1
Using Western alphabetical order for convenience here. My Japanese is far from where I¡¯d like it to be.
New Student Arc: Chapter 2 - The Entrance Ceremony
Teacher Yama held out a massive hand to congratulate Kira for passing the entrance exam. She ignored the hand, instead opting to bow low towards him, an action which made him feel slightly awkward. He wasn''t one for formalities and was well-liked by the students due to his easy-going nature. A bow wasn''t something that¡¯d come to expect from new students, especially due to how arrogant they were in general. When Kira lifted her head he spoke once more.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Pass me your numbered tile quickly."
Kira obliged. With the number ninety-nine tile held between his thumb and forefinger, Teacher Yama focused and a golden light spread out around the tile, causing the number on it to change from black to gold before passing it back to Kira.
¡°I see you have a Storage Crystal. Send some of your Soul Energy through the tile as you would for the crystal.¡±
Kira obliged, and the tile briefly glowed blue before returning to normal. Kira stared at it in wonder. Teacher Yama nodded.
"Good. This tile is now forever bonded to you. Keep it with you at all times. It''s proof that you''ve passed our entrance exam. With it, you can enter and leave the academy grounds as you wish and it plays a major role in how we do things here. You¡¯ll learn all about it soon enough."
Kira received the tile gratefully.
''I made it! This is the first step on the road to achieving my goal. What better place to get stronger than here.''
Kira thought while Teacher Yama pondered for a moment. He then asked,
"If you don''t mind me asking, what are your cultivation levels?"
"Senior, my Soul Energy is currently at the 5th stage of Core Rank and my Life Energy is about halfway through Muscle Tempering."
Kira replied honestly as she''d developed a good impression of this rather fat teacher.
It could be seen from her reply that her cultivation had slowed dramatically since reaching the last milestones. This wasn''t necessarily her fault. Each successive rank would naturally be more difficult to attain as each rank represented a qualitative leap in strength. If she continued at her current pace, it would truly be difficult for her to become a powerhouse in any short space of time. She knew that her innate cultivation speed wasn''t very high which meant she had to put in at least twice the effort.
"Haha. For someone without the backing of a large clan, that is pretty good for a twelve year-old. If your goal is to reach the peak while astounding people, you''re going to need some more assistance though."
"What senior means is¡"
Teacher Yama''s eyes gleamed as he said a single word.
"Alchemy."
Kira''s brows creased imperceptibly. While it was true that alchemists weren''t nearly as rare as in centuries past, the number of truly skilled alchemists, the ones who could prepare the kind of pills and elixirs that aid in cultivation, were very scarce. She was also aware that, even if she could find a suitable alchemist, the ingredients for preparing these high-ranked medicines were also equally rare.
"I see that you doubt me. You''ll see later, little girl, things you¡¯d never dreamed of seeing, haha. Now off you go. I still have others to test."
He gestured towards the opposite end of the arena where an identical tunnel to the one she¡¯d walked through earlier was situated. She bowed once more towards the fat elder before leaving. As she walked, a random thought drifted through her head.
''Teacher Yama wasn''t the one who restrained me at the gate. I wonder who it was.''
When she reached the waiting room at the end of the other tunnel, she encountered a number of older students in red or blue uniforms standing around talking happily with one other. When they noticed her, one of them stepped forward and, after checking her now-golden entry tile, passed her a a set of neatly-folded, green clothes and escorted her out of the arena. After receiving a tour of the Initiate Academy, Kira parted with him at the entrance to the tall central buildings, which he¡¯d explained was the student dormitories.
Compared to the rest of the buildings she¡¯s seen so far, the dormitories followed more modern, Western architecture but, even by Western standards, the shapes of the buildings were rather strange. From above, the two dorm buildings, one for the girls and one for the boys, together looked like a ring that had been cut in half through the middle, the cut forming the entrances to a lush garden which resided in the center of the ring.
The dormitory garden itself was dominated by a large sculpted fountain depicting a muscular man and a slender woman locked in combat. The man had a very heroic figure while the woman was very beautiful. From various orifices in the sculpture, water spurted out into the fountain''s basin below. The water was clear and sparkled in the late morning sun.
Each building had a total of nine floors, one for each year in the Academy, with the first-year students taking up the bottom floor and going up in ascending order. Following her senior guide¡¯s instructions, Kira chose a room and pushed her numbered tile against the blank nameplate. The nameplate lit up with a soft glow as the characters of her name faded into existence across the right half of the nameplate. This was mainly for security as only the owners of the entry tiles could decide who was allowed into their rooms.
Outside the dormitory ring were two large rectangular pavilions which her senior had mentioned were the student bathhouses.
Kira opened the door to her room and stepped inside. It was fairly simple, with two single beds in the corners of the room, a single bedside table between the beds which had an oil lamp resting on it, two small wardrobes at the feet of the beds and a matching pair of desks with chairs for studying.
Kira waved her hand over one of the beds. From the obsidian ring on her left middle finger a black glow shone and sets of clothing materialised, neatly folded, on top of the bed. She carefully took the clothing and packed it away in the adjacent wardrobe. The academy wasn''t too strict on the attire the students wore in their free time, within reason, of course.
Having finished this, she promptly sat down, cross-legged, on her bed and began to meditate, stimulating her Soul Energy to circulate through the path of the Heavenly Flame Lily route, replenishing the energy she''d used during her exam while reflecting on the test itself.
CRASH!
Her contemplative state was broken by a violent breaking sound, causing her to immediately open her eyes. The wardrobe on the other side of the room had been smashed to pieces. As it was already late afternoon, the setting sun obscured Kira''s vision and only the silhouette of the one responsible was visible. Immediately on alert, Kira brought out her dragon-motif katana from her Storage Crystal while asking,
"Why did you do that?"
"None of your business."
A young voice replied sharply in a cold tone. The girl in the doorway entered and proceeded to take a relatively intact board from the broken wardrobe and prop it up on the bed against the wall before leaning back against it, arms folded. Her breathing slowed although her eyes were still open. After a few seconds, Kira decided that this wild girl wasn¡¯t a danger to her and withdrew her katana into her crystal.
Now that the girl was illuminated by the sun, Kira could clearly see her tanned skin and was shocked at her attire...or rather, the lack of it. The girl wore scraps of leather that were sewn together and just barely managed to keep her chest and private areas covered. In string loops at her waist, there were a pair of mismatched weapons. One Kira recognised as a shortsword while the other looked like a pair of wooden batons joined at right angles.
Still, there was enough time to ask her about the weapons later. It was possible that the dark-skinned girl was simply stressed from the entrance exam and was in a bad mood. Kira didn''t press the issue and instead went back into meditation, slowly building up her Soul Energy cultivation.
The next morning.
The light of the warm sun roused Kira from her meditative state. Opening her eyes, she realised that no one had bothered to close their room door the previous night. Reminding herself to be less careless, she stretched her stiff limbs and checked that her number ninety-nine tile was safely in her obsidian Storage Crystal before leaving the dorm. Looking back, she saw the tanned girl sleeping peacefully. Today was the opening ceremony and the first day of classes but there was still some time before then and Kira didn''t want to disturb her.
Having changed into her green uniform and stowing away her katana in her Storage Crystal, Kira stepped outside. The morning air was fresh with a slight chill that helped her become fully alert as she splashed her face at the fountain. Surprisingly, she wasn''t the only one up this early as she heard a number of voices coming from just beyond the dormitories. Leaving the dormitory ring, she made out a group of people, mostly in green uniforms, standing in a loose circle around someone who appeared to be rather tall.
Amongst the fortunate few who earned the privilege of attending the Academy, one particular first-year in his fresh green uniform was in the outer courtyard doing what he did best: capturing the hearts of people with his acrobatics.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Hey, hey, not too close. You don¡¯t wanna get singed by my burning hot performance. They call me Tomoe Senji! Let¡¯s turn up the heat!¡±
The boy proclaimed loudly as he spun his somewhat-intricately designed, shining, metal chakrams, about his fingers, casually juggling the pair with his eyes closed. Chakrams were a weapon from the north-east and were disks with bladed edges and cross-shaped frames. The boy¡¯s short, spiky red hair and thin frame already made him stand out from the crowd, not to mention the circular platform about a metre in diameter and thirty centimetres high that he stood on, which came from who-knows-where.
The gathered audience of other new students gasped as he appeared to fumble a catch and waited with baited breath for the impending injury. He twisted his body at an impossible angle at the last second, catching the chakram just before it cut off his ¡°third leg¡±. Tossing his chakrams into the air, he jumped, tilting his body horizontally and spinning his body 360 degrees before landing on his feet as, with one last flourish, he caught the airbourne chakrams by threading his middle fingers through the circular holes in their centres. He took several bows to the cheering audience while the chakrams continued spinning on his fingers.
¡®Another perfect performance. Only¡¡¯
Senji had practiced this particular routine so many times that he could do it in his sleep. When performing, his attention wasno longer on what he was doingas he trusted his body to move as it was supposed to. Rather, his focus was on his audience, reading their mood and improvising as needed. One thing that never changed, however, was their complete focus on him once he started his routine, until now¡
¡°Hey! Girlie, what¡¯s up? Didn¡¯t you like it?¡±
Today his attention wasn¡¯t just on his immediate audience but on the other students heading towards the Initiate Academy. Each and every one had at least given him a first glance, except this girl. This was the first time something quite like this had happened. When he was still practicing and messed up the tosses and catches, people would sometimes lose interest and walk away, but he had at least held their attention for a short time. To this girl, it was as if he hadn¡¯t even existed.
¡®Why didn¡¯t you at least acknowledge me, dammit?¡¯
A sudden burst of anger overtook him and he threw his one chakram at her, to the shocked faces of the people who had been watching his performance. At that moment, he immediately regretted his decision but there wasn''t much he could do at that point. After all, he hadn''t prepared any controlling Skills to use on it.
¡°Look out!¡±
Without even turning her back, the girl leapt upwards and, with one smooth motion, summoned a sheathed katana with a twin dragon-motif. She drew the sword, threading its tip through the center of the chakram and into the ground as easily as Senji had done with his fingers earlier. The chakram remained spinning as it slid down the length of the katana with a metallic screech that caused everyone nearby to cover their ears, everyone except the girl and Senji.
The girl finally turned around, revealing a face that Senji had to admit was rather pretty, but whose green eyes held a certain steel that caused him, who was usually full of confidence, to hesitate for a second.
¡°Ehm, sorry sister. I don¡¯t know what came over me.¡±
¡°It''s no problem. I didn''t have time for exercise this morning and your attack was really refreshing.¡±
Kira said earnestly, making an effort to be friendly. She wasn''t sure how she offended this showy guy enough to make him attack her but she answered him honestly. Senji, on the other hand, didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Sure, he wasn''t seriously attacking but he wasn''t sure if she was thanking him or mocking him.
With a casual smile and a flick of her sword, Kira sent the chakram back toward Senji, who caught it deftly, before sheathing her katana, giving him a short bow, turning back towards the Initiate Academy buildings, and walking away. She didn''t want to be late for the opening ceremony.
¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t get your name! I¡¯m Tomoe Senji, and you are?¡±
She turned back around and cupped her fist.
¡°First year, Suzuki Kira. Pleased to meet you.¡±
The students were soon all gathered together in one of the larger buildings in the Initiate Academy complex; a hall which had a high roof and could easily accommodate a thousand people. However, there were, at most, only one hundred students here. This alone showed the strictness of this famous academy''s entrance requirements.
The noise gradually quietened down as a group of adults took to the metre-high stage in front. In front of these youths whose talent could be said to be the best in the Moonsilver Empire, naturally only people whose strength surpassed theirs could make them become silent so quickly.
Within the row of adults, Kira recognised Teacher Yama, with his massive, round body, jovial expression and silver mane, and Teacher Hanami, Tetsuya''s bright and cheerful friend, with her shock of pink hair going in at least ten different directions. The central figure was an old man but the only signs of his age were the creases on his face and his silver hair. His face was very expressive and was covered with a broad smile as he gazed at the new students, his body radiating an unmatched vigour that could only be associated with a high rank of Life Energy cultivation. No, those words weren¡¯t enough to describe him. It was as if the will to move and never stop was literally forcing its way out of him.
''This strength is definitely at least an entire rank higher than Kazumi''s!''
Kira thought, shocked, remembering the woman who was like a human meteor. The old man''s smile was infectious and Kira noticed many of the youths around her unconsciously grinning stupidly.
"Greetings and welcome all! I am the Dean of the Bladeworks Initiate Academy, Dean Kaminaga. The fact that you''re standing here means that you are truly the most talented of the talented young ones in our empire at this point in time. For this you should feel proud of yourselves."
Quite a number of people nodded in response, simultaneously smirking. This elder was saying things that they already knew. Kira, however, was watching the other teachers on the stage. Aside from Teachers Yama and Hanami, who stood to the Dean''s right, there were two others beside the Dean who she didn¡¯t recognise.
To the Dean¡¯s immediate left stood a pretty, middle-aged woman with blond hair tied into a neat bun but whose eyes held a cold expression. The rest of her face was covered by the gold and red folding fan she held open in her hand. She wore a pure-white dress with gold trim that had slits down the sides for easy movement. Her piercing gaze swept across the faces of each of the students, appraising them one by one.
To her left was a similarly-aged man with a bored expression who seemed like he didn''t really want to be there. He had short, green hair and was dressed in a simple shirt and suit pants, although his shirt seemed to be escaping from his pants, giving him a sloppy look. His loosened tie didn''t help fix this image.
After waiting for the students to heartily congratulate themselves, Dean Kaminaga kept his smiling face as he continued.
"However, having pride and being arrogant are two very different things. Where you came from, you may have been the pride of your town or city but, here, everyone is like you. Here, you aren''t ''special''. Until proven otherwise, you are simply ordinary. This Academy doesn''t operate like normal ones. Here, we are more concerned with nurturing those with real talent and the will to realise that talent, rather than spending time and effort on those who won''t amount to anything special. To that end, we have developed our Tile System..."
Everyone was waiting eagerly the rest of his words but he didn''t continue. Instead Dean Kaminaga turned to his left to look at the stern, middle-aged woman.
"Teacher Kurokawa, is something amiss?"
A dense killing intent erupted forth from the stage causing these new students to feel as if marked with an omen of death, preventing them from breathing. In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged woman disappeared from the stage. When everyone had the bravery to look around, they found that she was in the middle of the mass of students, lightly gripping the shoulder of one particular boy. Despite speaking softly, her voice could be heard in every corner of the room, spoken with an almost tangible iciness.
"So, you think that your conversation is more important than the words of our esteemed Dean? This academy doesn''t need trash like you."
The boy in question didn''t dare utter a word, only just about trying to shake his head while lowering his gaze in shame. With a flick of her wrist, a flash of silver flew through the air, and Teacher Kurokawa disappeared again, returning once more to the stage. At that point, Kaminaga continued on as if nothing had happened.
"The essence of our Tile System is thus: the tiles you were given upon passing the entrance exam are the marks of you belonging to the Bladeworks Academy and you will use them all throughout your school career. Conversely, no longer having a tile means that you are no longer a student of our Academy and will have to leave the grounds immediately. If you do not leave, you will be forcefully removed."
With these words, Teacher Kurokawa raised her hand and, between her two fingers was a numbered tile, its silver number reflecting the light. The dumbfounded boy clearly understood what this meant and slowly turned and walked out, the regret clear on his face. The rest of the students were stunned.
"The rest of you need not worry. It is forbidden for students to directly take the tiles of others. Those that do will face immediate disciplinary action. Your teachers and I, however, do hold this power and will confiscate your tile if we deem your conduct unsatisfactory or for any other major reason. I know this has been said to you before, but the dormitories and bathhouses of the opposite gender are forbidden to you."
He smiled even wider, clearly thinking about his days as an impetuous youth, a smile that most of the new students found very strange. After all, none of them were even fifteen yet and didn''t have these types of thoughts.
"But this still isn''t the full extent of the system. What was mentioned just now are only the extreme cases. As you may have noticed, those tiles are very special in and of themselves. Their primary function is to store your ''prestige points''. These can be earned directly as rewards for completing academy-assigned missions or student-placed requests, won through staked duels, or by trading for products made by you yourselves. These points can be traded in at the Exchange Centre for conventional currency, the Profession Hall for materials or goods, or the student-run Mercantile Hall for non-profession-related items. Simply put, it is the currency we use here as there are many things available here that cannot be bought with money, if you can afford them."
At this, many of the students became excited. Although they couldn''t yet fully comprehend exactly what these items may be, the thought of them was enough to make them forget the icy-cold killing intent from earlier.
"One last thing before I organise you into your classes and I urge all of you to be aware of this fact. If at any point your prestige points become zero, the number on your tile will turn black. At that point, you will be forced to leave the Academy. Understood?"
At this moment, Dean Kaminaga paused, an unsightly expression replacing the joyous one on his face.
"Although this Academy is independently run, we do still have backing from some rather important clans and individuals. It is their wish that every year''s students have but a single ''noble'' class. While this may seem unfair to the rest of you, trust me when I say the level of education you all will receive will still be of the highest standard with rewards for those who prove their excellence. It is to this end that the Academy itself has also created a specialised ''elite'' class, reserved for those of you who stand out from your peers. I hope that you will strive towards the Elite class as there are innumerable benefits to joining it, the least of which is a specialised curriculum. Now, let the sorting commence!"
New Student Arc: Chapter 3 - The Icy Teacher
After hearing about the potential benefits that they could earn through the academy, the gathered students were naturally very excited.
"As Class 1-S will remain empty until the first Elite Selection, barring certain exceptions, we will start with Class 1-A, the noble class. Can these students please step forward...Akamatsu Ken-"
One by one, the students called out left the crowd of their peers, most of them bearing a relatively smug look on their faces. Although this class of theirs seemed to be forced into being, they were happy with the situation. After all, their classmates would have the same status as them and could thus be considered their equals.
"...and lastly, Kousen Nanase. Class 1-A, your class will be taught by Teacher Midorima. Now for Class 1-B..."
Dean Kaminaga gestured towards the green-haired man who raised his one hand half-heartedly. The faces of most of the students of the newly-formed Class 1-A turned ugly at this. They were nobility! Their families were prestigious existences known for the strength of their bloodlines and the wealth at their disposal, yet their teacher was to be this sloppy-looking man. This was unacceptable! As if reading their minds, when one of them was about to raise his hand to query this, an icy killing intent washed over the group as the severe glare of Teacher Kurokawa landed on them. With her presence looming over them, the sorting continued without incident.
"...lastly, Suzuki Kira."
Kira, who was listening attentively, walked confidently to the front, joining the group standing in front of the stage, eager to find out who her teacher would be.
"Class 1-C, you will be taught by Teacher Kurokawa."
Kira took a breath. She wasn''t sure how to react. This stern-looking teacher was definitely a formidable existence. Her killing intent alone was something she hadn''t felt even from her Uncle Tetsuya when his anger was at its peak. As to her teaching ability, that remained to be seen. However, if Kira was being honest, she would have preferred to be taught by Teacher Hanami or Teacher Yama.
At that moment, both those teachers were looking towards Kira apologetically.
''Sorry, but this is another trial that you have to endure.''
When the sorting of the last class, Class 1-D, was done, Dean Kaminaga gave his last words to them.
"Each of you will start off with 100 prestige points. While this number may seem like a lot, you will soon realise the true value of these points. Best of luck and work hard!"
Without further ceremony, each teacher led his- or her class from the Hall as Dean Kaminaga waved them off, his smiling expression restored. He knew full well the type of challenges these children would have to face and could only wish for their innate potential to shine through.
As Kira followed the rest of her classmates, an intangible pressure interrupted her thoughts. When she looked up ahead, all she saw was the slim back of Teacher Kurokawa, her blond hair shining in the morning sun. But why was it so cold?
Soon, Kira realised that the distance between Teacher Kurokawa and the rest of the class was growing larger and larger. Immediately she picked up her pace and strived to stay as close to her teacher as possible. With every step closer she got, the pressure increased even further.
¡®It¡¯s not impossible for this to be some kind of test but¡how many of us have actually realised it? I mean, we haven¡¯t even had our first class yet.¡¯
Taking a look around her, the nearest classmate was actually the tanned girl who was her roommate. She was about a metre behind Kira dressed in the same green uniform as the rest of them, looking very uncomfortable in it, while clenching her teeth and letting out an audible, low growl. It seemed that she felt the same pressure and was refusing to let it get the better of her.
When they eventually arrived at their classroom, conveniently labelled 1-C according to the board above the entrance, Kira was already sweating while focusing on calming her turbulent Twin Energies. However, instead of proceeding inside, Teacher Kurokawa turned around abruptly.
¡°Halt!¡±
Everyone froze right where they were standing, partly because no one dared to incur the wrath of this teacher and partly due to the thin layer of frost freezing their feet to the ground.
¡°Some of you really are pathetic. The seven of you at the back, put your numbered tiles on the ground and leave. If you can¡¯t withstand this little bit of pressure, you don¡¯t deserve to be here.¡±
The seven in question looked at each other with incredulous faces. Clearly they hadn¡¯t expected to be tested within the first few minutes and had chosen spots at the back which were the most comfortable and didn¡¯t experience any of Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s pressure at all.
¡°Please, Teacher Kurokawa, allow us to have another chance. We hadn¡¯t expected to be tested already, otherwise we would have done our utmost to pass it.¡±
One particularly eloquent speaker gathered his courage and spoke up with what seemed to be a very reasonable argument. However¡
¡°Tell me, when you¡¯re risking your life, do you think your enemy is going to give you another opportunity to kill him?¡±
Everyone¡¯s gazes were locked on to Teacher Kurokawa at this point. Of course, what she said was true but¡
¡°If you betray your lover, do you think they will give you another chance? If you break a friend¡¯s trust, do you think they will ever truly trust you again? Life isn¡¯t fair, nor is it generous. It is your responsibility not to mess up the first time. Looking for the easy way out is not the attitude anyone who became truly strong had. Now get out of my sight.¡±
The seven lowered their heads and left their tiles on the ground before turning around and leaving in complete silence, their feet having been defrosted along with everyone else¡¯s.
¡°Now then, those of you that are left, whether through keen awareness or luck, you¡¯ve proven that you at least have earned the right to enter my classroom. Whether you can stay in it, or in this Academy, will depend on you. Now enter in single file and fill the rows in that order. Do not attempt to conceal your true position, I¡¯ve already memorised it.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa declared before entering the classroom herself.
Kira, who was at the front, looked in through the doorway. Before her was a classroom that was far different to what she¡¯d expected. Instead of desks and chairs, the entire d¨¦cor of the room was extremely similar to that of a dojo. After bowing and removing her shoes, she took her place on the far right of the room nearest to the front, sitting in seiza with the entrance behind her.
Teacher Kurokawa smiled secretly as she saw this.
¡®Good, at least the top student of this class for now knows proper manners.¡¯
However, her frostiness returned the next moment as the very next student to enter carelessly walked across the room before sitting cross-legged next to Kira.
While all the students of the Bladeworks Academy were extremely skilled with their respective weapons, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that they were familiar with the etiquette related to a dojo.
¡°Second girl, come over here.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s icy aura began to permeate the room. The tanned roommate of Kira¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but shiver.
¡°All of you, pay close attention. I don¡¯t know where each of you came from and I don''t care but there are ways that things are done, manners and customs that need to be followed, such as how to enter a dojo-like space. First girl, what is your name?¡±
¡°Suzuki Kira, Teacher.¡±
¡°Kira, please demonstrate again how to properly enter a dojo.¡±
Kira obliged, fully aware that all eyes were on her, thinking that this was a waste of time and was eager to begin the lesson. After everyone had entered correctly and was seated, a brave soul raised his hand.
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Teacher, what is the point of entering a dojo like that?¡±
The temperature of classroom dropped another few degrees. Teacher Kurokawa then took a breath and the temperature rose again.
¡°It seems that you all really are ignorant. But I suppose that¡¯s to be expected considering your backgrounds. Respect, discipline and acknowledgement of our ancestors, that¡¯s why we follow these rituals. The first two are self-explanatory but the third one may not be. By ancestors, I don¡¯t mean your blood lineage, rather I¡¯m referring to the ancestry of your martial abilities. The techniques you¡¯ve learned from your teachers were learned from their teachers and so on. The foundations of most fighting styles were figured out long ago. It is only that certain martial arts schools chose to focus on certain aspects but we all have ancestors who were genius enough to create the techniques that we use today.¡±
A hand was raised into the air at this point.
¡°Teacher, are you referring to the Original Skill Creators?¡±
Teacher Kurokawa blinked twice as she looked at the one who had asked the question. Naturally, it was Kira. As someone who¡¯d learned under Tetsuya for some time, she¡¯d learned some history about the origins of Weapon Skills.
¡°It seems one of us isn¡¯t as ignorant as the rest. Those who developed actual weapon techniques were indeed important as the base of how we fought originally, but they were completely overshadowed by the Original Skill Creators. The teachings of those who developed weapon techniques are only relevant to cultivators at Core rank and below at best. The Original Skill Creators were the true geniuses. They understood the Twin Energies and Soul Paths in ways that we cannot begin to understand today. It could be said that they possessed the knowledge and power required to shape the universe itself through their bodies.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°Then why is Skill Creation considered a lost art?¡±
¡°Some say it is because the Skill Creators became corrupted by their power and didn¡¯t want others to learn their secrets. Others say that they kept the knowledge hidden because it would be too dangerous in the wrong hands. Whatever the truth is, scrolls on the subject are extremely rare and may not even contain the correct information, truly making it a lost art.¡±
¡°Teacher, am I correct in thinking that, surely, with its influence and resources, our Academy has some of these scrolls?¡±
The voice that spoke up this time wasn¡¯t Kira. Rather, it came from somewhere in the middle of the seated students, from a frail-looking, bespectacled boy with short, dark-blue hair. His voice was clear, every syllable well-enunciated and was spoken in a moderate yet authoritative tone. To the ears of these commoner students, this was the speech pattern of a noble!
¡°Whether or not the Academy has any of these scrolls is none of my business. However, if we were to have any, then they would be located in the Elite Class Library and would require prestige points simply to read them.¡±
For someone who apparently didn¡¯t know whether the scrolls existed, Teacher Kurokawa gave a surprising amount of information.
¡®Such an obvious incentive to get us to aim for the Elite Class. I wonder what other benefits there are.¡¯
"Thank you, teacher."
The bespectacled boy relied politely.
"Boy, what''s your name?"
"Mizuno Kiyoshi, Teacher."
"A good name, you may sit at the end of the front row. Being able to identify the right questions and have the courage to ask them is also a form of strength."
"Teacher, I am undeserving. My talent is ordinary. I am simply a seeker of knowledge."
"Nonsense. If I cannot see the potential in my own students, I''ve failed as a teacher."
Kira blinked.
''What about those seven you just got rid of? Surely some of them had greater potential than others here.''
However, she kept her mouth shut. Despite her current position as first in class, she believed that Teacher Kurokawa would still expel her in a heartbeat.
"Alright, enough explaining about pointless things. For me to fulfil my role as your teacher, I need to know more about you. I didn''t bother to read up anything on any of you. I believe that seeing is believing."
A soft blue light shone from her earring and small scroll appeared in her hand.
"You''ll be going up in pairs based on your current position and you''ll fight each other right here, each putting seventy-five prestige points on the line. Afterwards, you''ll present your names and weapon specialities for me to write down. Let''s begin. Suzuki Kira and the second girl."
Jaws dropped when Teacher Kurokawa mentioned the number of points they would be betting. While this was clearly an incentive to take the fight seriously, this was three-quarters of their total points right now! As they were still new to the academy, who knew how easy it would be to lose those last twenty-five points? No, would they even last through this morning¡¯s class?
"Teacher, are there any training weapons here for us to spar with?"
Teacher Kurokawa glared at the offender who shrank back instinctively under her frosty glare.
''So basically, along with whatever injuries we receive, whoever loses risks getting expelled within the first week, no, maybe even the first day, depending on how easy it is to gain and lose these prestige points. Also, with how the pairs are being selected, these matches are probably going to be close.''
