Ch. 20

Sheila were standing in the academy hallways watching as people staring at her intently, she noticed that many of the paladins were staring at her and whispering to each other. Some of them seemed to be smiling towards Sheila and some looking at her with a curiosity.

Sheila wasn't sure how to respond at them because she was bad at dealing with the boys, she decided to simply keep watching behind her classmates who accompany her to watch the synch event.

"Sheila it's okay we were here for you" Said Aiko smiling confidently.

"There's a lot people, you're more popular than I thought Sheila" Said Yuki while looking around the vicinity.

Despite the fact that most Paladins already had partners, many of them still took part in this event in the hopes of synchronizing with Sheila, who had the potential to become an Alpha Einjard in the future.

Sheila was nervous, she wasnt someone who has the nerve to be center of attentions.

All she had to do in these past weekends were training with the girls and studying, the only interactions she had with a boy was with Seth who are a seemingly rude persons.

Suddenly, a huge monitor turned on in the middle of the Hall. Displaying a string of words that caught everyone's attention. It was a sudden and unexpected sight, and it seemed to draw a lot of attention from the people in the vicinity.

Valkryie : Sheila Mikoto

Synch Rate : 94%

Einjards: Alpha Candidate-(D)evourer

Speed : High-End

Defense : High-End

Power : Mid-High

Traits : Regeneration, High mobility, Power Surge.

After witnessing the monitor and saw Sheila's statistics, everyone was crazyl shockes . These traits were indeed extremely powerful and broken, making the Paladins even more hyped up as they realized just how strong she was. Sheila herself looked a bit shocked with their reaction and confused, as she didn't realize the full extent of her abilities.

"Whaat!? You had regeneration traits?" Said Aiko who becomes panic on her own.

"It's doesn't made sense, usually a candidate of Einjards only excell in one or two statistic, and most of them unlikely will gain a unique traits at all" Said Yuki trying to explain briefly.

"Even Eliza Taylor the partner of Seth only had Mid statistic with only one unique traits" Said flo continuing Yuki words.

"Most of the alphas started from the Middle stats, making their ranks up step by step" Said Yuki stating the simple fact that maybe Sheila didn't know about.

"Isn't she already an alpha? " Said Angela watching behind the girls.

Everyone around her was distracted and amazed by the stats revealed in the monitor, while Sheila herself was feeling a mix of confusion and uncertainty. She felt unsure about what to do and how to respond to this, especially since her potential were so powerful and overwhelming.

"Is that my Einjards name? (D)evourer? "

"Yes.. They even already announced you as an alpha candidate, and more importantly they given you a name! " Said Aiko smiling brightly.

"I-is that something good? "

"Well..officially every Einjards below the alpha didn't have a name except a few exceptional individuals. Consider it's a great honor because you were given one" Said Yuki once again explaining things as she likes.

Suddenly, the teachers came into the hall. The atmosphere shifted and things became even more intense as everyone shut their mouth.

Beside them there's (T)hanatos pilots, who looked strict and were wearing military outfits. Their presence added to an air of severity and seriousness to the occasion.

In addition to the teachers, Lady Saturn, Drs. milley, and the principals were also present, contributing to the serious and tense atmosphere amongst the students. The students were all curious and anxious about the synchronization and its outcome, whoever becomes her partner would definitely becomes number one in the future.

As the program scheduled, the first Paladin was then instructed to make their way up and prepare to attempt the synchronization. The students watched as the Paladin stepped up and approached the synchronization chamber that looks like a living Einjard model, preparing for their sync-up.

There was an air of anticipation among everyone in the room. This particular synchronization would be definitely an important one, as it was for one of the top Alpha Candidates.

"ATTEN-TION! FOR THE MOTHER OF EARTH!" A teacher shouted, commanding everyone to salute as the Paladin enter the synchronization chamber. The atmosphere was filled with tension, and the excitement could be seen in their eyes.

The first paladin who enter the chamber were tense and nervous, hoping to succed the synchronization.

