ã€ŠShaking the worldã€‹


 Prologue

    Before the birth of the mortal races, before the stars and the sea, before matter and anti-matter, 12 beings of unfathomable power came into existence. Not knowing of their purpose, nor their creator, those beings travelled across the infinite plane of nothingness searching for answers. After searching for millions of years, the beings came to the conclusion that they were created in order to create everything. In this plane of emptiness they would create something grand. With this thought driving them, the 12 started to mould the space around them, creating stars, planets, solar systems and eventually the first universe was born.

    Seeing what they could create the 12 beings were ecstatic. But soon after they grew bored of their creation. To them creating planets soon became tedious as nothing ever actually happened to them besides floating in space. These worlds that they created were empty and desolate. Nothing grew, nothing moved, nothing did anything. Unable to understand why their creations left them feeling so vacant, they spent the next few thousand years contemplating on how to fix this.

    After waiting for a long time, one of the 12 raised their head and looked at its brethren. In that second a single thought appeared in its mind, life! Why was everything boring? Why was nothing ever happening? The answer was staring at them in the face all along! For millions upon millions of years they had travelled together and what got them all through it was each other. If they didn¡¯t have each other then they would have been extremely bored within the first 50 million years.

    With this revelation the being looked at its other brethren contemplating their own answers. It decided not to disturb them as it thought that if they could come up with their own ideas and merge them with its own, then they could create something astonishing.

    Looking away from them, it started to mould a shape that would constantly change its size and spread its body over a distance. For the next 900 years the being worked and worked on its creation.

    Over this period of time the other beings begun to have their own revelations. Seeing that their brethren was sitting down moulding a unique looking figure, they went to inquire about it. When they realised that their brethren had created a life, they all felt ecstatic over the thought of creating something similar. But before they started, they observed their brethren¡¯s finished creation.

    The first living creation made by the 12 was an ultraviolet coloured lifeform named ¡°Fire¡±. A life that would continuously burn forever.

    Seeing this the other beings started to copy the creation known as fire while adding in their own variations into the mix. Noticing its brethren¡¯s enthusiasm, the creator of fire started to play with it, testing what it could do and what it couldn¡¯t do.

    After a couple of years the 12 assembled and presented their creations. They named their individual creations Light, Darkness, Earth, Air, Water, Space, Gravity, Life, Death, Creation, and Destruction. Seeing each other¡¯s creations, the twelve started to discuss their properties and how they thought of it. What was surprising was that the creation of Light was based of the glow that fire gave off and the creation of Darkness was based of the shadow that appeared under them whenever they came close to fire. What surprised them even more was the creation of water.

    The being that created fire was somewhat worried as it noticed that Water and Air were not able to get along with Fire. Not wanting its first living creation to disappear the creator of fire thought of an idea.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    By placing fire and all the other lifeforms in separate dimensions that overlapped with the universe, the twelve discovered that the universe started to remake itself to incorporate fire and the other lifeforms into itself. This process took thousands of years until it was complete.

    Now separate weaker versions of fire could exist in the universe without affecting the first flame. The same went for the other creations now able to exist in the universe. The once non-existent oceans started to flow, wind started to blow on planets and planets started to reform once Earth was incorporated. Time had started to flow properly.

    The twelve named the race of their creations as ¡°LAWS¡±. The lifeform previously known as fire was now known as the ¡°Law of Fire¡± and every other flame in the universe is the child of the ¡°Law of Fire¡±.

    Although they had created something spectacular the twelve noticed that unlike them, the Laws didn¡¯t have a will of their own and just sort of existed. Feeling the slow shadow of depression arriving, one of the twelve remembered the revelation it had when it woke up. Something known as the mind and soul.

    Remembering their revelations from 7050 years ago the remaining 10 also started to share their revelations.

    After a very long time the twelve started to create new lifeforms with different types of bodies and traits. Some had horns, some had claws, and some had fangs. For these creations the twelve gave them, souls, language and basic knowledge. With that the twelve casted them into the universe and watched how they developed from a distance.

    After countless centuries went by, their creations had developed their own cultures and had given the twelve beings who gave life to them the title of ¡°Celestials¡±. What surprised the Celestials was that their creations not only had self-awareness, but they were able to draw out the power of the Laws from their respective dimensions and manipulate them within their own.

    Although their method of manipulation was crude and unable to match up to the Celestials, they¡¯re creativity was something that the celestials were unable to match. Their creations called Earth, Air, Fire and Water were dubbed with the title of Elemental Laws as they were the easiest to control and could counter each other.

    As the Celestials watched as their creations grew, they decided to create more universes but before that, they had to create a higher plane of existence for themselves known as the Celestial Palace and later known as the Heavens.

    Within the Celestial Palace a message from an unknown source appeared in their mind congratulating them on creating their first universe and independent life forms. Within this message an image of a creature with wings and scales appeared and a blueprint detailing how to create an entire species of these creatures.

    Instinctively knowing that the message and mysterious blueprint was sent to them by their creator, the Celestials created the creatures within the Celestial Palace and then released them into a dimension that was higher than that of the universe but still linked to its laws.

    This race that was sent to them was a magnificent species and the strongest of all the mortal races that they created. The kings of the sky and Children of the Heavens, ¡°The Dragon Race.¡±

    Dozens of years had passed and near infinite amounts of universes were created. Countless races called these places home. Some of these universes were peaceful and prosperous, some were dark and brutal, and many were engulfed by wars amongst the races. The scariest one had people who idolized the Celestials and assumed that they would ascend to the Celestial Palace if they killed enough mortals in their name.

    Seeing this the Celestials decided to wipe the memory of themselves out of the mind of all the races as to make sure nothing like this would happen again because of them. To ensure this they created beings that were stronger than mortals to watch over them to ensure that the universes that were wiped out by its mortal inhabitants could be reported to them. These beings were known as Gods and every universe had their own God sworn to watch over it.

 Chapter 1: Prisoner (Part 1)

    The criminal city of Halthor could be considered the vilest cityon the whole continent. Its streets were littered with renegades, its houses were filled with murderers and its stores were owned by marauders. The land was scorched dry due to the aftereffects of a large battle resulting in infertile soil. And all the exit routes were watched by bandits waiting fortheir prey.

    To say Halthor was a city of sin and nightmare wasan understatement. If not for the prison tower standing in the middle of the city then Halthor wouldn''t have one redeeming quality. From the rumours spread, only criminals who were deemed as too hard to kill were locked up and driven insane due to its tortures.

    The city lord of Halthor, Halloway Carn developed a special taste in torturing the prisoners. He enjoyed sawing off their limbs with dull knives as they screamed ,cutting them open with a rusty dagger as they begged for mercy and embedding flesh eating bug eggs into their intestines and waiting for them to hatch. What made it worse was that as long as they didn¡¯t die, they would be healed by holy light andpreped for torture the next day.

    On some days Carn would order the guards to leave the cells and prison gate open so that any prisoner who wanted to leave had the opportunity. But after going through daily torture, their minds have been broken to the point that they could no longer even remember their names let alone thinkof escaping. Nowadays most inmates were nothing more than drooling husks of their former self.

    ¡­

    Within the deepest layers of the prison lay a large door made of an unknown metal. Large dents could be seen protruding from it. These dents were visibly made by whatever was being kept on the other side. Whosoever made these dents must have used something that had not just a large weight but also a massive amount of force behind it.

    ¡®Sigh¡¯ How long has it been? Three years? Five years? Being unable to tell time is truly aggravating. One minute your studying the connection between vibrational frequency and quantum mechanics, next thing you know your sleeping on a cell floor covered in urine and feces. What makes it worse is that I can no longer tell which feces was here before me and which appeared after I arrived. ¡®Sigh¡¯ truly aggravating.

    Behind the dented door, a scruffy young man shackled from the neckdown sat in a kneeling position. He had signs of malnutrition and starvation. His body was lean as his ribcage was visible to all in his ripped shirt. His hair was messy enough that you¡¯d assume he was a hobo and his skin was also flaky and showed visible signs of cracking.

    Seeing movement from the giant door the young man knew that his favourite warden was here to pay a visit.

    Once opened fully, a thin man with triangular eyes and a bald head, slowly walked towards the prisoner but stopped short after stepping in a pile of feces. ¡°Yo warden if ya keep looking like that your face might get cramped and you¡¯ll scare the children away, haha.¡±

    Hearing the prisoner mock him, the warden lifted his feces covered boot and sent it slamming down on the prisoner¡¯s face. ¡°Hehe, warden its just a joke between friends, why so serious.¡± Wiping away the feces boot-mark on his face, the inmate showed off a welcoming smile.

    ¡°Rejoice inmate, the merciful city lord has requested your presence in his manor.¡±

    ¡°Hahahahahahaha, request? Don¡¯t you mean he¡¯s broken all his toys so now he¡¯s ready to break me too? Warden your too funny.¡± The inmate couldn¡¯t help but sneer once the warden finished speaking. A trace of disgust flashed across his eyes. ¡°Dogs like you only know how to obey their master and we both know who¡¯s holding the leash here.¡±

    Rage covered the warden¡¯s face as he rained multiple blows onto the inmate¡¯s face until his fists were covered in blood. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking you to the city lord tomorrow, try not to die before then.¡± The warden wiped his hands on a piece of cloth before leaving the inmate sprawled out on the ground.

    Crawling up slowly the inmate winced as he felt his numb face. Heheh to think tomorrow would be the day I die. What a pitiful life I¡¯ve lead, mother, father I¡¯ll probably be going to heaven soon.

    Dear God if you exist please grant this so simple wish of mine. Have all my possession self-destruct so no one else has the chance to use them, have all my friends fail every romantic relationship they enter for the rest of their lives, so they understand my pain after ditching me time and time again, oh! and have my 3<sup>rd</sup> grade teacher catch an incurable disease as compensation for all the times he called me an idiot and hit me on the back of my head when I got an answer wrong, I¡¯m sure hitting a child that much will cause them to become stupid but that daft old man wouldn¡¯t relent. So in short if you do indeed exist please grant this dying wish of mine, Amen.

    Now with my final prayers done I should get some sleep. Wait! What about my final meal!

    ¡­

    After being thrown into a cold bathtub and given a fresh pair of prison clothes, the warden and some people the inmate didn¡¯t recognise escorted him via carriage towards the city lords manor.

    The city lord¡¯s manor was huge and luxurious, quite the contrast to the broken-down droopy atmosphere emanating from the rest of the city. Its floors were covered in expensive carpets, its ceiling was overflowing with chandelier¡¯s. The paintings on the wall depicted portraits of several different people but considering that everything else in here sparkled the inmate assumed that the paintings must also be worth a lot.

    The inmate was lead to a room where a middle-age man in his forties sat behind his desk using a feather and ink to write something on a piece of paper.

    That must be Halloway Carn! But judging from his refined disposition he doesn¡¯t seem to remotely resemble the rumours spread by the wardens. ¡°Hmm¡± looking up from his paper Carn saw the warden and his attendees arrive with an unknown man in a prison uniform.

    ¡°Keep his hands shackled and leave us.¡± The warden and the others heeded his command and did as they were told, only leaving the inmate with cuffs around his wrists. The city lord got up and walked towards his window, ignoring the presence of the other person in the room. ¡°Do you know who I am.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°I can guess.¡±

    ¡°You seem very calm.¡±

    ¡°Must be your imagination.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Quite a peculiar one aren¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been called worse.¡±

    This back and forth between them continued for some time. ¡°Inmate¡­ No the file said you called yourself Daelos Barrigan right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my name after all.¡±

    ¡°Why Barrigan?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean why? A name is a name.¡±

    Is this guy a retard?

    ¡°Only nobles, archmages, prestigious knights and royalty are permitted to have surnames. And from what I can tell, you have none of these qualities. So I ask again why Barrigan?¡±

    Only some people have surnames? What a flawed system.

    ¡°Its what my parents had as their last name.¡±

    ¡°Your parents are quite arrogant aren¡¯t they. But I guess even trash have to dream.¡±

    Hearing someone badmouth his parents right in front of him caused Daelos¡¯s eyes to twitch. Calming down the fires of rage bubbling up inside him, Daelos took a deep breath and carried on like nothing happened. ¡°Can I ask how long I was locked up?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.. according to the file it¡¯s been 3 years.¡±

    Damn, so that makes me 20, there goes my youth. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Then may I know why I was locked up?¡±

    Turning away from the window, Carn finally got a good look at the prisoner standing in front of him. ¡°Inmate you don¡¯t seem to understand your current situation do you.¡±

    Dumbfounded, Daelos could only respond with a ¡°huh.¡±

    ¡°Your my prisoner and I¡¯m your master. So where does a worm like you get off questioning his master. I guess the apple truly doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree. Trash can only create more trash.¡± Shaking his head Carn took a seat behind his desk. ¡°Now enough with the chatter, lets get down to business. Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡±

    Trash huh, you wouldn¡¯t be the first to call me that.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to die right.¡± No longer willing to waste any more time with this man, Daelos decided to just get it over with.

    ¡°Your right but do you know why you must die?¡± Carn seemed to be quite giddy with these questions.

    Seeing the repulsive glee plastered across Carn¡¯s face, Daelos felt sickened to his stomach.

    If I¡¯m gonna die then there¡¯s no point playing his game and acting like a gentleman is there.

    With a smile hanging on his lips Daelos stared straight into Carn¡¯s eyes with the utmost confidence. ¡°I gotta die because you¡¯re a twisted pervert who can only get it up by playing with mangled bodies.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Not satisfied by the Carn¡¯s response, Daelos continued to vent. ¡°I also heard that your preferred targets are young boys but your unable to get your greasy little hands on them so instead you satisfy yourself with men locked in chains. Oh how noble of you right. I guess commoner trash like me can¡¯t reach your level of perverseness, I guess we truly are inferior in that regard. Don¡¯t you wonder what the other nobles must think? Under your rule this city has only gotten worse, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re laughing behind your back at how incompetent you are. They¡¯d probably agree with me that only a city as broken as this deserves someone of your calibre to rule it and call it home.

    Of course Daelos had no idea if any of this was true. He didn¡¯t have much material to work with, so he had to BS his way through. But looking at the livid expression on Carn¡¯s face, Daelos knew at some point he had hit close to home.

    In fact most of what he said was true, after years of torturing inmates Carn could no longer be excited by normal means. And as for the other nobles, he knew that behind his back they were laughing at him. He was sent to manage this city as punishment for offending someone he shouldn¡¯t have and until that person was satisfied he couldn¡¯t return to the capital. Initially Carn tried to improve the city by wiping away the trash that infested its streets. But after so many years Carn was certain that the person who sent him here had just forgotten about him and would probably not even recognise him even if he stood in front of him shouting his name.

    ¡°INSOLENT!¡±

    ¡°OH GIVE IT A REST!¡±

    The door to the room swung open. The city lord¡¯s attendees rushed in, carrying with them a weird glass ball. ¡°City lord, we have finished carrying out the task given to us.¡± Bowing to Carn, the attendee presented him with the crystal ball.

    Seemingly forgetting the previous conversation with Daelos, Carn received the ball and closely inspected it. A vicious smile emerged at the corner of his lips. ¡°Mr Daelos why do you think I personally tortured all the prisoners in Halthor prison?¡±

    Why did his tone change all of a sudden?

    Not waiting for Daelos to answer, Carn continued monologuing. ¡°It¡¯s because I can¡¯t rely on the warden or any of my servants to do the job properly. You see, unlike what you and the rest of the world think of me, I don¡¯t torture people out of pleasure. It is simply a means to an end, and now that both you and the Agnos Requiem are in my hands I can finally finish what I started.¡±

    Seeing the crazed look in Carn¡¯s eyes, Daelos started to feel his body tense up.

    ¡°Do you know what the Agnos Requiem is? Probably not, a low born commoner like you probably can¡¯t even read. Well let me explain, the Agnos Requiem is a container of sorts. Originally it was used to contain the power of Laws and other various types of energies, but somewhere down the line someone managed to slowly imprint their will upon it. Normally this wouldn¡¯t be a problem but the person who did so specialized in using mental energy and since then the Agnos Requiem has only been able to absorb anything to do with mental energy.¡±

    Mental energy? What kind of unscientific nonsense is he going on about? Sigh I¡¯m surrounded by crazies.

    ¡°So I came up with this plan to use mental energy to empower an artefact that will cause me to rule over all.¡± Opening a draw, Carn took out what seemed to be an unassumingly ordinary silver ring. ¡°Feast your eyes on the Ring of Everlasting torment. With this I will be able to transfer the mental energy stored in the Agnos Requiem and move it into the ring.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second what your describing is just an energy converter, but instead of converting energy from one property to another all your doing is placing it somewhere else. What¡¯s the point of moving energy from one place to another? Are you an idiot or something? All your doing is wasting your time. And that still doesn¡¯t explain why you had to torture the prisoners. What would you gain by doing so? Just admit it, you¡¯re sick sadist who enjoys seeing other people in pain.¡±

    Just as Daelos was about to roast Carn to the point of giving him third degree burns, he paused as realization dawned upon him.

    If what this sicko calls mental energy is actually just another word for emotions then he¡¯s not just moving energy from one vessel to another.

    ¡°Your converting negative emotions.¡± Daelos voice cracked as he finally figured out the purpose of Carn¡¯s torture.

    Oh god I¡¯m getting swept up in his pace!

    Why am I entertaining this madman¡¯s fantasy?

    The surprise on Carn¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be hidden when he heard Daelos lay out his reason for torturing the inmates. ¡°For a commoner your quite smart. You are correct, I am indeed transferring negative emotions into this ring.¡±

    ¡°So you intentionally tortured the inmates and put them in that messed up mental state in order to plant seeds of hate, fear, resentment and other negative emotions in them in order to fuel that crystal ball. Wait! But for that crystal ball to absorb that much mental energy it¡¯d need to be close to the inmates as the further away and energy absorber is the less pure energy it is able to absorb. But just being close to them wouldn¡¯t be enough, sooner or later people break. You¡¯d need a way to somehow inspire hope before ripping it away causing more negative emotions to swell¡­ The prison gate! You gave them false hope by leaving it open, giving them the illusion of freedom, then you strike once their positive emotions are at their peak dropping them into a pit of despair. I see! The prison gate is the pole and the prisoners are lightning bolts. You created a lightning rod of despair! And underneath all that the Agnos Requiem is just sitting there soaking in all these emotions.¡±

    Carn stared at Daelos with admiration. ¡°MAGNIFICENT! You are truly extraordinary!, for a low class commoner like you to deduce every step of my plan to the point of understanding the true purpose of the prison gate is unbelievable. Bravo, Bravo.¡±

    This guy¡­ He¡¯s insane! How many people were locked up in that prison? How many people has he broken over the years? How much resentment is trapped in that ball?

    ¡°Now then Mr Daelos, since your such a clever boy explain to me why did I leave you for last?¡±

    Last? Why did he leave me for last?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on now, how can a clever fella like you not figure out something so simple.¡± From Carn¡¯s tone, one could hear the disappointment.

    Daelos was at a loss. Why was he last? What made him so different compared to the others? Carn had been planning this for a long time, so does my appearance change anything.

    Daelos felt a wave of anxiousness wash over him. Confusion and fear gripped him as he felt the speed of his heart start to quicken. Think damnit think. No! I have to calm down, panicking won¡¯t help solve this problem. Calm the mind, steady the heart, release the breath.

    Okay now, Carn says I¡¯m the last piece of the puzzle meaning that he needs me for his plan to succeed. Problem is I don¡¯t know what he needs me for or the full extent of his plan. If I arrange the current amount of information that I have then all I know is that Carn wants to use the Agnos Requiem or whatever its called to transfer negative emotions into that ring. If I think about all the case studies I¡¯ve read involving mental illness, an average person having so much negative emotions would become irrational, unpredictable and eventually be driven insane. But if that ring can store negative emotions then what would be its purpose? That¡¯s it! A normal person would be driven insane by an abundance of such emotions but if the ring stores all of it then maybe it can also release it! If the ring was somehow able to release those negative emotions at a designated target then¡­

    OH SHIT! The last piece of the puzzle in any experiment is to test the hypothesis and record the results!

    Daelos felt drops of sweat flow down his face as he remembered Carn¡¯s question. Why did I leave you for last.

    ¡°I¡¯m your test subject.¡±

    ¡°DING! DING! DING! We have a winner, hahaha that one took you a while to figure it out didn¡¯t it. Well congratulations your spot on, your prize is that you will become the first stepping stone on my path to greatness. NOW REJOICE FOR I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE HONOR TO WITNESS THE START OF A NEW ERA!¡±

    Carn danced around his office as if he was jacked up on some kind of stimulant, losing the mannerism of a refined gentleman he had when Daelos first saw him.

    Calming his emotions Carn looked towards his attendees and said in all seriousness ¡°Make him kneel.¡± Carn picked up the ring off the table and held it next to the Agnos Requiem. A burst of blinding purple light blasted out of the Agnos Requiem covering the entire room. Out of the Agnos Requiem distorted ghostly faces of people screaming with twisted expressions seemed to be crawling out and circling the air.

    A strong air current appeared out of nowhere causing the organised room to suddenly become a chaotic mess. Papers and objects flew in every direction, even the documents that Carn had been filling out earlier became lost within the chaos.

    Daelos watched in horror on his knees as he felt the screams of the damned penetrate into his mind and fill his thoughts with nothing but despair and boundless rage. Carn¡¯s attendees seemed to be having just as much trouble as Daelos when resisting the sudden influx of negative emotions. Their eyes were bloodshot as they grit their teeth till blood started oozing out of their gums. Daelos felt their grip on him loosened as they were too busy trying to stabilize their thoughts.

    At the centre of the light, Carn¡¯s maniacal laughter could be heard echoing. Daelos got to his feet shielded his eyes and ran towards the origin of the laughter.

    ¡­

    Like any other day, Halthor was as peaceful as a city full of criminals could get. What broke this peaceful atmosphere was the sudden explosion of purple light coming out of the city lord¡¯s manor. From within the light came gruesome spectres screaming into the minds of every man, woman and child.

    The people of Halthor lay on the ground cluching their heads in pain as they tried to bite their tongues off.

    Some used their nails to scratch their eyes out.

    Others chopped their limbs off while letting out cheerful laughter.

    And other rammed their heads into any spiked objects.

    The entire city was in a spiral of chaos and madness.

 Chapter 1: Prisoner (Part 2)

    Within the City lord¡¯s manor Daelos found himself surrounded by white space. Laying onthe floor, he felt his entire body ache and drained of energy.

    What happened?

    Where am I?

    Am I dead!

    Did God answer my prayers?

    Countless thoughts raced across his mind.

    After thinking about a lot of pointless things, he felt his consciousslowly slip into a bleak darkness.

    Not knowing how long he¡¯d been sleeping for, he woke up with a start and rexamined his situation. unfortunately this didn''t last long as he was quicklydragged back into darkness once more.

    This cycleof waking up and falling asleepeventually became a daily routine.

    Everyday he¡¯d wake up, think about his situation then fall unconscious. On many occasions he''d tryto stand up, talk, stretch, but discover that his body lacked the energy to even move a finger. let alone his other body parts.

    At times when he got bored and had nothing to think about, he¡¯d just stare straight at the blank sky without blinking waiting for the darknessto claim him.

    Of course he could have tried to estimate how long he was able to stay conscious for, but he quickly gave up after realizing that there was no pattern.

    He had no idea where he was or what happened to his body. The last thing he could remember was running towards Carn¡¯s laughter before waking up here.

    After debating with himself for a long time, he came to the conclusion that he was dead and was currently waiting to judged.

    He''d had already mentally prepared himself for death before meeting Carn, so the current situation didn¡¯t have too much of an impact on him. However he never thought death would be so boring.

    Is this what happens after death? My god I¡¯m bored out of my mind! If I knew it¡¯d be like this I wouldn¡¯t have wasted my life studying so much! Sigh to think I missed out on so much¡­ As Daelos silently wept out tears of regret he once again felt his consciousness slip.

    ¡­

    After falling into darkness once more, he felt completly hopeless. Compared to being held captive in Carn¡¯s prison he considered this hell. At least in prison he could somewhat understand his environment and circumstance. But here¡­ he had no idea what was going on. He even started to miss the warden¡¯s abuse.

    Lamenting on his wasted time, he thought back to the days of his childhood. He¡¯d always thought himself just below average. Never standing out, never in the spotlight, just a passenger in his own life. If a book was written about him, he reckons it¡¯d be a dull tale where he couldn¡¯t be considered the main character. That was just the kind of person he was.

    Compared to others his age he really was trash. At the age of 5 his peers were already able to build miniature nuclear reactors from their toy box, power low level primitive cities and turn most harmful substances into renewable materials. Daelos on the other hand found himself struggling to even understand the periodic table. Because of his low intelligence he struggled to be accepted into school and when he was, he faced daily rounds of bullying. He eventually found friends but even then he felt like an outsider trying to break down an intellectual barrier that was far beyond his comprehension. He could feel that he and his friends were working on completely different levels. They would cruise through life whereas he would find it hard to even survive.

    Remembering the countless nights he stayed up studying and the head-splitting lectures that went over his head, Daelos somehow managed to score within the top 200 and get accepted in a good university. But instead of feeling excitement,he felt nothing but dread. Considering how hard he had to work just to get into a decent university, the road ahead looked bleak.

    If he was being honest with himself, he knew that not everybody took the university entrance exam seriously. If they put in any effort then he wouldn¡¯t even rank in the top 900.

    Laying down in the empty space a single tear escaped his closed eyes.

    ¡­

    A warm sensation prickled his skin, waking him from his slumber.

    In front of him sat a teenage girl poking his cheek. The mysterious girl wore an extravagant, yet simple robe covered in a myriad of strange symbols. Her beautiful purple hair was pulled up into a ponytail giving her a look of childlike innocence. What stood out about her was her long, sharp pointed ears and bright purple eyes.

    She looked down at Daelos with a dazzling look in her eye. ¡°Yo you gonna get up anytime soon.¡± Despite her elegant look, her tone was quite crude.

    Daelos looked up at her with confusion.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°You know its rude to ask someone¡¯s name without first introducing yourself.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± After not speaking to someone for so long, Daelos felt his brain short-circuit. ¡°I¡¯m Daelos.¡±

    With a look of satisfaction the young girl stood up and stretched out her hand ¡°I¡¯m Lyla.¡±

    Out of nowhereDaelos felt a sudden surge of strength enter his body. Using this new found energy he managed to lift his immobile hands from his side and grabbed onto Lyla¡¯s hand.

    Pulling himself up from the floor he discovered that his body felt completely normal with no signs of fatigue nor discomfort.

    Standing at the side lines Lyla watched him stretch and pat himself down while she giggled to herself.

    Realising how ridiculous he must look, Daelos quickly stopped his stretching exercise and walked to where she was.

    ¡°Miss Lyla can you tell me where we are?¡±

    Lyla replied with a tone of indifference. ¡°Hmm.. We¡¯re in your mindscape.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I see.¡± After spending so much time by himself he had managed to slightly mature. ¡°Why is it so empty?¡± Could it be that I¡¯m truly an idiot?

    ¡°You think it¡¯s empty?¡± Lyla tilted her head as a look of confusion surfaced on her face.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s nothing here.¡±

    A mischievous smile imprinted itself on the young girl¡¯s face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you and I both here.¡±

    That¡¯s a good point

    ¡°Okay then¡­ besides you and me what else is here.¡±

    ¡°Potential.¡±

    Where does she see that!!

    Massaging his head Daelos continued questioning the cheerful young girl.

    ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s potential in here?¡±

    With a jolly attitude, Lyla spread out her hands and dance circles around him. ¡°Because its empty that means it must have thepotential to be filled up.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Isn¡¯t that the same as saying my head is full of air!

    Daelos almost wept at the innocence of the young girl.

    Shaking his head he put those unpleasant thoughts away.

    ¡°If this is my mind then why can¡¯t I control what happens?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well before you came here I couldn¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s simple. Its because I¡¯m here you can¡¯t do what you want.¡±

    Daelos start to eye her with suspicion. ¡°Actually¡­ thinking about it now how did you get in here?¡±

    Lyla stopped dancing and looked at him as if she were staring at an idiot. ¡°You invited me in.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡± this time it was Daelos¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°When did I do that?¡±

    ¡°When you touched the Agnos Requiem.¡± She spoke as if this should be common knowledge.

    ¡°¡­¡± WHEN DID I DO THAT!!!

    Regaining his wits, he sat down and started to sort through the information he had. ¡°Okay I pretty much understand that I touched the Agnos Requiem which allowed you to enter my mindspace. What I don¡¯t understand is your connection with the Agnos Requiem and why you being here affects what I can do.¡±

    ¡°That look on your face is funny.¡±

    Ignoring her last comment Daelos asked her to explain who she was.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you could say I¡¯m the spirit of the Agnos Requiem.¡±

    ¡°THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE.¡± Daelos instantly refuted Lyla¡¯s explanation.

    What!¡± Backing you a little Lyla glared at him. ¡°What do you mean impossible! I¡¯m pretty sure I know what I am.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, spirits aren¡¯t real! There¡¯s no scientific proof that they could ever work.¡±

    What the hell I¡¯m arguing over the existence of ghosts, GHOSTS!!!

    ¡°What¡¯s scientific proof mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get off topic!¡±

    Letting out a lazy stretch Lyla answered unenthusiastically. ¡°Geez, calm down would ya. I am what I am, no two ways about it.¡±

    ¡°Okay assuming your telling me the truth then do you have any evidence to prove you¡¯re a ghost.¡±

    ¡°I am a S.P.I.R.I.T not a ghost.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a difference?¡± A look of shock appeared on his face.

    ¡°That face your making makes me want to punch you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Catching him off guard, Lyla¡¯s small hand formed into a fist and shot out towards his face. Feeling like he¡¯d been hit by a train Daelos found himself being swept off his feet andlaunchedthrough the air.

    Watching him disappear into the distance Lyla started to glow purple and emit small twinkling particles out of her body before fading into nothingness.

    ¡­

    Lying face down on the blank floor, Daelos felt his body hurt all over. What made him confused was that the pain wasn¡¯t caused by crashing into the ground but originated from the area where Lyla had punched him and spread all over his body.

    WHAT THE HELL IS HER PROBLEM!! WHY¡¯D SHE HIT ME?

    Taking deep breaths in order to withstand the pain Daelos felt the space around him start to tremble as a distorted figure covered in purple light appeared in front of him.

    IT¡¯S HER!!

    ¡°Hey! What the hell. Why¡¯d you hit me!!¡± Unable to get up and teach her a lesson, he had to settle for shouting at her in one of the most unthreatening positions possible.

    The figure covered in purple light turned its head towards the man lying face down. ¡°Who are you?¡± The look of confusion was evident on her face.

    Not in the mood for jokes after getting hit for no reason Daelos wasn¡¯t polite in his response. ¡°Its me retard! Daelos, and I swear if you do not remove this weird curse inflicting me with pain right now! Then god so help me I will carve you up into the smallest pieces possible and feed you to a Nikalearean hound!¡±

    Staring at the faced down Daelos spouting curses and threats, the look of confusion didn¡¯t disappear as she started to mumble to herself and stare at him blankly. ¡°Daelos¡­Daelos¡­DAELOS!!¡± The initial confusion disappeared as if it was never there in the first place and light returned to her dull eyes.

    ¡°DAELOS!! YOUR NAME IS DAELOS HAHAHA I REMEMBER!¡± Unconcealable joy covered her face as she shook Daelos¡¯s defenceless body. ¡°I remember.¡±

    Seeing her shake him with such vigour and delight one thought echoed in his head. Why is it that only the crazy ones are ever happy to see me?

    ¡°Oi! Stop shaking me and help me stand up.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ oh I forgot about that.¡± Wiping away her tears she placed her hands on his back.

    After placing her hand on his body a gentlecurrent could be felt entering his body. Regaining the ability to move again he quickly got to his feet and hit Lyla on the head.

    ¡°Oww! What was that for?¡± Rubbing her head, tears welled up in her eyes making the hearts of anyone who saw her melt.

    Sadly he wasn¡¯t one of those weak hearted fools! ¡°That¡¯s my line! Why¡¯d you send me flying for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ I told you I was going to, it¡¯s your fault for not being ready.¡± She spoke as if what she did was justified.

    How can you say that so innocently!!

    Feeling like it¡¯d bring him more trouble if he delved deeper into this conversation Daelos decided to change the topic.

    ¡°Hey Lyla.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°You said the reason I can¡¯t do anything I want here is because of your presence right?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m the Agnos Requiem¡¯s spirit.¡±

    Not this shit again.

    Deciding to entertain her whimsical fantasy, Daelos decided to bite the bullet and continue the conversation.

    ¡°Okay you¡¯re the Agnos Requiem spirit but why does that affect what I can do in my own mind?¡±

    ¡°The Agnos Requiem is an artefact used to collect mental energies of all kinds.¡±

    Daelos nodded his head in confirmation ¡°From Carn¡¯s description, the Agnos Requiem is simply an energy storage device that can convert and transfer its properties into another container.¡±

    ¡°Err give me a second.¡± Glowing purple once more clarity settled on Lyla¡¯s face.

    ¡°Okay this should be the easiest way to explain. Imagine that your mind space that we¡¯re currently standing in is a pocket dimension. Now imagine that the Agnos Requiem is a bomb capable of blowing up pocket dimensions. As the spirit of the Agnos Requiem I¡¯m basically the person with their finger on the detonator. Although I have yet to push that button, the Agnos Requiem or the bomb in this scenario is constantly leaking radiation into its environment leaving side effects such as loss of control of your mind space.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± A look of disbelief wrapped itself on Daelos¡¯s stone face.

    Seeing the confused look on his face, Lyla touched her face to check if there was anything on it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Snapping out of his confused state Daelos couldn¡¯t help but stutter. ¡°Y¡­y-ou sounded intelligent!

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I thought you were just some crazy chick stuck in your own delusions! Hahaha this is great! You¡¯re not crazy!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Unable to comprehend how he got to that conclusion, Lyla stood there dumbstruck. Shaking her head she decided to ignore the insult disguised as a compliment. ¡°I read your memories.¡±

    Ending his nonsensical ramblings Daelos felt the world around him shatter once he heard her words. Closing the distance between them rapidly Daelos gripped her shoulders and stared at her straight in the eyes. ¡°What did you see?¡± Although he tried to play it off, the worry in his voice couldn¡¯t be hidden.

    ¡°Huh¡± taken by surprise Lyla was unable to speak for a moment.

    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SEE!!¡± Shouting out in anger, Lyla felt the grip on her shoulders tighten.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t see much only some flashes.¡± Forgetting that she was in control of Daelos¡¯s mind space Lyla felt fear overwhelm her.

    ¡°Only flashes¡­¡± Releasing her shoulders, Daelos stumbled back before dropping to the ground and laughing.

    What the hell is wrong with me? Memories? Hahaha she doesn¡¯t even have a memory storage device how can she read my memories. She thinks she¡¯s a ghost for God sake, now she can read memories, what¡¯s she gonna do next discover a get rich quick scheme.

    Laughing to himself Daelos completely forgot about terrified girl standing 5 feet away from him.

    Unable to snap out of her stupor, the image of Daelos¡¯s vicious eyes staring down at her kept her frozen.

    Seeing Lyla just standing there, Daelos stopped laughing and went to check on her. As he got close light flashed in her eyes as she quickly stepped back in retreat.

    Seeing the fearful look in her eyes, a feeling of guilt started to swell-up inside him. Realizing that he¡¯d scared the young girl Daelos profusely apologised ¡°Hey Lyla¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ its just¡­ my memories are very precious and¡­ I don¡¯t want you to see me being such a loser.¡± Seeing that his apology was falling flat, Daelos took a deep breath and slowly approached the shivering Lyla.

    Seeing him approach Lyla looked down at her feet and kept shivering. Feeling his hands on her shoulder, she shut her eyes tight and braced for the worst.

    Pulling her into his arms, Daelos gave her a hug.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry for looking through your memories. I¡­I just c¡­c-ouldn¡¯t understand what you were saying, and I thought that if I looked through your mem¡­memories I could be of able to explain better.¡± Stuttering through her sentence while crying she held Daelos tight as if to make sure he wouldn¡¯t leave.

    After calming down Daelos let her go and wiped away her tears. ¡°Lyla I¡¯m sorry for scaring you but you need to tell me what you saw in my memories.¡±

    What am I doing, going along with her fantasies isn¡¯t going to help her.

    Not daring to look at him in the eye, Lyla stared down at her feet and simply nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Letting out a breath of relief Daelos felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

    ¡°I saw you¡­ but you looked very different.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡± Realizing that the current him in the mind space and the him that came out of Halthor prison looked different Daelos understood her confusion. ¡°You probably saw me when I was locked up in the prison.¡±

    Shaking her head Lyla looked up at him ¡°it wasn¡¯t only you. There were other people who looked like you but weren¡¯t you.¡±

    Looked like me but weren¡¯t me?

    ¡°I see¡­ what else did you see?¡± Not willing to divulge any more about the topic, Daelos moved the conversation into a different direction.

    Not feeling that anything was wrong Lyla carried on the conversation. ¡°I saw you crying.¡±

    Hearing this, a memory that Daelos thought had long been buried resurfaced.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°Daelos¡± feeling that something wasn¡¯t right Lyla called out his name.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Daelos.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°DAELOS!¡± seeing him unresponsive Lyla started to panic and wildly shook his arm.

    ¡°Huh¡± returning to his senses Daelos found Lyla on his arm. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Realizing that Daelos was looking at her questionably, Lyla let go of his arm. ¡°You weren¡¯t responding.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Turning away from her a gloomy expression covered his face but was quickly replaced with a cramped smile.

    ¡°Hey Lyla.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡± feeling that Daelos¡¯s actions were weird, Lyla hesitated before she answered.

    ¡°Where are we really?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in your mind space.¡±

    ¡°Can we leave my mind space?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡± surprised by his question, it took a moment for her to respond. ¡°We can leave whenever you want.¡±

    ¡°For real!¡±

    Nodding her head in confirmation, a wide grin plastered itself on Daelos¡¯s face. ¡°What are we waiting for! Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Seeing him become so enthusiastic, Lyla felt a warm feeling in her chest. ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 2: New World (Part 1)

    Throughout the history of Eristia, the Giland continent was famed as a land of prosperity, and riches. Within it, stood the most famous empire that has never been toppled: The kingdom of Alswin reigned supreme.

    The Alswin kingdom was home to the human race. Due to their comprehension of Laws the humans of the Giland continent had caused the elven race and beast-men race to form an alliance in order to combat their threat.

    A long time ago the king of Alswin feared that one day the Elves and Beast-men would seek the destruction of humanity. Fearing the worst the king prayed to the God ruling over this world. Seeing the distressed king devotedly pray to him for years on end, the God blessed the king with a tier 5 bloodline artefact.

    Using the artefact the king supressed the demi-human alliance and forced them into submission. Bathing in the glory of victory, the king didn¡¯t realise the threat slowly approaching him.

    On the night before the cusp of victory, an unknown army of horned demi-humans and beasts invaded the unguarded capital of the Alswin kingdom and slew its occupants.

    After returning back to the capital expecting cheers and applause the king and his army were met with blood and silence. Disfigured corpses littered the capital¡¯s floors, walls were painted red with blood and towers of bones were raised high in the sky.

    In a fit of rage the king slaughtered the Elven and Beast-men prisoners and stormed towards the last safe haven of the demi-human alliance.

    Once there the king found the same tragedy. Mangled bodies, towers of bones and a forest on fire welcomed him. In the wreckage left behind by the invaders an elven child was found curled upon and whimpering. Seeing the weak child all the rage and hatred the king held towards the demi-human alliance vanished.

    Soon after the king called a ceasefire and met with the leaders of the alliance and formed a treaty. By defeating the unknown army the king swore that for as long as the Alswin kingdom stood, they would never go to war with either elves or beast-men.

    The war against the invaders raged on for many years. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives. The ever so arrogant king thought that using the tier 5 bloodline artefact would be enough to wipe out the invaders. But to his surprise he found what he assumed to be the leader of the invaders wielding a tier 4 sword. Although the invader wielded a weapon with a lower tier, his physical abilities outclassed the king in every aspect allowing him to fight the king on even ground. On the battlefield the warriors of the Giland continent discovered that the invaders did not fight like them.

    Like the beast-men the invaders had strong, durable bodies and could fight evenly against them. But what tipped the scale was the red energy gushing out of their bodies. This energy was different to laws used by humans and elves. Laws could be said be a force that constantly surrounded them. A force able to be manipulated if one was able to feel and understand it. But the pressure being given off by the invaders felt like they weren¡¯t manipulating the force in the atmosphere but instead drawing it out from their own bodies.

    This energy allowed the invaders to send out long ranged energy attacks which forced the bow and arrow specialised Elven race into a corner. Their strong bodies gave them the advantage in close quarter combat against humans and their usage of energy allowed them to dominate the Law-less Beast-men.

    The war was hard fought but eventually the Giland continent warriors drove the invaders away and secured peace across the land. But any who survived that hell knew it was only a matter of time until they returned.

    In preparation for this the King set up an academy in which to educate the people of Giland and prepare them for when the invaders would return.

    The Elves and Beast-men did the same. Although it could be said the war against the invaders robbed them of many things, in truth it brought all three races closer together than ever before.

    ¡­

    ¡°So what do they teach in these academies?¡±

    Walking along a deserted road surrounded by grassy plains, a lone vagrant was donned in a long black sleeved undershirt that was covered by a sleeveless grey overcoat that reached just below his knees. His knee high black boots complimented his rugged looking black trousers. What stood out about him the most was his tanned skin and bright golden eyes giving him an intense animalistic aura.

    Touching his neck, the young man felt a warm sensation run through his body when he touched the purple crystal ball necklace. This feeling made him let out a small smile. In contrast the cold unadorned silver ring on his finger gave him a sense of worry.

    By his side a purple eyed teenage girl wearing a luxurious purple dress that complimented her purple hair a pointy ears strode by him with a carefree smile on her face.

    ¡°From what I can remember I think they teach people how to fight. But from what I recall within the past one thousand years the academy in the Alswin capital Breamore has started to discriminate against commoners and non-human students.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± A surprised look appeared on the young man¡¯s face. ¡°Why would they discriminate against people they¡¯ll be fighting side by side with?¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s like I said. A thousand years ago this trend started. If you were told you were being prepared to fight a war but then that war never happened how would you feel?¡±

    ¡°Disgruntled.¡± Without any hesitation the young man answered without a single change of emotion.

    ¡°Exactly! Now imagine that your grandfather, father and now you were told the same thing, received the same training but then never fought against these so called invaders. What would you tell your children about to go through the same training?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡±

    Nodding her head seriously the teenage girl continued. ¡°Now imagine you¡¯re from a noble family with lots of money and connections. You¡¯d be able to hire a personal tutor to train your children from a young age so by the time they enrol in the academy they¡¯re already unrivalled. Not to mention the amount of protective artefacts they¡¯re wearing that commoners could only dream of makes them practically invincible.¡±

    ¡°No wonder they¡¯re arrogant¡± letting out a sigh the young man¡¯s opinions towards nobles fell even further. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case why enrol them in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Status, by graduating they¡¯ll cement themselves amongst the top elite of society.¡±

    ¡°What about those who aren¡¯t nobles but still graduate?¡±

    ¡°They either join an adventuring guild, become mercenaries or work under a noble. If they do exceptionally well they even have the chance to work under the royal family.¡±

    ¡°I see.. what are the requirements for graduation?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mastery of laws have to be on par with a teacher by the end of 3 years.¡±

    ¡°How do you test that?¡±

    ¡°Mock battles.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say nobles have protective artefacts?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not allowed to use them during the exam.¡±

    Understanding more and more, Daelos¡¯s thirst for knowledge increased. ¡°What if they fail?¡±

    ¡°Then they get their arms broken and fined 20 gold coins.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how much that is but it sounds like a lot.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, 1000 copper coins equal 1 silver coin and 100 silver coins equal 1 gold coin, the average commoner makes a couple hundred copper coins in their lifetime, so the debt is carried on by their children, not including tax.¡±

    ¡°WHAT THE HELL! why do you want me to enrol in this academy?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Because the only knowledge I have towards the world comes from the memories that I inherited from the arch-mage and I want to see how different the world is compared to what I remember.¡±

    After waking up on a messy floor after leaving his mindscape, Daelos found himself surrounded by corpses and city documents. To his surprise the body of Halloway Carn was amongst the rest of the dead.

    What freaked him out was that he was tightly grasping the Agnos Requiem to the point that his hand felt like it was cramping. After that a purple glow dashed out of the artefact and standing in front of him was Lyla.

    According to her when Carn was transferring the negative emotions from the Agnos Requiem to the Ring of everlasting torment, Daelos appeared out of nowhere and touched the Agnos Requiem which caused Carn to lose his concentration for a split second. Within that small window of time every bit of resentment spread across the city stopped what they were doing and shifted their hate towards Carn and devoured him. Everything else in the room such as the attendees were just collateral damage. Daelos got lucky as the Agnos Requiem shielded him from the attack.

    After telling him all that Lyla suggested that he take both the Agnos Requiem and Ring of torment.

    Not being polite in the slightest, not only did he take the Agnos Requiem which Lyla had transformed into a necklace to make it easier for him to carry and Ring of everlasting torment, he also took whatever he thought was valuable from the bodies of the attendees and destroyed room. Then he roamed around the mansion until he found some size appropriate clothes and jewellery.

    After leaving the mansion Daelos was greeted with the sight of a corpse ridden city. Knowing that these people were terrible people in life he didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of guilt while he ransacked their corpses.

    From one of the shops he looted he found a map and headed towards the capital in hopes of finding a library.

    On the way Lyla informed him that the Agnos Requiem was currently empty but should be able to absorb any mental attacks directed at him. On the other hand the silver ring on his finger was usable but he¡¯d need to learn how to use mental energy.