Kira thought as she rose and walked to the empty centre of the room together with the other girl before turning around to face her. Her tanned roommate was clearly from a poor background, as were most of them, and kept her shortsword and peculiar baton on her waist, held in place by her uniform''s specially-designed belt. Meanwhile, Kira had the luxury of using a Storage Crystal.
Kira fisted her palm as she bowed towards her opponent, showing her usual courtesy. As her eyes dropped, her senses screamed a warning and she hurriedly pushed herself backward, bringing out her twin-dragon katana from her Storage Crystal and drawing it in one smooth motion.
CLANG!
The sound of metal on metal rang out as Kira raised her head, her eyes filling with disdain.
''Doesn''t this girl have any respect?''
Her katana collided with the tanned girl''s strange baton, which ran along her arm, but neither of them appeared to be able to overpower the other.
A flash of silver in the corner of her eye forced Kira to break the deadlock, pushing back to create some distance while sliding her sheath into her belt, just as a sweeping blade was about to cut open her gut. The air whistled as the blade of the tanned girl''s shortsword passed her.
''Her movements are overdone but there''s a surprising amount of power behind them. Is she actually fighting seriously?''
Kira couldn''t help but wonder as she took a breath. The other girl, however, didn''t leave it at that and continued to press her assault. Kira, remaining calm, carefully received her blows, minimising her use of energy as she tried to figure out her opponent.
"Stop moving around so much, dammit."
The tanned girl''s eyes were slowly reddening and her movements became wilder with every unsuccessful attack. Despite this, Kira couldn''t find any obvious openings, or rather, every opening she found would lead to them both taking a serious blow.
''Is this girl insane? This style of self-sacrifice is just too reckless. I''m amazed she''s lived this long.''
Kira was no stranger to self-sacrificial attacks, having used one herself to secure her revenge against the one responsible for the destruction of her Takanashi clan. This situation was different, though. This was a simple class sparring match but every attack of this tanned girl was as if she was putting her life on the line!
"I said...stop MOVING!"
The tanned girl''s voice rose a pitch and the fury in her tone was obvious. It was then that Kira finally obliged, taking up a stance with her katana held across her body to parry the incoming attack. Her pupils flashed gold for an instant.
''Rejection.''
When the tanned girl''s shortsword made contact, she was immediately blasted off her feet and sent tumbling away a few metres. However, she recovered quickly, using the momentum to instantly rise to her feet again before letting out an almost feral roar.
"RAAAARGH!"
With that roar came surge of aura that briefly stunned Kira and actually caused her blood to run cold for a moment. She no longer felt as if she were facing a human, but rather a Soul Beast that was looming over her. The wild girl herself began to show changes as well. Surrounding her arms were luminous glows that began to fill the room. Around her right arm, which held the strange baton, were droplets of red that let off an eerie light, while around her left arm, which held the shortsword, were wisps of blue that danced merrily through the air.
''Why would she go this far and, more importantly, what...is that Skill?''
Kira was dumbstruck by both the wild girl''s auras and appearance but this didn¡¯t stop her from functioning properly as a fighter. Her body was already cycling Quintessence as she moved forwards, slashing at the air.
''Wind Rending: Gale.''
The wild girl''s eyes never left Kira as she ignored the high-speed energy blade heading straight towards her and leapt forwards.
"Hyah!"
With a yell, she swung out her right arm in swatting motion and, with a flash of red light, actually shattered the Wind Rending, to Kira''s utter disbelief. As she neared Kira, her left arm lashed out from above, the shortsword fully extended with flickers of blue running along it. To Kira, it no longer seemed like a mere blade, but the razor-sharp talon of a beast, capable of slicing through steel.
Kira didn''t freeze in spite of the impending danger or shock of having her Skill destroyed. Her years of combat experience wouldn''t allow her to. Instead, her response was the one which had the greatest chance of saving her life. She raised her sheath above her with one hand, golden light flashing across her pupils.
''Takanashi Style: One Leaf Splits the Wind.''
A surge of power flowed through her arm and down the sheath, reinforcing them against the incoming attack. At the same time, she launched her own counterattack with her free hand, aiming exactly for the other girl''s neck.
"That''s enough."
A gust of freezing wind swept through the classroom, halting the two girls in their tracks. Make no mistake, neither of them had the time to stop their attacks. However, could the power of a teacher of the Bladeworks Academy really not be enough to stop a pair of Core-ranked students that were, at most, fourteen years old? Of course not.
Kira felt completely numb as if her limbs were frozen solid. Only her eyes were able to look around and observe the situation. She saw that her opponent was similarly frozen and the layers of frost on their bodies were at least half a centimetre thick.
"I must commend the both of you. Your enthusiasm isn''t something I usually see in first-years. That said, you both made glaring mistakes. Second girl, I have no problems with how you fight and your style puts enormous pressure on your opponent, but you have no regard for your own life. Keep fighting with that mindset and you may not live to see the end of the year. As for you, Kira, you can''t expect your opponents to hold the same standards of etiquette that you do. Also, you wasted time stalling instead of trying to win the fight. As you''ve just experienced, there are some cultivators who get stronger as a fight drags on. Against these kinds of opponents, you cannot afford to spend time attempting to judge their strength as you''ll never get an accurate read until it''s too late. That is all. Return to your seats."
Having literally cooled off, the wild girl wasn''t necessarily more amicable. Rather, she seemed to retreat inside herself while retaining a hostile expression.
"Teacher, who was the winner of their fight?"
Kira abruptly turned her head around as the voice of Kiyoshi rang out. She''d almost forgotten that their battle was a type of test that would put them at a severe prestige point disadvantage if they lost.
"Neither. It was a draw. Kira, what you couldn''t have seen was the second girl''s attack coming from your blind spot. It may not have killed you as your counterattack would have killed her, but you would certainly have been crippled. Now, you two, introductions."
Kira shivered. She thought that she''d been careful but it turned out that she''d nearly died on her first day!
"Suzuki Kira. Core rank, fifth stage. Katana cultivator. It''s a pleasure."
"Sora, shortsword and tonfa. Are we done here?"
Between Kira''s bow and Sora''s curt introduction, it could be seen that they were from different worlds. Within this commoner class, Sora''s behaviour was something most of them had grown up around, while Kira and the blue-haired boy, Kiyoshi, definitely seemed as if they didn''t belong.
"Return to your seats. Next pair, forward."
Teacher Kurokawa didn''t insist on better etiquette for the introductions. She understood the type of people she was dealing with. Raising these children to live up to their potential was her job and bad manners didn''t necessarily mean bad attitudes. She''d taught enough students to know that work ethic was something that would shine brighter than anything else.
When the sparring sessions were finished, there were a number of despondent faces who were wondering how they would be able to stay in the Academy with their meagre number of points as Teacher Kurokawa had personally seen that the points were transferred so there was no way out of it. With everyone back in their seats, she spoke again.
"That was very fruitful. You should all know each other a bit better now. I, for one, am extremely pleased with this class. All of you have a certain level of potential, some more than others, but I guarantee that each and every one of you will reach at least Soul Projector rank at an age where you can still enjoy it. Whether you can break through the next boundary is up to you."
Everyone got excited at the thought of this. Soul Projectors were the most well-known rank of cultivators on the continent due to being a high rank with the distinct ability of being able to manifest their Soul Spirits. Part of this recognition was due to the fact that people who managed to surpass this rank were far too few.
However, a Soul Projector wasn''t something that everyone could become. Depending on a person''s inherent potential, they would reach a point where their cultivation speed would slow considerably. About 95% of all cultivators would never reach the Soul Projector rank. Bloodlines were a large factor in this but, rarely, there would be children born into unknown bloodlines possessing potential that far exceeded any of their ancestors.
For these children of common birth who didn''t belong to any of the big clans or sects, this was amazing news. The reason why those Nobles regarded themselves so highly was because of their bloodlines. They were born into families with a history of having high inherent potential which was used to further propel their families into positions of power and influence.
''This truly is the Bladeworks Academy. The level here is definitely something unmatched by any normal cultivator academy.''
Kira thought to herself. Teacher Kurokawa, however, wasn''t done.
"I don''t know why you''re getting so happy. All I said was that you all have the potential. This just means that you have an opportunity that most people don''t. Whether you can realise that potential has to do with only one thing..."
The whole of class 1-C fell silent and listened attentively.
"...your own hard work."
Kira hadn''t expected anything less. After all, when had she not had to work hard for everything she''d gained? This wasn''t the noble class, however, and although some of them couldn''t be sure how hard they would have to work, they nodded eagerly, excitement filling their eyes and hearts.
New Student Arc: Chapter 4 - Secondary Professions
¡°That¡¯s the end of your one and only motivational speech for the year. Now, what can you tell me about the Twin Energies¡¡±
The blue-haired Kiyoshi raised his hand before answering slowly and deliberately.
¡°The Twin Energies refer to Soul Energy and Life Energy. Soul Energy is created from energy we refine from the natural world around us while Life Energy is created from within us. Through combining these Twin Energies we¡¯re able to perform powerful techniques, using a weapon as a medium, called Skills.¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct¡if I was expecting an answer straight out of a textbook. Can anyone give a more satisfactory explanation?¡±
Teacher Kurokawa was clearly not impressed and the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees. A girl towards to back of the class shyly raised her hand.
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡our power?¡±
¡°Are you asking me or telling me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s our power¡Teacher.¡±
¡°Compared to Kiyoshi¡¯s answer, yours is lacking but on the right track.¡±
The rest of the class remained still. Was this teacher expecting some sort of middle-ground answer? The answers given already covered the extremes, right?
¡°It seems none of you actually understand it-¡±
A hand slowly raised into the air. This time, from the front of the class.
¡°They¡¯re¡like friends.¡±
That wild, tanned girl named Sora sitting next to Kira mumbled while avoiding eye contact with Teacher Kurokawa. Everyone stared at her as if she were crazy. Teacher Kurokawa instead showed an interested smile on her face as she broke the silence.
¡°Far from what I was looking for but I like the way you think. Very well, this will be your first homework task for tomorrow, to write down what Twin Energies mean. Think about it carefully. If I don¡¯t get a satisfactory answer from each of you, I¡¯m deducting 5 prestige points from all of you, and this is me being lenient. You¡¯ll have a thirty minute recess after which we will be continuing class. Dismissed.¡±
This time she didn¡¯t make a mention of how they should leave the room but some of the students of Class 1-C had already started to become wary and did what they thought they should do. Hence, the class was a mishmash of those who simply went for the door, those who bowed somewhat randomly and those who first waited to see what the others would do.
Kira, naturally, followed the habits instilled in her over many years and bowed first to the front, then to Teacher Kurokawa before leaving at a calm pace.
After leaving the classroom, Kira¡¯s first destination was the Initiate Academy¡¯s library. Although Teacher Kurokawa had said that scrolls on Skill Creation, if they existed, would be in the Elite Class¡¯ Library, she was still curious as to what she could find there. After all, she hadn¡¯t done much reading since leaving her home in the Suzuki Clan years ago.
Kira gazed in wonder at the inside of the library. While she was much taller than when she first asked the Suzuki Clan librarian to pass her scrolls, the shelves of the Academy¡¯s library stretched all the way to the vaulted ceiling. Luckily, there were multiple sliding ladders mounted on the fixed bookcases that allowed easy access to the higher shelves, if you weren¡¯t afraid of heights, that is.
Even after fully assimilating the Flame Blossom Trail cultivation route, Kira found that her energy control was still severely lacking. The reason she could get by was because the Skills she used were ones that she¡¯d practiced dozens if not hundreds of times. In that respect, it made modifying her existing Skills a simple matter as the Skill remained essentially the same but with slight differences.
However, to create a Skill from scratch, as she had previously been tasked to do by her Uncle Tetsuya, was a much more painstaking task. To create the simplest of Skills took her an entire week to figure out, while developing her One Leaf Splits the Wind required almost two months. And that was for a Skill with no offensive ability in and of itself! This meant that, for now, it was simpler and more practical to learn Skills the normal way, from scrolls and practice.
After browsing the various other sections, Kira eventually found herself in the Skills section of the library. After skimming through the Skill Scrolls piled on the shelves, Kira found herself somewhat disappointed. The strongest Skill she could find was a high-level Advanced Skill which, although it was two whole steps up from her Wind Rending, was a brute force Skill that wasn¡¯t compatible with her katana. Even if it was, from her experience with modifying her Skills, Kira could tell that it didn¡¯t lend itself well to being changed.
¡°You won¡¯t find them.¡±
While contemplating what to do next, Kira suddenly heard a voice.
The library was as silent as you¡¯d expect which made the clearly-enunciated voice sound all the louder. Caught off-guard, Kira¡¯s hands dropped immediately to her side, only to grasp at air.
The library had a strict policy against violence. All weapons had to be handed in at the reception and Storage Crystals had to be temporarily Sealed. This Sealing provided the added benefit of preventing theft as many of the library¡¯s scrolls were rather valuable.
Kira turned and relaxed somewhat when she recognised who it was.
¡°Classmate Mizuno, it¡¯s not good to sneak up on people. You may give them the wrong impression.¡±
¡°On the contrary, Classmate Suzuki, it is I who was here first. It is more likely that you¡¯d have snuck up on me if I hadn¡¯t been keeping track of you since you entered. Putting aside who snuck up on whom, the scrolls you¡¯re looking for, you won¡¯t find them here.¡±
¡°I thought as much. How can you be certain though? We left at about the same time and even if you went straight here, you wouldn¡¯t have spent that much more time searching for them.¡±
There was no reason to feign ignorance. They were in the same class and were the only two to show any interest or knowledge on the topic of Skill Creation.
¡°You will just have to trust me.¡±
He said mysteriously.
¡®Just who is he exactly? There¡¯s clearly something noble-like about him yet he¡¯s in our class¡¡¯
¡°How about a token of good faith then? On the third shelf over there, fourth from the right and on the second shelf, sixth from the left you should find two very interesting katana Skills. I will see you in class.¡±
Before Kira could ask why he¡¯d memorised the exact locations and contents of Skill Scrolls that weren¡¯t compatible with him, as he¡¯d used a bow in the homeroom test, he¡¯d already walked off.
In the end, she borrowed three scrolls from the library, one on Twin Energy theory and the two Skill Scrolls which Mizuno Kiyoshi had recommended. Taking a look at the time on the library¡¯s timekeeping crystal, she rushed back to her classroom before filing in with the rest of her classmates.
¡°It seems none of you were foolish enough to lose your remaining points in this last half hour so that¡¯s a good start. You new students are usually very hot-blooded but I¡¯m glad at least some of you showed restraint.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa nodded in satisfaction.
¡°Seeing as there¡¯s no point continuing the Twin Energies discussion until tomorrow, let¡¯s move on to something unrelated.¡±
The class didn¡¯t dare make a sound at this but they shared the same sentiment. Other than cultivation and Skills, what could possibly be important enough to talk about in the school dedicated to raising weapon cultivators.
¡°You¡¯re probably thinking that what I¡¯m about to say is unimportant but you better get it through your heads that just being strong isn¡¯t important. To live, the hard truth is that you need to make money. Sure, with strength you can become a warrior in some underground betting arena but the only real money you¡¯re going to make with just strength will be if you reach the peak and become a bodyguard for the Imperial families. Right now, that¡¯s completely unrealistic and you¡¯re going to be a pauper for most, if not all, of your life. As people without notable backgrounds, surely you understand the importance of money?¡±
She paused on this last statement and surveyed the faces looking at her. Barring exceptions such as Kira who wasn¡¯t too concerned about such things, the faces of those commoner students turned serious. Indeed, making money was something too important to them to simply ignore.
¡°Which brings me to the topic of this lesson.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa turned around towards the only thing that seemed out of place in this dojo-like room, a large blackboard, and began to write on it in bold, neat characters.
Secondary Professions.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
¡°While being a cultivator has a certain status, it¡¯s not as rare as it was in the past. Almost anyone can become a low-ranked cultivator in time if they are provided with the knowledge to do so. These days, the ones who are successful are those with a broader range of skills that are supplemented by their strong cultivation.
There are 3 base professions: Blacksmith, Alchemist and Inscriptor. Each of these have their own unique sets of knowledge and techniques that you must learn and master in order to be successful. Only once you¡¯ve reached a higher enough rank within them can you think about this next step:¡±
Teacher Kurokawa paused to write another phrase on the board.
Specialisations.
¡°To even have the qualifications to begin learning these, you need to have reached the appropriate ranks in two of the base professions. The time invested is well worth it as their unique abilities are in high demand. However, you¡¯ll learn more about these later. For now, I¡¯ll explain the base professions as reaching at least E-rank in a base profession is part of the passing requirements for this year.
To be a Blacksmith isn¡¯t a glorious job, but it is one which built the foundation of this Bladeworks Continent. As you should all know, originally this continent was inhabited by the Weapon Tribes, clans of sorts who trained in specific weapons. The ones who created these weapons were the blacksmiths of old. As a blacksmith, most of your work involves refining and shaping metal which requires a large amount of physical strength, also known as Life Energy cultivation, especially as you ascend the ranks and work with rarer and tougher metals.
An Alchemist, for those who are not aware, is one who refines plants, crystals, Soul Beast cores and other ingredients and synthesises them into pills and elixirs which are of benefit. While most low-ranked Alchemists focus on various types of medicines, the ones who make the most money are undoubtedly the higher-ranked ones who can synthesise products that assist in cultivation. Most of these goods are usually bought by the large clans at astronomical prices for the sake of securing their power through the younger generations. Don¡¯t be fooled, however, as the rarest alchemical ingredients have a value beyond money and the best alchemists don¡¯t have even a 30% success rate with these ingredients.
Lastly, but far from the least, is the Inscriptor. This noble profession is one that pushes the limits of our world and what is possible. By inscribing formation arrays onto objects, we Inscriptors allow cultivators to interact with objects in new ways by using Soul Energy to activate arrays. The most common examples, that ordinary people often aren¡¯t aware of, are Storage Crystals. They¡¯re all made in a similar fashion, by using a power gem inscribed with a Spatial-type array, drawing on the gem¡¯s energy to maintain a virtual space in which we can store objects. As an Inscriptor myself, I look forward to seeing who of you will join us.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa explained before pulling out the same scroll as she¡¯d used to record our names and weapon specialities earlier.
¡°While certain unique qualities are needed for each of the three base professions, they all share a common one which determines how far you will be able to progress down the road. That quality is perception.
By perception, I don¡¯t necessarily mean Soul Sense, although having a keen Soul Sense is vital as you reach the upper ranks of a profession. By perception, I¡¯m referring to your instinctual awareness of things on both a large and small scale. Soul Sense alone isn¡¯t able to detect all the changes a metal goes through or whether an inscription will be stable when activated or whether the ingredients you¡¯re refining are about to turn to ash. With that, I have prepared an exercise to test your perception levels. Follow me.¡±
¡°Hah, look at them, it seems like that teacher is at least keeping that trash in line, literally. Hahaha.¡±
A loud male voice said enthusiastically as he watched the single-file procession outside the classroom window.
¡°Hey now, that¡¯s no way to talk about your fellow grademates. That is the word, right? Ugh, this is such a pain.¡±
The green-haired man at the front of the room declared in voice that was completely devoid of enthusiasm.
¡°Teacher, I agree that Classmate Akamatsu¡¯s words aren¡¯t acceptable. However, isn¡¯t it Teacher¡¯s job to discipline him?¡±
A girl with long indigo hair that cascaded like waves down her shoulders spoke up. She was dressed in the same green uniform as the rest of the Initiate Academy¡¯s students, but on her it seemed like a regal raiment, putting everyone else¡¯s to shame. While she wore it humbly, it barely hid the beginnings of curves that had begun to form. What it couldn¡¯t hide was her cute yet pretty face with its jade-like skin and sky-blue eyes. Hanging from her ears were intricately-designed, silver, dragon-shaped earrings.
¡°Eh? I probably should but it¡¯s too much effort. Maybe one of you can do it?¡±
Sure enough, this was Class 1-A, the Noble class taught by Teacher Midorima. At his words, the Noble students looked at each other. Most of them held little regard for commoners, while those who held more didn¡¯t care enough to make enemies of other nobility. However, a single voice was raised.
¡°Then I will do it.¡±
It was the same indigo-haired girl who''d asked the question earlier. She stood up from her seat and faced the offender who was attempting to look casual while leaning against the window.
¡°Ah, Classmate Kousen, I-I didn¡¯t expect that you would actually volunteer. In that case, I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±
His voice trembled, not out of fear but because she was by far the most beautiful girl in the class and he didn¡¯t wish for her to see him in a bad light.
¡°It is a little too late. I agreed to discipline you and I shall. Let us take this outside. Fifty points should be enough to make Classmate Akamatsu get serious, right?¡±
Naturally, she was referring to having a staked duel with him.
¡°Very well, I agree. Let¡¯s go-¡±
¡°No need to go outside.¡±
To everyone¡¯s surprise, Teacher Midorima spoke up while clicking his fingers. Everything was silent for a moment as nothing happened.
¡°Sigh, there¡¯s a trick to this¡¡±
He clicked his fingers repeatedly until suddenly, all the desks in the room glided across the floor, with the students still seated in them, before neatly arranging themselves around the edges of the room and exposing the design of the polished floor in the centre of the room, a design made up of a number of concentric circles.
¡°I think for this duel, the standard size should be fine. The boundary is the red circle.¡±
¡°Teacher, this¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s only here because walking all of you to the duelling arena would be such an effort.¡±
¡°¡¡±
The class could only breathe out a sigh. This teacher¡¯s ability to avoid doing any work was on another level. The two students walked up to the centre of the room and gave each of their family¡¯s traditional salutes.
¡°Kousen Nanase, eldest daughter of the Kousen family of the Ocean Blade Province. Are you ready?¡±
¡°Akamatsu Ken, second son of the Duke of Soaring Sword Province. Let us begin.¡±
Unlike the students of Kira¡¯s class who had to keep their weapons on them, these nobles naturally were wealthy enough to afford at least a medium-sized Storage Crystal. Two lights, one orange and one a deep sea-blue, shone from Ken¡¯s armband and Nanase¡¯s ring respectively.
¡°This¡you¡¯re kidding right? Are you actually an entertainer?¡±
In Ken¡¯s hand was a rather ornate-looking sword with a twisting serpent design. However, between Nanase¡¯s hands was actually a simple royal-blue sash. Even though they looked up to her beauty, a few of the boys couldn¡¯t help but snigger secretly.
¡®She¡¯s acting so tough but she doesn¡¯t even have a real weapon!¡¯
They thought. Well, all of them except one person. He had short blond hair and was fairly tall for his age, but at the sight of that blue sash, he shivered and shrank back.
¡®Why? Why is she here? How is this supposed to be her punishment? She¡¯s not the angel you think she is!¡¯
However, he didn¡¯t say any of this out loud, only feeling pity for his classmate who wasn¡¯t sure whether she was serious or not. He soon made up his mind and ran forward to attack.
The next thing he saw was a flash of blue and then¡
Whump!
He landed on the floor hard and his face made intimate contact with the ground.
¡°Ow!¡±
¡°I thought Classmate Akamatsu said he was ready. Also, it¡¯s not good to look down on me just because I¡¯m a girl. Like you, I earned the right to be here.¡±
Although Akamatsu Ken didn¡¯t see what just happened, the rest of the class saw it clearly. The blue sash flew through the air like a bolt of lightning and wrapped around his wrist. Once it was secured, Nanase stepped in and swept his leg out from under him before throwing him onto the ground.
No, ¡®stepped in¡¯ wasn¡¯t right. It would be more accurate to say that she twirled in.
After Ken got up he was wary as he refocused. However, he couldn¡¯t help that Nanase¡¯s appearance affected his concentration. But now he was certain that she shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. Taking a deep breath, he brought his sword to his side before sweeping it above his head and leaping into the air, a flash of gold crossing his pupils.
¡®Quake Slash.¡¯
Although not as effective as a bashing weapon¡¯s Quake Impact Skill, Quake Slash still had the added benefit that, even if it missed, the resulting shockwaves would unbalance any enemies in the close vicinity.
Of course, Nasase wouldn¡¯t just stand still and take the attack. Instead she whipped her sash forward, wrapping it around Ken¡¯s waist while he was still in mid-air. With a tug, she pulled him towards her while she, herself, flew up into the air.
¡®Is she insane? Like this, there¡¯s no way I can miss. Forgive me, Classmate Kousen.¡¯
What he didn¡¯t realise was that Nanase had actually pulled him slightly to the side so that, when Nanase¡¯s waves of indigo hair narrowly passed by Ken in mid-air, he had a shocked look on his face.
Nanase moved quickly. Whipping the other end of the sash around Ken''s extended wrists, she pulled hard on the sash while simultaneously planting her foot on the back of his neck, bending his body into a crescent shape. With this sudden tilt, instead of landing on his feet, Ken landed face-first into the ground and slid for a about a metre before stopping.
As Nanase walked off him, she spoke up, breaking the stunned silence.
¡°Teacher, I think he¡¯s learned his lesson. Someone should take him to the infirmary.¡±
¡°Hmm, probably. I guess so. Any volunteers? No one?¡±
¡°It seems that I shall have to take him then.¡±
Nanase said when no one else offered, supporting Ken with one arm.
¡°I¡¯ll go with ya then.¡±
A friendly voice spoke up from the crowd and a tall girl with a curly, shoulder-length brown bob happily skipped forward and supported his other arm.
¡°Kya! His nose is bleeding so much you¡¯d think he just watched an ecchi scene.¡±
¡°Eh-chi?¡±
¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind that. I¡¯m Hatsune Usagi. Now, where¡¯s the infirmary exactly?¡±
The girl named Usagi chattered incessantly with Nanase until their voices were no longer audible to the class of 1-A.
¡®Not bad. She has some nice flow and her body intelligence is quite good.¡¯
Teacher Midorima thought. He and the class shared a similar sentiment, that Nanase¡¯s movements definitely couldn¡¯t be considered something as vulgar as fighting techniques. They were far too graceful for that. In fact, Ken may have gotten it right the first time. Her movements were similar that of a dancer, beautiful, but at the same time extremely violent. However, her classmates had an additional thought:
¡®That girl¡is definitely a demon!¡¯
New Student Arc: Chapter 5 - Perception Test
Teacher Kurokawa led her class to the Initiate Academy¡¯s Duelling Arena. While the Duelling Arena''s primary feature was the single, large, competition area in the centre, there were actually several other smaller arenas within the same building which could be used for private duels or practical classes. It was at the entrance to one of these smaller areas that Teacher Kurokawa stopped.
¡°So as to keep the details of the test a secret, each of you will enter only when the previous person has finished. The order you enter will be the same as your class rank.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa said curtly. After reaching into the front of her clothes she pulled out a tile on a chain and held it to the panel at the side of the door. There was a sound of a door unlocking and the entrance swung open.
¡°The lock on the door is disabled now so don¡¯t worry about it closing.¡±
As the current rank one in the class, Kira went in first and closed the door behind her. When she looked forward again, Teacher Kurokawa had vanished. She looked around and the arena was seemingly empty. However, a barely-audible whistle made her raise her guard and she withdrew her katana from her Storage Crystal and drew it instantaneously.
Shwing!
The sound of metal scraping against metal grinded against her ears as she deflected the metal sphere that was flying towards her face. But the sound almost made her fail to notice the silent dagger that was arcing through the air in her peripheral vision. As she took notice of it and moved to defend herself, the dagger suddenly changed directions. As her eyes followed it, the ground beneath her rumbled as it shook. At the same time, the sound of something large flying through the air behind her caused her to leap as high as she could. As a slab of stone whooshed past below her, her battle sense screamed and she twisted in mid-air to block the dagger that she had lost track of previously. As her katana made contact with the dagger, the dagger broke into pieces and a sudden powerful smell hit Kira¡¯s nostrils giving her an immediate headache.
She blinked repeatedly, trying to concentrate when a cold breeze brushed against her cheek. She had a feeling that it signalled danger but had no idea where it was coming from until she took a tentative step forward, only to have her balance completely usurped as she slipped and landed heavily on her back. Glancing at the ground next to her, Kira saw an almost-invisible layer of ice that had, at some point, formed on the ground around her. As she tried to get up, a familiar red-and-gold folded fan was pointed at her throat.
