She panted heavily as she made her way through the battlefield, holding her sword at the ready.  Her eyes were constantly moving from spot to spot, always being mindful of her surroundings.  As she rounded a corner, she made contact with her enemy.

The other girl swung her axe as she let loose a battle cry, though her target was in an alert state and managed to block her attack, sparks flickering briefly as sharp steel met sharp steel.  The two briefly locked blades in a show of strength before disengaging and leaping back from one another, giving each other a solid twenty feet of distance once they landed.

The sword-wielding Pandora readied her blade once more, holding it perfectly vertical like a knight preparing for a formal duel.  The axe-wielding Pandora gripped her weapon in both hands, holding it perfectly horizontal as she breathed deeply, sizing up her opponent as she did.  It seemed as though the axe-Pandora was inviting the sword-Pandora to make the next strike.

The invitation was accepted.

Screaming her own battle cry, the sword-Pandora charged forward, raising her weapon high overhead as she prepared for a downward strike on her opponent.  The axe-Pandora responded by raising her weapon over her own head as her opponent was about to make contact.  Using the shaft of her axe, she blocked her opponent’s sword in its place as their weapons clashed once more.

While it seemed as though the two of them were fated to be locked in a stalemate, the sword-wielding Pandora suddenly cried out as an arrow pierced her in the right shoulder, knocking her back as she screamed.  The axe-wielding Pandora was alerted to this and turned around, seeing who it was that fired the arrow.  Sure enough, she could spot the newly incoming challenger who had entered the fray, holding her bow in a firing position as she readied another arrow.

The axe-wielding Pandora held her weapon at the ready with intent to strike, rushing forth towards the archer-Pandora.  Unfortunately for the axe-Pandora, the distance between her and the archer was a solid hundred feet before charging, giving her opponent ample time to fire off another round.  The archer-Pandora let loose another arrow from her bow, striking the axe-Pandora square in the chest right between her bosom.

While the shock and the trauma from the arrow stopped her momentarily, the axe-wielding Pandora still trudged on, dragging her weapon alongside her as she tried to close the distance.  She managed to get within fifty feet of her opponent before another arrow made contact with her, this time piercing her in the throat where the neck meets the collarbone.  A moment later, she went down, dropping her weapon as it disintegrated in a glowing flash of particles.

The archer-Pandora proceeded to walk on as she took a quick look at her first opponent, the sword-wielding Pandora was still on the ground, grunting as she tried to pry the arrow in her shoulder loose.  As she did so, she made eye contact with the archer-Pandora, the two sizing up on another.

A second later, the archer readied another shot as she took aim at the sword-wielding Pandora, but her opponent managed to surprise her.  Instead of rushing forward to close the distance between the two, the sword-Pandora threw her weapon at the archer like a javelin.  What happened next was somewhat surprising.

The moment the archer-Pandora fired off another arrow was the exact same moment when the sword-Pandora launched her sword straight at her opponent.  As a result, both Pandora managed to defeat her respective opponent in that split second.  The archer-Pandora’s arrow pierced the sword-Pandora’s chest, just like with the axe-Pandora earlier, while her opponent’s sword went straight into her abdomen, spearing her in the stomach and intestines.  The end result was both Pandora going down from a mix of shock and blood loss, with their weapons disintegrating in the process.

“Well now, that’s three more Pandora down for the count,” said a man in a military officer’s uniform.

“I must say, that sword-wielding Pandora took quite a gamble in the end,” replied another officer in similar dress.  “While she ended up being defeated, she managed to take her opponent down with her at the very end.”

“I suppose you could think of it as a form of karma if you like,” commented a third officer to the second.  “Getting a sort of consolation prize against her opponent for that sneak attack she pulled earlier and all.”

“Fair point,” said the first officer, “though these mock battles are supposed to be a test for what comes on the battlefield.  After all, say what you will about procedure and decorum, but when you get down to the heart of it all, there are no real rules in war.”