    During their long journey from Halthor to Breamore Daelos and Lyla came across merchants and travelling commoners. What Daelos couldn¡¯t understand was why they only ever greeted him and not Lyla. Feeling puzzled by this he asked Lyla, she then responded by saying that only Daelos could see her because he was always in contact with the Agnos Requiem.

    Realizing that people had been giving him weird looks whenever he motioned to Lyla, Daelos felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

    ¡°Lyla.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°You said I¡¯m the only one that can see you right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nodding her head Lyla looked at Daelos waiting for him to get to the point.

    ¡°Then why did you change from a robe into a dress?¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°I mean I¡¯m the only one who can see you so what¡¯s the point of changing clothes?¡±

    A look of surprise couldn¡¯t help but appear on her face. ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been thinking about all this whole time?¡±

    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just that we still have about a month left until the academy entrance exam and if I have to see you in that dress for one month straight, then I want an explanation.¡±

    ¡°Why does what I wear matter?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but I still want to know why you changed.¡±

    Apparently during the 3 weeks of traveling, Lyla had slowly been unravelling the memories of the arch-mage who instilled their will upon the Agnos Requiem. The more memories that were unlocked, the more Lyla¡¯s personality continued to change. Back when she first met Daelos she was nothing but a na?ve teenager. In comparison the current Lyla was a more serious but snarkier version of herself.

    It also seems that the arch-mage was a teenager during the time the Agnos Requiem was in her possession, so Lyla¡¯s current appearance is a reflection of that.

    For Daelos this situation was complicated and annoying. Only recently had he come to terms with the fact that the world he was in was different to the one he remembered. Long gone were the bright skies filled with red clouds, long gone was the world of technology he was used to, and worst of all, long gone were the physics he understood.

    Invaders, Laws, knights, mages all these things were alien to him. And Lyla¡¯s insistence on training him at every opportune moment in preparation for the exam left him drained both mentally and physically. What made him want to scream was Lyla saying the more mental fatigue he built up the more adept he would be at controlling it.

    ¡°If I had to give a reason it¡¯d be to differentiate the difference between the mage Lyla and the artefact spirit Lyla.¡±

    ¡°Meaning what exactly?¡±

    ¡°Meaning I don¡¯t see myself as the same person as her. I see us both as separate individuals.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you have the same appearance and memories.¡±

    ¡°You know the mage Lyla once read in a book that ¡®people define themselves through their memories. They¡¯re able to recognise their existence through special events that happen in their lives.¡¯ The mage Lyla never experienced meeting you nor did she see an entire city of people be massacred. It was me who experienced these things, so I¡¯m sure if she was still alive she¡¯d recognise as me as my own person.¡±

    ¡°Pretty profound stuff.¡±

    To that, Lyla replied with a smile and pushed Daelos to increase their speed.

    ¡­

    The day before the entrance exam Daelos found himself sitting cross legged on his bed inside an inn. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady. Around him danced various flames of different sizes.

    ¡°Your pretty good at this.¡± Standing in front of him. Lyla watched with a smug expression. ¡°According to my memories it¡¯d take at least 2 years to create this many flames after gaining a basic understanding of the law.¡±

    ¡°Too bad this is all I can do. I¡¯ve been practicing the way you told me, and I still can¡¯t command the flames to move the way I want them to.¡±

    ¡°That is pretty odd, maybe you¡¯ll luck out on the actual day.¡±

    Looking at her with a downtrodden face Daelos couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be the case.¡±

    Seeing him like this, caused Lyla to be unable to utter a single word of comfort. ¡°I¡¯ll head back into the Agnos Requiem now, keep practicing then head to bed we¡¯re waking up early.¡± And with that, Lyla started glowing purple before turning into a flash of light a burrowing into the artefact around Daelos¡¯s neck.

    Luck out on the actual day, what crap. If I¡¯m going to pass I¡¯m going to have to do it my way.

    Looking down at his palms a playful smile hung on Daelos¡¯s lips.

    ¡­

    Standing in front of the academy building Daelos felt his jaw hit the ground.

    The academy was just too beautiful. It was made out of a material Daelos was unfamiliar with, but just looking at it caused stars to appear in his eyes. From its basic fantasy castle like structure to its awe inspiring presence, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but gawk at it.

    What that ruined moment was-

    What the hell is up with this line!!

    In front of him stood the longest line he¡¯d ever seen!

    ¡®Oi Lyla, the hell is going on? Why is the line so damn long?¡¯

    Speaking to him through the necklace Lyla¡¯s voice sounded out directly in his mind. ¡°I dunno, this wasn¡¯t included in my memories. Anyway get in line or something these exams only last 3 days.¡±

    Must be nice watching others do hard work.

    Keeping that comment to himself, Daelos decided to look around to see if he could somehow cut the line. While searching for a gap, he realised that this was not the only line in front of the academy.

    Compared to the line he was currently standing in, the length of the other 2 lines were considerably shorter. The first line had about 19 people all of which wore light or heavy armour. By their sides were all sorts of melee weapons ranging from swords to hammers. On the other hand the other line only had about 5 people, 4 boys and 2 girls all of which wore clothes that seemed easy to move around in.

    Tapping the shoulder of the person next to him, Daelos discovered that all 3 lines represented different classes. Apparently the line Daelos was currently in was for those who wanted to be mages. The line filled with people wearing armour was for those who wished to be knights. And the shortest line amongst the 3 was for those who wished to be mage-knights.

    Apparently only the students who were accepted from the mage class line would be able to enter the Breamore academy. On the other hand since knights rely on their physical bodies for close quarter combat, those who passed the exam would be taken away and trained within the Beast-men academy.

    Similar to the knight examination, those who managed to pass the mage knight exam would be taken away and trained in the Elven academy.

    ¡°I can guess the difference between knights and mages, but I don¡¯t understand how mage-knights fit into all this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simple, mage knights are those who have the potential to be mages but choose to fight like knights. Mage-knights are able to fight in close combat like knights do but they¡¯re also able to strike from a distance and depending on which law they use, they become tricky opponents for both knights and mages. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t know this, mage-knights are famed across the continent for being the best fighters when it comes to combat.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case why are there only 5 people lined up?¡± A look of suspicion couldn¡¯t help but cross his face.

    Oblivious to Daelos¡¯s doubtful gaze the stranger couldn¡¯t help but continue answering his questions. ¡°Duh! The mage-knight exam is by far the hardest of the 3 examinations. Unlike the other 2, mage-knight examiners are famed for their strictness! In the past only five out of one hundred candidates managed to pass. Since then the amount of candidates attempting the examination have declined.¡±

    So that¡¯s how it is.

    ¡°Thanks for the information.¡± Turning away from the stranger, Daelos walked out of shot.

    ¡°What a weird guy, showing up to the examination without even knowing the first thing about the categories.

    After confirming no one was paying attention to him, Daelos stood at the back of all the lines and talked to Lyla.

    ¡°Your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t anticipate this.¡±

    ¡°Ha me neither. What do you think we should do?¡± Daelos had a surprising carefree expression on his face.

    With a regret filled sigh Lyla¡¯s voice sounded out. ¡°To be honest with your current capabilities the mage examination is a stretch and the knight examination would probably break you.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about the mage-knight examination.¡±

    ¡°Do I even need too. If you can¡¯t handle the knight or mage examination then the mage knight examination is out of the question.¡±

    ¡°Lyla I¡¯m hurt! Where¡¯s the faith you had in me when we first met.¡±

    ¡°When we first met I didn¡¯t have my inherited memories! I was essentially a baby and you were the first person I saw.¡±

    Grabbing his chest tightly, a shocked expression filled his face. ¡°Lyla don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯M YOUR DADDY!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you done yet.¡±

    ¡°I am very sorry.¡±

    *Sigh*

    Letting out a dreary sigh Lyla shook her head inside the Agnos Requiem. ¡°So what do you plan to do now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I¡¯ll join the mage-knight exam.¡±

    ¡°¡­. How did you come to that conclusion?¡± No longer willing to entertain this idiot, Lyla decided to ask a basic question.

    ¡°Lyla, Lyla, Lyla¡± shaking his head in disappointment Daelos looked towards the mage-knight line. ¡°Don¡¯t question daddy.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Once he was done shutting her up, Daelos joined the mage-knight line.

 Chapter 2: New World (Part 2)

    Standing in front of the line was a woman with olive coloured skin and long black hair which lay on her shoulder in a braid. The most noticeable thing about her were her soft brown eyes which somehow emitted both a fiery and calm expression.

    Looking up from her note pad she smiled and addressed the candidates.

    ¡°Hello everyone, my name¡¯s Kira and I¡¯ll be your examiner during today¡¯s test.¡±

    Once her introduction was out of the way she lead the candidates into a large courtyard behind the academy.

    In the middle of the courtyard a smug looking young man glanced at the candidates before looking away, treating them as nothing more than ants crossing his path.

    Walking up next to the smug young man, Kira introduced him to the rest of the candidates. ¡°This is Egon Coulter, due to a recommendation from a mage-knight he has been allowed to directly join the mage-knight academy without having to go through the examination.¡±

    Hearing his introduction Egon literally started to ooze an aura of arrogance.

    ¡°For today¡¯s examination you¡¯ll be sparring with him while I observe. To pass all you need to do is win my approval.¡± With a smile on her face, Kira ushered everyone to the side-lines except one boy.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s just an examination about whether you have the potential to be mage-knights we¡¯ll do it bare handed, start when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Staring down at the arrogant young man in front of him, the candidate put up his hands and got into a combat stance.

    Seeing some random ant look at him with such fiery eyes, Egon felt an overwhelming feeling of disgust.

    Wind started to gather around the candidates legs as he shot forth leaving behind a cloud of dust and arrived before Egon with extreme swiftness. Twisting hips he aimed to end the fight fast by knocking Egon out with a punch to the face.

    Watching the fist become larger in his eyes a malicious smile couldn¡¯t help but creep onto Egon¡¯s face. Lightly tapping his foot on the ground a wall on earth shot up and bore the brunt of the candidate¡¯s attack.

    Feeling an overwhelming amount of pain on his knuckles the candidate gripped his fist and backed away with tears welling up at the corner of his eyes. Feeling a sense of danger the candidate turned around only to find Egon standing behind him with his palm covered in flames stretched out towards him.

    Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse the candidate used wind to enhance his speed before jumping back in retreat. To the candidate¡¯s surprise Egon just looked at him as if he was looking at a helpless lamb about to be slaughtered. Lifting his right leg Egon stomped down hard on the ground causing cracks to surface. Covering his right leg in the wind element Egon leapt towards the retreating candidate with a speed that could only be described as a blur. Appearing in front of the shocked candidate like a phantom, Egon¡¯s flame covered right hand shot out towards the candidates face.

    Seeing the fear within the candidate¡¯s eyes a feeling of superiority filled him. Grabbing onto his face, Egon let the full force of the flame explode!

    In the distance Daelos and the rest of the candidates watched in horror as a disfigured body made contact with the floor.

    Not bothering to look at the disfigured figure below him or the other candidates Egon¡¯s eye only caught sight of Kira. ¡°Next.¡±

    Daelos looked over towards Kira only to see her cross out a name on her note pad. Realising she was being watched Kira raised her head before sending out a female candidate.

    Hearing her name being chosen to fight Egon next, the female candidate couldn¡¯t help but start to tremble as perspiration rolled down her face. Seeing the body of the first candidate still letting off some smoke, caused her to feel like she was about to puke.

    Looking at the shivering girl a small sense of pity flashed across Kira¡¯s eyes. Placing her hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder Kira spoke to her in a gentle voice. ¡°You can back out now if you want to.¡±

    Catching her breath a look of desperation covered the girl¡¯s face. Gritting her teeth a look of resolve covered her face. Facing Kira the candidate shook her head before stepping towards Egon.

    ¡°Erm¡­¡± interrupting the girl¡¯s steps a voice sounded out from the remaining candidates. Looking behind her the girl saw a tanned young man address the examiner. ¡°Miss Kira there¡¯s still a body on the courtyard.¡±

    Looking away from Daelos, Kira saw that the burnt body was still in the middle of the courtyard. Waving her hand the body started to float towards her and the rest of the candidates.

    Looking at the horribly disfigured face Daelos couldn¡¯t help but ask if the person was still alive.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, besides the scars caused by the fire, holy light should be able to heal him.¡±

    Off in the distance Egon and the female candidate faced off against each other.

    Avoiding a ball of fire aimed at him, Egon covered his legs in the wind element and charged towards the her.

    Learning from the mistakes of the previous candidate, the female candidate chose to create a wall of fire in front of her before creating some distance between her and Egon.

    A brief look of annoyance flashed across Egon¡¯s face when he saw her create a fire wall. Covering his whole body in a vortex of rotating air Egon charged through the fire wall like a stone passing through water.

    Seeing Egon easily tear through her fire wall and approach her at a rapid speed, the candidate placed her hands on the ground a sent out a row of earth spikes.

    Watching the earth spikes approach him Egon couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°Struggle as hard as you can, you¡¯ll soon understand the difference between us.¡± Charging towards the earth spikes Egon let the vortex of wind covering him form into arc shaped wind blades and shot them towards the earth spikes.

    Watching as the wind blades cut through her earth spikes the candidate wanted to retreat and avoid close quarter combat as much as possible. Before getting the chance to retreat a wind blade appeared at her side blocking off her escape route.

    Narrowly avoiding the wind blade the candidate felt movement in the earth below her feet. Before getting the chance to react two small earth spikes shot through the ground and pierced the soles of her feat.

    Feeling that something was wrong the candidate felt her body freeze as her brain slowly registered the amount of pain she was in. Feeling an overwhelming sense of pain shoot through her feet the candidate wished for nothing more than to scream out in pain. Just as she opened her mouth she felt a cold sensation wrap itself around her neck.

    Due to the pain in her soles the candidate hadn¡¯t realised that Egon had already closed the distance between them and was currently standing before her grasping her neck.

    Feeling that it was becoming harder to breathe the candidate tried to grab the arm grasping her throat, unfortunately just the slightest bit of movement caused the pain in her soles to skyrocket wracking her feet in a torrent of pain.

    Watching the candidate¡¯s pain filled expression an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction overcame Egon. ¡°You only have yourself to blame for this, a commoner challenging a noble was a ridiculous notion in the first place, but you still went ahead and confronted me anyway.¡± Watching the candidate¡¯s eyes roll into the back of her head Egon finally released his grip on her throat letting her body fall. But because of the earth spikes still pierced into her soles, instead of falling to ground she instead fell into a leaning position.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡­

    ¡°Hey Lyla.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t fight this guy?¡±

    Lyla hesitated before she answered. ¡°I¡­think that¡¯s for the best.¡±

    ¡°I¡­think so as well.¡±

    After watching two matches where both candidates had ended up in such miserable states Daelos felt his enthusiasm of becoming a mage-knight quickly dwindle. ¡°Miss Kira, I don¡¯t feel so good, I think it¡¯d be better for me to go home and get some rest.¡± Gripping his stomach Daelos looked at Kira with a pained expression.

    Looking at him up and down Kira couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Sure, but you¡¯d have to pay the leaving fee.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­how much are we talking about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much just 10 gold coins.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Lyla how much money do we have left over from Hathor?¡±

    ¡°Hmm considering how much you spent on high class inns and luxury foods I¡¯d guess about 4 or 5 gold coins.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Miss Kira is there another way to pay the leaving fee?¡± Using the greatest techniques he¡¯d ever learnt: puppy dog eyes Daelos tried eliciting her sense of pity.

    Looking at him with her ever caring smile Kira couldn¡¯t help but find him amusing. ¡°Rules are rules.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say to the other candidate that there was still time to back out?¡±

    ¡°Actually I was speaking to all of you at that time, but besides that one girl the rest of you didn¡¯t respond so I took your silence as consent.¡±

    How the hell was I supposed to know that you were talking to all of us when you were clearly focused on the girl?

    ¡°Get ready your sparring next.¡± Ignoring Daelos¡¯s pitiful face Kira went and retrieved the unconscious body of the female candidate.

    Squaring up against Egon, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. ¡°Hey Lyla, I could really use some good ideas right about now.¡±

    ¡°¡­Try not to die.¡±

    ¡°Gee thanks.¡±

    Thinking about the previous two battles, Daelos tried to think about the best possible manoeuvres to take. A straight forward attack is basically suicide and attacking from a distance didn¡¯t help the second candidate. And considering that my control of the fire element is basically non-existent. If I¡¯m going to win then I¡¯ll need to slow his movement and take him out there and then!

    Not realising that he¡¯d been focused on defeating the opponent instead of surviving his onslaught Daelos got into a stance that made it easier for him to dodge to the left or the right.

    Seeing that both parties were ready Kira yelled out ¡°Begin.¡±

    As soon as she finished speaking Egon once again enhanced his speed using the wind element and charged towards Daelos at an unparalleled speed. Arriving in front of him Egon shot out a palm covered in flames.

    Feeling the heat of Egon¡¯s flames lick his face, Daelos instinctively threw himself to the ground narrowly avoiding the strike. Feeling that the attack was to easy to avoid a sense of crisis revealed itself on his face. Rolling on the ground Daelos managed to dodge the sudden eruption of earth spikes shooting up from the ground.

    ¡°Oh look at you, dodging my attacks twice, quite commendable.¡± Raising an eyebrow Egon looked out at the figure covered in sweat. ¡°When your done getting treatment you can go back home and brag about it.¡±

    Not relenting in his attacks, more and more earth spikes shot towards Daelos. Feeling his lungs start to burn Daelos kept moving around the courtyard mindful of the earth spikes and the wind blades aimed at him.

    As if watching a show Egon couldn¡¯t help but mock him. ¡°C¡¯mon now if you start to slow down your going to lose an arm and a leg.¡±

    Although he wished for nothing more than to strangle Egon, he knew that what he was saying was right. And just as he was thinking about how to avoid the next wind blade, an earth spike that was longer than the others shot out and impaled itself deep into his left shoulder.

    *ARGHH*

    Feeling a sharp pain attack his shoulder, Daelos soon felt a similar pain assault his right leg. Looking down he saw another earth spike sticking out the back of his leg.  Seeing the earth spikes protruding out of his body and the sharp sense of pain he felt attacking his senses, Daelos felt his consciousness slowly start to slip.

    ¡°DAELOS!!!¡± Screaming out, Lyla¡¯s voice penetrated his consciousness rattling him from his unconscious state.

    A silver radiance flashed through his eyes as a force Daelos hadn¡¯t felt in a long time erupted out from his body. The earth spikes in his body and on the ground disintegrated into nothingness once they came into contact with this force. The swirling wind blades aimed at him dispersed and the ground around him split into multiple cracks.

    Seeing his attacks disappear Egon couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of shock and annoyance. How dare trash like you remain standing in my presence! Seeing Kira ignore him and stare at Daelos with interest, a strong intent to kill gushed out of him.

    Holding out his hand Egon summoned a ball of fire and fed it energy until it grew to a size large enough to cover the distance between him and Daelos. A crazed look settled in his eyes as he threw the huge ball of fire at Daelos ¡°DIE!!!¡±

    Seeing the huge ball of fire fly towards Daelos, Kira couldn¡¯t help but wish to rush over towards him. Shit! If that hits then even holy light won¡¯t be able to save him! If it wasn¡¯t for the other candidates being in the blast range she would have directly destroyed Egon¡¯s attack.

    Seeing the ball of fire approaching him, a calm expression filled Daelos¡¯s face. Looking down at his palm, a distorted vibration could be seen hovering just above the area of the skin. Raising his arm in front of him the fireball seemed to shudder when it made contact with the distorted vibration, instantly dissipating into nothing, leaving Kira, the candidates and Egon in a state of shock. What the hell was that!!

    Pulling back his arm, Daelos tilted his head as he blankly stared down at his palm. Looking back up to the distant Egon, a palm strike shot out towards him and a small fire ball struck his chest causing him to stagger back. Seeing his attack hit its mark Daelos couldn¡¯t help but smile as he fell unconscious.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What just happened!

    One of the candidates yet to fight looked over towards Egon only to see him lost in thought as he held the area of his chest hit by the small fireball. If one looked closely enough they would see his body tremble as his fist clenched tight enough that his knuckles looked like they were about to pop out.

    ¡­

    ¡°How many secrets are you hiding from me.¡± Looking at Daelos with impatient eyes, a smile that was also not a smile was aimed at him. After passing out at the end of the fight, Lyla attacked him while his mind was weak and forcibly dragged him into the mind space where she was basically god.

    Staring blankly at the white space surrounding him, Daelos¡¯s thoughts were plagued by one question. Why¡¯s it still empty?

    Looking at her lazily Daelos couldn¡¯t help but feel tired. ¡°It was meant to be a surprise.¡±

    ¡°Surprise?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, originally I would have used it from the start, but that Egon guy didn¡¯t give me a chance until he thought I was knocked out.¡± Yawning at her question Daelos felt like a mountain was on top of his body. ¡°Can you let me rest for a bit? I promise I¡¯ll explain everything to you once I wake up.¡±

    Seeing the dreary look on his face, Lyla had no choice but to end her interrogation here. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯ll hold you to that promise.¡±

    ¡­

    Hearing the sound of wind blowing past his ears, Daelos found himself waking up with a strenuous groan. Upon opening his eyes he was greeted with the beautiful sight of a clear blue sky. This wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem if not for the fact that Kira was also there.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± still feeling a bit drowsy this was the first question he could ask.

    Smiling like usual Kira couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to herself. ¡°I¡¯m here to escort you to the mage-knight academy of course.¡±

    Mage-Knight academy?

    ¡°I GOT IN!!¡±

    Covering her ears Kira couldn¡¯t help but wince.

    ¡°Wait a second didn¡¯t I fail the entrance exam.¡±

    Removing her hands from her ears Kira looked at him clearly annoyed with his loud voice. ¡°Calm down would you. Do you remember the requirement needed to pass the examination?¡±

    Requirement?

    ¡°Ah! I needed to win your approval!¡±

    Nodding her head Kira looked at him with a gentler graze.

    ¡°Does that mean¡­I won your approval?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t I lose.¡±

    ¡°Winning was never the goal to begin with. All of you candidates assumed that was what I wanted and ended up making stupid mistakes. Honestly if you had just showed off your mastery of the Laws instead of focusing on defeating Egon then I could have ended the fights much quicker, unfortunately you guys were too stubborn and ended up making fools of yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Why did I pass then? If I remember correctly my battle with Egon consisted of me mostly running around the courtyard.¡±

    ¡°True, it was quite a disgraceful display, but it was what you did in your last moments that allowed you to pass the examination.¡±

    ¡°What I did?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the final moments of the battle, your mastery of the laws surpassed Egon¡¯s and you destroyed his elemental attacks. Not to mention that you¡¯re the only candidate that managed to land an attack on him, that feat alone is enough for you to pass.¡± As she spoke a trace on excitement could be heard in her voice.

    Surpassed his mastery of Laws? Is that how she sees it?

    ¡°Okay I understand that I passed the exam, but shouldn¡¯t you be conducting the rest of the exam.¡±

    A confused look surface on Kira¡¯s face. ¡°Why would I?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s your job!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­I forgot to mention the exam already ended. You¡¯ve been unconscious for the past five days.¡±

    Huh

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky though, we¡¯re just about to arrive.¡±

    Arrive? Finally taking a look at his surrounding¡¯s, Daelos realised that he was actually lying on the back of a huge eagle. Looking ahead of him, Egon¡¯s cross armed figure could be seen standing on the head of the eagle overlooking the sky like it belonged to him.

    ¡°Erm¡­Kira.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we would be arriving soon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t we descending?¡± Looking over the edge, Daelos saw nothing but clouds beneath them.

    ¡°Because the academy isn¡¯t on the ground.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Instead of asking me all these questions, if you just looked in front of you all your questions would be answered.¡±

    Looking in the direction Kira was pointing to, three huge island in a triangular formation came into view. They¡¯re floating!!

    Seeing Daelos¡¯s expression, Kira couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. ¡°Welcome to Mato, home of the mage knights.¡±

 Chapter 3: Academy Life (Part 1)

    In front of a tall stone building a young girl yawned lazily and sat in boredom. ¡°Hey sis how many new students do you think will arrive this time?¡± The young girl was fitted up into a light silver chest plate, a brown animal like battle skirt and dark brown leather boots. Stationed on her back lay two sheathed swords of elven design. Her sharp pointed ears signified her elven ancestry and were adorned in a silver ear piece engraved with a dragon¡¯s image. Her shoulder length blonde hair flowed effortlessly in the wind as her emerald green sparkled with a carefree light.

    A similar older looking girl in traditional green and brown ranger clothes stood next to the young girl. At her waist hung a silver dagger and on her back sat a sturdy elven made bow and arrows. ¡°Considering the recent trend I¡¯d say at least one made it through the examination.¡±

    ¡°Only one? That¡¯s kinda disappointing.¡± Hearing her sister¡¯s thoughts the young girl couldn¡¯t help but pout.¡±

    Seeing her younger sister¡¯s expression the older sister couldn¡¯t help but think she looked quite cute. ¡°What¡¯d you expect? Humans just aren¡¯t cut out to be mage knights.¡±

    ¡°What about Kira?¡±

    Hearing that dreadful name the older sister couldn¡¯t help but freeze up as she remembered the demon who challenged 4 official mage knights to a duel and left them all in a comatose state by the end of her first day. ¡°That girl can¡¯t be describe through average means.¡±

    Seeing her sister¡¯s serious face, the younger sister couldn¡¯t help but tease her. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of challenging her to a duel when she comes back.¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T!!¡± Hearing her little sister¡¯s words the older sister couldn¡¯t help but start to panic.

    Watching her sister¡¯s panic ridden face, the young girl couldn¡¯t help but fall into a fit of laughter. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, no way in hell I¡¯d challenge that freak! I still value my life.¡±

    ¡°Hey, do you hear that?¡± in the distance an eagle¡¯s cry could be heard. ¡°I think they¡¯re here, want to go check it out?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I want to see what kind of person could win killer Kira¡¯s approval.¡±

    ¡­

    On top of the eagle Daelos could see the island much clearer now that they were descending. In the middle of the island stood a large academy building similar to the one¡¯s he was used to back in his world but with a more fantasy like aesthetic.

    Surrounding the academy were club buildings and stalls selling a variety of items. At the back of the academy a large arena could be seen in the middle of the courtyard. On the ground below people as young as 18 were strolling around the campus trading and buying lunch from food stalls.

    Once the eagle landed at the edge of the island, Egon jumped down like he¡¯d been here a hundred times. Slowly a crowd started to form around the eagle as many male and female students looked up at them. For some reason Daelos felt like they were really just there to stare at Kira. I get she¡¯s pretty and all but isn¡¯t this crowd a bit to big!

    Amidst the crowd several whispers could be heard.

    ¡°Killer Kira¡¯s back.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the council banish her.¡±

    ¡°I heard she was assigned the role of examiner as punishment.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°She probably killed all the candidates.¡±

    ¡°Look someone just jumped down!¡±

    Hearing the whispers. Daelos couldn¡¯t help but look a Kira with a confused look. ¡°Killer Kira?¡±

    ¡°Ignore them.¡± Not bothered by the whispers and glares she received, Kira grabbed him by the hand and jumped off the eagle¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯ll show you around the campus.¡±

    ¡°What about Egon?¡±

    ¡°He seems to be doing just fine.¡±

    Looking towards Egon¡¯s position, one could see him being surrounded by a river of girls.

    ¡°First thing you should know about this academy is that the majority of the students are made up of elves or those with elven descent.¡±

    That explains the lack of humans.

    ¡°What about beast-men?¡±

    ¡°Beast men lack the talent to become mage-knights, so they instead train they¡¯re bodies to become knights.¡±

    Walking around the campus Daelos discovered that the small buildings surrounding the academy were actually club buildings and the place where items were being sold was called the student market.

    ¡°What about the other two islands?¡±

    ¡°The island on the right is the student dorms. Male and female dormitories are separated to both sides of the island and the breakfast hall in situated in the middle.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t any male students tried to sneak into the female dorm?¡±

    ¡°Ha! Those who tried are either dead or traumatised.¡±

    ¡°Dead?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the academy rules, if any male students are found in the female dorms then the female students are allowed to do whatever they want with them if they¡¯re captured. Killing included.¡±

    A strained smile couldn¡¯t help but surface. ¡°Seems a bit extreme wouldn¡¯t you say.¡±

    ¡°The academy is training future mage knights, if you can¡¯t even escape the pursuit of a couple of female students then the academy resources are wasted on you.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t the female students receiving the same resources?¡±

    ¡°The island on the left is where the library is located.¡±

    Did she just ignore me?

    ¡°The library contains all sorts of information ranging from history to mage knight techniques.¡±

    Looks like I¡¯ll have to pay a visit to the library in order to gather more information about this world.

    ¡°And with that said, this concludes your tour. Tomorrow is the introduction assembly for new students so you should probably go find your dorm room.¡±

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you later then.¡±

    ¡°Definitely!¡±

    After saying his goodbyes to Kira, Daelos headed towards the back of the academy and towards the dormitory island.

    ¡°Did you get all that?¡±

    Lyla¡¯s voice sounded out inside his head. ¡°You mean the part of you wanting to sneak into the girls dormitory.¡±

    ¡°How did you only manage to hear that part!¡±

    Giggling to herself Lyla couldn¡¯t help but want to tease him. ¡°I¡¯m only kidding. But what she said about the library does interest me.¡±

    ¡°Same here, when I get the chance, we¡¯ll investigate it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. By the way you promised me you¡¯d explain what happened during the entrance exam.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. So what do you want to know.¡±

    ¡°How did you eliminate Egon¡¯s attacks?¡±

    ¡°In my world we have this ability where we can feel the vibrations around us. Ever since I arrived here I¡¯ve been trying to sync with this world¡¯s vibrational frequency. After training with you every night I¡¯d wait until you returned to the Agnos Requiem to start my own independent training. It¡¯s only recently that I¡¯ve been able to cover my palms in vibrational energy. But during the entrance exam I seemed to unconsciously fully sync with this world¡¯s frequency.¡±

    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t explain how you destroyed Egon¡¯s attacks.¡±

    ¡°Saying I destroyed his attacks is giving me to much credit. All I did was vibrate the particles holding the attacks together until they dispersed.¡±

    ¡°Could you explain it to me in a way I¡¯d understand.¡±

    This is why I didn¡¯t want to explain it to her.

    *Sigh*

    ¡°Imagine that Egon¡¯s attack is a very big stick that he was hitting me with it. All I did was break that stick into small pieces then threw all the pieces in different directions. Get it?¡±

    ¡°I think so¡­you basically nullified his attack.¡±

    ¡°In simpler terms yes.¡±

    Nodding to herself, Lyla thought of another question that she hadn¡¯t thought of. ¡°Then how did you create that fireball, I thought you had terrible control over the law of fire?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡­I guess you could say I didn¡¯t really use my own understanding of Laws.?

    ¡°Meaning?¡±

    ¡°After I dispersed the particles in Egon¡¯s attacks, I brought back the particles that didn¡¯t go to far and sent just reversed the flow of the attack back to him.¡±

    ¡°Then why was it so small?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have as much particles as the initial attack.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Satisfied?¡±

    ¡°For now.¡±

    ¡°Since I answered all your questions can you answer one of mine?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°How do you think I cross this?¡±

    In front of Daelos a large gap separating the islands stopped him from crossing over.

    ¡°Do you think you could jump it?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 3: Academy Life (Part 2)

    The introduction assembly was inside the academy¡¯s grand hall. Standing behind the podium stood a handsome green haired elf in a suit. With a graceful smile on his face the elf addressed the crowd. ¡°Students from afar I welcome you all to the academy of Mato. My name is Arhel Beldroth your student council president. Today we¡¯ll be handing out your academy ID badges.¡± After pointing to a lightning covered sword badge on his suit Arhel addressed the crowd once more. ¡°They will serve as proof of your acceptance in the academy, anyone found not wearing one will be directly expelled!¡±

    After sitting through Arhel¡¯s induction speech, the students were finally given their ID badges and class itineraries before being sent to their first lesson.

    Walking out of the grand hall Daelos found himself separated from the rest of the first year elven students. Looking over his itinerary he followed the small map and headed towards the staircase.

    Before he knew it, he¡¯d arrived at the second-floor hallway and started walking to the classroom mentioned on the itinerary. Seeing his classroom door a small bit of hesitation stopped him from opening it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Huh!¡± looking behind him Daelos found a green eyed elven girl looking at him in a peculiar manner.

    Seeing the dumbfounded look on the guy¡¯s face, the elven girl started to get irritated. Is this idiot gonna move out the way? ¡°Move¡± pushing him out the way the girl entered the classroom leaving Daelos behind.

    Seeing the girl about to leave him alone in the hallway, Daelos hurried in after her.

    When he entered he saw that there were about 6 people already sitting down, 3 boys and 3 girls including the girl who entered before him. Besides her everyone else gazed at him in wonder.

    Daelos figured it was probably due to the fact that he was the only human in the class.

    Finding an empty seat he decided to ignore the gazes of his classmates and talk to Lyla.

    ¡°Hey Lyla, I¡¯ve been wondering for a while but when can I start learning how to use mental energy?¡±

    ¡°You want to learn to use mental energy?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was needed if I wanted to use the ring of torment?¡±

    ¡°Yeah but you¡¯ve never asked me about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you only ever taught me the basics of the law of fire!¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it that does seem to be the case. But if you¡¯d mentioned it earlier we could have started right after we left Halthor.¡±

    ¡°WHAT! We could have started that long ago! I got my ass kicked at the examination because I couldn¡¯t use the law of fire properly and your telling me that you could have taught me mental energy beforehand!!¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    This Woman!!

    Not willing to get into an argument with her, Daelos tried to cool his and keep things civil.

    ¡°Can we start right now?¡±

    ¡°We could but it¡¯ll leave you mentally drained and you won¡¯t be able to concentrate in class.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but isn¡¯t that why I have you.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I mean you remember just about everything we come across, so instead of listening in class I can focus on training my mental and vibrational energy while you focus on increasing your knowledge and then you can catch me up on it when I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Lyla?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Lyla can you hear me? You¡¯ve gone quiet?¡± Looking down at his necklace Daelos tapped the Agnos Requiem. I wonder if it¡¯s broken?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Before carrying on his thoughts the sound of a door opening pulled his attention elsewhere.

    A beautiful lady walked into the classroom and walked over to the front of the blackboard and wrote her name on the board in chalk.

    Kira

    Looking over the students, her eyes paused when she saw Daelos staring at her with a bewildered expression. Seeing the look on his face caused her to smile, making every boy in the class besides Daelos blush.

    With her usual gentle smile Kira started to address the classroom full of students. Hello everyone, my name is Kira and for the next 5 years I¡¯ll be your teacher. Since this is my first time meeting you all I¡¯d like you to stand up, say your name, age, elemental affinity and something interesting about you.¡±

    Nodding as if to confirm her words the students started to prepare themselves. Looking at a blue haired elf sitting at the front of the class, Kira pointed at him indicating for him to start.

    ¡°My name is Altun Prefa, I¡¯m 209 this year, my elemental affinity is water and I¡¯m interested in water based healing techniques.¡±

    Sitting next to the blue haired elf was a green haired girl in a ranger outfit. ¡°My name is Hera Jourgon, I¡¯m 205 this year, my elemental affinity is air and I¡¯m interested in reading.¡±

    My name is Daisha Raelstrum, I¡¯m 208 this year, I don¡¯t have an elemental affinity but my talent in the law of light is pretty high. I¡¯m also interested in anything to do with nature.¡±

    Most of the class introductions were boring and held little importance in Daelos¡¯s eyes. Only when it became the green eyed girl¡¯s turn did he show the slightest bit of interest.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Rhina Ellwood. I¡¯ve just turned 200 this year, my elemental affinity is fire and I¡¯m only interested in defeating you!¡± Looking at Kira with provocation, everyone in the class could feel her battle intent flaring up.

    Ignoring the obvious challenge, Kira¡¯s eyes focused on Daelos now that it was his turn.

    Seeing her refuse to take her seriously and instead stare at some weak looking human, Rhina couldn¡¯t help but clench her fist and stare daggers at him.

    Why is she getting angry at me?

    Feeling the ominous aura coming from Rhina, Daelos decided that someone this irrational wasn¡¯t worth his time. ¡°My name is Daelos Barrigan, I think I should be around 20, I don¡¯t know what my elemental affinity is, and my only interest is to become strong enough to protect myself and things I find valuable.¡±

    Hearing the last part of his speech, Kira¡¯s eyes were practically shinning.

    Seriously? Do I only attract the crazies!

    After refocusing her mind, she realised that she was the teacher and she actually had a job to do. ¡°Now that the introductions are out of the way we¡¯ll get on with today¡¯s lesson. According to the itinerary I¡¯m supposed to teach you about the 3 different combat classes and fighting preferred fighting styles.¡±

    Looking over the class, she pointed to one of the students that Daelos forgot the name of and spoke in a bored manner unfit for a teacher. ¡°Explain the three combat classes and the difference between them.¡±

    ¡°The three combat classes include Knights, mages and mage knights. Unlike mages and mage knights that use the universal laws, knights instead use a power known as energy which they draw from their own bodies. After the war with the invaders, research on the mysterious force that was used to combat our understandings of laws begun. Over the centuries breakthroughs were made and eventually we were able to replicate their abilities. Although we could replicate the force that they used, most people were either unable to use the power to its full potential or their bodies weren¡¯t able to handle it. On record only Beast-men and some humans have been able to use this power to its full potential.¡±

    Finishing her explanation the female student sat down looking smug.

    ¡°Well that was boring.¡± Breaking the girl¡¯s young spirit, Kira sat back up. ¡°Three months from now we¡¯ll be holding a class assessment. During that time you are free to do whatever you want. Read, fight, sleep, as long as you show up for the assessment anything goes.¡±

    Waving her hand frivolously she dismissed that class. ¡°Daelos stay behind.¡±

    Watching the members of his class leave, Daelos felt nervous being left alone with Kira.

    She won¡¯t try to force me into anything will she?

    Once the last student left Kira dropped her teacher like behaviour and reverted back into carefree self. ¡°Were you surprised.¡±

    ¡°With you being the teacher?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. I didn¡¯t think you looked that much older than me, I guess you must use some amazing face cream.¡±

    ¡°How rude!, I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m only 24.¡±

    Feeling like this was getting him nowhere, Daelos decided to just ask the question on his mind. ¡°Why are you so interested in me?¡±

    Smiling to herself, Kira closed the distance between the two until she was only a couple of centimetres away from his face. ¡°It¡¯s because of your eyes.¡±

    ¡°My eyes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never seen another human within golden eyes before. I thought they were pretty.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± This woman is not right in the head.

    ¡°Well there¡¯s also the matter of you beating a noble despite your lacklustre skills.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Didn¡¯t I lose?

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so grim. If anything you should be singing a song of praise!¡±

    Feeling confused by that last statement, Daelos backed away from Kira as he felt they were way to close. ¡°Why would I be doing that?¡±

    ¡°Because for the next 3 months I¡¯ll be giving you some personal training.¡±

    ¡°I refuse!¡± Not waiting for the conversation to be derailed any further, Daelos flat out rejected her proposal.

    ¡°You can¡¯t, teacher¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just abusing your authority?¡±

    ¡°Since we have an entire day lets start with learning your elemental affinity!¡±

    Did she just ignore me again?

    Grabbing him by the hand, Kira pulled him out of the class room and headed towards the marketplace.

    After buying a crystal ball, she dragged Daelos onto the island with the library on it.

 Chapter 4: Three Month Fight

    In the forest on library island.

    ¡°This is an affinity orb, place your hand on it and try to comprehend a law.¡± Holding out the crystal ball to Daelos, Kira explained the purpose of the orb. ¡°There are currently 6 laws that we understand. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light and darkness. We call the first four elemental laws. If you have an affinity for any of them, then the ball will either get hot like fire, get doused in water, float in the air or become really heavy.¡±

    ¡°What if I get light or darkness?¡±

    ¡°If you get light then the ball will glow, if you get darkness then the ball will release a black mist. But the likelihood of you getting either of those is slim to none.¡±

    Nodding his head, Daelos picked up the crystal ball and tried to comprehend the law of air.

    Standing still for a moment, no change seemed to occur. Opening his eyes he felt the ball grow heavier in his hand.

    ¡°Earth then huh?¡± standing by his side Kira observed the changes in the affinity orb.

    ¡°Seems so.¡± Not that it matters, once I fully sync with this world¡¯s vibrational frequency then these laws won¡¯t mean much.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get that.¡±

    ¡°Is it bad?¡±

    ¡°No I just didn¡¯t expect it. Honestly I thought you¡¯d get air or fire, earth was out of my calculations. Looks like I¡¯ll have to change your training schedule.¡±

    ¡°Can I go now.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Yeah.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Hey Daelos.¡± Lyla¡¯s voice sounded out once more.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t now the best time to visit the library.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it this does seem to be the best chance to check it out.¡±

    ¡­

    For the next 3 months Daelos went through Kira¡¯s hellish training regimen and gained a new understanding towards the usage of laws. During the times he was free from Kira he¡¯d hide in the library and browse books while he trained his vibrational energy. When night fell he¡¯d start his mental energy training sessions with Lyla and practice utilizing the ring of torment.

    During those three months, Daelos¡¯s physique had improved immensely as his well-toned muscles and handsome face caused several elf girls who used to treat him like air to stop and take a second look at him.

    Gone was his innocent naivety and left behind was overwhelming confidence.

    His control over mental energy also improved while his fighting sense could now be described as Godlike due to his sparring with Kira.

    What scared her was Daelos¡¯s original techniques and strategies when using laws. According to him, since his world¡¯s understanding of science and this world¡¯s understanding of law were compatible with each other, he could bring out the full potential of both worlds that they couldn¡¯t reach individually.

    ¡­

    ¡°3 months ago you were given the time to enhance your abilities. Now it is time to prove that, that time was well spent. During this sparring examination if you do not impress me! your gone, if you do not win a single battle! your gone, if you do not have the potential! Then you gone.¡±

    Standing in the courtyard, Kira spouted off some military general nonsense while the students stood decked out in their battle equipment.

    Since he begun his training with Kira, Daelos had ditched his usual outfit in favour of a black sleeveless jacket with a silver long sleeved undershirt, and silver coloured sash around his waist. On his feet were black boots similar to his previous ones. His trousers were also a similar to his old one, the only difference was the vertical silver dragon design.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to be picking the order now so listen up. First up we¡¯ll have Hera vs Daisha, then Rhina vs Altun, after that we¡¯ll have Veral vs Daelos.¡±

    After the matchups were decided both Hera and Daisha got into their battle positions and simply nodded to each other.

    ¡°BEGIN¡± shouting out in a loud voice Kira started the match.

    Letting all the tension flow out of her body, Hera covered her body in wind armour before charging towards Daisha at an amazing speed. Following her actions Daisha coated her body in a golden light and charged at Hera with an even greater speed. Once the two clashed Hera swiped her hand releasing an arc shaped wind blade aim at Daisha.

    *Swoosh!*

    Seeing the wind blade, Daisha evaded by creating a small earth platform and jumping into the air. While in the air she created a row of golden swords made of light and sent them hurtling to towards Hera.

    Dodging the numerous sword lights, Hera created a pit of earth spikes where Daisha was about to land. Realising her plan Daisha used the law of air to propel herself forward before crashing into the earth spikes.

    Seeing that Daisha hadn¡¯t recovered from her landing, Hera charged her once more raining fire covered fists on her face. One more blow should end it.

    Preparing to finish the fight Hera didn¡¯t realise the smile on Daisha¡¯s face. Only paying attention to pummelling her face, she didn¡¯t see Daisha¡¯s floundering arms approach her waist. Idiot!

    Creating two orbs of light on her hands, two sword lights shot out and impaled themselves deep into Hera¡¯s waist. ¡°You lose.¡± With that said Daisha covered her fist in a golden flame and planted it into Hera pained face.

    After she fell to the ground Kira called the match ¡°Winner Daisha.¡±

    ¡°What did you think?¡± talking to Lyla, Daelos issued a question.

    ¡°She¡¯s quite talented.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± unsatisfied with her answer Daelos pressed on.

    ¡°What do you want me to say? She didn¡¯t reveal enough for me to give her a full evaluation.¡±

    Covering her burnt and bruised face golden light radiated out of her palms. When she removed her hands, her burnt face was completely healed.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what they call holy light.¡± Looking at her with some interest Daelos couldn¡¯t help but find that light interesting from a scientific point of view. No wonder she didn¡¯t try to dodge.

    After removing Hera from the courtyard Kira called out the next match up. ¡°Rhina vs Altun.¡±

    Like the previous match, both competitors made their way to their starting positions.

    ¡°BEGIN¡± hearing Kira¡¯s roar Rhina¡¯s battle intent surged.

    Covering the soles of her feet in dense flames Rhina shot out faster than anyone could see. Arriving before Altun, she pulled her arm back and drove a flame covered fist towards his  face. Creating a shield out of ice Altun took several steps back thinking he¡¯d blocked her punch. I managed to stop it!!

    *CRACK!*

    Huh

    *SHATTER*

    Tearing through Altun¡¯s ice shield, Rhina¡¯s fist once more aimed to strike his face. SHIT!

    The force behind her fist caused several bones in his face to cave in before he was launched halfway across the courtyard. Looking at his body laying still in the distance Rhina mumbled to herself ¡°weak.¡±

    Seeing Altun unable to continue, Kira called the match ¡°Winner Rhina.¡±

    Returning to the rest of her classmates Rhina glared at Daelos in a provocative manner.

    Ignoring her glare, Daelos once more consulted with Lyla.