¡°Dead.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa said before moving the fan away.
¡°This is only your second test and you haven¡¯t disappointed me yet. You got further than I anticipated and should be proud of yourself. Your reaction speed is definitely far above average and you trust all of your senses to a degree that I don¡¯t usually see in cultivators, especially those with a developed Soul Sense.¡±
On this point, Kira agreed. All of the methods that were used against her, apart from the last one perhaps, were physical dangers that wouldn¡¯t necessarily have been detected with Soul Sense.
¡°However, you failed when it came to dealing with unfamiliar situations and your Soul Sense is severely under-trained. I could tell you knew that you were in danger but you didn¡¯t know how to approach the situation. Even though this was a broad perception test, if your Soul Sense had been raised the slightest bit, you would have realised the danger was coming from below. The level of your physical sensesis praiseworthy but your Soul Sense is pathetic.
Now, comethis way.¡±
Kira listened to everything that Teacher Kurokawa said and took it to heart. Unlike her Uncle''s vague advice, Teacher Kurokawa''s feedback made sense and seemed to be entirely objective. Also, her analysis of Kira¡¯s abilities was something even she had to agree on.
She led Kira to the centre of the arena and pulled out a small folding table and chair as well as a few other objects from her Storage Crystal and placed them on the table.
¡°Sit.¡±
Kira sat and examined the objects. There were several small pieces of metal, vials of unknown liquids, brush pens, paper, sprigs of different plants and shards of crystal.
¡°I¡¯ve found that to get an idea of one¡¯s affinityfor a particular secondary profession, it¡¯s best to testthat affinity with the different materials they use. These are some common metals used by smiths, some inks used in paper-based inscriptions and some basic alchemical ingredients. While having some degree of Soul Sense is usually needed, I believe your physical senses and instinct should be sufficient.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa said bluntly before simply standing behind Kira¡¯s chair and observing, giving no further instruction. Looking at the materials, Kira wasn¡¯t sure what to do. All her life, she¡¯d only trained as a swordswoman. She had no actual experience of any other professions other than when she visited the smiths in Khukuri. Of course, she had read some things, but then didn¡¯t she need a furnace for forging or an alchemical stove for refining?
¡®I''m wasting too much time. If these are the only things here then these are the only ones I need.¡¯
Without any more hesitation, she lifted up one of the metal pieces. When nothing happened, she took the next logical step and tried to infuse Soul Energy into it. Very rapidly, the metal grew warm in her hands. Although Teacher Kurokawa said that they were common metals, ordinary metals wouldn¡¯t have such large response to Soul Energy. The metal continued to get hotter in Kira¡¯s hand until she eventually let it go before it could leave lasting burns. Throughout this time, she focused on trying to feel anything from the metal but she couldn¡¯t.
¡®Wait, forging isn¡¯t simply about heating metals.¡¯
She thought and quickly withdrew her katana before striking the orange, glowing metal piece with the hilt of her sword. A sharp ringing sound filled the air which echoed as she repeatedly struck the metal piece. She wasn¡¯t trying to create anything and was simply striking the heated metal while trying to sense how it changed. When she struck it at a certain point, the pitch of the ringing changed and Kira opened her eyes which she hadn¡¯t realised she¡¯d closed.
¡®That was?¡¯
When she tried again, the same pitch as before rang out. After striking the metal a few more times, she stopped, realising that she wasn¡¯t going to understand more in such a short space of time. However, she did gain some understanding of the nature of forging.
Teacher Kurokawa maintained a straight face while feelingmildly surprised.
¡®She actually didn¡¯t continue knocking away at it. Anyone else her age would havekept going out of eagerness and renewed hope for some dramatic conclusion.¡¯
At this point she actually smiled.
¡®However, that sound for that particular metal indicates that a higher level of technique and understanding is needed for it to reach the next stage. Could it be that she was aware of that? No, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have struck it further after the first sound.¡¯The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
While Teacher Kurokawa was silently impressed, Kira proceeded to examine the various plants and pieces of crystal. Similar to not knowing anything important about blacksmithing, while she had read about some theory behind refining specific ingredients, she hadn¡¯t found any alchemical recipes as these were the closely-guarded secrets of those in the profession.
¡®This must be part of the test. If I can successful refine any of these without knowing what they are or their specific refining conditions in advance, my perception could be considered reasonable.¡¯
With this in mind, she took the piece of metal which was cooling down and infused her energy into it once again until it became red-hot. Then, taking a shard of blue crystal from the side, she placed it on top of the metal. Almost immediately, the crystal bubbled before liquifying into a black, sticky substance and a foul odour was released causing Kira to avoid breathing in as she tried to disperse the fumes.
¡®Well, that was definitely a failure. Let¡¯s try again.¡¯
Taking another shard of the same type of crystal, she first held the metal in her hand to absorb some of the heat before carefully touching the crystal to the metal. When it didn¡¯t immediately melt, she laid the entire crystal on the metal and allowed just a thread of Soul Energy to leave her hand and wind its way into the metal, slowly raising its temperature.
The moment the crystal began to show a change, she cut off the energy flow and observed. Instead of the black substance from earlier, the part of the crystal in contact with the metal was slowly dripping to the table as a blue liquid that glowed with a bright luminescence. Kira had no idea what to do with it and simply let the crystal completely liquify before removing the metal.
Of course, Teacher Kurokawa wouldn¡¯t have provided them with materials that were too complex to refine. After all, with their backgrounds, apart from blacksmithing, her students would have little to no knowledge of these profession-specific processes. Alchemy, especially, was a particularly expensive profession as the betteralchemical recipes required rarer ingredients whose prices were far beyond what common people could afford.
Having experimented with both forging and alchemical ingredients, Kira proceeded to place the paper, ink and brush pen in front her while avoiding the puddle of blue liquified crystal. Opening the stopper on a vial of ink, she glanced inside and saw that it glistened with a metallic sheen while its colour was similar to that of the deep sea. When she dipped her pen into the ink, she was surprised to find that it was very thin despite its metallic appearance.
Learning from her previous experiment, she set the brush to the paper and slowly drew it across its surface, looking for any changes in the colour of the ink, the sensation of the brush as it moved or any vague hint of what she needed to do. After half a minute of not noticing anything, she remembered what Teacher Kurokawa had mentioned earlier.
¡®She said that Soul Energy is used to activate inscription arrays but what about before then?¡¯
Taking a new sheet of paper, Kira dipped the brush into the ink and channelled Soul Energy into it as she set it down the paper. Almost immediately, the ink at the end of the brush started to shine brightly and as she dragged the brush across the paper, there were certain inked parts that continued to shine while others rapidly lost their brightness.
Excited and curious, she tried to follow the trails which stayed bright until, eventually, although messy, there was a distinct, blue, shining pattern on the paper. However, the moment she completed the pattern and tried activating it with Soul Energy, all the ink shone brightly before the page went up in blue flames and burned into ashes in under three seconds.
¡®Dammit.¡¯
Kira took a new piece of paper and tried again. Curiously, the pattern was the same as the previous one. However, this time, after finishing, she left the messy, completed one as is and took a new page. Using the previous page as a guide, she painstakingly only inked in the areas where the ink was shining brightly.
¡®Her patience, perseverance, intuition and body control is very good. Even thoughthat inscription is only a template, she quickly figured it out and is actually able to execute it. No, not just that, heraffinity for all of the base professions is enough that she could choose any path. The only problem is¡¡¯
Teacher Kurokawa thought as Kira applied the last few brushstrokes. Although the constant focus and use of her Soul Energy had made her somewhat fatigued, Kira still looked at the inscription she¡¯d finished with a sense of pride.
¡®It seems that, apart from fighting, I¡¯m actually capable of things like this too!¡¯
After blowing the ink dry, she placed a finger on the array and gently touched it with her Soul Energy. The inscription, which was beginning to dim, immediately brightened once again and a force rushed out of the page up her arm and into her head. Words and shapes filled her head and she came to understand certain things.
¡®That was¡¡¯
The only other time she¡¯d experienced something similar was when her mother imparted the cultivation route, Flame Blossom Trail, to her all those years ago.
¡°You might not understand what just happened but it¡¯s a reward from me for those who successfully figure out the Inscription part of the test. It will make sense later if you decide to follow the path of an Inscriptor.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa said plainly.
¡°Overall your perception is the best I¡¯ve ever seen for a new student. Most of this comes from your highly tuned senses but your other internal qualities are also of a high standard. Your glaring issue of non-existent Soul Sense aside, you should be able to progress smoothly in any of the base professions. Now, call the next person in.¡±
Kira bowed to herpolitely before calling in the wild girl named Sora and taking a seat somewhere hidden from view. She watched in fascination as Sora moved her lithe body smoothly in response to the various dangers. Compared to herself, Sora reacted even faster than she did.
¡®Is it possible that her instincts are even sharper than mine?¡¯
Kira watched intently as Sora faced the ice trial which had overcome her. A flutter of Sora¡¯s eyelashes indicated that she felt the same warning signal as Kira did. Unlike Kira, she immediately leapt off the ground, only to face several floating blades which emitted a frosty aura. The blades fell silently towards her as she rose to meet them.
Noticing the imminent threat, Sora¡¯s right arm glowed red as she swung her arm with the odd baton in front of her. An explosive blast shook the air as the floating blades were deflected. However, the other blades that fell past her stopped before inverting and flying back upwards towards her exposed back. As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Sora pivoted, her left arm holding the shortsword slashing out below her, leaving a blue line hovering in the air for a moment. When the floating blades met the blue line, they split in half, passing by her harmlesslyas gravity took hold on her once again and she landed on the ground.
As Teacher Kurokawa walked Sora to the table, Kira couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.
¡®Her reactions are exceptional. Perhaps the fact that I managed to end our fight in a draw really was just luck. It seems that those accepted into this academy definitely deserve to be here.¡¯
Her positive impression was dulled somewhat as Sora appeared to struggle with the small-scale perception component of the test, in the end only managing to figure out the forging segmentthrougha rather brute force approach.
After calling the next student in, Sora dumped herself on the seat next to Kira¡¯s with a ¡®hmph¡¯, folding her arms and closing her eyes, clearly dissatisfied with her performance. Kira foundher reaction slightly amusing.
As the second part of the test wasn¡¯t time-restricted, it took varying amounts of time per person and it was late afternoon before all the tests were finally finished and Teacher Kurokawa gathered her class together. Apart from a few who looked close to despair, everyone else was breathing a sigh of relief.
¡°Other than those whose broad-scale perception was simply too poor and lost twenty prestige points for it, the rest of you can be considered to have some base level of perception and a natural aptitude for at least one of thethree base professions.
With a bit of effort, all of you should be able to reach D-rank in that profession which should secure you financially for the rest of your life. But¡¡±
Teacher Kurokawa paused for a moment and a chill washed over the class.
¡°I don¡¯t teach students who only aim for ¡®good enough¡¯. First and foremost, you are weapon cultivators which means that you have an obligation to strive for the peak of power and ability. If you follow my teachings, I will make sure that you become the most feared class in the entire continent.¡±
Despite the ever-increasing chill in the air, the blood of Class 1-C was running hotter than it had ever been. While each of them had dreams, being told that your dreams are achievable is something that will stir up the fighting spirit of any person.
¡°Yes, Teacher!¡±
New Student Arc: Chapter 6 - Skills Class
Kira returned to her room that night more tired than she had ever been in the last few years. The Bladeworks Academy was definitely deserving of its reputation. In her class alone there were already a number of people expelled and a few that were dangerously close to it. The three different tests they¡¯d endured on their very first day were to blame for this situation.
As the first one finished with the perception test,Kira hadhad some time to meditate and partially recover her expended Soul Energy. However, shewas still both mentally and physically drained from theconcentration she''d put into the perception test and her intense battle with Sora respectively. So much so that the moment she returned to her room, she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep immediately.
Teacher Kurokawa''s Class 1-C was lined uporderly outside their classroom the next morning but almost none of them looked fully alert. The few who were slightly better off were those who''d stayed awake long enough to eat supper at the cafeteria and who''d woken up in timefor breakfast. Overall, the previous day''s activities had pushed them harder than they''d expected.
At Teacher Kurokawa''s instruction, they entered the classroom in a daze, one that was shortly broken when she spoke, her words causing frostto gather on their spines, waking them all up immediately.
¡°I hope that you haven¡¯t forgotten your homework. I¡¯m feeling generous, so I¡¯ll only deduct ten points from each of you who don¡¯t give me a satisfactory answer.¡±
As expected, the students who were rapidly drawing close to losing all their points were the most nervous. But that didn¡¯t stop the rest of the class from trembling as well. So far, there hadn¡¯t been any opportunities they knew of to gain back the points they''d lost. At the rate they were going,weren''t they all going to be expelled?
Not everyone was in such dire straits though. There were those who both won their class duel and had a satisfactory result in the perception test who were now sitting rather comfortably on their one hundred plus points.
Teacher Kurokawa once more pulled out her class scroll from her Storage Crystal and selected a name.
¡°Mizuno Kiyoshi, last time your answer was too technical. Do you have a better response for me today?¡±
¡°With all due respect, Teacher, I personally do not believe it to be better but this is my own opinion. The Twin Energies are nothing more than the tools we have that determine our status on this continent. The more we hone them, the greater the heights we will be able to reach.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa nodded before jumping around the list. As the students of Class 1-C hadn¡¯t had much time to put thought into it, there was a single thread that ran through all of the answers given.
¡°Suzuki Kira.¡±
¡°Yes, Teacher. I believe that the Twin Energies are a miracle given to us from the heavens that allow us to surpass not just the limits of our worldly bodies but also give us the strength to challenge the Heavens themselves.¡±
Having had a few minutes to think, Kira ordered her thoughts and gavean honest answer. When she''d first discovered the existence of the Twin Energies in this world, after getting over her skepticism, she''d found them to be a natural wonder. She ended her answer with something she''d once read, but still had yet to fully believe, that the highest-ranked cultivators were like gods on earth.
¡°An ambitious answer. Do you truly wish to challenge the Heavens?¡±
Kira paused for a moment as she thought about it. In the end, her true enemies were those clans that almost drove her Heavenly Flame Lily Clan into extinction, those nine clans whose combined strength is said to shake the Heavens, those nine clans who supposedly inherited powerful weapons and Skills from the Wandering Sun and Moon themselves.
¡°Yes, I do.¡±
¡°Then you better not disappoint me.¡±
A chill spread up Kira¡¯s body but from the reactions of her classmates, she was the only one that felt it. However, beside her, Sora twitched her nose slightly. When the homework check ended, Teacher Kurokawa spoke once again to her class.
¡°It seems that most of you gave satisfactory answers. Those who didn¡¯t, without exception, simply repeated what others said, defeating the purpose of the exercise. What I wanted from you was for each of you to think about what the Twin Energies mean to you and you alone, and to describe it as best you could for your own understanding. In this rare case, there were no wrong answers other than those that weren¡¯t your own. Points will be deducted accordingly.¡±
Those who copied others¡¯ answers knew who they were. Too embarrassed to complain, they simply sat there uncomfortably. Meanwhile, the rest of the class breathed an internal sigh of relief. These points of theirs were quickly becoming a treasured commodity, and they hadn¡¯t even spent any of them yet.
¡°Now that we¡¯ve covered Twin Energies, we can move on to a more important topic, the essence of a weapon cultivator, Weapon Skills. Each of you will have learned the basics of these Skills and have learned and practiced a few yourself. If you managed to have been considered for enrolment here without having done so, I would be very surprised.¡±
Excitement started to rise in the class once again. This was it. Finally, they would be progressing with the most famous cultivation education course on the continent!
¡°That said, any Skill you¡¯ve learnt may not be of the quality an eventual peak expert should have and Heavens forbid that you simply learned a Skill for its aesthetic value. Based on your performance during your duels and perception test yesterday, I¡¯ve drawn up a fighting style profile on each of you which I will use to determine your individual curriculums. Even though your areas of focus will differ, you will still share the same class asbuilding connections with each other is important, even if only as sparring partners. There is a saying that injuries are not the only things two fighters walk away with after battling each other. I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes the friendships that develop over battles where one¡¯s actions speak louder than words.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s eyes became misty while she spoke, as if recalling some event that happened many years ago but they soon recovered their previous clarity and coldness.
¡°Line up and go to the same duelling area as yesterday. We¡¯ll continue the Skills class there.¡±
The students of Class 1-C obediently followed her order, moving quickly and quietly out of the room.
In the silence, Teacher Kurokawa sighed, her mask of indifference, similar to the one Kira wore for many years, cracked slightly as she remembered a certain red-haired man who always had a smile on his face that caused hearts to flutter.
¡®No, he¡¯s gone now. It was his own decision. My future lies here now, on my own.¡¯
¡°Now, I want each of you to come up and show me the Skills which you¡¯re comfortable with. The order you perform them doesn¡¯t matter but, to give some sense of realism,you¡¯ll be using me as a target.¡±
Teacher Kurokawa said before stepping up onto the duelling platform, folding fan in hand. As the class hierarchy hadn¡¯t changed since the previous day, Kira was the first to go up. At that moment, however,
¡°Teacher, I have a question.¡±
¡°You may ask it, Mizuno.¡±
¡°Couldn¡¯t our Skills be considered our most closely-guarded secrets? If we show them like this in public, that is, who knows if one of our classmates could become a potential enemy in the future? Especially if they are expelled for whatever reason.¡±
¡°Well noticed, you may have five points. What he said is true, a Weapon Cultivator¡¯s greatest tools, at least before Soul Projector rank, are his or her Weapon Skills. That is why, this class is entirely optional. You may come up here and demonstrate your main Skills, secondary Skills, random Skills or no Skills. The choice is yours. But remember, the guidance I give you will be based on what you show me.¡±
Kiyoshi raised his hand once more.
¡°Then Teacher, wouldn¡¯t it be best to take each of us for a private assessment? That way, we can each receive your guidance on the matter without revealing our secrets.¡±
¡°What would that teach you then? In the real world, there is always going to be risk attached to reward. This academy isn¡¯t here to pamper you, and neither will I. My job is to prepare you for when you graduate and enter the real world, one that is far more unforgiving. Each of you, make your choice carefully as it¡¯s one you¡¯ll have to live with for the rest of your academy career at the very least.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Kira pondered over her words as she walked up to the platform. Teacher Kurokawa was right in what she said, the real world was unforgiving and hard choices would have to be made. For Kira, once the reasoning behind the assessment became clear, she¡¯d already made her decision.
It was likely that, in an academy like this, the Skills of students were discovered rather easily. There was the duelling arena itself, in which students could practice against each other or settle disputes, in which you would usually aim for victory and have to reveal certain abilities for it.
That said, the similarity between her Skills was very high and she had no believable explanation for it. Skill Creation and Skill Modification were lost arts, after all.
¡®Let¡¯s try it this way.¡¯
Kira thought as she drew her katana and took up her stance.
¡°Made your choice? Then begin when you are ready.¡±
Kira nodded. Then suddenly kicked off the ground sideways as her pupils flashed gold. With a slash, she fired off a Wind Rending which Teacher Kurokawa easily blocked. After continually firing off more Wind Rendings, she paused slightly before circling around the other way and slashing at the air again. Only, this time,
¡®Wind Rending: Storm.¡¯
The blade of energy split into multiple parts which assaulted Teacher Kurokawa from all sides.
Click.
Teacher Kurokawa flicked her fan open before sweeping it in a wide arc. A chill breeze blew through the duelling area and Kira¡¯s energy blades actually slowed down mid-flight, giving Teacher Kurokawa more than enough time to dodge them with short steps.
Kira hadn¡¯t been keeping still during this time. Using the same manoeuvre as she did against Teacher Yama, she slipped into Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s blind spot, her pupils flashing gold as she released the same Skill as she had at that time.
¡®Wind Rending: Gale.¡¯
The sharp whistle as the energy blade sliced through the air caused Teacher Kurokawa to turn around but, by then, the attack was already upon her. She whipped her fan closed with another ¡®click¡¯ before slamming the end into the palm of her other hand. Immediately, a layer of ice covered her body just before the energy blade hit.
Skrash!
Part of the ice shattered and she slid back slightly due to the ice on her feet but she didn¡¯t appear to be injured. Whipping her fan open again, she actually took the initiative to attack Kira, rushing forward at an insane speed that left the remaining ice behind.
Kira, taken somewhat by surprise but expecting this kind of reaction, quickly widened her stance for stability before placing her left palm on the back of her katana, her pupils flashing gold. Teacher Kurokawa, noticing this, nodded appreciatively at the reaction before striking down with the fan.
¡®Rejection.¡¯
Kira released the normal version of her Rejection Skill. Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s attack had seemed simple enough that she didn¡¯t feel the need to use more power. However, the fan never landed on her blade. Instead, she felt a sharp pain on her back as a kick sent her tumbling.
¡®A feint? Just how fast is she?¡¯
Kira thought as she picked herself up from the ground. In ordinary circumstances, she could adapt quickly but this level of strength and speed was too much. The gap was simply too big.
¡°It seems that your style is one of harassing from long range and using defensive Skills to create distance. However, that defensive Skill is too limited. If this is the path you wish to follow, then your focus should be on finding better defensive Skills and offensive Skills that force your opponent¡¯s hand. What confuses me is that for the class duel you chose to fight up close while now you chose to fight at range. Flexibility is good but attempting to be good at everything isn¡¯t. Next!¡±
As Kira walked over to the seat she sat at yesterday, she was deep in thought over how best to conceal her true abilities as a Skill Creator. Also, the thought of a secondary profession came to mind. She hadn¡¯t given it much thought the previous day but out of the three, there was one which she felt more attuned to than the others.
¡®I wonder what I need to do once I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll ask Teacher Kurokawa later.¡¯
Kira continued to observe the Skills class and tried to memories the abilities of some of her classmates. Sora¡¯s arms that glowed with the colours of the Twin Energies continued to bewilder her. Apart from her strange duet of weapons, Sora¡¯s demonstration contradicted everything she thought she knew about Twin Energies.
¡®It seems that there truly is an exception to every rule.¡¯
To Kira¡¯s trained eye, none of Sora''s techniques were Skills in the normal sense. Rather, they seemed to be direct applications of the raw energies themselves, instead of the usual, well-defined, Quintessence-based Skills. The closest thing she could compare it to were the different energies¡¯ unique abilities, such as Life Energy''s Accel Heal and Soul Energy''s Soul Projection. However, Sora had access to these strange techniques at what Kira assumed was her own level of cultivation.
Other than Sora, the only other person who Kira paid close attention to was Kiyoshi. After their encounter in the library, the boy with the deep blue eyes made her think that there was more to him than whatshowed on the surface.
With a soft blue glow, he withdrew a bow from the Storage Crystal set in a ring on his right index finger. The bow wasn¡¯t overly intricate, in fact, you could say that it was unremarkable in every way, the type of weapon you would expect a commoner to have. With one hand, his fingers traced the length of the bow like an old friend, his fingers lingering just a little longer than necessary, before taking up his position, his face as calm as a smooth lake. Almost leisurely, he pulled on the bowstring, drawing it all the way back as he took his aim.
Teacher Kurokawa watched him carefully, aware that there was nothing nocked on the bowstring. Then, Kiyoshi released the string, the softest flicker of blue light the only indicator that anything out of the ordinary had happened. Teacher Kurokawa whipped her fan open and a clang rang through the air followed by a metallic thud as something hit the ground.
While everyone was staring at the dark object on the ground, which turned out to be a black arrow with a pitch-black arrowhead, Kiyoshi hadn¡¯t remained still. With clean and deft movements, he shot a number of arrows without any particular vigour which Teacher Kurokawa blocked effortlessly.
Without breaking his rhythm, Kiyoshi¡¯s pupils flashed gold when he released his drawstring the next time. Three arcs of blue light materialised from his bow and a single bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he pulled the string back once more.
Teacher Kurokawa moved almost imperceptibly, and none of the three light arcs found their mark, the arrows within them clatteringharmlessly on the floor whileshe kept her focuson Kiyoshi the entire time.
From the first arrow, Kiyoshiwas holding his bow directly in line with Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s line of vision, making his exact moments of release unnoticeable. The only indication that any attack differed from the last was revealed only after the arrow was fired.
When theblue arcs had been about to reach their target, Kiyoshi released his bowstring and his Skill. A rush of air swept through the arena as a surge of blue energy flew straight out from Kiyoshi¡¯s bow, the blue line instantaneously linking himself and Teacher Kurokawa.
Meanwhile, Kira, who was watching rather than meditating in the stands, couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly.
¡®Apart from his positioning, he¡¯s basically copying the strategy I used earlier.¡¯
But, the next few seconds caused her to feel shaken.
Teacher Kurokawa, having dodged the previous multi-directional attack, faced the attack head-on, her pupils flashing gold. This time, however, she didn¡¯t use the sameice armour Skillthat she''d used to block Kira¡¯s attack. Instead, she simply flipped her fan open before her in the instant the blue energy was about to hit her.
Skrassh!
The sound of shattering ice was even more forceful than earlier as the energy blasted through Teacher Kurokawa. The class gasped in horror as chunks of ice fell to the ground where Teacher Kurokawa once stood.
¡®There¡¯s no way she¡¯s dead, right?¡¯
While the class was trying to figure out what had happened, Kiyoshi calmly lowered his bow.
¡°I lose.¡±
Kiyoshi murmured. The class¡¯ eyes immediately turned to him and they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Kiyoshi standing there, Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s hand laid gently on his shoulder.
¡°While your strategy was sound, and although it was similar to Suzuki''s, your flaws are different. Maintaining a shifting position is vital but your biggest mistake was assuming that, because your attack had succeeded, that your opponent would be defeated.¡±
Kiyoshi nodded. He was keenly aware of the fact that she could have blocked it through the raw strength of her Twin Energy cultivation but she chose to make an example of him. However,
¡°With respect, Teacher, wasn¡¯t this simply meant to be a Skills class? If it were a combat class with Skill analysis as the focus, there are things I would have done differently.¡±
¡°Remember what I told those others yesterday. There are no second chances and you should always put in your best effort. Based purely on your weapon and Skill use, your sense of timing and accuracy are good but could still use some work. The power of that last Skill was noteworthy for your cultivation rank but you could probably only use it two or three times. Correct?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Teacher.¡±
Kiyoshi replied with laboured breath. The only sign that he¡¯d been exerting himself since the start of the Skills test. He left the platform and took a seat near to Kira. Thoughts nagging at her, Kira moved over to sit next to him.
¡°Ah, Classmate Suzuki, is there something you need?¡±
¡°Yes, Classmate Mizuno, I have a question. Why did you copy my strategy?¡±
¡°I¡¯m a bow user, did you expect me to have another strategy?¡±
He replied plainly, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
¡°If anything, I should be more surprised that someone with such good close-combat ability decided to engage in ranged combat. Although I can see how the limited space of the classroom didn¡¯t permit you to fully show off that kind of strategy, from what I saw, close combat is definitely your preference.¡±
Kiyoshi said while closing his eyes and removing his glasses. He took out a cloth from inside his breast pocket and began cleaning them as he spoke, his eyes closed the entire time. Meanwhile, Kira was impressed by his analytical ability and observational skills. He saw right through her intentions of passing off ranged combat as her speciality.
¡°This test aside, have you decided on a secondary profession yet?¡±
Kiyoshi asked.
¡°Yes, and you?¡±
¡°Of course. There¡¯s only one that allows me fully utilise my abilities. Shall we head to the Profession Hall after class then?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
Kira was somewhat surprised by the invitation but readily accepted. She wasn¡¯t clear on his motives for the invitation, as they were still basically strangers, but perhaps this would give her a chance to get to know him better.
When the test concluded and Kira had witnessed a number of Skills that broadened her horizons on what was possible, Teacher Kurokawa said much of the same as Kiyoshi, that secondary profession classes would take place after lunch in the Profession Hall and that they should be there early to register. She also warned them to take into account the results of their perception test before making a decision on which of the professions to take up as those lessons were not repeated and catching up would be difficult if they switched mid-way. After that, she dismissed them.