“Not when it comes to fighting the Nova anyway,” chimed in the second officer.

“Exactly,” replied the first.

All three military officers were among a larger group of military men (and some women) who were stationed within a command center as West Genetics watching various screens and monitors.  What was being played on those screens was live footage of several Pandora, all of them wielding numerous weapons of varying types and clashing with each other in fights to the death.

“Send in medical teams to retrieve three more Pandora,” came an announcer on the intercom system.

“This Carnival is really shaping up rather well,” commented the first officer.  “This year’s crop of 2nd-year Pandora definitely shows promise.”

“It’s to be expected if not outright demanded,” said the second officer.  “After all, when it comes to the fate of the human race, we need warriors who go for the kill.  We can’t have Pandora who are squeamish when it comes to fighting to the death and all.”

“True enough,” said the third officer.  “How are things looking over in Sector B right now?”

“It seems that there are no more active Pandora in that sector by the look of things,” answered the first officer.

“So how many Pandora are left among the 2nd-years now?” asked the second officer.  A moment later, he got his answer.

“There are currently less than twenty Pandora currently able to fight,” came the announcer from earlier.  “At the current rate of attrition, the 2nd-year Carnival is estimated to end in less than one hour.”

As the viewers took in the scenes of battle and carnage among the Pandora on screen, one of the officers decided to speak up once more.

“How is the 1st-year Carnival coming along, by chance?  I haven’t really focused on that one much,” said the third officer.

“One moment, please,” responded the announcer.  “Pulling up live-feed footage of 1st-year Carnival now.”

“So, it’s basically a battle royale of sorts?” asked Kazuya.

“Indeed,” replied Sister Margaret as she walked in front of him.  Her posterior tantalizingly leveled Kazuya’s face as it sashayed side to side as she walked.  Even though she was wearing holy robes which were meant to conceal her figure, Sister Margaret’s form was well-defined enough that the lumps at the front of her chest and the backside of her waist stood out in a somewhat teasing manner, even underneath those robes.

“Seems a little odd to refer to such a thing as a ‘Carnival,’ don’t you think?” questioned Kazuya.

“To those not familiar with such a thing, I’m sure it does appear to be a strange name choice,” replied Margaret.

“I suppose it’s one of those things that could be attributed to a sick sense of humor,” chimed in Kazuha, “either within Chevalier or among the administration at Genetics.”

“In any case,” continued Margaret, “such an event has gone by the name Carnival for so long that it has simply become normalized as it were.”

“And how long have Carnivals been going on at Genetics facilities?” inquired Kazuya as the group walked on.

“There have been Carnivals for as long as there have been Genetics facilities,” answered Chiffon with her usual upbeat tone of voice.

“So, for decades then?” asked Kazuya.

“Yes indeed,” answered Ticy.

The group in this case consisted of Kazuya in the center, with Sister Margaret leading up front of the pack.  Chiffon Fairchild was on Kazuya’s left and Ticy Phenyl was on Kazuya’s right, with Kazuha Aoi following behind.  While Kazuya was worried that his walking pace would be too slow for the four towering beauties who accompanied him on his walk, not one of them appeared troubled by it and simply walked at a slightly slower pace to keep their pace in line with Kazuya’s.

“So, what are the rules in a Carnival?” continued Kazuya with his line of questioning as the group walked.

“Well, there aren’t many rules per se,” answered Margaret.

“It’s essentially a fight to the death among Pandora of the same class year,” explained Chiffon.  “Pandora fight each other using their Volt Weapons and whatever abilities they possess.”

“Abilities?” asked Kazuya.

“Oh, sorry about that,” replied Chiffon.  “Let me clarify.  When a woman becomes a Pandora, she tends to create what we call Volt Weapons, which could be anything you can conceivably think of when it comes to tools of combat.”

