The first two pillars nearest to the entrance visibly cracked right in front of my eyes.

    "That''s enough!" Kronos yelled to August. "The basement will collapse if this goes on!"

    I immediately ran to Kronos, who was repairing the stone pillar.

    "Kronos! Can''t you open up a hole out of this…!?" I asked.

    "I already did." He told me while nudging his glasses. "The ground, the ceiling, the walls— they were all blocked by that black wall. I can''t alter any earth materials that I''ve never seen or studied before, and I still can''t activate my magic."

    "…So we were trapped?"

    Like a box.

    “…What… is that…?” Kuroyuki murmured.

    Tracing her voice— I find a silhouette of a person climbing out from the hole.

    What on earth is that… Even dad’s encyclopaedias had no records of such an eerie thing.

    "Are we… going to die here?" Kronos replied, as if he had given all hope.

    "Worry not." I patted him on the shoulder. "Help will arrive— but let''s just hold on for as long as possible…"

    "Help…? Who?"

    "That bast— I mean, the Principal," I told him. "I told him to come here as soon as possible."

    “…I see. You really are…”

    It seems he knew the Principal and my other identity.

    “...Indeed. I do not know anything.”

    Telling me that, Kronos continued his reparation on the stone pillar.

    "By the way— didn''t you the ceiling were blocked by that wall? Why would the basement will collapse?"

    "Above the ceiling, there’s still a long way to go before it hits the black wall. Once it collapses, the debris alone is enough to bury us completely. It would be hard for them to find even our bodies."

    "So if the pillars are destroyed by accident… then it would all over, huh…"

    “I’m now reconstructing this pillar to a much sturdier one. Not even you could break it. But it takes time though.”

    “Can’t you just do all of them in one go like how you did earlier?”

    “Because I’m converting the earth elements this time instead of adding them.”

    “I see. Anyhow, I hope those things aren’t a hostile one.” I murmured to Kronos.

    “…!”

    Suddenly, I felt a presence closing in.

    "Careful— Luc!"

    As soon as August yelled, a silhouette suddenly appeared right in front of me.

    …I’m not mistaken.

    This is another silhouette…!

    That posture— is it a sword-drawing technique…!?

    Not good…! I can''t dodge it…!

    CLANG!

    "What…!?" I inadvertently murmured.

    Surprisingly, I blocked his blade with my sheathed black sword.

    I wasn''t expecting that I could because my attack was phasing through it earlier. I thought his blade would slice through my spirit instead.

    Never mind that— he''s staggering now.

    Taking this moment, I did a right knee kick.

    THOOM.

    "!?"

    It felt like air— no, it is air.

    My knee went through his abdomen.

    But I could still feel that he was pressuring his sword at me. But it couldn’t even advance even a millimetre.

    What about this…?

    Cladding my right foot with ''Offensive Cladding''— I jumped back slightly and did a front kick.

    WHAM!

    The silhouette was sent flying backwards with several spins.

    "It works!?" I inadvertently murmured.

    "Luc— don''t stand there— MOVE!"

    Following August''s shout, a black translucent crescent moon-shaped slash nearly two meters high came towards me.

    Crap— I can''t dodge this…! Kronos is just behind me…!

    "One-Handed Sword Arts— Swing!"

    Even though I deflected the slash— but it''s heading towards the stone pillar!

    BAM!

    “…Just in time.” Kuroyuki murmured.

    Kuroyuki stopped the slash just in time with her ice wall.

    "Nice one!" I yelled.

    That said— the silhouette landed safely.

    "Rapier."

    August suddenly appeared behind him with a rapier on his hand, pointing upwards.

    "Star Falling Arts— Shooting Sagitta!"

    Just before August''s blade could hit the silhouette in front of him— another silhouette deflected his blade with its spear.

    BAM!

    To the direction where August''s thrust was directed, a hole was cleanly punctured through the metal wall.

    Hold on… that silhouette…

    "Grk…!?"