New Student Arc: Chapter 7 - One Way to Start Profession Classes
From outside, the building looked like a tall pagoda, each floor with its own slanted roof built in the traditional style. Above its entrance, a large signboard identified it as the Initiate Profession Hall in big, bold lettering.
After meeting up with Kiyoshi after class, Kira had walked with him to the Profession Hall, barely a word spoken between them. She wasn''t one tomake small talk and it seemed that Kiyoshi was the same.
Once inside, Kira paused for a few moments, taking in the grandeur. There was no doubt in her mind that the various secondary professions were the primary source of the Academy''s substantial wealth. She hadn''t taken any time to visit other weapon cultivation academies but she was fairly certain that none of their secondary profession buildings could come close to the scale of this Initiate Profession Hall alone.
The ground floor entrance opened into a large hall supported by four grand pillars around which lifelike carvings of dragons reached for the Heavens, talons outstretched and maws yawning wide.
The hall was divided into three large sections, as shown by the differences in colour of the jade-tiled floor. At the far end of the hall were three identical, long counters sporting products made by students and the various materials required for each of the base professions. Behind the counters were three broad staircases that led to the floors above. While Kira was curious about the goods on offer, she had business to attend to first. Kiyoshi had already gone off on his own to the Alchemy division¡¯s table.
The hall was rather full with all the first-years who were registering for their profession classes. As Kira walked towards the counter above which was a large sign of a pen and an inkwell, she was surprised to find that there wasn¡¯t even a queue. Behind the counter was a girl with curly brown hair that beamed at Kira as she approached.
¡°Welcome to the Inscriptor Division of the Profession Hall. How can I help you?¡±
¡°Greetings, senior sister. I¡¯d like to become an Inscriptor.¡±
¡°Glad to hear it. Fortunately for you, Inscriptors are the least popularprofession right now so you won¡¯t have to wait long. Even though our work is so important¡¡±
The girl mumbled the last part under her breath as she looked beneath the counter but Kira heard every word. The girl popped back out with a small scroll and a simple, dull-grey circular badge with an insignia of a quill pen crossed with a brush pen. After opening the blank scroll, she spoke.
¡°Your name and age please?¡±
¡°Suzuki Kira, twelve.¡±
¡°Alright¡¡±
She gestured a few times, her fingers tapping the open scroll in what, to Kira¡¯s eye, was seemingly random places. When she was done, she furled the scroll which had begun to glow and tapped it against the grey badge. The badge wobbled slightly as the scroll shattered into fragments of lightthat were swallowed up by the badge. Kira''s eyes widened.
¡°These badges are our division''s special design and which are used by all the profession divisions across the Academy. It holds your personal details as well as being proof of your profession rank and will upgrade as your pass ranking exams¡¡±
She said with pride before suddenly looking flustered.
¡°Oh wait, I forgot. There¡¯s a registration fee. It¡¯s only twenty prestige points. Can you pass me your entry tile, please?¡±
Kira kept her expression pleasant as she handed over her number ninety-nine tile, keeping her disapproval hidden. Teacher Kurokawa hadn''t mentioned a registration fee but she somehow had enough points left. She doubted that some of her classmates were as fortunate.
¡°Oh! You¡¯re a referred student.¡±
She exclaimed when she noticed the golden sheen of the number on the face of Kira''s tile. Her exclamation drew the attention of her fellow Inscriptors behind the counter, causing them to glance over curiously. The girl attending to Kira waved them off defensively with one hand while holding Kira¡¯s tile above a differently-coloured area of the counter with the other. The tile glowed for a moment before returning to normal. The girl then slid Kira¡¯s badge over to her and returned her tile.
¡°There we go, you¡¯re officially a Rank F Inscriptor now. Please follow the stairs behind me to the first floor. The main teaching hall is the first room on the right. You can¡¯t miss it. Introductory classes are starting soon. Good luck and enjoy!¡±
Kira bowed her thanks after receiving her belongings and followed the girl''s directions. She easily found the correct door but decided to explore the floor a bit. Apart from the clearly-marked Teaching Hall which appeared to take up the vast majority of the space, the only other points of interest were the stairs leading up to the next floor and a number of smaller rooms, presumably used for individual practice. One thing that she found interesting was that the floor area was smaller than she anticipated with no doors leading to other divisions.
¡®So this building really is divided up evenly between the three professions.¡¯
Having judged the distances, Kira was still surprised at the size of the first floor Teaching Hall. That was to say, if her entire year¡¯s students decided to become Inscriptors, they would all fit in comfortably. However, that wasn¡¯t the case, quite the opposite, in fact.
Kira glanced around the room. Of the one hundred and thirty-odd students in her year, excluding the ones who¡¯d already been expelled, there were only fifteen of them in the spacious hall. Of the fifteen, Kira only recognised one other person from her class, a short girl with high orange twintails that was currently surrounded by a group of boys. Kira was moved to approach and heard them talking.
¡°Hey guys, I wonder what this little street rat is doing here.¡±
¡°Yeah, why is she here? Shouldn¡¯t she be desperate enough for money to go learn Alchemy like her fellow street rats?¡±
¡°Maybe someone mistook her hair for a fire and tried to refine ingredients with it.¡±
The group laughed loudly at this supposedly witty comment while the girl was turning her head side to side like a scared mouse, looking for a way to escape her predicament.
¡°Oh look, the rat wants to skitter away. Run away, little rat, Inscribing isn¡¯t fit for the likes of you. You¡¯ll only soil its noble name with your filthy commoner hands.¡±
¡°What is happening here?¡±
A stern feminine voice caused the boys to turn towards the source, their faces immediately turning apologetic. However, when they saw that it was a fellow first-year and not a senior student nor a teacher, they relaxed. Some of them even had scowls or sneers on their faces.
Kira, who was approaching from the other side, infuriated by the boys¡¯ words yet calmly ready to separate their heads from their shoulders if they laid a hand on her classmate, also stopped and turned to look at the newcomer.
The voice belonged to a beautiful girl of average height with long, wavy indigo hair and a well-developing chest who was approaching from a nearby desk, her sky-blue eyes icy as she spoke clearly and calmly in an authoritative tone. Some of the boys¡¯ faces dropped when they recognised who it was. One of them, presumably their leader, stepped towards her.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
¡°Classmate Kousen, we were simply suggesting to this new classmate of ours-¡±
¡°My question wasn''t directed at you, Classmate.¡±
The girl named Kousen interrupted him while continuing her steady pace and walking right past the boy who had spoken before stopping in front of the orange-haired girl and speaking to her in a gentle tone:
¡°What caused this? Are you unharmed?¡±
¡°I-I¡¯m okay, really. You didn¡¯t have to¡¡±
The boys looked dumbstruck while their leader looked like he¡¯d been slapped in the face, hard. His shock didn¡¯t last for long before his face became red with rage as he whipped around.
¡°You must think you¡¯re hot stuff just because you defeated that imbecile Akamatsu. I think it¡¯s time these brothers and I taught you that you can¡¯t disrespect us like that!¡±
¡°Teacher, this seems to be serious. Should we intervene?¡±
A husky voice asked, concerned.
¡°Not yet.¡±
Was the simple reply from an icy voice that would be very familiar to Kira and her class.It was a voice belonging to a person whohad her reasons for letting the situation play out.
¡®Times like these are when everlasting bonds first begin to form.¡¯
She thought. The owner of the husky voice nodded and relaxed. Teacher Kurokawa''s judgment might seem harsh to some but he knew first-hand that she only wanted the best for her students. Together, the two of them along with another senior student remained motionless as they watched events unfold.
Nanase stood protectively in front of the orange-haired girl she hadn¡¯t known until today, her royal-blue sash wound loosely between her two hands. While she had the confidence in taking on multiple opponents at once, these weren¡¯t some mental constructs she''d fought against during image training nor were they street thugs with no actual skill. They were fellow students of the Bladeworks Academy. The best she could hope for was to hold out until the teacher arrived to start class, or to rely on the hidden forces in the Academy she''d heard prevent unnecessary deaths.
¡®Let¡¯s try it this way then.¡¯
¡°It seems that a conflict is unavoidable. Shall we have a wager then?¡±
The leader of the five boys hesitated. He wasn¡¯t angry enough not to see the chance at potential gains. The rest of the group also stopped but didn¡¯t lower their weapons which they''d withdrawn from their various Storage Crystals.
¡°Let¡¯s hear it then, but it¡¯s still up to me whether to accept.¡±
Nanase nodded. All according to plan so far, as long as he believed the power was still in his hands.
¡°I won¡¯t ask for anything such as having you fight me one at a time. As long as the five of you can defeat me before the teacher arrives, you¡¯ve won, and to defeat me, all you have to do is to force any part of my body from my knees upward to touch the ground. If the teacher arrives before then, I win.¡±
¡°Acceptable so far. And the stakes? Hurry up.¡±
As soon as the boys¡¯ leader heard about the time limit, he began sweating. In reality, the class should have started two minutes ago, but his greed got the better of him.
¡°If I win, you will all kowtow to this girl while apologising and promising to leave her alone. If you win, you get half of my prestige points. We¡¯re in the same morning class so you should be aware of my current balance.¡±
The leader¡¯s eyes narrowed, his anger almost completely replaced by greed.
¡°Classmate Kousen, isn¡¯t this too unfair? I mean, there may be five of us but we¡¯re both aware that class has technically already started. The teacher is simply late and could be here at any moment. How about this, we don¡¯t kowtow but we¡¯ll leave the girl alone. If you lose, however, you have to give us three-quarters of your prestige points.¡±
The leader smiled. In his mind, his offer wasn¡¯t too unreasonable and he believed he''d made a valid argument. IfNanase accepted, then when she lost, she would still have enough points left to stay in the Academy. If she didn¡¯t accept,him and his crew would still beat the two of them up and bully them out of prestige points. It was a win-win for him. As he was congratulating himself on the brilliance of his plan, he didn¡¯t notice Nanase tilt her head downwards with a smile on her face.
¡°Then I suppose I might as well bet all my prestige points.¡±
While their leader was lost in his fantasies, the other four boys were shocked at her statement. What did losing all your points mean? Expulsion, that¡¯s what! Was she really willing to risk expulsion for some girl she¡¯djust met? This shock was so great thatthey had no time to react when their leader was suddenly flung at them.
The leader crashed into two of them while the other two came to their senses and attacked, one wielding a rapier, the other, a pair of shortswords. Both their pairs of pupils flashed gold as they readied their Skills when, suddenly, a flash of blue wrapped around their wrists and they were yanked forwards, their gathered Quintessence dissipating as they were pulled off-balance, disorientated. With a kick that would¡¯ve made the boys¡¯ noses bleed if they¡¯d been looking, Nanase disarmed the rapier-user before sending him tumbling against the dual sword-user with deft control of her sash.
While she was busy with the two boys, the other three picked themselves up off the ground and circled around her, weapons drawn as they avoided their two tumbling comrades. They hadn¡¯t known each other long but they¡¯d already acknowledged the one boy as their leader after losing to him in the Initiates¡¯ Duelling Arena the previous day. He gave them a simple plan, stall her.
Despite the initiative Nanase had before, she was now completely on the back foot. One of the boys was wielding a long spear and occasionally jabbed at her while the other, a twin dagger-user, dodged in and out of her range, narrowly avoiding her attempts to catch him with her sash. While Nanase had spent hours doing image training in her room, as well as occasionally sparring with the guards at her home, before joining the Academy, her actual combat experience was abysmal. Up until that point, she¡¯d relied on the element of surprise and people underestimating both her and her ¡®weapon¡¯. In a drawn-out fight like this, against a group with some level of co-ordination, albeit poor, shewas completely suppressed.
As far as options she could think of went, she couldn¡¯t even try and manipulate the spear-user¡¯s weapon for an extended time without leaving herself open to the dagger-user¡¯s attacks. During this time, her previous assailants had recovered their footing, and moved up to join their allies in their harassing attacks.
Until then, Nanase had managed to avoid injury by dodging or diverting the spear attacks and by threatening to control the dagger-user, but with four people instead of two, it became impossible and she began to accrue a number of small cuts on her arms, face and legs. The threat of her diverting their attacks towards each other was enough to curb any attempts at serious harm. Nonetheless, her situation was dire and the teacher still hadn¡¯t arrived yet.
Suddenly, the harassing attacks stopped and Nanase hesitated, expecting a trap, before turning around and realising that she¡¯d fallen into it long ago. Their leader was rapidly approaching her but he looked different. His skin was a pale pink and glistened with sweat while his overall size had increased by about 25%. His muscles had becomewell-defined and bulged out against his uniform. The large sword in his hand carried a menacing aura as he swung it down towards Nanase.
¡®That¡¯s stage two Overdrive! Even if I grab him, I don¡¯t think I have enough strength to control him at all.¡¯
Nanase thought with fright. While she could deal with fast attackers to some extent, this kind of raw physical strength wasn¡¯t something she could handle.
¡°Kneeeeel!¡±
The leader roared while swinging his sword down. Even though Nanase knew it was futile, she whipped her sash around his wrists and tried to divert his slash, even if a little. As she thought, his wrists wouldn¡¯t budge. She squeezed her eyes shut, completely missing the blur that appeared before her.
Kira had been watching from the sidelines, admiring the indigo-haired girl¡¯s technique but frowning as the situation developed.
¡®It looks like she¡¯s the same as them after all, a bit of skill but no experience, someone who¡¯s lived a sheltered life, far from the battlefield. Otherwise, she would¡¯ve known that to break an encirclement, you need to become part of it, turning their allies into unintended targets.¡¯
While the indigo-haired girl was being harassed, Kira was watching the boys¡¯ leader who seemed to be concentrating very hard. Once his body size increased, Kira¡¯s instincts screamed a warning and she knew that she had to act. As the other girl valiantly tried to resist, Kira dashed in, releasing the Skill she¡¯d prepared a few seconds earlier, her pupils flashing gold.
The pain never came.
Nanase opened her eyes in time to see a girl with a long, loose, black ponytail deflecting the powerful attack off to side, ina way that she had failed to, her katana bathed in a blaze of golden energy. The large sword crashed into the ground with astonishing force and was stuck, even its owner unable to pull it out as his skin and body size returned to normal. It was as if the sword hadn¡¯t lost any of its momentum at all. The boys¡¯ leader glared at the two of them but, before he could make another move, an icy chill stopped him in his tracks.
¡°That¡¯s enough. Class is about to start. Take your seats. You can settle this matter in the Arena.¡±
¡°Yes, Teacher.¡±
The girl with the ponytail responded immediately before sitting at an undisturbed desk nearby. The other people involved were simply stunned.
¡®When did the teacher enter? How long had she been there?¡¯
However, when they saw the blond hair tied into a bun and the red-and-gold folding fan she tapped slowly and rhythmically against her folded arms, they immediately banished all thoughts unrelated to taking a seat. After all, wasn¡¯t this the teacherwith the power to expel someone before lessons had even begun, Teacher Kurokawa?
New Student Arc: Chapter 8 - First Friends
Kira took her seat, her arms slightly tired from resisting the earlier attack. Thankfully it was a straightforward downwards slash or attempting to divert it but choosing the wrong angle would¡¯ve resulted in her taking more internal damage from the colliding energies. At the same time she was also letting her surprise sink in. While she knew that Teacher Kurokawa was an Inscriptor, she didn¡¯t expect her to be the one taking Rank F''s class.
To Kira¡¯s left, and somewhat to her surprise, sat the indigo-haired girl who had stood up for her classmate. Fromthe girl''s bearing and speech, Kira had no doubt that she was a noble. On Kira¡¯s right sat the classmate in question, a small girl with orange twintails who¡¯d somehow managed to escape in the confusion. Her shy nature seemed to have disappeared for a time as she stared at the people to her left with unconcealed admiration. Something about her bothered Kira, but she couldn¡¯t place exactly what it was.
While Kira was pondering, Teacher Kurokawa began her lesson.
"Judging from those of you who have decided to follow the path of the Inscriptor, I shouldn''t need to give you much explanation on what it is that we do. Put simply, we are responsible for developing new ways in which Soul Energy can be used.
The Inscriptors of old discovered that by using a combination of certain shapes, surfaces and writing materials, Soul Energy can be guided in certain ways and have its properties altered. Since then, this knowledge has been expanded upon and still continues to be researched by Inscriptors to this day.
A complete inscribed pattern, that is, onecontaining all the elements needed to fulfil its purpose and that works as intended, is called an Inscription Array, or simply an Array. Today,I will be introducing you to the two fundamental building blocks of any array."
Kira sat there taking in the lesson while occasionally glancing around at her classmates. Most were taking down notes while others, including the indigo-haired girl and her classmate with the orange twintails,weresimply listening attentively. The only sound other than Teacher Kurokawa''s voice was the softswishing of brush pens.
"Firstly, gridlines. In their simplest form, they are pathways along which Soul Energy can travel. These can be etched into the medium itself or applied using various inks. Due to its calm nature, Soul Energy can use most materials as a medium. Of course, higher quality materials on which gridlines are inscribed havelessenergydissipatation than lower quality ones.
From your blank stares I can see that I need toshow you what I mean."
Teacher Kurokawa''s Storage Crystal glowed softly and two hollow bamboo tubes appeared in her hands. She placed them onto stands that had been set up on the table in front of her.A jar of sand appeared in each of her hands.
"Sand represents Soul Energy and the tubesrepresentthe medium used for inscribing. Now watch."
She instructed and began pouring sand into each tube.
"As you can see, one of the tubes has holes in it causing the sand to escape while the other tube doesn''t. Only sand that reaches the other side of the tube, that is, that goes where we need it to go, is useful to us. The amount of useful sand compared to how much was in the jar is affected by the quality of the tube we are using."
The seated students may not have completely understood what she said, but they understood the general concept. Better materials meant better results. Teacher Kurokawa continued her lesson.
"Theother key component that you''ll be using in your arrays are called nodes.In their most basic form, they look like solid circles butthey are more than simple shapes.Nodes have two important functions. The first, is that they function as temporary containers for energy, allowingit to be stored and released. The second, isthat they can havesealsinscribed upon them.
Seals are a special sub-category of components andcan be thought of as Insciptions themselves.Seals don''t follow the conventional rules and structure of Inscriptions. They are special symbols that have unique effectson Soul Energywhen it is passed through them. When a node has a seal Inscribed on it, any Soul Energy that fills that nodereceivesthe effect of that seal.
However, seals have fixed designs. If a seal is not correctly Inscribed, it won''tproduce the desired effect. At worst, it could seriously harm the one trying to use it. Today, I''m going to teach you some basic seals which you will be using to create an illumination array, a simple yet useful array which will serve you well whenever you find yourself needing light."
Kira noticed that Teacher Kurokawa didn''t seem as cold as usual, and it wasn''t just the room that was warm. She spoke more passionately than Kira had seen before and it was clear that the discipline was very dear to her.
Aside from the pressure of Teacher Kurokawa observing them as she walked between the desks, Kira found the calm atmosphere relaxing as she created her illumination array with the utmost care. Compared to the constant testing which was physically and mentally taxing, this kind of quiet, focused work was a welcome break.
By the time the afternoon class had ended, everyone had managed to complete their array with varying results. Teacher Kurokawa didn''t hold back on her criticism and even instructed those who had done poorly to complete a satisfactory one as homework. It was the closest thing to an ordinary school experience as Kira had experiencedat the Academy so far and she had a suspicion that it wasn''t going to last.
As Kira got up to leave the Teaching Hall, the two girls oneither side walked up to her. Before she could say anything, the orange-haired girl''s wordsflooded out of her mouth.
¡°That¡was amazing. Uhm, I-I mean thank both of you so much. I was so scared but you came to help me. You two are awesome. I¡¯m Akane. I already know Big Sis Suzuki cos we¡¯re in the same class but¡what¡¯s Indigo-Sis¡¯ name?¡±
The short girl spoke quickly but also softlyforcing Kira to bend down to clearly hear what she was saying. Her shyness was still present but she seemed far more relaxed than when Kira had intervened earlier.
¡°My name is Kousen Nanase. It is a pleasure to meet you both.¡±
Nanase replied to Akane''s question with a bow before continuing. Her level of formality caused even Kira to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Was this kind of lofty speech normal for a twelve year-old? She continued with the same register.
¡°Allow me first to convey my deepest gratitude to you, Classmate Suzuki. Were it not for your timely intervention, I may well have been not only severely injured, but also expelled from this prestigious academy. I am indebted to you. My own arrogance would have been my downfall. Thank you.¡±
Nanase bowed very low, showing almost subservience in her heartfelt thanks. Kira hurriedly matched her bow, attempting to re-establish them as equals.
¡°No, I need to thank you for supporting Classmate Akane. You stepped in just as I was about to but I need to apologise for not helping you immediately. I must admit that I couldn¡¯t understand why a noble would stand up for a commoner against other nobles. You don¡¯t owe me anything.¡±
They both straightened up and now Kira could see a sad smile on Nanase¡¯s face.
¡°They gave up their right to that title the moment they used their station as an excuse to bully someone of the working class.¡±
Kira could tell that there was more to Nanase¡¯s statement from the way she gently touched one of her dragon-shaped earrings. However, she didn¡¯t pry any further as it would¡¯ve been too disrespectful. Meanwhile, Nanase continued, her face becoming more cheery.
¡°Then, Classmate Suzuki, Classmate Akane, if it doesn¡¯t inconvenience you, may I consider us to be friends?¡±
Kira paused for a moment before smiling at Nanase.
¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all but please, just call me Kira.¡±
Kira said somewhat solemnly. Although she was smiling, she felt awkward. Comrades-in-arms was a relationship she was familiar with and understood as well as the more recent familial love. However, she hadn¡¯t the first idea of what it meant to be friends. What were her duties, her boundaries?Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
¡°I¡¯m¡Akane.¡±
¡°Then you may simply refer to me as Nanase then.¡±
She said happily with an earnest smile.
¡°There ya are. What took ya so long? Found a boyfriend alre-. Oh, who¡¯s this?¡±
Kira, Nanase and Akanehad just reached the bottom of the Inscriptors¡¯ staircase when a tall, sweaty girl covered in soot yet with a huge smile on her face practically bounced up to them, her curly, brown bob bouncing with her.
¡°Classmate Usagi, these are my new friends, Classmate Kira and Classmate Akane.¡±
¡°Jeez, I¡¯m sure theywon''tmind either if ya cut the ¡®classmate¡¯ part. It¡¯s just so much more to say. But hey, if Nanase likes ya, ya gotta be decent people. She gives our class such a hard time, it¡¯s scary. Oh yeah, I¡¯m Hatsune Usagi.¡±
The sooty girl reached out a hand then realised it wasn¡¯t such a great idea and just bowed instead.
¡°I¡¯m gonna go clean up, smithing is dirty work but it¡¯s awesome. The smoky air catching in ya chest, the burning heat on ya skin, the screaming of ya muscles to stop but ya know ya not finished yet. Ah, bliss. Catch ya in the cafeteria.¡±
Usagi waved goodbye before disappearing out of the Profession Hall.
¡°My apologies. She¡¯s very¡energetic. Shall we proceed?¡±
Nanase blushed slightly. Kira wasn''t too bothered and simply nodded.Thethree of them left the Profession Hall and found a table in the cafeteria where they were shortly joined by Usagi.
¡°So, anything interesting happen in ya¡drawing class?¡±
¡°Well, today we learned the basics of Inscribing, of gridlines, nodes and seals.¡±
¡°Beat up any more nobles?¡±
Kira noticed Nanase blush a deep red. It seemed thatwhat happened in classwasn¡¯t the first time something likethat had happened. Kira saw no reason to hide anything.
¡°Yes, actually.¡±
¡°Classmate Kira¡¡±
¡°Hah, I knew it!¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. Attempting to take on five people at once may have been a bit reckless but I¡¯m sure Akane is grateful for your efforts.¡±
¡°¡I-I am. I really am.¡±
¡°Haha, I¡¯d guessed ya were crazy about protecting commoners but I didn¡¯t think ya were that crazy.¡±
Nanase blushed even deeper red and looked around for help. Catching her gaze, Kira wasn¡¯t sure exactly what to say and decided to try praising her.
¡°With your fighting style, I can understand why you would try. That weapon of yours seems-¡±
¡°Bwahahaa. Ooooh. Oh boy. Ya killin'' me here. Ya know that that¡¯s a sash, right? A plain old fabric sash.¡±
Kira frowned. Clearly this rabbit girl
1 didn¡¯t understand just what kind of skill Nanasepossessed to use something as simple as a piece of fabric to fight five people.
¡°That¡¯s what makes it more impressive. Imagine she had a real weapon, such as a whip or something similar.¡±
¡°Actually¡¡±
Nanase took a deep breath and let it out before whispering,
¡°I don¡¯t know how to use any weapons.¡±
The other three girls looked as if a Unique Skill
2 had been unleashed on their table.
¡°By that you mean¡¡±
¡°My parents wouldn¡¯t allow me near any weapons my whole life. They gave special orders to the guards not to allow me to touch any. In the end, I discovered this material and taught myself how to fight with it, so that I could protect those that I care about. If you¡¯re wondering how I learnt any Weapon Skills with this, the answer is that I don¡¯t know any. I understand the theory behind them but I haven¡¯t actually learned any. The best I can do is channel some Soul Energy into this sash which increases its elasticity and toughness somewhat but that¡¯s the extent of my ability.¡±
¡°Then the recognition that allowed you to take the entrance exam¡¡±
¡°Yes, it was the ability to defeat an armed, adult guard without using any ¡®actual weapon¡¯ nor hand-to-hand combat techniques when I was eight.¡±
Nanase explained, the embarrassment clear on her face and her redness reaching a point that it seemedthat her head would would explode. She lowered her head trying to hide it but failed. Usagi quickly moved over to her and gave her a rough, one-armed hug.
¡°Hey hey, no need to be so down about it. Ya got us to watch out for you now. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?¡±
Kira nodded but knew better. This was a very serious problem that would have major consequences very soon. This wasthe weapon cultivation academy, after all. Not having a weapon nor Skills would be something found out and exploited very quickly.
Kira returned to her dorm after supper to find that Sora was already there, snoring loudly. Thinking of her newly-made friends, Kira shook her head. The contrast between her roommate and them was simply too great.
She sat on her bed and closed her eyes, contemplating all that she¡¯d learned that day, paying special attention how she could have handled situations differently, before focusing on the details of her Inscription class. She ran through the various shapes and definitions in her head, committing them to memory while trying to understand how they fit together. Eventually, her mind settled down and she calmly meditated, her body slowly refining Soul Energy and increasing her cultivation level, until morning came.
WhenKira arrived at the Profession Hall for Inscription classes that day, she found Nanase at the foot of the staircase, shifting from foot to foot nervously.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°The five classmates of minewe foughtyesterday are upstairs outside the Teaching Hall. It appears that they are waiting for us.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±
Kira wasn¡¯t afraid. With Nanase¡¯s ability, she was certain that they would win a straight-up two versus five. As they approached, the leader of the nobles strode up to them.
¡°There you are. We¡¯ve come to settle our bet from yesterday.¡±
¡°Iwas under the impression that our victorywas clear.¡±
Nanase spoke up confidently, her apparent nervousness gone.
¡°Clearly yours? This¡rat interfered at a crucial point.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t say that anyone couldn¡¯t help me. All I said was that I was the one you had to defeat.¡±
¡°You¡¡±
The boys¡¯ leader was clearly getting agitated and his eyes started reddening. Noticing this, Kira placed a hand on Nanase¡¯s shoulder before speaking. She knew better than anyone the danger of people with unreconciled feelings.
¡°Seeing as you¡¯re not satisfied, I have a proposition. We do as Teacher Kurokawa suggested and settle this in the Duelling Arena. No time limit and the stakes will be adjusted accordingly. Our request for you to stop bullying Akane remains the sameexcept that now it extends to all the commoners in this class. In exchange, you may have 80% of both of our prestige points if you win. Do you accept?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
He said without hesitation. He''d learneda lesson not to reach for too much. There would be other opportunities later and being able to get most of their points was already more than worth it.On the small chance that they lost, well, they would still keep all of their points.