“It could be anything basic like a sword, spear, club, or even firearms,” elaborated Ticy.  “Though some Volt Weapons are more intricate than others.  They could be something akin to tentacles originating from a Pandora’s backside, or gauntlets that form upon her arms, or even remote-controlled drones which a Pandora has direct control over.  The possibilities are near endless.”

“As for the abilities you were asking about,” continued Chiffon, “when a Pandora reaches her third year as a Genetics student, she usually obtains the ability to engage in what we call ‘Acceleration,’ in which she is able to move her body at high speeds which the human eye cannot follow.

“Though there have been some rare cases of Pandora achieving Acceleration among 2nd-year students,” elaborated Kazuha.

“Indeed,” Margaret followed up in the conversation.  “Kazuha is one such Pandora who achieved Acceleration as a 2nd-year Pandora.  Chiffon is another.”

Hearing such things about the company which Kazuya found himself in really took him back, though he didn’t want the surprise of it to show on his face or in his behavior.  At that moment, Kazuya Aoi felt as though he was standing in the presence of borderline goddesses when it came to their physical abilities.  They weren’t just superhuman (pretty much ALL Pandora were superhuman compared to everyone else on the planet), they were in a class on their own among Pandora.

“So, back to the Carnival,” said Kazuya, “how does it end exactly?”

“When one Pandora is left standing among her class,” answered Margaret.

“And by standing, you mean…” Kazuya had a notion of what was being implied.

“In fights to the death, Pandora determine who is the strongest among their class.  In a battle royale fashion, the Pandora fight one another using Volt Weapons, Acceleration, and whatever else they have at their disposal to defeat each other.”

“W-wait, Pandora kill each other?” asked Kazuya in shock.

“Yes and no,” replied Kazuha.

“I don’t understand,” said Kazuya as he turned back towards his towering older sister.  “How can the answer be both?”

“Pandora fight one another and inflict killing blows upon one another in combat,” explained Chiffon, “though these are Pandora we are talking about.  We’re not as easy to kill as ordinary humans are by comparison.  You could slice a Pandora’s jugular vein, rupture her internal organs, or rip off one of her limbs and none of those would necessarily kill her outright.”

“Given our overall physical abilities thanks to the Stigmata in our bodies,” elaborated Ticy, “our rate of healing and cellular regeneration is several times that of the average human.  Our bodies can repair major organ damage, even grow back most severed limbs over time.”

“Y-you can actually grow back a missing arm or leg?” asked Kazuya incredulously.

“Yes we can, Little Brother,” answered Kazuha with a playful smirk.  “I know it’s been some time since the 8th Nova Clash, but surely you remember the state I was in when the battle was over, right?  I wasn’t exactly at the peak of physical well-being when you saw me in that hospital bed, remember?”

“I guess I wanted to blot out that memory of seeing you like that,” said Kazuya with a shudder.

“Well, as bad a state as I was in that day,” continued Kazuha, “my squad leader, Yu-Mi Kim was in just as bad as one if not worse.  She ended up losing one of her arms during the 8th Nova Clash, but after a few months of recovery, she managed to grow back another one in its place, good as new.  There’s not even any scarring anymore on her body where the arm was severed, believe it or not.”

“That’s something akin to a miracle,” muttered Kazuya.

“Indeed,” replied Margaret, “it truly is an act of the divine to be blessed with such abilities.  We should all give thanks unto the Almighty for such a gift.”

“So then, do the Pandora really die at these Carnivals?” asked Kazuya for clarity.

“They end up getting very serious wounds which could potentially result in death if not treated,” explained Chiffon, “but we have medical teams on standby to retrieve all fallen Pandora the moment they are defeated and unable to continue.  Most will usually make a full recovery within a few days.  The more severe cases may take upwards of a month, given how severe their wounds were during the Carnival.”

