After minutes of planning, talking, and arguing, they decided on a course of action and crafted a strategy that would enable them to cross. They resolved to split into four groups, each crossing over a different bridge, allowing them to escape should anything happen. Everyone was compelled to reveal their powers to formulate an appropriate crossing plan—except for Youssef, who preferred not to disclose his. They distributed themselves according to their abilities, forming four groups of three: The first group: Noor, Jean, and Akira. The second group: Sairi, Ivanov, and Torres. The third group: Keno, Youssef, and Li Kang. The fourth group: Yassin, Eris, and Nadir.
Having agreed on their division, they prepared to set off. Youssef approached both Sairi and Ivanov, placing his hand on their shoulders and saying in a calm tone: "Good luck." Sairi and Ivanov felt something strange when he touched them but postponed their questions for later.
Using his power, Noor crafted arrows, swords, shields, and ropes, distributing them to Jean and Akira. They began crossing one of the bridges on the left side, moving cautiously and slowly while watching the massive fish swimming ceaselessly in the lake below. There appeared to be five fish; they moved with extreme slowness to avoid attracting attention, tension filling and exhausting them, their senses sharply heightened in anticipation. Noor looked to his right to find his other companions doing likewise, crossing slowly—except for Ivanov and Sairi, who were walking as if on a stroll. Torres followed them nervously, urging caution, but they seemed unconcerned, their self-confidence overwhelming.
Noor returned his gaze to the path ahead, with Jean and Akira behind him. They managed to cross the first quarter without problems, but as soon as they took another step, they spotted several falcons circling in the sky above. The birds had seen them and began swooping down on their prey—one falcon toward Noor's group, the others toward the remaining groups. Noor said nervously: "Damn, the troubles have begun. Are you ready?" They nodded tensely. Noor drew his bow and arrow, signaled Akira to begin, and gestured to Jean to prepare.
As the falcon descended upon them, Noor shouted: "Now!"
Akira raised the sword Noor had given him, and the air vanished, while Jean clasped her hands together, her eyes turning white—everything around them stopped and froze.
Jean said in a broken tone: "Noor, I can't stop time for more than five seconds, so hurry."
"We'll be quick, don't worry."
Noor aimed an arrow at the right wing of the falcon frozen in mid-air, while Akira appeared above the falcon using his ability to teleport through air a few meters, raising his sword to plunge it into the falcon's head. Noor released the arrow, striking the falcon's wing, then fired another, hitting it again. Akira leaped from above the falcon, teleporting through the air to reappear beside Noor.
Time returned once again to its natural state, while Jean panted heavily. Noor looked to see the falcon screaming in pain as it veered to the right and fell into the water, where a large fish pounced and devoured it. They seized this opportunity while the fish near them was distracted, and ran quickly toward the other side. Before they could reach it, another fish suddenly leaped, opening its jaws to assault the bridge and everyone on it. Akira swiftly placed his hand on their shoulders and transported them to the end of the bridge, then collapsed to the ground, feeling he had no energy left to continue the journey. Meanwhile, both Noor and Jean caught their breath with difficulty, fear pounding their hearts, and thanked God they had crossed through this hell. Noor stood and looked toward the remaining companions to see what was happening to them.
Ivanov, Sairi, and Torres proceeded to cross the bridge. Torres repeatedly asked them to slow down so the massive creatures wouldn't sense them, but they paid no heed. Sairi arrogantly said:
"If you don't want to cross our way, turn back and stop whimpering like a child."
Torres felt enraged but continued following them in silence, as turning back was certainly not the appropriate solution to escape from here. After reaching the halfway point, falcons appeared and attacked the contestants. Ivanov smiled ferociously, saying:
"Here comes the prey."
Ivanov transformed his fist into solid iron and watched intently as the falcon swooped down upon them with its sharp, pointed beak. Sairi continued on, unconcerned, and said with a bored yawn:
"Ivanov, finish it quickly. We need to reach the finish line before everyone else."
"Fine, it won't take me more than five seconds."
The falcon lunged at Ivanov, who dodged its beak to the right, then directed his iron fist with full force toward the falcon's head, knocking it down to the bottom of the lake.
Torres stood astonished by what he saw. Using his power to read the thoughts of anyone before him, he was even more surprised by their thinking. Then he said nervously and anxiously:
"These villains are like beasts, they don't have an ounce of fear or remorse. They're enjoying all this because they know with absolute certainty they'll be among the eight winners. But how can anyone enjoy something as hideous as this?!"