¡°Then we¡¯ll have it after class today, sub-arena 5.¡±
¡°You better not run away.¡±
He said with finality before leading his group into the teaching hall.
¡°Classmate Kira, do you truly believe we can win? We had barely managed tosucceed last time and that was with the element of surprise.¡±
¡°We¡¯re friends now, correct? Friends should trust each other.¡±
Kira didn¡¯t completely believe what she was saying. But, from their interaction yesterday, she got the feeling that making a claim like this in this situation was the correct decision.
¡°¡Yes, you¡¯re correct.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s get to class.¡±
From Nanase¡¯s hesitation, Kira picked up that the near loss hit her confidence in her fighting abilities. That, coupled with revealing her weakness yesterday must have been quite a blow. Kira shook her headthought,
¡®There¡¯s enough time to deal with that before the match. All she needs is to gain faith in herself again.¡¯
During class, Kira¡¯s mind was juggling between focusing on the lesson and preparing a battle plan for later. Her lack of focus on her Inscription work wasn¡¯t missed by Teacher Kurokawa.
¡°Suzuki.¡±
¡°Yes, Teacher!¡±
¡°Thesegridlines are touching. This will cause backlooping in the energy flow. Start over.¡±
¡°Understood, Teacher.¡±
When class was finished, Kira and Nanase quickly packed up their things. Akane, who wasn¡¯t aroundwhen thechallenge was made, looked at them curiously.
¡°Where¡are you going¡so quickly?¡±
¡°No need to worry. We¡¯re simply sorting out some business in the Arena.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡coming with.¡±
¡°Sure, you can come wat-¡°
Akane shook her head vigorously.
¡°It¡¯s¡about yesterday¡isn¡¯t it? I¡also want¡to fight.¡±
Akane looked towards the two girls with a determined face. Kira eventually nodded.
¡°Okay, but tell me everything about how you fight on the way there and follow my lead.¡±
Akane nodded her affirmation and the three headed quickly down the staircase and across the lobby.
¡°Hey, where are y¡¯all rushing off-¡±
¡°Sub arena five. Duel.¡±
Was all Nanase could manage to say to Usagi before she rushed to catch up with Kira and Akane. When the trio arrived at the designated room, the boys had also just arrived.
¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why is the street rat here?¡±
¡°She¡¯s not a street rat and this concerns her as well. She¡¯ll be joining us in the duel. To compensate you, she¡¯s offering up her points as well.¡±
¡°Hmph, whatever.¡±
Inwardly, the leader was celebrating inside.
¡®What can that weak rat do? I¡¯ll put her points to good use.¡¯
1
Usagi - rabbit
2
Unique Skills: the4
th tier of Skill. These powerful Skills can only be learned directly from someone else who has already learned it. Even if the method is described in writing, a person will never be able to learn it from those writings.
New Student Arc: Chapter 9 - Three Versus Five
Kira, Nanase and Akane placed their tiles against the panel to the right side of the door to Sub-arena 5 while the boys¡¯ leader did the same on the left. After rotating their tiles, the girls¡¯ panel showed three large ¡®80%¡¯ texts above where their tiles touched and the door opened.
Kira and the boys were familiar with the Arena and walked up to opposing positions on the platform while Nanase and Akane were looking about curiously. Kira beckoned them over and noticed Nanase was trembling slightly despite her determined face while Akane was nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
¡°Nanase, there¡¯s no need to be afraid. You¡¯re stronger than you think. Your strength will really show when you work with others. Think of what you can do to help us. And Akane,¡±
Kira had spent time during Inscription class thinking about Nanase''stechniques and came to the conclusion that they were far strongerin group battles than if she was fighting alone. Kira then turned to Akaneand placed a hand on her shoulder.
¡°They have no expectations of you. Be like a shadow and strike when they least expect it. Nanase and I will try to create opportunities for you.¡±
Kira looked at them both seriously. What Kira had learned from Akane was that she was a single dagger-user with a few Skills that were more effective when used as sneak attacks. However, Kira had no clue as to how good her execution of her Skills were nor her level of battle sense.
¡°They¡¯ll try to surround us and defeat us with their greater numbers. That¡¯s the one thing we have to avoid at all costs. If we can take two of them out of the fight early, we¡¯ll be on even ground. Just follow me.¡±
The pair nodded understandingly, their nervousness eased by the confidence in Kira¡¯s voice. As she spoke, Kira consciously dropped her formality. In times like these, speaking directly was more important.
Meanwhile, the stands were beginning to fill up with not just the students from their Inscription class, but with first-years from their respective homerooms also. The lively crowd bustled cheerfully, some even calling out their names. By then, everyone had heard the story behind this duelof lopsided numbers, of the noble girl who stood up against other nobles for the sake of a commoner and of the commoner who saved her from serious injury. Duels happened every day in the Arena, but the only ones that could attract a crowd like this were those with a story behind them, such as this one.
¡°Are both sides ready and aware of the rules?¡±
A loud voice resounded through the small arena that came from the only other figure on the platform. As per the regulations, the red-clothed senior student on duty for that sub-arena would be the referee for the match. These students had to be of a certain calibre as they had the important job of deeming whether any attack is lethal or crippling and removing the competitor before the attack hit.
¡°Yes, senior.¡±
¡°Acknowledged.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s stop wasting time already.¡±
¡°¡¡±
¡°Right, then begin!¡±
Kira had to applaud her opponents. In the short space of time since they agreed to the rematch, the boys¡¯ leader had already organised a formation and possibly some simple tactics. With him wielding his large sword as their vanguard, the two longer-ranged weapon users, the rapier- and spear user, at his sides and the two mobile dual-weapon wielders on the far edges ready to flank once their frontliners engaged. Their line formation was simple but solid as they charged forwards, spread out in order to try and encircle Kira''s trio.
¡®While his attitude is bad, his skills as a leader may become formidable one day.¡¯
Kira praised inwardly while gesturing with her hands. Together, the three of them sprinted off to the side, attempting to flank their opponents. Seeing this, the boys¡¯ leader tried to re-orientate their formation but they were simply too unfamiliar with each other to do it smoothly or effectively.
¡®Too slow. Fine, I¡¯ll stop them myself.¡¯
He thought. Meanwhile, Kira¡¯s trio had already arrived in front of the rapier- and dual sword pair. Kira singled them out becausea rapier¡¯s reach wasn¡¯t as good as a spear and dual swords were noticeably slower than dual daggers.
Kira approached the rapier-user with her sword sheathed, her Takanashi Principle of Masking in full effect. He saw Kira approaching but she didn¡¯t give off any presence, as if she was a phantom. Cautiously, he blocked when Kira attacked but her sword went right through his and her image faded away.
¡°What in the¡¡±
In his moment of surprise, a blur of blue flashed towards him, but the timing was a bit off, giving him a chance to quickly retract his wrists, avoiding the attempt at snaring them, when a voice sounded behind him.
¡°It¡¯s okay. Try again.¡±
¡®Do you think this is a training exercise?¡¯
He thought, indignantly, whirling around to face the source of the voice when a sharp clang of metal made him relax. The dual sword-user had arrived to block Kira¡¯s attack and the pair were now back-to-back, facing their two assailants.
¡®Wait, two?¡¯
Although their individual skill was respectable for their age, having been admitted into the Bladeworks Academy, they were both used to fighting alone in one-on-one duels. Having to account for multiple people wasn¡¯t something that had become a habit yet. By the time they noticed Akane above them, it was already too late. With a flicker of red and a flash of steel, the dual sword-user suddenly found himself landing hard on the ground outside the platform.
When the rapier-user had turned his head away from Nanase earlier, Akane, who was hiding behind her, had jumped up and, using Nanase¡¯s shoulders as a springboard, soared high into the air, her physical strength showing off her level of Life Energy cultivation, before using her Weapon Skill.
The rapier-user was quick to react. Realising that he wasn¡¯t the target, he withdrew his rapier to himself, ready to parry a possible follow-up attack before stabbing forwards, hispupils flashing gold as he released his Skill.
¡°Watch out!¡±
Akane¡¯s eyes flickered to the side and saw the impending attack. Her eyes, which had narrowed, opened wide.
¡®There¡¯s¡no time.¡¯
A sharp yank on her waist interrupted her thoughts and she saw the piercing energy of the rapier Skill as it passed just next to her. She found herself standing beside Nanase, her royal-blue sash tied around her waist.
¡°Thanks¡Bis Sis Nanase.¡±
¡°No need. My body, it just moved on its own.¡±
Nanase said hesitantly but with an eventual smile. However, their happiness was short-lived as they avoided a large sword that came crashing downbetween them. Akane retreated behind Nanase, taking up her same position as before. Facing them was the boys¡¯ leader with his two other followers running to catch up.
¡°This doesn¡¯t appear favourable.¡±
Nanase gulped but held her ground as the leader moved in for his next attack.
Meanwhile, when Nanase pulled Akane out of the way of the rapier-user¡¯s attack, it had continued past where she was standing and headed straight for Kira, white light streaking through the air. Kira was fairly certain it was an energy-based attack but she didn¡¯t take any chances, slipping to the side as it sped past her. Soon, the white light vanished, leaving behind the glint of metal. Kira stared at the unbelievably long sword next to her which was quickly beginning to retract. Not hesitating any further, she ran forward, cycling her Twin Energies for a Skill she hadn¡¯t used in a long time.
As the distance between Kira and himself rapidly closed, the rapier-user realised that he wouldn¡¯t be able to fully retract his weapon fast enough and jumped backward while clumsily swinging the elongated weapon towards Kira.
Kira ducked under the blade and, just as the rapier-user raised his now-normal-sized weapon to block, Kira spun her body 360 degrees and slashed upwards, releasing her Skill.
¡®Rising Air Current.¡¯
Unlike years ago, when she¡¯d used the wind generated by the Skill alone to get through her cousin¡¯s block, now she used it in combination with the upward slash againstthe rapier-user''s guard to increase the force of her attack as well as use the wind to make it difficult for him toreturn his arms to a suitabledefending position. Sliding back quickly, Kira readied her Quintessence once again before stabbing forward, a slight chill filling the air as a ghostly apparition of her katana extended fromthe blade''s tip towards the rapier-user¡¯s heart.
¡®Phantom Pierce.¡¯
The apparition hit nothing as the referee timeously removed the rapier-user from the battlefield. Kira didn¡¯t waste time and quickly turned to check on her comrades.
Facing the leader again, Nanase couldn¡¯t help but tremble. This was the first and only person she¡¯d ever felt powerless against.
¡°Big Sis¡we can do this¡Fight back.¡±
Akane whispered into her ear. Normally shy, Akane had started believing in herself and her friends after managing to take out the dual sword-user. Her attempts at motivating Nanase weren''t for simple encouragement. After dodging the first attack, Nanase had been completely on the defensive, not even daring to try binding him, her memory of her ineffective attempt the previous day still fresh in her mind and clouding her judgment.
Her current thoughts went along the lines of,
¡®As long as I can stall long enough, Classmate Kira will come save us.¡¯
If Kira had to hear these thoughts, she would have been frustrated. After all, her goal, apart from winning, was to re-establish Nanase¡¯s confidence.
¡°If Big Sis Nanase won¡¯t do anything¡then I will.¡±
¡°Wait!¡±
But it was too late to stop her and Nanase could only stare helplessly as Akane ran towards their leader.
¡°Oh, is the street rat ready to get stepped on?¡±
He mocked, secretly relieved that they¡¯d stopped running. Now his remaining allies would have the chance to catch up and surround them.
¡®That sword¡is actually really big.¡¯
Akane thought as she realised how exposed she was. Her body trembled. She shook her head to clear it as her gaze hardened.
¡®No, I¡I have to do this¡for Big Sis Nanase¡¯s sake.¡¯The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Unfortunately, the leader took her head shake as a reply to his question.
¡°Oh? Then I¡¯m going to crush you anyway!¡±
He yelled as his sword glowed a dull yellow while crashing down. Akane sidestepped the attack but what she didn¡¯t expect was that it was a Skill. When the large sword hit the ground, it shook, causing her to lose her balance. The leader, however, didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the tremors and neither did the floor as it simply let out an expanding ripple of blue light. With a growl, he swung his sword with great force, clearly intending to sweep the off-balance Akane off of the platform in one blow.
¡°Yaaaa!¡±
As his sword swept across, she disappeared from in front of him with an almost imperceptible flicker of blue.
¡°Haha, one rat down, one rat and one traitor to go.¡±
He was certain that his attack would have been considered serious to a girl of her size so he didn¡¯t question her sudden disappearance, that is, until he felt something tighten around his neck and he looked up to see Nanase flying towards him, her expression as cold as death and her sky-blue eyes radiating killing intent. He tried to swing his weapon at her but she was at an awkward angle as she landed behind him and pulled hard on the sash, clearly intending to either break his neck, choke him, or flip him while trying.
Suddenly, the royal-blue material was sliced into two pieces. The spear-user standing a few metres away lowered his extended weapon, a wisp of steam rising from the tip, while the dual dagger-user rushed towards Nanase. As the leader was removing the scraps of material from around his neck and calming his breathing, he took up a position behind Nanase, facing her and cutting off that side as a path of escape. Finally, they had the advantage they¡¯d been looking for!
The referee was astonished. He remembered things being fairly heated between some groups in his first year, but he¡¯d never seen kids go at each other with such bloodlust. Even as a Bladeworks Academy student with much higher strength, he found that aspect of them frightening.
Kira, meanwhile, was concerned about Nanase¡¯s situation. She¡¯d warned them specifically about avoiding it but it still turned out this way. Soon, she was joined by another figure which hid behind her, maintaining a similar pace.
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡It¡¯s my fault¡that Big Sis Nanase is in such a bad spot.¡±
That¡¯s right, Akane wasn¡¯t disqualified yet. Nanase, sensing danger, had leapt into the air and pulled Akane out of the way of the leader¡¯s attack before drawing all of his attention, allowing Akane to slip away.
¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a three versus three now, assuming we can get to Nanase in time.¡±
¡°Big Sis Kira I¡have an idea¡¡±
Akane whispered into Kira¡¯s ear as they ran to Nanase¡¯s aid. Kira eyes widened and then she nodded before focusing ahead.
Somewhat differently to before, all three of the remaining boys were trying to get in powerful blows at Nanase as they were aware that Kira would be arriving soon. Nanase was doing her best to avoid damage that would have her removed from the platform but every glancing blow made it harder to avoid the next one. Her weakness of having no Weapon Skills to overturn the situation was rearing its head at this point when she heard a familiar voice, one that heralded hope.
¡°To break an encirclement, you have to become part of it.¡±
Although she was tired, Nanase fixed these words in her mind. Of course, the boys also heard this and began to attack more desperately, realising that reinforcements were on the way. However, instead of moving reactively, Nanase was now actively going after the one person that she may be able to handle on her own, the spear-user. But, her choice also held another motive, to get closer to Kira¡¯s voice.
While the spear user would have liked to retreat, he was keenly aware that Kira was somewhere behind him and decided to hold his ground instead. Nanase whipped out her sash, trying to catch his spear but, having seenher technique so many times, he nimbly moved back out of her range, before stabbing forward again, his pupils flashing gold as he twisted the spear.
An orange helix of energy enveloped the spear as he stabbed towards her which shot out before expanding to form a spiral wall between them, blocking her advance. Swinging his spear around him a few times, he moved to slam its haft into the centre of the spiral wall when¡
A foot landed squarely at the back of his head sending him crashing headfirst into the energy wall and dispersing it. A figure with a head of orange hair and twintails landed softly on her feet.
¡°Big Sis¡we¡¯re here.¡±
Nanase ran to join up with Akane while the spear user rubbed his throbbing head, the feeling not helped by the wild cheers of the audience at Akane¡¯s save. His two allies moved to group up with him while, on Nanase¡¯s side, Kira did the same, her pink, glistening skin fading back to its normal colour as she breathed out a mouthful of steam.
Having reached the Muscle Tempering rank of Life Energy cultivation, Overdrive was also available to her as it had been to her brother when he¡¯d faced the Oda Clan¡¯s youths in the bamboo forest that day. While she¡¯d made a point to learn it during her years of training, this was the first time she¡¯d used it in battle. The feeling of physical power was exhilarating but the drain of using it was equally large. A few more seconds and she would have been completely exhausted.
With the boost to her strength, she¡¯d used her arm as a springboard and physically thrown the light Akane, who¡¯d also kicked off her arm, at the spear-user, preventing him from using the follow-up to his Skill.
Now that she¡¯d arrived, Kira took up her position at the front of their trio while the boys¡¯ leader did the same, glaring at them with hatred. Just when he thought they had an absolute lead, it had been ruined by a pair of commoners.
Not wasting any more time on words, Kira moved forward, Akane sticking close behind her this time while Nanase stayed a bit further back. On the boys¡¯ side, the leader rushed forward to meet Kira, his skin beginning to turn rosy. The spear-user followed behind and to the side of him while the dual dagger wielder dashed off to the other side to try and flank Nanase. Their leader was too frustrated and focused on Kira to worry abouthis allies at this point.
As the two vanguards drew close to each other, Kira was already prepared and swung out her sheathed katana with her left hand, releasing her original Skill, while the boys¡¯ leader gripped his sword tightly with two hands. A dull red glow covered the sword while steam rose from the surface of his body, revealing the he was using a Skill while in Overdrive.
¡°Careful!¡±
Nanase cried out right before the two sides clashed. To the boys¡¯, Nanase¡¯s and Akane¡¯s astonishment, Kira didn¡¯t appear to be losing out to his Skill in the slightest. Instead, as weapon and sheath collided, the boys'' leader seemed to freeze for a moment while Kira drew her katana with her free hand and, with a quick body rotation, slashed towards his inner thigh. However, Kira¡¯s One Leaf Splits the Wind wasn¡¯t executed at the right time to interrupthis Skill, meaningthat its stun duration was greatly reduced and he managed to move back in time while parrying her blade.
¡®It seems that Overdrive isn¡¯t something to be taken lightly.¡¯
While Kira¡¯s fight with the enemy leader intensified, the spear user wasn¡¯t remaining idle. He took the chance while Kira was busy to flank her and look for an opportunity to catch her off-guard with a ranged Skill or, better yet, block off her escape with his Spiral Barrier as he¡¯d done against Nanase earlier.
¡®Right¡now!¡¯
As he drew back his spear in preparation, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine and quickly turned and blocked the metal dagger that was flying towards his face. It soared into the air before being deftly caught by a small girl with orange hair.
¡°Leave¡Big Sis Kira¡alone.¡±
She mumbled before sprinting forward, dagger in hand, towards the spear-user at a speed much faster than he expected. Hopping backwards, he spun his spun his spear once to each side of him before stabbing it into the ground with both hands. A surge of blue energy rose around him just as Akane reached him, knocking her backwards, but she quickly recovered and flicked her dagger into a backhand grip before leaping up and spinning through the air, a red haze from her eyes tracing lines where she moved. The spear-user quickly prepared his barrier Skill again, spinning his weapon in preparation.
When he released the Skill and the cylindrical blue energy burst out of the ground to envelop him once more, he felt safe for mere second before a dagger cloaked in bloody light sliced through the barrieras if it were wet paper and a pair of emotionless, glowing red eyes on an innocent-looking face were the last things he saw before landing heavily outside the platform, shaken.
¡®Was that¡really the same girl we tried to bully yesterday?¡¯
Similar to the spear user, the dual dagger-user took this chance while the other two girls were busy to go after Nanase. If his leader had been actively managing his group then he would¡¯ve known that he should be avoiding Nanase at all costs. The dual dagger-user may be fast, but against someone with controlling abilities like Nanase, if he got caught, he didn¡¯t have the physical strength to escape.
Nanase saw him approaching and widened her stance, preparing for battle. As the platform was rather open, the dual dagger-user didn¡¯t have any element of surprise and could only rely on his speed. He zigzagged as he approached Nanase, trying to confuse her and make her miss any attempt to catch him. Nanase, meanwhile, remained calm. A one-on-one fight against someone without strengthening abilities was something she was familiar with. She gently spun her sash around her body as if taunting the dual dagger-user with an elegant dance. However, he was also used to these one-on-one scenarios and immediately became cautious, releasing a Skill.
¡®Illusory Clones.¡¯
His body appeared to split into three as he flipped backwards, each one mimicking the movements of the other two. Nanase¡¯s focused look deepened into a frown. This was where her real challenge began. She knew that she couldn¡¯t guess randomly as going for the wrongenemy would definitely be punished. Continuing to spin her sash around her, she obscured as much of her body from view as possiblewhile takingspecialcare to keep her hands hidden.
Although she knew that allowing him to get too close was dangerous, she didn¡¯t have any Weapon Skills to assist her from range and could only use this method. When he was almost upon her, she whipped her sash in an arc, trying to disperse the clones while trapping the real one. However, all three images leapt upwards, thinking to avoid the sash that was sweeping past below them, but they had already fallen into Nanase¡¯s trap.
With a secret flick of her wrist, she sent pulse along the sash, causing a raised wave to ride along it, passing through the clones and making contact with the real dual dagger-user.
¡°Found you.¡±
Realising his ruse had been seen through, but unable to alter his trajectory, the dual dagger-user instead tried to turn his proximity to his advantage as he circulated his energies and released another Skill.
¡®Twin Basilisk Fangs!¡¯
He stabbed downward with both hands, the blades of his daggers becoming exceptionally long, like the fangs of an enormous snake that glowed with a sickly green light.
Twin Basilisk Fangs ¨C an Advanced-rank twin-dagger Skill which strikes from above like the two fangs of a snake. If it hits, it numbs those areas of the body to the point where they can¡¯t move for several seconds, nor can Twin Energies be passed through them.
Now that Nanase had found her target and knew where he was going, there was no way that she wasn¡¯t going to capitalise on the opportunity. While her overall battle sense was still lacking, when certain conditions were fixed, then to her, it was no different from her hours of image training.
Instead of retreating, she stepped in towards him before suddenly leaning far back, avoiding the overly-long daggers, and planted her foot against his stomach, her legs doing a vertical split. Ignoring his shocked face, she whipped her ripped sash around his back and back down towards her, securing her foot in place while completing her rotation by pushing off the ground with her free foot. The pair rotated like a wheel in mid-air before she kicked his attached body towards the ground and landed on him with her full weight. She wasn¡¯t particularly spiteful and simply pulled his head up with her just-freed sash and made tostamp onhis face when she was prevented from doing so by the referee removing him from the platform.
The boys¡¯ leader was too preoccupied by Kira to noticed that he was the only remainingperson from his group as he deftly blocked one of her attacks with his large sword. Kira, on the other hand, had been secretly keeping tabs on her teammates in case she needed to intervene but smiled when she saw that they¡¯d both successfully defeated their opponents.
¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±
¡°I was simply admiring your physique. With that much muscle, I expected you to be stronger.¡±
¡°You bitch, now you¡¯ve done it. Graaaah!¡±
Despite his budding leadership qualities, his mental state was still very much that of a child¡¯s and Kira¡¯s provocation pushed him over the edge. His muscles bulged and his pink skin let off a wave of steam as he entered Overdrive: Stage Two. He raised his sword above his head, clearly intending to finish the fight in one blow. His sword began to glow red, a red that expanded to cover it in a layer of energy that flickered with a menacing aura.
Kira had been waiting for this moment and leapt up towards him, her sword returning to its sheath. She swung it out towards his arms, letting her momentum carry her as she released her Skill.
¡®Takanashi-style: One Leaf Splits the Wind.¡¯
The moment her sheath made contact with his sword, the red aura shattered and his eyes bulged with fright as he found himself unable to move. During this time, a flash of blue wrapped around his wrists while afoot pressed against his back. Once the stun from Kira¡¯s Skill wore off, he found that, even with his strength, he couldn¡¯t retract his arms which were stretched out and pulled backwards by Nanase who was settled against his back and pulling hard on her sash.
¡°Akane!¡±
¡°...Here.¡±
The soft voice was the only warning before a head of orange hair appeared in the leader¡¯s vision and a flash of steel raced towards his heart.
He landed on the ground next to his other four group members and simply stared in shock, his Overdrive state ending, the drain of using it causing his consciousness to flicker and his vision to darken.
¡®Impossible. We¡lost?¡¯
¡°Match over! The winners are Team Kira!¡±
The referee declared loudly to the loud applause ofeveryone seated in the stands. Kira looked at her group, no, her team, members¡¯ elated faces with a strange sense of pride. Although she hadn¡¯t been able to more actively assist in restoring Nanase¡¯s confidence, it seemed that she managed to find it on her own. Meanwhile Akane looked as if she couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened.
The deafening cheers brought Kira back to herself and she wasn¡¯t sure how to react. She¡¯d always fought to protect something, whether it was her life or people she cared about. This was the first time a fight of hers was appreciated as a spectacle and she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that.
Meanwhile, in the stands, there weren¡¯t only first-years who¡¯d come to watch the match.
¡°Suzuki and Kousen, huh? They seem like they could be interesting.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re actually impressed by juniors? Is there something wrong with your head?¡±
¡°Haha! Don¡¯t make fun of him. He said the same about you in your first year.¡±
¡°You¡¡±
¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m more curious about the orange-haired kid¡¡±
The three figures turned and left the Arena, continuing their banter as they walked.
New Student Arc: Chapter 10 - A New Classmate
Following her win against the five first-year noblesalongside Nanase and Akane, Kira noticed people staring at her whenever she walked. She was reminded ofwhen she first awakened Burning Soul and the way her clanmates would look at her when she passed.
It was slightly different now though. All the people who were looking at her in admiration were people she recognised as being in classes 1B to D, that is, the commoner classes.
When Kira¡¯s trio entered their Inscriptionclassroom the next day, Kira immediately felt that something was off. It quickly became apparent that someone loud was breaking the usual tranquillity of the room, a someone who was performing flips and cartwheels across the desks, a someone with bright red hair that Kira recognised.
¡®What was his name¡¡¯
¡°Ta-da! I¡¯m Tomoe Senji, bringing the heat to this Inscription class! How was that sizzling performance?¡±
¡®Never mind.¡¯
Senji turned to look at the newcomers and nearly fell off the chair he was balancing precariously on before righting himself and approaching the trio at high speed, his feet and hands gliding across the desks. Akane quickly dodged behind Kira in fright while Nanase tensed up slightly. Kira however, didn¡¯t even flinch.
¡°Heyo¡¡±
When Senji reached them, he paused, clearly not expecting Nanase to be such a beauty at her age and he seemed to be rendered speechless. He smiled sheepishly as if thatwould fill the silence, before coughing and hastily performing an elaborate bow with an excessive number of flourishes, hiding his embarrassed face.
¡°Pretty Miss, did you enjoy the show?¡±
¡°It was rather entertaining. Thank you for the performance. However, I believe that you should return the desks to how they were. Teacher Kurokawa is rather strict.¡±
Senji raised his head in surprise, not because he heard that their teacher was Teacher Kurokawa, but because he was being praised by this beautiful girl and his face turned as red as his hair as Nanase smiled sweetly at him.
¡°I suggest we take our seats. Class should be starting momentarily.¡±
¡°Y-Yes ma¡¯am.¡±
Kira shook her head, concealing a smile. Nanase wasn¡¯t just pretty but she had a way with people that Kira felt she never would. While Kira could read people to a certain extent, it was as if Nanase took the book and gently caressed it, teasing it into surrendering the information she desired.
Thinking of it this way, Kira shivered inwardly. It was a dangerous ability. Thankfully, Nanase hadn¡¯t shown any inclination to use it maliciously, yet, anyway. Kira then realised that the most important question hadn¡¯t been asked.
¡°What brings you here? Did you switch disciplines?¡±
¡°Something like that. Too much smoke going on in the other two.¡±
He replied vaguely, hands clasped behind his head. Then he froze, realising something.
¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you that girl from the first day, the one with the eyes?¡±
¡°I am the one you threw your weapon at while I was on my way to theentrance ceremony, yes.¡±
Nanase¡¯s kind lookturned hard at these words.
