《Regalia's Blessing》


 PROLOGUE

    Around 10 years ago in the year 2050, horrifying creatures who came in all shapes and sizes known as Exceeds appeared through portals in time and attacked our world which killed off almost half of the world¡¯s population.


    Normal man-made weapons such as bullets and blades could not even come close to scratching them. However, when all hope was lost, a girl covered in light appeared and killed off all the Exceeds within minutes and vanished just as quickly. She was then known as The Savior and that day was known as the day of hope. Despite all the Exceeds being killed off by the Savior, their bodies did not disappear and hence decomposed into the waters around the world.


    Women who drank such water then gave birth to daughters who had Exceed crystals implanted into their bodies. Majority of them were dormant and did not affect their lives in any way other than being a decoration on their bodies. However, there were some whose bodies reacted strongly to the implanted crystals and gained supernatural abilities to generate weapons that were similar to those of the Exceeds.


    Despite the Exceeds showing no sign of return, the governments all around the world could not risk suffering another attack of such a great magnitude. Hence all the girls who gained such abilities were then taken forcefully and sent to 5 schools around the globe to be trained on how to control their abilities and to learn how to fight if the Exceeds ever attacked again.


    Those girls were from then known as Fafnirs or humanity¡¯s last hope against the monsters. The Fafnirs could each generate a specific weapon that was made from an extremely tough yet powerful metal which was then known as Tetrasidium or Tetra for short. Tetra weapons were then tested on Exceed corpses and were then proven to be able to damage and even pierce through the seemingly impenetrable body.


    Among the Fafnirs, some of them developed supernatural abilities like teleportation, pyrokinesis and many others. Such Fafnirs were extremely rare and thus given the name Regalias as there were less than 100 of them in the thousands of Fafnirs.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Regalia abilities were powerful but they each came with a unique drawback after using them, the stronger the ability the bigger aftereffect the user would experience afterwards. Around a few months after the day of hope, Exceeds appeared again and whilst the Fafnirs only received the bare minimum of training, they managed to defeat the wave of invaders and minimizing losses.


    Fafnirs were only known to be able to retain their abilities until their 20s as their Exceed crystals would somehow just disappear randomly which also meant that they would lose their abilities as well. However, the disappearance varies from Fafnir to Fafnir so Fafnirs are expected to fight until the day their crystals disappear.


    Fafnirs were only female for a decade until I was discovered. The first and only male Fafnir.


    The year is now 2060 and Exceed attacks have become a normal occurrence to the whole world to the extent that shelters were built everywhere so regardless of where you were at that time, if an Exceed appears, you would be safe while the Fafnirs and Regalias from one of the 5 schools all across the globe came to defeat it.


    My name is Kuzunoha Kazuha and I am the world¡¯s first and only known male Fafnir. While the female Fafnirs were born with their crystals, I got mine when I was 10. However, the Japanese government only discovered about my crystal and powers when I was 13 when I could not make it to a shelter in time during an Exceed attack.


    The category B: Model Spider Exceed was about to sink its fangs into me hence I had no choice but to kill it which thus exposed my powers to the Japanese government who then seized custody of me and incorporated me into the Japanese Special forces as one of their soldiers. When I was 19, I finished serving my contract with the JSF so I was granted a wish.


    My desired wish was to locate my long-lost twin sister who was taken away by the government a few years ago when her Fafnir abilites were discovered and attend school like a regular 19-year-old. A few days passed and I received information that she attended Saint Lily¡¯s Academy which was the academy I ultimately chose to attend.

 CHAPTER 1: THE DAY THE WIND BLEW

    The day finally came where I was dropped off at Saint Lily¡¯s Academy by the Japanese Government¡¯s aircraft carrier to begin my supposed normal student life. I was dropped off at a corner of the floating island in the middle of the sea which was teeming with numerous facilities and shopping districts so it gave off the vibe of a resort rather than an academy for students to learn how to fight.


    As I was walking near the riverside of the town trying to take in its view, I spotted a beautiful girl who looked to be around my age. She was staring at the vast horizon of the endless sea and then she started to hum an unknown song.


    When I took a closer look, she had long blue hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a sleeveless white top with a black miniskirt that ended in the middle of her thighs which was probably the assigned uniform for Saint Lily¡¯s Academy given that all inhabitants of this floating island were Fafnirs. Her build was quite defined for a female which shows that she probably has been training for an extended period of time.


    I slowly found myself mesmerized by her angelic singing voice but I did not want to startle her given that I was a male and accompanied with the fact that female Fafnirs generally do not come into contact with males on the floating academies hence this led to me just observing her from a distance away.


    Suddenly, without any warning the ground beneath her started to crack and an enormous wormlike creature sprouted from it and started to attack her. While she was initially shocked by the appearance of this monster, she showed no fear and manifested a weapon from the glowing crystal on the back of her palm. Her weapon of choice was a rapier similar to that of a fencer which complimented her slender frame. She started to engage in combat with the monster which was most likely a worm typed Exceed.


    Her control of her rapier was not perfect but it was evident that her fundamentals were polished to their limits. While her tetra weapon was capable of damaging the Exceed, its erratic movements made it quite a challenge to land an effective hit.


    I did not want to attract attention and believed in this Fafnir to be able to defeat this supposed low level Exceed hence I just continued watching from a corner without interfering.


    Her attacks continued to miss the Exceed and this repeated for several times which was not a good sign given that Exceeds are known to be intelligent lifeforms that can learn from their enemies on how they battle and eventually come up with a way to beat their opponents.


    ¡°If this keeps up, she is going to run out of stamina soon and the Exceed will consume her whole for her crystal. I didn¡¯t want to step in but I guess I have no choice.¡± I thought to myself.


    When I was about to materialize my weapon, the girl¡¯s crystal emitted a bright light which meant that she was going to use a Regalia ability. Her rapier was then coated with a layer of water which would strengthen its slashing capabilities alongside increasing its strike radius.


    ¡°So, she¡¯s a Regalia, and a water manipulator. Let¡¯s see how this goes.¡±


    ¡°Blade of water first strike, SURGING TIDAL SLASH!¡± She yelled out as her blade of water enlarged to around twice her size and swung down to cleanly cut the worm into two halves.


    Seemingly elated with the results of her attack, she collapsed to the ground and her rapier vanished into thin air which probably meant that she was out of mana which is the resources Fafnirs need to generate weapons.


    However, when she thought that the battle was over, the 2 halves of the worm Exceed she thought she had defeated regenerated and fused back together making it seem like she did not do any damage to it at all.


    With her strength and mana expended, she could not fight back anymore without her tetra weapon and her lifeless body succumbed to the Exceed.


    The worm used its tail to lift her up from the ground and into the air and with one slash ripped the center of her uniform into shreds which exposed her light blue bra with a white ribbon and her matching light blue panties. I found it quite hot that the color of underwear she was wearing matched the color of her hair. She who had seemed to have expended all her mana plopped down on her knees and on the floor which showed that given up all hope and was just waiting for her demise by the Exceed.


    ¡°Tsk, I guess I have no choice but to save her. It will be annoying if that worm gets stronger after consuming her crystal. I would assume that a Regalia would know that an Exceed can only be defeated by shattering the core in their bodies.¡± I thought to myself as I materialized my weapon which was 2 sickles held together by a chain in between them which was also known as a Kusari-Kama and prepared to engage the Exceed in combat.


    ¡°Kuzunoha-style Kusari-Kama Fifth technique, TWIN TORNADO CUTTER!¡± I spun my sickles in a spiral motion which created a huge gust of wind that surrounded me similar to a tornado and I cut through the Exceed in one blow while slicing the pieces of its core that was in its body so finely that there was no way it could regenerate again. After ensuring that the Exceed did not regenerate any further, I went to comfort the girl who was currently in shock due to the series of events that had just happened.


    ¡°Hey, little girl are you alright?¡± I called out to her while maintaining my distance.


    She then snapped out of her trance and replied to me graciously, ¡° Yes, I had given up all hope when my attack did not finish that monster but I am truly thankful to you who has saved me. I would guess that you are the new transfer student from the special forces.¡± The girl said in a matter-of-factly tone.


    ¡°I would say so.¡± I replied calmly while sighing internally as I had expected that questions would arise sooner or later hence I wanted to keep a low profile but it seemed that it would be impossible to do so given that the whole floating island I am currently on only contains Fafnirs whom other than me were all female.


    ¡°I have no idea how you managed to become a Fafnir when you are a male but regardless, it would bring shame to my family¡¯s name if I did not reciprocate your kindness, hence I would like to repay the favor as soon as possible. My name is Sasaki Risa and I am a student of Saint Lily¡¯s academy. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± The girl known as Risa offered me a handshake.


    While I was certainly honored by the fact that such a beautiful young lady was talking to me, I could not ignore the fact that her clothes were torn by the Exceed earlier hence her matching light blue bra and panties were quite literally on full display for me to see but she did not seem to notice yet hence I decided to point it out to her before she finds out.


    ¡°Umm, Risa, while I would love to shake your hand, I believe that you would soon catch a cold with the current state of your outfit even though I personally am quite happy with the view. I personally think that your light blue underwear compliments your beautiful blue hair perfectly. However, I believe it would be more appropriate for us to carry on this conversation another time.¡± I tried to sound as gentlemanly as possible in order to avoid potentially offending someone who I just met on the first day of my new life.


    ¡°Ah, I see. I am extremely sorry that you had to see me in such an inappropriate state. I shall take your advice and change into a fresh set of clothes before I catch a cold. I guess I¡¯ll see you around.¡± Risa politely replied as she leapt into a nearby drain and converted her body into water and left like the drain water flowing away.


    ¡°Well, she handled that awkward situation better than I would have expected. However, the main problem now is that I forgot to ask her for directions to the academy and I¡¯m currently running late on my first day.¡± I thought as I searched for the academy.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    With no choice but to expose myself to the community of Fafnirs by asking some of them for directions, I got several looks where most of which were fear and curiosity as I¡¯m sure that most of them haven¡¯t seen a male in the majority of their lives. Eventually, I located the academy at the heart of the floating city where it was actually smaller than I had imagined given that it was a school to train students on how to use their abilities and for potential battles against the Exceeds.


    When I stopped at the front of the academy¡¯s gates to admire its view and locate the student council office where I was told to report to, I sensed a powerful aura that was approaching from behind me at an alarming rate and I immediately equipped my Kusari-Kama to parry the strike out of instinct.


    ¡°Kuzunoha style Kusari-Kama First technique, SPIRAL DRAW!¡± I used my sickles to create a powerful upward draft behind me that is able to parry almost every attack. I then heard a thud on the floor and when I turned around to check what happened, the thing that first caught my eyes were light green panties with beautiful and intricate white lace embroidery on them that were attached to white garters. When I traced the panties to their owner, I saw that they belonged to a cute girl who looked younger than me with light blue hair tied in 2 braids that ends at her shoulders.


    She was wearing a white blouse similar to Risa whom I saw earlier which meant that she was a student at this academy as well but the difference is that she had an extra jacket on and her skirt was longer with white garters which didn¡¯t seem to serve its purpose given that her panties were on full display to me with her legs in a M shape.


    ¡°Hey what¡¯s the big idea with you!, Why did you attack me out of nowhere!¡± The girl snapped at me still unaware about her immodest appearance.


    ¡°My apologies, I just sensed a powerful aura approaching me so my reflexes just kicked in and I inadvertently parried you.¡± I said as I tried to justify my actions even though she was clearly the one at fault.


    ¡°Not bad for a male, not many individuals can sense my meteor and react fast enough to parry it but I wasn¡¯t trying to attack you or anything. I¡¯m late for class and that was the fastest way to get to class from the dorms, if I¡¯m late one more time Ms Satsuki is going to send me to summer classes and I hate summer classes!¡± The girl who was still on the floor started to complain and whine even though I was pretty sure I didn¡¯t ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I made you late for class but I really need to tell you that I can see your panties.¡± I informed the girl in the most gentleman tone I could muster but alas it sounds like I¡¯m a pervert sexual harassing a girl clearly younger than me.


    After realizing the position she was in, tears started to form and drip down her face. Then she became a ball of light and started dashing away at the speed of light while screaming.


    ¡°Help me Onee-chan, I have been seen and defiled by a male. I can no longer get married now Waaaaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the best impression to make to my future schoolmates.¡± I thought to myself as I walked around the courtyard looking for the student council office. Needless to say, her shouting attracted the attention of every Fafnir in the vicinity who then gave me looks of fear and disgust and I could even hear some whispers saying how if a male looks at them they will lose their virginity and purity.


    After surviving through the hordes of disgusted female students, I finally arrived at a small yet detailed building next to the main school building which has a sign saying student council office. As I approached the door, my heartbeat stopped for a second as I felt enormous pressure and a powerful presence from behind the door which meant that there is someone inside that is potentially as strong if not stronger than me. However, I would be a disgrace to the Japan Special Forces if I let something like this deter me from achieving my goals. I then pushed the door opened and what greeted me was shocking to say the least.


