The Moonlight Swordsman

"Get ready, everyone."

Liam's voice drew the attention of the gathered mages. All eyes were on him, waiting for his every word. Only five mages would be chosen to pass the test, therefore each of them had to give their all.

"On the count of three."

"One…

The air around them started to shimmer as some of the mages began to summon their weapons.

"Two…

When beads of sweat dripped down the faces of some mages, Aizel could feel the tension in the air. Some were nervous, and others were whispering prayers under their breath.

"Three…

The mages dashed into the woodland as soon as the signal was given. Some took the straight path, while others turned right or left.

Aizel darted forward as well, but unlike the others, he infused lightning into his steps, creating fuzzy afterimages of himself to appear as he accelerated.

Aizel closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings, using his mana sense to reach out.

He was astounded at how quickly and easily Daisy had mastered this skill, which had taken him two painful hours to learn the night before.

Though he couldn't sense surroundings at a wide distance like Daisy, he found it useful. As he moved farther into the forest, he noticed shrubs, trees, and strange plants and herbs.

As he traversed through the forest, Aizel witnessed mages engaged in battles with one another, while others were still on the lookout for the crimson wolves.

He avoided the areas where mages were fighting, keeping a close eye on his surroundings as he proceeded forward.

"Where are they? Why can't I find even a single wolf?

"Damn it, if this goes on, I won't be able to pass the test." He thought.

Aizel sprang up the trunk of a nearby tree and leaped from one branch to another, swiftly making his way through the treetops like an agile monkey. He examined the forest below from this vantage point, looking for any sign of the red wolves.

Finally, after leaping from tree to tree for a few minutes, he discovered a pack of wolves running through the forest nearby.

Aizel stalked the wolves, picking up the pace as he got closer to them.

He leaped down with lightning racing around him, slicing through one of the wolves' necks with a burst of thunderous energy, when he was close enough. The force of the impact created a small crater in the ground.

Aizel's tremendous speed caught the wolf off guard, giving it no time to protect itself.

In retaliation, the remaining wolves scattered and began launching fireballs from their mouths.

The incoming barrage of fiery projectiles from multiple angles tingled Aizel's senses. He calculated their trajectory and position quickly, then spun around in a lightning-fast twirl.

He wielded his blade like a dance partner with each twirl, expertly slashing each fireball in half before it could harm him. He deflected a dozen fiery orbs from all directions, creating a spectacular display of sparks and embers in his wake.

In a sudden flash of sparks, two wolves leaped towards Aizel, their claws bared and ready to strike.

With swift precision, Aizel summoned his dagger in his left hand and held Sekki in his right, blocking their attack by clashing the blades against their deadly claws.

The wolves' attack was powerful and heavy, causing Aizel's legs to slide back slightly.

Aizel quickly infused earth magic into his feet, firmly anchoring himself to the ground. He took care to conceal his magic from any potential observers, as he didn't know if the Examiners were watching them from afar.

By boosting his strength with mana, he pushed his sword and dagger forward, imagining them as heavy boulders, and slammed them into the wolves, sending them flying backward. The force of the hit shook the ground beneath his boots.

Aizel reacted with lightning speed as the wolves growled and leaped at him, simultaneously thrusting his dagger into one wolf's jaw and his sword into the other's.

He ripped both weapons down their bodies with a strong resolve, tearing the wolves apart from jaw to waist in a spray of blood and fur.

Aizel's senses tingled as he became aware of a wolf approaching from behind. While still fighting the other wolves, he focused his attention on his mana sense.

It was a tip he received from Daisy to improve his senses, but it was wearing him down because his concentration was now divided between his mana sense and his imagination power.

As the wolf leaped towards him from behind, Aizel agilely rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its attack.

With his sword, Sekki, now crackling with lightning, he sent a powerful crescent-shaped slash toward the wolf that cut him in half.

He focused on his surroundings, extending his senses to the area. When his senses detected movement, he realized that the remaining six wolves were fleeing from him.

"Oi, oi, what happened to no fear of death?"

Aizel began to run after them.

He could feel the wind on his face and his heart throbbing as he ran into the forest. The distant echoes of spells and battle got louder as he closed in on the fleeing wolves.

He knew they were on their way to where the other mages were fighting.

As he chased them, Aizel leaped over fallen trees and dodged branches, the forest blurring around him in his haste. He gritted his teeth as he ran, trying to catch up to the wolves before they reached.

The wolves emerged into view as Aizel approached. He closed his eyes and visualized his hands as heavy and powerful as a hammer as he gathered more and more lightning.

He then clapped his hands together, releasing a strong shockwave toward the group of wolves.

The thunderclap sent shockwaves through the wolves, causing them to stumble and cough up blood as they fell to the ground. The internal injuries caused by the thunderclap had clearly weakened them significantly.

"Let's finish this."

Aizel came to a halt, his body motionless as he lifted his right hand, forming his fingers into the shape of a gun.

"Lightning Chain."

In an instant, a bolt of lightning formed into the shape of a bullet, crackling with electricity. It flew towards the first wolf and hit it straight in the head, killing it instantly.

Aizel immediately shifted his focus toward the next wolf, and the lightning bullet followed, striking the second wolf with lethal precision. The chain attack continued, each lightning bullet hitting its target with deadly accuracy until all six wolves lay lifeless on the ground.