    ¡°Thoughts?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s more of a threat compared to that Daisha girl.¡±

    ¡°That much if obvious. I don¡¯t think Daisha would be able to stand after receiving a blow like that.¡±

    ¡°Feeling the heat?¡± Lyla asked in a mocking manner.

    ¡°Hah if anything I want to fight her even more.¡±

    ¡°Hmph fool.¡±

    ¡°Veral vs Daelos.¡± Hearing his name being called Daelos headed towards his position.

    Standing opposite to him a purple haired elf boy sneered at him. ¡°Don¡¯t think just because your on good terms with Killer Kira that I¡¯ll go easy on you.¡±

    I really need to know how she got that title.

    ¡°Begin.¡± Kira¡¯s yell echoed in the air.

    ¡°At least try to last longer than a minute.¡± Daelos laughed before roaring and charging the purple haired boy. Seeing the human run towards him a trace of seriousness flashed across Veral¡¯s face. Summoning a ball of fire bigger than the one Egon had used during the entrance exam, Veral threw it at Daelos hoping to incinerate him. Turn to ashes.

    ¡°Hahaha that¡¯s the stuff!¡± The heat radiating off the raging ball of inferno only caused his blood to flow even faster. After three months of Kira¡¯s abuse Daelos couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the prospect of venting out all his pent up aggression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Stomping his foot on the ground, Daelos¡¯s figure vanished and appeared in front of dumbfounded Veral. Raising his hand to the sky Daelos covered his palm in razor sharp wind and slapped down at a speed that would leave people whiplashed.

    *SLASH*

    Veral¡¯s eyes trembled as he tried to form a defensive earth barrier. However, all of this was in vain because his barrier was torn to pieces after making contact with Daelos¡¯s palm, causing all the clothes he wore to tear apart as his tendons were cut like pieces of string.

    Everyone except for Kira was shocked! If Rhina did what Daelos just did, then it¡¯d been seen as natural, after all she was an elf! But a human who did not even know his own elemental affinity three months ago used a single palm strike to not only overpower an elf but to not give the opponent the slightest chance to retaliate was practically unheard of in modern society.

    ¡°Winner Daelos.¡±

    Amongst the remaining three elves only Rhina seemed relieved at Veral¡¯s loss. Since you were picked by Kira you only have the right to lose to me.

    Looking at Veral¡¯s body everyone still able to fight could see the numerous cuts covering his body. The most noticeable one would have to be the huge gash across his eye.

    ¡°After boasting so much you only amounted to this? Wow your disappointing.¡±

    Walking away from Veral¡¯s wound infested body Daelos joined the last 3 elves able to fight as he waited for the next match to begin.¡±

    ¡°Daisha vs Windrel.¡±

    So I¡¯m fighting Rhina next? Should be fun!!

 Chapter 5: Daelos vs Rhina

    The battle between Daisha and Windrel was lacklustre compared to the previous fights. Since Daisha¡¯s main attack style utilized the law of light, her speed was unmatched amongst the rest of the class. This was even more evident against someone like Windrel who couldn¡¯t even see her attacks coming.

    Unlike the other competitors who lost, Windrel actually didn¡¯t sustain too much damage, allowing him to fight again in the next round.

    ¡°Rhina vs Daelos.¡±

    My time to shine.

    Walking onto the courtyard Rhina felt her lust for battle rise. Feeling her battle intent aimed at him Daelos couldn¡¯t help but feel his blood start to boil. ¡°Come at me with everything you have, or I¡¯ll crush you!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see who gets crushed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky! She¡¯s not like the rest.¡± Lyla berated him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll crush her like the rest.¡± Letting out a crazed laughter filled with bloodlust, the audience felt their bodies tremble.

    Did that training break him? Thinking to herself Lyla decided to just watch.

    Seeing the maniacal look in Daelos¡¯s eyes, a loose smile hung at the edge of Kira¡¯s lips. This may be a problem¡­Oh well, I¡¯m sure everything¡¯ll work out.

    ¡°Begin.¡±

    Without any hesitation Daelos covered his body in wind and charged towards his opponent. Rhina summoned over 20 fireballs, each firing towards the charging human. ¡°Explode¡± Once the fireballs were close enough all 20 of them simultaneously exploded causing Daelos to be sent flying backwards.

    Covering his body in a thin coat of the earth element Daelos managed to avoid taking in any real damage. ¡°MORE!¡± Roaring at his opponent, his right foot stomped on the ground causing the earth to shake. Disappearing from sight Daelos reappeared in front of Rhina and aimed a kick towards her head. Avoiding the kick, Rhina summoned an earth spike right under Daelos.

    Preforming a wind enhanced backflip he narrowly avoided getting impaled. On his face was a smile that practically screamed ¡®I¡¯m having fun!!¡¯ Raising his hand in the air the area below Rhina started to heat up before raging magma erupted out the ground. Dodging the magna Rhina didn¡¯t see how Daelos appeared beside her. Using this chance he delivered a swift kick to her ribcage and sent her flying.

    *CRACK*

    Stabilizing her breathing, uncontrollable rage flashed across her beautiful green eyes. Around her the wind turned chaotic as a fire like aura covered her body. Her hair changed from the original light blonde colour into a bright crimson. Her eyes became a hot orange and on her skin orange symbols radiating heat imprinted themselves. Around her multiple cracks surfaced on the ground as steam escaped through the gaps.

    The temperature around the entire courtyard started to rise causing Daelos to find it hard to breathe.

    In the distance Kira watched the young girl undergo a weird transformation. Elf king bloodline huh. How will you deal with this?.

    Summoning a ball of water Daelos tried to cool himself down. To his surprise the ball of water actually evaporated the moment it was formed!

    ¡°Can you deal with this?¡± Lyla¡¯s voice echoed out in his head.

    Calming down from his battle crazed state, Daelos started to look at the situation with a more logical mind. ¡°I can¡¯t beat her if I just rely on my understanding of laws.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Will you use mental or vibrational energy?¡±

    ¡°None I¡¯ll try to use the law of earth first.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that wouldn¡¯t work?¡±

    ¡°Yeah but for some reason I feel like using mental energy and vibrational energy is too excessive for an academy examination.¡±

    ¡°So you won¡¯t use it?¡±

    ¡°I didn''t say that.¡±

    Ending his conversation with Lyla, Daelos felt the earth beneath his feet tremble.

    Raising his arms into the air and then slamming them together two giant earth hands rose from the cracked earth around Rhina and crushed her in between them. Watching his opponent get crushed a grim expression appeared on his face.

    The giant earth hands entrapping Rhina slowly started to turn in to dust and scatter, revealing Rhina¡¯s untouched body.

    Damn!

    Looking up from the ground, her bright eyes focused on Daelos¡¯s distant figure. When their eyes met Daelos felt his eyes start to sting. So much for not using energy.

    Stomping his foot on the ground as hard as he could his figure once more disappeared from sight before appearing in front of the transformed Rhina. Creating a sword made of jagged earth Daelos slashed towards her face. Slightly moving her head to the side Rhina stretched out her arm and grabbed his wrist.

    *Sizzle*

    The smell of burning flesh permeated the air as Rhina¡¯s orange pupils stared unblinkingly into Daelos¡¯s eyes.

    Fuck it! Coating his burnt wrist in dense vibrations Daelos managed to forcibly remove Rhina''s iron grip. Pulling his left arm back, he threw a vibration covered fist towards her face. Feeling a certain amount of threat towards the fist flying towards her face, Rhina ducked down, dodging the attack before releasing a combo of fists on Daelos¡¯s stomach and forced him into retreat. Disappearing from his sight Rhina appeared behind him holding a ball of fire.

    Pyrokinetic Invisibility!!

    *BOOM*

    A huge surge of heat impacted Daelos¡¯s back flinging his body forward at an incredible speed. Despite the burning sensation on his back, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but find the situation funny. Hahaha she¡¯s strong. I might as well at least try to go all out.

    Feeling his blood start to boil, Daelos¡¯s body started to radiate battle intent as his crazed laughter once more sounded out.

    In the Agnos Requiem Lyla watched in silence. So he¡¯s going to go all out while in his battle crazed state.

    Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Daelos pulled his pain ridden body up from the ground. Locking his golden pupils onto Rhina¡¯s fire encased body. A murderous smile hung from his face. Covering his fists in dense vibrations, Daelos covered his skin in a light earth type armour before shooting towards Rhina at an explosive pace.

    As he approached her, a light purple aura erupted out of his body. This aura soon became very faint but struck towards Rhina. Swiping her hand she tried to eradicate the faint purple energy from reaching her. Unfortunately her attack passed right through as she lost sight of the energy. Feeling a foreign force enter her body Rhina felt her body freeze.

    Using the moment that his mental energy entered her body, Daelos struck her face without holding back in the slightest.

    Waking up due to the pain on her face, Rhina countered by throwing her own fire covered fist towards him. Her blow struck the side of his face sending him recoiling back as a small amount of fire tried to eat away at the skin on his face. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Daelos just looked at her before a formless energy dissipated the fire on his face. ¡°That tickles.¡±

    An aura of brutality erupted out of his body as his golden pupils flashed with an animalistic savageness.

    The temperature in the atmosphere rose even higher as the clothes on all the candidates started to melt or catch fire. Watching this development Kira sat in her chair as cool as a cucumber unaffected by the sudden rise in temperature. The heat only caused Daelos¡¯s blood to boil even more as he felt himself lose more and more control of his mind.

    Releasing more vibrations around his hands the air before him started to tremble in response. Seeing the intent in his eyes, Rhina couldn¡¯t help but smile at the prospect fighting someone with her full power. Despite the face that both of them were basically naked their battle intent soared towards the sky as they started trading blows.

    Every hit Daelos delivered was combined with a mental energy attack causing a delay in Rhina¡¯s response.

    *BOOM*

    Every hit Rhina dished out resulted in Daelos¡¯s scorched skin blackening.

    *BOOM*

    *BOOM*

    *BOOM*

    After 300 hundred rounds of swapping blows, both Daelos and Rhina felt that their bodies became heavier and their breathing became more ragged.

    Oh Finally ran out of juice huh.

    Appearing between the two combatants Kira slammed their heads together, knocking them both unconscious. Looking at the state the two of them had left the courtyard in she couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache coming on. At least I have two promising students. Picking up the unconscious fighters, Kira headed towards the infirmary leaving the last two combatants behind in a daze.

 Chapter 6: Infirmary

    Inside the headmaster¡¯s office Kira sat on an old wooden chair as a handsome middle aged elf paced the office berating her.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how much damage they caused!! If not for Arhel do you seriously believe that you would still be allowed within the academy!¡±

    God I hate dealing with this senile old fool.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the damages, problem solved.¡±

    ¡°Problem solved? Are you that much of an imbecile to think that you could afford to pay for the damages.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only a courtyard, what¡¯s the big deal.¡±

    ¡°THE BIG DEAL IS THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR STUDENTS!, OTHER STUDENTS CAN NO LONGER TRAIN THEMSELVES OR DO PRACTICAL LESSONS!!¡±

    *Yawn*

    ¡°I can see that your very stressed, but I think I have a way for us both to get what we want.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And what would that be?¡±

    ¡°I propose a bet. During the annual mage knight tournament my class''s team will become number one and you will forget about the courtyard incident.¡±

    ¡°What if they don¡¯t become number one?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give birth to Arhel¡¯s child.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Your putting your genes on the line. Looks like my race will be gaining a new addition to the family.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only if you win.¡±

    ¡°Arhel will be entering the tournament so it¡¯s already a foregone conclusion.¡±

    ¡°I hope you can be the confident by the time the tournament ends.¡± Leaving the office Kira left those last few words before disappearing behind the door.

    ¡°Hmph cocky human, if I wasn¡¯t for your abnormal power how could you ever dream of giving birth to a child of our race.¡±

    ¡°Father, there¡¯s no need be so stressed. Soon that abnormal power will belong to our elven race.¡± Appearing out of nowhere, student council president Arhel Beldroth stood before the headmaster.

    ¡°Your right, with your elf king bloodline and her mutated genes, your child will lead our race to overthrow both humans and beast-men alike and claim the continent as our own.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°So how do you think that went?¡± Standing in his mind space Lyla asked Daelos with an amused expression.

    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t lose.¡± Seeing her mocking face, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly irritated.

    ¡°Yeah but you didn¡¯t win either.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯d you expect? She¡¯s an elf! She has like a hundred years more experience than me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but weren¡¯t you boasting about how you were gonna crush her?¡±

    ¡°You know when I¡¯m in that state I can¡¯t really control what I say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your fault for being so stressed out while undergoing mental energy training. Now whenever the thought of a fight emerges your personally flips!¡±

    ¡°If anything isn¡¯t it Kira¡¯s fault for putting me through such training in the first place.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with you, but can you honestly say that without her training you¡¯d be as strong as you currently are?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Not to mention she only spent three months training you and you can already produce such power.¡±

    ¡°True, compared to her you really suck at teaching.¡±

    ¡°No! its just that you suck at learning.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me! Compared to you barbarians my mind is practically an oasis of knowledge.¡±

    ¡°How the hell did you get to that conclusion!¡±

    ¡°It only took me three months to understand laws to the point where I could crush a noble taught since he was old enough to read! I¡¯m basically a genius!¡±

    ¡°You lost that fight!¡±

    ¡°Yeah but I was untrained at the time, yet I still managed to land a blow on him.¡±

    ¡°Oh congratulations you managed to land one attack!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    After venting out their feelings both people ended up laughing hard enough that tears started to flow.

    ¡°So what do you think that transformation was?¡± Calming herself down Lyla asked a serious question.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have that information in your memories?¡±

    ¡°Nope! It must have happened after mage Lyla¡¯s time.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. From what I can tell that form gave her a fire enhancement.¡±

    ¡°Fire enhancement?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Where I¡¯m from some animals have an ability called fire enhancement that allows them to become stronger, faster, more durable, when they come into contact with fire.¡±

    ¡°But she was only in contact with her own flames?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that something in her body replaces the need for an external flame and grants her that fire enhanced form.¡±

    ¡°Did you notice anything else?¡±

    ¡°I think she turned invisible.¡±

    ¡°Seriously.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! There was a theory that some creatures had the ability to camouflage themselves by hiding in fire. And considering how much fire was on the courtyard it¡¯s not hard to believe that she could do something like that.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    ¡°I theorise that her enhanced form grants her numerous abilities that we have yet to see.¡±

    ¡°Woah! Isn¡¯t that a major problem for you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Think about it! The first time you met her, you left her with a bad impression of yourself. Then came the personal training with Kira, who¡¯s her personal goal! And now you managed to force her to show off her trump card and even that wasn¡¯t enough for her to beat you!¡±

    Thinking back to the times when she glared at him just for being close to Kira. Now after making her lose face in front of Kira who¡¯s either her mortal enemy or personal goal, Daelos realised that this fight may have mentally pushed her over the edge.

    ¡°Shit!! Do you think she¡¯ll try to kill me while I¡¯m a sleep!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Not helping!! Think of something useful!¡±

    ¡°Panicking won¡¯t help you.¡±

    Ignoring her nonchalant comment, a scary thought emerged in his head. Looking a Lyla with panicked eyes he walked over to her.

    ¡°Lyla what happened after the fight.¡± Daelos addressed her in the calmest voice he could muster.

    ¡°Huh? Kira collected both of your passed out bodies and brought you to the infirmary.¡±

    ¡°So what your saying is that currently, I¡¯m passed out in a room with that crazy bitch sleeping across from me?¡±

    ¡°Across the room? Her bed is right next to yours.¡±

    ¡°WHAT!!¡±

    I¡¯m dead, I¡¯m dead, I¡¯m dead! When she wakes up she will definitely kill me.

    ¡°Lyla!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°Can you wake me up right now!¡±

    ¡°How do you expect me to do that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Jolt me awake with mental energy or something.¡±

    ¡°You do remember that the Agnos Requiem can only absorb mental energy right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the infirmary Rhina lay unconsciously with a peaceful look on her face. Sitting next to her bedside was a girl who looked similar to her but older and more graceful. To think there was someone in the same class as you who was able to force you to release your bloodline limiter.

    Looking over at the unconscious boy on the bed next to her sister¡¯s, the girl¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but be covered in intrigue. And a human at that.

    ¡°Erghhh¡± feeling movement at her sister¡¯s side, the older girl couldn¡¯t help but look back to her sister. Opening her eyes the first thing to enter her vision was the sight of her sister¡¯s face looking down at her. ¡°Sis?¡±

    Seeing her sister awake a small smile graced her lips. ¡°Did you sleep alright?¡±

    ¡°Sleep? Where am I?, What happened to the match!¡± Feeling panicked, she almost jumped out of the bed.

    ¡°Shhh, the match is over, you were brought here by Kira.¡±

    ¡°¡­I won right?¡±

    ¡°Not from what I heard.¡±

    ¡°What did you hear?¡±

    ¡°I heard it was a draw. Though I must say I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Upset?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Sigh ¡°Ever since Kira brought him back from the human territory its as if she only has eyes for him.¡±

    ¡°I thought he looked familiar. So he¡¯s the boy we saw on the eagle. He¡¯s quite cute up close.¡±

    ¡°Sis!¡±

    ¡°Calm down I won¡¯t steal him from you.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about! Me and him have no relationship.¡±

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll stop teasing you. Tell me about your fight.¡±

    Laying down in his bed Daelos thought to himself. How long do I have to pretend to be asleep?

    After explaining the details of her battle with him Rhina looked towards her sister.

    ¡°If he forced you to use that much power in your Elf King form and still manage to keep up, then I must say that we have a monster on our hands.¡±

    ¡°What do you think about that weird power that entered my body or him destroying my flames that easily burn through skin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely peculiar. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say he¡¯s like Kira.¡±

    ¡°In what way?¡±

    ¡°In the way that their potential as mage knights surpass all three races.¡±

    ¡°You think his potential surpasses mine?¡±

    ¡°I think he¡¯ll be your second biggest rival.¡±

    ¡°Second? Who¡¯s the first?¡±

    Pausing for a second Rhina¡¯s big sister finally responded in a grim tone ¡°Arhel Beldroth.¡±

    Hear this name caused Rhina to clench her fists.

    Arhel Beldroth? Wasn¡¯t that the name of the student council president? Eavesdropping on their conversation Daelos couldn¡¯t help but think back to the introduction assembly.

    Seeing her sister¡¯s hate filled face a warm sensation filled her chest. ¡°Don¡¯t look so angry, the past is the past.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive him! After what he did to you I swear I¡¯ll crush him!¡± Saying this, Rhina¡¯s hair began to take on a red hue and her eyes started to flash orange.

    ¡°Rhina!¡±

    Snapping out of her rage, her aura began to recede as her hair and eyes returned to normal.

    ¡°I-I¡±

    ¡°I know, its okay I¡¯m fine really.¡±

    ¡°When I become as strong as Kira I swear I¡¯ll find someone to help you.¡±

    Rubbing her fingers through her sister¡¯s hair a small smile found itself on her face. ¡°Is that the reason you set her as your goal?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ well its getting late I¡¯ll bring you some fruits tomorrow.¡± Walking towards the door she couldn¡¯t help but look back at her sister. ¡°What fruits do you think he¡¯ll like?¡±

    ¡°Why are you bringing fruits for him?¡±

    In a teasing voice she replied with ¡°Because he¡¯s your future husband of course.¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

    Giggling to herself she closed the door only leaving a few words behind ¡°Just because he¡¯s asleep don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do.¡±

    Turning red Rhina threw her pillow at the closed door and shouted, ¡°As if.¡±

    What kind of conversation was that? Laying on his bed this was the only thought racing around his mind. Pretending to wake up with a yawn he was greeted with the sight of a red faced Rhina.

    Pretending he didn¡¯t hear the previous conversation Daelos ask if she was alright in a very caring tone. ¡°Are you alright? Your face is all red.¡±

    Realising that there was another person in the room Rhina quickly reverted to her usual personality. ¡°Hmph¡±

    Seeing her ignore him, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but think, Don¡¯t act all high and mighty after acting so cute in front of your sister.

    ¡°Some fight huh.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡±

    ¡°Real crazy right?¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡±

    ¡°I thought your transformation was cool.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡±

    ¡°You know the longer you ignore me, the longer the night is gonna feel.¡±

    Feeling like his words made some sense, Rhina decided to join in the conversation.

    ¡°It was a good fight.¡±

    ¡°You thoughts so as well! Your way of using fire was spectacular! Especially after your transformation! It felt like your abilities skyrocketed!¡±

    ¡°Yet you still managed to keep up. In my opinion you¡¯re the real monster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡±

    ¡°It might be rude of me to ask but why did you mostly use fire during our battle.¡±

    ¡°My affinity for fire is the highest and at our level fire holds the most destructive force.¡±

    ¡°But if you used the wind element then you¡¯d be more agile.¡±

    ¡°But then I¡¯d lose the explosive power behind my movement.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯d have been able to dodge more attacks.¡±

    ¡°I can handle a few hits. What about you?¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    ¡°How did you destroy my fire when I punched your face?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡­ Because my elemental affinity is earth I was able to just covered the area in dust.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡±

    I hope she brought that.

    Not realising that they¡¯d spent the entire night conversing, morning soon came and to their surprise Kira came to greet them.

 Chapter 7: Acquiring a weapon

    Inside the classroom, all the students from the first day sat at their desks looking at what Kira had just written on the board.

    Mage Knight Tournament!

    ¡°At the end of every year, the academy holds an annual tournament for the students. This ranges from first year students like yourselves to fifth year students in their final term. Battles will be three on three so teamwork and synergy are important.¡±

    What is she going on about?

    ¡°So before delving further into this topic I would like to know what you think is essential in a fight.¡±

    Looking around the room her eyes met with Daelos¡¯s causing her to reveal a charming smile.

    SHIT!!

    ¡°Daelos care to explain?¡±

    You Bitch!!

    Standing up from his seat his face didn¡¯t betray his thoughts. ¡°The key to winning any fight lays  in three fundamental practices. Having greater strength than your opponent, Being faster than your opponent and Having a better technique compared to your opponent. If these three practices are utilised to their greatest ability then losing is practically impossible.¡±

    ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t think you were so smart!¡±

    Shocked by Daelos¡¯s enlightening statement the rest of the class looked at him like he was an alien. This was especially true for Rhina as she had fought him with her everything.

    Is that what he used to fight me?

    ¡°Daelos you are correct. Strength, speed and technique are essential in battle if you want any hope of victory. And because of that I¡¯ve decided to place you in teams that suit that dynamic. In team 1 we¡¯ll have Rhina as she has the most destructive power amongst the class. Then we¡¯ll have Daisha as she¡¯s the fastest in the class and last but not least we¡¯ll have Daelos as his adaptability is the highest!¡±

    Raising his hand Daelos couldn¡¯t help but ask why is everyone still in class. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the people who didn¡¯t win a single fight would be removed?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡­I lied, I only said that to motivate you guys.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway the purpose of todays lesson is to understand what equipment will enhance your combat capabilities.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Meaning?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re getting you guys weapons!!¡±

    Speaking up for herself Rhina said ¡°I already have my own weapons.¡±

    ¡°Then help your team select their own.¡±

    The rest of the class looked at each other ¡°What about us?¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°What are our teams?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s four of you, kick someone out and become team 2.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Ignoring their panicked faces, Kira¡¯s attention switched back to team 1. ¡°Off you go.¡± Shoving them out the class, team 1 headed towards the trading market.

    ¡­

    ¡°Hey Daisha.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°What was that golden flame you used during your match?¡±

    ¡°That was holy fire.¡±

    ¡°Holy fire?¡±

    ¡°By combining the law of light and fire I made a special flame that has the abilities of light but moved like fire.¡±

    ¡°Cool¡­What weapon are you thinking of getting?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it should probably be something light weight, so it doesn¡¯t affect my speed. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a weapon that suits me. What do you think Rhina?¡±

    After the night the two spent in the infirmary, Rhina¡¯s attitude towards him improved immensely.

    Looking at her two classmates walking behind her, she simply answered. ¡°Your way of fighting is very direct, so I¡¯d suggest a close quarter type weapon.¡±

    Walking around the market the team soon found an affordable shop filled with tier 1 and 2 weapons. Seeing customers walk in the shop owner was delighted and came to personally receive them. ¡°Welcome, how may I be of service?¡±

    Stepping up as the team¡¯s spokesperson, Daelos addressed the owner. ¡°We¡¯re looking for weapons that can last past the annual tournament.¡±

    Bringing them around his shop, the owner should off a variety of swords, hammers and bows. Unfortunately nothing managed to catch their eye.

    ¡°Yo Lyla, what weapon do you think I should get?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ¡°huh¡±

    ¡°Your abilities and style of fighting don¡¯t really suit any weapon I know of.¡±

    Is that so.

    ¡°You know I feel like you become more and more useless as the days go by.¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for me I¡¯m not sure you would have got this far.¡±

    Can¡¯t argue with that.

    ¡°If no weapon suits me then what do you think I should do?¡±

    ¡°In my opinion you should just turn your body into a weapon.¡±

    ¡°Turn my body into a weapon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you remember what the books in the library said?¡±

    ¡°We read a lot of books!¡±

    ¡°*Sigh*, remember how knights train their bodies in order to handle the energy they draw out from their bodies?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re real nut jobs-

    Don¡¯t tell me!

    ¡°You want me to go through that kind of training!¡±

    ¡°No I want you to ask Kira about it and get her opinion.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Go buy those bracers.¡±

    Looking around the store Daelos saw two silver bracers with built in gloves.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You need to at least buy something?¡±

    ¡°Good point¡±

    ¡­

    Returning back to class, Daelos and  the others were surprised to see that only Kira was inside. Seeing them standing by the door frame she hurried them in and checked out their weapons.

    Back at the store, Daisha had found a silver rapier and decided to buy it because she thought it¡¯d enhance her light manipulation abilities.

    On the other hand Rhina had briefly left the two in order to get her twin elven swords from her room.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I disagree with your weapon choice. But why do you only have bracers?¡± Looking over at Daelos she couldn¡¯t help but feel confused.

    ¡°None of the weapons suited me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°How long do we have until the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Nine months.¡±

    ¡°Can you train these two within these nine months?¡±

    ¡°Oh? What about you¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do my own independent training.¡±

    ¡°Your lone wolfing it huh.¡±

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    ¡°I see, well I can train these two while you¡¯re doing your independent training.¡±

    ¡°By the way I need a favour¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± a mischievous smile crept onto her face.

    She¡¯s definitely misunderstanding something.

    ¡°Can you tell me everything you can about how knights train their bodies?.¡±

    ¡°I can, but why do want to know?¡±

    ¡°Its been an interest of mine for a while now. I also have another favour to ask.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Can I have a leaving pass?¡±

 Chapter 8: Seed of Corruption

    Looking at the map given to him by Kira, Daelos looked at the large area circled in red.

    ¡°Are you really going to train at a beast-men tribe?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Kira said that if I want to strengthen my body, then training with beast-men would be my best bet.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully they don¡¯t kill you on sight.¡±

    ¡°Things are different from mage Lyla¡¯s time. Beast-men are now practically civilised. Heck they may even be more bearable than humans and elves.¡±

    ¡°You have problems with humans and elves?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say problems. It just that humans see everything based on ones social standing whereas elves see everything based on race.¡±

    ¡°I get how you¡¯d see humans like that but didn¡¯t the elves at the academy treat you well.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? Most of them look at me like I¡¯m a lower class lifeform.¡±

    For the next three weeks Daelos and Lyla journeyed on through dense forests and grassy plains. After encountering wolves, abnormal bears, and giant gorillas, Daelos decided that before he reached his destination he would only train his mental energy and use it during combat.

    ¡­

    In a dense forest on the outskirts of the Beast-men territory.

    A young man carrying a leather backpack could be seen treading along a muddy path.

    ¡°How long till you get there?¡± Inside the Agnos Requiem Lyla sat while playing with her hair.

    ¡°We should be in the area by tomorrow night.¡± Looking down at his map he confirmed their current position.

    ¡°Urgh this is taking too long!¡±

    ¡°Your one to talk, aren¡¯t you just relaxing inside the Agnos Requiem?¡±

    ¡°Tsk¡± Kissing her teeth, she kept herself quiet.

    ¡°Did you just kiss your teeth at me?¡±

    Before he could get an answer a voice sounded from above. ¡°Oh a human! It¡¯s been a while since I last tasted one.¡±

    Hearing the coquettish tone in the mysterious voice, Daelos felt the hairs on his body stand up. Raising his guard to critical he desperately looked around trying to spot the origin of the voice. Seeing the human desperately search for its position, the owner of the bashful voice dropped down from a tree and landed on the ground behind him with little to no sound.

    Feeling that something wasn¡¯t right, Daelos cautiously looked around him until he caught sight of a figure standing behind him hidden by the shadow of a tree. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just someone passing by. But I must say your quite fortunate to run into me.¡±

    Not lowering his guard for an instance Daelos quietly prepared an earth spike under the mysterious figure. ¡°Why am I fortunate?¡±

    ¡°Daelos be careful he¡¯s dangerous!¡± Hearing the seriousness in Lyla¡¯s voice, he couldn¡¯t help but feel solemn while facing the mysterious figure.

    ¡°Lyla if I start fighting will my mental state be affected?¡± Thinking back to his training with Kira, he couldn¡¯t help but remember the words that caused a crack in his mind space.

    ¡­

    *3 months ago*

    After another hard day of spartan-like training from Kira, Daelos felt his body once again ache all over as he lay silently on the library roof. After every training session finished, he¡¯d head up here and look out into the distance and remember that he wasn¡¯t going home. This strange feeling caused him to recall all the pain and sorrow caused to him by his people. The oppressive feeling of being lorded over and looked down upon pressured him to point of wanting to commit suicide. The only thing that kept him going was the love and care shown to him by his parents. But even then that was barely enough. Because of his below average intelligence not only was he publicly shamed but so were his parents. Friends and family stopped speaking to them, the neighbours gossiped behind their backs and their employers indirectly made their lives harder. Not long after this, his parents planned to split up.His father ended up going off world leaving him behind with his mother. Unable to deal with the stress caused by her job, she eventually took out her anger on a young Daelos. At first he resented her, but whenever he heard his mother crying herself to sleep all he could feel was rage towards himself for causing his mother such distress.

    Everyday he¡¯d sit up here alone and recall these memories. Everyday he¡¯d wonder if his mother and father ever got back together and were now living a better life now that he was gone.

    ¡°So this is where you go after training.¡±

    Looking over his shoulder the sight of Kira standing behind him filled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s with that mopey look on your face?¡± Seeing his remorseful appearance she couldn¡¯t help but ask.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Why did you take me with you when you left Breamore?¡± Ignoring her question, he decided to ask one of his own.

    ¡°Because you landed a hit on Egon.¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­After training with you I know the display I showed back then was less than enough for you to view me as someone with potential.¡±

    Hearing the mocking tone in his voice she couldn¡¯t help but look at him seriously before replying. ¡°Truthfully what you said isn¡¯t wrong. What you showed that day wasn¡¯t nearly enough to impress me. If anything I guess you could say I was embarrassed to see you fight. But as I saw you struggle against the overwhelming odds I felt that we were similar?¡±

    ¡°Similar? I don¡¯t think you understand how different we are. Your someone who¡¯s unrestrained, free, you can go anywhere, do anything and at the end of the day no matter what you do, people will respect you because your powerful.¡±

    *Sigh* ¡°Power comes with a cost.¡± Sitting down next to him she looked off into the distance before continuing. ¡°When I was little I lived in a small village far from the kingdom of Alswin. It was an ordinary village, nothing special about it. my family owned a farm and every once in a while I¡¯d help out. One day a travelling mage came to my village and tested everyone¡¯s comprehension abilities. When it was my turn it was said that my comprehension ability was the worst in the entire village.¡± Smiling to herself a forlorn expression appeared on her face. ¡°Back then that mage disregarded me and focused on the other children. One day while he was touring the village he saw me use a wind blade to chop a piece of fire wood. After that he questioned my parents and discovered that one of my ancestors was an elf with something called the elf king bloodline. Apparently although my blood and body was that of a human, the power that stemmed from the elf king bloodline managed to remerge within my body despite the fact that there was no trace of any elvish qualities since my ancestors time. Because of this my aptitude for being a mage was quite high and once I understood more about laws my future would be limitless.¡± Up to this point Daelos realised that her voice was emotionless and that her face suddenly hardened.

    ¡°Deciding that he¡¯d take me in as an apprentice he forced my parents to give me up. Refusing his offer, he looked towards me and asked me the same question. At the time I was just child, I didn¡¯t want to be separated from my parents or leave the village which was my whole world. The mage must have realised this because after refusing him, he burned my parents alive and caused an earthquake that swallowed my village. I sat there and watched as my parents flesh was charred and blackened. I listened to the screams of my friends as they were slowly being crushed and buried alive. After he finished destroying my world the mage forcibly took me to the Breamore academy and he and his colleagues of old men experimented on me trying to extract the elvish power residing in my body¡­ They cut me up numerous times, injected me with all sorts of drugs and whenever they were free they¡¯d toy around with my body.¡±

    Listening to this point Daelos could hear the hatred permeating from her voice.

    ¡°When I was 12, I managed to escape. I ran and ran as far as I could, never looking back. Eventually I found a small town east of Breamore and lived there for the next two years. The people were nice and extremely welcoming. I even made a friend called Maria. Sadly those days were short lived. It turned out that I had a rather large bounty on my head from the Breamore academy. Once a villager found out, he informed the mage academy and had them send over some people to retrieve me. At first the villagers were reluctant to let them take me but after hearing how much they¡¯d be paid for their service, they handed me over without a second thought. Even my only friend Maria who I considered as someone who was trustworthy only thought of thought of her own benefits as she and the other beat me until I could no longer resist before tossing me out of the house.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°After I saw the greedy look in their eyes I remembered how the mages at the academy had the same look as they experimented on me. Just remembering caused something to snap in me¡­I killed them all. I lost control and tore them to shreds! I cut off their legs and arms, then I used a rocks I found on the floor to repeatedly bash their heads in until my face was covered in their blood. The mages sent by the academy couldn¡¯t do anything except watch. I trapped their heads in a ball of condensed air and stopped them breathing. Of course they tried to free themselves but whenever they got close I¡¯d stab them in the gut with one of the knives I found inside the houses. Eventually only Maria was left... I still remember the look in her eyes. She looked at me as if I was a monster. She screamed and begged for her life. She even went as far as pissing herself while trying to crawl away. Seeing how powerless she was before me, I was reminded of the day the mage destroyed my village. Just like Maria I sat and watched as my whole world was torn apart. I watched my family and friends get crushed, heard their pitiful wails and screams, and finally silence. But unlike me Maria wouldn¡¯t survive¡­ Humans are funny creatures. They sing songs of honour and friendship but won¡¯t hesitate to betray you. They¡¯ll stab you in the back and then ask you why your bleeding. They¡¯re untrustworthy greedy demons that need to be exterminated!¡±

    Her words were practically dripping with rage as her eyes harden when she stared out at the horizon.

    ¡°Daelos¡­ when I was a child I was scared that a monster lived under my bed. But every night before I fell asleep, my father would check and confirm there wasn¡¯t anything there. But as I grew up, I realised that humans were far scarier than any kind of monster¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say is when I saw you fight against Egon I felt the same kind of hatred emanating from you. I felt that like me, you endured pain that most people will never understand. Because of my latent power I was taken from my home and outcasted. I don¡¯t know what happened in your past, but I want you to know that ¡®Time doesn¡¯t heal anything, all it does is teach us how to live with the pain.¡¯ But its because of that same pain that we¡¯re able to get stronger, because of that fear we¡¯re able to be braver and its because of living through our betrayals that we become wiser.¡±

    Standing up from roof, Kira left him with those final words.

    Pain makes us stronger, Fear makes us braver and Betrayal makes us wiser. Repeating these words over and over again Daelos thought back to the beatings he endured from his mother, the fear he felt when the bullies cut his skin with knives and the sadness he felt when his father left him. Amidst all these thoughts he didn¡¯t realise that he¡¯d started to cultivate his mental energy. As if reacting to his emotions the silver ring on his finger let out a light hum before covering his body in purple light. Inside his mind space a purple crack could be seen floating in the air. From within that crack creatures with twisted expressions crawled out and spread their influence.

    Within the Agnos Requiem Lyla wanted to speak out but knew that if she did the situation could worsen.

    From that day forth whenever Daelos sparred with Kira, there was always a thought in the back of his mind reminding him of his darkest moments. This small but clear voice slowly warped his personality trying to fill him with darkness.

    Lyla called this voice The Seed of Corruption.

 Chapter 9: Germination

    Back in the forest.

    The shadowy figure saw the tense expression on his face and couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°No need to be so scared.¡± Stepping out of the shadows the mysterious person finally revealed themselves.

    Out from the shadows came a beautiful woman. She was a pink haired young woman wearing only a red cloth like bra and an extremely short skirt. Her outfit showed off her curvy body and voluptuous chest. She possessed a slender waist and a pair of long gorgeous legs. Her arms and neck were adorned in gold bangles and her red viper like eyes shone with a seductive gleam. A combination like this vividly displayed the young woman appeal to the opposite sex.

    Seeing Daelos¡¯s dazed expression a flirtatious smile hung from the corner of her lips. He doesn¡¯t seem to be the one. ¡°Where are you heading?¡±

    Listening to her words Daelos felt a strong urge to bow before her. His mind was lucid, and his body was hot. It was like he was feeling pins and needles from head to toe. Seeing him slowly succumb to her charm, the young woman vanished from sight only to appear in front of him in the next instance.

    Placing her hand on his should, he felt like his blood was on fire!!

    ¡°So tell me where are you going?¡± Speaking so closely to his ear, Daelos felt his resistance crumble as his eyes suddenly became dull. ¡°Beast-men tribe.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ and why are you going there?¡± caught a little bit off guard, she didn¡¯t think he intentionally walked into this area.

    ¡°Need strength.¡± At this point, Daelos was nothing more than a puppet.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s pretty boring.¡± Yawning as if she had just heard the dullest thing in her life. ¡°I¡¯d play around with you a bit more but sadly my king is not a patient man¡­Lets have fun next time!¡± Kissing him on the cheek, she vanished from where she stood.

    Dropping to his knees Daelos felt a torrent of sweat escape his pours. Shaking on the ground his dull eyes slowly regained their light as he recalled the events that had just transpired. ¡°LYLA WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT! I thought you said the Agnos Requiem protected me from mental energy attacks!¡±

    Sitting silently inside the Agnos Requiem Lyla¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but turn grim. ¡°I don¡¯t know? I didn¡¯t feel any mental energy fluctuations. What ever she did to you didn¡¯t involve mental energy.

    Calming his mind, he slowly collected his thoughts and sat in silence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yelling at you. I know you¡¯d do everything in your power to help me if you could.¡±

    Once he¡¯d cooled things with Lyla, they carried on their journey in silence.

    Who was that girl? How did she move so fast?, and how did she put me in such a state?  Not knowing why but every time he thought back to her toying around with him, he felt a wave of lust wash over him. If it was just that he could take care of it quickly. But this time it felt different, deeper. It was like something inside of him wanted to break her!

    Dark thoughts pervaded his mind as he couldn¡¯t help but imagine all the ways he would crush her. From breaking her bones to flailing her skin, images of horrific scenes played out in his head.

    ¡­

    After 9 hours of constantly walking through the forest, night finally fell. In the distance sounds of music and feet hitting the ground could be heard. Walking out from behind a tree Daelos was greeted to the sight of makeshift huts and a group of people surrounding a huge bonfire.

    On closer inspection he realised that the people who were singing and dancing looked somewhat peculiar. The closer he got to the bonfire the more he noticed the difference between them and humans. Unlike humans the beast-men before him all possessed a creamy yellow skin tone covered in large black spots. Their height ranged between 5 and 6ft and on top of their heads sat roundish animal ears. The clothes they wore seemed to be made out of brown animal hide and only covered their private areas allowing them to dance about freely. Besides this they all looked relatively human.

    Seeing a stranger approach their territory, all the music stopped as they sized him up. Stepping out from the group of demi humans was a middle aged man with a savage scar running down his left eye. ¡°Why are you here?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    While looking at the beast-man, Daelos could feel a savage aura pressure him. Feeling this oppressive aura the phantoms inside his mind space felt his emotions waver. Taking that chance more of them crawled out through the gapping crack and started to feast on the others.

    An unknown change took place in him as he felt the sudden desire to slaughter this group of beast-men. Feeling Daelos¡¯s change in attitude Lyla knew that the seed of corruption was starting to germinate. ¡°Idiot! Control your emotions!¡± Shouting out to him she knew the only way to slow the rate of germination was to have him not receive any mental stimulation. The problem is, to do that he¡¯d have to be dead!

    As if he was unable to hear her, a ferocious aura erupted from his body and caused the forest to enter a state of silence as the beast-men were forced to take a step back.

    Seeing the blood thirsty smile hanging from the young man¡¯s lip, the scarred beast-man increased his aura as if to challenge Daelos.

    His body suddenly flashed in front of the human as his claws swiped down towards the young man¡¯s head. Unfortunately it was as if his opponent was expecting this as a brown layer covered his skin and intercepted his attack with his own. Not expecting the beast-man to have so much strength behind his attack Daelos was knocked back 5 metres.

    Getting down on all fours, the beast-man pounced towards him at a speed that he couldn¡¯t follow.

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    Constantly barraged with a rain of slashes, wounds started to pile up on his body. The attacks were very fast and flexible. He threw punches, some kicks, and slashes. His moves were greatly coordinated and didn''t give Daelos time to counter.

    ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± Releasing an earth shaking roar! Daelos condensed the air around his body and willed it to explode!! The shockwave sent the beast-man flying into the distance but dealt little to no damage.

    Mage Knight!!

    Locking his bloodshot eyes on the distant figure, rage and anger consumed him as his body started to vibrate and produce static. Taking a step forward he found himself appearing in front of the beast-man. Surprised by the human¡¯s new found speed the beast-man didn¡¯t have time to raise his guard before a fist encased in dense vibrations crashed into his face.

    *BOOM!!*

    An explosive crash sounded out as the beast-man¡¯s body broke the sound barrier as he was launched through multiple trees in the forest!

    Inside the Agnos Requiem Lyla look on in shock at the new found strength Daelos showcased. Is this due to the effects of the seed of corruption?

    Not willing to lose his plaything, his static covered body flashed into the destroyed forest. Looking at the torn down trees, he followed the trail of destruction.

    ¡°RELEASE!!!¡±

    Behind him a savage aura gushed out and covered the entire forest. Releasing that aura the figure of the beast-man emerged from the broken down trees. After roaring out the word ¡®release¡¯ his body had taken on a slight transformation. His current appearance was now covered in yellow fur and black spots, he had a slender tail sticking out behind him and his body became a lot leaner. The black in his eyes expanded and his yellow iris¡¯s gave off a gentle glow. His teeth lengthened and gave off the feeling that it would rip you to shreds!

    Seeing the new change, Daelos¡¯s eyes shone with vicious light as a sinister smile etched itself onto his face. Clenching his fists his figure vanished from sight. Seeing his opponent initiate the fight, the beast-man¡¯s body flashed and disappeared.

    The two continued to battle. The impact of their fight resulted in a lot destruction as their figures could be seen flashing in and out of the forest. Sounds of *BOOM! BOOOM!! BOOM!!* could be heard as the trees and earth were being destroyed. Everywhere they appeared caused destruction.

    The impact of their clashes caused shockwaves to develop and spread out across the plains. As the fight continued the Beast-man became more and more wary of Daelos¡¯s strength. At first he could barely keep up with his speed but as the fight dragged out, Daelos was slowly adapting to it. This revelation shocked him as his intent to kill the human rose.

    An hour passed and the fight had finally reached the point of being called outrageous!! The entire forest was gone, burnt to the ground after Daelos had recklessly used the law of fire in his attacks. Currently he was covered in wind armour, a layer of earth skin and formless vibrations. Rows upon rows of fireballs shot towards the bloodied beast-man like a never ending torrent. The beast-man¡¯s current appearance could be described as nothing more than miserable. Blood coated his fur, he was missing several teeth and some of his claws had been ripped off. Somehow managing to dodge all the fireballs aimed at him, the beast-man felt his body slowly succumbing to fatigue.

    I have to end this now!!

    Pushing his body past its limit, he closed the gap between the two and intended to end it with a final clash. Unfortunately before he reached Daelos, images of his friends and family being tortured appeared in his mind. Their screams pierced his soul as their flesh was stripped from their bodies. He watched as their bones were crushed and twisted, he watched as they were fed their own organs and he watched as flesh eating bugs devoured them from the inside out!

    Pain assailed his heart as he fell to his knees. The light in his eyes slowly drained as his body collapsed and turned cold.

    Lowering his arm the purple light on his ring dispersed as Daelos turned away from the body and left the ruined forest.

    In the distance far away from the battle, bodies of several beast-men lay still, never to move again.

 Chapter 10: Results of training

    In a desolate location far from the gazes of the masses, a young girl¡¯s cry could be heard.

    ¡°Please¡­ *sob* please let me go¡­¡± a young girl was crying on the ground, surrounded by the ruins of her village.

    She was curled up against a broken wall, clutching her knees to her body trying to make herself as small as possible. Her left arm was cut badly as blood endlessly gushed out from it. Her eyes were red and puffy and the tribal clothing she wore was stained with blood.

    In front of her, a man covered in blood and guts stared down at her, his eyes not revealing a trace of emotion. Stretching out his blood soaked hand towards the child¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart go cold.

    Gripping her face, the man lifted her up off her feet and invoked the law of fire on his palms. The girl tried to scream out in pain but was muffled by the palm covering her mouth. Feeling her skin slowly melt off her face tears welled up in her eyes but even that was denied to her. As soon as they started to form the fire would instantly evaporate them. Through the gaps between his fingers the girl saw the man¡¯s face. His blood drenched face wearing a crown of guts etched itself into her eyes before his palms burnt through her face.