    I was expecting to see a mature lady sitting at the table like in all the meetings with the royal families of different countries I was deployed to back in the JSF. But what greeted me was a little girl who looked no older than 10 years old with her beautiful silver hair tied in twin tails sitting at the table. However, what surprised me even further was the aura she was emitting, it was definitely the same as what I felt before I opened the door.


    ¡°Could my senses be off, there¡¯s no way this little flat-chested girl who looks like she just graduated from kindergarten is able to exude such a powerful aura.¡± I thought to myself.


    ¡°Hi there little girl, could I ask where the student council president is? I¡¯m a new student and I was told to look for her to process my admission into the academy.¡± I asked the little girl hoping for a lead but all she did was walk up from her seat and kick me in my shin which honestly didn¡¯t hurt that much and was more adorable than intimidating.


    ¡°How rude of you to call me a little girl, I am 19 this year and I am the current student council president.¡± The little girl replied aggressively while puffing out her almost non-existent chest which was honestly not much different than a runway but honestly it added to her childish charm which made me just want to tease her more.


    As I was about to make another sarcastic comment about her chest, a beautiful girl appeared from the door holding a tray of milk and cookies which looked like they were meant for a little kid entered the room. I took a glance at her and noticed that she had long black hair with a rabbit clip. Her uniform looked like it belonged to a model student as it had no creases anywhere. Without a second thought, I dashed towards the girl and hugged her.


    ¡°After so long, I finally found you Kasumi!¡± I exclaimed with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing, you ruffian.¡± The little girl with silver hair snapped at me looking at me with eyes of judgement but at that point I couldn¡¯t care less. That was because the one person I spent my whole life looking for was right in front of me.


    The girl I was hugging was taken aback at first but after realizing who I was, she shed a tear and exclaimed.


    ¡°No way..., It¡¯s been so long, Onii chan.¡±


    ¡°Onii chan?!!!¡± The petite girl shouted in a shocked tone.


    After we were done hugging, Kasumi explained to me that the petite girl¡¯s name was Nakano Emiri and that she was both the student council president as well as the rank 1 student.


    ¡°Rank 1???? There¡¯s no way this pipsqueak is the rank 1 fighter at this school.¡± While I was still in disbelief, I remembered the insanely powerful presence I felt before I entered the room and came to the conclusion that this little girl may actually be insanely powerful.


    ¡°Yes, now you know my true strength, kneel before me and apologize for insulting me.¡± Emiri snorted at me while making a cocky face.


    ¡°Emiri, you have to uphold the image of the student council properly if not I¡¯ll get mad at you.¡± Kasumi chided.


    ¡°And you Onii chan, stop teasing Emiri or I¡¯ll get mad at you too.¡± Kasumi gave me a stern warning too, but it sounded more like jealousy to me.


    ¡°Anyways I heard that you are transferring to our school as of today so I¡¯m here to settle the administrative details with you.¡± Kasumi then started to settle and fill in all the relevant documents for my transfer.


    ¡°She really is still as serious as ever, but I guess that¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing.¡± I thought to myself.


    ¡°Oh, and I heard rumors of some perverted sex fiend whose gaze can make you pregnant is in our school compound. I don¡¯t suppose you know anything about that Onii chan?¡± Kasumi asked with a slightly annoyed tone.


    ¡°Oh? You have only been here for less than half a day and there are already such rumors about you? Maybe we should just evict you right here and now?¡± Emiri threatened in a slightly playful and sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, that was a misunderstanding, I just knocked over some girl with light blue hair in braids while I was searching for this place.¡± I explained in an attempt to salvage the situation.


    ¡°Light blue hair in braids¡­, no way! I can¡¯t believe of everyone you could offend, you offended the rank 2 student on your first day here.¡± Kasumi said while face palming.


    ¡°Rank 2?!! I had thought that you would be rank 2 with your abilities Kasumi.¡±


    ¡°Kasumi here is rank 3 but both of them are leagues below yours truly HHAHAH.¡± Emiri interjected.


    ¡°Ahem, rank aside Shiho-san has a lot of pride, so she probably won¡¯t let you live it down that easily as long as you¡¯re at this academy.¡± Kasumi explained.


    ¡°Haizz, I can¡¯t believe I already met a problematic person this early on. Anyways, how do the accommodations work here? I would like to settle down my belongings first before doing anything else.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh right, I forgot to mention but accommodations are mostly shared rooms between 2 people other than those that belong to the top 5 rankers who each get single rooms. But ironically, Shiho-san is the only one staying in a single room while the other top 5 are staying in double rooms.¡± Kasumi explained.


    ¡°Oh? Why is that so?¡± I questioned curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m rooming with Kasumi cos she does everything for me! And the rank 4 and 5 students are twins, so they prefer sharing a room anyways.¡± Emiri answered excitedly.


    ¡°Anyways, since you¡¯re the only guy, there¡¯s no way you¡¯re sharing a room with another student so I¡¯ll arrange for you to stay in a single room. Room 3 in the east wing should be free as of now so you can use that room.¡± Kasumi informed me calmly.


    ¡°Alright then, I guess I¡¯ll go unpack my belongings first and I¡¯ll see you guys later. Bye Kasumi and bye pipsqueak.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are calling a pipsqueak?!!!¡± Emiri retorted but I closed the door and exited the room before she could start another argument with me

 CHAPTER 2: SHOWDOWN

    I carried my belongings to the east wing and tried to locate room 3 but while I was walking through the hallways of the dormitory, I felt as if every girl in my vicinity was glaring at me while others quickly ran away as I walked past them but I guess that is to be expected since most of them probably never seen a guy the same age as them before. After searching for around 10 minutes, I finally found my room that I will be residing in for the rest of the time.


    I inserted the key Kasumi gave me earlier and entered the room with the expectation of seeing an empty room but what I saw could be considered a cliched scene. There was a girl clad in only her underwear seemingly getting dressed. Her underwear was pure white with matching white lace which looked nothing less than expensive. While it looked fairly simple in design, it complemented her small frame and elegant aura rather nicely. It looked like she was in the midst of wearing her black garters when I entered the room. I directed my gaze upwards and noticed a familiar looking face as the owner of that exquisite underwear. While her hair was currently untied, I could not forget that iconic light blue hair with that childlike appearance. No doubt she was the one I bumped into this morning and probably also the one who spread those greatly exaggerated rumors of me.


    After realizing who this girl was and the fact that she was too shocked to even react, I decided to be the gentleman and make the first move.


    ¡°I apologize for this intrusion Shiho-san. However, I would like to inform you that this is my room before you accuse me of trespassing or attempting to peep at you.¡± I apologized in my most sincere tone and bowed a perfect 90 degrees.


    ¡°You..you.. bastard! Not only have you defiled me once this morning but dare to defile me again.¡± Shiho angrily glared at me still clad in just her underwear while covering her abdominal area for some reason.


    ¡°In the name of the Sasaki family, I will castrate you with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ this is clearly a misunderstanding.¡± I tried to reason but the next thing I knew, Shiho¡¯s aura started to grow stronger.


    ¡°CUT THROUGH THE STARRY SKIES, LUNARIS!¡± Shiho shouted as a gigantic blue and purple scythe materialized in her hands. The scythe was almost double her size yet Shiho wielded it like it weighed nothing.


    ¡°This must be her tetra weapon and since she¡¯s rank 2 she probably has a strong regalia ability.¡± I thought to myself as I could feel her energy rising but before I could think on what to do next, the huge scythe was swung down on me which I dodged backwards by reflex.


    ¡°You may have dodged that but try dodging this. STARRY IMPLOSION.¡± Shiho exclaimed which was followed by a glowing yellow sphere appearing from the tip of the scythe. The sphere must be related to her ability but I had no time to think about it as I could sense it¡¯s growing energy that looked like it was going to explode.


    ¡°Wait, if this amount of energy is released, half the school would be blown up. I didn¡¯t want to use so much of my ability just on my first day but I guess I have no choice this time.¡± I decided hastily and proceeded to materialize my kusari-kama.


    ¡°Kuzunoha-style Kusari-Kama Third technique, SOUNDLESS WIND DOME.¡± I used the tips of my kusari-kama to generate a dome made of wind that was capable of absorbing everything inside. The sphere that was about to implode quickly lost its energy and disappeared. After defusing the situation, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to reprimand Shiho for doing something so dangerous.


    ¡°Theres no way! I thought only the other top rankers would be able to stop my attacks but you seemed to do it so easily. I don¡¯t accept this, there¡¯s no way I would lose to anyone on the pride of the Sasaki name especially not to some male.¡± I thought she would be thankful to me for saving half the school population but instead I somehow just made her more pissed off.


    When I wanted to speak up to try to defuse the misunderstanding for a third time today, Emiri and Kasumi appeared behind us seemingly from thin air.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you Onii chan! Are you trying to destroy half the school on your first day?¡± Shiho questioned aggressively.


    ¡°Wait how is this my fault? I was the one that prevented half the school from being destroyed in the first place.¡± I explained in an attempt to clear my name and the negative image Kasumi had of me.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, I apologize Kasumi-senpai and Emiri-senpai for my rash actions that placed everyone in jeopardy.¡± Shiho answered calmly while bowing her head to show her remorse which was a complete 180 from her a few seconds ago.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had such a responsible side, you are actually pretty cute when you aren¡¯t trying to kill me.¡± I said jokingly to Shiho in an attempt to lighten the mood but she glared at me menacingly.


    ¡°President, this male has defiled me twice today, who¡¯s to say he won¡¯t be a threat to the rest of the students if he stays here. Permission to engage in a Fafnir showdown with him.¡± Shiho asked Emiri but before she could reply Kasumi interrupted them.


    ¡°Rejected. Unofficial Showdowns are banned between students for a reason as they are dangerous and serve no useful purpose.¡±


    ¡°But Vice President...¡± Shiho retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll allow it under my authority as student council president.¡± Emiri finally spoke up.


    ¡°But Emiri¡­¡± Kasumi said in shock at how Emiri was so easily convinced.


    ¡°I want to see his abilities up close. Shiho can be considered to be one of the top 10 Regalia¡¯s  in the country and while she wasn¡¯t serious, that blast of hers still carried a large amount of energy and he just neutralized it without any effort. If he¡¯s as strong as he seems, it wouldn¡¯t hurt seeing what else he can do since he is going to be on our side from now on. Furthermore, classes ended early today since all the teachers and the principal had to go off to Primrose Academy for some important meeting which means that the rest of the students get a free show as well teehee.¡± Emiri explained with a serious tone.


    While I was slightly annoyed that my opinion wasn¡¯t taken into account, this was the first time I have seen that cheeky pipsqueak so serious ignoring the last thing she said so I decided to just go along with it despite me not liking to fight against my supposed future fellow schoolmates.


    Afterwards, Shiho got dressed and we met at the school¡¯s arena to have our showdown. The arena was filled with students who were all Fafnirs that were interested in this fight since such Regalia Showdowns were apparently illegal. The arena was quite large which I assumed was catered to students with all sorts of abilities. I was waiting in one side of the arena while Shiho arrived in the other side now wearing her school uniform. I was thinking of a way to end this peacefully and without using my ability if possible but before I could come up with an answer, a loud female voice came from the speakers.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Hey everyone!!, this is your student council president Emiri and I will be the announcer for this Regalia Showdown between our current rank 2 Sasaki Shiho and our new and only male Fafnir whose abilities are still currently unknown.¡±


    Upon hearing the announcement, I accepted the fact that it was too late to escape and decided to do my best not to stand out and end this quickly.


    ¡°Both fighters, materialize your weapons! Remember that killing is not allowed okay? Everything else is legal.¡± As the announcement came, Shiho immediately sprang into action and materialized her huge scythe once again. I then materialized my Kusari Kama and took a fighting stance while thinking of how the power of student council president is being controlled by some kid.


    ¡°I will not allow you to disgrace me further with your presence, get ready because I will castrate you with my own 2 hands.¡± Shiho shouted across the arena.


    ¡°3,2,1, LETS GO AHEAD!!¡± The announcement came and Shiho immediately disappeared.


    Next thing I knew, she had blinked right in front of me and directed her scythe in a downwards slash. I used my Kusari Kama to parry her blow but it felt so heavy that I was unable to completely block it which made me fly backwards quite a distance. She then used her scythe to deploy golden spheres on the floor around me.


    ¡°There it is! The Starry Phantasm has started laying down her signature traps.¡± Emiri who was also acting as an announcer broadcasted.


    ¡°STARRY IMPLOSION!¡± The stars that surrounded me all imploded which led to a large burst of light that blinded the whole arena.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Shiho-san would try so hard in this match. To think that she would immediately use her stars so early on.¡± Kasumi said to the 2 blonde girls around her.


    ¡°She must really respect this guy¡¯s abilities if she¡¯s using her Regalia abilities so early on.¡± The blonde girl with twin tails replied.


    ¡°Yea, her abilities can take out a large majority of Fafnirs by itself not to mention that she is currently only fighting one person.¡± The blonde girl with a side tail added.