¡°Is this true?¡±
¡°L-Listen, that was a joke, a misunderstanding. My hand slipped is all. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±
¡°Which was it? A joke, a misunderstanding or did your hand slip? Your answer will determine my opinion towards you from now on.¡±
Kira simply stared. She¡¯d seen how Nanase treated nobles before but this was a different kind of brutal. It also made Kira uncomfortable as Nanase seemed to be pressuring him for her sake. Meanwhile, Senji sighed and stared at a particularly interesting spot on the ground while speaking.
¡°None of the above. I was just frustrated that she didn¡¯t even glance over at the routine I spent hours preparing. I was really excited to come here, y¡¯know. Thought I¡¯d meet lots of cool people who can do amazing things, just like my master. So, I wanted to make a good first impression on everyone but she just ignored me like I didn¡¯t exist and I guess I just¡kinda lost it. Sorry¡¡±
It may have been because of his young age or, as Kira guessed, Nanase¡¯s charm, but Senji suddenly blurted out his true feelings. Nanase smiled and placed her hand on his downcast head, ruffling his hair slightly.
¡°I understand. We all have things that we cannot tolerate, but it¡¯s important that we fix our mistakes. Now, go and give Kira a sincere apology.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need. I don¡¯t hold grudges.¡±
Kira half-lied. It was true that she wouldn¡¯t hold one over something as trivial as a single attempted blow in a moment of anger. However, when it came to something like nearly driving her ancestors to extinction and forcingthose who survived into hiding, that was another matter.
¡°If you¡¯re certain¡¡±
Nanase replied, a questioning tone in her voice. She¡¯d thought she was doing Kira a favour by getting an apology out of Senji but it seemed that Kira didn¡¯t need one.
¡°So we¡¯re good then? Sweet. Now, uhm, it would be awesome if one of you could catch me up on what this class is all about. Please.¡±
Senji recovered some of his original vigour and was looking pleadingly at the two as Akane was still hidden behind Kira. Nanase sighed.
¡°Allow me to assist you then. There¡¯s still enough time to cover the absolute basics if you remain focused. Inscribing is¡¡±
After class, Senji was tagging along with the three girls, despite not being invited, when they met up with Usagi after class.
¡°Oh, is our Nanase trying to gather seven currents so she can wish for her heart¡¯s desire?
1 And you are?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Usagi commented jokingly when she noticed that the size of their group had increased by one.
¡°Tomoe Senji, master acrobat and chakram-user. If you¡¯d like, I can perform for you.¡±
¡°Sounds awesome, but let¡¯s get some food first, I¡¯m starving.¡±
As if to emphasise her point, Usagi¡¯s stomach groaned loudly enough to cause some of the nearby students to look at her awkwardly. She returned their gazes confidently while declaring,
¡°Hey, forging works up an appetite. If a girl¡¯s gotta eat, she¡¯s gotta eat!¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t you clean up first?¡±
¡°What if I starve to death in the shower? Then I¡¯ll drown to death also.¡±
Kira looked over at Usagi and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Academy had somehow got her- and Kiyoshi¡¯s classes mixed up. The two of them were as atypical as a commoner and a noble could be. Speaking of Kiyoshi¡
¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±
Kira dismissed herself before slipping through the crowd of students in the Profession Hall lobby, trying to locate the head of blue hair she¡¯d spotted earlier.
¡°Are you looking for someone, Classmate Suzuki?¡±
Kira started. Despite her senses being on full alert, she hadn¡¯t noticed him behind her. This was the second time this had happened, the first being in the library. She cursed inwardly while making a firm intention to develop her Soul Sense.
¡°Classmate Mizuno, it¡¯s actually you I was looking for. I hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to thank you for the Skills you recommended the other day. Havingstarted learning them, they appear to be very useful.¡±
¡°No thanks needed. If that¡¯s all, you¡¯ll have to excuse me. I¡¯m off to go eat.¡±
¡°Great, then ya might as well join us!¡±
A cheerful voice interjected. The pair turned to see Usagi leading the other three towards them.
¡°I apologise, Classmate Kira. I couldn¡¯t stop her. Although, I will admit I was also curious as to whom you would be meeting with. Looks like it was with a boy after all.¡±
Nanase gave a soft giggle while Senji followed behind them, uninterested. Akane was hiding behind Nanase.
¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. Classmate Mizuno simply helped me pick out some Skill scrolls.¡±
¡°Oooh? So the two of ya are that far along already?¡±
Kira was uncharacteristically speechless and for good reason. It was clear what Usagi was implying and she had a good feeling that anything she said further would be turned against her.
¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not worth my time to indulge your fantasies. Classmate Suzuki, Classmate Akane, the rest of you, have a good evening.¡±
Kiyoshi said bluntly before disappearing into the crowd, leaving a disappointed Usagi and confused Kira.
¡°Hmph, what kinda man is he, leaving his princess like that?¡±
¡°Classmate Usagi, I¡¯m fairly certain they don¡¯t have that kind of relationship.¡±
¡°Nanase, stop ruining all the fu-¡±
Groooouuuw.
Usagi¡¯s words were interrupted by her stomach giving another loud groan.
¡°Fine, fine. Onwards! To food!¡±
¡°So, Classmate Tomoe, I take it you¡¯re in Teacher Hanami¡¯s class?¡±
Kira asked. Senji, whose mouth was half-full, quickly chewed and swallowed before replying.
¡°I wish. She¡¯s so cute. Nah, I¡¯m stuck with Old Man Yama. He¡¯s a pretty cool dude though so no complaints. And you guys¡girls?¡±
¡°Teacher Midorima.¡±
¡°Same here.¡±
¡°I''m in Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s class together with Akane.¡±
¡°Ouch, rough life. That Midorima guy didn¡¯t seem like a good teacher to me and Kurokawa is hardcore. I mean, did you see how much homework she gave me today?¡±
¡°That¡¯s simply catch-up work.¡±
¡°But see how much you¡¯ve done and it¡¯s only been, like, four days including today. Oh yeah, why doesn¡¯t carrot-hair talk much?¡±
¡°She¡¯s just a bit shy.¡±
¡°Ah, no probs then.¡±
At this, Akane¡¯s face wrinkled slightly, and she tilted her head up from her plate.
¡°Bro Senji¡
¡°So, what¡¯s ya type?¡±
Usagi suddenly butted in, changing the subject. Nanase started, then hurriedly dabbed her mouth with a napkin in case anything escaped. As someone who was fairly reserved, Nanase was still caught off-guard by Usagi¡¯s boldness at times.
Kira, on the other hand, was surprisingly amused. Previously, the only things on her mind were training and her goal. Now that she¡¯d felt less pressured to rush for strength, observing what people did in times of peace was strangely entertaining.
Senji took a sip of water before putting on a mock-serious thinking face.
¡°Let¡¯s see¡hot girls, cute girls, girls with big boobs, girls with long hair and girls with light-coloured eyes. They don¡¯t have to have all of those but the more the better.¡±
It was a well-known fact that Twin Energy cultivation, more so Life Energy, had side effects on one¡¯s body. More specifically, it both pushed the body towards its prime state as well as maintaining that state even when reaching very old ages as it extended one¡¯s lifespan. This meant that the difference in the bodies of children who cultivated diligently and those who didn¡¯t were very clear.
Nanase unconsciously folded her arms across her chest. Out of the three girls, she was the most flustered as, despite being humble enough not to think of herself as cute or hot, she was mentally ticking all the other boxes, being very gifted in her looks.
¡°Ahem, so, you¡¯re only concerned with outward appearances?¡±
Nanase asked, cautiously. As they were already on the topic, she was feeling a bit more bold.
¡°Well, appearances don¡¯t lie, y¡¯know. Unless the girl is some whackjob who doesn¡¯t think she¡¯s beautiful. Not that I would go out with an ugly chick who thinks she¡¯s beautiful. I mean, you gotta face facts. If you don¡¯t got it, you don¡¯t got it.¡±
¡°That was¡very honest.¡±
¡°Yep, that¡¯s me. Unlike some people who keep their true selves hidden, with me what you see is what you get. Take it or leave it. Man, this steak is delicious.¡±
Senji declared as he chewed on a hunk of meat before getting back into his meal wholeheartedly, leaving the girls in a somewhat thoughtful mood. After a few moments, Kira took a deep breath. She realised that, if she wanted to get closer to these people she considered friends, she would have to get out of her comfort zone and ask a question on the topic. As Senji seemed to be very forthcoming with his answers, she felt that there was a lot she could learn without giving away anything of herself.
¡°So what if there was a girl that fit all of your preferences, but she didn¡¯t find you attractive? What would you do?¡±
While Senji tried to swallow his food, Usagi gave Kira a big thumbs-up, clearly taking it to mean something was going on between her and Kiyoshi, at which Kira frowned. Meanwhile, Nanase on the side looked at her with relief, clearly having taken Senji¡¯s earlier words to mean that he was interested in her.
¡°Well, it¡¯s her loss then.¡±
The four girls shared a glance, surprise and curiosity being the most prevalent expressions. They''d expected him to say that he''d fight to convincethis fictional girl to get to know him.With his outgoing personality, Senjiseemed like he''d be the persistent type. Senji continued, seemingly oblivious to their reactions.
¡°I believe that¡there are tons of girls out there that can fit what I like. They¡¯re not like parents. Those you only get one pair of for your whole life. Once they¡¯re gone, that¡¯s it, no replacements.¡±
He finished, his voice tinted with melancholy.
¡°As much as I¡¯d like to hang out with you cute and beautiful girls some more, I think I¡¯ve lost my appetite. I¡¯m going to go and get an early night. See you.¡±
He pushed away his half-filled tray and rose up to leave. But before he could walk away, Kira grabbed the bottom of his jacket. She felt responsible for his change in mood as it was her question that seemed to trigger the change in his demeanour, but she had no idea what to say in a situation like this and simply stared at him. He stared back for a while, his eyes which usually burned with passion and life now smouldering embers as he gently loosened her grip. As he made to leave, Kira called out.
¡°Wait!¡±
In her desperate search for something to say, Kira recalled something he mentioned earlier that seemed a bit off.
¡®Thought I¡¯d meet lots of cool people who can do amazing things, just like my master.¡¯
¡°Your Tile, what¡¯s your number?¡±
He stopped. Then he shuffled a bit as if looking for something. Soon the shuffling stopped and he half-turned back towards them, a half-hearted smile on his face as he held something up to the light.
¡°This thing? Shiny, isn¡¯t it?¡±
In his raised hand, an entry tile glinted in the light, the number ¡®93¡¯ written on its face in gold ink,marking him as one of the ten referred students.
1
A play on Nanase¡¯s name as well as a popular manga
New Student Arc: Chapter 11 - A Job For Five
Thelast day of the school week had finally arrived and Kira, having finished morning classes, was eating lunch in the dining hall alone as usual. She wasn''t sure how her newfound friends usually spent theirlunch break as she''d yet to see them there.As she got up from her seat, a voice called out.
¡°Oi, Kira! Over here!¡±
The familiarfiguresof Nanase and Usagi were standing at the entrance to the dining hall, Usagi wavingher over eagerly. As Kira walkedtowards them,the usualstares followed her. In the eyes of many of the first years there was great admiration for Kira and Nanase who they now saw asguardian spiritsthat stood up against the unjust nobles.
¡°Morning, how are the two of you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m great and she¡¯s great. Now listen here.¡±
Usagi beckoned for the two of them to come further outside, out of earshot of the other students in the dining halland thosewalking in and out.She pulled the other two in close and leaned in conspiratorially.
¡°Nanase and I picked up this sweet job for the weekend and we need more people to pull it off so we want you and Akane to join us. Oh, and Senji too if possible.¡±
¡°Job? As in work?¡±
Nanase and Usagi shared a look of surprise before turning back to Kira.
¡°Classmate Kira, do you mean to say, since classes began, you haven¡¯t completed a single job?¡±
Kira nodded, still confused. Usagi sighed in desperation.
¡°Ya really something else. With what Nanase said about ya teacher¡¯s attitude, it¡¯s a miracle ya still here.¡±
¡°Classmate Usagi, please allow me to explain. Jobs are simply requests put up by other students that, if their requirements are fulfilled, the ones who complete them are remunerated in some way.¡±
¡°In simple words, we do stuff, we get paid.¡±
¡°Paid?¡±
¡°Well, not in money. We get paid in prestige points which are worth a lot more here. Sometimes, for the really good jobs, we can get materials and items too.¡±
Kira couldn¡¯t say that she was completely surprised. She¡¯d been wonderingif there were ways to increase her ever-dwindling prestige point stockpile. This led to another question though.
¡°When have you two found time to complete these jobs?¡±
¡°That is¡¡±
¡°Well, our teacher¡¯s a total slouch. Most of the periods are self-study so we just stay for a bit then leave. He actually encourages us to go out and complete jobs because it ¡®makes his job easier¡¯. Humph.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Classmate Kira. I know Teacher Kurokawa probably keeps you very busy with morning classes.¡±
Nanase¡¯s words were an understatement. During the years Kira was training alone, she¡¯d always been able to go at her own pace. If it was too much, she¡¯d stop. If she thought she could push further, she would. With Teacher Kurokawa, she found that she had to constantlytry to surpass herself. Teacher Kurokawa¡¯s regimen was unforgiving.
¡°In Inscriptor class we can ask Akane and Senji then we can meet up at the dining hall afterwards to discuss the details.¡±
Kira said after some thought. The other two girls nodded and the three made their way towards the Profession Hall.
After the awkward supper in which Senji showed the girls his referred student¡¯s tile, Kira had expected him to treat them differently, but he was back to his cheery self as if nothing had happened. However, Kira still felt somewhat guilty as it was her question that caused him to dwell on unpleasant thoughts.
¡°Yo, what¡¯s up, Kira? You nervous to ask me to perform?¡±
Senji teased. Kira shook her head, partly in answer and partly at how far off the mark he was.
¡°Nanase and Usagi found a weekend job for us to do as a group. The rewards should be good. Do you want to join?¡±
¡°What guy wouldn¡¯t want to spend the weekend with four cute girls. Count me in.¡±
Kira had approached him after class after having already explained to Akane what jobs were and received a positive reply from her. Together, they left the room with Nanase and gathered in thedining hallto eat supper and go over the details of the job.
¡°So it¡¯s like this. This senpai of ours wants us to get this crystal for him. But here¡¯s the catch, it¡¯s one that only grows on a particular soul beast, the Gem-studded Armourdillo. It¡¯s a pretty low-ranked soul beast but getting it to part with the crystal will be¡tricky.¡±
Usagi explained. Kira, who¡¯d read up on soul beasts, nodded.
¡°When threatened, they can focus natural energy through the crystals on their backs and use it to attack. But their most defining feature is their strong defence. The crystals growing on their backs augment their defence depending on the type of crystal and partially fuse with their skin making it tough to remove or break off.¡±
Senji, who was eating heartily, lifted his head up and swallowed.
¡°So I guess we just have to hit it really hard then.¡±
¡°Not only that but we only need one type of crystal so our attacks need to be accurate as well. There¡¯s also no guarantee that our individual strength is enough to break off even a shard of it¡±
¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing this as a team, no? Should be a piece of cake. Speaking of cake¡¡±
Senji wiped his mouth and got up and walked over to the dessert station. Meanwhile, Kira looked towards Akane.
¡°When the time comes, do you think you can break off the crystal?¡±
¡°I think¡I can¡¡±
¡°Do not worry about it too much. I am sure that, together, we will be able complete this job.¡±
Nanase¡¯s melodious tones were enough to soothe Akane¡¯s nervousness and she gave her a shy smile.
¡°Yes!¡±
The next morning.
¡°Are we all ready?¡±
Kira asked as she approached a group of three near the Academy¡¯s front gate. The entranceway was very busy with students either leaving to perform weekend jobs or to go explore the city.
Kira was dressed in the same clothes she¡¯d worn when she first arrived at the Academy, a simple black dress that was easy to move around in with a double-wound, black sash that comfortably held the sheath of her dragon-motif katana.
¡°Not yet. Princess Nanase was still getting ready when I left.¡±
Usagi commented with a hint of exasperation. It was obvious that the only time she needed was enough to put on a pair of loose pants, tucked into a pair of high boots, and a sleeveless blouse that showed off arms which were only now beginning to show some shape due to the few days of intensive blacksmithing. Her usually shoulder-length hair was tied into a bun. She looked ready to take on any outdoor task.
¡°Do girls usually take so long to get ready? I was here an hour ago.¡±
Senji asked. Although, from the way he was shifting his weight from foot to foot, Kira could tell that he still had more than enough energy. Senji¡¯s spiky red hair was the same as always, but Kira found his clothes interesting. His pants puffed out around the upper half but then quickly narrowed to hug his calves, similar to those in pictures she¡¯d seen of ancient Sunstrike Empire entertainers, but the similarity stopped there. Looking further down, his feet were resting in very traditional, blocky, wooden clogs that added a few extra centimetres to his height. Holding up his strange dark-brown pants was a very long belt that wound once around his waist before looping up over his shoulder and down the other side, and to which was attached thin ropes that held his silver-grey chakrams. On his torso he wore a more ordinary plain white cotton shirt in the Sunstrike style with the sleeves rolled up. Around his neck and wrists were accessories set with tiny red gemstones that matched his bright red hair.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°You were¡too early.¡±
Akane¡¯s soft voice drew Kira¡¯s attention towards her as she melted into view. Similar to Kira, she was dressed all in black but in a more peculiar outfit. She wore calf-high boots and elbow-length gloves with a long-ish, black training tunic, similar to the one Kira wore when she was younger only, instead of black training pants, her legs and arms were covered by a fine black mesh. Around her neck a black bandana was tied. Her usual twintails were instead made up into an orange braid and tied with a black ribbon bow. Overall, the usually shy girl looked almost intimidating, the black outfit giving off a feeling of danger.
¡°Apologies for my tardiness everyone!¡±
A sweet voice called out causing everyone nearby to turn and look. Senji gave a wolf whistle. Sure enough, it was Nanase, her wavy navy-blue hair glistening from the wash it had just received. When she arrived before the others, a soothing scent of lavender washed over them, causing them to relax a bit.
She wore a navy-blue skirt that was covered in silver embroidery and stopped just above her knee and above a pair of soft pumps. Above that, a loose, panelled white blouse with wide cuffs covered her developing curves. Her waves of navy-blue hair were elaborately tied back with a number of azure ribbons that matched the azure sash around her waist. Aside from her ever-present, silver, dragon-shaped earrings, she wore a blue-and-silver hairpin in the shape of crashing waves. Kira had to admit that she looked lovely, even if impractically so.
¡°There she is. Wait, ya do realise we¡¯re going to explore a forest, right? I mean, if ya okay with getting ya hair tangled and those pretty clothes all mesesd up by branches, I can¡¯t stop ya. At the very least, put these on. They might not be quite ya size but ya feet will thank me later.¡±
Usagi reprimanded with a mock serious face while pulling a pair of sturdy hiking boots out of her Storage Crystal. Nanase smiled at her and proceeded to change her shoes, but not before jibing back,
¡°Thank you, Classmate Usagi. Although, I wore this because it was fairly plain and I would be able to sew up patches easily, I appreciate your concern.¡±
¡°Fairly¡plain. I give up. We¡¯re clearly in different wealth classes.¡±
Akane shared Usagi¡¯s look of disbelief while Senji just laughed raucously on the side. Kira tried to diffuse the situation while holding back her own laughter. Although she didn¡¯t care much about money, even she could see the humour in one noble calling herself poor compared to another.
¡°Usagi, I take it you¡¯ve travelled a lot.¡±
¡°Not exactly. My clan owns a lot of undeveloped land so my family goes camping in the surrounding forests a lot. I¡¯ve picked up on a few things, like how to dress, for example.¡±
Usagi replied, teasing at Nanase¡¯s outfit once more.
¡°We¡¯ll be relying on you then.¡±
¡°But of course. How else are you going to survive even one night in the wilds?¡±
Usagi flexed her bicep which moved slightly more than the last time Kira had seen her do it.
¡°We should hurry up though. With Princess Nanase looking like that, someone might ask her out soon.¡±
Usagi couldn''t resist one last poke at Nanase. Nanase blushed furiously, not sure whether to take the comment as a compliment or an insult.
¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get going girls.¡±
¡°Agreed¡¡±
The group of five took a carriage out of Moonsilver Capital, Lunari City, and headed south-west until they reached the boundary of the Eclipse Ring Forest, a massive circular forest that stretched across the boundary between the two empires. At its centre was the place where the Twin Empires¡¯ founders, the Wandering Moon and Sun, are said to have had their final battle and had been laid to rest. Since then, it¡¯s said that the forest had grown around the area as if to guard the sacred site and that the residual energy from those great people had permeated the air, mutating the ordinary animals who¡¯d begun to live in the forest into the Soul Beasts people had come to know today.
This presented a problem for people wanting to cross the border between the empires as most of the boundary existed within the forest. Also, the closer one got to the centre, the more dangerous the Soul Beasts they would encounter. This meant that the only practical option for most people was to travel around the edge of the forest.
At the same time, this made it difficult for the two empires to engage in conflict with each other as there were two separate fronts to cover and any misinformation on where the other side¡¯s powerhouses were located could be disastrous. Hence, the relationship between the two empires had remained fairly peaceful for the last hundred years.
Kira¡¯s group had chosen to enter from the south-eastern quadrant of the Eclipse Ring Forest as that was where their client had researched there to be the highest chance of finding a Gem-studded Armourdillo with the crystal he was looking for.
All around the perimeter of the forest were checkpoints guarded by soldiers from the empire to prevent people from infiltrating the empire through the forest as well as to regulate the type and quantity of soul beasts being killed for their resources. Kira¡¯s team didn¡¯t intend to kill the Armourdillo, simply to dislodge a bit of crystal to finish their job.
¡°Identification please.¡±
The guard on duty at the gate requested. Kira and the others all brought out their entry tiles, proof that they were from the Bladeworks Academy. He didn¡¯t blink twice at the tiles themselves but his eyes widened when he noticed the two referred students¡¯ tiles.
¡°I see that you don¡¯t have a teacher with you. If you don¡¯t mind waiting, I can organise an escort for the young sir and madams.¡±
He said, bowing slightly. It was known to every soldier in the empire that referred students of that academy were the future powerhouses that would lead the empire to even greater glory and should be protected at all costs.
¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, senior. We don¡¯t intend to go that far in. We¡¯re here simply to get a piece of crystal from a Gem-studded Armourdillo and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±
The soldier sized them up, thinking.
¡®Can they even pierce it¡¯s hide?¡¯
¡°Very well. You may go through. I hope you find what you need.¡±
Once Kira¡¯s group was out of earshot, he turned to the soldier at his side.
¡°Request a special unit to watch them, code gold.¡±
The other soldier nodded and ran off.
After passing through the perimeter gate, a strange silence settled around Kira and the others, as if they had stepped into an altogether different world.
¡°The air here¡it feels different somehow.¡±
¡°The natural energy is denser here than outside. If we cultivate our Soul Energy here, I estimate that at our current level it would rise twice as fast.¡±
Kira observed. She¡¯d paid a lot of attention to her cultivation while training alone and the effect of cultivating in different environments was just one of the things she¡¯d observed.
¡°Classmate Kira is correct. We should make the most of our time here. However, obtaining the crystal is our current priority.¡±
¡°About that, do any of you girls know where we should look? As in, do you know where it likes to live in this forest?¡±
Senji enquired, not joking for a change. It was Kira who spoke up. As the one who spent the most time in the library, she took it upon herself to do some research on their quarry.
¡°Crystals, especially those with elemental attributes, generally form in undisturbed areas with strong elemental energy or elementally-inclined natural energy. The crystal we¡¯re looking for has a strong affinity for water, so we should search for large bodies of water or large amounts of moving water.¡±
¡°Then we should head north, north-west. I remember seeing a lake there on the map.¡±
Nanase hadn¡¯t been idling either. With all the free time Teacher Midorima gave them she¡¯d decided to be productive and help prepare for the trip, reading up on the geography of this particular section of the Ring Forest. Everyone nodded and began the trek.
¡°Why do we have to do so much walking?¡±
Usagi complained, despite her boots making traversing the forest relatively easy.
¡°I thought you didn¡¯t mind being outdoors.¡±
Senji retorted.
¡°I¡¯m a blacksmith, not a hiker.¡±
¡°And here I thought rabbits
1 were quick on their feet.¡±
¡°Come closer and I¡¯ll show ya just how quick I am!¡±
¡°Whoa, scary.¡±
Senji teased as he backflipped away from Usagi, who was pushing up imaginary sleeves, before sticking his tongue out at her. Together, they were following Nanase, who was leading the group through the brush. At the rear, Akane was happy to shadow Kira who taking in the forest.
Kira took a deep breath. The air was fresh and clean, more so than in any forest she¡¯d been in before, and worlds apart from the city air she¡¯d grown used to over the past few weeks. The Eclipse Ring Forest felt as if it still had some wildness in it, a feeling of being untouched by humanity.
¡®Or maybe because it actively rejects people.¡¯
As this thought crossed her mind, a soft rustle in the bushes, which would normally have gone unnoticed, instead screamed a warning to Kira¡¯s sharp instincts and she drew her sword without hesitation. A gentle pressure against her back let Kira know that Akane was also ready to fight, reacting to Kira¡¯s movements. The others turned and looked at Kira in confusion.
¡°Is something amiss?¡±
The words were barely out of Nanase¡¯s mouth when a blur of green shot out from the underbrush and towards her face. Kira reacted swiftly. Knowing she was too far away to block it, she slashed out.
¡®Wind Rending.¡¯
The green blur, sensing danger, surprisingly changed directions in midair to avoid the energy slash and instead headed towards the ground. Now that it had slowed down, everyone could see that it was a green snake with a pair of small, white, bat-like wings a third of the way down from its head. On its forehead was a red triangle of scales that reflected the light as it hissed at Kira in frustration before slithering away. Kira watched it go and, when she couldn¡¯t pick up any physical signs of it returning, sheathed her sword.
¡°Just now, that was an N-Gon Winged Viper, wasn¡¯t it?¡±
Nanase asked, her voice shaky. She hadn¡¯t noticed the viper approach nor had she realised her life was in danger until after the danger had passed. Kira nodded.
¡°We were lucky it was only a Tri-gon Winged Viper or it wouldn¡¯t have respected my attack as much. We should get into a proper formation. Usagi take the front, Senji and Akane on the sides and Nanase in the middle. I¡¯ll take the rear.¡±
In this way, Kira¡¯s group continued cautiously in the direction Nanase had indicated earlier.
1 Play on Usagi¡¯s name, which literally means ¡®rabbit¡¯
New Student Arc: Chapter 12 - Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle
Since arriving in this world and learning about Twin Energy cultivation, Kira had come to enjoy reading and had developed a deep respect for authors who took the time to share the knowledge they''d gained with the world.
After her duel against the nobles with Nanase and Akane,Kira realised that they¡¯d won mainly due to a few simple tactics and focusing most of the attention onto herself, leaving the other two in one-versus-one situations wherepossible. Realising that her knowledge of group battles was lacking, she''d gone to the library to learn what she could. There, she found thatthere was a lot more depth to battles involving multiple cultivatorsthan she¡¯d expected.
Simply to determine the formation of a group of weapon cultivators, you first had tounderstand what the scrolls referred to as battle types. They listed classificationsbased on a person''s strengths and specialities in a fight:
"Power Types specialise in overwhelming enemies with raw strength, whether through hard-hitting Skills or physical strength.
Speed Types rely on quick movements to avoid attacks and strike the enemy¡¯s weak points.
Tech, or Technique, Types aren¡¯t particularly inclined to speed or power but use technical skill and varied attack patterns overcome enemies. They are known to be flexible and able to adapt to many different situations.
Control Types use weapon techniques and Skills to control the battlefield, assisting allies and hindering enemies.
Lastly, Defence Types use their defensive Skills and their tough bodies to protect their allies."
There were more types detailed in the library¡¯s scrollsthat were either sub-types of the five Core Types or very rare types that only appeared everythousand years.