    ¡­

    ¡°So how¡¯s training been going?¡± Sitting on a comfortable bed in a wood decorated room, the young elf looked at her little sister with gentle eyes.

    ¡°Urgh it¡¯s difficult. She wakes us up at the crack of dawn and then forces us to run 3 laps around the island without using any laws!¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too bad. From the way you looked I thought she¡¯d been poisoning you.¡± Looking down at her bedridden sister, she couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    ¡°Ellora!¡±

    Seeing her sister¡¯s pouting face she couldn¡¯t help but laugh harder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it just that you said you¡¯d become really strong and beat that guy up once he came back.¡±

    Hearing her sister repeat her words, her face tuned a shade of red. ¡°Nothings changed! Once he returns I swear I¡¯ll beat him black and blue! Just you watch!¡±

    ¡°You say that but¡­ your having trouble with just running simple laps.¡±

    ¡°Simple laps? Dear sister you do not understand.¡± Sighing to herself, Rhina couldn¡¯t help but envy that young man. ¡°While we run these ¡®simple laps¡¯ as you call it, Kira raises the temperature around our bodies causing us to have trouble breathing and tire faster. Not to mention that she floats above us making sure we¡¯re not resting. And to make things even worse she carries a bottle of water while complaining about hot it is! That evil bitch is doing this on purpose! She says we¡¯re training our stamina and mental fortitude, but I call bullshit! She¡¯s simply torturing us for her own amusement.¡±

    Watching her sister delve into a brutal rant about her instructor, Ellora couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. It had been such a long time since she¡¯d last seen her sister smile while talking about someone else. ¡°What about the other girl?¡±

    ¡°Daisha? She¡¯s nothing more than a burden! I swear I¡¯ve never seen such an ass kisser. Instead of confronting Kira about her abuse all she does is wag her tail and keep her head down.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like how timid your friend is?¡±

    ¡°Friend? She isn¡¯t my friend! We¡¯re nothing more than teammates.¡± As if disgusted by the word, she instantly denied it.

    She must be too embarrassed to admit it. Giggling to herself she persisted. ¡°So what other types of training do you do?¡±

    Snapping out of her rant, Rhina thought about the question before giving an answer. ¡°After running around the main island 3 times, she has us meditate for 2 hours.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Something about patience and control.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too bad.¡±

    ¡°Its not bad. Just boring! There¡¯s also the fact that she hits us if we make the slightest bit of movement.¡±

    ¡°What if you need to excuse yourselves?¡±

    ¡°She says that¡¯s also part of training.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± I think I understand why she¡¯s so irritated. ¡°What about after that?¡±

    ¡°After meditating? Kira has us spar against her.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That seems interesting. I know you¡¯ve always wanted to challenge her.¡±

    Hearing the excitement in her sister¡¯s voice, her face couldn¡¯t help but become gloomy.

    Seeing her sister¡¯s change in expression, worry started to fill her heart. ¡°What¡¯s wrong!¡±

    *Sigh* ¡°After challenging her for the past couple of months, I can finally see just how big the gap between us is.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s strong?¡±

    ¡°Way stronger than we imagined! Even in my elf king form I can¡¯t touch her! It¡¯s like she¡¯s there but at the same time she¡¯s not. Even when me and Daisha cooperate its like we¡¯re chasing a phantom.¡±

    ¡°WOW!¡± For you not to be able to touch her even when you¡¯re in your elf king form is unbelievable! We truly underestimated her.

    As if reading her thoughts, Rhina let out a sly smirk. ¡°Even you at your peak wouldn¡¯t be her match.¡±

    -Silence

    Realising what she had just said Rhina panicked. ¡°Ellora I am so sorry! I wasn¡¯t thinking, I didn¡¯t mean to-

    ¡°Its fine¡± putting on a tender smile, she got up off her chair and kissed her sister on her forehead. ¡°Your tired, I¡¯ll let you rest.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Seeing her sister about to leave, a tight pain filled her chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Closing the door behind her a bitter sweet smile replaced the old one. Silly girl you¡¯ve gotten so strong and you haven¡¯t even noticed. Walking away with a calm expression, she couldn¡¯t help but feel happy for her sister.

    ¡­

    Out in a secluded part of the courtyard. Daisha and Rhina could be seen swinging their weapons at their opponent.

    ¡°Wow! you guys aren¡¯t getting better! At this rate you might as well strip and wait for Daelos to attack while your opponents are distracted¡± Smirking to herself Kira could see the rage on their faces. ¡°But you might have trouble if your enemy is female.¡± Laughing to herself she continued to dodge their all out attacks.

    Covering herself in flames, Rhina activated her elf king form and charged towards Kira.

    Following her example Daisha cloaked her body in a gentle light and charged Kira from the side. Firing off multiple sword lights she attempted to stall her movements. Seeing Daisha¡¯s swords entrapping Kira, Rhina closed in and stabbed her flame coloured sword at her face.

    As if expecting all of this, she merely moved her head to the side, avoiding Rhina¡¯s stab. Grabbing her underarm and kicking her feet, she flipped Rhina over and forced her to land on her back.

    Watching from the distance, Daisha¡¯s expression changed. Her sword lights entrapping both Kira and Rhina transformed into golden flames and struck towards Kira.

    Seeing her teammates plan, Rhina grabbed onto Kira¡¯s leg and held on for dear life. This time we¡¯ll at least land a strike!

    Watching the golden flame approach her, a nonchalant expression covered her face. Raising her right arm the golden flame stopped mid-air. Swiping her arm horizontally the flames lost their golden lustre and returned to that of an ordinary flame. Condensing it into a ball, Kira flicked her finger and shot it towards Daisha.

    Before she knew it, just like Rhina, she found herself laying on her back.

    ¡°It was a good idea but if you hope to beat me you¡¯ll need more than just good ideas.¡± Walking out from the entrapment, Kira strode off into the distance. ¡°If you two can last longer than 30 seconds against me within the next two months I¡¯ll teach you something special.¡± And with that she disappeared from sight.

    ¡­

    ¡°What do you think are chances are?¡± Sitting inside the academy cafeteria both Daisha and Rhina had solemn faces.

    ¡°At the rate we¡¯re going I honestly don¡¯t believe we stand a chance. Currently even 10 seconds is a challenge, let alone 30!¡± Sighing to herself Rhina couldn¡¯t help but lose her motivation.

    ¡°What if we keep our distance! If we do that we can prolong the time.¡± Thinking of new ideas Daisha proposed them to the sombre Rhina.

    Shaking her head, she couldn¡¯t help but look at the girl in pity. ¡°If we retreat then she¡¯ll attack. And I think you understand how much of a disadvantage we¡¯re at once she strikes.¡±

    -Silence

    ¡°Rhina!¡±

    Hearing name being called out in such an enthusiastic manner, she couldn¡¯t help but look towards the direction the voice originated from.

    In the distance a blonde haired elf in traditional green and brown ranger clothes could be seen smiling while making her way towards their table. ¡°Sis!¡± Exclaiming in surprise, Rhina couldn¡¯t help but rise to her feet.

    Seeing her sister¡¯s agitated expression Ellora couldn¡¯t help but notice the other person sitting on the table. Walking past her surprised sister she held out her hand to Daisha. ¡°Ellora Ellwood, thank you for taking care of my sister.¡± Showing off a dazzling smile, Daisha couldn¡¯t help but become dazed. Too beautiful!

    Snapping out of her dazed state she shook Ellora¡¯s smooth hands. ¡°Daisha Raelstrum.¡±

    Seeing herself being ignored, anger flashed across Rhina¡¯s eyes before disappearing. ¡°Why are you here?¡± In a tone that clearly showed her dissatisfaction she questioned her sister.

    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t I allowed to see what my sister¡¯s friend looks like?¡± Ignoring her tone, Ellora continued to tease her sister.

    ¡°She¡¯s not my friend!¡±

    Laughing at her sister¡¯s blatant denial, she switched her attention back to Daisha. ¡°So what were you two talking about?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say a thing!¡± Telling her to keep her mouth shut, she sent a threatening gaze towards Daisha.

    Ignoring the gaze Daisha explained the situation to Ellora.

    ¡°I see¡­ so what do you guys plan to do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, we don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Answering Ellora, Rhina had finally manage to calm down her agitated emotions.

    ¡°Well I do have a suggestion that may help you out.¡±

    ¡°Really!!¡± As if hearing the words of a sage, Daisha¡¯s eyes lit up like stars.

    ¡°Yeah but it¡¯ll depend on the both of you.¡± Saying this a sly smile appeared on her face.

    ¡­

    After following Ellora¡¯s training plan, the two girls worked night and day in order to complete the schedule they were given. Of course this included Kira¡¯s daily training.

    After weeks of training the two month agreement was closing in.

    In the middle of the courtyard Kira stared down at the two girls whose faces showed nothing but resolve. Seems like they finally got their shit together. A slight smile couldn¡¯t help but appear at the corner of her lips.

    ¡°Today¡¯s the deadline of our two month agreement, try not to disappoint me.¡±

    At the other side of the academy, Ellora couldn¡¯t help but smile while starring at the sky. You shouldn¡¯t underestimate them.

    Entering her elf king form, Rhina¡¯s red hair flowed in the wind. Instead of charging Kira like usual, she instead opted to take a step back and condense her fiery aura in to an orange glow around her body.

    Seeing her follow the plan, Daisha couldn¡¯t help but nod her head. Pulling out her rapier she coated the blade in golden light and charged towards Kira. But since she didn¡¯t cover her body in the light element her speed wasn¡¯t anything impressive.

    Closing in on Kira she felt like it was time to strike. Stabbing towards Kira¡¯s direction, multiple sword lights escaped her rapier and attacked Kira. Seeing the sword lights approach, she couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Waving her hand, multiple sword lights scattered in the air.

    *Swoosh!!*

    In that moment an orange tornado dashed past Daisha. In the form of a firestorm Rhina released both flames and wind to enhance her speed and striking power. Surprised by the firestorm in front of her, Kira caught the blades aimed at her neck with her bare hands. Feeling slightly impressed, she raised her hand ready to end the fight by eliminating Rhina. But before she could she caught a mocking smile on Rhina¡¯s face. Feeling that something wasn¡¯t right she looked above her only to see Daisha¡¯s smiling face as she released multiple sword lights towards her.

    Releasing her grip on her swords, Rhina jumped back dodging the bombardment on sword lights raining down on Kira. ¡°Daisha!!¡± Seeing her escape the area of effect, Daisha created two hard back swords made of light and gave them to Rhina.

    The two watched as Kira walked out of the dust cloud unscathed. Covering her new swords with an orange coloured wind, an aura of heat erupted out of her body.

    Similar to Rhina, Daisha mixed the law of fire and light together and covered her body in a golden flame.

    Nodding to each other both attacked Kira in a coordinated formation.

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    Dodging their attacks, Kira felt this sham of a fight had dragged on long enough. Clenching her fist she readied her attack.

    ¡°NOW!!¡± Before releasing her attack, Rhina¡¯s voice drew her attention. Suddenly a bright flash of light covered her vision, closing her eyes she waited for the light to disappear. Upon opening her eyes she realised that both her students were standing in the distance with proud looks on their faces. Feeling slightly confused she was about to attack before Daisha¡¯s loud voice interrupted her. ¡°Wait!!¡±

    Seeing the panic on their faces she halted her attack. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been 30 seconds.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°You said if we lasted 30 seconds you¡¯d teach us something special!¡±

    Laughing in her head Rhina couldn¡¯t help but feel superior for just an instant. But Kira¡¯s next line of words broke her spirit.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t say that the fight would end after 30 seconds.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡±

    What followed next was a beating that''d leave them bedridden for the next couple of days.

    Walking away from the two conscious girls, she couldn¡¯t help but feel proud at her students growth. Looking at the girl standing in the distance she couldn¡¯t help but talk to her. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you were involved somehow.¡±

    Hearing that sentence Ellora couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It was their effort that got them here.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, when they wake up tell them I¡¯ll be teaching them something useful, so they better not slack off!¡± Walking off into the distance a small smile appeared on her face as she muttered to herself. ¡°Hurry back, a surprise is awaiting you.¡±

 Chapter 11: Berilia

    In the northern part of the continent, a castle like structure stood atop a small mountain surrounded by a lush green valley. Inside the stone walls of the structure a group of youths in various types of armour could be seen strolling the halls.

    ¡°Did you hear about the recent attacks on the wolf and bear tribe territories?¡± A young lion beast-man asked looking at his friend.

    ¡°Yeah, I heard it was a rouge beast-man going on a rampage!¡±

    Looking at his friend he couldn¡¯t help but disagree. ¡°Rouge beast-man? More like those despicable humans!¡±

    ¡°Humans? They wouldn¡¯t dare touch us. It¡¯s more likely that a beast-man has gone crazy and started a rampage.¡±

    Before getting into a full blown debate with his friend, the academy bell rung.

    ¡°Time for class.¡±

    Nodding in confirmation, both the lion man and his friend parted ways. Walking towards the combat hall the sight of four other beast-men and one human entered his vision. Striding in with the presence of a king, the lion man drew in the attention of his fellow peers.

    Seeing all of his students arrive, a muscle heavy bald man wearing a pair of metal greaves, leggings, and chest plate, strode in with unusually large steps. Just like his appearance suggested his voice was deep and gruff. ¡°Arthur, lead the class in training.¡±

    The lion man known as Arthur nodded to the instructor and had the rest of the class follow his instructions.

    ¡­

    A caravan of five wagons and twenty-eight people were traveling on a road towards a big academy built on top of a small mountain. Being an adventurer caravan, it was almost entirely filled with people in combat outfits. Of those 28 people only 7 of them were adventurers, 3 were teachers and the rest were students.

    For the journey back to Berilia Knight academy, the school had hired seven skilled adventurers to escort them back safely. Due to the recent rumours of several Beast-men tribes being destroyed, the academy is now taking extra measures to protect their students when they have a class outing.

    Sharing a wagon with the students, an unassuming young man slept peacefully through the noises of the gossiping students.

    ¡­

    ¡°So who¡¯s the guy in the back?¡± Returning to the academy gates, a guard checked all the empty wagons before finding the sleeping young man.

    A rough looking young beast-kin stepped forward to answer. ¡°Just a straggler we picked up. Said he was coming here so we gave him a lift.¡±

    He nodded to show his understanding. ¡°Wake him and send him in.¡±

    Waking up with a start, the young man was greeted to the sight of a huge red haired, muscle bound man. ¡°What?¡±

    Despite being irritated by the young man¡¯s attitude, the red haired beast-man chose to ignore it. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    Jumping out of the wagon, the young man looked up at the knight academy and muttered under his breath ¡°the islands of Mato are better.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± Looking over at the young man, the beast-man felt something off about him.

    ¡°Nothing¡­ should we head inside?¡± Not waiting for him to answer, Daelos charged in without a second thought.

    ¡°Wait!!¡±

    ¡­

    It only took five minutes for him to lose the red haired beast-man before he realised that he had no idea where he was going.

    After travelling the beast-man territories for the last couple of months he realized that after his battle with the scarred beast-man that his biggest weakness lay in how weak his physical body was. Despite being stronger than the beast-man, he had to fight him for nearly an hour till he finally collapsed.

    Ever since then he¡¯d been constantly using vibrations to temper his flesh and stimulate his muscles. He¡¯d also been challenging various beast using nothing than his physical body. He got the idea after hearing a saying that tempering his body while in a fierce battle could help him improve at an alarming rate. After months of battling beasts he felt that not only had his physical body improve but his combat senses also seemed to have enhanced.

    This led to him seek out the knight academy. If he could improve this much after just challenging beasts then how much would he improve fighting real knights. Of course he wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to believe that he¡¯d defeat a full fledged knight. But defeating students seemed to be in the realm of possibility.

    Somehow managing to find his way outdoors, the sound of heavy breathing and groaning caught his attention. Walking towards a small building behind the academy, the sight of five beast-men and one human weapon training entered his vision. Most of them were embarrassingly weak but the lion beast-man had an aura that attracted him.

    Walking into the building, he drew the attention of everyone in the hall, including the instructor. Standing up from his seat he strolled up to Daelos. ¡°Are you a student here.¡±

    What an imposing aura! Feeling his overwhelming aura envelop him, he felt his blood start to boil. Taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down. ¡°No I heard that knights are the kings of close quarter combat, so I came to test that theory.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And what makes you think you have the right to challenge my students?¡±

    ¡°I heard beast-men only respect the strongest so backing down would show their weakness.¡± Smiling to himself an aura of arrogance slowly oozed out of him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Staring down at the human below him a sneer couldn¡¯t help but make its way onto his face. ¡°You seem to know a lot about us.¡±

    ¡°Just general knowledge.¡±

    At this point, the students had stopped their weapon training and come over to see what all the commotion was about.

    ¡°Hmm¡± seeing his students approach, the instructor decided that it¡¯d be a good experience for them to fight a mage. ¡°Are you a mage?¡± Asking in an imposing voice that said ¡®answer me or die¡¯ the instructor emitted a dangerous feeling.

    Smiling at the instructor¡¯s attempt of intimidation Daelos happily answered. ¡°Mage-knight.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Well aren¡¯t you a rare sight. I thought you mage knights looked down upon us lowly knights¡±

    ¡°Only people trapped in their own bubble can¡¯t fathom the potential of knights.¡±

    Nodding in agreement, the instructor¡¯s pressurizing aura lessened. ¡°What sub-class of mage knight are you?¡±

    ¡°Subclass?¡± Oh yeah I remember reading about that in the library. ¡°Pugilist.¡±

    Looking at the young man up and down a frown appeared on his face. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Starting to feel irritated he showed an annoyed face. ¡°Can I fight or not!¡±

    Still finding it hard to believe that the young man before him was a pugilist, he instructed his student to gather every teacher and student in the academy and bring them out to the arena.

    ¡­

    Half an hour later Daelos found himself standing atop a stage surrounded by a bunch of students staring at him. In the distance the instructor and a bunch of other older beast-men watched the stage.

    A beast-man to the right of the instructor looked at the stage before talking to the instructor. ¡°He looks a bit weak doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    Chuckling at his friend¡¯s comment he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong he is, but he faced my aura and still dared talk to me like we were equals.¡± Just remembering that scene caused him to feel slightly excited.

    A shock expression covered the face of all the instructors. ¡°No wonder your so interested in him.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, anyone able to withstand my aura isn¡¯t normal.¡± Talking as if it was a major achievement to withstand his aura, a proud expression filled his face.

    To his left another instructor joined the conversation. ¡°So who did you pit him up against?¡±

    Hearing this, a wide grin emerged on his face. ¡°ARTHUR.¡±

    ¡°The lion? Isn¡¯t he the one closest to achieving that state!!¡±

    Smiling to himself, the instructor nodded. ¡°Not only is he close to achieving that state, but he¡¯s also the only student to ever remain standing when I unleashed my aura.¡±

    As if hearing the most shocking news in their life, expressions of disbelief covered their faces.

    ¡°How do you think he¡¯ll fare against the mage knight?¡±

    This was the question that had been troubling him the most. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­but whatever the results, Arthur will only grow stronger. Afterall he¡¯s a king.¡±

    ¡­

    Back down on the stage, Daelos felt various gazes scan his body. Hmm are they probing me?

    Standing opposite him the lion beast-man looked at him with a challenging gaze.

    Feeling that the gaze wouldn¡¯t stop until the fight began. He decided to directly ask him about it. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your human?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡±

    ¡°Then you must know you¡¯re not my match!¡±

    Not his match? ¡°I think you¡¯re a bit confused. Although knights are said to be the king of close quarter combat, in an actual fight mage knights hold the upper hand.¡±

    ¡°That was before my time. Now that I am here I will show you elves and humans the might of us beast kin!!¡±

    *YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!*

    *BEAST KIN!!!!*

    In the background various cheers sounded out.

    Walking onto the stage a bald headed human covered in muscles stepped in between the two. ¡°Before we start, a few ground rules must be set. First, any killing intent will result in the participant¡¯s automatic loss. Second, if any participant is injured they must remember they agreed to the fight and were warned about injuries. And third, both participants must fight with honour.¡± Walking off the stage, the bald headed human struck a gong and started the fight.

    The two fighters started to exchange blow for blow. Sounds of metal grinding against metal could be heard. Arthur swung his ridiculously large sword with swiftness but was easily dodged by Daelos. The battle between the two continued until Arthur¡¯s sword strikes became faster. Facing the speed of Arthur¡¯s sword strikes, Daelos kept his distance only parrying when needed.

    *CLANK*

    *CLANK*

    *SWISH*

    *SWISH*

    He was trying really hard to avoid making a misstep, but due to the increased speed of Arthur¡¯s sword swings he felt himself slowly being driven into a corner.

    Holding back the urge to use his vibrations, Daelos felt he¡¯d reached the limits of his physical body.

    The difference between this guy and that scarred beast-man is too big!!

    Adding another layer of earth skin to his body, he charged at Arthur when he saw him reveal an opening.

    As Daelos¡¯s fist of got closer and closer, Arthur felt a surge of power erupting from his body. The once fast fist charging towards his face, suddenly seemed to be moving a snail pace. He felt his body lighten all of a sudden and he dodged the upcoming fist graciously while aiming the tip of his sword at Daelos¡¯s throat. " Surrender!"

    Seeing Arthur¡¯s agile movements the instructors in the crowd felt like they were struck by lightning. ¡°One with the sword¡­ ARTHUR achieved the ¡®one with the sword¡¯ state!!!¡±

    Daelos stood there wondering to himself what this one with the sword state was. Unfortunately for him the sword tip was placed directly on his adam¡¯s apple and he feared his throat would get pierced by asking any questions.

    Removing his sword from Daelos¡¯s throat, Arthur uncharacteristically bowed to him. ¡°Thank you for sparring with me. If you hadn¡¯t held back I wouldn¡¯t have been able to improve so fast.¡±

    Everyone around the stage felt confused from hearing Arthur¡¯s statement. Held back? Wasn¡¯t he going all out?

    ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡± Returning the bow Daelos looked upon Arthur favourably. ¡°Thanks to this spar I finally realise the direction I should be heading in.¡±

    ¡°Are all the mage knights at your academy as strong as you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot of people who are stronger than me now, but if I went all out I don¡¯t know how many students would pose a threat to me.¡± Saying this he thought back to his spar with Rhina. I wonder how much she¡¯s improved?

    When the rest of the students heard the words mage knight they suddenly remembered that mage knights fought using laws and didn¡¯t just rely on physical strength like knights.

    ¡°Mage knight Daelos, after comprehending the state of one with the sword, I ask that you battle me again but this time with your full power.¡±

    Feeling like it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, he quickly agreed. ¡°Okay but after this I have something to ask your instructor.¡± Looking up from where he was standing he saw the instructor he met in the combat hall nod at him.

    As the two of them got into combat stances... Arthur felt a dangerous aura being released from Daelos¡¯s body. After feeling the different aura being emitted from Daelos, Arthur didn''t underestimate him and directly entered the ¡®one with the sword¡¯ state from the start.

    With ''one with the sword'' activated, Arthur charged towards Daelos and attacked with a speed surpassing that of the previous battle. A blur of swords shadows striking at Daelos could be seen, but this time Daelos didn''t bother to parry his swords instead he chose to redirect the direction of the sword with the back of his bracers. The scene of him and Arthur being locked in a 50/50 battle didn¡¯t appear as expected. Instead it was Arthur who was at the disadvantage and being toyed around with. This sight made the instructors, and students gasp in shock.

    Seeing the expression on everyone¡¯s faces, Daelos felt that he should probably have held back more. I should end this.

    Coating his arm in dense vibrations, he punched the upcoming sword heading towards him. When the sword and fist met, the sword paused for a second before shattering into pieces.

    The instructors were speechless after seeing Arthur¡¯s tier 3 bull sword shatter. Seeing the event happen before their very eyes caused them to feel like they were in a dream.

    The instructor that set this all up remembered the face Daelos made when he asked him what his class was. PUGILIST!!!

 Chapter 12: Ritual

    Back in the human kingdom.

    ¡°Is it ready¡± Sitting on a golden throne, a grey haired middle age man with a short beard in black light armour twiddled the several rings on his fingers. On his neck a silver necklace shone with a light radiance. He exuded an aura of calmness as his eyes shone with a serene yet dangerous light.

    Below the throne, the figure of a man in a dark green robe could be seen. The man was quite young, at least not above 30. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. Besides the green robe, there was nothing about him that stood out.

    ¡°Yes your majesty. We can begin the ceremony as soon as you give the order.¡± Keeping his head bowed, he gave off a subservient attitude.

    Tapping his fingers rhythmically on the armrest the king sat in silence¡­

    ¡°Use my eldest.¡±

    ¡°YOUR MAJESTY.¡± Panicking, the green robed man instinctively raised his head. When he looked up he was met with the cold unmoving eyes of his king.

    ¡°Use my eldest.¡± Repeating himself once more the king looked down on his servant.

    Lowering his head, a cold chill ran down his spine. ¡°Y-yes your majesty.¡± Feeling the invisible hand around his throat slowly loosened its grip a breath of relief escaped his mouth.

    ¡°Leave¡±

    Standing up and bowing, the green robed man left the throne room.

    Watching him leave, the king spoke. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡±

    In the empty throne room a voice that only the king could hear whispered into his ears ¡°$!@%^@¡±

    ¡°I see¡­proceed.¡± Sitting alone inside the throne room, the king felt the presence leave.

    ¡­

    Inside an unknown location a group of people in black hooded robes stood around a black altar. Atop the altar laid a silver haired young man in his 20s wrapped in chains. Standing by his side was a beautiful teenage girl with long silver hair.

    "You don¡¯t have to be the one to do this, Emilia." The green robed man from the throne room now dressed in black spoke to the young woman with a caring tone.

    "I know...but, he¡¯s my brother." She said with a hardened expression.

    *Sigh* " Very well, just remember¡­ everything done tonight if for the glory of Alswin." As the conversation ended, the several figures in black robes moved closer to the altar, chanting in a strange language.

    "Emilia...Nathaniel...what¡¯s going on? Why am I in chains?" Still drowsy due the drugs he¡¯d been given, the young prince spoke in a confused voice as he tried to move his chained up body.

    Rubbing his forehead gently, Emilia gave him the bravest smile she could muster. "Just think about the kingdom Julius. Remember all the places we visited when we were young, remember the time you brought me that golden bracelet from that tacky jewellery shop and cried when you found out it wasn¡¯t real gold" Soothing her brother¡¯s restless mind, Emilia slowly stepped back as his eyes entered a trance.

    ¡°Remarkable¡­is that the power of mental energy.¡± Muttering to himself, Nathaniel didn¡¯t realise Emilia looking at him

    "Give me ceremonial dagger." She ordered.

    Snapping out of his stupor he quickly handed her a silver S shaped dagger covered in runic symbols.

    ¡°Emilia¡­¡± looking at his sister¡¯s face, a sudden flow of tears poured down his face.

    "Julius...just think about the kingdom. Only the kingdom , everything else is but a dream" Looking at her brother, the look of sadness covered her face as she was close to tears.

    Raising the dagger above his forehead, she slowly carved a symbol into his flesh, similar to the ones on the dagger.

    Although the drugs were there to dull the pain, the look on her brother¡¯s face told her everything. Moving the dagger to his chest, she began carving a similar symbol.

    By this point, several tears had already stained her face as she felt a hand land on her shoulder.

    ¡°Emilia¡­its time.¡± Knowing how hard this was for her, Nathaniel couldn¡¯t help but admire her resolve.

    Placing the dagger down with shaky hands, she raised her hands slowly and began speaking. ¡°Oh God of all, I offer onto you a humble vessel of 20 years, raised in peace and ignorance, we ask of you to gift us the law of darkness, in return we give you Julius, PRINCE OF ALSWIN!!¡±

    The room began to shake erratically as the robed individuals all began to breathe heavily. Julius¡¯s body began spasming, his once silver hair turned pitch black, while his dull eyes began to glow with a dark light. A dark mist crawled out of his mouth and spread across the whole room covering everything in darkness.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!¡± Suddenly Julius¡¯s pained voice pierced through the darkness.

    ¡­

    Inside the throne room, the king opened his eyes with an emotionless expression. Looking at the silver broad sword on his right, he remembered the story of how the entities of Giland found peace after driving off the invaders.

    ¡­

    Back inside the room.

    Waking up from what seemed to be a deep slumber. Princess Emilia forced herself to stand. Looking around the room, she saw the unconscious bodies of Nathaniel and the others laying quietly on the ground. Stumbling towards the altar, she was surprised to find her brother¡¯s body missing. ¡°Where is he?¡± As if it took all her energy to talk, she felt her voice sound weak and hoarse.

    *SNAP*

    Looking behind the figure of Nathaniel and the others waking up came into view. When he saw Emilia awake before him, he rushed to her side, but fell before he could make it.

    *Thump*

    ¡°Ergh¡±

    Seeing his pathetic visage, she looked away from him in disgust. While looking around the room something suddenly caught her eye. Behind the robed individuals stood a black haired young man covered in runic symbols. His eyes were pure black and pupil less with no trace of light reflecting off them. ¡°B-Brother!¡±

    As if shaken awake Julius slowly looked towards his sister with little to no emotion visible on his face.

    ¡°Julius?¡± Slowly approaching the young man, Emilia once again called out to him.

    ¡°That is not my name.¡± What came out from his mouth was not the voice of her beloved big brother. Instead it was a deep cold voice that didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of warmth.

    Watching this spectacle Nathaniel finally managed to get back on his feet without falling. All the other robed individuals looked at Julius like he was a god and prostrated before him. ¡°We greet the vessel¡± said in union with a sense of reverence.

    Looking at them lower themselves before him, all he could say was ¡°That is not my name.¡±

    Seeing that the situation was a bit weird, Nathaniel itched his way closer to Emilia. But to his dismay, her attention was solely on Julius.

    When he looked at Julius all he felt was a very lonely aura emanating from him. It was like only he could exist in a place where nothing else could. Like an infinite hole that is unable to ever be filled.

    ¡°That is not my name.¡±

    After hearing that sentence for the 6<sup>th</sup> time, he finally decided to ask him the question on everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Excuse me for asking but what is your name?¡±

    Turning his head towards Nathaniel, a cold chill suddenly engulfed the room. ¡°Cereno¡±

    ¡­

    The next day.

    Emilia and Nathaniel were granted an audience with the king to explain if the ritual was a success or not.

    After explaining all the details to the king, they stood in silence with their heads bowed waiting for his judgement.

    ¡°He referred to himself as Cereno?¡±

    ¡°Yes your majesty.¡± Without raising his head, Nathaniel answered the king.

    ¡°Does he remember his life as Julius?¡±

    ¡°He does. But¡­he seems to view Julius as a different person from himself.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­is he capable of what we hoped?¡±

    ¡°T-That is erm- it seems he¡¯s unable to use any other laws besides darkness. From what we could understand it seems that when we performed the ritual instead of giving Julius the ability to use the law of darkness we instead forced him to sever his connection with every other law except darkness.¡±

    -Silence

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Breaking the silence, the king finally spoke.

    ¡°He¡¯s in his room.¡±

    ¡°What is doing in there?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s looking out the window.¡±

    ¡°Is he planning to escape?¡±

    ¡°W-We don¡¯t think so! I-I mean we think its because of the last words Julius heard from princess Emilia before the ritual was completed.¡±

    ¡°Last words?¡± Looking towards his daughter, his gaze contained no love a parent would have for their child.¡±

    Feeling her father¡¯s gaze, her body shuddered before she answered. I-I said to think about the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Feeling her father move his gaze away a small sense of relief washed over her.

    ¡°You may leave.¡±

    Bowing towards the king, the both of them took their leave.

    Once again the king spoke to the empty throne room. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°@&$!!@$¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    ¡°@@$!&!$@¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll confirm it myself.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside a spacious room, the image of a black haired young man staring out at the kingdom would leave people breathless. The aura surrounding him reeked of loneliness. Coupled with his elegant sitting posture and the picture perfect scenery, it could be described as a beautiful moment.

    Walking into the room the king saw this image and for a second a look of appreciation flashed across his eyes.

    ¡°Cereno¡±

    Hearing his name being called, the black haired youth turned to meet the king. When the king saw his pupil less black eyes, a feeling of loneliness washed over him before vanishing. ¡°Are you my son?¡± not wanting to beat around the bush, the king got straight to the point.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Without any hesitation Cereno answered in his usual cold voice.

    ¡°Do you hate me for what I did to you?¡± this was one of the major questions the king needed an answer to. If Cereno held a grudge against him, then he would need to be disposed of quickly.

    ¡°I feel nothing¡±

    ¡°I see¡± for some reason that answer didn¡¯t sit right with the king. ¡°Why do you refer to yourself as Cereno?¡±

    ¡°That is my name.¡± Answering as if it was obvious no expression was seen on his face.

    ¡°What about Julius?¡± Although the king didn¡¯t really care about his son, any father would feel at least a little curious about what the children did.

    ¡°Julius is a name that no longer fits what I am.¡±

    ¡°And what is that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­but the name feels right.¡±

    ¡°I see. Do you know why we did the ritual?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡±

    ¡°Do you resent me for it.¡±

    ¡°If I was Julius I would.¡±

    ¡°As Cereno?¡±

    ¡°I feel nothing.¡±

    -Silence

    For the first time in his life the king felt like he was the ¡®talkative one¡¯. This son of his answered the bare minimum and never expressed himself. In the king¡¯s mind, his current son resembled him a lot more than he used to. Minus the black hair of course.

    Feeling like he was getting off topic he tried to steer the conversation back on track. ¡°What do you plan to do now?¡±

    ¡°I do not know.¡±

    ¡°Do you plan to inherit the throne?¡±

    ¡°The throne is meaningless.¡±

    Meaningless? ¡°What if I told you that soon something big will happen on the continent, what would you say.¡±

    ¡°I do not care.¡± As usual his voice was emotionless but that only lead to the king finding it harder for him to interact with his son.

    ¡°Do you know how to use your new abilities?¡±

    Looking at his father in the eyes, Cereno tried to guess what he was thinking before he answered with a simple ¡°No.¡±

    Seeing as how his son no longer cared for throne or anything else. The king thought of an idea to get the maximum usage out of his son.

    ¡°Son, since you have no goal of your own, then I will provide you with one. From now on your only goal is to become an archmage. I will you a private tutor, and from tomorrow on you shall attend his class, understood.

    Nodding in acknowledgement, Cereno didn¡¯t really care about becoming an arch mage or not. But it was true that currently his life had no direction, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to follow his father¡¯s wishes.

 Chapter 13: Egon Coulter

    Back on the islands of Mato

    The academy was rife with activity. It had been a few months since Egon joined as mage knight student. The first couple of weeks were pretty simple, with only a few basic knowledge based assignments and practical combat training sessions. His class was also similar to Daelos¡¯s, in the way that he was the only human. Unfortunately unlike Daelos, he had yet to prove his value to his instructor and peers.

    During the class¡¯s first combat session, he discovered that his overwhelming talent that he was so proud of in Breamore, meant nothing in front of his classmates. During his first match he¡¯d arrogantly spoke down to his opponent, even going as far as to berate them as a lesser being. But when the instructor started the match it only took a couple of breaths until he found himself laying flat on his back.

    Chalking his loss up to beginners luck. He carried on acting arrogant in front of his classmates despite the looks of disgust they were giving him. What followed next was a continuous streak of loses during practical lessons.

    After that, his relationship with his classmates completely fell apart. Rumours of what he said during the combat session started to spread around the campus, and caused him to receive the scorn of not just his peers, but even several instructors.

    His property was vandalized, and his belonging suddenly went missing. When he brought the issue up to the student council, all he received was cold stares as they made up several excuses to get rid of him.

    In the classroom he was constantly ignored by his classmates and isolated to the corner of the room. Even his instructor looked at him in disgust, choosing to only communicate with him when he called his name out during a sparring session.

    Lately he¡¯d been feeling a sense of loss and despair. For the past three months he¡¯s had to visit the academy infirmary at least 12 times due to injuries suffered during combat sessions. Seeing the gloating faces of his classmates as they humiliated him with the excuse of calling it training caused him to develop a deep hatred for long eared demi humans.

    Standing on the side-lines in the courtyard, he watched with dull eyes as his classmates sparred against one another. You fucking mongrel race! I swear I¡¯ll cut off all those long ears you¡¯re so damn proud of and have you all bowing before me begging for a quick death! Just you wait!

    ¡°Egon!¡±

    Hearing his name being called by his instructor, he woke up with a shock. ¡°Y-yes¡± facing the cold eyes of his classmates, all he could do was stutter.

    ¡°Get onto the courtyard! Your fighting Gurdud next.¡± Looking towards the courtyard a green haired elf looked at him with a mocking expression. Seeing who it was, Egon felt his insides churn as memories of several beatings replayed in his mind. ¡°I-I¡¯m not f-feeling so well.¡±

    Seeing his face turn pale, the green haired elf sneered. ¡°It won¡¯t take long. Plus you¡¯ll be going to the infirmary anyway, so complain to the nurse when you get there.¡± Hearing this the rest of the class couldn¡¯t help but laugh.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Looking at his instructor, he was met with silence. Lowering his head, he took several unsteady steps towards the opposite of Gurdud.

    On each side, there was a stack of weapons the students could choose from. The weapons ranged from swords to bows and even maces. Egon hesitated as he began staring at a sword, while his opponent was already standing in a combat stance swinging a slim sword. The weapons were dulled to prevent any fatal injuries from occurring, but it didn''t matter to Egon as it the memories of being struck with them stuck with him.

    "Trash! Pick a weapon or fight barehanded! The outcomes the same either way." Watching Egon struggle to choose a weapon, Gurdud couldn¡¯t help but mock the boy.

    Picking up a small mace, he trudged into his combat position.

    Seeing both his students take up a stance, the instructor signalled for the fight to begin. ¡°BEGIN¡±

    Gurdud immediately charged towards Egon, not bothering to even enhance his speed with any laws. Holding his sword overhead he swung downwards with all his force.

    *SLASH!*

    "Ah!" Panicking, Egon made a shabby attempt to block his thrust sword.

    *Clunk*

    Although he wasn¡¯t enhanced by any laws, Egon¡¯s grip was relatively weak causing the sword to knock the mace out of his hand.

    Seeing his only means of protection gone. Egon scurried back in fear trying to call out to the instructor. ¡°I surren-¡°

    *BANG!!*

    Unfortunately for him, before he could finish his sentence, the side of his face made contact with Gurdud¡¯s boot!

    Seeing how Egon was trying to end the match early, Gurdud couldn¡¯t allow that. Spinning around he sent a wind enhanced roundhouse kick towards Egon¡¯s face causing him to bite his tongue and fall face first into the dirt.

    Coughing out several teeth and a few spats of blood. Egon¡¯s miserable appearance was visible for all to see.

    ¡°Get up trash! Aren¡¯t you a noble with a bloodline worth far more than any of us?¡± Squashing his face into the dirt with his boot, Gurdud looked down on him. ¡°C¡¯mon, why don¡¯t you tell us about how special you are? What was it that you said when you introduced yourself? Wasn¡¯t it something like ¡®you pieces of demi human trash are only fit to kneel before me, for I have the blood of kings running through my veins¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ahahahahahaha¡± In the distance his classmates laughed hard enough that tears were starting to form.

    Remembering the arrogant words he¡¯d spoken when he¡¯d first arrived, tears and blood started to run down his face.

    Applying more pressure on his feet, Gurdud slowly crushed the outer layer of his skull.

    ¡°Aaaaahhhhhhh!!¡± A pain filled cry echoed across the entire academy.

    Looking at the screaming Egon, a cruel smile appeared on Gurdud¡¯s face. ¡°If you want me to release you repeat after me. I Egon Coulter am unworthy of being in the presence of the superior race known as elves.¡±

    ¡°I Egon Coulter am unworthy of being in the presence of the superior race known as elves.¡±

    Applying more pressure, Gurdud yelled down at him ¡°LOUDER!¡±

    ¡°I EGON COULTER AM UNWORTHY OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SUPERIOR RACE KNOWN AS ELVES¡±

    ¡°My mother is a dirty whore who mated with a dog and gave birth to me.¡±

    ¡°MY M-MM¡±

    ¡°SAY IT!!¡±

    ¡°MY MOTHER IS A DIRTY WHORE WHO MATED WITH A DOG AND GAVE BIRTH TO ME¡±

    A sadistic smile that showed off all his teeth covered Gurdud¡¯s face as the feeling of superiority left him feeling elevated. ¡°Now say ¡®my real name is trash-dog and from now on I¡¯ll wear a collar that my dog of a father left me and walk on all fours¡¯.

    A look of despair covered his face as he resigned himself to his fate. ¡°MY REAL NAME IS TRASH-DOG, FROM NOW ON I¡¯LL WEAR MY COLLAR MY DOG OF A FATHER LEFT ME AND WALK ON ALL FOURS.¡±

    Removing his foot, Gurdud joined his giggling classmates as they left for lunch.

    On the courtyard Egon lay face down with lifeless eyes, not moving an inch. The only way to tell that he was still alive was the quiet sound of his heartbeat.

    I swear i''ll fucking kill you all.

 Chapter 14: Soleed

    "When you deliver a punch, make sure that your able to quickly recover your stance. If you fail to hit your target and your balance is off, it is likely that your opponent will seize the opportunity to make a counter. When you kick you must remember that your centre of gravity is everything. The lower your centre of gravity, the more power you¡¯ll have behind your kick.¡±

    While saying this, instructor Isark circled around Daelos, correcting his stance.

    In the middle of the training area, Daelos¡¯s naked upper body showed off his chiselled muscles. Each muscle was dense and compact and rippled with a sense of power and authority that caused other¡¯s to feel both envy and respect.

    Currently, he had wearable weights attached to each of his limbs. The weights attached to his arms weighed at least 10,000 pounds whereas the ones on his feet were double that!

    According to Isark, only official knights were allowed to use weights weighing from 20,000 onwards. But luckily for Daelos, Isark agreed to his request before he fought Arthur, leaving him no way to refuse.

    For the past 6 months Isark had been personally training him in the ways of a knight. The first thing he was told to train in was his body. Unlike mage knights, knights were strictly close combat (minus archer subclass) fighters. Because of this, their bodies needed to be able to endure long battles and unfavourable weather. Due to this fact, beast-men were seen as the ideal knights. Humans and elves on the other hand lacked the physical traits and potential that came naturally to the beast kin.

    But by slowly cultivating their bodies to the extreme, a small percentage of humans and elves had the ability to become official knights.

    The reason for Daelos wearing these absurdly heavy weights was thanks to his use of vibrational energy. By creating vibrations around the area the weights were attached to, he managed to offset some of the weight''s mass.

    This allowed him to train both his vibrational energy and physical body.

    While he trained his body he was also forced to fight several students which forced him to adapt to their various types of attacks while being weighed down. It also forced him to focus on many aspects of a battle. This included terrain, his opponents dominant arm/leg, his positioning, their position and their breathing.

    By the end of these six months his battle senses had reached a whole new level. Not to mention that he discovered several new ways to increase his combat capabilities.

    Currently, Daelos was completing a set of complicated punching and kicking routines designed for the pugilist subclass. Despite only using his physical body, he was able to perform the routine without breaking a sweat.

    The only issue was that he¡¯d been doing this for the past 37 hours. Isark wanted to ingrain the routine into his muscle memory so when he fought he¡¯d have better control over his body.

    ¡°Your leaving soon right?¡± Seeing him still practicing, Isark couldn¡¯t help but admire the boy¡¯s determination.

    Without stopping the routine Daelos answered him. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m quite far away from the islands of Mato so I¡¯ll need to leave tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. Your one of the few students I¡¯ve seen with a real potential for becoming a knight.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Chuckling at that comment , he increased the speed of his routine. ¡°No offense but the knight class is to limiting for what I want.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What do you want?¡± Said Isark with a curious expression.

    Recalling the three years he spent trapped inside that dark cell a cold expression covered his face as his voice dropped a few octaves ¡°Freedom.¡±

    Feeling that he¡¯d just asked something personal, Isark changed the topic. ¡°We¡¯ll for your final full day here at Berilia, I got you a goodbye gift.¡± Grinning from ear to ear he called out 4 armoured individuals. ¡°I know that recently you¡¯ve found training to be quite unchallenging, so I asked for several 4<sup>th</sup> years to spar with you.¡±

    Seeing this, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. Turning that surprise into a smile, he stopped his routine and put on his bracers.

    ¡°Not gonna take off your weights?¡± Looking at the weights still attached to his limbs, Isark couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy my gift to the fullest extent if I took them off.¡± Still smiling, he got himself into his combat stance. ¡°Come at me!¡±

    Three 4<sup>th</sup> years charged at him in a well-practiced formation. Each individual held real tier 1 weapons and attacked with the intent to fatally injure and incapacitate Daelos. Two spears and one sword all swung down at him, while a couple of arrows were fired from another 4<sup>th</sup> year behind them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    *Swoosh*

    *Swoosh*

    *Swoosh*

    Daelos stood his ground and met the attack head on. Crossing both arms together he used his bracers to block both spears before grabbing onto them and pulling them forward in order to block the sword strike.

    *CLANG!*

    With all of them so close together the arrows fired from behind, hit the 4<sup>th</sup> years in the back. Luckily for them they were wearing armour.

    Seeing this, Isark could only shake his head in disappointment. Idiots

    Pushing them away, Daelos launched multiple quick attacks aimed at their chests. Although they were wearing armour, his blows contained an unstoppable force, causing them to feel the full impact of his attack.