    Suddenly, black strings tangled on August''s right arm, binding his movements.

    "Argh…!?"

    His left arm was then taken by another silhouette in an armbar position. Because of the weight and pain— he had to kneel down to lessen the pain.

    Then the silhouette with the spear immediately created another black spear on mid-air and took it with its left hand.

    "…!"

    At that moment, August''s eyes widen with a terrified look.

    "No— August!!!" I shouted.

    "…Pierce."

    Just in time— Kuroyuki threw her spear towards the silhouette with the spear.

    THUNK!!!

    The silhouette with the spear immediately turns to block it— and was pushed away by the power of it.

    August avoided a fatal blow.

    Which, Persia''s card cuts off the black strings— freeing August''s right arm.

    August immediately swung his blade towards the armbar silhouette. It immediately freed him so he could dodge that slash.

    It was then— the sword silhouette turns to August with his blade aimed at his ?h?st.

    "靠山背!"

    (Kàoshān bèi!)

    (Mountain slamming back!)

    WHAM!

    Blaze then charge and slams onto the sword silhouette with his back, pushing it away from August.

    "Both of you— retreat now!" I told him. "Stop engaging battle!"

    "…!"

    Kuroyuki suddenly extends her hand in her unique gesture— summoning a giant wall of ice just right behind them, sealing the silhouettes behind that wall.

    Which the black spears, black cards and black bullets bounces off when it hits Kuroyuki’s ice wall.

    “Persia, Rumelia— take my place!” I said to them.

    I told them to protect Kronos in my place so that he could focus on reinforcing the pillars. Then I hurried to Kuroyuki, who was maintain the wall from the silhouettes.

    "Kuroyuki— is that what I think it is…?" I asked.

    "…They— are us," Kuroyuki answered.

    The silhouettes are August (sword silhouette), Blaze (armbar silhouette), Kuroyuki (spear silhouette), Persia (black card silhouette), Rumelia (black string silhouette) and Kronos (black bullets silhouette).

    "They are one person short— so it''s me who''s not in there, huh. What is the meaning of this…?"

    "…Perhaps it’s a trial, no? This is a ‘legendary’ sword, after all."

    “This guy?”

    The Black Sword, I meant.

    "…You seem to have problems with it."

    "Yeah, I can''t draw it no matter how hard I try," I murmured. "But still, this wouldn''t be a problem."

    "…Are we in any condition to fight now…?" Kuroyuki reminded me.

    "Well… Kronos is busy reinforcing the second stone pillar while Rumelia and Persia are protecting him," I murmured. "This will be a defensive battle."

    "…A defensive battle? Those things had the same ability as the original."

    "It''s fighting ability." I corrected Kuroyuki. "They don''t seem to have the capabilities to think."

    “…True.” Kuroyuki murmured. “Mngh…!”

    When Kuroyuki''s ice wall is broken by Blaze''s silhouette''s punches— she immediately fills the hole with her ice, sealing them once again.

    "But still, we had the disadvantage," I added. "Though I''m sure they weren''t using magic… but they had the similarities to it as if they were using it— like those black strings and bullets."

    “…And also our Elemental abilities.” Kuroyuki warned me. "Though it''s black and does not have a cold temperature… but I''m certain that it''s similar to my ice."

    …Then that black transparent slash earlier is similar to August''s wind.

    "Nevertheless, unlike their bodies… it seems we could defend against their attacks— even without the ''Force of Will''."

    "…A defensive battle it is, then," Kuroyuki murmured.

    "Just to let you know— this is a matter of life and death. So you won''t be getting into a fight for now."

    "…I know," Kuroyuki told me. "…But then again, I think this is a chance for teamwork in the Knights Tournament."

    "My, an opportunist, are you? Even in a situation like this, you sure are terrifyingly calm."

    "…I could say the same to you as well." She told me. "…Now go. I know what you''ve already done and what you want to do."

    "Heh, glad to hear that."

    Telling her that, I left Kuroyuki to maintain her wall against the silhouettes.