Chapter 41: Inside the white dome

The water rippled outward where Zack had been standing, drawing their attention. They scanned their surroundings, their gazes sweeping over the domed vines, finding nothing but the enigmatic structure. The only logical explanation was that Zack had gone underwater.

"Should we close our eyes again?" Zino suggested, her voice laced with uncertainty.

"No, I think we'll need them this time," Tess replied, her patience wearing thin. A persistent headache weighed on her, intensifying her desire for the exam to be concluded and put behind them.

In the distance, something murky and brown emerged from the water on their right. Their initial fright gave way to realization as they discerned its human-like shape.

"Hey!" Zack's voice echoed across the scene, reaching their ears.

Szedra and Zino hurried toward him, their concern palpable. Lanse cast his gaze upward, fixing his eyes on the scroll positioned directly above them, while summoning a sword.

"Are you alright?" Zino inquired as she approached Zack, her distaste for the mud hindering her speed.

As Zack straightened himself from the water, he reached behind his back with both hands, producing a shuriken. Zino's eyes widened in response, just as another figure emerged from the muddy waters in the distance, the person coughing in Zack's voice.

"Crap!" Szedra exclaimed, her voice filled with alarm. Both she and Zino swiftly evaded the two deadly blades that whizzed past their heads, launched by their unseen opponent.

Lanse flung his sword toward the scroll, attempting to dislodge it, only to have his weapon knocked into the water by a rapid-moving object. Simultaneously, Tess and Lanse turned their attention to the mysterious figure, now coated in brown, deftly deflecting the shurikens that had been aimed at their faces.

The figure disappeared underwater, narrowly evading the sword Zino had hurled at them. They watched as the water rippled, but there was no indication of where the mysterious figure had gone. However, the real Zack's distressed voice reached their ears, prompting them to rush toward him.

They gathered around Zack as he wiped the mud from his eyes, his voice filled with alarm. "I swear the thing tried to kill me!"

"We need a plan," Lanse declared, his gaze scanning the surface of the water. "Who knows how many more could be lurking out there?" He then directed his attention upward, fixating on the scroll suspended high above them. "If one of us can get that scroll, it's game over."

"Game over?" Tess's voice carried a tinge of frustration. She despised the way Lanse referred to their exam as a game. The emphasis on that word reminded her of Mid-Sentry officials who seemed to prioritize the concept of "fun."

Nothing about their current situation felt enjoyable. She resented being ordered around and forced to participate in this seemingly pointless training exam.

Summoning another sword, she gripped one in each hand. Her pounding headache only fueled her anger, and she channeled her frustration, tightening her grip on the sword handles.

"I think I know what it's doing," Szedra interjected. "It's trying to distract us from the scroll and waste any remaining time we have."

"Forget about the opponent," Tess declared, determination lacing her voice. She exerted force into the ground, propelling herself several feet into the air, rising above the water's surface.

The opponent, who had been perfectly still, blending in with the water, startled them all by suddenly springing into action. They swiftly shot shurikens at Tess's back.

Reacting swiftly, Zack and Zino hurled their swords to intercept two of the projectiles, but one managed to slip past their defenses, lodging itself into Tess's back.

"Ahh!" The searing pain clouded Tess's thoughts, and she tumbled, splashing into the water.

Lanse charged at the opponent with two swords, skillfully slashing away the barrage of shurikens. The opponent's body, camouflaged by mud, made it incredibly difficult to discern. The more they stared at it, the more their eyes struggled to transmit a clear image to their brains.

Zino summoned two swords, gripping them firmly in both hands, and leaped into a twirling attack aimed at the opponent. She spun like a sharpened fidget spinner, but her blades found nothing but empty air as the opponent swiftly evaded her assault, leaping to the side.

The sharp clangs of shurikens colliding with metal swords echoed in Tess's ears, just as she managed to wrench the shuriken from her back. The pain was unbearable. When she glanced down at the bloody weapon in her hand, she turned her attention to the others, only to find them fully engaged in their own battles.

Gritting her teeth in a fit of rage, Tess hurled the shuriken, aiming to sever the hanging scroll from its position. The scroll dropped a few inches before another shuriken intercepted it, causing it to spin through the air like a boomerang. Its movement ceased as it landed gracefully in the opponent's hand.

Tess flinched and blinked repeatedly, making sure her eyes were not deceiving her. The opponent now stood unchallenged, with no one attacking them. She quickly scanned her surroundings, witnessing her teammates struggling to rise from the water that still dripped off their bodies. Each of them was far from the opponent, but she had no time to ponder what had transpired.

The opponent's form remained indistinct, their clothing blending seamlessly with the mud. Staring too intently at them only intensified Tess's throbbing headache.

With a deliberate motion, the opponent removed the shuriken from the scroll. Their other hand gestured to Tess, beckoning her to approach.

Determination welled within her, and she summoned a sword, gripping it tightly with both hands, just as her comrades rushed toward the opponent from four different angles. In the brief moment it took for the others to reach their target, the opponent skillfully evaded the swift strikes of Tess's blade.