    *THUD* *THUD* *THUD*

    Once all three bodies hit the ground, Daelos switched his attention to the archer in the distance. Unlike his comrades, the archer wore light clothes that were easy to move around in.

    Feeling the muscles in his right leg tighten, he leapt forward with unrivalled speed.

    *BOOM!!!*

    An explosive sound echoed out as a massive crater was left behind as his body soared towards his opponent at a speed that broke the sound barrier.

    *BANG!*

    Arriving in front of the archer Daelos delivered a swift well-aimed kick into the 4<sup>th</sup> year¡¯s side, causing him to shoot forward and cough up several mouthfuls of blood.

    Watching all four 4<sup>th</sup> years get taken down so quickly hurt Isark¡¯s pride as a knight. What made it even worse was the fact that the archer had shot his teammates albeit not deliberately, it still made knights look bad. *Sigh* Looks like I¡¯ll need to redouble their training schedules.

    ¡°Where are you going now?¡±

    Without turning back he headed towards the dormitory. ¡°I got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, so I¡¯m gonna get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Say hello to Arthur before you leave!¡± Yelling to the distant mage knight, Isark looked at his students laying flat on their backs. Idiots

    ¡­

    "Where?" Daelos opened his eyes and was met with silence and darkness.

    The only object in the darkness was a golden throne drenched in blood and decorated in skulls. He scanned the area, but his senses didn''t seem to work as well as they usually would.

    "Yo." The voice of a young man echoed from within the darkness.

    Daelos turned to look but couldn''t find the exact source of the voice. "Who¡¯s there?"

    He looked around, but nothing could be seen beside the throne.

    "Look closer." The voice responded, sounding much closer.

    Looking at the throne, a faint outline of a person could be seen sitting on it. The more he focused on it, the clearer it became until the outline completely disappeared and something took its place.

    Siting there was something that could only be described as a glowing monster. Eight ft tall, dressed in a suit that didn¡¯t belong to this world, the thing had fire for eyes. No nose, no mouth, ash coloured skin, and two twisted horn rising from its head. Its abnormally long arms were jagged at some places and had curved spikes protruding out of its shoulders. Its hands resembled beast claws and its feet bore a resemblance to hooves.

    "Who are you..." Daelos stared at the monster feeling a sense of familiarity. If anyone else were present they would''ve definitely not have been as calm and collective as he was.

    "It''s you! Your look different from before but this presence is definitely yours." A look of realization dawned on his face. He slowly looked around him while nodding.

    "So¡­Why does my mind space look like this?" Daelos scratched his head and asked curiously.

    "6 months." The monster responded.

    "Huh? The fuck does that mean?" Daelos looked toward to purple glowing monster with slight confusion.

    An awkward silence lingered in the air as both the creature and Daelos stared at each other.

    Its fiery eyes and Daelos¡¯s golden pupils stared at each other unblinking for indefinite amount of time. Breaking the silence, the creature spoke. ¡° For 6 months I did everything I could to corrupt you.¡±

    ¡°You act like I don¡¯t know that.¡± Feeling that the creature was wasting time, Daelos encouraged it to speed up.

    Looking at his irritated face, the monster didn¡¯t change its tone. ¡°Why are you still sane?¡±

    ¡°Sane? I thought the answer was obvious.¡± Looking at the monster a sly smile that practically reached his ears spread across his face as a crazed look emerged in his eyes. ¡°I was never sane.¡± A hint of joy could be heard in his voice. ¡°My entire life I was treated as lesser than everyone else. I was beaten, ridiculed, abused! Even when I arrived in this world the first thing I experienced was three long years trapped behind the doors of a jail cell! After so long it would be impossible for me not to break. But there was always something in the back of my mind controlling my urges. Call it my moral compass or whatever but when you arrived everything changed! With you, you brought so many beast that I just couldn¡¯t help myself. I just had to devour them. The feeling of tasting those emotions was simply¡­electrifying.¡±

    At this point his face had distorted into one that resembled the monster¡¯s. But instead of fire in his eyes, a maniacal glint was present in its stead.

    ¡°You corrupted yourself on purpose.¡± Ignoring his change, the monster continued as if nothing had happened.

    ¡°Corrupted? I freed myself from my shackles of morality! What I am now is what I¡¯ve always been deep down. All you¡¯ve done is help me dispose of those unnecessary sentiments.¡±

    -silence

    Seeing the monster unable to respond, Daelos calmed down his sudden outburst of emotions.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lyla?¡± For some reason, whenever he thought back to that na?ve girl who shed tears for after he reprimanded her, a gentle light echoed in the depths of his soul.

    Ignoring his question, the monster asked him one in return. ¡°What will you do now that you have been ¡®freed?¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever the hell I want! Now since I answered your question, answer mine. Where is Lyla!!¡±

    Seeing him become agitated, the monster looked on with its expressionless face. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to see you.¡±

    Hearing that, Daelos¡¯s anger vanished a forlorn expression briefly flashed across his face before it returned to normal. ¡°When you see her tell I want to talk.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think we¡¯ll meet?¡±

    ¡°Both of you stay in my mind space- well Lyla can return to the Agnos Requiem, but I think that when she wants to stretch her legs, she¡¯ll tour this place. And eventually you two will meet.¡± Taking a closer look at the monster¡¯s face, Daelos suddenly realized something. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I do not have one.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Can I pick one out for you?¡±

    ¡°If you wish.¡±

    With a smile plaster on his face, he declared ¡°from now on I¡¯ll call you Soleed, back home it meant crack.¡±

    ¡°You can call me what you wish.¡± Hearing his new name, no emotion could be heard in his voice.

    ¡°Okay Soleed, send me home.¡±

 Chapter 15: Scaled Wolves

    On the peak of a mountain southwest of a small human village, there was a construct that bore the resemblance of a temple. A stone pathway led to a statue which stood in front of the palace. A 40 ft statue of a sword wielding knight slaying what looked like a beast-man guarded the entrance.

    Within the temple, there we no doors, instead a thin white membrane-like barrier covered the places where one would expect the doors to be located.

    At the entrance of the temple, a stone pathway extended throughout the temple and on each side of it, the walls held paintings consisting of imagery of death and destruction.

    Beneath the temple lay a secret room. In the room a group of red robed individuals formed a circle around a black skeleton. On its bones words radiating golden light encompassed the room.

    Bowing down to the skeleton, the words radiating off it dimmed and eventually disappeared. Closing the door behind them as they left, the cultists spoke in hushed voices.

    ¡°His is found.¡±

    ¡°He has yet to awaken.¡±

    ¡°He will deliver us.¡±

    ¡°Through him we greet the masters.¡±

    ¡°Prepare the gate.¡±

    ¡°Bring him.¡±

    ¡­

    Relying on the map Kira had given him, Daelos found himself walking through a beast infested swamp. For the past four days he¡¯d been targeted by various monsters and predators, but to the current him, they were no more than pesky flies.

    During his 6 month training a Berilia, he¡¯d developed serval new techniques that could be used in combat. So to him the swamp was the best place to test out his new abilities.

    The first ability he developed was something he called vibrational sensing. After reaching 78% in syncing to this world¡¯s vibrational frequency, he was able to sense what was happening in his surrounding by using the vibrations in the air and earth. While this ability was activated it was practically impossible to sneak up on him.

    Because of this ability, he treated his journey through the swamp as a stroll in his back yard.

    The second ability he developed was something called vibrational sharpening. By vibrating an object to an extreme degree, he¡¯s able to make the area around the weapon sharper. He also discovered that by wrapping his fingers with the vibrational sharpening ability he could effectively make his fingers into claws. After multiple trials and errors, he found out that the sharpness of his claws was equivalent to that of a tier 2 sword.

    He assumed that once his sync levels reached 100% he¡¯d be able to rip apart tier 4 armours.

    The last ability he developed was one he¡¯d been working on since his fight with the scarred beast-man. At the time he¡¯d managed to boost the static electricity around his body, allowing his speed to reach unimaginable levels. By applying the same technique to his current speed, he suspected that even Daisha and her near lightspeed movements would not be able to keep up with him.

    ¡­

    Deep within the murky swamp, a small party of female mercenaries began making camp.

    ¡°Shea scout the perimeter, Amara and Cassie lay a few traps. Eliza and I will set up the tents.¡± Helga, the leader of this small team, gave out her orders. The other party members followed her words and spread out.

    The members of the party had all friends for the past five years. Since not many females chose to work as mercenaries, they naturally gravitated towards one another as there were many rumours of male mercenaries taking advantage of their female counterparts. The start was incredibly arduous as they failed countless jobs and were threatened by their clients once they found out the party was all female. The times they were almost raped by bandits and criminals were numerous. But as the years passed the party completed enough requests and miscellaneous jobs to be called experienced, becoming the only female mercenary party to get an A- rating.

    Their current job was to take care of a beast that had been seen roaming around the swamp. If they managed to complete it, they¡¯d be able to raise their rank to A+.

    ¡­

    Walking through the swamp with a carefree attitude, Daelos was dragging the corpse of a scaled creature behind him.

    7 days and still no sight of the exit. *sigh* I¡¯m bored.

    For the last couple of days, he¡¯d been training his new abilities on the inhabitants of the swamp. Unfortunately he¡¯d gotten a bit too into it as he accidently ripped up his map and had lost the direction he was supposed to be heading in.

    ¡°Any thoughts?¡± Tapping on the purple crystal around his neck, he waited for a voice to answer him back.

    -Silence

    Should have seen that coming.

    She¡¯d been like that ever since he destroyed those beast-men villages and slaughtered the inhabitants. Back then he¡¯d at least get the Agnos Requiem to glow a little if she ever thought he was in danger, but after he killed that demi-human child, the Agnos Requiem went completely cold. It was as if Lyla was no longer there.

    Come to think of it, I never actually asked her what tier grade artefact the Agnos Requiem was.

    Looking down at the ring on his finger, he also realised he never asked what tier the ¡®ring of everlasting torment¡¯ was.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Dragging around his lunch behind him, he looked for a spot that would be suitable to roast it. Although it tasted like shit, it was the only thing that kept him going for the past few days.

    ¡°SPREAD OUT, DON¡¯T LET THEM SURROUND YOU!¡±

    Sound of battle rung out in the distance the as panic filled cries echo across the swamp.

    Finally something interesting! Vanishing from where he stood the beast that he was dragging fell to the floor.

    ¡­

    The mercenary camp was surrounded by at least 50 wolf-like beasts. They had dark green scales covering their bodies, jagged teeth and black eyes. They were taller than most adults as their heights ranged between 7ft to 9ft. The one leading the pact had bloodshot eyes as it stared down at the all-female party. Around its mouth fresh blood could be seen dripping off its fur.

    Looking down at the party, a brown haired woman in white mage robes could be seen clutching her blood soaked arm as beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face. To her side, a woman of beast kin decent guarded her. She wielded two daggers, wore all black clothing and had a cloth mask covering the lower part of her face.

    In front of them stood 3 women in a triangular combat formation. The woman on the right was a green haired elven archer in typical ranger clothes.

    The one on the left was a red haired human female with outrageous bulging muscles that would give Isark a run for his money. Her midriff area was completely exposed showing of her iron-like 6 pact. In her right hand was a large axe, her left hand held a large circular shield. She had a large scar on her face, stretching from her lower jaw to the area besides her nose. Out of all the females present she was the tallest standing at a height of 6¡¯2.

    The woman leading the formation was a blonde haired beauty carrying a sword and shield. Her wild Amazonian like hairstyle coupled with her armour (or lack thereof) made her very seductive.

    This looks interesting.

    In the distance, Daelos was watching the action from the safety of the tall trees, commenting on their chances of winning.

    ¡­

    Seeing Eliza¡¯s bleeding arm hanging limply, Helga knew they were in a bad situation. First they had disabled their only healer, and now they were surrounded with no way out.

    Looks like this is the end for us.

    Seeing their current circumstance, Helga took a deep in a deep breath, readying herself for the fight of her life.

    ¡°ARHHHHHH!!!¡±

    Charging towards the beast, she let out a glorified battle cry, trying to rouse the spirits of her companions.

    Seeing their leader take charge, the two women in the formation followed.

    *SLASH*

    Swinging her sword at the leaders face, Helga tried to move its attention away from Shea and Eliza. ¡°C¡¯mon you ugly bastard, show me what you got!¡± Swinging wildly, her sword bounced off the creatures scales leaving behind faint white marks.

    *GRRRRR*

    Seeing the human try to blind it, the beast growled and called for backup.

    Two scaled wolves bore down on her, snapping her while more approached from the distance. FUCK!! Using her shield she took the brunt of the attack as the wolves slammed against her raised shield.

    These fuckers are too fucking strong! Their weight alone threatened to over her as her feet dug deeper into the wet swampy soil.

    DAMNIT!

    Looking at Cassie swinging her axe like a maniac, she realised that they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for too long. Amara was keeping her distance firing law infused arrows that seemed to do little damage.

    The monsters snapped their jaws and swiped their razor sharp claws trying to break the shield. Behind her a few wolves managed to sneak up on her rear.

    Dodging the bite from behind, Helga felt multiple gazes land on her body.

    SHIT!!

    Jumping into the air she managed to get out of the encirclement. Rushing towards the nearest scaled wolf she hacked down on one of the cracked scales caused by Amara¡¯s arrows.

    *CRACK*

    Her continuous swings finally managed to break through its armour as she pierced it was her blade.

    Seeing how effective it was she yelled out towards Cassie. ¡°ATTACK THE ONES HIT BY AMARA¡¯S ARROWS!!¡±

    Hearing Helga¡¯s orders, Cassie charged towards a scaled wolf, ignoring all the others in her way.

    *SWOOSH!!*

    Slamming her axe into the side of the scaled wolf that was hit by Amara¡¯s arrows, she used her massive strength to lift it of its feet and sent it flying through the air and into a tree.

    *CRACK*

    *THUD*

    The sound of multiple bones breaking echoed out.

    Seeing its dead comrade, the scaled wolves became agitated as their attacks became more ferocious. Facing the new waves of attacks the three girls were forced to retreat back to Shea and Eliza.

    Looking at her party members, a sad smile hung loosely on Helga¡¯s lips. ¡°Sorry for dragging you guys into this.¡±

    ¡°Why apologise? We knew what we signed up for when we became mercenaries.¡± Seeing their team leader look so weak, Cassie and the girls didn¡¯t blame her for the current situation. ¡°Plus its not like you¡¯d have known this would have known this would have happened.¡±

    Looking at the other girls, Helga saw them nod their heads. Smiling to herself she said. ¡°In our next life I hope we can party up again.¡±

    To this everyone laughed and readied their weapons. Even the injured Eliza got to her feet and prepared herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s now or never ladies!!¡±

    Before they could rush the scaled wolves, a disembodied voice sounded out from above.

    ¡°What the hell was that? Besides that burden in the back, your telling me that four fighters couldn¡¯t handle a bunch of dumb mutts.¡±

    In front of them appeared a tanned man in a dirty black and white Gi, with black bracers and built in gloves on his arms.

    Looking back at them, an expression of disappointment covered his face. ¡°How did you guys survive so long with such weak strength?¡±

    *GRRR*

    Seeing a new person arrive didn¡¯t change the wolves intentions. The leader of the pack growled before charging towards the new member.

    ¡°Let me show you how to discipline a dog.¡±

    Turing back to face the incensed wolf, a burst of power radiated off of Daelos body as a look of bestial arrogance slipped onto his face. An aura of viciousness pervaded the air as the ladies and wolves were overwhelmed by his immense bloodlust!

    Breathing in the aroma of blood and steel. Daelos could barely contain his excitement as limitless power surged through his veins.

    Covering his body in static electricity, his figure charged towards the alpha. Seeing the human approach him, the alpha opened its mouth, ready to bite down the moment the human came into range.

    *URRRGGHKK*

    Gripping the wolf¡¯s throat, Daelos stared deep into its eyes. The monster''s scales shook as it yelped out like a common dog.

    Scared, huh? That¡¯s too bad.

    The wolf shivered and tried to release itself from his grip.

    ¡°Sucks to be you.¡± Smiling down at the wolf a *Crack* sound echoed out. Dropping the dead wolf, Daelos¡¯s eyes scanned the rest of the pack as a hungry light flashed across his face.

    Seeing their leader die so easily, the rest of the wolves shivered and tried to make a run for it.

    Oh no you don''t!

    Flashing in front of the wolves, he activated vibrational sharpening around his fingers as he ripped out their stomachs and strangled them with their own innards.

    "Aaaugh." The wolves screams pervaded the air as their organs were pulled out from their bodies.

    To these screams, a maniacal look surfaced on Daelos¡¯s face as he felt it was becoming harder and harder to control his laughter.

    The last wolf ran while its kin was slowly being tortured to death. It remembered the glee in the human¡¯s eyes as it ripped out their entrails and suffocated its family. From that day forth a tinge of fear would be found deep in its eyes whenever it came across another human. Unfortunately once Daelos set his sights on you, you have no way to escape! Falling down from the sky, he landed in front of the wolf and slammed his fist into its skull. Removing any trace of vibrational energy on his arm he kept slamming and slamming and slamming until its face had deformed and grey brain matter oozed out of its ears.

    ¡­

    Inside his mind space, Soleed sat on his throne and watched the events in silence. ¡°You fed on my corruption, yet still call yourself sane. Quite the interesting being aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Looking to his right the figure of a purple haired girl with tears staining her face stood next to him in silence.

 Chapter 16: I dare you

    The air carried the salty stench of copper as a mountain of corpses and pools of blood stained the swamp floor. Countless bodies reeked of death as a man covered in a blood stained Gi sat beside the body of a mutilated wolf corpse. Wiping off the blood that had splattered onto his face, he sat in silence breathing in the deathly aroma .

    In the background the all-female mercenary group watched in both horror and admiration at the carnage he had wrought. Just minutes ago they had prepared themselves for death, and now here they stood, watching their saviour revel in the act of killing.

    Feeling the numerous gazes on him, Daelos turned to face the party. When their eyes met, the girls couldn¡¯t but tremble. The pressure he emitted almost made their knees buckle under its weight. Even Cassie the most physically fit amongst them felt beads of sweat starting to form.

    Seeing their faces go pale, a sly smile appeared on his face. ¡°You guys really are trash.¡± Looking at them a faint trace of disgust flashed across his eyes. ¡°But I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, even your mage knight over there is trash compared to the ones at the academy.¡±

    Academy? He¡¯s been to the academy!

    The green haired elven mage knight had shock written on her face. She dropped out of the academy when she was in her 3<sup>rd</sup> year, but to be called trash by a someone who wasn¡¯t even a mage knight made her shiver in rage. ¡°What the hell do you know about mage knights! Your just a knight with greater physical strength than us! Don¡¯t act high and mighty in front of me!¡±

    To this, he simply looked at her like she was a ranting dog. Shaking his head he drew the power of laws above his palm and summoned a miniature fireball. Looking at her direction, he curled his index finger on his thumb and flicked it at her.

    *Ping!*

    Shit

    Jumping in front of Amara, Cassie raised her large shield and bore the brunt of the attack. Unfortunately, that small fireball exploded on impact, causing her and Amara to be sent flying backwards.

    BOOM!

    Seeing their teammates being attacked, Helga and Shea gripped their weapons and pounced towards Daelos.

    Easily dodging their various stabbing attempts, Daelos used his incredible strength to kick Helga away and dodge Shea¡¯s upcoming attacking. Snorting in distain he grabbed her by the wrist and used his superior strength to tighten his grip. In the same breath, he spun around, placed his opposite shoulder under his arm and pulled her over.

    Her entire body flipped over his in a graceful arc and landed on the ground with a crash!

    Still holding onto her arm, he didn¡¯t give her any time to regain her senses, her secured it between his legs and held it in a simple armbar joint lock.

    Seeing her shocked expression, a devious smile surfaced on his face as he said ¡°This is gonna hurt¡±

    *CRACK!!*

    ¡°ARRGGGHHHHHHHHH!¡±

    The sound of a resounding crack was accompanied by the audible sound of ligaments being torn. Blood and bone burst out from the inside of her arm as she let out a ghastly scream. As he broke her arm, Daelos noticed that her shriek sounded oddly similar to that of the scaled wolves that he¡¯d previously slaughtered.

    Dropping her limp arm, he stared at the two remaining party members. Both Helga and Eliza watched in horror as he slowly approached them. The scene of him breaking Shea¡¯s arm still fresh in their minds.

    Walking past trembling Helga, he crouched down so that he was at eye level with Eliza. ¡°Are you going to attack me to?¡± Looking at the young mage, a questioning look appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°I-I¡­¡± to scared to speak, the most she could do was mutter.

    ¡°You what? I can¡¯t understand you unless you use sentences.¡± Seeing that she was trembling a sudden idea came to mind. Placing his hands on the side of the girls head. He sent in a small wisp of mental energy to calm her nerves.

    Seeing her face regain some colour, he checked if she was still trembling. To his surprise her trembling had stopped, and she was now able to look at him in the eye.

    ¡°So¡­are you going to attack me?¡± Repeating the question once more, he waited patiently for her to answer.

    ¡°No¡± Now that her nerves were calmed she was able to speak in comprehensible sentences.

    Not wasting anymore time with her, he switched his attention towards Helga and asked the same question. To his surprise, she was able to answer his question without the need of any mental energy help.

    ¡°No¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­That¡¯s a shame.¡± A mournful expression sat on his face as he walked towards her. ¡°So why¡¯d you attack me?¡± A questioning look replaced his mournful expression as he was truly perplexed at why they attacked him.

    ¡°How can you ask that! You attack my party members! OF COURSE I¡¯M GONNA ATTACK YOU!¡± Feeling that he had just asked a stupid question, she couldn¡¯t contain her rage.

    ¡°No, no, no, I understand why you attacked me. I just want to understand what you hoped to accomplish by doing so?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡±

    ¡°I mean you do realise that the 5 of you were almost killed by 50 wolves, but you still chose to attack the guy who single handily slaughtered them all. Does that make any sense to you?¡±

    ¡°We-

    ¡°And to make matters even worse, you overestimated yourselves even though you recently got your asses handed to you.¡± Looking at her hesitant expression, Daelos felt like he was talking to a child. He sighed as he continued. ¡°This is why I said you guys are trash. You don¡¯t take note of your position and rush in recklessly.¡± Sighing to himself he looked Helga up and down.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Feeling his gaze roam over body, she covered herself with her arms, trying to hide from his gaze.

    Seeing her reaction, he chuckled to himself as he used mental energy to freeze her in place.

    Feeling that she¡¯d lost control of her body, she stood there, and watched Daelos approach her with a gentle smile on his face. Remembering the requests her clients had given her team over the years, she couldn¡¯t help but start to panic as he got closer.

    Various thoughts raced through her mind as she came up with numerous ways the situation could end. sadly for her, the most common ending was the one she feared the most.

    Feeling her panic ridden emotions through the mental link he created, Daelos smile got deeper. Seeing him reach his hand out towards her Helga tightly closed her eyes and grit her teeth.

    ¡­.Waiting for him to start, she felt he was taking his time. Slowly opening one eye, she realised that he was juggling a small brown pouch in his hand. Looking down at her waist she realised that her money pouch was missing.

    ¡°¡­¡± WHAT THE FUCK! Did he just overlook me in favour of money!

    As if to answer her question, he looked over at her with a serious expression. ¡°Why are you so poor?¡±

    Regaining control of her body the only thing she could do was stare at him with wide eyes and say ¡°Huh¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t huh me you BITCH! Did you think I saved your life for free. Where¡¯s my damn compensation?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡± Still feeling confused, that was the only noise she could make.¡±

    ¡°Huh me one more time! I dare you, I FUCKING DOUBLE DARE YOU!!¡±

    -Silence

    ¡­¡±Huh¡±

    *BOOM!!!*

    A wrath filled aura exploded out his body as his eyes flashed with murderous intent.

    ¡°We have more money.¡± In the distance a meek Eliza managed to force out those words.

    Hearing the mention of more money, Daelos reined in his bloodlust and turned his attention towards her. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s back in our base.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡± Finding the situation slightly annoying, he resisted the urge to just kill everyone and take what they had on them. ¡°Where¡¯s your base?¡±

    Hesitating slightly, Eliza eventually managed to squeeze out her words. ¡°In Breamore.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Closing his eyes various thoughts came to mind. Breamore, human capital , swamp, wolves, mercenaries, all female.

    Slowly opening his eyes, his demeanour became eerily calm as his tone turned icy. ¡°How long will it take to get there.¡±

    Seeing the cold indifference radiating off of him, she didn¡¯t dare to lie. ¡°3 weeks.¡± Lowering her head, she closed her eyes and prayed for her own survival.

    Sighing to himself he knew what he was doing was a waste of time.

    Maybe I should just kill them.

    ¡°Why are you guys out here anyway.¡± Turning to Helga, he decided to ask her. Depending on her answer, he would either kill them now or kill them later.

    Facing his stare, Helga felt like she was being watched by a wild animal. Images of the scaled wolf¡¯s slaughter replayed in her mind as she remember the glee covering his face as he tore out their insides.

    Now seeing 3 of her comrades laying silent with their conditions unknown, for the first time in her life she¡¯d never felt so powerless. The monster in front of her was a blood thirsty beast who treated life like as if it was worthless.

    For the sake of her own survival and that of her friends, she would do everything possible to keep this monster happy.

    Showing him a smile that she¡¯d use to seduce many men, she spoke to him in her gentlest voice. ¡°We were commissioned to kill a beast roaming the deepest layer of the swamp.¡± Trying to incite his battle intent, she tried to switch his attention to the beast they were tracking.

    ¡°Beast? What kind of beast?¡± Hearing that they were hunting a beast, Daelos¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    ¡°A Hydra!¡±

    ¡°A hydra? The fucks a hydra?¡±

    Knowing that she caught his attention, Helga thought of a way to hype up the monster while ensuring the lives of her teammates. ¡°A gigantic, nine-headed water-serpent that sprays acid. It¡¯s said that for every head you cut off 2 more grow back! Because of this no one below A rank is able to accept this quest.¡±

    Feeling slightly puzzled after hearing that, he looked Helga in the eyes and asked. ¡°Then why did your party accept? You guys are weak as fuck. You couldn¡¯t handle a couple of mutts, yet you talk about slaying some near immortal monster with your lacklustre skills. Are you guys retarded or something?¡± Genuine confusion covered his face.

    Hearing him comment on their skills was quite a blow to her self-confidence. While it was true that they were at a disadvantage against the scale wolves, she believed that it was only because they were outnumbered. But since the hydra was only a single target, then they shouldn¡¯t have any trouble escaping if needs be.

    Of course she didn¡¯t voice any of this. Getting into an argument with this madman was the last thing she wanted.

    ¡°If we kill the hydra, not only will we get a massive pay-out, we¡¯ll also increase our rank.¡±

    Seeing the stars in her eyes, Daelos started to feel somewhat annoyed. ¡°What does your rank have to do with me?¡±

    Seeing that she was starting to lose him, Helga¡¯s mind raced as she thought of new ways to try to entice him. ¡°If you join our party you¡¯ll receive numerous benefits!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­What type of benefits?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll earn more money than we currently have, you¡¯ll also become famous and well respected!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s tempting and all but isn¡¯t your party all-female?¡±

    Shit I forgot about that!

    Feeling her smile cramp a little, Helga decided to bite the bullet and press forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.¡±

    Seeing her strained smile, Daelos couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Very well, show me to the hydra.¡±

    Great! After he kills the hydra and takes us back to the capital, I¡¯ll have him arrested!

    Seeing him start to walk away, Helga yelled out to him. ¡°Ah! Before we go we have to heal my companions.¡±

    Looking over at her, a confused expression settled on his face. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Amara! The green haired archer you flicked away is our best tracker! Without her we won¡¯t be able to find the hydra.¡±

    ¡°Urgh so bothersome. Fine go get her and that burly chick.¡± Shooing her away with his hand, he went and sat next to the shocked mage.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡± Feeling that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, Daelos tried to lighten the mood.

    ¡°Eliza¡±

    ¡°No surname?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only a commoner.¡± Bowing her head, Eliza looked as if she was talking to the ground.

    ¡°I see¡­Did you graduate from Breamore academy?¡±

    Shaking her head, she replied by saying. ¡°When I was young my parents realized I had a high affinity with the law of light. They sent me to train in the temple where I learned how to heal the sick and injured.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know any offensive techniques?¡±

    Shaking her head once more, Daelos sighed and decided to change the topic. Pointing to the unconscious Shea in the distance, he asked her if she thinks she could heal her.

    Walking to the unconscious beast man, she knelt down and assessed the damage dealt to her to arm. After a few minutes of holding Shea¡¯s broken arm, a horrified expression filled her face when she turned to look at Daelos.

    ¡°Sh-she can¡¯t be healed by me.¡± Her voice trembled as she spoke of her friend¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that.¡± As if it had nothing to do with him, Daelos spoke in an indifferent manner. This is taking too long.

    ¡°Someone of my skill level isn¡¯t enough to heal an injury as severe as this.¡±

    ¡°Severe? Isn¡¯t it only a broken arm?¡±

    Shaking her head, Eliza pointed to several areas on Shea¡¯s arm and pointed out how much damage was really inflicted.

    Most of what she said was ignored as Daelos was wondering about how he¡¯d kill a immortal snake monster.

    *snap* Off in the distance three figures could be seen walking towards them. 2 of the figures were limping and the last one was trying her best to support the both of them but struggled trying to complete that task. Obviously the three were Helga and the two girls who¡¯d recently annoyed Daelos.

    Seeing the monster who¡¯d sent them flying with a flick standing in front of them, the two limping girls couldn¡¯t help but avoid eye contact with him. Even Cassie the most aggressive of them all had no choice but to bow her head in his presence.

    ¡°Ready to go now?¡± Ignoring the presence of the two new additions, Daelos questioned Helga with a less than enthusiastic expression.

    ¡°Yeah, we just need Eliza to heal these to then we can leave.¡±

    Looking towards the healer, Eliza understood his intentions and went to check up on the two injured party members. Removing her glowing hands from their bodies she faced Daelos then said in a grim voice. ¡°I need 3 hours.¡±

    ¡°You have 1.¡±

    Leaving the group to deal with the injured, he walked off into the distance and disappeared behind the sea of trees.

 Chapter 17: Monster Hunter

    A hydra huh? Should be an interesting fight. Though if it only takes people of their level to defeat it, then maybe I¡¯m overestimating it.

    Walking back towards the mercenary party, Daelos thought about his upcoming fight and the situation back at Mato. Although the seed of corruption ¡®freed him of his morality¡¯ as he called it, he can¡¯t say it completely changed him. A testament to this was the necklace around his neck. Being unable to communicate with Lyla for the past 6 months had hurt him more than he knew. He also understood that after what he¡¯d done, it would be hard for both of them to go back to how things used to be.

    This being said, he didn¡¯t regret massacring those beast men tribes. As he saw it, in this world the strong are free to take advantage of the weak, and the weak are free to accept their lot or band together until they overtake their competitors. This never-ending cycle is what drives society in general. The strong prey on the weak, and the weak prey on those weaker than themselves.

    Those beastmen he killed were weak. In order to improve himself he didn¡¯t care what he had to do! Kill, steal, torture. All of those things were acceptable in the pursuit of greater power. Never again will he be chained! Never again will he be looked down upon! Never again will he allow those who stand above him to live in comfort.

    All his hate, anger and despair spiralled into an immeasurable driving force that would allow him to reach the peak!

    ¡­

    ¡°Helga what were you thinking! How could you invite that monster along with us!¡± After waking up from her unconscious state and hearing what had happen during the time she was unconscious. The first thing Shea did was focus her anger on Helga.

    ¡°Do you think I wanted to! While you were passed out I had to face that creature head on. Do you have any idea how many times I thought he was going to kill us! If I didn¡¯t give him a reason for keeping us all alive do you think you¡¯d be standing here right now!¡±

    ¡°Calm down you two! What¡¯s done is done. Right now we have to figure out a way to return to the capital!¡± Seeing Helga and Shea at each other¡¯s throats, Cassie did her best to get them on the same page. ¡°Shea you have to remember that what Helga did was for our survival. If it were any one of us do you think we¡¯d have been able to bargain with him.¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t like the current situation, she had to admit that Cassie¡¯s words were true. Looking at her now bandaged arm supported by a bit of wood, she recalled how devastatingly overpowered that monster was. With just his physical strength alone he was able to over power her and break her arm to the point that their healer couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    She also had to admit that if that guy fought the hydra, it¡¯d be a weight off their shoulders.

    ¡°Hmph fine.¡± Reining in her pride she reluctantly agreed with what Helga did.

    ¡°Fine what?¡±

    ¡°EEEPPHH¡± Jumping back from where she stood, she stared at the gold eyed monster who broke her arm.

    ¡°Quite jump aren¡¯t you? For a beastman your senses are awfully dull. Not that I really care.¡± Looking away from the frightened beastman, Daelos stared at the party leader with a questionable look in his eyes.

    ¡°We can leave when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°No time like the present. Lead the way elf.¡± Switching his attention towards the green haired archer, he gave her the gentlest smile he could.

    Although in her eyes that smile meant something else completely.

    ¡­

    ¡°We didn¡¯t get your name?¡± After walking through the swamp for the past couple of days Helga realised just how tense the air around their party was. Trying to lighten the mood, she tried asking Daelos about his everyday life, trying to find a weakness she could exploit.

    ¡°Daelos Barrigan¡± He quite enjoyed conversing with this blonde haired human. From the way the party addressed her, he found out her name was Helga and she¡¯d been a mercenary for 7 years. Obviously he knew what she was planning when she asked about his personal life, but he just decided to play along.

    ¡°Barrigan? Are you a noble?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a noble person in my own right.¡±

    Noble my ass. Smiling at his answer, she let out a very girly giggle, trying to appeal to his sensitive side.

    ¡°So you¡¯re a mage knight.¡±

    ¡°Well I got accepted into the academy, so I guess so.¡±

    Hearing them speak about mage knights, Amara¡¯s ears perked up.

    Seeing the elf¡¯s interest in the subject, Daelos chuckled and invited her over. ¡°Elf stop eavesdropping and join in on the conversation.¡±

    Although she was fearful of him, her interest of all things mage knight related overcame her fear. Walking to his left side she chimed in on their conversation.

    Seeing that he had a beauty on both sides of his arms a sense of bliss welled up inside him. Not letting it show on his face he continued the conversation as best as he could. ¡°So elf I¡¯ve noticed that for the past couple of days you¡¯ve been sneaking glances at me? Care to explain why?¡±

    Hearing him phrase it that way, Amara couldn¡¯t help but turn red. Shaking her head as hard as she could, she regained her wits and explained herself. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d be a mage knight. The way you fought the scaled wolves resembled that of a knight than someone who¡¯s comprehended the power of laws. But after you flicked that fireball at me, and Cassie I got to wondering what level you¡¯re at?¡±

    ¡°Level? There¡¯s levels.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± As if she couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard, she stared wide eyed at him. ¡°What year are you in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m 6 months into my first year¡±

    ¡°FIRST YEAR!¡± Looking at him as if she were staring at a monster, Amara found herself short of breath. ¡°Impossible! Your way too strong to be a first year!!¡±

    Hearing the commotion in the back, the rest of the girls in front readied their weapons ready to pounce on Daelos at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Seeing them grip their weapons an audible chuckle escaped out of his mouth. Focusing his attention back on Amara he showed off his pearly whites. ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m a bona-fide first year.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible! You don¡¯t even know about mage knight levels!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°I¡¯m a gifted first year.¡±

    Regaining her calm, she looked at Daelos and recalled her whole life in the academy. A sudden gloomy expression covered her face as she went silent.

    Seeing her expression, Daelos decided to change up the conversation. ¡°what are these levels you spoke of.¡±

    Snapping out of her depression, Amara started to energetically explain levels to him.

    ¡°You know about tiered weapons right?¡±

    ¡°Not really haha¡± Rubbing his nose a look of embarrassment could be seen on his face.

    ¡°Geez, you must have a terrible instructor.¡± Giggling to herself, she completely forgot about her previous fear towards him as she got absorbed into the conversation.

    ¡°Tiered weapons are weapons that are stronger than average weapons. They¡¯re also compatible with laws making them highly valuable. Tier 1 and 2 weapons are the most common tiered weapons wielded by knights and mage knights.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Before she could continue, Daelos interrupted her as he needed to clarify somethings. ¡°Why would knights use tiered weapons if they have low comprehension?¡±

    ¡°Because of their immense physical strength, knights often have to replace their weapons as they get worn out quickly. Tiered weapons on the other hand last a lot longer.

    ¡°I see. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°As I was saying, tier 1 and 2 weapons are the most common as any blacksmith with a high affinity for fire and earth are capable of creating one. Tier 3 weapons on the other hand are even harder to come by as the material needed to make them are rarely seen anymore.¡±

    ¡°What about tier 4?¡± Remembering the story Lyla told him about the invaders. Daelos remembered her saying something about how the invader¡¯s leader wielded a tier 4 weapon.

    ¡°No need to mention that. Tier 4 weapons are basically legends. Anyway we¡¯re getting off topic. Being able to manifest the law is the first level for mages and mage knights. The second level is where you apply a law to an object. The third level is fusing two laws together and the forth is fusing and applying laws to a weapon.¡±

    ¡°How is this related to tier weapons?¡±

    ¡°I was just getting to that. Tier 1 weapons can¡¯t handle being used when someone fuses two laws together. When tried, the weapon just shatters! Tier 2 weapons on the other hand can. And if your lucky to get yourself a tier 3 weapon, not only will you be able to use more than one law on it! The weapon itself will actually amplify your mastery!!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Putting his hand on his necklace he thought about his training with Lyla. ¡°Have you ever heard of mental energy?¡±

    ¡°Mental energy? Can¡¯t say I have. Is it important?¡±

    ¡°Nah¡­So what level do you think I am?¡±

    ¡°From what I saw from your immense firepower I¡¯d say your at least level 2, probably 3. Can you fuse laws?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Thinking about it now I¡¯ve never actually tried. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried fusing them so no.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­then you¡¯re a level 2. Not what I expected but still pretty good.¡±

    ¡°¡­About that¡­¡± looking down at his bracers a sudden thought occurred to him. I¡¯ve never applied anything to my bracers. Well I¡¯ve never needed to. Using earth skin is usually enough of a defence for me¡­I should visit a weaponsmith.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t apply a law to a weapon!¡± Disbelief was written all over her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I can¡¯t, I just haven¡¯t tried. Anyway, that¡¯s enough about me. Why don¡¯t you tell me what level you¡¯re at?¡±

    ¡°Ahem!¡± Before Amara got the chance to respond, a timely cough from Helga stopped her dead in her tracks. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    In front of the group sat a murky brown pond filled with all sorts of different coloured leaves floating on top of its surface. Behind the pond stood a natural formed cave.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Pointing towards the cave, Daelos looked at Helga.

    ¡°Yeah. The hydra¡¯s inside there.¡±

    ¡°Will you be joining me in this escapade?¡± Looking back at Amara he asked with a questionable face.

    ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± Answering for her, Helga once again stepped in.

    Slowly turning his head towards Helga, a glint of viciousness briefly flashed across his eyes. ¡°Did I say you could speak?¡± Unlike his earlier carefree tone with Amara, his current tone was bone chilling. Just the way he looked at her made her feel as if there was a knife at her throat.

    ¡°I-I.¡±

    ¡°You What?¡± Releasing a small wisp of bloodlust, Helga felt her blood turn cold.

    *RAAAAAWWWWWWWRR*

    A furious roar rang out sensing the bloodlust in the air.

    A huge snake head slithered out from depths of the cave, its head just stared at the Daelos¡¯s group with two cold eyes. Slowly more heads appeared beside it as its venomous eyes focused solely on Daelos.

    ¡°See what you made me do! Now I have to fight this thing without any preparation! God dammit!¡± Pushing Helga out of the way, he walked past a silent Cassie and Shea and approached the pond. ¡°Oi you bastard! Get your ass out here right now! I no longer have time to deal with your bullshit so lets start already.¡± Feeling irritated after Helga had continuously interrupted his conversation, Daelos no longer felt the same motivation he did earlier.

    Seeing the snake heads just stare at him and not make a move. Daelos felt that he was being looked down upon. ¡°COME HERE!!!¡± Yelling at the top of his lungs, his murderous aura exploded out of him and covered the whole area.

    All the creatures in the swamp turned silent as they felt their primal instincts telling them to run!

    Even the hydra no longer looked at him as just a mere human. Feeling his boundless rage a small part of itself told it to run. But what kind of king would it be if it ran away from a fight. Stepping out of its cave, a gigantic 9 headed monster stood before the small human. Its dark black skin gave off a metallic vibe as its razor sharp teeth dripped with acidic venom. It stood on 4 massive dragon-like legs as its purple eyes bore into Daelos. Treating him as a threat a majestic aura exuded off its body, showcasing its natural prestige.

    Wrapping the law of fire under his soles, Daelos¡¯s body started to vibrate creating an unimaginable amount of friction. Vibrating the air around his feet, he caused the air to combust with the fire and shot off towards the hydra.

    BOOM!!

    BANG!!

    Crashing his fist into the hydra¡¯s lower body, Daelos felt like he¡¯d ran into a wall. The scales on the creature¡¯s body were actively repelling him. Try as he might the beast¡¯s scales were to thick to pierce with his vibrational claws.

    *Chomp*

    Suddenly 5 heads came biting down towards him with their mouths wide open.

    Fuck!

    Jumping back, he narrowly managed to avoid getting eaten. Watching the 5 heads bite nothing but air, he stabilized his footing before he gathered a large amount of fire on his palm to form a medium sized fireball and shot it towards one of the hydra¡¯s heads. ¡°Explode!!¡±

    *BOOM!!*

    A large explosion met the face of the hydra sending in recoiling back.

    Got you now you piece of shit!

    Dashing towards the slightly dazed monster, Daelos was about to deliver a heavy strike before various alarm bells went off in his head. SHIT!

    BOOM!!

    Using the wind element to combust the pressure under his feet he shot into the air at an astonishing speed, dodging the incoming acid shot. Realising the he had narrowly escaped death a urge to completely crush the hydra took over his mind. Releasing an insane amount murderous intent, Daelos felt like his blood was about to burst out of his body.

    DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

    Rage consumed his heart as he covered his body in flames and accelerated towards the hydra like a meteor.

    Shooting out various acid shots towards the falling ball of fire, the hydra realised that its acid seemed to have no affect on him at all. What it didn¡¯t know what that by the time the acid came near him, it¡¯d already evaporated and had its molecules pulled apart by Daelos subconsciously!

    Seeing the human get closer and closer the hydra braced for impact.

    *BOOOMM!!*

    When his fist made contact with the hydra several shockwaves were sent out to the surrounding area causing strong winds to blow. In the distance the girls had to cover their eyes as the wind was blowing too hard for them to open their eyes. Never in their life had they seen such a fight reach such a drastic scale. This was especially true for Helga.

    How the hell is that rated A-! That monster¡¯s at least SS!

    It was unknown whether she was talking about Daelos or the hydra. But what was for sure was that if he lived she definitely couldn¡¯t get on his bad side.

    Crumbling under the weight of the hydra the ground gave out and swallowed both the hydra and the flaming Daelos who was pushing it further underground.

    *SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!*

    Screaming out in pain, the hydra¡¯s heads smashed against the side as it was being pushed further underground by the enraged Daelos.

    At the hydra¡¯s under belly, Daelos pounded it with everything he had with only one thought in mind DIE!

    Placing his palm on the hydra¡¯s scale he started to vibrate causing the fire around his body to go out of control. Focusing the flame on the scale he was vibrating a cracking sound was made as he finally managed to shatter one of its scales. Using the vibrational sharpening technique on his whole arm, he drove it into the hydra¡¯s unprotected flesh and released the out of control on his palm!

    *SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

    The hydra thrashed around as it felt a burning pain explodethroughout its entire body.

    Repeating the same process, Daelos kept ripping off its scales and piercing its flesh as its shrieks slowly became music to his ears.

 Chapter 18: My Goal

    ¡°Ha did you really think you could kill me?! Me?! You¡¯re nothing but shit! Die! Die! Dieee!¡±

    Deep inside the pit he¡¯d created, Daelos could be seen taking out his rage on the now dead hydra. Ripping off its scales and punching its corpse, he failed to notice the sharp pain rising in his arms before he collapsed on top of the beast.

    Looking into the pit, Helga and her party were stunned. They¡¯d just witnessed a human single handily take out a beast that should be rated SS! If news about this got out he¡¯d be famous in an instant!

    Staring at his passed out body, an ingenious idea came to mind. ¡°Cassie do you think you can get him out?¡±

    Although she was surprised by the question, she nodded to confirm that she was able to.

    ¡°Good n-¡°

    ¡°Hold up!¡± Before she could continue the voice of their ever so charming beastman sounded out. ¡°Your not thinking of saving this asshole are you? Did you forget what he did to me, Cassie and Amara! If we save him, who knows how long it¡¯ll be until he turns on us! It¡¯s not worth the risk.¡±

    ¡°He won¡¯t turn on us.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that! You¡¯ve only known the guy for 3 days! And for all three of those days we were his hostages!¡± She¡¯d never really doubted Helga¡¯s decision before, but ever since that guy showed up it seemed as if Helga had become someone else. From her perspective she couldn¡¯t understand why Helga was so insistent on keeping this guy around.

    ¡°You haven''t interacted with him much so you wouldn¡¯t understand. During three days I¡¯ve been figuring out what makes him tick.¡± Looking at her with a serious expression she calmly explained her reasoning. ¡°I¡¯m certain that if we save him not only will he not attack us, he¡¯ll even owe us a favour.

    ¡°Ergh. Amara you interacted with him! What do you think.¡± Looking towards the quiet elf, Shea hoped to get some back up.

