*Alto*

The blade of Nui's sword glowed a brilliant silver. His nails grew longer as did his white hair. He pointed his sword toward Boukyaku and charged at him.

The prince of Kyuu Seishin blocked with his katana. The ground under them gave way, becoming a giant crater. Xue held us back from falling.

A guy with black rings around his eyes meanwhile protected the Kyuu Seishinians with sand. He was Iwao Enkaku, Yuuta's replacement in the student council.

The two white haired guys continued to clash, sending sparks flying everywhere. Flame and ice clashed around them, sending steam high into the air.

We climbed out and moved away from the crater until we couldn't feel the steam.

"That guy was this strong?" Aban asked.

"I'm surprised too," the cyan-haired boy on Xue's team said. "Why didn't he use this power against the Aiefians and Wahkanians?"

"Niu wasn't prepared. I told him to go all out, but he underestimated them. Plus his spell requires some concentration. Prince Boukyaku gave Nui the room to do so. Doubt that the other two teams would've made such a fatal mistake even if he tried to use this spell," Xue said. "Also, come Chen, Moon, while Niu's spell is still in affect let's attack the others."

"Is that a good idea?" Arima asked.

"We should heal first," Adah said as beeswax imbued with magical properties continued to heal her injury.

"Then stand back, Sefans. We Uanians will take care of this," Xue said as she drew her sword from its sheath. "The moon is granting us its power. We can't allow it to go to waste."

She charged at the girl wearing a mask similar to that of Yanyu.

The girl drew her own weapon and blocked Xue's strike. The entire forest rumbled. Boukyaku and Niu jumped out of their crater and created shields around their respective teams.

Ashynna smiled. "Nice try," she said. She jumped back and raised her sword. Xue zig-zagged toward her. She gasped and ducked as the masked girl's sword swiped the air horizontally.

Xue brought her sword up, aiming the tip of her blade at Ashynna's chest. The masked teenager brought her sword down, preventing the Uanian's sword from touching her. The clash of the two swords shook the entire forest. We watched in awe as the two young woman made the world shake under their feet. Each blow they exchanged changed the terrain and weakened the barriers protecting us.

Suddenly, I heard noises in the distance. The rumbling of the earth was sure to call attention to us.

"Stop!" Iah walked into the ruined camp. "It's you... wait, three teams?"

"It seems like it," Adela said as she followed behind him.

"Another alliance?" I asked.

"What? Iah and Adela? I would've expected Iah and Lei's groups..." Boukyaku said.

Adela smiled. "Hey, Iah and I put our differences aside months ago."

Iah grinned. "Yeah! Plus Xian and Wudi share a common history of working together."

"Damn, so many new comers," Moon said. "We might have to retreat."

Aban chuckled as if amused. "No, this is our chance to get the remaining jewels all at once. Now, to see which marbles they have."

He closed his eyes and focused on the stones. He smiled and opened them.

"Iah's team has two jewels in addition to their original yellow one. The colors are blue-green, and black. Adela's has azure and black in addition to their original red. Kyuu Seishin meanwhile also has red and yellow. Think that means all of them are here"

"Too many people," Boukyaku said, sighing. "Everyone, take on a team if you can! I'll take on Uan!"

Xue, Moon, and Chen floated over to Niu's side.

"Allow me to assist you," Ashynna said, jumping over to him.

"I'll take on Sefa," Gat said. She licked her lips. "Though I wished that Wahkan was still around. I wanted to see that boy's darkness once more." She vanished into the shadows.

"She has the same power as Sloane," Ulissis remarked. He glanced around. He backed away slowly.

"Don't run," the youngest member of Kyuu Seishin's team said. It was Nobuyuki's sister. She moved like the wind and caught up to him. "You won't be going anywhere."

"Tsk." Ulissis raised his fists. "Fine!"

Same meanwhile eyed Xue's team. "A match against water users will be ideal."

"I'll take on our rivals then," Etsuko said.

Iah stepped back. "The strongest member of team Kyuu Seishin, everyone be on guard!"

Orochi walked over to Adela. "I heard you were vital in defeating the Seven star snake, priestess of Xian."

Knives fell down from Adela's sleeves. "Are you trying to fight all of us, Mayu?"

Boukyaku gasped. "Mayu?"

Orochi chuckled. "So you saw though my disguise, priestess." Her appearance shifted to that of the girl who attempted to kick us out of Nine Petal Academy.

"Tsk, I knew something was off about you!" Boukyaku yelled.

"Focus on your match, Bou!" Mayu said, grinning.

"Some of these battles will be defensive. Uan offers us nothing it seems, they have Sefa's original blue-green stone," Adela said, eyeing Xue.

Iwao walked over to us. "I'll help Gat take down these Sefans!"

Same made it past Luna and aimed for Xue. Xue formed a barrier of ice. The shark man winced as blood dripped down his fist.

Xue turned her sword on him while keeping Ashynna at bay with a wall of earth.

Same though caught the sword in his bare hands.

The cyan haired Uanian rushed over to Xue's aid and put his hand through the barrier, delivering a right hook to Same's chin.

Same grunted as he was tossed skyward.

"Same!" Boukyaku yelled.

"Don't let down your guard!" Niu yelled, slamming the crown prince into the ground.