This information forced Kira to think critically about her own abilities as well as that of her friends. Shetried to be honest with herself. Between her mixture of long-ranged and close-ranged Skills, as well as her Takanashi Style sword techniques and extremely rare ability to create Skills, she wascertain that she would be classified as a Tech Type.
Nanase and Akane she had personally fought alongside and thought that Nanase, with her sash that could restrict enemies¡¯ movements, was likely a Control Type while Akane, with her ability to quickly approach unsuspecting enemies and burst power, should be a Speed Type. Senji, with his acrobatics and inability to remain still, would surprise her if he wasn''t aSpeed Type.
As for Usagi, Kira wasn¡¯t sure. She¡¯d never seen the lively girl fight nor seen her weapon. This second point wasn¡¯t much of a surprise as most, if not all, nobles kept their weapons in their personal Storage Crystals. The fact that Usagi chose Blacksmithing as her Discipline made Kira inclined to categorise her as a Power Type, for now anyway.
That meant that their group consisted of one Power Type, two Speed Types, one Control Type and one Tech type. With this composition, Kira arrangedthe grouparound Nanase so that Nanase could assist no matter which side they were attacked from. Having Usagi, as the Power Type, in front was to block frontal attacks while Kira was at the rear both to guard it and better assess the overall situation should they be attacked again.
As they were still near the edge of the forest and in a group, most of the Soul Beasts ignored them whilemost of the hostile ones weren''t strong enough to take on the entire group and left them alone. At one point they heard a crashing through the underbrush and took up defensive positions. However, whatever it was, was in too much of a hurry to notice them. After a few hours, they heard a rumbling sound.
¡°Is that¡¡±
¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace.¡±
¡°Captain! Code Violet!¡±
¡°Details.¡±
¡°Sir, it¡¯s a Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle¡*huff huff*¡from the Middle Ring.¡±
¡°At ease. I¡¯ll personally lead defence and scouting squads to evacuate anyone still inside.¡±
The soldier looked relieved while the Captain still had a dark look on his face.
¡®If those kids die on my watch, the Academy will make sure I never work again...or worse.¡¯
After winding between a few more trees, Kira''s groupwalked out into a wide open space. Right in front of them, alarge lake shone like a giant mirror laid flat on the ground. The ripples from a light breeze reflected the sunlight and drew thin strings of silver on the surface of the mirror. At the far end of the lake was the source of the rumbling. A majestic waterfall crashed down onto the otherwise perfect surface of the lake, it¡¯s raw power a stark contrast to the peacefulness of the lake.
¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±
¡°Yeah, no denying that.¡±
¡°Mm¡¡±
KREEEEEA!
The group was snapped out of their reverie by a screeching caw. They quickly took up their positions, weapons at the ready. In the sky, a black shape was circling the area.
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, but isn¡¯t something weird?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
Senji gestured towards the lake and everyone looked,
¡°I mean, this is probably the only drinkable water in the area. So where are all the Soul Beasts?¡±
Kira shivered. They¡¯d been careful enough that they wouldn¡¯t have startled any Soul Beasts when they¡¯d arrived. But the lake was completely deserted. That could only mean one thing:
¡®The Soul Beast up thereis far stronger than anything else in this area!¡¯
¡°Everyone, run!¡±
KREEEEA!
But it was a little too late. As the shape dove from the sky towards them, its shape became clearer. It was a large bird with bright red plumage and two pairs of powerful wings. Around the edge of its face were golden feathers that, along with its golden crest, resembled a majestic helmet. It would¡¯ve been a sight to behold had it not been screeching angrily, its wings glowing brightly with a red aura.
Despite Kira¡¯s earlier shout, when they saw the beauty of the Soul Beast, they were all temporarily mesmerised. Kira was the first to recover and feel the gravity of the situation.
¡°Usagi!¡±
Her second shout was enough to snap everyone back to reality. They took up their battle positions, Usagi punching her fists together as a pinkish-red light glowed on her chest. More of the light coated her arms before solidifying into a pair of smooth metal gauntlets.
¡°Back off, birdie.¡±
Usagi growled, raising her arms up in an x-shape as her pupils flashed gold.
¡®Cross-guard.¡¯
The scarlet bird dove towards Usagi with great speed. Up close, it was much larger than they expected, with a four metre wingspan. As its razor-sharp talons hit Usagi''s gauntlets, the metal screeched loudly. Usagi gritted her teeth and bent her knees as she withstood the impact using her Skill, a tiny rivulet of blood runningdown the corner of her mouth. However, the entire group was still assaulted by a burning heat that emanated from the bird¡¯s glowing wings.
If it was possible for a Soul Beast to look surprised, the scarlet bird did when its attack was blocked. With a cry, the bird retreated two metres before flapping its wings vigorously. Kira¡¯s group shrank back as they were buffeted by wave after wave of intense heat that blew over them.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
¡°I recognise this Soul Beast now. It¡¯s a Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle. They¡¯re born with strength already at the Core Rank and from its golden feathers, it should already be at the Soul Spirit rank.¡±
Kira realised and informed the others.
¡°So, what should we do?¡±
¡°We can try our combined strength against it first. Together, we may be able to defeat it. Usagi, can you cover us? Senji, Akane, let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°Alright. C¡¯mon birdie, let¡¯s see if ya can handle this.¡±
Usagi pushed against the heatwaves, which felt almost physical, and raised her left palm while her right hand curled into a fist at her hip.
¡°Yah!¡±
Her pupils flashed gold as she punched forwards, releasing her Skill. Pinkish-red light exploded out from her fist towards the eagle but faded quickly, scattering the current barrage of heatwaves and giving everyone a temporary reprieve from the pressure. In that time, Akane vanished off to the side while Senji started spinning his chakrams. Meanwhile, Kira¡¯s Skill was already prepared.
¡®Wind Rending: Storm.¡¯
Before the heatwaves could affect her attack, Kira slashed out and split the energy blade, its shards hovering in a sphere around the eagle. As the energy blades settled into position, two blurs of silver-grey, Senji¡¯s chakrams, sliced through the air straight towards the eagle. Whenthe chakrams were about to hit, Kira converged her energy blades on their target. Behind the eagle, a black figure appeared, the dagger in her hand trailing blood-red light.
Sensing danger, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle screeched and covered itself with its wings, forming a scarlet sphere that hovered mysteriously in the air. When Kira¡¯s energy blades came into contact with the red energy emitted from the eagle¡¯s wings, they dissipated, melted away by the intense red energy. Meanwhile, the two physical attacks made metallic clanging sounds as they ricocheted off the eagle¡¯s sturdy wings.
¡®A Valkyrie Eagle¡¯s wings are really formidable.¡¯
Kira thought before almost getting knocked off her feet by the sudden shockwave as the eagle stretched out its wings again. It was then that Kira realised that they should prioritisesurviving.
¡°Everyone, to the waterfall!¡±
Kira shouted while positioning herself to intercept the eagle. The eagle sized her up and, considering Kira to be an easier target than Usagi, rose up a dozen metres in the air and dove at her, beak-first. However, Kira was already prepared, her pupils flashing gold as she leapt up into the air to meet the eagle¡¯s attack.
¡®Rejection.¡¯
Angling her body and blade forward, she released her Skill in such a way that she avoided the direct line of the eagle¡¯s attack while simultaneously pushing it towards the ground. The resulting force of her Skill also pushed her closer to the lake. Flipping through the air, Kira landed on her feet and ran towards the lake.
Not expecting Kira to respond with such a fearless move, the eagle flapped its wings to stabilise itselfto avoid crashing into the ground. After righting itself, it turned its attention back towards Kira, who had by now dived into the lake after her friends.
Screeching in anger at these humans who were clearly weaker than it was, but who¡¯d managed to give it such trouble, the eagle took off at full speed towards the lake, singeing the plants in its path with the heat coming off its wings. As a fire-attributed Soul Beast, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle wasn¡¯t too fond of water but it wouldn¡¯t let a mere lake stand between it and the prey that had infuriated it so.
When Kira breached the surface of the water for air, she used the time to check on the eagle¡¯s position. At first, she didn¡¯t see it and hoped it had left, but a shadow above her caused her to dive down instinctively. As she did so, several arrows of flame pierced into the lake around her, causing the water around them to froth as it was instantly brought to a boil. The flame arrows weren¡¯t washed away immediately, but instead writhed in the water for a few seconds before fizzling out.
Kira considered herself lucky that she wasn¡¯t hit by any of the arrows but, as she looked around her, countless arrows were raining down into the lake causing its temperature to steadily rise.
¡®So this is the strength and intelligence of a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast. It¡¯s trying to force us out of the lake rather than fighting somewhere disadvantageous to it.¡¯
Kira thought with admiration and a touch of fear. The sheer quantity of flame arrows was already a clear sign of the difference in Soul Energy rank. Not only that, but the power of each individual arrow, especially in terms of elemental purity, shown by its ability to boil the water around it immediately, was astonishing. On a scale of one to ten, if Kira¡¯s Wind Rending could be said to have an elemental purity of two, then the flame arrows were at least a seven.
With her Life Energy cultivation at the Muscle Tempering rank, Kira had just crossed the middle of the lake by the time the temperature of the lake started becoming uncomfortable. Kira could see her friends ahead of her in the water. They were nearing the waterfall.
With its keen eyesight, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle also noticed this and focused its attack towards the distant half of the lake. Even though it was a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast, it couldn¡¯t maintain that kind of powerful, large-scale attack for too long. So even though it narrowed its attack area, the density of arrows remained the same as it conserved its energy.
Kira was now beginning to feel the pain of the burning heat of the water against her skin, so much so that she had to close her eyes and continue swimming blindly. Her lungs were also burning up for lack of air as she didn¡¯tdarebreachwith the risk of taking a flame arrow head-on.
Eventually, the water cooled slightly while at the same time a heavy force from above knocked her down a few metres deeper into the lake, forcing out what meagre breath she had left and almost knocking her out.
¡®That must be the waterfall. Now where are the others? And the shore?¡¯
Kira kept going, her limbs moving more on instinct even as her consciousness wavered. As she was about to give in to the comforting void, she felt something soft between her fingers and grabbed at it with as much strength as she could muster.
Splash!
¡°*cough cough*¡±
¡°Kira! Are you okay?¡±
Kira coughed up the water she¡¯d swallowed before spending the next minute taking deep breaths of clean air. She finally opened her eyes and saw her friends around her with looks of concern on their faces.
¡°I¡¯m¡alright. Where are we?¡±
As Kira¡¯s mind became clearer, she became more aware of her surroundings, including the sound of the waterfall.
¡°It is a cavern behind the waterfall. The Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle attempted to attack us but its attacks couldn¡¯t get through the rushing water. More importantly, Classmate Kira, you were too reckless. That¡¯s a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast! We couldn¡¯t injure it together yet you attempted to hold it off alone. You could have died!¡±
Nanase¡¯s voice was choked with emotion, her earlier relief at Kira being unharmed giving way to the anxiety she must¡¯ve felt when she realised that Kira wasn¡¯t right behind them.
¡°I¡¯m sorry caused you to worry. I was giving you all an opportunity to escape.¡±
¡°And imagine how that¡¯d make us feel if ya messed up, dummy.¡±
Kira was bewildered. In her old life, dying to protect one¡¯s family and clan was considered a great honour, a noble way to die. What did Usagi mean by considering their feelings? At that moment, Akane tugged at her sleeve.
¡°If Big Sis Kira¡died¡I¡¯d be very sad.¡±
¡°Not just that, we¡¯d feel responsible for it happening. It¡¯s something we¡¯d have to live with. Dead people can¡¯t come back to life, y¡¯know?¡±
Akane and Senji gave their sentiments and Kira began to understand. There was something more about what it meant to be friends with someone, that her life wasn¡¯t exclusively her own anymore, but not in a bad way. There were others that willingly valued her life perhaps even more than she did. She sat up only to place her forehead on the ground in front of them.
¡°I sincerely apologise to all of you. I didn¡¯t consider all the effects my actions would have on those around me, nor that you all value me so highly.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that we ¡®value¡¯ you, exactly. More like, we¡¯re your friends and we want you with us for as long as possible. It sounds kinda selfish when I say it like that but it¡¯s the truth.¡±
Senji said in a serious tone that none of them would usually associate with him. Kira felt her heart thaw a bit more, her regret at not being able to save her Takanashi Clan melting a bit further, but before she could say anything else¡
Kroooo.
Kira rose up, turned and reached for her katana instinctively, but it wasn¡¯t there and she remembered that she¡¯d returned itto her Storage Crystal before diving into the lake. The others didn¡¯t miss this movement, however, and Nanase, who was regaining her composure, placed a hand on Kira¡¯s chest and shook her head.
¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. They appear to be friendly.¡±
¡®Appear to be¡¯ ordinarily wouldn¡¯t be enough for Kira but she trusted Nanase and didn¡¯t take action although she kept her Twin Energies circulating and was ready to retrieve her katana at any time. Nanase moved and Kira got a clear view of the source of the sound.
At first, she thought that she was looking at a rock formation, until it blinked at her. Yes, blinked. It was then that she started to make out a head, a stocky body, four stubby legs and a short tail. Once she figured this out, she realised that there wasn¡¯t just one, but many of them, from the size of small animals to ones that almost reached the roof of the cavern which, while not the highest, was still several metres high.
On the backs of the rock creatures, however, was what really drew your eye. Sparkling crystals, some of them over a metre in length,had a deep lustre that refracted the light around the cavern in a kaleidoscope of colours. There could be no mistake. These were the Gem-Studded Armourdillos they had been looking for.
However, Kira noticed that they were all huddledtowards the back of the cavern and every time the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle outside cried, they trembled a bit.
¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to get the crystal from them like this. They¡¯ll just gang up on us.¡±
Senji observed. Nanase was quiet for a moment before speaking.
¡°I may be mistaken, but Soul Beasts with higher cultivation can understand human speech, correct?¡±
Nanase asked tentatively. Kira nodded in agreement.
¡°I¡¯ve read the same. It¡¯s risky though. If they see us as a threat, we¡¯ll be caught between them and the eagle outside. Perhaps I should go alone-¡±
¡°No! That is, we are a team now. We shall attempt this endeavour together.¡±
Nanase replied firmly, clenching her fist, before looking towards the others. Usagi gave a big smile and two thumbs up. Senji, who was doing a handstand, nodded with difficulty before righting himself. Akane responded by leaning against Kira¡¯s back with hers and resting her head between Kira''s shoulderblades. Kira shook her head in exasperation, letting a smile creep through.
¡®So this is friendship. It¡¯s¡warm.¡¯
New Student Arc: Chapter 13 - Clash on the Lake
Kira¡¯s group approached the Gem-studded Armourdillos cautiously, their weapons holsteredfor now and empty hands raised to show that they meant no harm. When the smaller Soul Beasts noticed them getting closer, they skittered back towards their larger fellows, who observed Kira¡¯s group calmly.
As they were about to reach the largest Armourdillo, their path was blocked by two others who were about half its height. They keened at Kira¡¯s group in what wasclearly a warning tokeep their distance. Kira, who was leading the group this time, respectfully dropped to one knee and the rest followed suit.
¡°Apologies for the disturbance. May we speak with your leader?¡±
Kira wasn¡¯t sure if they understood until one stepped back without turning away from Kira''s group and keened towards the largest Armourdillo who made a deep sound back and began to approach, its every step causing the entire cavern to tremble. When it reached Kira, it grunted at her. When ittook no further action, Kira saw this as an invitation to speak.
¡°Honourable Elder, this little one humbly greets and thanks you for allowing us to take shelter here. You have our sincerest gratitude.¡±
Kira defaulted to her formal register as this occasion was one that called for it. The Elder Armourdillo grunted in acknowledgement. Kiracontinued,
¡°However, our original intention in coming here was to find Aquamarine Crystal. I was wondering if you could permit us to leave with a small shard?¡±
What Kira hadn¡¯t explicitly said but that was understood by both parties, was if one of the Armourdillos was willing to part with a shard of said crystal. The Elder Armourdillo was silent for a long time as it stared at Kira with its craggy eyes.
"Kroooa."
A higher-pitched croon sounded from behind the huge Armourdillo who shuffled sideways carefully, revealing a young boy, who looked to be about the same age as Kira, if not older. He had bright teal hair and eyes.His simple clothinglooked to be made from Soul Beast pelts. His most striking feature, however were the glimmering crystals that appeared to be growing out of his skin. Before Kiracould say anything,the boy placed his index on his lips, indicating to her to remain silent.
¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. What would a human like me be doing here and why do I have these crystals on my skin?"
He spokedirectly and without introduction.
"The answer tothe firstquestion would be thatthis is my home.The second answer would be that these Soul Beasts are like family and have taught metheir cultivation method hence these crystals of mine. If you think that I''m being rude, you should look at yourselves first. If you''ve done any research about them, you''d know that your request is one that we would have immediately kicked you out of here to be killed by that eagle for."
The boy continued, his eyesglaring at them accusingly. After a few seconds of looking at Kira''s group on their knees, he relented.
"It seems that you really don''t know.The crystals of a Gem-Studded Armourdillo don¡¯t grow on us, they grow from us. To take our crystals is thesameas physically stealing our cultivation."
He paused, letting the statement sink in.
"Then again, kids likeyou probably wouldn¡¯t have come here for our crystals if you''d known that and had any shame. I don''t have time to judge your character so I''ll simply give you a chance to get the crystal from me personally.I have certain conditions, though.¡±
He paused, waiting for Kira to reply.Kira wasn''t about to point out that he seemed to be the same age as her yet called them "kids". She was also aware that he seemed to have some level of authority among the Armourdillos for reasons she couldn''t begin to fathom. Also, despite his brash manner of speaking, Kira sensed a hidden intelligence behind his words that made her wary.
¡°If it is within our ability, then we shall do so gladly.¡±
The boy gave a sly smile.
¡°You have a way with words. As Core-ranked cultivators, you should just be able to meet my conditions. No need to look so surprised. No parents would allow their kids into the Ring Forest, let alone be able to get past the gate unsupervised unless they were from that academy. So, do we have an agreement?¡±
¡°Seeing as you believe we have the ability to fulfil your conditions, I believe we should know what the conditions are beforehand.¡±
¡°Of course, of course. The first one is simple: Kill that Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle.¡±
Nanase attempted to get up to protest but Kira stopped her with a hand.
¡°We accept. However, what makes you think that we can defeat it? It¡¯s a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast, after all.¡±
¡°Although the Elder here appears very strong, Gem-Studded Armourdillo cultivation is very slow. The Elder is at the bottleneck to the Soul Spirit realm but hasn¡¯t managed to break through yet. As you know, the qualitative difference between ranks is enormous, so he can¡¯thope to compete withthat eagle yet. Also, we aren¡¯t known for our speed or attack strength. Against a flying Soul Beast like the Scarlet Violent Eagle we¡¯re nothing more than sitting ducks. As to why you have a good chance of defeating it now, it expended a lot of its Soul Energy on that large-scale attack so now would be the best time to attack it, before it recovers its energy. Do you understand?¡±
Kira nodded. His words made sense. They hadn¡¯t spent that much energy in their initial clash with the eagle. It was at this point that she turned towards her friends.
¡°I believe that this is something we can achieve, but only if we co-ordinate with each other. Will you assist me?¡±
Nanase extended her hand, palm down.
¡°I cannot allow you to do this alone.¡±
Senji placed his hand on top of Nanase¡¯s, causing her to blush slightly.
¡°I gotta show it who really brings the heat around here.¡±
Usagi slapped her hand on top of Senji¡¯s causing him to let out a yelp.
¡°Hehe, I¡¯m up for showing that birdie a piece of my mind. Let me hit it this time.¡±
Akane gently placed her hand atop Usagi¡¯s.
¡°Of¡course.¡±
Seeing everyone¡¯s hands together, Kira placed hers on top and smiled at them.
¡°There¡¯s no one else I would rather have watching my back. As for how we''ll do it, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle¡¯sgreatest strength is in its wings. So, here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do¡¡±
Kira turned to the teal-haired boy.
¡°I trust that we can rely on your assistance? Defeating the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle is to your benefit as well.¡±
This was an important point. Kira couldn¡¯t be sure of the others, but she had no experience with marine combat. In the lake, their movementwould be greatly restricted as not having solid ground beneath their feet would make it difficult for them tousetheir full strength.
¡°Our fighting ability is weak but yes, we can assist you in traversing the lake.¡±
Kira bowed her thanks. The boy made a few guttural crooning sounds which sounded like tumbling rocks. A few Armourdillos, matching the numbers of Kira¡¯s group, split off from their group and followed Kira, diving into the lake alongside her and her friends.
By now, the water had cooled down substantially with the help of the fresh, cold water pouring in from the waterfall. As the Gem-studded Armourdillos swam ahead of them, Kira marvelled at their speed. With the smallest of motions, they crossed greater distances than she thought possible, a stark contrast to their shuffling gait on land. Kira reached out a hand and grasped onto one of the crystals of the Armourdillo in front of her. The others did the same and gestured to the Armourdillos where they wanted to go.
With its excellent eyesight, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle watched the scene underwater curiously for a few seconds before letting out a piercing screech and diving towards the water. Right before crashing into the surface it unfurled its wings and flapped hard, bringing it to a stop and displacing the water around it, revealing Senji and buffeting him with wave after wave of burning energy.
¡°Where ya lookin¡¯, ya dumb birdie?¡±
Usagi taunted from somewhere behind the Eagle. The Eagle didn¡¯t turn and instead pursued Senji whose Armourdillowas retreating andpullinghim through the water with it.
¡°Ignorin¡¯ me, huh? Well, have a taste of this!¡±
Usagi¡¯s pupils flashed gold as she took up the stance she had before, wispy pink light coating her arms before gauntlets materialised on her forearms as she summoned them from her Storage Crystal. Her feet werewedgedbetween the crystals on the Armourdillo¡¯s back as she stood up straight, showing off herbalancing skills whilethe Armourdillo raced through the waterafterthe Eagle. With her left palm facing forwards, Usagi¡¯s right fist glowed with rosy-pink light. When she was close enough, she punched forward in a huge motion, a torrent of pink rose-coloured energy exploding out of her fist towards the Eagle.
"Rose Musket!"
Usagi yelled out. In its excitement at finally being able to chase its prey who had humiliated it not so long ago, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle had tunnelled on Senji, disregarding Usagi behind it. After all, none of them had proven to be a threat to it earlier.
Thwump!
Usagi¡¯s Skill hit it squarely on the side of its head, actually dazing it for a second. Surprised and angered by the interruption, the eagle gave up on Senji and began to chase after Usagi and her Armourdillo.
¡°Oops, time to go.¡±
Usagi crouched down, using the crystals on the Armourdillo¡¯s back for support as it sped away from the eagle. Impatient to take down its prey, theeagle splayed its four wings and let out a cry. The red energy coating its wings glowed with a burning orange light which gathered into several points on them. From these points, the condensed energy formed into arrows of flame that shot continuously towards Usagi.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°That¡¯s so unfair.¡±
Usagi complained as she rapped on the Armourdillo¡¯s head with her knuckles to alert it to the danger. The Armourdillo was fairly intelligent for its cultivation and turned towards her to give her a dirty look when it saw the incoming flame arrows. With a grunt, it dove underwater and began swerving side to side to dodge while Usagi struggled to keep hold of the slippery crystals.
Meanwhile, deep in the lake¡
¡®A target focused on eliminating his enemy will expect a knife in the back but not in the kidney.¡¯
A girl clothed in black sitting cross-legged atop an Armourdillo thought as she shifted into a crouching position. She opened her eyes as the Soul Beast she was riding began to rapidly ascend through the water.
SPLASH!
The water below the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle erupted, the spray evaporating before it could reach its eyes. However, the screen of water still obscured the black-clothed figure holding a dagger, backhand, which glowed dully with a bloody light.
¡®Usurping Fang.¡¯
Usurping Fang ¨C an upward, backhand stab that aims for the weak point at the top of the throat and pierces through to the brain. Works well against enemies taller than you or on higher ground than you.
As a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle¡¯s senses were naturally very acute and this included its ability to sense danger. In that moment, it felt a very real threat to its life. Although it was a bird, and had a different body structure to a human, the area around its neck was a still a vulnerable one. It hastily flapped its wings, retreating from the danger but also but alsoending its flame arrow attack.
Akane flipped through the air, a hard look in her eyes, before landing on her Armourdillo which began its retreat back into the lake. Recognising Akane as a real threat even with her lower cultivation, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle chased after her instead.
From her position on the other side of the lake, Kira admired her friends. Not just their individual skill, but their fearlessness in the face of an enemy stronger than them. Kira didn¡¯t know this, but part of the reason they were able to face an enemy of this calibre was because of the trust they placed in each other.
Kira, Nanase and Akane had shared the experience of the uneven duel against the noble boys. Usagi became close friends with Nanase in a short space of time and was a very open person in general. Meanwhile, Akane seemed to have attached herself to Kirawhenever they were together almost like a personal bodyguard although itlooked more like she was hiding behind the taller girl.
Senji, who was a relatively new addition to their group, acknowledged their ability and considered them friends at the very least. He found Kira''s stability and ability to be calm under pressure to be strangely reassuring and made a conscious decision that he would follow her for as long as he agreed with her.
Bit by bit, they drew the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle towards their intended location. Kira took a deep breath. For this next part, everyone was counting on her. While Senji was being chased she met up with Usagi and nodded towards her. Usagi gave a broad smile back.
¡°Let¡¯s give this birdie the scare of his life.¡±
Kira observed the situation while waiting for her cue. Just as Senji tagged-out with Akane, the orange-haired girl flipping over the eagle¡¯s head, Kira moved. She leapt off of her Armourdillo and onto Usagi¡¯s slightly toned forearm.
¡°Let¡¯s goooooooooo!¡±
Usagi yelled as she threw Kira forward with all of her strength. Even though she didn¡¯t appear to be very strong physically,Usagi''s daily blacksmithing work was developing both her muscles and her Life Energy at a faster rate than Kira, who was doing Inscribing, to the point where she¡¯d already surpassed Kira in Life Energy cultivation within this short space of time. The intensity of the Bladeworks Academy¡¯s Discipline programmes was not be underestimated.
As Kira flew through the air, a rumbling sound filled her ears. Ahead of her, the back of the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle grew larger in her vision until she was right before it. Shebrought out her dragon-motif katana while mid-air and brought it horizontally before her, left palm supporting the blade.
¡®Rejection.¡¯
The Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle had noticed that a large projectile was rapidly approaching and turned to face it, but it couldn¡¯t have expected it to be an actual person. By the time it reacted, trying to close its wings, it was already too late.
Kira¡¯s blade hit the partially-closed wings, allowing her to unleash the full power of her Skill. Even though it wasn¡¯t a damaging Skill, Rejection was a defensive Skill whose key trait was its enormous pushing strength. A golden halo of light exploded out from where Kira and the eagle clashed, both parties sent flying away with the halo.
¡°Upsie. I got ya.¡±
Kira was caught by Usagi who¡¯d raced up on her Armourdillo. The Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t so lucky and,before it could right itself, was blasted directly into the gushing waterfall.
KREEEEEEA!
It let out a shriek of surprise as the water cascaded down on it. Although the crushing water itself couldn¡¯t harm it due to its Soul Spirit-ranked strength, the water was filled with natural energy that had taken on the same water attribute. That energy contained in the water collided with the wings that the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle was so proud of, smothering the opposite-attributed flame energy they were producing. No matter how the eagle struggled to maintain this coat of flame, it was alreadytired after its widespread attack on the lake and couldn¡¯t resist, the pressure of the water shoving it down into the lake.
¡°Here¡¯s our chance. Be careful.¡±
Kira called out. The other responded, converging on the eagle¡¯s location, each preparing their respective Skills. However, the Eagle wasn¡¯t intending to just lay down and die. It¡¯s said that an animal is at its most dangerous when itseesDeath¡¯s door opening before it.
Usagi punched her one gauntleted fist into the palm of the other, as if about to bow, rose-pink energy swirling around it. She leapt off her Armourdillo and punched down towards the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle which was floundering about in the water.