“Since the goal of creating Pandora is to raise an army to fight against the Nova,” continued Ticy, “we try to avoid fatalities during Carnivals as much as possible.  In fact, there hasn’t been a single combat death at Carnivals in more than a decade now.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Kazuya with a sigh.  It would be quite depressing to raise up women into Pandora only to have them snuffed out during their formative years at Genetics facilities.

“So then, the last Pandora who is left standing is declared the winner then?” asked Kazuya.

“Yes,” answered Chiffon, “the winner and the top-ranked Pandora of her class.  The ranking system we have is by process of elimination, with the last standing Pandora being the first-ranked, the one after her being second-ranked, and so on and so forth.”

“Chiffon here is the top-ranked of her class, in case you were wondering, Little Brother,” Kazuha chimed in.

“I guess that would explain why she’s also student council president then, huh?” replied Kazuya.

“Well, while my rank may be a factor, I like to think that it’s mainly because I try to be helpful whenever I can,” replied Chiffon with that trademark smile of hers.

“And I believe that you are the third-rank of your class if I remember right, Ticy?” asked Kazuya as he looked up to the other third-year Pandora in the group.

“Yes I am,” replied Ticy.

“And since Kazuha decided to tell you a little about us out of the blue, I figure it’s only fair that I tell you that she was the top-ranked Pandora of her class back when she was a student,” replied Chiffon.

Once more, Kazuya was taken back internally (and trying to keep his shock from showing).  He was surrounded by the top-ranked Pandora in their respective years.  Given that there were several hundreds (maybe thousands) of Pandora enrolled at West Genetics, the fact that he was walking among the highest-ranking Pandora of the third year class was somewhat awe-inspiring in and of itself.  That and the fact that his older sister was top of her class back in the day simply added to how astonishing this was all becoming.

“Well then, we are here,” stated Sister Margaret as the group came to the end of the hallway and before a set of double doors.  Upon the doors opening, Margaret led the group into what appeared to be a sort of command center filled with computers, screens, and monitors.  In the room was an assemblage of Pandora and military staff looking at several of the monitors and screens.

“Ah, Sister Margaret, good to see you,” said one of the military officers looking up at the towering newcomers.

“General,” replied Margaret.  “Please don’t mind us.  I’m merely taking one of the incoming freshman Limiters on a tour of West Genetics.  I figured I’d show him just what the Carnival looks like.”

“Isn’t that a rather unorthodox thing to do, ma’am?” asked another officer.  “Bringing a freshman into a high-level facility?”

“While I appreciate your concern for protocol, sir,” answered Margaret, “this young man here is my personal guest and no ordinary freshman.  May I introduce Kazuya Aoi.”

“Aoi?” inquired the first officer.  “I’m assuming a relative of Gengo Aoi then?”

“His grandson,” answered Kazuha Aoi, “as well as my younger brother.”

“Ah...I see then,” replied the second officer.  “Well then, I believe no further questions are required on that matter.  Nice to meet you, young man.”  He then proceeded to return his attention to the screens and monitors alongside his fellow military colleagues.

Kazuya couldn’t help but grumble at having his surname speak for himself in the presence of others.  He didn’t like having to rely on his family name as a means of intimidating or impressing others, whoever they happened to be.  While he had made peace with the fact that his grandfather had become the world’s de facto “kingmaker” as things stood, he didn’t want to use his relation to the man as a proverbial club with which to intimidate or threaten others.  If there was one thing that made Kazuya roll his eyes in disgust, it was people who threatened others with the statement, “Do you know who my father is?” in that particular condescending tone of voice.

Deciding to take his mind off of anything involving his grandfather, Kazuya proceeded to do likewise as the military men were doing and focus his attention upon the screens and monitors.

“If I remember right, those screens over there are showing live footage of the 2nd-year Carnival,” said Chiffon pointing to one end of the room, “so those screens over there should be pointing to the 1st-year Carnival,” she elaborated pointing towards a different area of the room.

“Do Genetics facilities host all their Carnivals at the same time?” asked Kazuya.