    Seeing all eyes on her, Amara was stunned. ¡°I think Helga¡¯s right. While I was conversing with him he never showed an ounce of bloodlust towards me.¡±

    ¡°What about when he was about to kill Helga before the hydra showed up!!¡±

    Stepping in, Helga explained herself. ¡°That was because I was trying to answer for Amara when he talking to her. If I had just let her answer for herself then none of this would have happened.¡±

    ¡°*Sigh* Fine, but even if he owed us a favour what would you ask for?¡±

    Accepting her defeat, Shea decided to cave in.

    Seeing that they were now on the same page, a beautiful smile blossomed on her face. ¡°He¡¯ll join us until we reach SS rank.¡±

    ¡°But what about showing the world that an all-female party like us can do the job just as well as men?¡±

    ¡°I understand that, but we¡¯d be idiots to let an opportunity like this go! Having someone who¡¯s capable of defeating a SS class monster on our side would be nothing but advantageous for us.¡±

    ¡°I agree¡± Throwing in her opinion Amara stepped forward.

    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad.¡± Stepping forward Eliza also spoke in his favour.

    ¡°I¡¯d like a new sparring partner.¡± Even Cassie wasn¡¯t totally against the prospect.

    All eyes focused on Shea. Waiting for her to answer.

    ¡°FINE!! Let¡¯s rescue him.¡± Although unhappy, she did realise that she was out numbered 4 to 1.

    ¡°Great! Now lets get him out of that hole.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°How¡¯s he looking?¡± Staring at the unconscious Daelos in front of them, Helga looked at Eliza and asked.

    ¡°Not good, his arms are covered in hydra blood.¡± Shaking her head in response.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Just like its spit, a hydra¡¯s blood is extremely acidic and highly toxic. Just having it touch your skin is enough for it to burn through your hand and poison your blood stream.

    Looking at his bandage wrapped arms, several purple veins could be seen on his face. ¡°Can you stall the poison?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hydra poison is extremely toxic! I might be able to keep him alive for a few hours but anything after that is unknown.¡±

    ¡°Dammit! Isn¡¯t there any way to slow the poison?¡±

    ¡°I have an idea.¡± Speaking up, Amara stepped forward. ¡°If we encase his body in ice, we may be able to slow down the poison¡¯s speed.¡±

    Hearing her suggestion, Helga turned towards Eliza. ¡°Can it work?¡±

    ¡°Theoretically yes, but you¡¯d need to constantly supply the ice even when we¡¯re sleeping. The toll it¡¯d take on your body would be immense.¡±

    ¡°I can handle it. I¡¯m only losing a couple days of sleep.¡± Joking about it, a silly smile appeared on her face.

    Jumping into the conversation, Shea¡¯s voice boomed out. ¡°Amara!! Don¡¯t joke about this! We¡¯re talking about over 10 days of you being awake! Your body won¡¯t be able to handle it! Not to mention the immense concentration it¡¯ll take just to constantly supply the ice!¡±

    ¡°Do you have a better idea! If we don¡¯t go with my plan he¡¯ll die within a couple of hours!¡±

    ¡°So what! We owe him nothing!¡±

    ¡°He saved our lives!¡±

    ¡°And then put them in danger!¡±

    Not willing to back down both girls stared at each other waiting for the other to start something.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Seeing the situation take a bad turn, Helga stepped in and tried to mediate. ¡°Okay girls calm down.¡± Looking at both of them she tried to think of a solution to their current dilemma. ¡°Eliza when we arrive back at the capital where should we take him to get healed?¡±

    ¡°The church would be the best option as they have elixirs and people who are better than me at healing.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­I got a plan. Shea¡¯s right, having you spend over 10 days awake is not an option.¡±

    ¡°Helga!¡± Widening her eyes in surprise, Amara stared at the party leader.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t him dying in a few hours¡­Shea your strong and agile. I need you to carry him while both you and Amara head towards the church at your fastest speed.¡±

    ¡°HELGA!¡±

    ¡°This is an order as your leader! You said the pressure on Amara was too much and now you have a chance to help her. Will you really abandon your friend over a grudge?¡±

    ¡°Tsk fine.¡±

    ¡°Wait-¡° Interrupting the conversation, Cassie just thought of a very glaring problem.

    ¡°What is it Cassie.¡± At this point Helga was starting to get annoyed by the constant interruptions. Is this how he felt when I kept answering for Amara?

    ¡°Ignoring the fact that he doesn¡¯t have any documents on him. Doesn¡¯t it look suspicious if two demi-humans are seen carrying around an immobile human with them? As much as we get along with them, you and I both know how other humans view demi-humans.¡±

    Shit I forgot about that!

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice. If its just Amara and Shea alone, they can reach the capital in half the time it¡¯d take all of us.¡±

    *Rip!*

    A tearing sound was heard from Eliza¡¯s direction. Turning towards her the party saw her rip off her church emblem and hand it to Shea. ¡°Take this! This should allow you to get a competent healer at the church! It should also help if the guards try to trouble you at the city entrance.¡±

    ¡°Eliza this-¡° Shocked by her sudden actions, Shea was momentarily at a loss for words. She knew just how much that church robe meant to her and how the church in general held such a big place in her heart¡­and yet she willingly ripped it for the sake of a stranger who was previously about to kill them.

    ¡°I believe in you Shea!¡± Seeing the hard look in her eyes, Shea had no choice but to accept the cloth emblem.

    When she held it a warm feeling flowed through it and into her body.

    ¡°It has the law of light¡¯s aura on it, this should help with any fatigue you¡¯ll experience.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you give this to Amara then.¡±

    Shaking her head she answer Shea¡¯s question. ¡°The ice will be cold and extremely heavy. Your burden is more physical than Amara¡¯s and this cloth can only really help with the physical aspect.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Seeing that everyone ready, Helga looked towards the elf. ¡°Amara, if you could.¡± Motioning to the unconscious young man, Amara walked towards him and gathered the law of water around her as she slowly changed it ice and covered his body.

    *Sigh* ¡°He¡¯s ready.¡±

    Picking him up, Shea placed him on her back as she dashed in the direction of the capital. Following closely behind her, Amara could be seen keeping pace.

    Watching the two girls disappear from sight, Helga switched her attention towards the pit. ¡°How much do you think hydra scales are worth?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°What do you want Soleed?¡± Sitting across from the purple glowing monster, Daelos sat on a simple wooden chair surrounded by the darkness of his mind space.

    Ignoring the dissatisfaction in his voice, Soleed sat calmly and stared at him with its now green fire eyes. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m asking you! Why¡¯d you bring me here?¡±

    -Slience¡­

    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you for a while now and I can¡¯t seem to understand what your goal is?¡±

    ¡°My goal?¡±

    ¡°Yes. What do you hope to achieve by living this way. You say you¡¯ve freed yourself from the shackles of morality, but from what I can see your just a child throwing a tantrum.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, are you lecturing me. You! You know nothing! My only goal is to get strong and kill whoever stands in my way.¡± Scoffing at his comment, Daelos responded with his own.

    ¡°But what happens after you get this desired strength? What will you do?¡±

    What will I do? I¡¯ve never thought about it in the long run. What will I do?

    ¡°I-I¡± What will I do?

    For the first time since he¡¯d freed himself Daelos was at a loss for his future. After he got his strength what would he do. Would he return to the academy? Try to go back home? Or simply waste away obsessing over his new found power?

    What will I do?

    ¡°I see your having trouble deciding your future. Maybe I can help you with that.¡±

    Looking into the eyes of Soleed, he waited for him to continue.

    ¡°D-Daelos¡±

    ¡°huh?¡±

    Turning around, the figure of a purple haired teenager in a graceful dress stood before him. Her beautiful long ears were exactly as he remembered them. Sharp but soft. When he saw her it was as if time itself froze as memories of their time together flooded his mind like a broken dam.

    ¡°Lyla¡± Just speaking her name made his voice go hoarse as an abundance of feelings welled up inside him.

    ¡­

    "Are you okay back there?¡± Yelling towards the struggling Amara, Shea was about to slow down to help her catch up, but before she could Amara¡¯s shout stopped her from doing so.

    ¡°I¡¯M FINE *COUGH* JUST KEEP GOING¡­WE¡¯RE ONLY A DAY AWAY.¡± Although it was clear to see how tired she was. Amara kept pushing forward as she focused on keeping the ice from melting. Compared to 4 days ago, her face was abnormally pale as she¡¯d been pushing herself past her limits, both mentally and physically.

    ¡­

    Instead of going to greet her, Daelos sat in his chair and slowly calmed himself. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Contrary to his previous feelings of emotion, his voice was indifferent as his eyes became cold.

    Wincing at his tone, Lyla recovered herself as she went and stood in front of him. ¡°What you did to those beastmen is unforgivable! I cried and begged you to stop but you didn¡¯t listen! You slaughtered them all with a smile on your face and then what you did to that child *sob* She was innocent! You didn¡¯t have to kill her the way you did!.¡±

    ¡°Ahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Is that all you have to say! After 6 months of silence the first thing you say to me is some shit about the dead! ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME!!! 6 FUCKING MONTHS I WAITED FOR YOU AND NOTHING! NOW HERE YOU ARE ACTING ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY! HOW DARE YOU! GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY SIGHT!!¡±

    All his previous emotions turned into rage and hate. He¡¯d been abandoned by his father, abused by his mother and hated by everybody else. When he thought his life was going nowhere he appeared in another world only to be thrown in a dark cell and abused for the next three years. And when he¡¯d finally accepted death, he was given hope by Lyla. She promised that she never leave him and that they¡¯d be together forever.

    The way he saw it was that just like his father, she had abandoned him. When he needed her most she¡¯d left him to fend for himself. She saw what he was turning into and chose to look away. What she did caused him a pain like no other. Even his parents didn¡¯t do as much damage to him as she did. She gave him hope and then left him by himself. At least with his parents he knew where he stood. At this moment his hate towards her surpassed that of anything else.

    As his rage started to overflow, the space around them started to tremble eratically as a boundless aura escaped from his body and swallowed everything in its path. His eyes became bloodshot as he felt himself quiver in anger.

    A look of horror covered Lyla¡¯s face as she felt the full force of his rage directed at her.

    *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

    At the other side, Soleed¡¯s green fire eyes burned with intense joy as he found Daelos¡¯s rage beautiful.

    ¡°How is this possible! You shouldn¡¯t be able to do this while I¡¯m in your mind space!¡± Still horrified by what she saw, Lyla couldn¡¯t comprehend what was happening.

    ¡°Oh my dear Lyla, do you still not understand.¡± Speaking to like he was talking to a child. A mocking tone could be heard in Soleed¡¯s voice. ¡°Right now his rage is more than the Agnos Requiem can contain.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The Agnos Requiem is a tier 5 ARTEFACT! It¡¯s impossible for a mortal to overpower it!¡±

    ¡°Impossible? My dear girl, the impossible is happening right in front of you.¡±

    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

    Explosions could be heard coming from Daelos¡¯s body as the colour of his mind space started to fluctuate.

    Blue

    Green

    Yellow

    Orange

    Grey

    Purple

    Black

    White

    And finally Red.

    Settling on a colour, the space started to stabilize as Daelos could be seen calming down.

    Taking her chance while he was no longer enraged, Lyla tried to speak with him. ¡°Daelos I-

    ¡°Soleed¡± Ignoring her, the now calm Daelos turned towards Soleed and spoke in a deep voice. ¡°You asked me what my goal was after I gained the power I desire right? Well I finally have an answer for you.¡± Turning to look at Lyla, his eyes became bloodshot once more and his voice became a whisper. ¡°I¡¯ll bring destruction.¡±

    And with that his figure vanished.

    ¡­

    Sitting a top his throne, Soleed mused to himself ¡°Destruction huh, should be an interesting show.¡±

 Chapter 19: Compensation

    Waking up from his chat with Soleed, Daelos found himself staring at a white ceiling. Looking to his right he saw a nightstand and a bouquet of flowers. Where am I?

    Looking around the room he noticed that it seemed oddly similar to a hospital room back in his world. The only difference was that this place lacked the medical machinery and had a weird calming aura that seemed to seep into his bones. The floor was completely white and unblemished as it reflected the ceiling on its surface.

    Oh right, the hydra. Replaying the events back on in his mind. He eventually formed a timeline that¡¯d help explain his reasoning for being here.

    My arms! Looking down at his bandage wrapped arms, he noticed a weak purple glow underneath trying to escape. Unwrapping the bandages, he discovered a thin vein-like pattern extending from his palms to his shoulders. What the hell is this!

    Looking at the glowing vein, he felt a faint but familiar aura emanating from it. Hydra!

    Before he could think any further, a woman in a white and gold nun outfit walked into the room. Lifting her head from the notepad she froze when she saw the young man awake. A look of shock was written all over her face as she dropped the notepad and ran out of the room screaming some unknown name.

    Shortly after she left, a group of people rushed into the room with the nun trailing right behind them. There 3 people in total. 2 nuns like the previous one and a middle aged man in spectacles wearing what seemed to be vestment of the same colour.

    Like the nuns outfit, the vestment had an emblem on it, but unlike the small ones on the nuns shoulders, his one was dead centre in the middle.

    Walking towards Daelos the doctor checked his arms and whispered something to one of the nuns. Turning his attention back to Daelos he put on his best smile as he tried to speak to the young man. ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m Dale Ludvic, do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± Probing the young man, Ludvic¡¯s eyes never left his arms. He gave off a disgusting feeling that made Daelos want to get away from him.

    That being said, he didn¡¯t actually know where he was and decide to play along until he had more information.

    ¡°I was injured by a hydra?¡±

    Hearing that, Ludvic chuckled. ¡°Injured is an understatement. Your arms were completely covered in hydra blood! Even though those friends of yours kept you alive by freezing you in ice, the poison should have sped up the moment your were released.¡±

    Friends? Is he talking about the mercenaries? Why would they save me? They have no reason to. Its more than likely that¡¯d they¡¯d just leave me to die and take the hydra as a reward.

    ¡°But the interesting thing is that when we removed you from the ice, your body had adapted to poison and slowly neutralised it!¡±

    My body did what!

    ¡°It was truly a miracle!¡±

    My body adapted to the poison? No that can¡¯t be right. From what he said the poison was definitely toxic enough to kill me. That means that while the ice was slowing down the spread, my body slowly adapted to it. But why would it do that? Is it a racial ability? I¡¯ve never heard of anyone on my planet being poisoned before. Maybe that¡¯s the reason. Even if that is true, its thanks to whoever put me in the ice in the first place! If it wasn¡¯t for that my body wouldn¡¯t have had enough time to adapt to the poison.

    Thinking about it now, he actually dodged a bullet.

    Realising what had happened, he decided to focus on the most relevant factors. Looking at the doctor he asked. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°Huh¡± Taken aback by that question, he momentarily froze before he regained his composure. ¡°You are at Breamore¡¯s temple of light.¡±

    So I¡¯m in Breamore, that makes things easier.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling slightly tired is it okay if I rest.¡± Trying to get the doctor to leave, Daelos came up with an excuse.

    ¡°Ah, how rude of me. Here I am prattling on when you¡¯ve only just woken up. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Taking his leave, the doctor looked at Daelos before he closed the door.

    ¡°WAIT!¡±

    Before he could make it through the door, Daelos¡¯s shout stopped him. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What happened to my clothes?¡±

    ¡°They were also covered in blood, so we had to dispose of them.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s a shame.¡± Putting on a forlorn expression, Daelos waved goodbye to the doctor.

    Since my clothes aren¡¯t here then I guess I can go.

    Dressed in nothing more than his hospital gown, he waited until it was dark before he slipped out of his room. With his vibrational sensing technique it was quite easy to avoid coming into contact with anyone as he walked right out the front door.

    Wearing a hospital gown would make him stand out so he kept to the shadows and searched for anywhere that sold clothes. Stumbling across a closed blacksmith¡¯s, he vibrated the handle until it broke and easily made his way in.

    The walls were stacked with numerous weapons whereas numerous mannequins wore different variations of heavy armour.

    Not finding what he was looking for Daelos, headed towards the back room where the weapons were forged. Moving around as quietly as he could he found a pair of black bracers that seemed to be of a higher quality than his last, encased in a display.

    Tier 3!

    Vibrating the lock, he opened up the display and attached the bracers to his wrists. They had an elegant design that suited his taste and felt comfortable on his arms.

    Leaving the back room, he returned to the store front and picked up a crossbow and a few bolts. He also took a couple silver coins for good measure just before he left.

    Walking out the blacksmith, he noticed a tailor shop on the opposite side. Smiling to himself he made sure no one was around before he approached it and snuck in. Similar to the blacksmiths, the store front had many of its average goods place on display. Ignoring the cheap products Daelos went straight to the back, not even looking at the stuff on display. Unlike the blacksmiths there was no forge or armour laying around in the back. Instead there were several mannequin¡¯s wearing different types of light clothing. One of those mannequins caught his attention as it displayed a sleek looking hooded black outfit with reinforced armour applied to it. It had small leather pauldrons attached to the shoulder area and a small black utility belt wrapped around its waist. The small face mask covering the lower part of the mannequin¡¯s face also aroused his attention as he felt the entire outfit was perfect for him.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Removing it from the mannequin, he dressed himself and attached the crossbow to his back before he took a single gold coin from the register. He also found a small map in the corner of the room which he took for obvious reasons.

    Leaving the shop, he headed towards an inn to spend the rest of the night. What surprised him was that when he entered he saw an entire table filled with nothing but females.

    Shit! Not these guys again.

    Attracted to the sound of the door being opened the rowdy inn looked towards the entrance before returning back to its noisy atmosphere. Unfortunately the female mercenaries didn¡¯t return to their conversation.

    Seeing that they¡¯d already noticed him, Daelos headed towards their direction and sat on the empty stool.

    Seeing him sit at their table, a charming smile spread out on Helga¡¯s face. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the sleeping monster hunter.¡± Teasing someone as strong as him gave her a weird sense of joy. ¡°So how¡¯s our little patient doing?¡±

    This damn vixen!

    Ignoring her teasing, he asked a question of his own. ¡°What happened after the I killed the hydra?¡± This was what he really wanted to know.

    Seeing him brush over her question, Helga didn¡¯t get mad. In fact it was the exact opposite. ¡°We brought you back to the capital and sent you to the temple of light for healing.¡± Stretching out her arms she let out a low yawn. ¡°And after 2 long months here you are.¡±

    ¡°2 months!¡± Visibly shaken up by the news, he stood to his feet knocking over the stool behind him.

    This caused everyone in the inn to look over at him. Several rowdy looking fellas didn¡¯t seem to like seeing a man sit around a table occupied by nothing but females. Using this disturbance as an excuse, they thought they could intimidate him into giving them each one of the girls. (minus Cassie, too much muscle.)

    Four massively built men in heavy armour strolled up next to him and exerted their aura. They looked at Daelos slowly. Trying to size him up.

    How can a weak fucker like this be surrounded by so many girls! Fuck! one of them is even an elf!

    As if watching a show, the entire inn was covered in the sound of people whispering to each other. Trying to guess what was going to happen next.

    " It''s the 4 idiots again."

    ¡°They¡¯re just B rank mercenaries and they think they¡¯re all that.¡±

    ¡°4 on 1! Have they no shame.¡±

    " My soul prays for his safety."

    " Dinner and a show. What could be better?"

    "Isn''t this their last warning, maybe the owner will finally ban them."

    " They never listen do they..."

    Not trying to conceal their conversations, the whispers were quite audible as everyone was trying to size Daelos up. Lost in his thoughts, Daelos didn¡¯t notice the several burly men standing at his side. The girls also didn¡¯t make any noise. After seeing him take out a hydra, something like this wouldn¡¯t even faze him. Sitting quietly they just waited for the show to start. Taking the girl¡¯s silence as a show of fear, the four men got even more confident in their approach.

    After sizing Daelos up, the leader put his hand on his shoulder. He had the most muscles of the group. He was 6ft4 so he had an intimidating presence. He had several scars on his bulging muscles that were visible because unlike the rest of his body, his arms weren¡¯t covered in armour. He had a shaven head and a few scars on his face giving him an ugly appearance.

    As he was about to place his hand on Daelos¡¯s shoulder, he felt a weird force repelling him. In the eyes of others it looked like he was just standing there stretching out his arm.

    What the fuck!

    What¡¯s he doing?¡±

    ¡°Is he stretching?¡±

    ¡°Did he lose his nerve.¡±

    The various whispers made their way into his ears as a look of embarrassment covered his face.

    ¡°Boss what are you doing?¡± Even his mercenary buddies were starting to feel embarrassed as their faces grew hot from all the stares.

    Feeling the need to prove his dominance, the bald headed leader swung his fist towards the young man.

    As if by instinct Daelos dodged the fist that was approaching him and quickly moved under it. Seeing the unassuming young man avoid his punch, a sense of dread started to rise within the leader as he realised Daelos was now in the perfect position to strike back. Rising up after avoiding the punch he shot up like he was about to throw an uppercut. But instead of forming a fist, he cupped his hand and grabbed the leader by the neck. He then proceeded to pick him up off the ground with his one hand and slam his body down on the floor hard enough that the entire inn shook.

    Various gasps escaped the mouths of the audience as they didn¡¯t expect the stocky mercenary to be taken out so swiftly. Not to mention the way it was done. He lifted him off the ground!! The man weighed at least 270ibs as well as a suit of heavy armour, yet he was still picked up like he weighed nothing!!

    To the audience this was incomprehensible, impossible even.

    Seeing the stares of the crowd and the mercenary¡¯s buddies land on his body. Daelos subconsciously released a wisp of battle intent that caused everyone to back up. Looking down at the man below him a confused expression was seen on his face.

    Who¡¯s this?

    Releasing his hand from the mercenary leader¡¯s neck, he realised that his windpipe was crushed. When everybody else saw this, they sucked in a few breaths of cold air. Ignoring their reactions, Daelos focused his attention back on the girls. ¡°You said 2 months have gone by right?¡±

    In a state of shock, the girls didn¡¯t answer. They never expected him to kill the man in cold blood. Okay maybe that wasn¡¯t true, but they definitely didn¡¯t expect him to do it with so many witnesses around.

    Snapping out of their shock, they all answered him by nodding their heads.

    ¡°I see.¡± 2 months! Is that enough time for me to get back to the academy on time? Fuck!!! Kira didn¡¯t even tell me how to reach the island when I got there!

    Looking towards Amara a sudden question appeared in his mind. ¡°Elf how do I reach the mage knight academy islands?¡±

    Although she felt shocked about the whole situation and the question, the thing that shocked her the most was that this guy still didn¡¯t know her name! Calling someone by their race was quite rude. How would he like it if she kept calling him human all the time.

    Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she tried her best to answer his question. ¡°Only representatives, graduates and drop outs are allowed to leave the island. To return you need to be escorted back on an iron wing eagle.¡±

    That fucking lousy ass teacher! How the hell did she think I was gonna get back!

    ¡°I¡­see¡±

    Seeing his mind about to wonder, Helga took the opportunity to talk to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The fucks she on about?

    ¡°We saved your life, don¡¯t you think you owe us some compensation.¡± A sly smile crept onto her face.

    So that¡¯s her game. A sense of realisation dawned on him.

    Smiling back at her he asked. ¡°Why would I compensate you when we¡¯re even.¡±

    ¡°Even?¡±

    His smile widened. ¡°If I remember correctly, I¡¯m pretty sure I saved your lives from a pact of savage scaled wolves. In turn you saved my life after I was injured by the hydra.¡±

    Shit! He¡¯s trying to worm his way outta this!

    Showing him an equally gentle smile, Helga continued her point. ¡°While it is true that you did save us, and we did save you. Your forgetting a very important part.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Pray tell.¡±

    I¡¯ve got you!!

    ¡°Although you did defeat the hydra, you only found it because of a member of our party. So you owe us for finding the hydra and allowing you to fight it.¡±

    Does this bitch think she¡¯s smart.

    ¡°I think your also forgetting a very glaring issue miss Helga.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    What¡¯s he planning now!

    ¡°While it is true that it is thanks to you that I did manage to find and fight the hydra. You forget that it was also because of me that you guys completed the request in the first place.¡±

    Hahaha, what you gonna say now.

    ¡°True, but. Don¡¯t forget that you essentially stole the request away from us and held us hostage for three days! You owe us.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, it is you who owe me. Not only did I defeat a monster that would have mercilessly slaughtered you guys, I also allowed you complete the request and not only earn the reward money, but also let you guys rank up to A+. And what did I get out of this? I was poisoned and now I¡¯m being blackmailed. How unjust.¡±

    Seeing the look on not only Helga¡¯s face, but the entire party¡¯s, Daelos knew he¡¯d won. (Light Yagami this bitch!!)

    Hearing his argument, Helga couldn¡¯t say anything back. Rather she had nothing left to say. It was true that he did complete the request for them and let them keep the reward money, while he slept in a temple for the past 2 months due to being poisoned.

    ¡°Anyway ladies, I must take my leave.¡± Slightly bowing to them in a mocking manner, he proceed towards the door.¡±

    As he approached the door, the crowd made way for him, while keeping their heads lowered. That battle intent he sent out honestly scared them. It was like a predator seeing its prey.

    ¡°AMARA!¡±

    Hmm..

    Turning back around he saw the elf girl shout an unfamiliar name to him.

    ¡°?¡±

    Feeling all eyes on her, Amara felt completely embarrassed, but she couldn¡¯t let him go without him knowing her name at the very least. ¡°My name is Amara.¡±

    It took a couple seconds for him to digest what she was saying. And at long last, he finally answered.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The entire inn fell silent as they heard his response.

    Feeling extremely humiliated, Amara took several deep breaths and regained her composure. ¡°You called me elf the entire time and I just wanted you to know my name.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­Noted. Bye.¡± Closing the door behind him he left the inn as silently as possible.

    ¡°Did he seem different to you.¡± Speaking up, the usually loudmouthed Shea asked.

    ¡°You think so too.¡± Agreeing with her was the muscly Cassie.

    ¡°Yeah he seemed¡­less likely to kill us compared to before.¡±

 Chapter 20: Start Of The Tournament!!

    ¡°Where is he!¡± Pacing the halls of the academy corridor, Kira had a visible vein on her forehead throbbing intensely. That fucking brat! If I have to give birth to that bitch boy¡¯s child because he¡¯s late to the tournament I swear I¡¯ll cut his fucking balls off and wear them as earrings!!

    There was only 5 hours left until the tournament started and Daelos was nowhere in sight. Because of her bet with the principal, Kira was very jumpy. She had a lot riding on this, and she put all her faith in him.

    ¡­

    In the cafeteria, Rhina, Daisha and Ellora sat around their table discussing battle strategy and tournament pre-cautions.

    ¡°At our current level we should be able to handle those at the 3<sup>rd</sup> year and under.¡± The always cheerful Daisha spoke with nothing but pride after surviving Kira¡¯s torturous training.

    ¡°Hmph, I think if we go all out we should be able to fight evenly with 4<sup>th</sup> years.¡± As usual Rhina did everything possible to disagree with Daisha.

    Seeing how both girls had become close over the past 9 months, Ellora watched with subtle interest.

    ¡°If you had someone supporting you two, you may be able to approach 5<sup>th</sup> years.¡±

    Remembering that battle crazed young man that fought her to a standstill, even Rhina looked forward to seeing how much stronger he¡¯d become. Originally she wanted to spar with him the moment he returned, unfortunately for her, he still hadn¡¯t arrived.

    *Ring!* *Ring!*

    The bell sounding the start of the tournament rang, signalling them to make their way to the courtyard.

    ¡°Lets go.¡± Leaving their seats, the three girls headed towards their designated positions. For Daisha and Rhina, that meant joining all the other candidates on the courtyard as they got their brackets. For Ellora that meant joining the audience to watch the brackets and first few battles.

    ¡­

    That motherfucker! How dare he not show up in my time of need!! I¡¯ll kill him, I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL HIM!!

    Standing with the rest of the first year teachers, Kira was starting to get agitated over Daelos¡¯s late arrival. Forgetting that it was her that didn¡¯t tell him how to return to the floating islands.

    Standing in front of a small podium, the announcer started announcing the first year tournament matchups. ¡°Class 5 vs Class 3, Class 8 vs Class 1, Class 2 vs Class 6, Class 7 vs Class 4. In that order we will start the first year¡¯s annual Mato tournament.¡± Stepping away from the podium the announcer had every class except for 5 and 3 leave the courtyard fighting area.

    The rules of the tournament were quite simple. Once your opponent surrendered, received to much damage or was unable too continue fighting, they would be removed from the arena by one of the referees.

    Once all the irrelevant parties were gone, he and the rest of the teachers set up a barrier around the courtyard to protect the audience from danger.

    Standing on the courtyard a group of three elven girls in silver armour, carrying long swords stood with an air of arrogance around them. They were class 5¡¯s tournament representatives. An all-female team of sword wielding maidens. Because of their synergy and similar fighting style, they were the best candidates chosen to fight for their class.

    Opposite them was a more diverse group of elvish mage knights. The leader was a brown haired elf in typical ranger clothing carrying a sturdy bow in his right hand. To the left of him was a girl in light armour carrying a short sword. And to the right was a guy in studded armour wielding an axe.

    Seeing both teams ready, the announcer started the match. ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    *BOOM!!*

    Class 5 didn¡¯t waste any time. As soon as the match began they charged towards the opposite team in a tight knit triangular formation. ¡°Zara take out the ranger, Maeve focus on the girl.¡± Hearing their leader''s command, the 2 girls broke up and went after their respective opponents.

    ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± Seeing the girls charge towards them, the leader of class 3 nocked his bow and stood his ground. Imbuing the arrow with the law of air, he held his breath and felt his connection to the wind element rise. ¡°Release¡±

    *WHOOSH!*

    *PING!*

    Deflecting the arrow with her sword, Zara covered her body in the wind element and appeared in front of the ranger with extreme swiftness. Raising her sword high, she swung down with all her strength.

    *BOOM!!*

    Jumping to the right, the leader of class 3 watched as the sword cracked the earth beneath its weight. Shit! That was close. Enhancing his legs with the wind element he jumped into the air and filled his next arrow with even more of the wind element. A sly smile appeared on his face as he had the swordswoman in his sights. ¡°Try to block this!¡±

    Releasing the arrow from his fingers, the arrow tore through the air at a speed that was unparalleled.

    *BOOM!!*

    Blocking the arrow with the flat side of her sword, Zara found herself being pushed back by the impact. ¡°Its gonna take more than that to stop me!¡± Suddenly a shiver went down her spine as she realised that the leader of class 3 was no longer in sight. ¡°Shi- Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±

    Behind her, the sound of two objects whizzing through the air made its way into her ears. But before she had the chance to react, two arrows were firmly implanted into her back as the leader of class 3 lowered his bow. ¡°You should have dodged.¡± Turning away from the fallen participant, class 3¡¯s leader focused his attention on the two sword wielding girls fighting in the distance.

    ¡­

    ¡°For a first year he¡¯s pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Not the way I would¡¯ve done it, but impressive non the less.¡±

    Inside the strategy room both Rhina and Daisha watched the battle on a yellow screen created through the law of light. Behind them Kira was pacing the floor mumbling something about earrings.

    ¡°Why did she block the arrow instead of dodging?¡± Looking to Rhina for answers, Daisha asked with a confused expression.

    ¡°Because she¡¯s arrogant. Zara Pelaink, 194, skilled in both law comprehension and swordsmanship. She was treated like a princess by her village and that led her to become an overconfident bitch. In her mind, if she dodged that arrow it would have proven that not only did class 3¡¯s leader threaten her, but also that she was incapable of facing him head on.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Daisha stood there dumbfounded. ¡°How did you know all that?¡±

    ¡°By knowing her background I understood her actions.¡± Talking as if it would obvious, Rhina looked at her like she was an idiot.

    ¡°NOT THAT! Why do you know her age and background!¡± Knowing that she was being looked down upon by Rhina caused a sour feeling her heart.

    ¡°Oh? She¡¯s our opponent, so I looked into her.¡±

    ¡°But we only found out what the teams were today!¡± This was what Daisha couldn¡¯t understand the most. The class representatives were only known to the class students and instructor. For every other class, they find out when the brackets were being decided.

    ¡°The teams might have been officially finalised today, but they were unofficially decided long ago. All I did was look at the three most talented ones of each class, then I built a profile on them.¡±

    ¡°But why! With our strength we don¡¯t have to worry about first years.¡± Still not understanding the reason, Daisha continued to press on.

    ¡°Never underestimate your opponents no matter how weak they appear outwardly.¡± Saying this, she looked at the pacing Kira behind her.

    ¡­

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG*

    The beautiful sound of metal striking against metal riled up the audience as they watched as both girls went at it. Maeve swung her sword as if it was an extension of her body. Light, fast, and sharp. Every swing was graceful, full of beauty and enchanting. Wrapped in the wind element, her sword strikes were fast and accurate causing her opponent to constantly be on the defensive.

    Class 3¡¯s sword wielder was having a pretty hard time. It didn¡¯t take a genius to see that she was completely outmatched. Whether it be her speed, power or technique she was inferior in every way. It took everything she had just to block several sword strikes. She was being pushed back and had no way to go on the offensive.

    ¡°Just give up little girl, you don¡¯t stand a chance against me!¡±

    *Clang!*

    ¡°Your weak!¡± *CLANG!!* ¡°Your slow!¡± *CLANG!!* ¡°Your swordsmanship is disgraceful!¡± ¡°*CLANG!!* ¡°And you can¡¯t even use laws properly!¡± *CLANG!!*

    As she berated the class 3 representative, her sword strikes became violent and sharper. The representative felt her arms start to shake as every strike left them feeling numb. She could see that Maeve was getting annoyed and planned to finish things.

    No! I can¡¯t lose now! I promised my father that I would show the world the power of his sword style and I REFUSE TO FAIL HERE!!

    Remembering all the days she spent training with her father as a child. She felt a surge of anger rise within her as Maeve called her father¡¯s sword style disgraceful. The sword style he¡¯d perfected after he lost his arm protecting her mother only to watch her die before his very eyes! The sword style he perfected after neglecting his daughter and shutting himself off from the rest of the world! The sword style he perfected after being mocked and ridiculed as failure by his fellow villagers! The sword style that was his essence! His legacy! SHE WOULD NEVER ALLOW ANYONE TO DARE CALL IT A DISGRACE!!!!!!

    SO WHAT IF SHE WASN¡¯T GOOD AT USING LAWS! SO WHAT IF HER OPPONENT WAS STRONGER THAN HER! SO WHAT IF EVERYONE ONLY SAW HER AS THE DAUGHTER OF A FAILURE! SHE WOULD PROVE THEM WRONG!! WITH THIS SWORD STYLE SHE WOULD BECOME THE HOKAGE OF THE HIDDEN LEAF!! I mean WORLD¡¯S STRONGEST!!!!!

    Raising her sword arm she struck down with all her anger, rage, hopes, dreams, sorrows and love. In this strike she gave it her all! There was nothing but her and the sword. Forget the tournament, forget the opponent, only she and her sword mattered.

    ¡°This sword of mine glows with an awesome power!

    Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!

    TAKE THIS!

    MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW!

    SHINING SWORD SLASHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!¡±

    *CLANG!* *SWOOSH*

    ¡°huh¡±

    What just happened?

    ¡°You lose¡±

    What? I lose? Looking down at her hand, she realised that her sword was no longer there. It was actually nine feet away laying in the dust. And in front of her was Maeve¡¯s sword just couple of centimetres away from her throat.

    ¡­

    ¡°Ooh¡­that¡¯s kinda rough. You can really tell she put her all into that swing and yet- *sigh* how tragic.¡±

    Watching from the strategy room Daisha couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the girl.

    ¡°But what was with that battle cry! As she said it my heart actually sped up a little! And this is all the payoff I get! How anti-climactic was that! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, you don¡¯t use such a cool line and then LOSE!! You just don¡¯t!¡± Rhina was on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Instead of the pity that Daisha felt, she felt nothing but anger towards the brat. I mean seriously, who in their right mind uses such a badass line then fucking loses!!!

    Both girls watched as class 3¡¯s sword wielding representative left the battle area.

    ¡­

    Watching Maeve point her sword at his teammate, class 3¡¯s leader knew that he¡¯d finished too slowly. Although his battle with Zara could be said to be quick, he knew that if she had chosen to avoid his last arrow she would have definitely been a thorn in his side. Thank god for idiots.

    Now that his teammate was eliminated, he nocked his bow and turned his sights onto Maeve hoping to catch her off guard. Imbuing his arrows in the wind element he hoped to end this in one shot.

    *WHOOSH!!*

    He watched as his arrow approached Maeve at an unbelievable speed. It tore through the air like a rock being shot out of a sling shot! As it approached closer and closer Maeve felt a sense of danger rise within her. As if on instinct she ducked to the ground, barely avoiding the speeding arrow.

    Shit! She dodged.

    Nocking another arrow, class 3¡¯s leader shot a barrage of arrows at his target. Unfortunately, Maeve was now on high alert and easily dodged the approaching arrows. Enhancing her speed through the wind element, she charged towards the ranger with sword in hand.

    Fuck!!

    Seeing her charge towards him, class 3¡¯s leader did what any ranged fighter would do when faced with a close ranged fighter: Run!!

    Retreating while firing several arrows, the leader tried to create as much room between them as possible.

    *Whoosh!!*

    *Whoosh!!*

    *Whoosh!!*

    It was too bad that although his arrows very fast and accurate, Maeve seemed to know exactly where the arrows were heading and what the easiest way to dodge them was. Getting closer and closer, the leader started to feel his danger senses scream at him to avoid this woman as much as possible!

    Seeing the distance between them closing, Maeve tightened her grip on her sword as she evaded another arrow without slowing down in slightest. I¡¯ll end this now. Gathering the law of air on her sword, she encased the blade in violent winds as she swung it diagonally at the archer.

    *WHOOSHHHH!!!!*

    As if a dragon had just released a mighty roar, all the wind in the arena was drawn to the area around her blade. The sound it made was a sharp whistling noise. After releasing her attack aimed at the ranger, the wind around the sword shot through the air and charged at the ranger like a hungry wolf seeing a wounded rabbit.

    The ranger¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the devastating wind soar towards him. Pulling the last arrow out of his quiver, he infused it with the wind element, hoping that his mastery of it would surpass his opponent and break through her attack.

    Unfortunately, not everything works out the way we want it to. Maeve¡¯s attack swallowed the arrow and struck the body of the ranger, dragging him across the ground before it lifted him into the air and dropped him back to the ground.

    Before his vision turned dark, the only thought in his mind was: This woman is to powerful for a first year! And with that, his body hit the ground.

    ¡­

    The rest of the match was predictable as both Maeve and Azariah easily dominated the last member of class 3¡¯s team.

    After he was removed from the arena, the announcer yelled out the match results. ¡°Class 5 advances!!¡±

    Back in the arena both Maeve and Azariah bowed towards the announcer before leaving the fighting area.

    ¡°That was boring.¡± Now that they were out of ear shot, Azariah could finally let go of her fa?ade.

    Agreeing with her Maeve nodded her head. ¡°Once we win the first year tournament we¡¯ll advance to the second year stage and then we¡¯ll arrive at the third year tournament.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going further than that?¡±

    At the end of the first year tournament, the winning class is eligible to gain a spot in the second year tournament.

    ¡°If it was just me alone maybe, but¡­¡± Although she wasn¡¯t looking at Azariah, Azariah understood that she and Zara were just holding her back. It was only because Maeve didn¡¯t want the responsibility of being class 5¡¯s leader that Zara managed to get her current position.

    Shaking those thoughts away, she tried to change the topic. ¡°What do we do about Zara losing so fast?¡±

    It was only now that Maeve even remembered that the third member of her team was missing. ¡°If she lost that quickly to someone of that level then we can ignore her from now on. If anything she can be used as bait or a meat shield.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t like the sound of that.¡±

    ¡°And I don¡¯t like being teamed up with useless people who think they¡¯re princesses but look where I am.¡±

    *Sigh* ¡°Fair enough.¡±

 Chapter 21: The Second Round

    ¡°T-that attack was too strong to be done by a first year! Rhina! What does your profile on her say!?¡±

    Even Rhina was shocked at Maeve¡¯s performance. Although she had only used the law of air during her battle with the ranger, her mastery and use of it sent shivers down her spine. Although she hadn¡¯t fought her, Rhina felt that Maeve was holding back.

    ¡°I-I¡­My profile doesn¡¯t mention her being that skilled.¡±

    ¡°WHAT! I thought you said you profiled every possible opponent! How can you not mention she was so skilled!¡±

    ¡°I TOLD YOU THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT APPEAR WEAK WHEN THEY¡¯RE NOT! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW SHE WAS THIS STRONG! WHEN I PROFILED HER SHE WAS ONLY AT THE LEVEL OF A FIRST YEAR!¡± Finally losing her cool, Rhina snapped at Daisha.

    ¡°SHUT UP YOU BRATS!!!!¡± Taking a brief rest from pacing the strategy room, Kira looked at both girls and released an oppressive aura. ¡°Now listen here you good for nothing little bitches! Your teammate is not here! Do you know what that means? No? Of course you don¡¯t! You¡¯re to busy worrying about some random bitch instead of focusing on the real problem!¡± Having heard enough of their useless chatter, Kira felt her stress levels rise. Not only was Daelos not here! But her other two students were bickering like children! If she didn¡¯t calm herself down soon, who knows what she¡¯ll do.

    ¡­

    ¡°Will class 8 and 1 make their way to the courtyard arena.¡± Shouting out the next match up, the announcer watched as two teams arrived at their positions.

    Class 8 was made up of three elves. Two males and one female. The leader of the team was a blonde haired elf in light brown armour, wielding an elegant looking silver spear. The other male elf wore reinforced leather armour with two curved swords in each hand. The last member of their team was a short haired girl carrying a long chain with two circular weights attached to the end of it.

    Class 1¡¯s members consisted of two females and one male. The leader of class 1¡¯s team was a beautiful brown haired elf wearing golden earrings and a charming green dress that showed off her wonderful curves. If it wasn¡¯t for the five knives floating around her, you wouldn¡¯t believe that she was here to fight in a tournament. To her left was another beautiful elf who was only slightly inferior in looks compared to the leader. She had ginger hair and her face held several soft features. In her right hand was a beautiful long sword of elven design. In her left hand was a silver shield that reflected the light off of its stainless surface. The last member of the team was an elf with light blue hair. He wore traditional elven armour and held an ice blue bow in his hand. If one looked closely, they could see condense water vapour (steam) being released by the bow.

    Seeing the other team¡¯s weapons the leader of class 1 gave his teammates their targets. ¡°Haela stall the woman in the dress, use your chains to redirect her knives and keep her focus on you until either me or Eldrin arrive. Eldrin take care of the one with the sword and shield. If needs be, use the dual art earth sword dance.¡±

    ¡°But how are you gonna take care of the archer with a spear?¡± Although he wouldn¡¯t usually question Aranel, his strategy seemed to have a few flaws in it.

    Smiling at his teammate¡¯s concern, Aranel felt it was cute that his teammate thought that a mere archer could trouble him. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±

    On class 8¡¯s side, they were also picking their opponents. ¡°I¡¯ll take out the spear user, Iolas keep the one with two swords at bay. Irithiel since you have a shield it¡¯ll be easier if you attack the chain wielding girl. Try to finish your opponent as fast as possible. If you can¡¯t, then stall them until back up arrives.

    ¡­

    Inside the strategy room, both Rhina and Daisha sat quietly watching the screen.

    ¡°Who do you think will win? I think team 1 have a good shot.¡±

    Without taking her eyes off the screen, Rhina answered. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. I think class 8 has a better balance when it comes to coordinated fights.¡±

    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±

    ¡°Their weapons. An archer is a ranged class so he can provide support, the girl with the sword a shield is probably a close quarter fighter with the attributes of a tank so she should be able to stall an opponent for a long time. Not to mention that if she uses laws to enhance herself, she would be a terrifying opponent. As for the chick with knives floating around her¡­ I don¡¯t know. She may be a wild card.

    ¡°A wild card huh.¡± Turning her focus back to the screen, Daisha watched with excited eyes.

    ¡­

    In the audience a hooded figure muttered something under their breath after seeing the combatants. ¡°A bunch of weaklings. Nothing special.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°BEGIN!¡±

    Once the announcer started the match both sides charged towards each other. Each team smirked as they dashed towards their target. Sword clashed against a spear, swords struck knives and arrows hit spinning chain.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    SHIT!

    SHIT!

    SHIT!

    SHIT!

    SHIT!

    SHIT!

    The same thought crossed all of their minds once they realised that they were matched up against the wrong opponent. Eldrin faced off against the knife wielding Takari.

    *CLANG!!*

    Holding one of her floating knives in the reverse grip, both the knife and sword clashed against each other creating a nice loud clang. As Eldrin was used to more upfront combat he was slightly stronger than Takari. Raising his other hand he struck down with his second sword aimed at Takari¡¯s head. A light flashed across her eyes as a sudden earth spike erupted out of the middle of the earth causing Eldrin to stop his attack and jump back in retreat. Once they were separated, Takari threw several of her knives at the unsteady Eldrin. Enhancing the knives with the law of air, their speed caught the sword wielding elf off guard.

    *WHOOSH!!*

    *WHOOSH!!*

    *WHOOSH!!*

    *WHOOSH!!*

    Shit!

    Crossing his swords together, he gathered the law of fire on his blades and sent a crisscrossed fire strike towards the incoming knives. As if they had a mind of their own the knives avoided the attack and continued their assault.

    Fuck!

    In the distance a mocking smile could be seen on Takari¡¯s face. Trying to stop my knives with such an attack is just asking me to defeat you.

    Seeing the knives continue to approach him, the worry on his face disappeared as his mind raced over his options. Stomping his foot on the ground, a wall of earth shot out the floor and took the brunt of the knife attacks.