    While that move did catch me slightly off guard, I had already seen it before so I knew what to expect but I guess she must have been holding back earlier as the energy released now was far greater. Fortunately, I used my Kusari Kama to dissipate the energy released to the surrounding ground which left a dent in it but at least I didn¡¯t have to use my ability.


    ¡°You perverted bastard! Are you not taking me seriously! Am I not good enough for you to use your ability!¡± Shiho shouted at me.


    ¡°No, I have my own reasons but do know that I can assure you that I am taking this fight as seriously as you are.¡± I replied while trying to regain my balance from her previous attack.


    ¡°Fine then, I will force you to use your ability then.¡±


    I then noticed that surrounding my feet were about a dozen golden spheres that were bigger than any I had seen before.


    ¡°BURST INTO BLOOM, SIGDRAFIA!!!¡± The spheres then formed into the shape of a lotus which then spun around rapidly while releasing energy which formed a golden spiral. There was no way anyone would be able to escape as the spiral motion constantly drew things in and didn¡¯t let anything escape.


    ¡°That should do it. I didn¡¯t think I would get so agitated that I would use one of my secret trap moves against him. But that move used up almost all of my energy so I can¡¯t use my ability for a while. Shiho thought to herself.


    When the energy dissipated, Kazuha laid there motionlessly with visible wounds on his whole body. As Shiho was walking up to perform the final blow, a loud thud could be heard and part of the ceiling of the battle arena collapsed.


    ¡°The hell was that?¡± Shiho exclaimed as she looked up towards the ceiling. There stood a huge red dragon-like Exceed baring its huge white fangs at the students in the arena. As most of the students were Fafnirs, they probably did not have any prior experience with such a powerful Exceed that was no less of a Category A or maybe even a Category S. The Exceed did not attack recklessly as it was probably searching for its prey.


    It is said that for some reason, Exceeds of Category A and above have this tendency to seek out a mate from a female Fafnir to lay their eggs in them so as to reproduce. While the exact reasoning is still unknown, researchers attributed this phenomenon to the Exceed blood flowing through the crystals that give Fafnirs and Regalias their abilities.


    ¡°EVERYONE EVACUATE TO THE MAIN SCHOOL BUILDING.¡± Emiri shouted over the announcement system. Majority of the students fled instantly at her command as they too understood that normal Fafnirs are unable to even come close to such a powerful Exceed. With all the teachers gone, Emiri took command of the situation immediately as she was the next highest chain of command as the student council president.


    ¡°How did such a powerful beast get by undetected by the island¡¯s detection system.¡± Kasumi questioned as she materialized a bow.


    ¡°It probably isn¡¯t alone so there are probably other Exceeds present that are somehow jamming the island¡¯s alarm systems.¡± The blonde girl with twin tails answered.


    ¡°Kasumi, come with me to protect the students in case of any further attacks. Mayu, Miyu go search the island for the rest of the Exceeds and exterminate them.¡± Emiri ordered over the announcement system.


    The dragon scanned the area and finally locked on to an exhausted Shiho who it probably chose as its mate which could be seen through her crystal glowing with a bright purple hue. It then landed on the floor which shook the earth. It slowly made its way towards Shiho who was at that point too drained to even move which led to her legs giving way.


    ¡°Emiri, what about Shiho. Are we just going to let her get sacrificed? I won¡¯t allow it, let me stay here and fight it.¡± Kasumi questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have another Regalia here to fight that beast. He hasn¡¯t used his ability the whole fight and if my hunch is correct, he should be stronger than all of us so he is the best bet we have to protect Shiho.¡± Emiri reasoned as she materialized a giant crimson claw on one of her hands. She swung her claw downwards which made something like a portal where she dispatched the respective Regalias to their assigned duties.


    ¡°I leave that beast and Shiho to you, Kazuha. Try not to die.¡± Emiri said as she vanished into the portal as well.


    The dragon finally reached Shiho and picked her up from the ground. But that dragon¡¯s slow movements gave me enough time to recover from the wounds Shiho gave me. I stood up and equipped my Kusari-Kama and took an offensive stance while releasing energy from my body to build up power for my strike.


    ¡°My my, it seems my senses have gotten dull as I got hit by a bigger portion of that attack then I wanted to. I came here to escape my old life of hunting Exceeds but I guess it managed to catch up to me.¡±


    <u>Shiho¡¯s POV</u>


    When the dragon appeared, I could feel my Fafnir crystal burn and emit a bright purple light. This feeling was unknown to me but I assumed that it meant that it had chosen me as its mate. Just by its aura, it would easily be a category A and above. While I beaten a category A before, that was when I was full of energy and had some help. This time, I just exhausted all energy on this battle that I can¡¯t even stand properly. The surrounding sounds of the students fleeing were just white noise to me at this point as I slowly accepted my fate.


    As it landed and approached me, I was terrified of what it would do to me as I have only heard stories of Exceeds using Fafnirs to reproduce which meant that I was about to be raped. It slowly picked me up which made the crystal burn even hotter which confirmed my theory of me being chosen as its mate. For some unexplained reason, I suddenly thought of the guy I just battled and wished that he would come to my aid even though it was almost impossible after I had just tried to kill him.


    The dragon used one of his sharp claws to slash my clothes cleanly. My uniform was split in half, even my white lace bra and panties were sliced off and torn to shreds which made them no longer serve their original intended purpose. With the majority of my clothes torn, my privates were exposed to the cool air and at that point I had already accepted my fate to be a sacrifice but I can¡¯t help but make one final call for help.


    ¡°Someone save me¡­¡± I called out with whatever remains of energy I had left as the dragon Exceed was about to reach for my ovaries in order to forcefully implant its eggs within me to use as a host to procreate more Exceeds.


    ¡°Kuzunoha style Kusari-Kama Secret technique, HOWLING GALE CRUSHER!!!¡± A voice called out.


    The arm of the dragon that was holding onto me was sliced off the dragon by a destructive blast of wind. I looked up and saw that the man I just tried to castrate a few minutes ago had just used his ability for the first time since the battle started.

 CHAPTER 3: SAVIOR

    Shiho who was originally carried up quite high up in the air when the dragon attacked her naturally fell when the arm of the dragon was sliced off.


    ¡°METEOR!¡± I transformed into a ball of light and dashed towards Shiho who was falling in mid-air and carried her to safety at one corner of the arena.


    ¡°Wait?? What??How???!!! That was my meteor ability??!¡± Shiho looked at me and questioned me with an extremely surprised reaction. Her reaction was expected given that I just used her Regalia ability which was thought to be impossible as it was previously believed that a Fafnir can obtain only one ability from the crystal.


    ¡°I understand your confusion and I have a lot of explain but this is not the time for that. Believe me I will give you an explanation later. For now, that Exceed must be taken care of if not it will destroy the whole island. Put this on first and wait here for me.¡± I calmly told Shiho as I gave her the top I was wearing so that she could cover herself up.


    ¡°Come out Restia!¡± I called out to the crystal that was on my chest which then glowed with a  purple hue. A short girl who was clad in a dark purple gothic dress with matching dark purple hair appeared from within it. While she looked like a normal girl at first glance, what made her peculiar was that she also had a pair of purple wings sticking out behind her back yet they did not seem like they were capable of flight but merely a form of decoration or an accessory.


    ¡°Tsk, is that how you talk to a high ranking Exceed, Kazu-kun.¡± The purple hair girl said to me in an annoyed yet seductive voice.


    ¡°Now is not the time for this, I¡¯ll play with you later alright. Right now, I¡¯m kind of busy with that thing over there.¡± I replied to her while pointing towards the Dragon.


    ¡°That dragon? I¡¯m guessing you called me out because you needed more power to beat it. Am I wrong?¡± Restia asked.


    ¡°Yes, I need to use one of the sealed techniques. Even with the secret level techniques, I could only take out its arm and such a powerful Exceed probably won¡¯t die unless I destroy its core in one attack.¡± I explained.


    ¡°I see, I assume you know the price for the contract right. Just make sure you don¡¯t regret anything afterwards.¡± Restia confirmed with me as she walked up to me and kissed me on my lips.


    While this was not the first time this happened, I still feel a sense of nervousness every time Restia does something like this as it makes me think of her not as an Exceed but a regular girl. After the kiss, I could feel immense power overflowing from within as Restia returned back into the crystal on my chest since her role was complete.


    Even though this was the third time I performed the contract, the warm feeling of the power coursing within me always made me remember the calm and peaceful times of my childhood with the girl I was supposed to be engaged to before she died at the hands of an Exceed.


    When I have accumulated enough power in my body, I channeled it into arms and legs and took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have no choice this time, Mizuki¡­¡± I whispered under my breath.


    ¡°Kuzunoha style Sealed Technique, MIRAGE CYCLONE EXECUTION!!!¡±


    I gradually gained immense speed to the extent that I probably could not be seen by the untrained eye and ran around the dragon Exceed forming a cyclone. As the cyclone was present, I materialized my Naginata and stabbed the beast over and over again. While there was still only one of me, to outsiders it looked like a mirage where there were hundreds of me taking turns to continuously stab the dragon from different directions without giving it any time to react.


    Finally, I made one last strike that was as swift as the wind from the top of the dragon which sliced it cleanly in half alongside its core at the center of its chest. The dragon Exceed soon disintegrated with its core destroyed but what happened after was a mystery to me as I soon felt that my consciousness was fading.


    When I finally woke up, what filled my vision was a plain white ceiling. I looked around and saw that I was lying on a large bed which was honestly pretty comfortable given that I normally slept either on the floor or on the hard bed of the Japanese Military Carrier. What was weird was that this room looked awfully familiar for some reason. As I attempted to get up in order to explore my surroundings, my whole body felt very weak and I could barely sit up.


    ¡°This must be the repercussions of using a sealed technique. I¡¯m honestly surprised I can even sit up given that I expended such an immense amount of energy within such a short period of time.¡± I thought to myself.


    As I tried to move my body upright, I could hear a familiar voice call out to me.


    ¡°Onii-chan you shouldn¡¯t get up yet. The nurse said that you should have been in a coma for at least a whole day but it has only been a few hours.¡±


    I turned my head over and saw that there was a girl who was seated on a similar bed next to the one I was currently lying on.


    ¡°Kasumi, what happened after I beat that dragon Exceed?¡± I asked my sister.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not too sure about the details but I heard from Shiho-san that you beat that monster all by yourself and you collapsed afterwards. She then informed me and we rushed you straight to the nurse.¡± Kasumi explained calmly but with a visibly worried expression.


    ¡°What about the rest of the students? Were any of them hurt?¡± I asked anxiously.


    ¡°While you were in combat with the dragon, the rest of the top rankers protected the students while also clearing out the rest of the weaker Exceeds that came with it so there were no reported casualties.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, what about..¡±


    ¡°ONII-CHAN! Can you worry about yourself first before anything else. We just recently reunited with each other and all this stuff happened.. I don¡¯t want to be separated from you ever again.¡± Kasumi interrupted while slightly losing her composure which was rare. I guess she must have been worried about me given that we had not seen each other for the past few years.


    ¡°Thanks for worrying about me Kasumi. Now that I finally found you, I won¡¯t let anything come between us ever again.¡± I mustered the strength to get up and pat her on her head in order to calm her down which was the common method I used to console her when we were kids.


    While she looked just like a little kid as she accepted the head pat, she then went back into her serious student council vice president mode again.


    ¡°Onii-chan, I¡¯m not a kid anymore so you can¡¯t just head pat me in public like that.¡± Kasumi chided while having a flushed face.


    ¡°Anyways, there is someone else who wishes to see you so I shall grant you some privacy. But before I leave, it may be a little late but as the student council vice-president I would like to formally welcome you into Saint Lily Academy.¡± Kasumi said as she left the room.


    Just as she left through the door of the room, another familiar looking girl came in. Her iconic light blue hair that was tied in twin tails with a white uniform that included the modifications of garters instantly made me recognize her even though I only knew her for less than half a day.


    ¡°Shiho-san? You¡¯re the one who wanted to see me? I apologize once again for the incidents that happened this morning. Those were both accidents and I had no ill intentions. But that is not because you are not attractive or anything, in fact you are quite attractive and I am somewhat attracted.¡± I said in a hurry in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings she has of me given that I was in no state to react if she were to use her destructive abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kazuha-san. Before anything, I would like to formally apologize for everything that happened.¡± Shiho said as she bowed a full 90 degrees in front of me.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, please raise your head, it was my fault too so let¡¯s just call it even.¡± I tried to salvage the situation as I was afraid of angering her further.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°No, I let my pride cloud my judgement multiple times today and that is a disgrace as one from the Sasaki family. In addition, you saved my life today even after I wholeheartedly tried to castrate you.¡± Shiho explained in a formal tone which was honestly quite a jarring sight as it was the polar opposite from how she talked to me earlier today.