“Carnivals usually will be scheduled at different times throughout the school year, but this year West Genetics decided to have both freshman and sophomore Pandora have their Carnivals at the same time due to time constraints,” explained Ticy.  “It’s a bit uncommon to do so, but it has been done in past years.”

“So, how are things looking right now?” asked Margaret to one of the male staff at a nearby monitoring station.

“Around eighty percent of the 1st-year Pandora are out of commission, while more than ninety percent of the 2nd-year have fallen in their respective Carnival, Ma’am,” replied the analyst.

“Make sure to have medical teams at the ready for fallen Pandora,” directed Margaret.  “I don’t want any unnecessary deaths or long-term damage as a result, especially among our incoming 1st-years.”

“Understood, Ma’am,” replied the technician.  “Dr. Schmitz is keeping a close eye on things, so there shouldn’t be any need to worry on that matter.”

“Glad to hear it,” replied Margaret.  “Elize is always dependable when it comes to matters of tending to the wounded.”

“Schmitz?” asked Kazuya in curiosity.  “Where have I heard that name before?”

“Elize Schmitz,” elaborated Kazuha as she stood just behind her little brother, bending down to speak more directly with Kazuya.  “She was one of my fellow squadmates back during the 8th Nova Clash, and the luckiest out of our unit.  She’s also an instructor here at West Genetics alongside me and serves as head of the medical team here.  I’ll be sure you have a proper introduction with her once you’re settled in here.”

Kazuya proceeded to turn his attention once more to the monitors, watching the Pandora engage in deadly combat with one another.  It was a sight that amazed him as much as it did revolt him.  Kazuya never did have the bloodlust that would be expected of a warrior.  Even though he was technically a soldier (albeit in a support role rather than one of active combat), he didn’t relish the thought of combat or fighting to the death.  However, he did understand the necessary evil of fighting with intent to kill, at least where it concerned the struggle against the Nova anyway.  They were beings that appeared either incapable of communication or indifferent to the whims of mankind.  So far, it seemed that their only purpose for visiting Earth was with the intent of eradicating the human race.  Therefore, it was simply a matter of “kill or be killed” when it came to interacting with the Nova, and while Kazuya abhorred violence, he wasn’t above doing his part in assisting the Pandora in the ongoing struggle with the Nova threat.

On one screen a Pandora wielding a trident clashed with another holding two daggers.  On another screen a Pandora swung her club at a Pandora armed with sword and shield.  Still yet another Pandora holding a crossbow fired at a Pandora armed with what appeared to be a matching pair of hatchets.  All over the screens, Pandora clashed and struggled with each other, drawing blood, clashing weapons against one another, panting and sweating as they struggled.  Every few minutes or so, an announcement would ring out, reading out a particular Pandora’s name in the process.

“Angelina McFarland has fallen...Margaret Sullivan is out...Mikoto Kobayashi is down...Katerina Federov has been defeated...Sun-Ja Park is out of commission...Charlotte Dupont is down.”  On and on, one after another, a Pandora’s name was read out.  The screens showed the positions of the remaining Pandora and where they were located on the makeshift battlefield.  Several red “X” marks littered the screen showing the locations of the fallen Pandora, with blue dots denoting the remaining Pandora who were still standing and able to fight, moving about from spot to spot.

“So then, any other questions or concerns, Mr. Aoi?” asked Sister Margaret as she looked down upon her guest.

“Nothing I can think of at this point,” replied Kazuya as he looked at the screens, shortly after correcting himself with a follow-up question.  “So these Carnivals are to determine the ranking system for Pandora, correct?”

“They are,” answered Margaret.

“And they’re only between Pandora, meaning no Limiters get involved, right?”

“That is also correct, yes,” continued Margaret.

“Are Pandora allowed to engage with each other in combat outside of Carnivals, like in one-on-one fights or something like that?”