    *Boom*

    *Boom*

    *Boom*

    *Boom*

    ¡°WHAT!¡± An expression of shock covered Takari¡¯s face as she saw her knives impaled in a slab of earth.

    Kicking the wall of earth off into the distance, Eldrin followed up by charging towards the single knifed Takari and slashing down from above.

    My KNIVES!!

    *SWOOSH!!*

    Barley avoiding his slash, Takari threw herself to the ground and summoned an army of earth knives and sent them hurtling towards Eldrin.

    ¡°DIEE!!¡±

    What is up with this bitch and knives! Using the law of air on his body, he enhanced his speed and reflexes deflecting all the earth knives that attempted to impale him. While he was busy dealing with that mess, he didn¡¯t notice Takari run off and approach the wall of earth that had her knives stuck in them.

    ¡­

    Facing off against class 8¡¯s only male member Iolas, was class 1¡¯s only female member Haela.

    Keeping his distance from the chain wielding girl, Iolas infused his arrows with the law of water which quickly turned into ice when nocked against his bow. Firing a barrage of arrows into the air, he watched as they rained down on the poor girl.

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    *CLINK!!*

    Covering her chain in intense flames, Haela spun the chain above her head, intercepting the arrows before they could land. Switching from the law of fire to the law of air, she coated her body in light wind and shot towards the retreating archer.

    Leaping into the air, she performed a numerous amount of front flips and used her momentum to build up an insane amount of force behind her chain strike. Slashing down with all her strength.

    *SWOOSH!!*

    Her chain tore through the air as the weight at the end of it was aimed at the archer.

    SHIT!!

    *BOOOOM!!!*

    ¡°ARGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!¡± Iolas¡¯s scream echoed across the entire arena as the weight landed on his shoulder, crushing his bones.

    Holding his left shoulder, he fell to his knees as tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. ¡°ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!¡± Letting out another pain filled scream, something unbelievable started to happen. The bow in his right hand started to emit an icy aura as the temperature around him started to drop. His right hand clutching the bow started to change colour as ice blue tattoos started to slither up his arm from the bow. The bow started to flicker with an icy blue light as the tattoos started to cover every inch of Iolas¡¯s body.

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhaHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA¡±

    A dark laugh erupted out of his mouth as his skin changed to that of the bow. It wasn¡¯t only his skin colour that had changed, his eyes became a deep blue and hair turned snow white, while his nails took on an icy hue. The area around his shoulder miraculously healed and his clothing changed into a white robe decorated with various snowflake patterns.

    Landing on the ground, Haela felt her grip on her chains tighten as she felt an uncomfortable sense of dread wash over her. Why did his aura change? Is he able to fight?

    Before she got any further into her thoughts, she felt a cold gaze land on her body. Looking up she saw an arrow only inches away pointed at her head. Before she could even blink the arrow was let loose and charged straight through her head until the tip was seen coming out the back. Haela¡¯s body trembled before her eyes lost their light and turned dull. The ice arrow shattered into nothingness as her body collapsed on the ground.

    --Silence rained across the entire courtyard.

    The sounds of battle had all stopped as the combatants stared at the girl¡¯s motionless body.

    ¡°HAELAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± The sound of a rage filled cry erupted from class 1¡¯s leader. Looking at Haela¡¯s dead body lying there, something inside of him snapped. Memories of Haela flooded his mind as a sharp pain took hold of his chest. That bright cheerful girl who always put others before herself lay there, breathless. Instead of her usual smile, the only thing covering her face was the look of shock and terror.

    And standing next to her was the bastard who killed her. His eyes were cold, and he didn¡¯t even bother to look at the body, as if to say it wasn¡¯t worth his attention.

    Aranel felt his hands start to twitch as his vision became blurry. Slowly treading towards Iolas his body started to shake violently as if something was coming. ¡°Y-You-YOU BASTARD!!! I¡¯LL KILL YOU!! I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL YOU!! I¡¯LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!! DEVOUR YOUR HEART!!! I¡¯LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORNNNN!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    But before he could enact his vengeance, Iolas was surrounded by the announcer and various instructors. They easily subdued him and removed by him and the body from the arena.

    ¡°Due the murder of Class 1¡¯s Haela, Class 8 is disqualified. And Due to the lack of members Class 1 is disqualified. Because of the recent events we would normally cancel the tournament, but due to several other factors we will be starting the next round once the area is clear.¡± The announcer quickly gave a statement which left the remaining participants angry and shocked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not fair! We can get another person to replace Haela, why do we hav-

    *SMACK!!*

    Aranel punched Eldrin in the face before he could finish his sentence. His entire body oozed rage as his silent but cold eyes passed over his body. Turning away from the stunned Eldrin, Aranel quietly walked away, leaving everybody shocked.

 Chapter 22: Super Student

    Inside the strategy room Kira had stopped pacing and was now watching the screen with the girls. After seeing the death of Haela, Kira thought she could get lucky and have the tournament cancelled. Unfortunately it looks like the principal took counter measures against that.

    Rhina and Daisha on the other hand were totally focused on the fight as the scene of Haela¡¯s death and Iolas¡¯s transformation left them shocked. Looking towards their silent teacher, both girls decided to ask her to give her opinion.

    ¡°Instructor what was that transformation? Was it an elf king bloodline?¡±

    ¡°Hmm.. I don¡¯t know. Its nothing that I¡¯ve ever seen before, nor is it something I can say I¡¯ve read about either.¡± Looking at both girls, Kira was glad that their match was last, especially since both class 1 and 8 were disqualified meaning less opponents. Although that Maeve girl might be somewhat troublesome. ¡°From what I can tell that transformation didn¡¯t seem like it was his own.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Although Rhina often called Daisha an idiot, she was truly curious about things she didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Did you see the weapon he was using?¡± Seeing them nod their heads, Kira continued. ¡°To me it looked like it was supplying him with power that he couldn¡¯t comprehend, which lead to him losing his mind and killing that chain girl.¡±

    ¡°What about the transformation itself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d guess that his weapon changed part of his body to make it more compatible with the power it gave him.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible for a weapon to do that!¡± Shock was written on the face of both girls. Although Rhina was trying her best to hide it.

    Looking at the instructors removing the young man from the arena, Kira replied in a grim voice. ¡°Not for tier 3 and below.¡±

    ¡°Tier 3? You mean that could be a tier 4 weapon!!¡±

    Seeing the excitement on Daisha¡¯s face, Kira tried to rein in her overexcited heart. ¡°I don¡¯t know, weapons of that tier are said to be myth and legend. For all we know that bow could be a tier 2 weapon with some unique properties.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­That¡¯s still interesting.¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± To be honest she was also interested in finding out what exactly that weapon was. It was only a shame that right now her worry outweighed her curiosity.

    ¡­

    Back at the arena, two different teams approached their starting positions. On the right was class 6 which consisted of a red haired elf wielding a two handed sword that seemed way too heavy for her to carry. There was also a purple haired gentleman to her right wielding two small war axes. And the last member was a light blonde girl with a pair of daggers in each hand.

    Class 2 consisted of a similar set up with two girls and one guy. The only difference was it seemed that the guy looked like he was the leader. He had raven black hair and slightly pale skin. In his hands was a slim long sword that lacked a hand guard. To his right was a short haired brunet wielding a metal bo staff. On the left was a girl with lime green hair wielding a simple sword and shield.

    The leader of class 6 was the redhead named Syndra, the other girl was called Vaalyun and the last member was called C¨ªrdan.

    The leader of class 2 was called Daeharice, the girl with the bo staff was called Chasianna and the girl with the sword and shield was called Elaria.

    Before the match begun, the announcer actually announced that there would be a change to the rules. ¡°Due to the death of one of the participants, we have decided to change the matches from 3 on 3 to 1 on 1. Each side will pick a 1<sup>st</sup>, 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> participant to fight and they will be sent up in that order. The matches will be best out of three so the first team to win two matches will advance, whereas the loser will be put into the loser bracket.¡±

    Seeing that both teams understood, the announcer gave them 30 seconds to decide their formation before starting the first match.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise the first ones to fight were actually the captains of both teams.

    Seeing Syndra standing opposite him, Daeharice made a funny face. ¡°I guess your team had the same idea as us.¡±

    ¡°You mean win the first match, boost morale, then cruise through the second and advance?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    Hearing his response, a smile formed on Syndra¡¯s face. ¡°Then I guess we both have a reason to win.¡±

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°BEGIN!¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    With the announcer signifying the start of the match, both combatants raised their swords then charged at each other.

    *SLASH!!*

    Dodging Syndra¡¯s first slash, Daeharice twisted his body to deliver a kick to her stomach but was stopped when she summoned a shield made of ice. However what she didn''t expect was that when Daeharice¡¯s kick landed on her barrier, it was infused with the law of fire causing the barrier to crack when he applied more force.

    *CRACK!*

    "It''s gonna take more than a shield to stop me, next time I won¡¯t hold back.¡± He smiled as he teased her, jumping back in retreat, he once more got into his combat stance.

    Although it wasn¡¯t completely unexpected, Syndra didn¡¯t respond to his taunting the way he wanted. Instead of recklessly charging in like he¡¯d hoped, she chose to steady herself and prepare for the next assault. Well aren¡¯t you a clever girl. Smiling slightly Daeharice also prepared for their next clash.

    *SLASH!!*

    Instead of confronting him head on like their previous encounter Syndra swiped her sword which caused some confusion in Daeharice before his sense of danger shot through the roof. Jumping backwards he managed to avoid the wind blade coming at him. Fuck! That was close.

    Feeling like he¡¯d taken her too lightly, he enhanced his speed with the law of air and charged at her with the intent to end things as fast as possible.

    Seeing him shoot towards her, Syndra summoned a row of earth spikes in front of him, expecting this to give her the opening she needed to end this.

    Seeing through her plan, Daeharice smiled and used his enhanced reflexs and agility to leap into the air and sent down a large barrage of flaming sword strikes at her.

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    As she saw the flaming sword strikes approach her, Syndra panicked a little because she had never encountered such a style of attacking before. When it came to sparring against those in a similar age group as her, she¡¯d always ended things fast never allowing them to get a good hit in. It was only when she went up against elves from the older generation that she panicked. Because of this she never experienced what it felt like to encounter someone from the same generation that was able to push her into a corner like this.

    Despite her sudden panic, she quickly adapted and summoned a earth igloo barrier around her in order to withstand the barrage.

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    Once the barrage had come to an end, Syndra transformed the earth igloo into several earth spikes and shot them towards the falling Daeharice. She also shot out several fire balls in case the earth spikes failed.

    Seeing the attacks aimed at him, Daeharice felt adrenaline course through his body.

    His pride as a mage knight yearned for a stimulating battle and with such an opponent facing him, he couldn''t ask for anything more.

    Gathering the wind element around his blade he performed a move that left the audience dumbstruck. By simply swiping his sword towards the incoming attacks he utilised a move that was seen only in the first match.

    ¡°DRAGON¡¯S ROAR!! WIND BLADE STRIKER!!¡±

    *SWOOOSHH!!!!!!*

    A huge amount of the wind element gathered around his blade, rotating at unimaginable speeds causing the air around it to feel sharper. When he released the wind blade, it instantly tore through opposing attacks and rained down upon a defenceless Syndra.

    As she saw him obliterate her earth spikes and fireballs, Syndra stared dumbly at Daeharice.

    How the fuck am I meant to beat an opponent that can do that!!

    She couldn''t help but fell annoyed that she had to fight such a freak. She''d trained a whole year in preparation for this tournament and thought that although she may not be the strongest, she would be able to hold her own against anyone in the same generation. But after seeing someone like Maeve and fighting against Daeharice, she felt like she was lacking too much.

    *BOOOM!!*

    Barley managing to avoid getting seriously injured by that last attack, Syndra found her laying flat on her back with Daeharice¡¯s sword pointed at her throat.

    ¡°Good fight.¡± Smiling at his defeated opponent, Daeharice couldn¡¯t help but respect Syndra for pushing him so far.

    *Sigh* ¡°A loss is a loss.¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon don¡¯t be like that.¡± Helping her up off the floor Daeharice held out his hand. ¡°If you¡¯d enhanced yourself with the law of air when I released my wind blade you could have easily dodged my attack.¡±

    ¡°¡­WHAT! I forgot I could do that! Damnit!¡± feeling like an idiot Syndra criticised herself for panicking during the last attack.

    Seeing her back to her old self, Daeharice could help but laugh.

    ¡°What are you laughing at! Next time I¡¯ll be the one standing victorious!¡±

    ¡°Ha I don¡¯t know about that, but I welcome the challenge.¡±

    ¡°Winner Class 2¡± Announcing the results sent the audience wild. Not only once, but twice today have they seen 2 students that had the capability to fight second year students. Although Daeharice wasn¡¯t there just yet, his last attack showed how much potential he had locked away.

    ¡­

    Inside their own strategy room, Maeve, Azariah and Zara sat watching the events of Daeharice copying Maeve¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Guess it wasn¡¯t that special if some random guy could copy it on his first try.¡± Zara couldn¡¯t help but say.

    ¡°If you think its so easy, why don¡¯t you do it on your first try!¡± Looking towards Maeve, Azariah¡¯s gaze dropped slightly. ¡°Will he be a problem for us?¡±

    Looking at the face of Daeharice, it took a moment before Maeve answered. ¡°No¡±

    ¡°But he performed your attack didn¡¯t he? Surely that must be something to worry about.¡±

    ¡°He merely imitated it. His attack lacks the essence of the dragon¡¯s roar.¡±

    ¡°Essence of the dragon¡¯s roar?¡±

    ¡°Did you see that girl dodge at the end?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nodding her head, she continued looking at Maeve.

    ¡°If the attack had been performed correctly, the dragon¡¯s roar would have stunned the girl and the attack would have landed.¡±

    ¡°I see.. But doesn¡¯t that still make him a genius.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But not a genius to worry about at this moment in time.¡±

    ¡°But what if me or Zara faces him due to our formation line up?.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d probably win, Zara will lose. Either way we only need two wins to pass so Zara losing isn¡¯t much of a problem.¡±

    ¡°HEY!!¡±

    ¡°If you say so. I wonder how strong his other teammates are?¡± Ignoring Zara, Azariah continued speaking with Maeve.

    ¡°Since he¡¯s the leader they¡¯re probably not as strong as him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the leader and I¡¯m not as strong as you.¡±

    ¡°Our set up is unique. The leader is usually the strongest one on their team.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t think any of the remaining teams will have someone who¡¯s stronger than their leader?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the first years would do something like that.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Kira who¡¯s our leader?¡±

    ¡°Why you asking me? Does it look like I give a shit.¡±

    ¡°Then can I be the leader?¡±

    ¡°Knock yourself out.¡±

    Performing a small dance, Daisha¡¯s radiant smile was practically blinding.

 Chapter 23: First Awakening

    ¡°Next participants, please make your way up to the stage.¡±

    Standing opposite each other was class 6¡¯s dagger wielding Vaalyun and class 2¡¯s staff wielding Chasianna. After suffering defeat in the first round Vaalyun was determined to crush her opponent in the fastest way possible.

    From Chasianna¡¯s perspective, a prodigy such as Daeharice winning the first match was a natural occurrence. She¡¯d personally trained against that monster and knew better than anyone how much potential he had just waiting to be unleashed. Now that it was her turn to fight, she was determined to prove that she had the right to stand next to such a prodigy on equal ground.

    Sizing up her opponent, Vaalyun closely inspected Chasianna¡¯s bo staff. An unusual weapon to use to try to kill your opponent. Besides its reach and weight it seems like more of a burden than anything else. Due to its length it should make it hard for her to move around freely. If I enhance my speed and agility with the wind element I should be get in close to point where she can¡¯t extend her arms, making her weapon useless.

    After coming up with a strategy, Vaalyun took up a reverse grip combat stance, waiting for the announcer to start the match. What she did know was that when she was sizing up Chasianna, Chasianna was sizing up her.

    From her clothes, weapons and body type, I¡¯d guess she¡¯s from the rouge subclass. Fast and accurate but weak in endurance and defence. And from the look of her weapons, she needs to get in close to deal any real damage. If I keep her at a distance with my staff, I can wait until she tires out and then defeat her.

    Seeing Vaalyun take up a combat stance, Chasianna readied her weapon and took up a stance of her own.

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    Before anyone could realise what had happened the sound of steels clashing against each other reverberated throughout the whole arena as both girls covered themselves in the wind element and clashed their weapons against one another.

    She¡¯s trying to get in close! Shifting her weight onto her right leg, Chasianna covered her weapon in the element of fire. Tightening her left hand on her staff and holding her right elbow close to her ribcage. She swung the staff with all her strength, breaking the weapon lock with Vaalyun, and forced her backwards.

    *BOOM!!*

    Once free from Vaalyun, she swung her staff wildly sending out multiple flame slashes.

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    *SLASH!!*

    ¡°Too slow¡± Seeing the flame slashes approach her, a mocking smile emerged on Vaalyun¡¯s face as the wind around her legs started to rotated faster.

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    With impeccable agility, Vaalyun gracefully dodged all the attacks as if it was child¡¯s play. ¡°Your gonna have to do better than that!¡± Increasing her speed even more, she appeared in front of the staff wielding Chasianna and violently slashed at her.

    *PING!!*

    *PING!!*

    *PING!!*

    *PING!!*

    ¡°Soon or later your defence is gonna crumble! There¡¯s no shame in giving up!¡± As she rained a barrage of slashes down on Chasianna¡¯s staff, she covered her body in wind and disappeared from sight.

    Shit!!

    Dodging to the side, Chasianna barley managed to avoid the wind blade that appeared behind her.

    ¡°Run!!¡±

    Charging towards her was the dual wielding devil covered in turbulent winds. ¡°If you don¡¯t give up I¡¯m gonna end up slicing you up.¡± Her speed left the audience on shock as she appeared all around the panicked Chasianna sending multiple wind blades in her direction.

    Facing off against the insane amount of wind blades attacking her, Chasianna felt her defence slowly start to weaken. Shit!! At this rate she¡¯s gonna tire me out! Can¡¯t let her control the flow of the battle any longer!

    A savage glint crossed her eyes as an omnidirectional earth shield rose from the ground and protected her from the wind blades. Feeling her connection with the earth shield, Chasianna violently spread her arms wide firing the huge slabs of earth in every direction. Got you!!

    Seeing the agile Vaalyun slow down to dodge, she gathered the fire element beneath her soles and used the explosive force to shoot towards her opponent.

    *BOOM!!*

    Crashing into the distracted Vaalyun, she swung her fire covered staff relentlessly at the weakened girl.

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    *CLANG!!*

    Feeling like she¡¯d broke out of a near hopeless situation, Chasianna couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°HAHAHAHA!! Who¡¯s struggling now BITCH!!¡± Applying more force to her swings, she drove back the defending Vaalyun. Taunting her with every swing brought her immense satisfaction as she felt like her performance was at the same level as Daeharice¡¯s.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there¡¯s no shame in giving up? Why don¡¯t you take your own advice!¡± Drawing her staff back like a bat, the flames covering it transformed into an intense inferno as she swung it with all her strength.

    ¡°URGHHHH!!¡± Using her daggers to block the swing, Vaalyun felt body rise into the air as she was sent flying into the distance. As her body crashed into the floor she felt several of her ribs break. FUCK!! This bitch is insane!!If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Seeing the sadistic smile on Chasianna¡¯s face coming closer and closer, a flash of hate crossed her eyes. You hateful bitch! I¡¯ll slice that pretty face of yours to the point that no amount of healing will be able to deal with the damage I¡¯ve done!

    Rising to her feet, Vaalyun took in a deep breath before wrapping the law of air around her legs and charged to meet Chasianna.

    *SWOOSH!!*

    The air around the area she was standing at previously turned chaotic as she met head on with the sadistic Chasianna. Before the two clashed, Vaalyun shifted her weight on her right foot and sidestepped Chasianna.

    ¡°What?¡±

    A confused expression covered her face as she saw Vaalyun purposefully avoid their clash. I thought she was gonna face me head on?

    Her momentum didn¡¯t slow down as she passed Vaalyun. Realising that her back was open to her opponent, a sense of worry rose in her heart. Twisting her body, she tried to face Vaalyun. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t take into account the speed she was going at. Her sudden twist caused her to put strain on her ankle resulting in her accidently twisting it and falling backwards. Taking advantage of her precarious situation, Vaalyun landed on top of her stomach and wildly slashed at her face. Chasianna¡¯s eyes widened as she felt the cold metal come into contact with her skin.

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    *SLASH*

    A gleeful expression covered Vaalyun¡¯s face as she covered Chasianna¡¯s face in a multitude of cuts and gnashes. Blood oozed out of her wounds as pain was written all over her face. In her eyes rage and hatred erupted. If looks could kill Vaalyun would have died ten times over by now.

    ¡°What¡¯s that look for? I gave you the chance to surrender earlier but you ignored my goodwill. If you have anyone to blame, then blame yourself for that arrogance and lack of skill!¡± Seeing the hateful look in Chasianna¡¯s eyes, caused her to feel uncomfortable.

    Looking deeply into Vaalyun¡¯s eyes, Chasianna grit her teeth and put emphasis on every word. ¡°I. WILL. KILL. YOU!!¡±

    *BOOM!!*

    The law of fire erupted out of her body and sent a shockwave out towards the audience. Vaalyun¡¯s danger instincts kicked in as she barley managed to avoid the eruption of flames spurting out of Chasianna¡¯s body.

    How the fuck does this bitch still have the energy to fight!!

    Looking at the flame covered elf, a shiver went down her spine.

    Walking out from the flames, a red haired elf with orange eyes locked eyes with her. Her skin was covered in a myriad of black tattoo-like symbols that seemed burnt into her flesh. Her face was covered in cuts and blood that gave her a ominous appearance.

    Her steps were light but caused the ground beneath her to slowly melt. The air around her was shaking as if it was reacting to her presence. The temperature suddenly shot up as Vaalyun felt beads of sweat roll down her face.

    Who is this?

    Shaken up by the appearance of the strange girl, she didn¡¯t notice the hate filled gazed aimed at her.

    Feeling a warm sensation below her, she quickly did a backflip, dodging the sudden eruption of fire shooting out of the ground. In her place was scorched earth surrounded by steam.

    Visibly shaken, Vaalyun focused her gaze on the redhead only to see her showing off a disgusting smile.

    CHASIANNA!

    Feeling a similar sensation beneath her feet, she quickly avoided another eruption of flames only to discover the place she was standing at now gave off the same amount of danger as before.

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    *BOOM!!*

    Somehow managing to avoid every fire eruption around her, Vaalyun¡¯s figure could be seen jumping around the courtyard. From the eyes of the audience, it almost seemed like she was playing, the floor is lava.

    ¡­

    ¡°I-IS THAT AN ELF KING BLOODLINE!!¡± Feeling shocked, Daisha screamed at the screen and swerved her head to look at a stunned Rhina.

    ¡°I-I think so.¡± A dazed look appeared in her eyes as she watched Chasianna take on a similar appearance to herself.

    The elf king bloodline was a rare transformation that only elves with the highest compatibility with certain laws could achieve. For generations only a few individuals were able to unlock this power. Although she had previously seen her sister use it, that was over 90 years ago so her sudden shock of seeing another individual activate the elf king bloodline was understandable. Not to mention that the girl¡¯s highest elemental affinity was the same as her.

    Looking at the screen, Kira felt nothing but disgust at the transformation. Just knowing that it was that bloodline residing in her body that caused the death of her family , the defiling of her mind and body and the loss of trust in humanity made her hate the power and those who use it. (including herself)

    It was only after she met that young man who had the same look of hate and sadness in his eyes that she slightly let her guard down.

    Where are you.

    ¡­

    Shit! My body won¡¯t be able to hold out much longer!

    Her continuous amount of dodging was causing her body to enter into a quick state of exhaustion. If this carried on, Vaalyun feared that not only would she lose the match, but also her life.

    Even the announcer was looking concerned but didn¡¯t know what to do. Should he stop the match, No! no one had been injured or surrendered. Even if that transformation was unusual it wasn¡¯t against the rules. Having no choice but to continue watching the match, he felt a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

    The audience on the other hand was riled up! The majority of them had never seen such a transformation before and to them, this felt much more exciting than the first match!

    From Daeharice¡¯s point of view, he didn¡¯t know what to feel. Happiness?, Sadness?, Anger? At first he furious after seeing Vaalyun cutting up Chasianna¡¯s face. But now? All he saw was Chasianna toying around with her which left him confused. Why drag it out so long when she was clearly superior to her opponent? Not to mention he didn¡¯t know how to react to her sudden jump in power. Although he felt like he could still defeat her, knowing that the gap between them had closed due to a transformation, left a bad taste in his mouth.

    ¡­

    ¡°Maeve what is that?¡±

    Recalling her knowledge from the countless amounts of books she¡¯d read. Maeve quickly figure out what she was looking at. ¡°It looks like an elf king bloodline.¡± Squinting slightly she paused before continuing. ¡°From the way she¡¯s using her power I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably her first awakening.¡±

    ¡°First awakening?¡±

    Realising that she was being too vague, Maeve slowly explained it to her friend. ¡°When someone with an elf king bloodline feels an intense amount of emotions, their connection with the law that they have the highest affinity towards will be severed. When that connection is severed all that power left inside the body will be forced out and will try to forcefully restore the connection. By restoring the connection, a sliver of the law itself will reside within the body and cause the body to mutate in order to contain the sliver. The first awakening is when the body releases the excess amount of power outside while the inside restructures itself. Depending on the emotion used to sever the connection, the power released outside the body will either run rampant as we are seeing now.¡± Maeve directed her gaze towards the screen. ¡°Or in some cases, the power could be gentle but intense.¡±

    Confirming that she understood, Azariah nodded. ¡°What if they fail to restore the connection?¡±

    ¡°Then they can no longer use that law ever again.¡±

    ¡­

    She collapsed¡­That psychotic bitch tried to roast me alive then collapses like its nothing! What the fuck! Now I can¡¯t slice her up because the match is over. Shit! Can I even slice her up with my skills anymore! That crazy power she was using was fucking outrageous! Fuck! I bet that bitch holds grudges. Maybe I should leave the island. No! If I leave then I¡¯m out in the open. But what if she does something to me at the academy but they let her go because of her potential? Shit!! That¡¯s actually a possibility! FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Vaalyun returned to her team with a solemn aura covering her body.

 Chapter 24: Principals

    ¡°Will the last member of each team make their way to the arena.¡± Calling for the final match up, the announcer got ready to start the fight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make it into the next round!¡± Class 2¡¯s Elaria comforted the worried looking Daeharice.

    ¡°Hmph. This won¡¯t take long.¡± C¨ªrdan said.

    The two walked to their starting positions before getting into their combat stances.

    ¡°Now we will begin the third round of the third match. Please begin.¡± The announcer said before C¨ªrdan immediately dashed towards Elaria with his grips on his axes tightening. He slung his arm back and sent a powerful flame induced swing towards Elaria¡¯s face.

    ¡°A swing that lacks conviction has no hope of touching me.¡± Elaria said before hoisting her shield up and blocking his swing. Pushing against the axe, she forced C¨ªrdan back several steps before firing off a wind blade in his direction.

    Crossing his axes in front of him, he sent out two cross shaped wind blades towards the incoming one in an attempt to block it.

    Shit!

    Unfortunately, Elaria had a higher mastery over the law of air so her wind blade easily tore through his own and clashed against his axes.

    ¡°URGHHH!¡±

    C¨ªrdan was sent flying through the air at an incredible speed, only barley managing to regain his footing! Everyone in the audience widened their eyes in shock. How could such a basic slash that lacked technique or grace generate such force?! The one responsible for this looked towards her opponent with a heroic smile dawning on her face. ¡°How does a swing packed with nothing more than my resolve feel?¡± In that slash she didn¡¯t hold back in the slightest! It was her personal belief that a mage knight should never look down on her opponent no matter how weak they may appear outwardly. From her body a heroic aura burst out, making the audience want to cheer for her.

    C¨ªrdan, who was currently regaining his balance in the distance, grit his teeth in anger as rage started to boil up inside of him. She¡¯s look down on me! You smug bitch I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯m capable of! A slight trace of madness shone in his eyes as he gathered the wind element onto his body.

    Dashing towards the heroic looking Elaria, he brandished his axes. Lets see if you can still smile after this!

    Seeing him closing in, Elaria smile turned serious as she raised her guard in preparation of meeting his attack.

    *BOOM!*

    Crashing into her shield, C¨ªrdan mercilessly rained down blow after blow. Before she got the chance to swipe back with her shield, Elaria discovered that C¨ªrdan had already backed away. Charging back at her, he repeated the same style of hit and run tactics slowly becoming more and more aggressive after each retreat.

    Seeing her opponent refusing to fight her in a straight forward manner, Elaria lowered her shield slightly. Opting to change into a more defensive stance. peaking over shield she was met with C¨ªrdan¡¯s cruel smile smeared across his face. What¡¯s he up to?

    Seeing him close in on her, she covered her sword in flames and swiped it towards her opponent.

    ¡°Hmph¡± Avoiding the flame slash C¨ªrdan threw one of his war axes at her.

    *CLANG*

    Blocking the axe with her shield, Elaria realised that her opponent was nowhere to be seen. Above her an elf surrounded by a numerous amount of fireballs shot down towards the confused swordswoman.

    *BANG!!*

    *BANG!!*

    *BANG!!*

    Several fireballs bombarded her shield as she felt a sudden weight land on top of it. Before she even realised what had happened, the weight suddenly disappeared. Backflipping off her shield, C¨ªrdan landed in front of her and delivered a fire enhanced kick to her undefended midriff.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    *BOOM!!*

    The force behind the kick sent her flying like an arrow being released from a bow. Her body travelled quite the distance before she managed to use the law of air to help soften her impact with the ground.

    ¡°URGH¡± *cough* *cough*

    Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Elaria grimaced in pain as she felt her stomach sting with a fiery sensation. Looking down at her midriff area, she saw that C¨ªrdan¡¯s flame covered kick had partly burned through her clothes and landed directly on the skin. Kneeling on one leg, she forced herself to stand. Taking in several deep breaths she calmed her mind and tried to understand her situation.

    In the distance a gleeful C¨ªrdan stood watching the kneeling Elaria. Told you, you wouldn¡¯t be smiling for long.

    Summoning a ball of water, she applied it to the area that the pain originated from. The cooling sensation allowed her mind to relax slightly as she shifted her focus back on her opponent.

    Tightening her grip on her sword, she slowly walked towards C¨ªrdan. Not to long after, her walking evolved into a jog and then into a sprint, and now a charge towards the distant C¨ªrdan.

    *CLANG CLANG*

    *CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*

    *CLANG! CLANG!*

    Dodging and parrying, parrying and dodging. Axe and sword clashed against each other as both mage knights tried their best to outdo the other.

    Missing his 2<sup>nd</sup> war axe, C¨ªrdan relied on his power and aggression to stave off Elaria. Fuelled with the law of fire his attacks were monstrous and would be devastating if they landed.

    Elaria on the other hand relied on the law of air to increase her attack speed and enhance her reflexes in order to avoid C¨ªrdan¡¯s flaming axe. Now that she no longer had her shield for defence, she felt vulnerable.

    ¡°Stop dodging and fight me properly!¡± C¨ªrdan let out an enraged snarl.

    *Fwoosh!*

    Ducking under his axe, Elaria swung upwards at his chin. ¡°If you had any real skill you wouldn¡¯t complain about your opponent¡¯s movements, you¡¯d fix your own.¡±

    *CLANK!*

    Deflecting his axe strike, she gathered a ball of water in her left hand. Hopefully this works.

    Agitated by her words C¨ªrdan swung his axe more aggressively, blinded by rage. You damn bitch! You think you still have a chance!

    Stamping his foot on the ground he summoned a large earth spike beneath her feet.

    What a generic move. Easily dodging the giant earth spike, she was not impressed. Throwing the ball of water at him, she transformed it into a ball of ice mid-air.

    *SLASH!*

    *BOOM!*

    Cutting the ice ball with his axe, C¨ªrdan was surprised when it exploded in front of him and surrounded him in mist. Summoning the wind element around him, he blew away the all encompassing fog. ¡°Did you really think something so pathetic could stop me!¡±

    *FWOOSH!*

    Behind him the sound of air being ripped sounded out.

    *BANG!*

    Feeling a large object make contact with his back, sending him stumbling forward.

    ¡°Stop you? No, but stall you, Yes.¡± Standing behind him holding her shield was the heroic Elaria. After using the ice mist to block out his vision, she used the wind element to get her shield back. In the attack just now she could have ended the fight if she used her sword. But attacking an enemy from behind would go against her core principles. That¡¯s why she chose to shield bash him instead of stabbing him.

    ¡°Get up! We¡¯re not done yet.¡± Now that she had her shield back, Elaria felt her confidence return to her.

    ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHH¡± Screaming at the top of his lungs, C¨ªrdan¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as he charged towards Elaria without the grace of a mage knight.

    Controlling her breathing, she calmly watched as the enraged C¨ªrdan charged at her. She firmly planted her feet onto the ground and got into a stance that would make it easy for her to dodge. Looking in front of her she could see the fiery intensity in his eyes.

    When he finally reached in front of her he enforced the axe with the law of fire as he swung at her with the intent to kill. The power behind the swing would easily tear through steel let alone a neck.

    Yet, Elaria didn¡¯t panic in the least.

    She took a step forward and ducked below the axe swing, she then immediately performed a shield bash on the unguarded C¨ªrdan causing him to recoil back.

    *Bam!*

    Not giving him the chance to find his balance, she immediately followed up by swinging her sword upwards forming a wind blade that collided with his chest and blew him off his feet. Before he landed on the ground, she enhanced herself with the law of air and appeared above him holding her shield with both hands.

    *BANG!!!*

    Slamming her shield down on his stomach, she knocked all the air out of his body once he collided with the floor. For a couple of seconds his body spasmed before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

    Seeing him pass out, Elaria felt a breath of relief escape her mouth. ¡°Phew¡± wiping the sweat off her forehead she felt like her body was made of jelly. Sitting on the ground she waited for the announcer to call the match.

    ¡°Winner Class 2¡±

    Haha with our resolve there was no way wouldn¡¯t win.

    ¡­

    In the distance Daeharice felt uncomfortable watching the match. Not because he was worried about that C¨ªrdan guy or anything. No, it was because he knew that even though he and Chasianna were stronger than Elaria, if she were to ever abandoned her principles during a fight she would become an opponent that he didn¡¯t have confidence in defeating. This match only further reminded him of that fact even more. There we plenty of times during the match where she could have defeated C¨ªrdan if she chose to fight dirty. It was those principals of hers that were holding back her full potential. She had a strategic mind that adapted to any situation she was in. What made it even more terrifying is that she didn¡¯t use the element she had the greatest affinity with: earth.

 Chapter 25: A fight to remember

    ¡°Erm¡­Kira? Its our turn to fight next.¡± Back inside the strategy room, it finally dawned on Rhina and Daisha that their teammate wasn¡¯t there.

    *Sigh*

    Letting out a tired sigh, Kira faced the two girls. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? You know what, lets just hope they allow you two to fight despite missing one of our members.¡± Pushing the two girls towards the door, she ushered them out without giving them the chance to resist.

    ¡­

    The announcer was patiently waiting for both teams to arrive before he called out the start of the match. Today had been overly hectic and more than anything else he wished to get the tournament over and done with.

    In the corner of his eye he saw a trio of women approach him. Two elves and one human. Because of their long lifespan and jealousy of the human race¡¯s comprehension ability, most elves view humans with distain. Although it took longer for them to reach the same level as humans when it came to understanding laws, the pay-off is that they have more time to learn and even longer to appreciate.

    Most elves understood this but still couldn¡¯t stomach the fact that beings that were only good for their fast reproductive abilities were able to surpass them in strength.

    Casting these thoughts out of mind, the announcer took a look at both teams before realising that class 4 was missing a member. Felling slightly confused by this he looked at the blonde elf and said. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of the team?¡±

    Shit! Think fast!

    ¡°He said that opponents of this level weren¡¯t worth his time.¡± Coming up with an excuse. Rhina crossed her fingers hoping that it was believable.

    *Sigh* Whatever

    Feeling fed up with this tournament, the announcer decided to ignore the problem and deal with it if it came up again.

    ¡°Since your feeling so confident, why don¡¯t you pick who¡¯s fighting first so we can get this over with.¡±

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m fighting first.¡± Feeling that it was hassle to decide something so trivial when fighting against opponents that were this weak, Rhina chose to just go first.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    ¡­

    Standing opposite Rhina was a short haired elf in plate armour. By elf standards she would be described as average in terms of looks. In her right hand was a beautiful wooden bow that had several elvish symbols carved into it.

    Seriously! Another archer! Hasn¡¯t this bitch seen how every other archer fucked up during this tournament! I mean for fucks sake! Not one team with a ranger onit has won a single match!

    She found it hard to believe that her first opponent actually had the balls to take out a jinxed weapon!

    Seeing her opponent stare at her which such intensity, the short haired elf assumed it was because she was scared of her combat skills.

    Hmph! I¡¯ll end this fast and show the whole world that there¡¯s a new queen in town!

    Smiling to herself, she could already envision her opponent laying at her feet begging for mercy.

    ¡°Hohohohohohoho¡± chuckling to herself, she gave of a creepy vibe.

    Fuck! Did her bow turn her insane as well! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! I should end this before she transforms like that other dude!

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    Not wasting any time, Rhina covered herself in the wind element and shot towards the archer at a speed that caused the air to whistle. Seeing her opponent charge at her with such gusto, the archer begun to nock her bow.

    PREPARE TO MAKE ME FAMOUS!

    ¡°NOT TODAY BITCH!!!¡±

    Invoking the law of fire underneath her soles, she shot towards the ranger with an explosive start! Appearing in front of the girl, Rhina didn¡¯t bother wasting time unsheathing her swords. She formed her hand into a fist and pulled it back before slinging it at her face.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing the incoming fist approach, ¡°huh¡± was the last sound she made before the fist made contact with her nose.

    *BANG!!*

    The moment her fist landed on the girl¡¯s face, Rhina summoned the law of fire on her knuckles, giving the punch an explosive impact!

    *BOOM!*

    *FWOOSH!!*

    The sound of a body hurtling through the air at an incomprehensible speed left the audience gobsmacked.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!

    The scene of the archer colliding with the ground left the audience shaken as a trail of blood followed the rolling body until it came to a stop. What followed next was too disturbing for some of the audience members to stomach as a few of them threw up.

    Laying face up for all the world to see. The ranger¡¯s disfigured nose was quite a sight to look at. It was bloody and inflamed, flat yet protruding and twisted left but slowly turning right. All in all, it was basically an undescribed pile of mush that didn¡¯t look like it belonged on a member of the elven race.

    ¡°Bloody hell Rhina! You could have taken it easier on her!¡± From the side-lines Daisha¡¯s voice echoed out.

    ¡°I-I¡± Seeing the vomit inducing art she had created, Rhina¡¯s brain short circuited as she didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    Whispers started to sound out amongst the audience as many commented on her raw brutality.

    ¡°How can such a young girl have such a high bloodlust? What the hell is her teacher teaching her?!¡±

    ¡°How could she do that to a fellow member of the academy? Doesn¡¯t she have any comradery?!¡±

    ¡°It must be all that human teacher¡¯s fault!¡±

    ¡°Looks like the student is trying to become the teacher.¡±

    Looking around her frantically, Rhina looked towards the only person she thought would understand her.

    Sadly, Kira looked away pretending that she saw someone see knew in the audience.

    No way I¡¯m involving myself in this mess.

    Seeing her instructor blatantly ignore her, she felt like only her sister would support her at this point.

    To her dismay Ellora had slumped down in her seat pretending to be asleep.

    You BITCH!!

    The announcer on the other hand was at a loss for words. All he¡¯d done is start the match, and in less than three seconds the fight had ended. Wasn¡¯t that too fast! Heck, he didn¡¯t even have enough time to get to the side lines.

    What the fuck is up with these first years?! Why can¡¯t any of them have a normal match for fuck sake! Why does something random always happen? Are they doing this to intentionally piss me off!!

    Struck by these thoughts, the announcer realised that he had yet to call the match. ¡°Ahem! Winner Class 4.¡±

    Walking to where her teammate was, Rhina saw Daisha look at her with a hint of fear glazing over her eyes.

    Was it really that bad?

    *Sigh* ¡°Your up.¡±

    ¡°Erm¡­Did that girl offend you somehow?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡­

    Walking up to her starting position, Daisha saw her opponent arriving from the other end. She was a petite girl that seemed like the little sister type. Sadly the malevolent looking mace in her right hand conflicted with her cute appearance. What really stuck about her was the black armour that clearly wasn¡¯t elven made. Unlike elven armour, the armour the girl was wearing resembled that of human craftsmanship.

    She also wore a human looking soldier helmet. The protruding top gave it a way.

    I guess she¡¯s a fan of human armaments.

    Bowing towards her opponent Daisha thought it would be common courtesy¡­especially after the last match.

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    Not hesitating in the slightest the petite elf wrapped herself in the wind element and charged towards her opponent. Maybe it was because of the weight of the armour or something, but her speed wasn¡¯t particularly impressive. In fact it even seemed kinda slow compared to what the audience had seen so far.

    Not bothering to use any laws, Daisha easily dodged the small girl¡¯s attempt at a swing. Getting behind her, she raised her foot and slammed it into the girl¡¯s back.

    *BAM!*

    Because of the armour¡¯s weight, the girl easily tumbled over and landed face down.

    ¡°Erm¡­You okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Pushing off the ground, the girl got back to her feet. Turning back to face Daisha an aura of competitiveness exploded out of her body.

    I¡¯ll land a hit!

    Covering herself with the wind element once more, she once again charged at Daisha.

    *SWOOSH!!*

    *SWISH!!*

    *SWOOSH!!*

    *SWISH!!*

    Waving around her mace, the petite girl released more battle intent.

    What is with this chick?

    Dodging her attacks, Daisha couldn¡¯t help but remember the battle intent Daelos gave off when he fought Rhina all those months ago.

    Good times.

    *SWOOSH!!*

    *SWISH!!*

    *SWOOSH!!*

    Feeling the girl¡¯s attack speed slowly increase, a small smile hung on her lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day kid.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m 214.¡±

    Fuck! She¡¯s older than me!

    ¡°Anyway it¡¯s your lucky day!¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Not slowing down in the slightest, she kept swinging her mace as best as she could.

    Seriously? How did she make it into her class team with this amount of skill?

    ¡°It is. Today you get the chance to spar against a veteran like me!¡±

    ¡°Veteran? Have you ever left the elf territory?¡± Feeling suspicious of the girl¡¯s claim, the petite girl couldn¡¯t help but question her.

    ¡°Well no. But I¡¯ve fought against someone who can be said to be a veteran on numerous occasions!¡± While saying this she looked in Kira¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Oh! How many times did you win?¡±

    ¡°Ahem! So now I¡¯m gonna instruct you the way she instructed me.¡±

    Did she just ignore my question?

    *SWISH!*

    Appearing behind the small girl, Daisha started to copy Kira¡¯s method of teaching. To start, she kicked the girl down to the ground like she had done previously. But unlike before, she didn¡¯t wait for the girl to stand back up. Instead she slammed her right foot onto the ground and caused a pillar of earth to eject out the ground right underneath the small girl. Being lifted into the air, the girl didn¡¯t have enough time to react to the cyclone of wind she was now trapped in. She felt herself being spun around like a ragdoll. Getting thrown out of the cyclone, the small girl was met with a fireball to the face that sent her flying back. Unfortunately that wasn¡¯t where the lesson ended.

    Being shot into the air by another pillar of earth, the girl felt herself get hit from all sides. Daisha had controlled the law of air to strike her from all directions. From the audience¡¯s perspective, it seemed like she was playing a game of keep it up.

    The poor girl felt like she was gonna be sick. But before she had the chance to let it all out, she was abruptly dropped out of the air.

    ¡°AEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    *BOOM!!*

    *CRACK!*

    ¡°ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    Landing feet first, a loud audible crack was heard as the small girl screamed out in pain. Screaming her lungs out, she looked down at her legs before directly fainting.

    Not knowing what to do, Daisha looked towards the announcer.

    FUCK! Why is she looking at me!

    What made it even worse was that her eyes were so pure that despite having just crippled a girl, the announcer couldn¡¯t find it in himself to blame her.

    What is wrong with these first years T_T

    ¡°Class 4 moves onto the next round.¡±

    -Silence

    The audience was left stunned as they watched the girl walk away from the fighting area.

    After watching the match, it was Rhina¡¯s turn to feel scared.

    And just like before Kira made an effort to not make eye contact.

    Seeing everyone¡¯s reaction, only one thought occupied Daisha¡¯s thoughts.

    Teaching is a lot harder than it looks.

 Chapter 26: Prodigy

    ¡°What the flying fuck was that!¡± Seeing how nonchalant Daisha was acting right after she chastised her about her match. Rhina felt a fire in her belly that needed to be let loose.

    ¡°What was what?¡±

    ¡°YOU CRIPPLED A GIRL!¡±

    ¡°Ohhh¡± Nodding her head as if she finally understood what her friend was on about. ¡°I tried teaching her the same way Kira taught us.¡±

    ¡°Kira never broke our legs like that! How are you not getting this!¡±

    ¡°Urgh, at the end of the day I broke her legs which will eventually lead her to grow stronger in order to enact her revenge upon me. She gets stronger, I win the match, it¡¯s a win-win situation.¡±

    ¡°YOU BROKE HER LEGS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!¡±

    Seriously how is she not getting this!