    ¡°It¡¯s no issue, I couldn¡¯t just sit by while that beast was after you and the whole reason you were unable to defend yourself from the beast was somewhat my fault as well.¡± I reasoned in order to reduce the amount of guilt she had since it appeared that she has a lot of pride that she is from some family which I have never heard of before yet its name rang some kind of bell.


    ¡°Alright then, now that the formal apology is done, please consider me not a daughter of the Sasaki family but as a girl.¡± Shiho said as she changed her tone to that of a typical high school girl which made her previous formal tone seem like a dream.


    ¡°I was so scared when that huge beast attacked me, I was sure that I was about to become its mate there and then. Even though I attacked you with the intention to kill you, I still prayed that you would come and save me and you did. While I¡¯m still mad at you for the events that happened earlier today, I am thankful from the bottom of my heart that you saved me.¡±


    ¡°Eh what?¡± I cocked my head in puzzlement and shock at how fast one can change her entire persona.


    ¡°Anyways, I got permission from the president for us to share this room together from today onwards as long as we do not do anything illegal. But..but.. don¡¯t take this the wrong way, this is just mutually beneficial so there not will be no ecchi things happening all right¡± Shiho said bashfully.


    ¡°Huh, what, why? I was sure you hated men so why would you go out of your way to get permission to share a room with me.¡± I questioned in further puzzlement as I thought about how that loli president really does things on a whim.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that my ability has some unique side effects so it would be good to have someone reliable stay in the same room as me..., but more importantly there is something that I cannot show anyone else.¡± Shiho said as she started to undress.


    She proceeded to take off her white uniform top and skirt which left her in her underwear. Her underwear a matching set that was light pink and decorated with many pink frills with a cute white bow in both the middle of her bra and panties. This pair looked as expensive as the white set she had on in the afternoon which unfortunately got ripped to shreds by the Exceed. She stood there and looked at me which suggested to me that she was probably waiting for me to say something.


    ¡°That pink underwear, it really complements you well.¡± I said the first thing that comes to mind without thinking.


    ¡°Die you pervert!! Where are you looking?¡± Shiho exclaimed while blushing. She then came closer and showed me her abdomen which had something similar to a tattoo of a lion. While it may look like a regular tattoo to the normal person, it had a different meaning to me who was from the Japanese Special Forces. Such an insignia was normally done by high-ranking members of the JSF when they wanted to mark their prey in order to prevent others from taking their kills. It wasn¡¯t the most ethical method but it got the job done so they never really bothered changing it.


    Each insignia was unique and belonged to only one person. This lion was unmistakably the mark of Wild Beast Raikou who was a captain in the JSF. While I was a captain as well back then, we never really got along as I always found him somewhat creepy and I especially disliked and loathed the way he did things.


    While I was mostly sure that Raikou was the one who branded her, I had to make sure as this changes my impression of him completely. Normally only Exceeds and other beasts are supposed to be marked with an insignia. The insignia was engraved by heating a certain metal past around 120 degrees and sticking the branding stick that contained the insignia onto the skin of the target hence it was completely against rules to do so on humans due to the excruciating pain they would have been subjected to.


    ¡°That brand, who gave it to you.¡± I questioned in an extremely serious tone in order to confirm my suspicions.


    ¡°It was a man from the JSF who had a lot of beastly tattoos all around his body. I remember his appearance clearly, he¡¯s the one person I definitely won¡¯t forgive and I swore to kill him with my own 2 hands.¡± Shiho explained as she got more and more agitated. Upon hearing about her description on how the man that branded her looked, there was no doubt that Raikou was the one who performed that cruel act on her which made me sick.


    ¡°But why are you showing me this?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°I heard that a new student who was supposedly from the JSF was transferring in today so I deduced that you were the one. Please, I know you know. I¡¯ll do anything if it means that I can kill that bastard with my own 2 hands.¡± Shiho claimed in a burst of emotion.


    ¡°Anything?? That sounds a little extreme doesn¡¯t it?¡± I said as my eyes reflexively looked at her slim body which was just clad in her underwear.


    ¡°Wait wait, I won¡¯t do anything ecchi if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Shiho clarified with a slight blush on her cheeks.


    ¡°I know I know, I was just trying to tease you. But besides that, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly did he do that made you hate him so much.¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re going to help me find him I guess you have a right to know. But you are not allowed to tell anyone this understood. The only person that knows about this incident is my Onee-chan.¡±


    Shiho proceeded to take a deep breath as she started her recount of the incident that gave her that brand.


    ¡°3 years ago, when I was 13 and I had yet to awaken my abilities as a Fafnir, I lived a normal day to day life as the second princess of a small town with my parents and my Onee-chan. But one day, a swarm of Exceeds appeared and raided the village without any warning. Naturally, we asked for help from the Fafnirs but they said that they would take about half an hour to get to our location.


    The Exceeds destroyed everything and even kidnapped some women in order to reproduce and all we could do was just wait there for the Fafnirs to come rescue us. At that time when we lost all hope, a man who claimed that he was from the JSF appeared and told us that he could exterminate all the Exceeds for us if we paid him. Naturally my parents agreed and with tremendous strength and speed, all the Exceed were subsequently destroyed within minutes.


    My parents offered a generous monetary reward that was probably enough for him to live comfortably the rest of his life but he kept increasing the amount he wanted. After a point, we could no longer afford the price he was asking for. That beast then suggested to my parents that he take me and my older sister as his slaves which was something they could not stand. At first, I thought he meant physical labor but little did I know that he was referring to another kind of slave. Hence, I decided to offer myself up in place of the both of us to which he agreed.¡±


    ¡°So, he raped you there and then?¡± I asked in the middle of the story.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL, NO!! You would know if you let me finish my story before you interrupted so rudely.¡± Shiho retorted with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°He then took me to a private room in our castle. He ordered me to take off all my clothes but I refused. He then forcefully tore off my beautiful princess gown which left me in my underwear. But he didn¡¯t stop there, his finger turned into some sort of scissors and he cut the middle of my bra off which made it drop to the ground which exposed my breasts, my panties were also forcefully cut off which by then left me naked. He then took out a metallic stick and pressed it onto my abdomen. The stick was so hot that it left this mark on me.


    As he was about to continue his disgusting acts, I could feel unknown power welling up inside me which was probably me awakening my abilities as a Fafnir but at that time I hadn¡¯t learnt how to control them so all I could do was to expunge all the power that was built up which fortunately caught him off guard and scared him enough for him to leave. My sister then came to find me and because she saw my state of undress, I told her the full story and nobody else has heard that story until today. Eventually my sister awakened her abilities too and we were both sent here.¡±


    ¡°That bastard, I always felt that there was something off about him but I didn¡¯t know he did such a heinous act. I promise I¡¯ll help you find that bastard Raikou and let you kill him. Such scum deserves to die.¡± I assured Shiho.


    ¡°Really?!! That¡¯s amazing news, finally I got a lead after 3 years.¡± Shiho exclaimed in joy.


    ¡°But do take note that finding his whereabouts will not be easy as captain level members are not allowed to interfere with other captains so I have no clue where he is hiding. However, there is someone who I¡¯m still in touch with in the JSF that can probably narrow down his location.¡± I informed Shiho.


    ¡°That¡¯s no issue, I¡¯m grateful for the fact that you are already helping me even if it means selling out another member of the JSF.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t take this the wrong way but the members of the JSF don¡¯t exactly get along with each other as they view each other as competition but I particularly dislike Raikou so it¡¯s mutually beneficial for the both of us if you kill him.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Anyways, you must be tired after such a long day so I guess we should get to bed.¡± I reminded Shiho.


    ¡°Good point, we can talk about this tomorrow or any day in fact since we are going to be roommates from today onwards. Oh right, just because we share a room now doesn¡¯t mean that you can do any funny business with me. I¡¯m still a princess and everything so I have high standards.¡± Shiho said with pride.


    ¡°Yes yes princess, don¡¯t worry I have no intention to do anything with my exhausted body.¡± I said as I went back to my bed and fell asleep soon after.


    <u>Shiho¡¯s POV</u>


    ¡°I did it, I¡¯m sharing a room with him!¡± I thought to myself as I did a little victory pose.


    At first, I thought he was just some other guy but he looked so cool while saving me from the clutches of that Exceed. When he said that he would help me find Raikou, my heart just swooned for him.


    ¡°Is this love at first sight?¡± I thought to myself.


    He even complimented my underwear just now so she should have some sort of feeling for me. The problem is that he looks quite close to the president and the vice president who¡¯s apparently his long-lost twin sister but I can¡¯t be sure that he doesn¡¯t see her as a women as well. However, I¡¯m the one sharing a room with him so I guess I have an advantage over them. I always thought it was cliched that princesses in stories will always be saved by a dashing prince charming, however I always wished for one to show up one day and save me from danger and I can''t believe it actually happened.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re the one Kazuha.., the savior I have always dreamt of that will liberate me from my past.¡± I said to myself as I drifted off into sleep next to my new roommate after changing into my nightgown.

 CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER

    <div>


    The bed the school provided felt extremely comfortable. This was probably due to the fact that I haven¡¯t slept in a proper bed for the past 3 years or I was just plain exhausted from the events that happened earlier. Nonetheless, this room is better than what I expected. They rooms were spacious, there was hot water in an attached toilet and best of all, I was sharing it with a cute girl. As I drifted off into the state of being asleep, I felt a slight tug at my shoulder. As my reflexes were honed by the JSF in order to detect threats, I woke up instantly and materialized my Kusari-Kama.


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s just me.¡± A girl¡¯s voice called out amidst the darkness of the room at night.


    ¡°Why what happened, are the Exceeds attacking us again?¡± I asked anxiously.


    ¡°No no, everything¡¯s fine.¡± Shiho reassured me.


    ¡°Oh ok, then what¡¯s the matter? While I am trained by the JSF to survive on less than 2 hours of sleep, I would really appreciate some off time to allow my body to rest since I have the chance.¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°Well.., it¡¯s just that.., can I sleep with you?¡± Shiho asked bashfully while looking like she¡¯s about to die of embarrassment.


    ¡°Wait what??¡± I replied while being surprised.


    ¡°Wait don¡¯t take this the wrong way, it¡¯s not that I want to do ecchi things. I just had a bad nightmare.¡± Shiho explained.


    ¡°Huh??¡± I cocked my head in puzzlement.


    ¡°It¡¯s the drawback of my ability, if I overuse it I will get bad nightmares that are so terrifying that I can¡¯t even go to sleep.¡± Shiho said as she looked like she was about to burst into tears.


    ¡°All right then.¡± I guess she must be so afraid that she wanted someone to comfort her hence I agreed. Another reason was that this was the first time I was going to be sleeping in the same bed as such a cute girl so I had to make the most of the opportunity.


    ¡°Thank you.., if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Shiho said as she slipped into my bed with me.


    The beds were by no means small but with 2 people lying on it, there was just enough room to prevent both of us from falling down. Shiho at that time was just in her thin nightgown which was pure white and I knew that she was just wearing her underwear under it so I had to control my hormones such that I didn¡¯t get excited when she was in the same bed as me.


    I tried to fall asleep quickly so that I wouldn¡¯t lose control of my hormones and do something I will regret or even worse to harm Shiho. Shiho fell asleep almost instantly after entering my bed while I was still struggling to do so as I was not used to having such a cute girl sleep next to me. After about an hour, I finally managed to calm down and fall asleep but I was awoken again by the feeling of something constricting me. I opened my eyes and got ready to attack but I looked around and noticed that it was just Shiho who was hugging me like some sort of pillow. I was about to lose my cool and shrug her off for being woken up the second time when I heard Shiho talking in her sleep.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere, don¡¯t leave me alone, my Savior.¡±


    After hearing that, I decided to just suck it up and tank the suffocating feeling until morning. While I couldn¡¯t deny that being hugged like that felt good, I won¡¯t be able to get any sleep if this happens every day. I looked over at her sleeping face and she looked just like any other regular girl even after the traumatic experience she experienced in the past.


    ¡°Who knew that sharp-tongued princess could have such a cute side to her when she¡¯s asleep.¡± I thought to myself as I eventually drifted off to sleep myself.


    The next morning, I was woken up by the bright rays of the sun which shined through the window of my room. I looked at my watch and checked that the time was 0800H and I had to report to home room by 0830H so that gave me about 15 minutes to get ready and another 15 minutes to get to the school building. Shiho who was next to me was still asleep with one hand on my chest. As much as I liked that feeling, now was not the time to enjoy myself as I had to get ready for my first day. I gently lifted her arm off my chest and proceeded to wash up and change into my new uniform which was custom made given that I was the only male student on the island.


    My uniform was similar to the female uniform which included a white top but instead of the white skirt, I had white pants. After washing up, I checked the time again and it was 0815H which gave me just enough time to walk to class.


    However, there was a problem I just noticed. Shiho was still asleep which meant that she was going to be late and as I heard from her yesterday, students who are late have to serve their punishment in summer classes. I went over and tried to wake her up by tapping her arm but to no avail. I decided to then shake her left and right in view of the lack of time. Eventually, she opened her eyes slightly and looked at her surroundings.