“It’s very rare for that sort of thing to be allowed,” answered Chiffon.  “Only in approved combat settings and locations with the permission of Genetics staff are Pandora allowed to engage in limited combat scenarios, and those are closely monitored by teachers and staff members.”

“Do Pandora ever engage in schoolyard brawls though?” asked Kazuya.

“Unfortunately, there have been past episodes of things coming to blows on school grounds from time to time,” answered Ticy.  “Though the student council and staffers among West Genetics tend to keep a close eye on things for the most part.  Not to mention the amount of security cameras we have monitoring things throughout campus to boot.”

“This technically is a military facility as much as it is a school, after all,” followed Chiffon.  “If any Pandora get into some kind of on-the-spot fight with each other, they better have an airtight defense for doing so.  Otherwise, they end up being reprimanded, usually by spending ‘time in the brig’ as the saying goes.”

“Solitary confinement?” asked Kazuya.

“That’s right, Kazuya,” answered Kazuha.  “It could range anywhere from a few days to as long as two weeks for the more severe episodes.  If the offense is considered high enough, it usually leads to expulsion and even potential court martial in the most dire of cases.”

“Rest assured though, Kazuya,” resumed Chiffon, “while you’re enrolled here at West Genetics, I will do everything in my power to make sure that nobody here harasses or endangers you during your time on campus.  Besides, I’m sure I’m not the only one here who holds that sentiment, right ladies?”  Upon finishing this statement, Chiffon was rewarded with answers from her fellow Pandora.

“Yes of course, you expect the same thing from me too, Kazuya,” said Ticy, seconding Chiffon’s declaration.

“It would certainly behoove me as both an instructor here at West Genetics as well as a big sister to look out for her little brother whenever the opportunity presents itself,” added Kazuha.

Kazuya found himself in a mix of both elation and arousal upon hearing from Chiffon, Ticy, and Kazuha in that moment.  All three of these towering beauties had practically sworn to look after him during his time as a student at West Genetics.  While he was used to getting the protector treatment from his big sister, he was somewhat taken back at how these two 3rd-year Pandora had more or less thrown their hats in as well when it came to the job of looking after Kazuya.

Being in the presence of so many supermodel-like women who were as powerful as they were beautiful made Kazuya’s heart skip a little bit, especially when each of them practically pledged themselves to look after him like some sort of knight errant.

“Only four Pandora remaining in the 2nd-year Carnival,” came the announcer with a brief follow up statement.  “”Five Pandora remaining in the 1st-year Carnival.”

“Now then, what say we view the status of the Carnivals?” asked Sister Margaret.  “The way things are looking, they should be wrapping up any minute now.”  Taking her advice, the group turned to two monitors in the command center, each one giving an aerial view of the respective Carnival it was televising.

In the 2nd-year Carnival, it was one Pandora facing against three other Pandora.  The three consisted of an axe-wielding Pandora with short red hair, a busty Pandora with black hair tied up in a ponytail and armed with a long chain which she used as a whip, and a Pandora with long peach-colored hair wielding twin broadswords.

The third Pandora in the group also stood out for her style of uniform: whereas the first two Pandora in the trio wore standard Genetics school uniforms, the third wore a super short version of the Genetics dress top, ending just below her bosom and exposing her midriff while the sleeves ended at her armpits.  In place of a skirt she wore super short blue jean shorts, showing off her well-defined legs all the way down to the ankle.  Replacing dress shoes she wore sneakers and she also wore black, fingerless leather gloves.

The fourth Pandora who was facing off against the trio wore the standard Genetics school uniform.  As for her appearance, she had lovely facial features and struck a striking figure (like practically ALL Pandora did).  Her hair was long, burgundy-colored, tied up in long pigtails with blue ribbon, and curly at the tips.  Her eyes were colored in a muted purple, her skin was of a light complexion, and her demeanor brimmed with confidence (if perhaps a tad bit arrogant for some) as she stood tall and proud, all 10 feet, 9 inches of her.