    ¡°Are you still on about that? Let it go already. What¡¯s done is done. No use worrying over what you can¡¯t change.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡®Gulp¡¯ ¡°So what did you think of that?¡± Her voice was a little shaky after seeing that girl¡¯s bones pierce through her legs. Just seeing the blood covered white bones tear through the skin and hearing the shriek of that young looking girl sent shivers down Azariah¡¯s back.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± With her eyes glued to the screen, Maeve whispered her answer in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? How? You always know!¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t use their full power, so I don¡¯t know how much they were holding back by! Both matches were won using the minimum amount of power possible. Heck, I don¡¯t even know if you would stand a chance against them.¡±

    ¡°WHAT!! You think they¡¯re that strong!¡± Shocked by Maeve¡¯s words, Azariah felt like it had suddenly become hard to breathe. ¡°I-If that¡¯s the case then won¡¯t we lose!¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Be honest¡­Do you think we stand a chance?¡± Looking around the room, Daeharice felt the atmosphere drop. ¡°I-Instructor?¡±

    *Sigh*

    In the corner of the room a middle-aged man with dark blonde hair and a slim body stood leaning against the wall as he watched his students gaze at the screen with blank looks on their faces.

    ¡°Sorry kid.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too hard.¡±

    *Sigh* ¡°I-If the match went back to the 3v3 style, would we win?¡± Grasping at straws, Daeharice desperately searched for ways to up their advantage.

    Closing his eyes slightly, it took a while until the instructor finally answered. ¡°It would improve your odds.¡±

    ¡°REALLY!!¡±

    ¡°But ultimately the results won¡¯t change.¡±

    ¡°Wh-WHAT!¡± Feeling his whole world shatter before his eyes, Daeharice felt like he was in a dessert and had just found an oasis, and just before he could taste that sweet nectar, he was suddenly hit by a sandstorm.

    Seeing his reaction, the instructor knew that he was taking it hard. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you could see it or not, but during that first match that girl reached a speed that none of you at your current stage stand a chance against.¡±

    ¡°So what if she¡¯s fast! If we know how she¡¯s coming then we can plan around that!¡±

    ¡°Your not understanding what I¡¯m trying to tell you. By the time the match starts, she will blitz you before you can react.¡±

    ¡°W-We could-

    ¡°I also think she was holding back.¡± Cutting him off, the instructor continued with his analysis. ¡°Do you know what that means? It means that she was that fast while not giving it her all. So think about it. If you can¡¯t handle her current speed then how do you think you¡¯d cope against her actually trying?¡±

    -Silence

    ¡°What about the other girl? She didn¡¯t seem that strong?¡±

    *Sigh*

    At least he¡¯s trying to look at it from a positive perspective.

    ¡°Although she didn¡¯t do anything to amazing, her control of the elemental elements were exquisite. Even now I don¡¯t know what element she has the highest affinity towards.¡±

    ¡°Then we can beat her!¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m pretty sure her mastery over the elemental laws trumps all of you. Except maybe you.¡± Directing his attention to the silent Chasianna caused the rest of them to look at her.

    ¡°So I could beat her?¡± feeling slightly confused, she couldn¡¯t help but ask her instructor.

    ¡°No, she¡¯d crush you.¡± Without any hesitation, he instantly snuffed out that small glimmer of hope rising within her.

    ¡°But you said-

    ¡°I said you might be able to surpass her in your mastery of fire. But your forgetting that she has 3 more laws to fall back on. So even if your mastery in the law of fire surpasses her, she will crush you using the other 3 laws which are probably higher than her mastery of the law of fire.¡±

    Seeing their downcast faces, the instructor knew what he was saying was harsh, but for them to grow, he couldn¡¯t sugar-coat his words. He hoped that this would push them to train harder.

    Looking over at the only member of the team who hadn¡¯t spoken her thoughts, the instructor decided to ask her if she had any questions. ¡°So Elaria, anything to add?¡±

    *Shake*

    ¡°Good. Now instead of worrying about class 4, shouldn¡¯t you focus your attention on your upcoming battle with class 5?¡±

    ¡°What are our odds against them?¡±

    ¡°Higher than class 4.¡±

    ¡­

    The match against class 5 and class 2 went the way everyone expected it to. Class 5 except Zara completely dominated their matches.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    First up was Chasianna against Azariah, which ended in Chasianna tapping into her elf king bloodline and transforming into her elf king form. Unfortunately for her, although Azariah lacked destructive power, she easily made up for it in agility. She was hit over and over again while only managing to burn the edges of Azariah¡¯s clothes.

    Zara fought against the child prodigy Daeharice and ended up losing. During their match, more of his potential was released as he got stronger and stronger the longer they fought. This continued until he completely overpowered his opponent. Scoring the first win for his class.

    The last match was between class 5¡¯s ace Maeve and class 2¡¯s honourable mage knight Elaria. Although she tried her hardest, even going as far as to use the law of earth, ultimately Elaria ended up losing within the first 30 seconds of her match. She¡¯d always held back using the law of earth as she thought using it was going to far as most opponents of her age group besides freaks like Daeharice and Chasianna were unable to handle it. But when she fought against Maeve, she felt like she was an ant standing before a titan. Every strategy and move she made was obsolete against her as she easily powered through it all without slowing her steps. Just the aura radiating off her made Elaria feel as if she was standing in quicksand, unable able to move and slowly sinking. That was just how strong her opponent was.

    And with that the semi finals had come to a close.

    Unable to accept the results, Daeharice challenged Maeve in front of the audience. And to his surprise, both the announcer and Maeve accepted his challenge and allowed the fight to happen. For Maeve fighting one more match wasn¡¯t a problem. For the announcer, he knew that the audience wouldn¡¯t be satisfied after hearing the challenge but not seeing the fight.

    ¡­

    ¡°Why are you so desperate to defeat me?¡± Standing opposite Daeharice with her sword drawn, this question bothered her, leading her to ask the boy in question. ¡°Even if you somehow beat me, you wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against class 4.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Slowly unsheathing his sword, Daeharice looked at Maeve in her eyes. ¡°But fighting class 4 is not my goal.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No. My goal is far beyond them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Pray tell.¡±

    ¡°I want to show the world that even without the elf king bloodline, I can stand at the pinnacle of power. For all those who were deemed unworthy because they didn¡¯t carry the bloodline, I want to be the light in the dark that shows them a world that they were told they could never reach!¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t you stronger than the girl on your team who has an elf king bloodline?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But now that she¡¯s awoken, she¡¯s like the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°The rest of who?¡±

    ¡°Those deplorable bastards who get away with everything because their bloodline is pure and noble! The bastards who can grow strong without having to put in any effort! The bastards who sit around all day and soak in the elemental laws and are praised as geniuses!¡±

    ¡°I think I understand. Your jealous they can achieve the same amount of power you have without having to put in any of the hard work. But ask yourself this. What if you awakened an elf king bloodline?¡±

    ¡°I would call for the equal treatment of those without the elf king bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Equal treatment? I didn¡¯t know those of us without the bloodline were being discriminated against.¡±

    ¡°Someone like you wouldn¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Care to elaborate?¡±

    ¡°I can tell you¡¯re the type of person who¡¯ always been strong. Even without the elf king bloodline there¡¯s not many who can stand in your way.¡±

    ¡°Your point?¡±

    ¡°My point is that you probably ignore all those you feel are weaker than you. And from this short interaction, I can guess that from your personality, you think most of the elves are weak. Heck you probably even believe that it is only a matter of time until you surpass most of the older generation and therefore consider them to be weak! What I¡¯m trying to say is, you don¡¯t pay attention to those around you. You¡¯re a selfish, self centred narcissist who only cares about herself!¡±

    ¡°You done?¡±

    Realising that he got carried away, Daeharice felt that Maeve was acting a little too calm.

    Shit! She¡¯s not gonna take her anger out on me during this match is she?

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHHH¡± Releasing a battle cry, Daeharice covered his blade in intense flames and shot towards Maeve. ¡°DIEE!¡±

    ¡°Amateur move.¡± Graceful dodging his sword slash, she gathered a ball of condensed air on her palm and slammed it into his chest.

    *BOOM!*

    Flying back through the air, Daeharice felt his vision blur for a moment. ¡°WHAT!!¡±

    Standing in front of him, Maeve raised her sword and swung it down!

    SHIT!!

    *SPLAT!*

    Looking at her blood soaked sword, a small smile appeared on her face. ¡°Not bad.¡±

    ¡°Huff¡­Huff¡± Standing in the distance Daeharice gripped his left arm as blood flowed down from it. Breathing heavily he remember the moment the sword struck down towards him. In that spilt second he managed to invoke the law of air on his body and somehow avoided a fatal injury.

    She¡¯s fast!

    Although he had almost suffered a grave injury, Daeharice couldn¡¯t help but show off a dazzling grin.

    Why am I worrying so much? As a mage knight my primary focus should be improving my strength. Only by fighting against opponents stronger than myself can I hope to improve!

    Looking at his opponent, he felt his blood start to boil.

    Feeling the battle intent radiating off of him, Maeve shook the blood off her sword and prepared to strike again.

    *Buzz*

    Appearing in front of him again, she once again raised her sword and struck down.

    Not this time!

    His eyes flashed with a hungry light as his figure disappeared from sight!

    *CLANG!!*

    Swinging around at an inhuman speed, Maeve¡¯s sword was met with that of Daeharice¡¯s!

    ¡°Nice trick! But it won¡¯t save you next time!¡± Applying force to her sword, she easily overpowered him and forced him back!

    Disappearing again, he appeared at her side. Swinging his wind covered sword, he released a razor sharp wind blade!

    ¡°Hmph¡± A sneer spread across Maeve¡¯s face as she effortlessly deflected the wind blade. ¡°Is that all you have? How disappointing¡­Guess I expected to much.¡±

    Flashing around the courtyard both students clash numerous times with the advantage held by Maeve.

    Shit, Shit, Shit! Got to go faster!!

    Seeing Maeve easily keep up with him despite her eyes being closed, Daeharice felt like he wasn¡¯t doing everything he was capable of!

    Summoning flames and wind around his body, he fused the two together and covered his body with it!

    ¡°Oh?¡± A surprised look covered Maeve¡¯s face as she was shaken up seeing what Daeharice had done.

    I¡¯d expect nothing less from a prodigy.

    Suddenly his speed skyrocketed to an insane degree! Beside his original speed, agility and enhanced reflexes, Daeharice felt like his body was filled with power as every step he took caused the earth around him to crumble as his explosive might shook the air around him.

    FASTER!!!

    Bright orange winds rotated around his body causing his short hair to rise like it was defying gravity! ¡°To show the world that elves without a bloodline can be strong, I¡¯ll defeat you and every other bloodline elf within the academy!!¡± His figure flashed as he encircled Maeve, his weapon coated in orange winds rotating at unimaginable speeds. On the other hand, Maeve didn¡¯t even bother to get into a combat stance and instead chose to stand with her sword hanging limply in her hand.

    Daeharice¡¯s body flashed and appeared in font of his opponent. Raising his sword high, he swungit down towards her shoulder, but right before the orange coloured wind blade hit her, she a took step to the side and performed a 360 spin appearing at the side of Daeharice.

    His speed and power have greatly improved. Does he have the elf king bloodline? Doesn¡¯t seem like it. Maybe it¡¯s something else.

    Daeharice wasn¡¯t disappointed that he missed, instead he felt his blood start to flow faster as adrenaline coursed through his veins! He spun to face his opponent and followed up with an upward slash, this time aimed towards Maeve¡¯s chin. Once again, she easily dodged his attack.

    FASTER! FASTER!! FASTER!!!

    His battle intent spiked as the orange winds around his body sped up causing the area around him to heat up.

    He¡¯s improving the longer the fight continues!

    Creating an orange coloured tornado he condensed all that power into his feet and leapt towards the silent Maeve. In response to this she simply raised her sword just enough to redirect his sword away from her and into the ground.

    With his sword implanted deep in the ground, Maeve took this opportunity to raise her leg and slam it into his ribs.

    *CRACK*

    Feeling felt a sharp pain rise in his ribcage, Daeharice was sent tumbling across the courtyard.

    ¡°You know what your problem is?¡± Slowly walking towards the downed swordsman, Maeve¡¯s voice penetrated into his ears. ¡°Your swordsmanship is crap, your too hot-blooded, and your desire for acknowledgement clouds your mind. Granted you¡¯ve got the most talent that I¡¯ve ever seen, but all that talent is wasted if you can¡¯t even figure out how to channel it properly.¡±

    Standing in front of him, her eyes held a chilling light causing him to instinctively bow his head. ¡°When we were fighting, I felt that you had room to grow as a mage knight. Your sword strikes were shaky but filled with resolve, your footwork was amateurish but carried you forward, and your power was unrestrained but bent to your will. What I¡¯m trying to say is you have potential to be more than you are! But right now, your lack of emotional control makes you unfocused.¡±

    ¡°So your saying I should let go of my hate for those with the bloodline?¡±

    ¡°Oh God NO! What I¡¯m saying is you need to delve deeper into that hatred. Let it flow through you, make it your driving force. If you can harness that hate and apply it to your battles and training, then even without the elf king bloodline, your rise to the top will only be a matter of time.¡±

    Holding out her hand, she stared into his eyes before showing off a beautiful smile. ¡°Good fight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡± Grasping her hand, Daeharice felt like this was just the beginning of his tale.

 Chapter 27: First year finals

    ¡°What the fuck was that! Did he just fuse two laws together!¡±

    ¡°He jumped to level 3 without destroying his weapon! How is that possible!¡±

    ¡°Forget that! Did you see how easily he was defeated!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! That girl is a monster!¡±

    ¡°She defeated someone who just achieved level 3 in law comprehension. It isn¡¯t that impressive.¡±

    ¡°Are you an idiot! Its not that she defeated him. Its that she did it with her eyes closed! And she isn¡¯t even out of breath!¡±

    Among the audience various conversations about the fight were being discussed. It was mostly about how strange it was for someone who was only at level 2 (applying a law onto a weapon) mage knight somehow jumped to level 4 by not only fusing two laws together, but also applying it to his body and weapon.

    There were also various discussions related to Maeve¡¯s performance. Mostly shock and speculation about her level. Her swordsmanship also came into question as some thought that she¡¯d already achieved the ¡®one with the sword¡¯ state.

    ¡­

    ¡°Well she defeated me, so it¡¯s only natural that she would beat him.¡± Standing at the side lines watching the fight, Elaria commented.

    Standing next to her was Chasianna who¡¯s fists were currently clenched.

    Dammit! He¡¯s widened the gap between us again!

    Feeling irritated she couldn¡¯t help but scoff at Elaria¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Got something to say.¡± Seeing Chasianna scoff at her, left her feeling like she being looked down upon.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re the weakest of the team so you losing to her is understandable. Even Daeharice lost to her. But don¡¯t you dare compare yourself to him again! Your unworthy.¡± A chilling light flashed across her eyes as she stared at her teammate.

    Not willing to be intimidated by Chasianna, Elaria let some of her aura slip out.

    As if responding to her, Chasianna¡¯s aura rose to meet Elaria¡¯s.

    ¡°Girls!¡± Before the two had a chance to go at it, Daeharice¡¯s voice sounded out in both of their ears.

    Reining in their aura¡¯s both girls turned to smile at him. Seeing them both act like they hadn¡¯t been just seconds away from tearing each other apart, Daeharice shrugged his shoulders and joined his team.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Getting in close, Elaria wrapped her arm around his as she lead him to a chair.

    Seeing the smug look on her face when she linked arms with him, Chasianna felt like she was going to explode.

    While Daeharice was focused on talking about his match, Elaria subtlety stuck her tongue out at Chasianna.

    Suck it bitch!

    Grabbing Daeharice¡¯s other arm, Chasianna dragged him over to her side and openly stuck her middle finger up at Elaria.

    What the hell is going on!

    Not understanding why he was being dragged around by both girls. Daeharice decided to just enjoy the feeling of two girls fighting over him. For the first time in his 207 years of life Daeharice knew what it meant to be popular.

    ¡­

    ¡°Well that was amusing.¡±

    ¡°Which part? The part where she effortlessly beat a level 4 mage knight, or the part where he said he wanted to defeat all bloodline elves I.E me?¡±

    ¡°Too soon?¡±

    ¡°Too soon¡± Nodding her head, Rhina turned to look at their instructor. ¡°So any idea what level she¡¯s at?¡±

    ¡°No. But that just makes our problems a lot more difficult.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s three of them and two of you. Besides Maeve I have full confidence that you two will be able to defeat Zara and Azariah. But what happens if one of you meet Maeve in the first match and somehow end up losing?¡±

    ¡°Oh? SHIT!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Looking around the room confused, Daisha directed her attention to Rhina hoping that she would explain.

    ¡°Say I beat Zara or Azariah in the first round, but then you lose to Maeve in the second, what would happen?¡±

    ¡°Our third member wou- OH SHIT!!¡±

    ¡°Exactly, we¡¯d be forced into the third round without having the third member of our team present. They¡¯d win by default.¡±

    ¡°Shit!, What do we do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hope Maeve isn¡¯t as powerful as she seems.¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to that hour long break where we left our contestants to relax and heal up. We will now be entering the final match of the first year tournament! On this side we have the mysterious Class 4 with their third member still not showing his face, maybe this third match will force him to reveal himself and enter the ring!¡±

    I wish. Standing to the right of the announcer, both Rhina and Daisha waved to the audience and received their praise.

    ¡°And in this corner we have the powerful Class 5 with their leader Azariah standing at the forefront leading them to the centre. With their current record, they¡¯re a fan favourite and are currently the most likely to win according to the polls.¡±

    What polls?

    ¡°Candidates, send your first fighter forward!¡±

    Stepping forward, Daisha entered the battling area while Rhina stood on the side lines. Opposite her stood her first opponent, Azariah.

    Good! I should be able to beat her.

    ¡°BEGIN!¡±

    Before the announcer could even finish, Azariah had already readied her sword and shot towards Daisha as the law of air enhanced her speed.

    I¡¯ll end this quickly!

    Azariah exploded forth with great speed, accelerating to the point that the air around her went into disarray as she became nothing more than a blur .

    *FWOOSH!!*

    In response to her mad dash, Daisha covered her body in dim golden light as she waited patiently. Seeing her opponent come closer and closer, with her sword drowned in an aggressive looking flame, Daisha revealed a bored expression.

    I wonder what I should eat after this? Maybe green fish? But its my cheat day so maybe I should treat myself? Then again I know Rhina¡¯s going to join me and she might fight me over a piece of cake. Oh! I know, I¡¯ll have something to eat with Rhina first and when we separate later I¡¯ll buy a cake for myself and eat it at home.

    Drawing her sword back, Azariah arrived in front of Daisha and swung her sword down on her head.

    *BOOM!!*

    Dust filled the courtyard as it covered both figures, leaving the audience wondering where the dust came from.

    As the dust cloud settled the audience was shocked to see an uninjured Daisha stand where she had previously and an unconscious Azariah laying at her feet.

    The crowd went dead silent, all wondering the same thing. What the fuck just happened!

    While everybody else was watching in silence, trying to figure what just happened. Rhina stood at the side lines with a slight smile on her face.

    From the minute that golden light covered her body, her victory was assured. During their months of training with Kira, Rhina had focused on upping the damage output she could deliver, on the other hand, Daisha went a completely different route. Instead of focusing on pure destructive power like Rhina, she chose to find ways to utilize he law of light to a greater degree. In doing so she came up with many different uses and tricks that would allow her to beat an enemy in a short amount of time.

    Her favourite ability and the one she used during the match was called light mirage. She bent the light around her body to create a clone of herself, and with Azariah¡¯s focus on her clone she bent the light around her physical body and turned invisible. When Azariah struck the clone¡¯s body, he sword naturally went through it. but at that moment, Daisha used her minor mastery in the laws of earth to create a dust cloud while she removed her invisibility and struck the confused Azariah unconscious.

    ¡°Winner! Class 4!¡±

    Walking towards Rhina, she high fived the girl and went to take her place at the side lines.

    As Rhina made her way to the fighting area she took a deep look at her opponent. ¡°I thought it would be you.¡± Standing opposite her was the one person she wished she wouldn¡¯t have to fight.

    ¡°Fighting you should be a good warm up until I reach Arhel Beldroth.¡±

    BELDROTH!

    Clenching her fists tightly, a sliver of raged flashed across her eyes.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Taking note of it, Maeve felt that the match could entertain her more than she initially thought.

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    Instead of following her usual strategy where she spars with her opponent to get a feel for how strong they were. She chose to directly go into her elf king form. Coating her body in that red fiery aura, her golden hair transformed into a hot crimson as her orange pupils flashed with an intense light. On her skin orange symbols appeared on her skin as if they were burnt on. They slow turned black like a tattoo as steam escaped from them as the orange died down.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just full of surprises.¡±

    Focusing on Maeve, Rhina got drew her twin swords and got into a fighting stance. Letting her aura explode out, she calmed her breathing and charged towards her opponent.

    Seeing this, Maeve smiled and readied her sword. Rhina drew back her flame covered swords and slashed towards her utilizing all the power the transformation gave her.

    *CLANG!!*

    A sharp sound echoed out as her swords made contact with Maeve¡¯s blade.

    ¡°I know you can do better than that right?¡±

    ¡°?!¡±

    Rhina was horrified to see Maeve block her full powered swing while only holding her sword with one hand.

    ¡°Grr!¡±

    She pulled her other sword arm back and slashed at her again! Instead of blocking it like she did the earlier one. Maeve chose to dodge this one and then slammed her wind enhanced fist into her stomach.

    *Bam!*

    Rhina was sent flying backwards with her body spinning through the air causing her to feel like she was about to vomit. She then used the law of air to slow down her momentum and planted her feet into the ground, leaving a long scar on the courtyard floor.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    She felt an intense pain coming from her stomach as she struggled to breathe.

    ¡°Ready to go again?¡±

    Like a ghost, Maeve appeared in front of her, swinging down her wind enhanced sword. Sensing the looming threat Rhina quickly jumped out of the way, causing her to miss.

    Tighten her grip on her swords, she leapt at her hoping to land a critical strike.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    Seeing her attempt, Maeve sneered and suddenly vanished from where she was. A second later she reappeared behind Rhina and slashed her sword across her back.

    ¡°A competent warrior always watches their back.¡±

    *BOOM!*

    As her sword made contact with her back, a sudden surge of heat erupted out and forced the sword back while jetting Rhina into the distance and slamming her into the ground.

    *Bam!*

    ¡°Urgh?!¡± I guess I still need to work on the landing.

    She released a sigh as the sensation of pain wracked her body.

    ¡°I guess you were watching your back.¡±

    Stretching out her palm she slowly formed a fist.

    *RUMBLE!!*

    Around the area where Rhina was, the ground started to shake as the ground started to liquify.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fast enough!¡±

    Focusing her attention on the ground around Rhina, the liquification process sped up, sinking Rhina to her waist and trapping her arms and swords in the process.

    Shit! I can¡¯t move?!

    Thoughts raced across her brain as she thought of several ways to escape her current predicament.

    ¡°You know, not a lot of people know this about me, but my highest affinity is actually water.¡±

    As she walked towards the distant Rhina, Maeve spoke quietly and used the law of air to carry her voice directly into Rhina¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Fusing earth and water is actually quite hard as both elements are so different from the other. Earth is firm a solid, water is free and everchanging.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°Y-You¡¯re a level 3 mage knight!¡±

    ¡°Yup, if it wasn¡¯t for the low quality of my weapon I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be at level 4.¡± Arriving in front of Rhina, she bent down slightly. ¡°And since you have an elf king bloodline with fire being your highest affinity, what I¡¯m about to do next is going to hurt a lot.¡±

    Summoning a ball of water on her palm she forced it to rotate at an alarming speed as she wrapped it in a ball of air and condensed both of them into a ball the size of a pebble.

    Seeing what Maeve was about to do, Rhina¡¯s eyes widened in panic as she tried to raise the temperature around her in order to melt the earth and free herself. Or at the very least evaporate the condensed air/water ball.

    Unfortunately for her, Maeve was already done. Placing the ball on her chest, a gentle whisper escaped her lips.

    ¡°Explode.¡±

    *Boom!*

    Rhina¡¯s body was suddenly devoured by a huge explosion, that sent shockwaves echoing out into the audience despite the barrier that was set up to stop it. When the steam in front of her cleared Maeve saw Rhina wound ridden body laying limply on the ground.

    ¡°Still conscious after all that?! I gotta give it to you, your quite resilient. Too bad our fight is over.¡±

    She sighed.

    ¡°I...¡±

    Rhina spoke with her body still in pain.

    ¡°I can still fight!¡±

    Hahaha I wanted to use this against that guy, but I guess I don¡¯t have a choice right now.

    Her orange pupils suddenly flashed with a blue light as she felt a surge of energy coarse through her body.

    *Bam!*

    A bright blue erupted out of her body causing everyone to close their eyes. When the light finally died down, standing in place of the fallen Rhina was a blue haired woman. Apart from her obvious elven features such as incredible beauty and long, pointy ears, she had glowing blue hair that seemed to shift between blue and white so fast it caused her hair to look like a glowing pale blue. Her skin was covered in black tattoo like symbols that had sparks of electricity zap across them. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, similar to her hair her eyes shifted from blue to white before balancing out at a glowing pale blue.

    ¡°R-RHINA!!¡± From the side lines, Daisha couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. After all the months of training and sparring together, this was the first time she¡¯d ever seen then transformation.

    Not only Daisha, but even the audience was in a state of shock, as no one expected such a transformation to occur. Only the instructors had a calm look on their faces as they stared at the young girl who had achieved what many elves could only dream of: Element sub evolution (ESE)

    When an element has another branch connecting to it but is not directly related, it is known as sub evolution.

    When an element has a branch that grows directly from the main branch, it is known as direct evolution.

    An example of direct evolution is using the law of water to create ice. Whereas lightning is considered a sub evolution because although it has abilities that are somewhat similar to fire, it does not directly come from it.

    To achieve either sub and direct evolution the main element that they¡¯re branching from has to be pushed to limit of the person¡¯s comprehension.

    And Rhina has already broken through that limit.

    Looking at the transformed Rhina a flash of seriousness crossed her eyes as she tightened her grip on he sword.

    The aura being released off of Rhina could be said to be almost non-existent. If it wasn¡¯t for the sparks zapping across the tattoos, Maeve wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell that such a transformation held such power.

    If her previous transformation was that of a raging volcano, then this one was akin to a snake moving through tall grass preparing itself for the split second it was about to strike. Only the sound of the grass swaying proved it¡¯s existence to be there.

    And the thought of not knowing how powerful opponent was until she struck sowed a seed of terror in her heart.

    ¡°A transformation that is quieter than the first one but holds more power¡­..Impressive.¡±

    Maeve said. The sound of the lightning crackling from Rhina¡¯s body proved that she was more than ready to go up for round two.

    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be using this transformation so early!¡±

    Her body suddenly flashed as blue lightning slithered across her body before she disappeared from sight.

    *ZAPP*

    It took a second for Maeve to realise that her opponent was standing next her shoulder by shoulder.

    *Bam!*

    The ground suddenly started moving like it was alive, as liquified earth started to attack Rhina with spikes and pillars.

    ¡°Dust!¡±

    *ZAP!* *ZAP!* *ZAP!*

    Rhina wasn¡¯t bothered by them at all as she sent out currents of lighting from her swords which effortlessly broke apart the earth made attacks.

    Watching Rhina destroy her attacks didn¡¯t make Maeve panic. On the contrary, she felt pleased.

    ¡°To think that you could force me into a corner like this.¡±

    She said quietly.

    ¡°Unfortunately¡­.¡±

    She held out her hand and as if space was being twisted large amounts of water started to gather out of nowhere. ¡°Do you know why the water element is looked down upon? It¡¯s because most people think that without ice the ability itself is weak compared to the others. And to an extent I have to agree. But the way in which we invoke the law of water is much more dangerous than anything non elf king bloodline elves can do! If you were in your fire form this would probably be useless. But as you are now¡­well you¡¯ll see.¡± Drawing in more water from the atmosphere, Rhina suddenly felt it was getting harder for her to breathe as the air started to thin out.

    ¡°I see that you have yet to master that form and currently its putting a lot of stress on your body. Not to mention your previous injuries and your current lack of air. Sooner or later your body will collapse. And for me, sooner is more preferable than later.¡±

    Taking the opportunity to attack while Rhina was struggling, she charged towards her opponent and appeared in front of her like a evil spirt.

    ¡°?!¡±

    Unable to fight due to the lack of air and her body slowly collapsing, Rhina could only watch as Maeve dealt with her.

    Feeling like it was overkill to use her sword in the current situation, Maeve lifted her foot high and dropped it down on Rhina¡¯s head.

    *Bam!*

    ¡°Argh¡± due to the lack of air this squeal was the best way to show how much pain she was in.

    This time Maeve resorted to using her fists as she rained down multiple blows on her face.

    *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

    Rhina was forced to her knees as her transformation timed out and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

    Finally over

    Wiping off the beads of sweat on her forehead, Maeve felt like the first years of this generation were truly astonishing compared to those of the older generation she fought against.

    Seeing Rhina pass out the announcer looked between her unconscious body and the tired Maeve, before staring at the audience who were just as quiet as he was.

    ¡°Winner Class 5! Will the next member of the team approach the fighting area.¡±

    ¡­

    Inside the strategy room, Kira was biting on her finger nails as the worst possible outcome had occurred. The third round.

    ¡­

    Daisha watched Zara approach the fighting area with a smug smile on her face.

    ¡°It seems that class 4¡¯s third member isn¡¯t here! Doesn¡¯t that mean I win? Announcer?¡± Blinking her eyes at him, she put on the cutest display of an innocent schoolgirl that she could.

    Feeling is face heat up a bit, the announcer coughed a couple times to clear his mind.

    Why are men so weak to beautiful women?

    Feeling that this was the end of the line for them, Daisha let out a sigh and just let things proceed as fate willed it.

    ¡°Unfortunately it seems that class 4¡¯s third member is unavailable, and I must therefore give the win to clas-

    ¡°WAIT!!¡±

    From the audience a man in a black hood leapt out from his seat and landed in the courtyard.

    ¡°Erm? Sir? Ma¡¯am? Only participants are allowed here.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Removing the black hood, Daelos¡¯s face was revealed to the rest of the audience send out a wave a gasps.

    ¡°A human!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡±

    ¡°Humans have never joined the tournament before!¡±

    ¡°Disgusting!¡±

    As various whisper made their way into Daelos¡¯s ear, he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the comments. Turning his attention away from the audience and back to the announcer he said. ¡°Since I¡¯m here we can go through with the next fight right? Good!¡±

    Not waiting for the man to answer, Daelos jumped into the fighting area that he saw from when he observed the matches in the audience seat.

    ¡°Hey Wait!! How do we know your really a member of class 4?¡± Feeling like he needed proof and feeling slightly uncomfortable that a human was taking him so lightly, the announcer questioned Daelos with a stern look on his face.

    Not bothering to look at him, he pointed to Daisha and said. ¡°Ask Daisha, ask Rhina in the infirmary or go ask my instructor who¡¯s probably on her way here.¡±

    ¡°DAELOS!!!¡±

    ¡°Speak of the devil and she will come.¡± Chuckling to himself, he turned his head to the side only to see a furious Kira storming towards him.

    ¡°Kira before you get mad and start lecturing me¡± As if a failure of teacher like you could even get that right. ¡°Just remember if you do, I won¡¯t be able to get us through to the next round quickly.¡±

    Hearing his words, Kira stopped what she was about to say and turned her attention to the announcer.

    Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!! Killer Kira is looking at me. Please don¡¯t kill me, please don¡¯t kill me.

    Sweating bullets, the announcer dropped his gaze.

    ¡°He¡¯s a student of mine let him fight.¡±

    ¡°YES MISS KIRA!!¡± Saluting, he stood at attention and tried his best not to shake.

    ¡°Miss? Whatever. Oi Daelos, I saw that black hood several times today during the earlier matches. After your done here we¡¯ll have a nice long talk about reporting to your instructor.

    ¡°Sure, sure, now shoo I¡¯ve got a match to win.¡± Shooing her away with his hand he turned his attention back on Zara. ¡°I¡¯m Daelos Barrigan nice to meet you, I¡¯m going to break your arm.¡±

    ¡°BEGIN!!¡±

    Daelos¡¯s body flashed in front of Zara and before she could even react, his left hand found its way to her shoulder and gripped it tightly enough to make her wince. He then formed his right hand into a fist and slammed it into her stomach with a thunderous clap! The blood drained from her face as she threw up a disgustingly large amount of blood and small pieces of crushed up organs.

    "Urghhhlll!"

    Everyone watched in horror as the next thing he did could be seen as going too far.

    Holding onto her slim porcelain like arm, he made sure both of his hands were opposite each other and confirmed that he elbow was in the right place. ¡°You elves sure do have thin arms.¡±

    Realising what he was about to do Maeve yelled out ¡°Wait Don¡¯-

    *CRACK!*

    "ARGHHHH!"

    Despite hearing the obvious yells from Maeve and the announcer he broke Zara¡¯s arm simply bending it in a way an arm shouldn¡¯t be bent. Much to the shock of the audience and Maeve, Daelos then kicked her body towards the announcer.

    ¡°She¡¯s unconscious, I win right?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡±

    ¡°Good, don¡¯t forget to put us in the second year tournament now that we¡¯ve won the first year one.¡± Not waiting for him to finish his sentence, Daelos began strolling towards the distant Daisha, but was interrupted when the figure of Maeve appeared in front of him.

    ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡± Although she didn¡¯t like Zara and even thought of her as pampered dead weight. By breaking her arm in front her, he insulted her pride.

    ¡°I decline.¡± Pushing her out of the way he continued with her journey.

    What!

    Snapping out of stupor she rushed back in front of him. ¡°Why won¡¯t you accept?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not 100% sure I¡¯ll win, now if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not done with you.¡± Placing her hand on his shoulder, she felt a intense amount of killing intent wash over her body causing all the blood in her face to drain and her knees to shake.

    Removing her hand from his shoulder, Daelos smiled at her and said. ¡°Miss Maeve, while I¡¯m asking you nicely, Leave Me Alone Or I Will Break You Okay. Bye¡± Walking off into the distance Maeve stared at him still frozen in shock over the horrifying amount of killing intent that seeped out of him. What horrified her even more was that she realised, when he broke Zara¡¯s arms, not a hint of killing intent was released.

    He didn¡¯t break her arm out of malicious intent! He did it because he thought it was natural! Oh God! What kind of mentally sound person considers breaking a person''s arm natural!

 Chapter 28: Naming sense

    *Whew*

    After being lectured to for an hour by Kira, Daelos finally managed to slip away while she was ranting. Since the second year tournament would begin in two days, he decided to pay a visit to a certain hot headed girl in the infirmary.

    *Knock* *Knock*

    Opening the door, he was greeted to the sight of two girls sitting at Rhina¡¯s bedside. Looking towards the door, both Daisha and Ellora¡¯s eyes met with Daelos¡¯s.

    ¡°Yo.¡± Walking into the room, he lay down on the bed situated to the right of Rhina¡¯s. ¡°Long time no see Ellora.¡± Smiling at her, he bit into the apple he initially brought for Rhina.

    Feeling the carefree aura surrounding his body, Ellora couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly angry. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come forward earlier.¡± Clenching her fists, she barley managed to contain the anger in her voice.

    Ignoring her trembling body, he took another bite out of his apple before shifting his gaze towards her. ¡°The girls were doing just fine without me, if it wasn¡¯t for her losing the last match and forcing me to appear, I wouldn¡¯t have come forward until the 2<sup>nd</sup> year matches.¡± Looking back at his half eaten apple he lost interest in the topic.

    ¡°HANDLING IT!? IF YOU HAD BEEN THERE AT THE START RHINA WOULDN¡¯T HAVE PUSHED BEYOND HER LIMITS AND ENDED UP IN HOSPITAL!!¡±

    ¡°Heh¡± Turning his head to face her a grin was plastered across his face. ¡°Even if I was there it wouldn¡¯t have made a difference at all if she still got matched up against Maeve. Now tell me Ellora, do you honestly believe that she wouldn¡¯t have gone all out against an opponent who can match her in strength? C¡¯mon now, you¡¯re her sister aren¡¯t you, you¡¯re supposed to know her better than anyone.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡± At a loss for words, she knew what he was saying was right. No matter what the scenario was, Rhina would never give up if her opponent was still standing. To her, pushing her body past its limits was something that she¡¯d done many times before. Doing it one more time wouldn¡¯t make a difference.

    Seeing the tension between the two, Daisha stepped in and tried to change the topic of the conversation. ¡°How¡¯d you get back anyway?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Funny story really! You see while I was gone I met this party of female mercenaries - or were they adventurers? Anyway! One of their members used to be a student here and told me that it was practically impossible to get back here without an iron wing eagle!¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, but they¡¯re only used during enrolment and when there¡¯s an emergency.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Amara told me the same thing. But then I got to thinking. If there was an emergency and one academy needed to contact another, how would they do it?¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    Seeing the confusion on her face, he felt that a 200+ year old like her was lacking a bit in the common sense department.

    ¡°If there was an emergency then they¡¯d need an aerial mount to get here.¡±

    Waiting for a few seconds for both elf girls to digest what he had said, he played a game of catch with his now skinny apple.

    1..2..3

    ¡°WAIT!! YOU STOLE A MOUNT FROM AN ACADEMY!!¡± Both girls shouted out in surprise as their eyes went wide.

    ¡°Yup! It was quite simple really. Because they¡¯re so cocky they never would have thought that someone would dare to steal from them. I mean fuck, they didn¡¯t even lock the place up! I practically strolled right in.¡±

    Well my vibrational sensing technique helped me to not run into any patrolling guards.

    ¡°B ¨C But how did you get the bird to stay quiet! NO! How the hell did no one see the bird take off!!¡±

    Catching the apple, a warm smile formed on his face. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. First I had to tie up its beak while it was sleeping. Then I had to wake it up and threaten it.¡±

    ¡°Wait how did you threaten it?¡±

    I used mental energy to force it to submit. I guess all those birdbrain jokes were pretty accurate.

    ¡°I killed its mate in front of it and then pretended I was going to do the same to it unless it took me to my destination.¡± Well I made it think its mate was dead. God I love mental energy!

    ¡°Okay, but how did you fly away without being seen?¡±

    ¡°I kidnapped the bird when it was dark so naturally no one would notice.¡±

    ¡°But what about the sound its wings make when it takes off?¡±

    ¡°I used the law of air to create an air bubble around it to muffle the sound.¡±

    ¡°B-But how did you make it to the island without causing a commotion?¡±

    ¡°That was the easiest part! When I got close enough, I killed the bird and used the law of air to help propel myself up to the island.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­YOU KILLED IT!!¡±

    ¡°Well yeah. Can¡¯t have it fly back and get used to trace it back to us. Think Daisha.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°YOU! *Huff* Just to confirm. The bird you took was an iron winged eagle right?¡±

    ¡°No, when did I say that?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Breathe in¡­and out¡­in¡­and out. ¡°You said that your mercenary friend told you that only iron winged eagles could get you here. Right?

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t arrive here on an iron wing eagle?¡±

    ¡°No!? Haven¡¯t you been listening! I said that the academies need a way to contact each other. So obviously they¡¯d have their own specialised mounts for the job! No one said that only iron winged eagles could reach this altitude.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that precisely what your mercenary friend said?¡±

    ¡°And I proved her wrong.¡±

    *SIGH!*

    Feeling like she was going around in a circle, Daisha decided to end this conversation with one last question. ¡°So what kind of bird was it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shrugging his shoulders, he showed that he didn¡¯t really care what type it was as long as it could fly. ¡°It was some brown bird with a weird greenish-blue pattern on its head and a turquoise coloured beak.¡±

    ¡°OH GOD!! You killed a blue beak weaver!¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    SO? BLUE BEAK WEAVER¡¯S ARE LOVE BIRDS! IF ONE DIES THE OTHER DIES! YOU¡¯RE A MONSTER! YOU KILLED ITS MATE IN FRONT OF IT THEN FORCED IT TO BE YOUR MOUNT ONLY TO KILL IT ONCE ITS PURPOSE WAS SERVERED!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Sucks for the bird still alive in the Breamore academy.

    ¡°Ergh¡± The sound of groaning caught everyone¡¯s attention as they saw the unconscious Rhina slowly open her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s all the shouting about?¡± With a voice that clearly lacked energy, the elven fire starter looked around the room and saw the concerned faces of her sister, best friend and Daelos¡­¡±DAELOS!!!¡±

    ¡°YO!¡± laying on his side he sent her a friendly wave before chucking his apple into a nearby bin.

    (AU: Flick of the wrist)

    Surprise covered her face as she never imagined that she would be seeing him again. Well not in the infirmary anyway.

    ¡°Cool fight, blue hair suits you.¡±

    It took a few moments for her to register what was going on, before a slight blush appeared on her face. ¡°Did we lose?¡±

    ¡°N-

    ¡°NOPE!!¡± Before Ellora had a chance to explain what happened, Daelos cut her off.

    ¡°I heard your prayer from afar and through rain and fire! I crawled my way up from the depths of hell to bring upon you this victory!!¡± Bowing slightly, a huge grin covered his face, while Rhina¡¯s blushed deepened.

    Noticing the red shade on her sister¡¯s face, Ellora wasn¡¯t happy. It would be fine if this was a year ago, but for some reason, the boy behind her seemed to have changed in some way. Although it wasn¡¯t obvious, this new aura that surrounded him made her feel uncomfortable.

    ¡°Anyway, what was that form you used? Did your elf king bloodline evolve or something?¡±

    Seeing Daelos stare at her, Rhina felt like his face had matured a bit.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say evolved ¨C more like I switched to a related element and applied it to my elf king form.¡±

    ¡°I see, so you essentially fused the power of lighting into your elf king form?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a simple way of putting it but yes.¡±

    ¡°But since that form requires fire to use, what happened to it? It couldn¡¯t have just disappeared right?¡±

    Thinking about it scientifically, energy could not be created nor destroyed. And from what he understood about laws, the same rule applied. He theorised that the base forms of laws were actually elemental particles in the air that could be stored in the body and released in their elemental state. If he was right then it would explain how he could easily disrupt the molecules holding the laws together.

    Take fire for instance. It could be describe as a hot gas gone nuclear, but the molecules within fire vibrate and move at high speeds. By using his own vibrational energy to interact with these molecules, he can easily force them apart and dissipate the flame.

    So, similar to when mages and mage knights convert the particles in laws, he converts the laws back into the particle states. Therefore he does not destroy attacks, but instead dissipates them.

    Rhina¡¯s lightning form on the other hand confused him. Since waking up in this universe, besides his ignorance to laws, he never thought that there would be anything that he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain through scientific means. Even her initial elf king form could be explained by her absorbing more fire particles into her body and releasing them at a faster rate.

    But this new form didn¡¯t make sense at all. He thought that she had got rid of the fire particles and used lighting as a substitute. But if that was the case why did she need to go into a form that boosts her fire particle absorption?

    Seeing him look so lost in thought, Rhina felt that it was good to have him back.

    ¡°During the match I temporarily exited my elf king form so that I could tap into the power of lightning. Once that was done I switched back into my elf king form and activate the power of lightning in the exact moment my transformation beings. By doing so I trick my body into thinking that the lightning is fire and the result is that new form.¡±

    That¡¯s genius!! Like seriously amazing! To switch between her normal form and elf king form in less than a second while activating the lightning, means that her timing and precision is monstrous! To activate both simultaneously within such a tight timeframe is outrageous! Just the calculations alone would make it neigh impossible for the mind of a normal person to carry out!

    Admiration, that¡¯s what he was feeling right now. Pure, unadulterated admiration. Besides Kira, he¡¯d never felt admiration towards anyone else since coming here. Not even the knights at Berilia could instil this feeling in him.

    Without showing it on his face, he nodded to every word Rhina said trying to look unimpressed.

    ¡°And that¡¯s how the form works.¡±

    ¡°Say, Rhina?¡± Looking at her best friend who recently woke up.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about that form before the tournament!¡±

    Seeing the anger in Daisha¡¯s eyes she tried to play it off as if she was suffering from repercussions of her battle. But seeing Daisha¡¯s cold eyes staring at her, she knew it was a bust. *Sigh* ¡°It was supposed to be a surprise for the 4<sup>th</sup> years.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t excu-

    ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Butting into their conversation, Daelos decided that he didn¡¯t want his teammates to fight two days before the next tournament.

    ¡°Your new form, what¡¯s it called? Elf king level 2?, lightning elf form? Zappedy zapp zap?¡±

    ¡°God your terrible at naming things!¡± Hearing those names, Daisha couldn¡¯t help but cringe.

    ¡°Then you give it a go Oh Queen of naming things.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Closing her eyes and tapping her foot, it took a solid minute of silence until she came up with a name. ¡°SPARKY!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Its cute!¡± Seeing their disgusted expressions, Daisha couldn¡¯t help but defend her idea.

    Maybe if she was a dog.

    *Sigh* ¡°Sis you¡¯ve been awfully quiet. Why don¡¯t you try throwing your hat into the pile?¡±

    Sitting silently watching the banter between the three of them, she felt like she was out of place. One was the only elf in the academy capable of using the law of light, the other was a mysterious human who managed to fight her sister to a draw, and the last one was her little sister who managed to become the first person in elven history to achieve a new elf king form.

    And what was she? Just an outsider who can do nothing but cheer for the success of others? An older sister who can only look up to her little sister? A broken woman who was tricked into giving up something she can never get back?

    ¡°SIS!¡±

    ¡°HUH¡± Snapping out of her self-pity, she realised that everyone¡¯s eyes were on her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Idea? Remember?¡±

    A name for Rhina¡¯s new form?

    ¡°What about¡­Thunder King.¡±

    ¡°Thunder King ¨C I like it¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s got a nice ring to it.¡±

    ¡°No complaints here.¡±