    ¡°10 more minutes..¡± she said as she attempted to drift back into her sleep.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, we¡¯re going to be late and it¡¯s only my first day.¡± I explained to her rationally.


    ¡°Wear my clothes for me then, I¡¯m too tired to do anything.¡± Shiho replied while still half asleep.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, there¡¯s no way I can do that.¡± I retorted with a slightly annoyed tone given that my new roommate was about to make me late on my first day.


    ¡°Fine then, you¡¯re just going to be late on your first day then.¡± Shiho said sarcastically while yawning.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Restia, I need your help.¡± I talked to the crystal on my chest in hope that another female could dress Shiho instead.


    ¡°No way, I am one of the 7 original high ranking Exceeds and I am not going to be used to dress some girl.¡± The crystal argued with an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Ughh, fine then.¡± I eventually had no choice but to comply with Shiho¡¯s selfish request.


    I went over to her side of our room and opened her closet to search for her uniform. Her closet was honestly neater than I had expected with her clothes organized by tops and bottoms. There were also 2 drawers which I dared not open as I assumed they contained her undergarments despite my interest. I took out one set of her school uniform which consisted of a white blouse with a black miniskirt. I then went over to her bed where she finally sat up probably to assist me in dressing her.


    ¡°If you can sit up, you can dress yourself right.¡± I asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m so exhausted after yesterday, don¡¯t you have any empathy.¡± She retorted with her eyes still partially closed.


    ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing.¡± I thought to myself as I did not want to anger her first thing in the morning.


    She then raised her hands in the air which was probably to assist me in taking off her nightgown. I took extra care not to touch her skin at all if possible as I wanted to avoid any unnecessary complaints from her and finally I lifted her white lace nightgown over her head which left her just in her pink underwear. Up close, her skin did look so smooth which reminded me of porcelain but there were the presence of several scars which I assumed were obtained through battles with the Exceeds so I guess she takes good care of her skin befitting of a princess.


    I slipped her hands through the arm holes of her blouse and buttoned it up accordingly. The blouse looked like it fit Shiho¡¯s body perfectly so I assumed they were custom fitted for each student which would make it easier for them to fight when needed similar to my own uniform.


    Next was the tricky part as I had to wear her skirt without accidently touching any weird places. I slid it up her slim legs and she stood up to let me fasten it on her waist. Throughout the whole process, I was holding in my hormones such that I don¡¯t lose control of my powers accidentally but up-close Shiho was really a cute girl at the end of the day so suppressing my lust was extremely hard.


    ¡°There, I¡¯m done, at least wear your own socks and shoes by yourself.¡± I said in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°All right fine.¡± Shiho then eventually woke up and put on her socks and shoes by herself while also tying her light blue hair in twin tails and we took off to class together.


    ¡°By the way, you forgot my garters.¡± Shiho said to me as we were rushing to school.


    The thought of Shiho in garters was so stimulating that I started to flush.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing that.¡± I replied while somewhat blushing.


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re no fun. But anyways, thanks for this morning and last night. However, what happens in our room stays in our room got it. I don¡¯t want any weird rumours spreading because of you.¡± Shiho instructed.


    ¡°Yea yea I got it, I don¡¯t wish to be treated like some kind of pervert on my second day here. Anyways, what class are you in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the Brunhilde class with the other Regalias so you should be there as well since they place us in classes based on combat ability.¡± She explained as we just reached the school building.


    ¡°I see, I guess I feel relieved that there¡¯s at least someone I know in class so that I won¡¯t be left out.¡± I said with a smile as I placed my hand on the classroom door and excitedly opened it to enjoy my new normal school life.


    When I opened the sliding door with the label of Brunhilde, my dream of having a normal school life shattered. The classroom was a mess and it was damaged everywhere, at its centre were 2 blonde girls who were emitting disturbingly powerful auras and death staring each other.


    ¡°Miyu, I am normally indifferent towards your picky eating habits but this is the last straw.¡± The blonde girl who had her hair tied in ponytail said in a serious tone towards her counterpart whose hair was of a similar colour but tied in twin tails.


    ¡°Onee chan, it¡¯s just a sandwich and besides, today is my turn to get the extra piece.¡± The other blonde girl responded sarcastically.


    ¡°Uhh, did we enter the wrong room?¡± I turned over and asked Shiho.


    ¡°Nope, welcome to Brunhilde class. This is pretty much a daily occurrence. Those 2 blonde girls there are Miyu and Mayu and they can start a fight from basically nothing.¡± Shiho explained calmly while having a slightly annoyed expression.


    ¡°I see...¡± I thought to myself as I searched for an empty seat in the classroom that was currently a damaged mess. The 2 girls who were apparently named Miyu and Mayu were still staring each other down and seemed like their auras were nothing less than impressive.


    ¡°Miyu, since you show no sign of repentance, I have no choice but to teach you with my fists the traditional way.¡± The blonde girl with a ponytail said as the aura she was emitting grew even stronger.


    ¡°3-layer Talisman¡­¡± Before she could finish chanting her spell, an even stronger energy erupted out of nowhere that made even a seasoned warrior like me flinch. The energy felt familiar and I instantly remembered where I felt it.


    ¡°Who is fighting first thing in the morning in my classroom!¡± A familiar looking petite girl with silver hair erupted in anger. Contrary to her adorable appearance, the aura she was exuding was probably even stronger than mine.


    After seeing that outburst, both Miyu and Mayu calmed down probably from fear of the president of the student council and her equally terrifying vice-president.


    ¡°She definitely wasn¡¯t kidding when she said that she was the strongest Regalia in the school.¡± I thought to myself.


    Emiri and my sister Kasumi both entered the classroom and they both started lecturing Miyu and Mayu.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the 2 of you are fighting over something so insignificant again. Maybe I should start using more forceful methods in order to discipline the both of you.¡± Emiri said in a sarcastic tone with a sadistic grin on her face.


    Both Miyu and Mayu immediately gulped their saliva and started apologising profusely to Emiri. Meanwhile, Kasumi approached me and complimented my uniform.


    ¡°Good morning Onii-chan, that uniform looks really good on you. I trust you slept well last night?¡± Kasumi asked cheerily while still maintaining her honour student persona.


    ¡°Yea.., I guess you could say that..¡± I replied as nonchalantly as I can while remembering the interesting night I had with Shiho. I took a quick glance over to Shiho and apparently she heard what Kasumi said as well as I could see her face flushing a little.


    Emiri who was done with her lecture then approached me as well and whispered in my ear which was quite a funny scene due to our differences in height.


    ¡°Did nothing happen between you and Shiho last night?? I find that quite hard to believe given that both of you are around that age where curiosity would most likely overcome your rational thought.¡± Emiri said seductively with a playful smirk on her face.


    ¡°Someone of your age should not be using such suggestive language, anyways I would be far more interested in doing such interesting things with you.¡± I replied back in a teasing tone which caught her a little off guard and she started blushing a little.


    Shiho who I assumed heard what I said looked a little annoyed at the comment as she probably thought that she was not attractive in my eyes which was not the case.


    Before Emiri or Shiho could retort, Kasumi instructed everyone to take their seats as class was about to begin.


    <div>

 CHAPTER 5: A NORMAL SCHOOL LIFE?

    As the students in the classroom took their seats, I looked around and realized that the only students in the room were Kasumi, Emiri, Miyu, Mayu, Shiho as well as myself. Additionally, there were only 7 desks in the classroom which was peculiar to me as I was expecting a class to contain more students. I turned over to Shiho who was seated next to me and asked why the class size was so small.


    ¡°Hey Shiho, why does our class have so little students. I¡¯m pretty sure I saw a lot more students in the school.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because this is Brunhilde class. While the rest of the classes indeed contained about 20-30 Fafnirs each, our class is only filled with Regalias and the top rankers in the school.¡± Shiho explained.


    ¡°I see, I assume it¡¯s meant for when Exceed attacks happen and it would certainly be easier to deploy the strongest Regalias if they were all in the same place.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, hence I requested the school to have this arrangement.¡± Emiri chided in proudly.


    ¡°Wait, then why am I in this class as well?¡± I questioned Emiri who was still puffing out her non-existent chest proudly,


    ¡°Well, well, any random person could have seen from a glance during your fight with the dragon Exceed that you are as strong if not stronger than majority of the Fafnirs in the academy. In addition, I would like to research more about your unique abilities hence I decided to throw you in this class HEHEH.¡± Emiri answered confidently.


    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s why I wanted to keep a low profile in the first place.¡± I thought to myself as I accepted my fate that my dreams of having a low-key normal school life are slowly becoming impossible.


    ¡°Wait, there is still one empty seat, is there still someone we are missing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh yea, that¡¯s my Onee-chan¡¯s seat. She doesn¡¯t attend academic related classes and only appears when there is an Exceed attack or combat-related classes.¡± Shiho replied as she looks out the window which shows that her relationship with her older sister is not just as it seems.


    Soon after, a young woman who looked to be in her twenties entered the room. I assumed that she was the teacher given the circumstances but she looked more lost and confused then anything. She was dressed in an all-black pantsuit with nerdy glasses and basically gave off the air that she was an introvert. She took her spot at the teacher¡¯s table in the classroom and placed down the books in her hands before speaking.


    ¡°Good morning.. everyone.¡± She spoke in such a soft and reserved tone such that if someone were to talk at the same time as her, her presence would be completely masked.


    ¡°Today we have a new student joining us and as I am sure all of you know, he is the one and only male Fafnir in the world. I will be your teacher for your classes, you can refer to me as Ms Satsuki.¡± The teacher briefed me in front of the whole class in a soft and demure tone.


    ¡°Sat-chan may seem like a nerdy person who even the crows would not approach but she used to be a powerful Regalia back in her day.¡± Miyu chimed in.


    ¡°Yes that¡¯s right, when she was still active, she was supposedly a top ranker as well.¡± Mayu followed up.


    ¡°I am not that old! And call me Ms Satsuki!¡± Ms Satsuki retorted to the comments by the twins in a tone that was probably considered aggressive for her but to others it would be considered their normal speaking voice.


    ¡°Anyways, Kazuha-san, please give us a self-introduction of yourself alongside your abilities so that we can plan our strategies accordingly if there is an Exceed attack.¡± Ms Satsuki carried on and signalled to me to stand up.


    I then stood up and started my self-introduction, I decided that I was going to not hold anything back and explain everything since I¡¯m sure everyone was going to ask me a lot of questions anyways so I might as well save everyone¡¯s time.


    ¡°My name is Kuzunoha Kazuha, 19 years old and I am a male Regalia. I¡¯m sure most of you are going to be curious about how I obtained Fafnir abilities when I am a male and so I believe that showing you will be easier.¡± I took a deep breath and called out to the Exceed that was living inside of the crystal on my chest.


    ¡°Restia, come on out.¡± I said to myself and a flash of light materialized out of the crystal on my chest and the girl who was clad in a dark purple gothic dress with matching dark purple hair appeared from within it with an annoyed look.


    Before doing anything, she slapped me across the face and reprimanded me which the other girls in the room must have thought to be quite a weird scene as Restia looked no older then Emiri who looked like a kid.


    ¡°Kazuha you bastard, do you think I am some tool in some sort of magic show where you just use me to show off to others.¡± The girl chided while pouting.


    While this scene was definitely weird, the first one to break the silence was Kasumi as she gasped and exclaimed.


    ¡°Did you call that little girl Restia, as in Restia the lust, one of the legendary 7 original SSS-class Exceeds!.¡± As Kasumi said that out loud, the realization hit the rest of the girls in the class and they took turns exclaiming their surprise.


    ¡°I would prefer you not call me by that inaccurate and rather misleading title.¡± Restia said sarcastically.


    ¡°Anyways, she is the reason why I am able to use abilities despite being a male. I entered into a contract with her a few years back and so I gained the Regalia ability to control and manipulate wind.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Wait, then explain how you were able to use my meteor ability yesterday when that Exceed attacked us.¡± Shiho demanded as I had expected as it was already rare enough for a Fafnir to gain an ability and it was unheard of since yesterday for a Fafnir to be able to use 2 Regalia abilities. The girls in the class looked to me for an explanation but despite my resolve to explain everything, I felt that it would definitely cause a stir if I gave a complete answer hence I decided to just give a vague one.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°That is special in the sense that certain conditions have to be met for me to use another Regalia¡¯s abilities. And I would try not to resort to that unless I have no choice. Let¡¯s just say that the drawbacks to my abilities far outweigh the boons they bring so I would try not to use my Regalia abilities unless there is no other choice. However, I would say that I am quite proficient in hand-to-hand combat with several weapons such as the Kusari-Kama, Naginata, Twin Katanas and the longsword even without the use of my abilities so I shouldn¡¯t drag you girls down too much.¡± I explained calmly.


    ¡°What exactly is that condition you mentioned and what is the drawback?¡± My sister asked as I am sure that she is most likely the one who is the most curious about my newfound abilities given that we have not seen each other for the past few years.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I am unable to explain any further as it is quite sensitive to me but I will definitely explain everything when the time comes.¡± I said as I started to flush a little at the thought of the condition to allow me to use the abilities of other Regalias I mentioned.


