rotate.

A few participants entered the room as May struggled to maintain her balance.

The participants who had entered May's room analyzed the situation as they were getting ready to attack when the maze's rotation slowed down.

May saw two people she recognized: one was from the lightning clan team she made a promise with before they arrived on Prov Island, and the other was from a water clan team she met earlier in the test.

Everyone in the room was waiting to see who would move first, as the situation was incredibly tense.

When the commentator's voice could be heard over the room's speakers, the tension was lifted.

The first rotation has ended, and nine people are gathered in room number 9.

A large square stone platform that nearly filled the entire space suddenly appeared from the floor, and a sumo ring was placed on top of the platform.

There was a ball that was floating in the air in the center of the sumo ring. The ball was formed of the same substance that held the maze and the legendary city Pall in the air, and it was completely black.

The discovery of this substance dates back to the year 930 (BW), which also marks the beginning of the golden age of blacksmithing. Iron crystals make up the substance, which was created by nature.

It takes years to get even a small amount of that iron crystal because nature produces it slowly, which is why it was classified as a unique rare-type item.

Despite this, wealthy and well-known blacksmiths from all over the world gathered the iron crystals in one location and then used them to forge weapons.

The four legendary weapons—Ancestors' Rage, a wind-type weapon; Reaper's Touch, an earth-type weapon; The Wave Slashers, a water-type weapon; and Inferno, a fire-type weapon—were created by an adventurer who loved his family with all of his heart.

Many had tried to create the most powerful weapons in the world with the help of the iron crystals, but they all failed.

These four weapons, which are all constructed of iron crystals, are the first four legendary weapons. The four weapons are each distinctive on their own, but Ancestors' rage is the most distinctive weapon ever made.

Years after crafting the four legendary weapons, the blacksmith discovered that the iron crystals could also store powers and hold them for a very long time.

This was a ground-breaking invention for blacksmithing, especially for the V clan, who combined their ideas with the newly discovered invention.

This, however, would not last long since the wind clan claimed that the iron crystal belonged to them and their descendants as long as there was a member of the wind clan breathing in the world.

If a member of the wind clan doesn't approve of it, the rest of the world can not get an iron crystal. The iron crystals, however, which are among the most expensive items, have recently surfaced on the black market.

***

The commentator spoke once more after the participants were on the platform to explain the rules and provide some information.

"As you can see, there are nine participants in this room. You guys will separate into three groups. Each group will have three people."

"You have 5 min to decide."

The participants interacted with one another, and for some it came naturally since they had already formed a team before the event.

May attempted to conceal the fact that she knew two of the participants, but she went straight to the one she had met at the beginning of the test before time ran out.

"Hello, Raph. It's good to see you again."

"So it's really you, May. Congrats for reaching this far."

"I wished Rose could get this far, too."

May was feeling down, so Raph put his hand on her shoulder to make her feel better.

"You and I are here for her now."

"Let's talk later, but for now, you and I need to work together if we want to move forward."

"Before the time runs out, we need one more person to join our team."

"I have one in mind, but we must pretend like we don't know each other or he will be suspicious and try to do something that would end badly for us."

"Okay, if you believe it is best for the group, then that is what we will do."

Raph blushed and attempted to cover it when May smiled at him.

"Stay here; I'll be right back. I'll speak with him."

The boy May had spoken to on the way to Prov Island saw her as she approached and gave her a hateful glance.

"What do you want?"

"Where are Bjorn and Jason?"

"Why do you care?"

"I had thought that after this round, the four of us could really enjoy ourselves, but...."

Colt seemed to understand what May was saying as she spoke to him and was about to act immediately.

'These boys are all the same. One more push ought to do the trick.'

May removed her long sport jacket, showing a sports bra underneath. Her face was covered with little freckles, and her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail.

"Colt, isn't it extremely warm in here?"

Colt glanced briefly, which was a mistake because he could not break the stare and continued to look at May.

They both met one other's eyes as soon as May noticed.

"Ehhh.... You are beautiful.... I mean, you are really in good shape."

May drew closer to Colt, who could now clearly feel her breath on his skin.

"Aww. I deeply appreciate your compliment."

Colt tried to cover up his mild blushing.

We split up when the maze rotated while we were heading to its center.

"There is nothing we can do about it now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we might never meet again, and I can't keep my promise to you guys anymore."

"......."

"But you and I are here now, are we not? And when this round is over...."

"Who makes up our team's third member?"

"The short guy over there."

May pointed at Raph before softly whispering to Colt.

"Only attack when I give you the signal."

"Alright, time's up, everyone. Gather inside the sumo ring."

The only requirement for playing is being able to hold the ball in the sumo ring for the longest.

Killing is prohibited, but you are free to take any other action that would help you win.

"You can start when the countdown hits 0."

"That's all. Let the countdown begin now."

10...9...8...7...6....5....4...3...2...1....0.

Everyone simultaneously sprinted toward the flying ball and attempted to catch it for their team.