During this, two fish jumped and seized the fallen falcon with their sharp teeth, racing to devour its flesh while fighting over its body. Torres's body shuddered from the sight, and he ran quickly after them in terror to catch up. As he hurried behind them, he noticed a fish that had leaped into the air with its enormous body to attack Sairi at the front, so Torres screamed in terror:
"Sairi, watch out!"
Sairi looked down to see the terrifying sight and smiled, saying:
"Ivanov, are you ready?"
Ivanov brought his fists together as a confident smile formed on his face, and he said:
"Of course, and now this will be extremely entertaining."
"Remember, don't use too much iron or you'll end up at the bottom."
"I won't, don't worry."
Sairi raised his hand in the air as if performing a magic show, while Ivanov jumped from the bridge, causing Torres to gasp loudly when he saw him leap. Ivanov descended through the air toward the fish, which opened its mouth in preparation to catch its incoming prey. Ivanov formed a layer of solid black iron on his fists, while Sairi moved his hands right and left like a maestro at a musical performance. He closed his eyes as if conducting a symphony of death and destruction, and with each movement of his hands, Ivanov's body shifted in that direction, like a puppet under control. Ivanov avoided the fish's mouth as it continued ascending, then rose in the air toward it with Sairi's hand movement. When he reached it, he ran up its body until he reached its head, then lunged to punch it forcefully in its left eye. The fish recoiled from the force of the punch, away from the bridge, and fell back into the lake, having lost one of its eyes.
Torres's mouth gaped at what he was witnessing. He said to himself:
"Is this the power of telekinesis? It's truly amazing! And more importantly, they're so synchronized, as if they've known each other since they were children."
Sairi lifted Ivanov back toward the bridge, but seeing two more fish jumping toward them, he changed his mind and directed Ivanov toward them again. Ivanov descended with speed and power, swerving his body beside the first fish and passing in front of its massive body until he reached its middle. He braced his right leg, then delivered a powerful kick to its belly, causing the fish to collide with its companion and both fell back into the lake. But he soon found a fish above him, descending from the sky upon him unexpectedly. He asked himself:
"When did this fish jump and overtake me? Did this happen while I was focusing on the two fish?! Why didn't it attack from the bridge and turn back to. Ah. It's the one whose eyes I crushed moments ago... It returned for revenge. This is extremely exciting, but it seems there's no time to avoid it, it's too close now."
Ivanov adjusted his posture and shouted:
"Sairi, direct me toward its mouth. I have a plan."
Sairi heard him and guided him toward the mouth of the fish, which bared its fangs and lunged at him. Ivanov transformed his entire body into black metal while his pale blonde hair fluttered in the air as he rose toward its gaping maw. The fish caught him in its mouth, clamping it shut triumphantly before turning back toward the lake. But it began to convulse violently during its descent into the water, while Sairi appeared extremely fatigued, as if exerting effort beyond his capacity.
Sweat poured profusely from his brow as he raised his hand slowly into the air, as though carrying a mountain on his back. After several seconds, Ivanov emerged from the fish's tail, having punctured it with his fist, his metallic body completely covered in blood. He then removed the metal from his body to return to his natural weight, and Sairi lifted him upward until he reached the bridge, while the fish fell as a lifeless corpse into the sea, where other fish descended upon it to feed on its body.
Sairi sat on the ground to catch his breath and said coldly with indifference:
"You scoundrel, I told you before that I wouldn't be able to lift your entire metal body—it's more than I can handle."
Ivanov laughed, saying:
"Well, you know I had no choice but to go through its body and exit from the other side, and I had to transform my entire body into metal or else it would have been crushed. Besides, I was confident that you—"
"Don't do that again or I'll kill you. I've expended most of my energy on you."
Torres walked toward them, staring with a mixture of astonishment and terror, and said in a quiet, amazed tone:
"Are you monsters? I was more frightened of you than of the fish and the eagles!"
Ivanov placed his hand on Torres' shoulder, saying in a cheerful tone:
"We're just having fun, my friend, don't be like that. Besides, this test is boring. I expected something more challenging... something that would overcome our strength."
"Well, it certainly overcomes my strength, so I find it terrifying, not boring as you see it. Now, let's continue on our way."
They walked toward the bridge until they crossed to the other side, where they saw Noor looking at them with great astonishment. Sairi smiled artificially, saying:
"It seems you crossed before us, young man. See you at the finish line."
Akira was crouching on the ground, exhausted, with Jean beside him catching her breath. They hadn't seen what happened, which was fortunate for them, as this would have made them more afraid of humans than of monsters.