    After I finished my introductions, all the girls in the class clapped and I took my seat once again and Restia dematerialized back into the crystal on my chest while yawning. Ms Satsuki then thanked me for my introduction on my abilities and asked the girls to each take turns to introduce themselves to me. Emiri stood up first and spoke in her usual confident tone. This allowed me to take a good look at her uniform which was a white blouse with a black mini skirt that looked to be in the size for a child.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know who I am but I will reintroduce myself for your sake. I am Nakano Emiri the student council president, 19 years of age, currently the top 1 ranker in the academy. My ability is known as Dimension Ripper and it has several uses but most commonly, it allows me to interfere with dimensional laws such as allowing me to teleport. The drawback however is quite embarrassing for me hence I will not talk about it. In addition, I am granted the nickname The True Monster so remember not to get on my bad side.¡± Emiri said in a smile and a cute appearance which was quite contradictory to her last statement which seemed like a threat.


    ¡°I guess I shall go next as the next ranker in line, even though I¡¯m sure we will get to know each other very well soon enough since we are sharing a room together.¡± Shiho exclaimed proudly while she stood up and Emiri took her seat.


    As she said that statement, I could feel the looks of disgust from all the girls in the classroom as they probably think that I am some sort of beast who will take advantage of a women sleeping in the same room. I would like to say that they are wrong but it definitely sounds tempting.


    Shiho stood up and I was not surprised at her uniform given that I am the one who dressed her in the first place but I thought to myself that she really looks good in that uniform.


    ¡°I am Sasaki Shiho, second daughter of the prestigious Sasaki family and princess, my ability as you have seen yesterday is known as Star Creation where I can create and manipulate stars filled with energy. My ability¡¯s drawback is also a little embarrassing so I shall not elaborate more on it. I am currently the number 2 ranker in the school and I have the nickname The Starry Phantasm which sounds more like a children¡¯s book then a title.


    Shiho said in her professional tone as befitting of a princess and quickly returned to her seat and Kasumi stood up after her as she was the number 3 ranker in the school. Her uniform was the same but with the addition of a blazer and tie which signalled her being a part of the student council, and black leggings which honestly made her look even more feminine. I gave myself a quick slap on the cheek before my mind wandered even further as she was my sister and I am here to protect her not to get excited over her.


    ¡°I am sure some of you know that I am the younger twin sister of Kazuha-san, Kuzunoha Kasumi, 19 years of age and my ability is known as Augment. My ability is rather simple as it allows me to increase the physical abilities of myself or others and similarly, the drawback is that the increase in physical ability will be compensated with another aspect of that person¡¯s body. As much as I dislike the nickname given to me, I must say I like sound of The Lone Huntress as it helps strike fear into those I am trying to discipline when I am doing my job as the Vice-president of the student council.¡± Kasumi said with confidence as I thought to myself that maybe she was going to be the one protecting me with how strong she has become.


    Kasumi quickly returned to her seat and the 2 blonde girls Miyu and Mayu stood up together. Both of their uniforms were slightly different from the rest of the girls as their blouses were long-sleeved instead of short-sleeved which the rest of the girls were wearing. The girl with her hair tied in a ponytail spoke first however she looked like she was going to fall asleep at any moment.


    ¡°I am Fukushima Miyu and I am 14 years old. My ability is to summon and control Shikigami. I am the rank 4 student in the school. My ability is also a simple one similar to Kasumi Onee-chan, and its drawback is that my shikigami all have minds of their own and they often feed off my energy as a form of payment so I am usually have very low-energy.¡± Miyu said as she went back to her seat and placed her head on the table looking like she¡¯s preparing to take a nap.


    Her twin sister whose hair is tied in twin tails spoke next and the vibe she gave was completely different as she looked to be overly energetic and impulsive.


    ¡°As you can already tell, I am Fukushima Mayu the twin sister of Fukushima Miyu and my ability is to cast spells and traps with the use of my talismans. However, my ability takes a long time to get ready so I guess you can consider that as its drawback. I am the rank 5 student in the school just a little lower then onee-chan and even though we do not have titles just yet, I can assure you that we are plenty strong in our own rights.¡± The childish looking girl spoke with a matching childish tone with a hint of arrogance.


    ¡°Well, it is very nice to be able to meet all of you and I hope that we have a fun time together as a class.¡± I stood up and said to the cute girls in my class. One could say that this would be the dream of any male in school which is to be surrounded by a group of beautiful girls not to mention that I am sharing a room with one of them. However, the reality is that we are only in this class together as a fighting force to combat the threat of the Exceeds.


    After all the introductions were done, Ms Satsuki took her place back in the front of the classroom and looked at the empty table which was apparently meant for Shiho¡¯s older sister and sighed.


    ¡°I wish Risa would come to class more often, I understand that she finds academics boring and only attends the practical classes but she is still a student at the end of the day so she should still be studying.¡± Ms Satsuki monologues to herself while the name Risa stood out to me as it was the same name as the girl I saved yesterday from that worm Exceed.


    ¡°I guess it makes sense since she is a Regalia as well that she would be in this class but I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be the older sister of my roommate. I can¡¯t believe I managed to see both sisters half-naked on my first day, what amazing luck.¡± I thought to myself and subconsciously looked towards Shiho who would probably get angry and threaten to castrate me again if she knew I saw her older sister in that state.


    As Ms Satsuki was about to start the lesson proper, a loud alarm blared across the speakers in the room and while I was still stunned on what was happening, all the girls in the class alongside Ms Satsuki suddenly had a serious look on their faces as they all quickly got up from their desks and quickly exited the classroom and headed towards the corner of the school.


    ¡°Wait what''s happening?¡± I asked the girls around me who were all rushing with serious looks on their faces.


    ¡°We are being attacked. And that specific loud alarm means that it is an Exceed of at least S-Class.¡±

 CHAPTER 6: THE BATTLE BEGINS

    I followed the girls in Brunhilde class to a room in the corner of the school where the room was filled with computers and cameras showing footage of all around the school. It reminded me of the briefing rooms I used to go to receive orders from my superiors in the JSF which I assumed was what this room was meant for as well. The girls all took their seats in the room and there was a familiar looking girl sitting inside. Her light blue hair was unmistakable as it was the same as her sister¡¯s who was my roommate. She was most likely Sasaki Risa who was the last member of Brunhilde Class.


    Upon making eye contact with me, she quickly approached me and thanked me once again.


    ¡°It seems we meet again, I apologize that I was in such an unpresentable state the previous time we met.¡± Risa said while bowing slightly showing her respect for me.


    ¡°Oh no, I apologize as well for not properly introducing myself, my name is Kuzunoha Kazuha and I am a new student in Brunhilde class. Besides, you gave me quite a good view yesterday so I have to thank you for that as well.¡± I reciprocated her greetings respectfully but I could sense some tension coming from the other girls in the room.


    ¡°I see you are getting along well with my older sister, Kazuha-kun..¡± Shiho said with a hint of jealousy in her voice.


    ¡°Onii-san, what is this I hear about you seeing a good view from Risa-san yesterday.¡± I could sense the annoyance in Kasumi¡¯s voice and I was going to brace myself for a lecture but Emiri quickly silenced everyone as Ms Satsuki was about to start talking.


    ¡°The current situation is worse than we thought, there is not only 1 high level Exceed near our school but the energy it is emitting is far stronger than anything we have faced before.¡± Ms Satsuki spoke with absolute seriousness that was nothing like her meek introverted demeanor as a teacher which shows to me how grave our current situation is.


    ¡°Kazuha managed to handle that huge dragon Exceed yesterday all by himself right, this one shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± Shiho remarked nonchalantly as she looked towards me with awe in her eyes but for some reason I had a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°I believe that would be highly unlikely even with Onii-chan¡¯s strength as the dragon that attacked yesterday was a mere A-class Exceed, the one that is on its way to our school is S-class and they are known to be roughly about 5 times more powerful than an A-class.¡± Kasumi replied matter-of-factly which reinforced how strong this upcoming threat is going to be.


    ¡°The Exceed that is approaching our school is the S-class Exceed Wyvern and it is said to be difficult to defeat even with 2-3 Regalias so be careful when combating it later. It is currently about 500 miles away from us but with its insanely quick mobility, it should reach us within 20 minutes so all of you get ready to combat them. Kasumi, as usual you will be taking command of the battlefield. Miyu and Mayu the 2 of you are going to search for the girl who the Exceed has marked as its mate and quickly evacuate all the students from the school building.¡± Ms Satsuki briefed as all the girls nodded and started to warm themselves up and mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming battle that was definitely not going to be easy.


    Just then, a big alarm flashed on one of the computer screens and a girl¡¯s face appeared. She looked quite cute if not for the fact that her expression was grim. Her appearance gave off the vibes that she was a sheltered rich lady and the way she spoke carried a dignified air however, she seemed more panicked and scared rather than anything else at the moment.


    ¡°SEND HELP!, this is Ayame from Liocott Girls Academy and we are being heavily attacked by a large group of powerful Exceeds. Many of our Fafnirs have already been injured in battle and the few Regalias we have are doing their best to hold off the Exceeds but they are not going to be able to hold on for much longer..¡±


    The connection was suddenly cut off and the screen turned black. Emiri and Kasumi both looked extremely worried as it was not normal for there to be multiple high level Exceeds attacking at the same time at 2 different locations.


    Murmurs began to spread between the girls in the room on how we are going to manage this looming crisis of the Wyvern approaching our school on top of Liocott Girls Academy requesting for backup. Amidst the panic and internal discussions, Emiri stood up and took control of the situation.


    ¡°Listen up, we do not have time to spare so I¡¯ll make this quick, Kasumi and I will travel to Liocott¡¯s aid through my dimension ripper ability. The rest of you will stay here to combat the Wyvern to minimize casualties and damages to the best of your abilities.¡± Emiri ordered calmly.


    ¡°But president, with the 2 of you leaving, do we even stand a chance against that monster by ourselves.¡± Mayu questioned anxiously yet still with a level-headed mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure its fine, Shiho is still here and we have Kazuha now who is probably at the level of the top rankers. However, remember that your lives come first and y¡¯all just have to hold out until we return.¡± Emiri explained calmly while looking towards me giving to me a look that spoke a thousand words.


    ¡°Keep them safe.¡±


    Emiri then materialized a huge crimson claw on her right hand that was probably about the same size as her and with a downward slash, a portal formed through the rip in space and both her and Kasumi headed inside, while the twins and Ms Satsuki headed off to quickly find the girl who the Wyvern has supposedly chosen as its mate and is coming to collect which left just myself, Shiho and Risa in the room.


    ¡°Onee-chan, I want you to let Kazuha and I handle this.¡± Shiho said with a dead serious expression on her face to Risa who was shocked at the sudden declaration.


    ¡°Tsk, I know I am not good at academics but in combat I am able to hold myself decently well and there is no way that the 2 of you are going to be enough to handle that monster on your owns.¡± Risa retorted with a look of anger.


    ¡°Onee-chan, it¡¯s not that I am worried about your combat skills but rather it¡¯s because I know you and your character and I know that you will stop at nothing to achieve your goals. Including overusing your ability.¡± Shiho explained calmly with a look of concern.


    ¡°I assume that your concern has something to do with the drawback of her ability. She is a Regalia with the ability of water manipulation right, with us being on an island in the middle of the sea, would her abilities not be extremely strong.¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, my sister¡¯s abilities do indeed grow stronger in the presence of large bodies of water but every time she uses her abilities, her body gets more and more dehydrated and if she overuses it when she has no more available water in her body, her ability will use up her blood as a price of her abilities which is something I cannot bear to see.¡± Shiho answered with a tear dripping down her face.


    Risa then approached Shiho and gave her a hug and reassured her.


    ¡°I truly appreciate your concern for me but your onee-chan is not so weak that I need my younger sister to worry so much about me.¡±


    ¡°However, you seemed to be struggling against that worm Exceed yesterday if I had not stepped in..¡± I thought to myself as I did not want to ruin this beautiful moment of sisterly love.


    A deafening roar soon shook the school and the 3 of us materialized our weapons and quickly left to combat the Wyvern.


    The wyvern Exceed had the appearance of a dragon-like creature with bat-like wings, a serpentine body, and powerful hind legs. With its sleek and aerodynamic form towering over us, it is a master of flight and a formidable predator. Even when I was a part of the JSF, I had never faced something of this scale before but this was not the time to back down.


    The Wyvern noticed us approaching it and started to engage in combat with us. It quickly swooped down to the ground in an attempt to collide with us but with armed with my Kusari-Kama, I managed to create a dome of wind to protect us and deflect the head-on collision. Shiho took the opportunity to create several golden stars with her huge scythe and placed them all over the Wyvern¡¯s gargantuan body.


    ¡°IMPLODE, GLORIOSA!!¡± Shiho exclaimed as the golden stars all exploded around the Wyvern leaving only a cloud of smoke.