Adela smiled at Mayu and rushed at her. "Be gone, snake!"

Mayu gasped as blood dripped down her side. Blades of iron as he cut her before anyone could even process it. "Tsk. You've grown strong, priestess. Very."

I stared at Adela and gulped as she raised her hand toward us, unleashing a wave of leaves at all of us.

"Wow!" Iah said, whistling.

Everyone turned their attention to Xian and Mina.

"Come at us!" the Mina crown prince said as he raised the ground below us.

Ashynna teleported over to them and slammed him and Adela into the side of the mountain.

"Sis!" a black haired boy with red highlights in his hair yelled.

He glared at Ashynna. The ground trembled as power oozed out of his body much like when An broke those strange chains that would appear around him whenever he pushed himself to his limits.

"No one hurts my little sister!" he yelled.

"Sister?" Arima asked.

"You think that would take us down? You offend me!" Iah said as he flew up using his wings.

"Elliot! I'm fine!" Adela said as she glided over to us. Iah followed after her.

Though it was too late, Elliot slammed Ashynna into the forest and chased after her. Several trees collapsed as Ashynna tried to dodge the guy's furious attacks.

"Is that guy nuts?" Niu asked, weakening his grip on Boukyaku.

"Seems like it."

Adela sighed and raised her hands toward the sky, gathering a ton of leaves from the trees around us.

"Tsk. She gets a small boost and she thinks acts all high and mighty," Mayu said as he wound closed.

"Yeah, she has always acted like that to be honest," Iah said as he joined his team who remained on standby along with the rest of team Xian. He chuckled. "That's why I hated her. Seriously, it ruffles my scales. Though, if not for her, I probably would be weaker than I am now."

"Everyone with fire powers, sent flames toward the sky!" Boukyaku yelled as he formed a fire ball in his hand.

"Oh no you don't!" a red haired girl in Iah's group yelled.

I stepped back. This was too chaotic, we needed to flee.

Adela smiled as she held up a giant ball of leaves high in the sky. "Let's see who survives this!"

"Oh no you don't!" Arima said, striking her from behind.

"W-when did she get up there?" Ulissis asked, looking behind him.

I spotted Zelia, who was riding on her familiar, flying nearby Arima and Adela. "So that's how..."

"Sis!" Adela's brother said as he looked up. Thousands upon thousands of leaves rained down from the sky. He clenched his hands together and jumped thirty feet into the air.

"What in the world?" Aban said, backing away.

"This might be a good time to turn tail," Ulissis said, gulping.

Onyx nodded. "Let's get out of here."

"No, we can't leave Arima," Aban said.

I nodded and raised a hand toward the heavens. A bolt of lightning fell down toward Elliot.

Adela moved away from Arima and gasped as the lightning closed in on her older brother. "Elliot!"

Elliot raised a hand up and took the lightning a point-blank range.

We all gasped as he emerged unfazed.

"No way..." I said.

"Is... he even human?" Ulissis asked, shaking his head.

Adela's older brother turned to look at us. "Adela, take care of her. I'll finish the others off!"

Arima threw an energy sphere at him.

Elliot dodged as he descended.

"I'll shut off him magic!" Ulissis said.

Aban and I shook our heads. "No, that guy seems like he can fight even without magic. He's a martial artist," I said, raising my arms.

Ulissis took deep breath and copied us. "Good thing my dad taught me how to box."

"Uan, Sefa, we should team up!" Boukyaku said.

"Huh?" all of us in the alliance said in unison.

"You heard me! My nation has the numbers advantage and we also have powerhouses of our own. Together we should be able to take down Xian and Wudi."

Iah chuckled as he slammed his hands against the ground.

Aban dropped to the floor and put his against the ground too. He winced. "His earth powers..." The entire mountain started to tremble.

"I can't hold it either," Ulissis said, grunting. "It's as bad as when I fought Catriona's puppet the first time..."

"Arima, how did you defeat that guy?" Zelia asked as she assisted Arima against Adela.

"He wasn't this strong before."

Iah glanced up and smiled. "I've been polishing my skills since that day. I won't lose again!"

"Uli, Aban, hold on," I said. I charged electricity in my fists but before I knew it, I was punched in the stomach.

The taste of iron filled my mouth. I felt blood oozing out of it...

Standing in front of me was Elliot. He removed his fist from my stomach and watched as I slumped to the ground.

"Alto!" Ulissis yelled, drawing Elliot's attention. He held up his arms and took a punch from the martial mage, he was sent back a few inches but he wasn't knocked out like I was. His anti-magic had turned the punch into a normal one.

I tried to cast a spell but the electricity in my hands was gone. My body felt like it had just been hit by something heavy and hard like an iron dumbbell, not a fist. The constant shaking of the ground didn't help matters either.

I turned and saw as Orichalcum, Renshu, Ona, and a Xianian girl teamed up against Mayu.

"Sefa, Uan, hold on!" Mayu yelled as she dodged Orichalcum metal claws. "We'll get out of this together!"

Was victory truly possible at this point?

I looked down at my t-shirt, it was covered in crimson stains. The stains though began to distort as did everything else. I still wasn't back to normal after that race...

It was up to the others now... including the one who at one point wanted all the foreigners gone from her country...

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter :). I'll love to hear your thoughts on it! So please don't be shy and share them with me^_^**