“Three against one, huh?” declared the fourth Pandora.  “That’s not very sportsmanlike, if I do declare.”

“Nothing in the rules against teaming up temporarily when it comes to taking down a tougher opponent,” retorted the sword-wielding Pandora in the group.

“As the saying goes, ‘All is fair in love and war,’ and I for one am not against underhanded tactics when necessary,” added the red headed axe-wielding Pandora.

“I suppose all you can do is curse your rotten luck in this case,” said the dark-haired chain-wielding Pandora as she spun her chain rapidly in fast-paced circular motions.

The fourth Pandora in the bunch simply snorted in response.

“Oh please, it’ll take more than petty desperation to defeat Ganessa Roland, the Angel of Confinement.  I’ll wrap this up before long and claim my rightful place as top ranked 2nd-year.  Now then, what say we finish this, ladies?”  The confidence she exuded was only too apparent.

“Yes, LETS!” shouted the axe-wielding Pandora as she charged forward, raising her weapon on high preparing for a downward strike.

“You’re going DOWN!” roared the sword-wielding Pandora as she ran to flank Ganessa from behind, bending her arms back and preparing to make an “X-pattern” sword strike at her from behind.

The third Pandora leapt up several feet in the air and fired the weighted end of one of her chains towards Ganessa from on high, aiming for the girl’s head.

It seemed as though Ganessa Roland was done for, given the circumstances.  With her opponents attacking at her from three different directions (front, back, and above), there was no hope of her being able to survive such an onslaught.

Despite how dire the situation appeared, Ganessa simply cracked a smile before suddenly glowing brightly all over, with her hair suddenly turning a bright white and her eyes changing color from purple to gold.  The air pressure around her exploded outward and the temperature in her immediate vicinity dropped by several degrees.  Ganessa took one deep breath before speaking.

“Volt Weapon deploy:  Chains of Binding!”

Upon Ganessa’s declaration, out of her back erupted four chains with sharpened weights at their ends.  Each chain acted as an extra limb, obeying Ganessa’s commands as they moved out to attack each respective target.  One chain went through the sword-wielding Pandora’s torso, spearing her and it held her upright.  Another chain went straight for the axe-wielding Pandora, spearing her as well in the chest and launching her far back into a random wall, blood shooting out from her wound in the process.

The last two chains fired directly upwards, the first one blocking the opponent’s downward chain, sparks shooting out from the sudden metal-on-metal collision.  The other chain continued straight upwards piercing the last Pandora in the abdomen and going straight through her.  She cried out as her body hung in midair, her blood dripping down along Ganessa’s chain as it held her in place.

In just a few seconds, Ganessa Roland had taken out three Pandora in one sweep, and she didn’t even move her body as she did so.  A moment later, the glow from her body dissipated, her hair and eyes returning to their original color.  With a brief snort, Ganessa proudly looked on as she took in her victory with pride and glee.

“Well then, I guess that’s that then,” declared the winner of the 2nd-year Carnival.

“Pandora’s Audrey Duval, Aika Takeuchi, and Trish McKenzie are all out of commission,” declared the announcer.  “The winner of the 2065 2nd-year Carnival is Ganessa Roland.  I repeat, the winner of this year’s 2nd-year Carnival is Ganessa Roland.”

“Wow, she really has an impressive Volt Weapon,” said Kazuya as he watched what just unfolded on screen.

“Yes indeed,” replied Chiffon.  “Her ‘Chains of Binding’ as she calls them act like extensions of her body, moving wherever she wants them to go.  It’s certainly a more unique form of Volt Weapon among Pandora, though there are variations of that type which we’ve seen from time to time.”

“Really?” asked Kazuya.