    However, when the smoke cleared, the Wyvern roared once again and there were no signs of any damage being done to it. The dragon was evidently enraged and started to charge up energy in its mouth. With a deafening scream, it fired an extremely powerful blast of energy at the 3 of us that was too fast to dodge and react. I quickly braced myself for the impact and closed my eyes but the impact never happened.


    Upon reopening my eyes, I saw that a huge wall of talismans was protecting us and absorbed the blast. I took a closer look and saw Mayu nearby who was probably the one who deployed the talisman wall. A blast of lightning soon rained down on the Wyvern forcing it to put up its guard. I took this chance to signal to Risa and Shiho to find a safe spot to regroup as this Wyvern was clearly not going to be beaten through normal means. Miyu and Mayu soon rejoined us and updated us about the current situation.


    ¡°I assume that lightning blast just now was done by one of your Shikigamis, thank you for having our backs and thank you Mayu for setting up that talisman wall just now.¡± I graciously thanked Miyu who looked like she was about to fall asleep and Mayu who looked the opposite and was raring to go fight that monster.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°We appreciate the thanks but now is not the time to do so.¡± Mayu said as she looked towards her twin sister which meant that she probably had something to say as well.


    ¡°We searched all over the school but we could not find anyone whose crystal has changed color from being selected as a mate.¡± Miyu explained while looking clearly exhausted.


    ¡°Yes, Onee-chan is right, I thought such powerful Exceeds only attacked when they were searching for a mate. It does not make any sense.¡± Mayu followed up.


    ¡°Yes, I realized that as well, when we were fighting it earlier, that Wyvern seemed to be more focused on engaging in combat with us and causing destruction rather than searching for a mate. Something is definitely off with that beast.¡± I analyzed calmly as Shiho and Risa nodded which as well confirmed that they had a similar feeling as me.


    ¡°Furthermore, when Shiho attacked it earlier, it seemed like it took no damage which was also surprising given that Fafnir weapons have been proven to be able to damage even the strongest of Exceeds not to mention that Shiho is a top ranker so her strength should definitely have caused at least some damage.¡± Risa shared her observations which made me think about how that is the case.


    A sudden realization hit me on this whole weird encounter, the fact that there were multiple large-scale attacks on 2 different academies at the same time, the fact that the Wyvern attacked us without any intention of seeking a mate and how we are doing no damage to it even with our tetra weapons and Regalia abilities.


    ¡°That Wyvern is being controlled by something or someone and I have a bad feeling on who it is.¡± I exclaimed as the epiphany came to me which surprised the girls and they all looked towards me in confusion with them being lost for words as it has never been heard of for people to be able to control Exceeds to do their bidding.


    ¡°Trust me on this, I need to confirm my theory but if I am right, the situation is going to get even more troublesome.¡± I instinctively looked towards the location of the Lion¡¯s brand on Shiho¡¯s abdomen and thought to myself that it was almost too convenient that I would be able to help her get her revenge on that sick bastard so quickly and easily.


    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have much of a choice anyways, so I guess I trust you Kazuha.¡± Risa looked towards me and extended her hand to signal that she is willing to help me and is placing full trust in me.


    ¡°We trust in you too.¡± Shiho and the twins looked towards me as well and awaited my next instruction on how to combat that beast. As if on cue, the Wyvern roared out once again and started to use its large talons to attack the school building.


    ¡°All the students have been evacuated from the school building right?¡± I asked Miyu and Mayu to which they both nodded.


    ¡°Ok that¡¯s good, if my guess is right, there should be a mark at the core of the Wyvern and if we destroy that mark, that Wyvern should return to being a normal Exceed which means that our weapons and abilities should be able to inflict damage on it.¡± I explained my plan to the girls who were all listening attentively.


    ¡°Wait, but how are we going to reach its core when our attacks just now didn¡¯t even scratch him.¡± Shiho asked.


    ¡°If my hunch is correct, it¡¯s not that our attacks are not dealing damage to it but with the presence of the mark, its natural regeneration abilities are heightened such that it appears that we are not damaging it. Hence, I believe that if we strike it with enough damage at the same time, there will be a lapse in time where its external skin would be exposed and we can see its core. From there, I will be able to destroy the mark on its core.¡± I further explained.


    ¡°I got it! So, we just have to blast that monster with everything we got right.¡± Mayu eagerly asked to which I confirmed.


    The girls and I proceeded to start channeling our energy into our most powerful attacks. I switched my ability to Shiho¡¯s star creation as it was more destructive and powerful as opposed to my wind abilities.


    ¡°Blade of water fifth strike, PIERCING SPIRAL SPEAR!¡± Risa used her rapier to form a massive spear made out of water and launched it at the Wyvern.


    ¡°5-Layered Talisman magic, LUMINOUS CANNON!¡± Mayu placed 5 talismans that floated in the air in the shape of a pentagon that glowed with a bright silver light and a beam of energy emerged from the center of the pentagon and fired at the Wyvern.


    ¡°God of thunder, IKAZUCHI and God of fire, KAZUCHI lend me your strength, SPARK FLAME CYCLONE!¡± Miyu summoned 2 miniature humans who I assumed were her Shikigamis. One of them glowed yellow while the other glowed red and both of them combined into a blast that looked like a spiral of yellow and red.


    I looked towards Shiho who was setting up her stars and I did the same mimicking her form. She looked at me to give me the signal that she was ready to explode them and I returned her glance which showed that I was ready as well. The 2 of us got into position and chanted together.


    ¡°BURST INTO BLOOM, SIGDRAFIA!!¡± I mimicked her form and poured my energy into the stars that transformed into a lotus shaped spiral and engulfed the Wyvern. Compared to the blast from yesterday which Shiho used on me, this one was a lot more powerful since the 2 of us were doing it together.


    With all the attacks flying towards the Wyvern at the same time, accompanied by the fact that its mobility was severely restricted from mine and Shiho¡¯s combined attack, the combined blast landed a direct blow on the Wyvern Exceed. There was now a gaping hole in the chest of the Wyvern where its core rested. Sure enough, I was right as there was indeed the mark of a lion on top of its core. That presence of that mark made everything that led up to this point made sense and I was filled with nothing but uncontrollable rage as I switched back to my wind abilities and leaped towards the exposed core in order to destroy the mark and subsequently its core. I quickly equipped my spear while running at my top speed and headed towards the Wyvern that was quickly recovering from the damage it had sustained.


    ¡°Kuzunoha style spear ninth technique, GALE WIND SHOCK!!¡± I built up energy in my spear and dived at the core from mid-air in an attempt to destroy the Lion mark and the core in one attack.


    ¡°GOOO KAZUHA!!!¡± Risa and Shiho shouted out and I could feel their trust in me to get the job done. However, before my fully charged up spear managed to make impact, a figure quickly appeared in front of me and with one punch to my abdomen, he made me fly at least 10 metres away into a pile of rubble.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it, I may have dropped my guard a little in order to empower my spear to its maximum potential but for someone to be that fast and react to my speed and to launch me a considerable distance away. This guy definitely is not some nobody, and the worse part was that it was probably the last person I wanted to see.


    The man who punched me was huge with a massive frame, his body was filled with many beastly tattoos and the aura he emitted was nothing short of terrifying. In addition, his insatiable bloodlust and keen sense for battle was what made him truly fearsome. That man was Captain Raikou, a man so feared by other members of the JSF that he attained the nickname the wild beast.


    ¡°You have gone soft Kazuha, I remember when you were compared to a hurricane or tornado, what I have just witnessed was nothing more than a calm spring breeze.¡± The man named Raikou spoke in a condescending and mocking tone.


    Anger built up within me not only due to my dislike for him when I was still in the JSF but also because of what he did to Shiho. I swore I would help her get her revenge and the opportunity just came to me on a silver platter. The girls around us were speechless and could not react to the scene that had just unfolded in front of their eyes. Shiho however, looked at him and bile started to build up in her stomach as her rage was equal to mine if not more.


    ¡°You sick bastard, I have spent all these years finding you in order to exact my revenge and here you are right in front of me, don¡¯t think for a second that I am going to hold anything back.¡± Shiho shouted in anger at Raikou but I knew that her threats were empty as her energy was almost depleted after casting that powerful attack on the Wyvern just now and if I knew that, Raikou most definitely did as well since my ability to sense energy was taught to me by him back when I was in the JSF.


    ¡°Oh, this little girl here looks familiar, that pale blue hair and feisty attitude, there¡¯s no mistaking it, you are that princess from the Sasaki family which I branded a few years back. HAHAH, what a coincidence, I guess it¡¯s time to finish what I didn¡¯t get to do all those years ago.¡± Raikou declared to the surprise of Miyu and Mayu who did not know about their interaction in the past.


    ¡°Raikou, you bastard, don¡¯t even think about laying your disgusting fingers on her. Your fight is with me.¡± I declared as I started to build up energy in order to engage in combat with him.


    Before I could do anything, Risa who was enraged at Raikou as well charged at him head-on with her rapier but to no avail as he easily deflected her attack and with one hand broke her rapier in 2.


    ¡°I do not have time to deal with small fry like you, fuck off you weak piece of shit.¡± He exclaimed as he used his other hand to knock Risa to the ground and made her unconscious.


    With a blink of an eye, he immediately appeared in front of Shiho and confidently declared.


    ¡°We shall carry on from where we left off, I shall be taking you as a spoil of my battle here today HAHAHAH.¡± He laughed like a maniac as he delivered a blow to her gut with one hit which made her lose consciousness and carried her petite body with his other hand and was going to leave but I was not going to let Shiho experience the same fate.


    ¡°Restia unlock one of the seals!¡± I called out as the purple haired goth girl appeared and gave me a reminder of what I am about to do.


    ¡°Are you sure about this Kazu-Kun, you know the price to pay don¡¯t you.¡± She said in her usual seductive and playful tone that was ironic given the current serious atmosphere.


    ¡°I DON¡¯T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THAT NOW,  I need that power to beat Raikou and save Shiho.¡± I demanded in a fit of rage as Restia nodded and kissed me on the lips. Power flowed through my body but I was too angry at that point in time to realize what I would be losing in exchange for that power.


    I dematerialized my spear and equipped my Naginata and prepared to launch my all-out attack against Raikou. I leaped and rotated my naginata in a constant spiral motion with each revolution leading to more and more accumulated power.


    ¡°Kuzunoha style Finisher technique, TORNADO SPIRAL ATTACK!!¡± I leaped and flew towards Raikou in a spiral motion akin to a drill and headed straight for him. With this much power, I thought that Raikou would sense it and get a little afraid as this is the strongest attack I have in my arsenal. However, I was wrong once again as he did not look one bit afraid but instead he looked ecstatic.


    ¡°Now this is the Kazuha I knew from the JSF, I see you have finally decided to get serious, however I am a busy man and time is of the essence so I am afraid that I am just going to leave you with this Wyvern to battle. Goodbye and good riddance.¡± Raikou said as he instantly vanished into thin air with his usual cocky smirk on his face.


    My attack instead hit the Wyvern and I destroyed its core in one attack but that was not nearly enough as a compensation for what I had lost.


    I collapsed onto the floor and pounded it with my fists in a fit of rage leading to a mini crater being formed around me as I shouted with all the air in my lungs.


    ¡°FUCKKKK!!!!¡±


    The body of the Wyvern soon dematerialized due to its core being destroyed and as if the sky responded to my feelings, it started to darken and rain fell. However, I did not care about getting wet or dirty from the rain but rather how I let another girl whom I cared about be taken away from me like this. How can I be so weak? How many times must this happen before I am able to do something about it? First, Mizuki and now its Shiho.. Why am I so useless?


    Tears started to trickle down my face and I broke down with my emotions in a mess. Soon after, I blacked out from the use of a sealed technique which had consumed all my mana.


    Little did I know that this was just the beginning.

 EXTRA CHAPTER 1: PENT UP

    ¡°Tsk, what an annoying mission, that A-class Boar Exceed I was tasked to exterminate by Major Zech was a complete waste of my time and effort.¡± I thought to myself as I entered the JSF¡¯s aircraft carrier that was meant to transport me from place to place.


    ¡°I thought it was rather interesting to watch you struggle with attempting to catch a wild boar that brought you through its whole habitat of the mud lands. At least I thought it was funny, Kazu-kun.¡± The crystal on my chest verbalized to me with her usual playful voice.


    ¡°Shut it Restia, thanks to that overgrown pig I am now both tired and covered in mud.¡± I snapped back at the Exceed that was living inside my Fafnir crystal.


    As I boarded the aircraft carrier that was meant to pick me up from my mission, all the troopers that were present instantly saluted me as I walked past them which showed how much those of captain ranks and above are revered.


    The carrier was meant just for me and the troopers assigned to my squad as captains and above had their own personal transportation vehicle to show their dominance to others and motivate those of lower ranks to climb the ranks to receive such privileges.


    While I preferred working alone since I was more than capable of handling missions by myself, Major Zech insisted that those men that he attached in my unit will benefit greatly from watching me work hence I relented and agreed as long as they did not obstruct me in my battles.