As Tess felt the forceful kick from the opponent, the air was forcefully expelled from her lungs, causing her mouth to open wide. Her back collided with the water's surface, sending her flipping through the air and propelling her to a considerable distance before the descent began.

With frantic flapping of her arms and kicking of her feet, she managed to find footing on the spongy ground beneath the water, standing upright in defiance.

The opponent's boots seemed to be forged from solid metal, the impact of their kick resonating through Tess's body. She gingerly placed a hand on the tender spot, feeling the sharp twinge of pain with each heavy breath she took.

The sensation of suffocation loomed, accentuated by the rhythmic sound of water droplets falling from her chin, gently dispersing into the pool below. Her eyes fixed upon the distant figure of the opponent, their swift movements distinguishing them amidst the murky brown water.

With agile evasions, the opponent skillfully dodged the swords of Tess's companions, wary of the consequences they had witnessed moments ago. Tess, gazing down at her reflection in the water, was taken aback to discover a trickle of blood flowing from her nose. Her hand froze midway as an idea sprang into her mind.

Enveloped in the darkness of the water, Tess surmised that the opponent would struggle to perceive her presence beneath its surface. Furthermore, the chaos and distractions of the ongoing battle worked in her favor, ensuring that the opponent remained oblivious to her intentions.

Locking her gaze on the opponent's position, just as it turned its back to her, Tess drew a deep breath and submerged herself underwater. With her arms outstretched before her, she maintained a streamlined posture, her feet aligned and her core taut. Employing quick, precise movements of her head and hips, she glided through the water towards the unsuspecting opponent.

As her hands made contact with something solid, she clasped onto it tightly and pulled it towards her. The sight stunned her comrades as the opponent toppled backward into the water, their domination disrupted.

Lanse, realizing Tess's absence, exclaimed, "Dammit! It's Tess! Attack the opponent now!"

Urgently, he and the others surged toward the opponent's location, preventing it from regaining an upright stance. Lanse swiftly maneuvered behind the opponent, encircling it with both arms to restrict its movements.

Zino darted forward, seizing hold of one of its legs, while Szedra offered support to Tess, securing her grip on the opponent. Uncertain of how to vanquish their adversary, Zack seized the scroll from the opponent's hand and then forcefully removed its mask, revealing their true identity.

"Sensei!" Zino's voice erupted with unbridled joy, causing her to release her grip on the leg she had seized.

Tess found herself blinking repeatedly, unable to process the face that lay concealed beneath the mask. The blond hair, the piercing green eyes, and the pale complexion were unmistakable. A mixture of astonishment and disbelief compelled them to step back, releasing Sensei from their grasp.

"What?" Zack flung the mask back at Sensei, who deftly caught it before it could slap him in the face.

Lanse declared, "It's over. We've won."

Sensei's chuckle rippled through the air, forcing them to exchange bewildered glances. They recognized that laugh, and it rarely boded well. "Finally," Sensei remarked, his words laced with a mysterious tone. "What I came here to see."

"You're here to see us win?" Lanse inquired.

"Hush," Sensei whispered, placing a finger to his lips. His emerald gaze swept from one corner to the next, scanning their surroundings. Realizing their lack of comprehension, Sensei tossed a shuriken into the air, impaling the large brown orb that hung directly at the dome's center.

As the heartbeats Sensei originally heard grew louder, their own pulses quickened. Their widened eyes remained fixed on the orb as eight colossal legs abruptly emerged from its sides, jolting them with astonishment. The limbs bent inward before the entire structure convulsed violently.

Snap by snap, vines shattered, liberating the orb until it plummeted and crashed into the water. The resulting ripple, several feet away, surged into a formidable wave, momentarily lifting their feet from the saturated ground beneath the water's surface. Despite the unsettling display, they remained transfixed by the impending menace.

Sensei's voice, the only sound they dared to listen to, resonated in the air. "Terror-tilla. Kudos to my preparation team for discovering it. I had to witness its awakening firsthand." A mischievous smile crossed his face. "Or rather, when I awakened it."

The colossal brown orb began to ascend, shedding cascades of water from its shaggy, brown form, creating an ethereal shower.

"Remember," Sensei reminded them, "your objective was never to defeat me. It was to teleport back with the fragment, in this case, the scroll."

Their gazes shifted toward Zack, who held the coveted scroll. Dread washed over them as they realized they had no knowledge of teleportation and time was rapidly slipping away.

"Ten minutes," Szedra announced, her gaze flicking back to her timer.

Suddenly, a jarring growl pierced the air, stealing their attention. The creature's four yellow-filled eyes sprung open atop its spherical body, scanning its surroundings frantically before locking onto them.

"Yikes!" Zack blurted out.

Sensei interjected, "I almost forgot. I'm cloaked with a special pheromone, so it won't attack me. It will try to annihilate whatever it deems as its disturber."

With blinding speed, the creature's eight legs churned the water, generating colossal splashes as it lunged toward them, an imminent threat demanding their immediate attention.