“While most Pandora’s Volt Weapons are something they tend to carry around - like swords, axes, and the like,” chimed in Ticy, “other Volt Weapons are attached to a Pandora’s body, such as Ganessa’s chains.  Other cases involve boots and gauntlets automatically appearing on a Pandora’s limbs, or perhaps wings or tentacles forming on a Pandora’s back or shoulder blades.  It all varies here and there, but I like to think you get the jist of what I’m saying.”

“I never knew there was that much variety among Volt Weapons,” said Kazuya.

“See,” joked Kazuha in her sweet, big sisterly voice as she leaned over her little brother and ruffled his hair, “you learn something new everyday, which is especially fitting since you’re in school to boot.”

“What I’m more surprised is that a 2nd-year Pandora can activate Pandora Mode,” said Chiffon.  “It’s something of a rarity.”

“Pandora Mode?” asked Kazuya with confusion.

“You’ll get a more in-depth explanation later,” replied Kazuha.  “For now, just know that it’s a heightened state of combat in which a Pandora’s fighting abilities increase exponentially.  And it’s also something that’s expected among most Pandora when they become 3rd-year students, so yeah, the fact that Miss Roland is capable of activating it is somewhat surprising.”

“Volt Weapons...Pandora Mode,” muttered Kazuya to himself.  It would take a while for him to become acquainted with the vocabulary of things around here while he was a student at West Genetics.

“Well then, now that that’s been settled, notify medical personnel to retrieve the last of the fallen 2nd-year Pandora and have them moved to the medical tents nearby,” ordered Sister Margaret.

“Yes Ma’am,” was the uniform reply among the Genetics staff in the command center.

“How is the 1st-year Carnival wrapping up?” asked Kazuha.

“Let’s have a look, shall we?” replied Margaret, as she pushed a few buttons and focused the main monitor to a camera showing one lone Pandora left standing.

The Pandora in question wore the typical Genetics uniform, had short auburn hair (ending at her neckline) with a green hair clip on the left side of her face, a slender physique, light brown eyes, and a light complexion.  She was panting heavily after finishing up her final duel, holding a pair of what appeared to be wide-bladed tanto swords.  Of course, given the size of Pandora, a tanto sword for this girl, given her 10’4” height, would be something more akin to a katana for an average adult male (nearly 6 feet in length, give or take a few inches).

The auburn-haired Pandora was panting as she stood over the battlefield, taking in the view before her.  After a tense back-and-forth clash with her final opponent, she ended out coming on top of the match.  She had inflicted enough sword slashes on her opponent’s torso, arms, thighs, and neck for blood loss to set in.  It was a tough match, one which could have gone either way at the very end, and a rather honorable match as far as duels among Pandora went (certainly more so than how the 2nd-year Carnival went by comparison).

An announcement rang out as the last of the 1st-year Pandora stood panting as she finished her dual.

“The winner of this year’s freshman Carnival is Kaho Hiragi.  I repeat:  The winner of the 2065 1st-year Carnival is Kaho Hiragi.”

“I...I won?” asked the Pandora with wide eyes.  A moment later, she breathed a sigh of relief as she fell backwards and collapsed in a heap, her Volt Weapon disengaging and flickering into glowing shards before disappearing.  “I actually won,” sighed Kaho as she found herself relaxing and passing out from the battle fatigue she had experienced over the last few hours.  While she was hoping that she might make top 10 in her class, maybe even top 5 if she was lucky, she wasn’t expecting to place first among her class.  From Kaho’s perspective, such a feat made her feel like she was on top of the world, at least for that moment.

Taking in the reality of it all, the newly minted rank 1 freshman Pandora of West Genetics simply basked in the glow of victory as she nodded off and awaited the medics to make their way onto the practice battlefield to retrieve her along with the other Pandora.  For while she may have come out as the winner of the 1st-year Carnival, she was still feeling VERY out of shape and beyond fatigued at that moment.

“I’ll celebrate once I’ve recovered,” mumbled Kaho as she nodded off, “once these damn bruises die down and these bone fractures are a thing of the past.”