A sound of robotic noises could be heard coming from the machine, as if it were alive and had its own pulse. It looked very much like Einjards themselves, although more mechanical.

The monitor above the mechanical Einjard showed the synchronization progress, which was steadily increasing from 0% to 20%. The paladins watched the monitor while holding their breath.

It was still a low percentage, but the paladin who inside it could already feel the burden with every passing second.

23%

24%

28%

Suddenly, he started to feeling pain from his wrist, it's looks like the burden was steadyly taking the toll on him.

32%

33%

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! "

At the 33% mark, the paladin who was inside the chamber began to scream in pain. The pain was so excruciating and unbearable that it felt like he was being pierced by a thousand needles inside his body. The paladins outside the chamber watched in horror and concern as their fellow paladin struggled and screamed in agony. They didn't know what was happening to him, but they could all feel the intensity of the situation.

"Stop! " Said the teacher, as the paladin inside the chamber were forcefully evicted from the inside of chamber because he's not compatible with Sheila Einjards.

"Next!" The instructor quickly instructed the second paladin to try the synchronization process. The paladin himself did not seem to care about the pain and suffering that the previous paladin went through, as he was only focused on himself and his own chances at synchronizing. He stepped forward and into the chamber to begin the synchronization process.

The bar suddenly made a jump from 0% straight to 32%, much faster than it went for the first paladin. This caught many people off guard, as they were expected it to be a slower progression like the first one. As the paladin inside the chamber began to struggle and scream in pain, the people outside knew he wasn't compatible either stopping at 39%.

"NEXT!! "

The thirdth paladin who was now prepared for the synchronization process was feeling more anxious and unsure of himself after seeing what happened to the first and second paladin. He knew he needed to prepare himself for the outcome, especially the pain from the synch machine, but the screams and pain of the first paladin was making him increasingly worried and fearful. He kept asking himself "Will I be able to do it? What if I fail?" The tension and anxiety grew, but he tried to keep himself focused and optimistic for the synchronisation process.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! "

The Thirdth paladin was also unsuccessful, and he was forcefully ejected from the chamber at the 29% rate. This time the pain was so intense that his right hand was actually broken due to the synchronization process, which made the process seem even more harsh and unforgiving. The people, and especially the paladins, watching the synchronization process could see the pain and suffering in his face as his hand was broken.

"Oi oi oi, that pains was supposed to happen when you hit 60-80% remark" Seth said while having a little bit smile on his face.

Everyone understood the severity of the synchronization pain and were aware that it would get worse with higher rates. The fact that the pain started to set in at around the 30% mark was a shocking development, as it meant that the synchronization process was more brutal and unforgiving than they tought. It also meant that achieving 94% was an even more difficult and more likely an impossible task, because reaching that level would mean enduring a great amount of pain and suffering.

"NEXT!!!! "

The next paladin was a bit hesitant to enter the chamber at first, but he was able to mustering himself up and make himself believe that he could do it. However, just as he was about to hit the higher percentages, he too was suddenly ejected due having brokens bones in his both arms. He made it a bit further, till about 40% but that was not enough. The pain was becoming more extreme and severe as they reached higher ranges.

"NEXTT!!! "

The synchronization event had been going on for a long while now and over 200 paladins had already attempted the process with Sheila but failed. Some of the paladins even suffered serious injuries that forced them to leave the chamber and straight to the medical emergency room after trying the synchronization. Others had simply quit as they could not bear the pain of the synchronization, which was increasingly becoming more brutal the higher the rate went. The record only hit 54% where it still considered a failure at the moment.

"NEXT!!! "

Among the many Paladins who had already attempted Sheila's synchronization event, there was one with black hair and seemed to be quite timid and weak, with little to no guts in the military has caught Sheila eyes. Apparently he was the next persons who will trying to synch up within the Einjard Chamber.

The Valkryies also seemed to notice hes timid nature when the instructor called out his name.

When he was in front of the chamber he started shivering from fear, many Paladins had already failed to complete the synchronization process, and he knew that he was likely to suffer the same painful and humiliating fate.

"What should I do? " He said while shivering in fear.

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