¡°Mealtime, birdie! Camellia Rifle!"
The water parted as Usagi¡¯s fist drew near, swirling about in a similar pattern to the energy trailing behind her fist. The eagle, which was too busy trying to extricate itself from the water, didn¡¯t even notice Usagi until she was right above it. However, one of itsflailing, metallic wings sliced through the air as well as Usagi, catching her in the side and swatting her several metres away, her body trailing blood. Not only that but, as she landed in the water, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, the result of the energy backlash from having her Skill forcefully interrupted.
¡°Classmate Usagi!¡±
¡°Nanase, focus. You¡¯re with Akane and I. Senji will see to Usagi.¡±
Akane nodded silently and lightly tapped off her Armourdillo to land at her usual spot at Kira¡¯s back. Their Armourdillo swam forward determinedly but also with some caution. It didn¡¯t want to end up the same way as Usagi.
Nanase, whose heart yearned to tend to Usagi, shook her head to clear her thoughts and finally made her move. From her dance classes when she was younger, her body intelligence and sense of timing were well-developed and she expertly lashed out with her sash, the material slipping neatly between the powerful wings of the eagle and tying around its body. With the flame energy extinguished, the sash didn¡¯t burn up and, with a strong tug and the support of her Armourdillo, Nanase yanked the eagle partially out of the water and straight towards Kira and Akane. The pair moved, Kira leaping forward with her katana at the ready and Akane following closely behind.
¡®Phantom Pierce.¡¯
¡®Penetrating Fang.¡¯
The two girls released their Skills almost simultaneously, their blades plunging into the Eagle¡¯s feathered breast. While its wings were as strong as steel, if not stronger, the rest of its body wasn¡¯t as sturdy.
KREEEEEA!
The Eagle only had time for one last mournful shriek, regretting its arrogance in messing with these fledglings, before its body stopped moving and simply floated on the surface of the water.
But, any elation they had at taking down this powerful adversary was crushed when they returned to check on Usagi.
¡°It¡¯s just¡a feathercut. Nothing to worry about. Haha¡¡±
Kira knelt down on her Armourdillo¡¯s back to inspect the wound. As expected, Usagi was just acting brave. There was a large gash running from her left hip all the way up to her left breast and it looked quite deep.
¡°Nanase, we need to stop the bleeding.¡±
Nanase nodded and withdrew a similar sash to the one she fought with from her Storage Crystal. Since her fight against the noble boys, she realised how fragile the material was even when infused with Soul Energy.
¡°Is this okay?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯ll do.¡±
Kira took the material from her and, after peeling away Usagi¡¯s blood-soaked blouse, she used her katana to cut off a quarter of the sash, crumpling it up and pressing it to the wound. Usagi drew in a sharp breath as she bore the pain. Kira took the remaining part of the sash, which was fairly long, and wound it tightly around the gash before securing it with a knot.
¡°That should be enough until you get proper treatment.¡±
Kira learned enough about first aid from her Takanashi Clan Elders to be able to do this much but she was fully aware that she was no physician. She also knew the limits of Life Energy techniques. Usagi couldn¡¯t heal the cut herself because it was too deep. At her rank, the best she would be able to do is stitch up her skin which wasn¡¯t a good idea when there were still internal injuries.
¡°That was very well done. For a moment there I thought you wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it off.¡±
The voice was one that Kira and the others had heard not too long ago. As they turned around to face the teal-haired boy, they noticed that he appeared to be standing on the water. No, that wasn¡¯t correct, he was standing atop one of the huge Armourdillo Elders. At that moment, Kira wasn¡¯t in the mood to see him but they¡¯d made a deal and she was responsible for making sure he upheld it.
¡°We¡¯ve killed the eagle. Now it¡¯s time for you to give us the crystal so that we may be on our way.¡±
¡°Ah, it seems that there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. I said that I¡¯d relinquish the crystal under certain conditions. Killing the eagle was only the first one.¡±
Kira¡¯s eyes hardened and she began circulating her Twin Energies. Her friend was seriously injured due to this boy¡¯s demand and he still dared to make more? Who cared if there was a whole clan of Soul Beasts behind him? Kira was even prepared to use the power she feared most if he continued trying to exploit her. Akane sensed Kira¡¯s killing intent and soundlessly stood against Kira¡¯s back. Kira was surprised to find her presence there comforting and it allowed her to calm down enough to ask,
¡°What are the others?¡±
¡°Oh no, there¡¯s but one more. Seeing as you all had the strength tobeat upthat Soul Beast, you¡¯re definitely going to become even stronger in the future. I only ask that you owe me a favour. When the time comes, I¡¯ll claim it. Consider the crystal my investment in you. You may even have the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle¡¯s body.¡±
Kira didn¡¯t like owing people anything but the reason they were there in the first place was for the crystal. She didn¡¯t want Usagi being injured to be for nought. The offer was also fairly generous which is why she said,
¡°I accept. Only, it is I, alone, who owe you a favour.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine by me, you showed excellent leadership ability.¡±
With that, he rolled up the sleeve of his makeshift shirt and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were glowing the same teal as his hair. Slowly and deliberately, he raised his hand to his exposed upper arm. With a grasping motion, he slowly pulled his hand away, a look of pain crossing his otherwise smooth features. The colour in his eyes dimmed and he presented his hand to Kira, palm open. On it laid a small crystal that glowed gently with a blue light.
Kira took the crystal, wondering whether they¡¯d been had, but before she could question the size of the crystal, the boy and the other Armourdillos had already left. The ones carrying Kira and her friends swam towards the shore. After lifting Usagi off the back of the last Armourdillo, the group of Armourdillos swam off into the lake.
Not long after they Armourdillos left, there was a crashing sound from the forest close to them. Kira, Akane and Senji quickly rose from their sitting positions to face the incoming threat while Nanase stayed back to protect Usagi who was beginning to look pale and was breathing slowly.
When the figures emerged from the forest, Kira and the others let out a sigh of relief. It was a squad of soldiers like the ones that were guarding the perimeter gate. In fact, the one leading the group was the same Captain who oversaw their entrance earlier that day.
¡°Oh, it¡¯s you all. Thank goodness you¡¯re okay. Have you seen the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle? We heard its cry from this direction not too long ago.¡±
¡°Captain, thank you for your concern but there is no longer any danger.¡±
¡°Oh, so you saw it return to the Middle Ring?¡±
¡°No, Captain, we¡¯re the ones that killed it.¡±
¡°By that you mean¡¡±
The Captain was silent for a while and the squad members behind him looked towards Kira with blank stares. Just what did she mean, ¡®killed it¡¯? Kira turned to Nanase whose Storage Crystal glowed softly and the corpse of the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle, which she had stored earlier, appeared on the ground in front of her.
¡°By ¡®killed¡¯, I mean that the five of us defeated it on our own. Now, if you are done asking pointless questions, my friend requires immediate medical attention.¡±
Kira still wasn¡¯t in a good mood after the talk with the teal-haired boy and was now taking out her frustration on the unfortunate guard captain who only now came back to his senses.
¡°Yes, of course. Men, assist the injured girl and lead the others back to the gate. Also call back the other squads and tell them that the threat has been neutralised.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
As he watched Kira¡¯s back, he just realised that he¡¯d been reprimanded by a girl who was likelya quarter of his age. But, from the look in her green eyes, he felt as if it was from someone far older.
¡°Monsters, all of them.¡±
He muttered under his breath before following the rest of his squad.
Farewell for now (and a little gift)
Greetings my dearest readers
I feel that it''s more than about time for me to say this, although it pains me greatly to do so. You guys and girls deserve to be kept in the loop about what''s happening on my end as it concerns the continuation of this story.
I haven''t written any new content since the end of last year.
I''ll preface my explanation by saying it''s not because I''ve gotten bored of the story or the characters nor have I completely lost the will to continue this story. This story, incomplete as it is, will always have a special place in my heart as the first piece of writing I''ve thrown into the universe to have critiqued by a wide variety of amazing people.
There are a number of reasons that I haven''t been writing. Firstly, my primary life obligations. I know that everyone has these and I''m not trying to use them as an excuse. I''m also aware that there are people whose life obligations are far more time-intensive and exhausting than my own who truly wish to write more but are unable to and my heart goes out to those people.
Secondly, how I choose to spend my free time. I''ll admit that a disproportionate amount of it goes into naps rather than getting solid sleep, and that''s partially due to me not getting regular exercise, a lifestyle thing I need to sort out. The main things I spend my free time on these days are playing fighting games online with the local community (UNIst is awesome), jamming LoL with my real friends, as well as catching up on anime (I really enjoyed Mob Psycho 100 S2 and Tate no Yuusha no ariagari and have subsequently started reading the LN of the latter from the start).
When asking myself whether I would be rather writing instead of doing one of the above activities, I struggle to find reasons to write although it will be more beneficial to me in the long run (hopefully). At that time, I also remember the time I spend just staring at my computer screen agonising over what direction I want to take the story, when I want particular events to happen, and other decisions that end up with me not typing up any new content. I end up just making notes of everything that has happened so far, the abilites of each character and various other planning tools to try and order my thoughts, thinking that will help me figure out what to do next.
Lastly, perhaps as a result of the above, I''m starting to doubt my own ability. Rather, I wonder if this type of long-running story with cultivation elements was too ambitiuous for me to attempt as my first major work. I''m starting to think that maybe I should have started with something simpler.
This isn''t helped by the fact that sometimes I wake up and actually remember parts of my dreams. These dreams have given me the vaguest ideas for potential characters, power systems and stories that I would like to explore but I''ve been "chained" by my "responsibility" to continue working on this story, even though I really would like to progress this story.
The culmination of the above brings me to the conclusion I''ve now come to:
I''m putting Empyrean Blade Kira on indefinite hiatus.
If I ever have the time and inclination to continue this story, I will do so but I don''t want you good people holding on for something that isn''t coming.
When I next post a work on this site, it will be something complete (or nearly complete). I don''t think my personality is suited to this one chapter a week/month system especially as I''m not dedicating my life, let alone all my free time, to writing as is the case for some people.
I''ll admit though, one thing I''m interested in exploring is trying to gauge interest in a concept by sharing it with people. I''m not sure if this site is the best place for it but you all will know better than me. I know that just sharing snippets like that also has it''s downsides as people may come up with their own variations of it and use it in more complete works so I''ll have to see.
To round up, it''s been a pleasure having you all reading my work and I read every comment (as few as there are) and I appreciate all the support you''ve given me. When I post a new work, whenever that may be, I''ll probably post the announcement here (Not sure what tools this site has for informing groups of readers. Will have to look into that.)
Until then, safe travels
Arc Lumina
P.S. As a parting gift, I''ll leave you with this scene I wrote long before I started coming up with ideas for the people Kira would meet during the Academy Arc, footnotes and all. Enjoy.
Random Fight Scene #1 Kira vs Yukihime
[Kira recently broke through to the Spirit Projector Stage; bimbo and her man-club want revenge on her for insults to their beloved lady''s appearance]
¡°Besides, those deadweights only hold you back in a fight.¡±
Kira remarked plainly. The crowd of male followers stood, stunned, before shouting indignantly.
¡°How dare you speak like that to Miss Yukihime?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you understand just who she is? She¡¯s the Snow Princess[1] of the Snow Cross Clan of the Nine Heavenly Clans!¡±
¡°Yeah, what makes you think you¡¯re so special? You¡¯re barely even a B.¡±
At this last comment Kira couldn¡¯t help blushing lightly while keeping her impassive face. While it was true that she couldn¡¯t compare to the melons of this Snow Princess, she didn¡¯t consider her size that bad.
¡®Argh, I forgot how annoying puberty was. Wasting thoughts on pointless things.¡¯
Kira shook her head to clear it again. This Snow Princess could definitely be considered a beauty among beauties. Her pale skin shone like purest jade and her pretty face with well-defined features, as if moulded by a professional sculptor, held a cold aloofness that must be extremely alluring to these men that surrounded her.
To Kira, however, it seemed like a mask she chose to wear because it suited her. By the sheer number of followers this white-clad woman had, there could be no doubt to its effectiveness.
¡°Now, now, boys. This girl obviously hasn¡¯t had time to develop yet, in terms of both her body and manners. However, we can¡¯t just let her get away without teaching her a lesson, don¡¯t you think?¡±
¡°Of course, Princess. Please, leave it to us. We¡¯ll teach her a lesson she¡¯ll never forget.¡±
¡°I look forward to the results.¡±
About seven of the men stepped forward towards Kira, Twin Energies circulating violently. By the energy fluctuations in the air, Kira knew that they were at least of the Soul Spirit rank.
Yukihime looked on as her strongest followers advanced. They should be able to handle this one girl. However, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a growing sense of unease. This girl with hair as dark as midnight who, from her worn clothes and disrespectful manner, obviously was not from a prestigious background but actually had no fear in this situation.
Moving slowly and deliberately, Kira drew her twin dragon-motif katana, its blade reflecting the sunlight in mysterious wave-like patterns.
¡°Small fry like you shouldn¡¯t get in the way when the adults are talking.
True Skill: Gale Rending.¡±
A blast of wind shot up around her as, with a horizontal sweep of her blade, Kira slashed out at the advancing men. The air howled as if in pain and, of those seven men, the ones with the most battle-sense raised the guards just before the invisible cutting wave hit. The rest weren¡¯t so lucky.
As their Life Energy cultivation was quite good, they didn¡¯t take any fatal injuries but that slicing wind energy still cut deep into their flesh, forcing three of them out of the fight.
The wind blade didn¡¯t stop there. It continued past them towards the Snow Princess and her remaining followers. As her followers cowered in fear,Yukihime waved her hand. The air in front of her rippled and the wind blade passed harmlessly through them, although the building behind them was left with a long horizontal scar about one inch deep.
Despite being slowed down and nullified completely in places, this was the strength of Kira¡¯s high-level Basic Skill, Wind Rending, when trained to 100%, Gale Rending.
Those remaining four fighters had been in enough battles to not waste time admiring the strength of Kira¡¯s Skill but tried to take advantage of the moment right after an attack, when even the strongest fighter would be at their weakest.
Kira anticipated this and, instead of backing off, moved towards them.
One of the men had a two-handed axe while the other three wielded fairly standard double-edged swords. Despite their numbers advantage, when Kira¡¯s body began to move, her body seemed to become illusory and, one-by-one, their first attacks missed as she weaved through them.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°Do you really have time to talk?¡±
The men were now angry but also a little fearful. They knew that when they started their attacks, they were sure to land them. However, their weapons seemed to pass through Kira as if she was ghost. If they were truly fighting a ghost, there was no point, was there?
Of course, Kira didn¡¯t really become ghost-like, nor did she move particularly fast. Her erratic movement bourne from training with the black blade that absorbed Soul Energy caused her body movements to become unpredictable to those watching, to the point that her body was never where it seemed to be.
The men fell to the ground, their legs bleeding from where Kira had severed their tendons while in passing, making them unable to get up and continue fighting.
¡°So, melon-princess, now am I worthy of your time?¡±
¡°You do indeed have skill. Would you consider joining the Snow Cross Clan? With my influence I can guarantee at least a place in the Outer Sect.¡±
¡°Not interested. Besides, the Snow Cross Clan has taken someone important to me so I don¡¯t have any good feelings towards them.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°It seems that you harbour hostility to my clan. With your ability, it¡¯s too dangerous to let you live in case you come knocking on our door in the future.¡±
Extending her right hand to the side, Yukihime grasped at the empty air. At the same time, the white sapphire ring on her finger shone with a pale blue light. With a blur of blue energy, a gigantic cross-shaped chakram made of a pale silver metal appeared in her outstretched hand, the symbol of the Snow Cross Clan.
Kira took a moment to admire the Snow Princess¡¯ weapon. It was truly a unique blade. Each of its four curved wings carried a deadly edge while the entire weapon emitted a cold aura similar to the Princess herself. As a member of the Nine Heavenly Clans, the Snow Princess was definitely no disappointment.
With a majestic air, Yukihime walked towards Kira. Kira was nearly caught off-guard as she noticed every step Yukihime made covered several meters.
In two more steps, Yukihime was right in front of Kira and swinging that disk-shaped chakram at her neck. Keeping calm, Kira lifted her sword to block and the two weapons crashed against each other in a flurry of sparks.
Without wasting any movement, Yukihime twisted her wrist, the rotation unlocking her weapon, while pushing Kira¡¯s sword off to the side before swiping at her neck again. Kira didn¡¯t have any time to move her body to avoid the attack. Instead, she raised her left hand and the obsidian ring that her Uncle Tetsuya had given her before he left shone with a black light.
BANG!
The Snow Princess reeled a bit from the impact which felt almost ten times greater than when her first attack was blocked. She blinked in surprise.
In Kira¡¯s hand had materialised a sword with a blade handle in a black scabbard, of which the scabbard alone had blocked Yukihime¡¯s attack without receiving the slightest scratch. As Yukihime disengaged, Kira slid the scabbard into her sash-beltbeforedrawinga sword with a blade darker than the blackest night.
Holding the black sword backhand in her left hand and twin dragon katana in her right, Kira took the initiative to re-engage, her body moving erratically making it hard to follow.
Having seen this strange movement before, Yukihime didn¡¯t flinch. Instead she began to spin her massive chakram while a chill wind rose up around her. Heaving the chakram forward, it spun through the air straight towards Kira. As it spun, it blasted out waves of cold energy that caused even the ground warmed by the midday sun to glisten as it froze solid leaving a layer of ice wherever the chakram travelled.
¡°Snow Cross Style: Frozen Earth.¡±
Yukihime murmured as she felt the drain from using the Weapon Skill.
¡®Ice element huh? I can¡¯t let it touch me or I¡¯ll probably be frozen solid. At the very least, if I get too close, it might slow me enough that she can use something else on me.¡¯
Kira thought to herself as she gathered her strength and leapt straight up. However, something happened that she didn¡¯t anticipate.
The chakram curved upwards to follow her into the air, its icy energy condensing the air around it into flakes of snow. Yukihime smiled. Although Frozen Earth was only a low-level Advanced Skill, when trained up till at least 80%, she could use the energy imbued in the chakram to control it with her mental strength.
Kira, as usual, wasn¡¯t fazed by this turn of events. In a fight, things never went as planned. To plan too far ahead when the opponent¡¯s abilities are unknown is inviting disaster. Besides, Kira already knew what she had to do to deal with this Skill.
As the chakram came dangerously close to her, she twisted her body in mid-air and stabbed that black blade through the hole in the centre. As she was falling while the chakram was rising, the blade dragged against the chakram, slowing its spinning momentum and dragging it back down to earth with her.
Kira ignored the frost gathering on her left side of her body as she eventually landed on the ground and yanked that, now stationary, chakram into the ground.
Yukihime was somewhat at a loss. She couldn¡¯t understand how her Skill had been so easily countered. While she knew that her mastery was only at 80%, meaning she couldn¡¯t force the chakram to make any sharp turns or tilts, that didn¡¯t explain why Kira wasn¡¯t an iceblock when she landed.
¡°Nice try, but this sword is a bit, special.¡±
When Yukihime looked closer, she noticed that the air around the black blade was distorted. Kira let out a rare smile of satisfaction.
¡°It absorbed all the energy that was left in your weapon, whether it was Soul Energy or momentum. It might not be sharp, but it has its uses.¡±
¡°You¡¡±
Never before had Yukihime been in this kind of position. Usually her title as the Snow Princess of the Snow Cross Clan of the Nine Heavenly Clans was enough to make people fear and revere her. However, she was also considered fairly talented in terms of cultivation and managed to easily beat those who dared challenge her.
¡®But now, this¡girl¡forces my hand.¡¯
¡°Little girl, it seems I need to get serious. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t start off leniently.¡±
Yukihime focused and her eyes began to glow a brilliant blue while a blue aura surrounded her body. The ground around her began to freeze over before cracking apart and a frigid wind blew up from nowhere, causing Kira to get goosebumps.
¡°Come forth, Glacial Valkyrie!¡±
From behind Yukihime, a hazy blue outline of a female warrior with 2 wings and holding a giant chakram began to take form before solidifying into a translucent being. In the centre of its chestplate, a dark spherical orb about the size of a marble glowed gently, a blue thread of energy connecting it to Yukihime¡¯s dantian.
¡®This must be¡she¡¯s actually also a Spirit Projector?¡¯
Kira thought to herself as she flicked her left wrist. With a glow from the ring on her finger, the black sword and scabbard disappeared in a blur of black energy. She then resheathed her twin dragon katana.
¡®I suppose now is as good a time as any to test my strength.¡¯
Similar to Yukihime before her, Kira¡¯s eyes also began to gleam with a blue radiance as a misty blue aura surrounded her body. Shortly after, a translucent blue sword hilt pushed out from her chest. She grabbed hold of it and drew out a translucent blue katana.
The katana was longer than average and, to Kira,was the perfect weight. Its majestic blade had intricate patterns as ifpainted onto it by a master calligrapher. Its most striking feature, however, were the three marble-sized orbs arranged in a neat line, embedded into the blade just above the hilt.
Each of them glowed with a mottled light that was sometimes gold and sometimes blue. Unlike Yukihime, threads of light didn¡¯t come from the katana¡¯s orbs, but rather a single thread merged seamlessly with the ribbon attached to the end of the hilt and connected itself to Kira¡¯s dantian.
Kira looked at the sword from a few angles, appearing to ignore Yukihime before her. While she knew that the Triple Core was a feature of the evolved Flame Blossom Trail cultivation method, she didn¡¯t expect it to manifest itself in her Spirit Projection. It really was far too conspicuous.
Yukihime wasn¡¯t used to being ignored. Her mask of aloofness shed, she yelled angrily at Kira.
¡°Hey, we¡¯re having a fight here! You can admire your puny Spirit Projection later!¡±
¡®Idiot. If you were really concerned with fighting and winning, you would¡¯ve attacked by now.¡¯
Kira thought as she visibly returned her attention to the white princess and her armoured warrior that were both exhibiting an increasingly colder aura.
Casually, Kira flicked her Spirit Blade towards the ground at her side. Without touching the ground, the blade toreit up leaving a gaping fissure a metre deep. Smiling inwardly, Kira was impressed at the sheer power of her Soul Spirit''s Projection.
¡®All that time cultivating those extra two Cores was worth it.¡¯
Without warning, Kira kicked off the ground hard, covering over five meters before Yukihime realised what she was doing.
¡°Damn. Protect!¡±
The translucent Valkyrie flew in front of her and released its chakram vertically in front of her where it started spinning rapidly and acting as a shield.
Kira ignored the action and went straight for the chakram shield anyway, bringing her blade down hard on it. A strange sound similar to metal scraping against metal rang out as blue shards of translucent energy sprayed everywhere.
The one most affected was Yukihime. Although she was behind both her Valkyrie spirit and the rotating chakram shield, ultimately, both were part of her and the pressure alone that she felt from Kira¡¯s single attack was enough to make her cough up a mouthful a blood, tainting the purity of her white dress with a violent splash of red.
Of course, those blue shards were actually pieces of Soul Energy being chipped away from the Soul Spirits but, in a direct contest of Soul Energy volume, how could anyone of the same rank be Kira¡¯s equal? With her Tri-Cores, she could even contend with those on a rank above her in terms of pure quantity of Soul Energy.
Yukihime, while not knowing the specifics, quickly realised that if this continued, she would lose, so she had to change tactics.
¡°Disengage, then attack.¡±
¡®All I need is some time.¡¯
While the Valkyrie was keeping her busy, Kira noticed Yukihime run off behind her to retrieve her fallen weapon, but she couldn¡¯t stop her due to the relentless attacks of the Valkyrie spirit. This was the main advantage of Living Spirits over Item Spirits.
Living Spirit holders could come up with multiple tactics to attack and defend with, including this two-pronged type of attack, although their individual abilities don¡¯t improve too much. Meanwhile, Item Spirit holders were innately more powerful as long as they remained together with their Soul Spirits.
Yukihime knew that she couldn¡¯t afford to waste time. If this battle became drawn-out she would ultimately be the loser¡which meant she had to use her strongest ability.
¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been forced to use this.¡¯
She thought as she raised her chakram above her head and set it spinning as it floated in the air. A cold wind began to blow from both her and her Valkyrie as pulse after pulse of cold energy spread out from her and washed over Kira.
¡°Grab her!¡±
Yukihime shouted as dark clouds gathered in the clear sky and a wildblizzard started to rage.
Kira heard the shout, but it was too late. In truth, Yukihime didn¡¯t need to use verbal commands. But, for those Living Spirit holders new to using their Spirit Projection, it helped focus their thoughts to make clear commands, which meant that the Ice Valkyrie had received the command before Kira had heard it.
¡°Enjoy the afterlife, little girl¡Absolute Zero!¡±
With a final pulse of energy, air itself became a solid block of ice over twenty meters high with large ice formations protruding from it. This frosted area extended for five kilometres in every direction around Yukihime who was, of course, unaffected.
Having trapped Kira within that ice to freeze to death, Yukihime collapsed to the ground, exhausted and retracted her Glacial Valkyrie into herself to restore some of her lost Soul Energy.
¡°That¡was the hardest fight of my life. I¡¯m¡so glad¡it¡¯s over.¡±
Just as her words drifted away on the wind, a golden glow emanated from the ice in front of her.
¡°No¡way.¡±
Hastily she summoned her Glacial Valkyrie once more despite her failing energy reserves. At the same moment, the ice in front of her burst apart, sending chunks of solid ice flying everywhere. Luckily, her Valkyrie spirit deflected the ones that flew at her or she would likely have died right there.
Standing there, coated in a fiery yellow aura that was melting the ice around her within seconds, pupils like molten gold around vivid green irises was Kira, her Bloodline Technique: Burning Soul active.
As Kira walked towards her, Yukihime noticed that that once-blue sword had become a blazing yellow and the three orbs looked like golden gems. All around Kira, energy was pouring into her from the environment, those threads of natural energy actually condensed enough to become visible to the naked eye.
Just by watching her, Yukihime knew that the amount of power at Kira¡¯s disposal far outweighed her own. The only ones she could think of that could match Kira right now, she could count on one hand. Regardless, she had her pride and commanded her Valkyrie to attack.
Kira walked towards Yukihime as the Valkyrie threw its chakram towards her, the spinning blade cutting through the air like a giant buzzsaw, and releasing a freezing aura. Kira raised her golden spirit katana in front of her.
As the chakram touched the sword, it melted away like butter before a hot knife, the sword cutting through it like it wasn¡¯t there at all. The first orb on Kira¡¯s sword glowed with a bright light as she drew it behind her and jumped forward. The Valkyrie tried to intercept her but, in the blink of an eye, Kira was behind it, withdrawing her katana into an imaginary sheath.
¡°Takanashi Style Iai: Black Lotus.¡±
Three golden lines appeared on the Valkyrie in the shape of an asteriskbefore they ripped through the Valkyrie, their golden light blurring slightly towards Kira, seeming to dragthe Valkyrie''svery essence with it.
Yukihime, being inextricably bound to the Valkyrie coughed up about a litre of blood before trembling before Kira.
¡°Go ahead, kill me. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll make sure that you regret this.¡±
While Kira didn¡¯t doubt her words, she knew that her mission wasn¡¯t to wage war on the entire Snow Cross Clan. But was it too late for that now?
¡®She tried to kill me first. Surely it¡¯s the same as all those others who tried the same thing. So why am I hesitating?¡¯
¡°Listen, all I want is to free that person your clan is holding and I¡¯ll let you go. I¡¯m looking for the one who also has these eyes.¡±
Kira said, indicating her viridian eyes with their still-golden pupils.
¡°Pft¡Over my dead body.¡±
¡°As I said before, those things on your chest were deadweights.¡±
Kira said bitterly as she brought down her golden blade.
Walking away from the lifeless body of Yukihime, she decided that her next destination would definitely have to be the Snow Cross Clan before anyone sent word that their beloved Princess was dead.
[1] Ok I¡¯m sorry about that. I didn¡¯t intend to make it work out like this. For those not so au fey with Japanese, Yuki- ¡®snow¡¯ and Hime ¨C ¡®princess¡¯.