    I quickly returned to my quarters on board the aircraft and took a shower to rinse off the sweat and mud that was all over my tired body. I always liked taking showers on board the aircraft carrier as it provided me a period of peace and quiet amidst all the constant fighting.


    ¡°Kazu-kun, you look so tired.., would you like me to wash your back for you?¡± The familiar seductive voice called out which broke the very silence I was looking forward to after my assigned mission was completed.


    ¡°Not interested, you don¡¯t like getting wet anyways and I would prefer to take my baths myself.¡± I rejected firmly despite how tempting the offer sounded.


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re no fun Kazu-kun, its no wonder you don¡¯t have a girlfriend even when you¡¯re already 19 years old.¡± Restia teased.


    I decided to ignore her comment and finished my bath before returning to my bedroom. Normally orders and assigned missions would be placed on my tabletop in my room before I returned from a mission which meant that back-to-back missions happened quite often.


    While I was more or less used to this kind of lifestyle, I wouldn¡¯t mind having a break for once since people at my age would normally be in school studying or hanging out with their friends.


    True enough, when I entered my bedroom, there was a sealed envelope on my tabletop from Major Zech once again which probably signaled another mission.


    ¡°Another one.., Exceed attacks are happening way to frequently nowadays, I can barely even catch a break.¡± I sighed to myself as I ripped open the envelope and started reading the letter.


    ¡°My Dear Spring Breeze, I hope that boar didn¡¯t give you too much problems. Oh who am I kidding, knowing you the boar barely survived for more than 5 minutes after you arrived. Anyways, I am pleased to inform you that your missions for today have been completed and you are free to take the rest of the day off. Of course, I would wish for you to enjoy it by relaxing and recharging yourself but I wouldn¡¯t exactly mind if you paid me a visit and allowed me to ¡°recharge you¡± myself.¡±


    I shuddered at the thought of the Major ¡°recharging me¡± as he was always a peculiar one but anyways it was amazing news that I had no other tasks to complete for today which allowed me to go to sleep for the rest of the day and rest my body.


    I quickly jumped onto the military bed which was meant more for functionality than comfort and fell asleep shortly after.


    When I was asleep, I dreamt about how my life would have been if I was not a part of the JSF and still in school. I would probably be enjoying life with a cute girlfriend by my side and doing all sorts of perverse things with her. Soon after, an image of a typical naked Japanese school girl popped out in my head and I would be lying if I said that I wasn¡¯t excited.


    As I was about to reach out and touch her naked breasts, she disappeared as I was forcefully awoken by the aircraft carrier bumping into something.


    ¡°Noooo, my naked school girl..¡± I screamed out while being pissed off as I was interrupted just before the good part. The crystal on my chest then glowed and a purple haired girl with a childish appearance dressed in a purple goth lolita outfit appeared next to me.


    ¡°Shut the hell up, Kazu-kun. A rest day for you means a rest day for me too so I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep your volume down.¡± The girl snapped at me.


    ¡°Ahh I¡¯m sorry about that Restia. I¡¯ll keep my volume down. I understand it must be tough for you as well when we have back-to-back missions.¡± I quickly apologized as I did not want to deal with her being angry on my rest day.


    Strangely, I felt a weird slimy sensation at my crotch area when I was trying to go back to sleep. I quickly unbuttoned my pants and saw that my underwear was stained with semi-translucent white liquid.


    ¡°No way right.., I am already 19 years old, how can I still be having wet dreams.¡±


    I sighed as I unwillingly got up from my bed and walked towards my wardrobe to change my underwear and pants. As I got up, Restia immediately noticed the suspicious stain on my underwear and came over to get a closer look which having a playful grin on her face.


    ¡°Oh dear Kazu-kun, I wonder what kind of dream you were having.., certainly it was quite a risqu¨¦ one I assume.¡± Restia questioned playfully.


    ¡°Give me a break, I¡¯m probably just pent-up that¡¯s all. It¡¯s been a while since I last had any interactions with females my age all right.¡± I quickly snapped back as I did not want to carry on this conversation any further.


    While it was not uncommon for members of the JSF to seek out prostitutes or other sexual services during off days to release their pent-up hormones, I never bothered doing that since I was only interested in females my age. Now that I recall, I have had little to no female interactions since I joined the JSF when I was 13 years old which is when puberty would normally hit males.


    I would have such wet dreams up till I was 15 years old but I did not think much of them since they were a part of puberty. However, this was the first one I have had in years since my puberty ended.


    ¡°I guess I must really be pent-up.¡± I thought to myself while searching for new clothes to change into.


    ¡°Haiz, what am I going to do with such a master. I guess you need a way to release all your pent-up hormones after all.¡± Restia said with a seductive tone which was second-nature to her but this time I felt that she was serious.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± I questioned back feigning ignorance.


    ¡°Oh you pervert, making a young pure beautiful maiden as myself say such crude words.¡± Restia said bashfully.


    ¡°I agree you are beautiful but since when were you young and pure?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°How rude, I like to say that I am considered to be the same age as you since our lives are linked together by our contract and I am still a virgin ok!¡± She quickly retorted.


    Well I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting that, I thought for sure that with the way she normally acts, she would be experienced but I guess you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.


    ¡°Kazu-kun, it would be quite a hassle for the laundry department if you kept staining your pants wouldn¡¯t it. I guess I shall be gracious today and humor you with whatever you want me to do.¡±


    I gulped. Never in the many years that I knew Restia would I have ever thought that she would suggest something like this. Sure she was a beautiful girl who looked to be around my age at the end of the day but I have only saw her as a friend and partner in battle.


    ¡°Come on, hurry it up, can¡¯t you be more understanding of how embarrassing this must be for a maiden such as myself.¡± Restia chided as I could feel my libido rising with thoughts of performing sexual acts with her.


    ¡°Okay fine, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then.¡± I replied as thoughts of all the porn I have watched before come flooding into my mind as I think about what to do with her first.


    ¡°Hey, I am not a prostitute okay, I hope you remember that our souls are linked so I can tell what you are thinking of if I really wanted to. I¡¯ll only humor you for one thing alright.¡±


    She quickly snapped at me which honestly made me a little disappointed since I could only choose one thing to do with her. I quickly thought through all the different genres and finally decided on one that I absolutely wanted to do.


    ¡°I guess you have made your choice, come tell me your request and I one of the 7-original Exceeds will grant you your wish.¡±


    ¡°I want you to give me a hand job while naked.¡±


    I confidently spoke my request and was expecting a look of disgust or judgement from Restia but instead she just sighed and commented.


    ¡°Aww, that¡¯s quite vanilla no? I was expecting something more wild. But whatever, it is your choice after all. Would you like me to make my clothes disappear immediately?¡±


    Since Restia¡¯s body was not human but rather made up of mana, she can alter her appearance freely whenever she wants to. Hence she could literally have chosen any outfit and ultimately decided on looking like a goth lolita. While her ability to remove her clothes instantly was convenient, I rejected her as removing her clothes by myself was going to be half the fun.


    ¡°Alright then, whenever you are ready.¡± Restia commented as I could see her face blushing a little since this was probably her first time doing something like this as well.


    I walked over to her petite body and examined her outfit. Her dress was a one-piece that was purple in color and adorned with black lace. The hem ended at her kneecaps which was probably purposely done by her when she was choosing her outfit. The first thing I did was to untie the huge black bow at the back of her dress which was keeping her dress tight.


    With a slow tug, the bow came undone and I could feel her dress loosening up. Next, I slowly moved my hands to the 2 shoulder straps of her dress and caressed them slowly enjoying every seam and moment. With my left hand, I slid the strap off her shoulder and she assisted by pulling her left hand through the strap. Soon after, my right hand did the exact same and removed the right shoulder strap.


    The moment was magical as her dress soon fell to the floor with a swift motion and surrounded her beautiful porcelain legs in a circle. There, Restia was clad in only her underwear standing in front of me with a bashful appearance. Her underwear complemented her goth loli outfit as she was wearing a light purple camisole with white frills. Her panties were matching as they were light purple lace that was adorned with an equal amount of white frills and a cute black lace ribbon at the top.


    It was safe to say that the scene mesmerized me as I could not stop staring at her.


    ¡°Hey Kazu-kun, stop staring and hurry it up, if you take any longer I am going to catch a cold.¡± She quickly berated me with a flushed face.


    ¡°Oh oh, I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t help staring at your beautiful body. Why don¡¯t you appear like this the next time I summon you?¡±


    ¡°How rude, I have my pride as well and besides, this is a special service only for you. And it seems that you have gotten quite excited as well.¡± She playfully said while looking at my exposed and fully erected penis.


    ¡°Wait, when did this happen, I can¡¯t believe I got so worked up just by seeing Restia in her underwear. I hope she doesn¡¯t find out I have an underwear fetish.¡± I thought to myself.


    ¡°What''s the problem? Are you going to stop undressing me?¡± Restia questioned with a curious look on her face.


    I took that as my sign to carry on and I placed both my hands on the hem of her purple camisole and started to slowly lift it up. Little by little, more of her beautiful unblemished abdomen came into view. In addition, the feel of the lace of her camisole on my hand was exquisite as I have never felt female undergarments so up close before.


    Finally, I lifted the camisole over her head and dropped it on the floor. Now Restia¡¯s chest was completely exposed. Since she had the ability to modify her appearance at will, I assume the fact that her chest was flat was meant to cater to my tastes.


    ¡°Can I touch them?¡± I asked meekly to which Restia nodded shyly and looked away to the side probably to hide her bashfulness.


    I placed my hand on her chest and thoroughly enjoyed their feel. They were soft and just the right size to fit in my hand. I could do this for ages but there was still the main dish and my penis was about to explode.


    Restia then kneeled down with her face level at my crotch and started touching my penis using her soft and small hands. When she first made contact, I could feel myself releasing a little bit of semen however I held myself back to the best of my ability as I did not want to ejaculate on her cute face. I could feel every drop of blood in my body rushing downwards to my crotch as I could feel it getting hotter.


    As she continued on moving her hands up and down on my penis and performing the hand job, it was getting harder and harder to control my hormones and I wanted to ejaculate at that point. Restia could probably sense my discomfort and removed her hands and stood up once again which surprised me as I thought that her service was over which made me quite disappointed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kazu-kun, are you not enjoying this? Am I not good enough for you?¡± She questioned with a serious expression.


    ¡°Oh no of course not, I am very grateful and thankful for this amazing service you are giving me.¡± I replied as nonchalantly as I could in an attempt to prevent her from finding out my true feelings.


    ¡°Liar!¡±


    It seems my efforts were all for naught as she probably looked into my thoughts to confirm her suspicions.


    ¡°I see, you are holding back as you don¡¯t want to spray your semen all over my face.¡±


    She stated in a matter-of-factly tone.


    As I was expecting her to make more sarcastic comments, she instead started reaching for her panties. She slowly used both hands to remove them from her crotch and slide them down her legs. The scene was nothing short of amazing as the sight of a girl slowly removing her panties on top of more and more of her crotch being exposed made my penis twitch several times.


    When her panties were finally off, she immediately placed them on my penis and wrapped up the urethral opening with them. The feel of the lace on my penis was out of this world as I never knew how soft and comfortable girl¡¯s underwear felt.


    ¡°Now, you don¡¯t have to hold back any more right, you can ejaculate all you want now and don¡¯t have to worry about it staining my face or the room.¡± Restia said with a smile as she started using her hands to rub her panties over my penis in a rhythmic motion.


    At my limit, I released the pent-up semen into her purple lace panties which led to them having a huge wet stain on them. It did not stop there as I ejaculated a few more times as she is performing the hand job on me with her panties. The ecstasy I felt from finally being able to ejaculate after a few years and inside a place such as the JSF¡¯s aircraft carrier no less truly made me grateful to be alive and thankful that I met Restia.


    When I was done and my penis went limp, Restia used her panties to clean up my crotch area to ensure that there was no semen left. The panties that were in her hand were so filled with semen that it looked like it was going to drip out. It was honestly quite erotic to see a pair of panties filled to the brim with my white liquid. That pair of underwear most likely could no longer be worn but Restia showed no care of that as she just dematerialized them into thin air reminding me that she can just change her appearance whenever she wants.


    ¡°Thank you Restia, truly. I have no idea what I would do without you. I am grateful that you would do something like that for me.¡± I thanked the Exceed girl profusely as she was cleaning her hands from some semen that leaked out.


    ¡°It was honestly quite an experience, when I told you to let it all out I wasn¡¯t expecting my panties to be so soaked afterwards. I hope this helps relieve a little of your pent up hormones.¡± The girl who was still naked said with a smile.


    With impeccable timing, I heard knocking at the door which was probably from one of the troopers.


    ¡°Sir, I would like to inform you that the bump we experienced earlier was due to us colliding with a mountain. I would like to express my heartfelt apologies and ask for forgiveness.¡± The voice called out through the door


    ¡°Its all right, now leave me and allow me to get some rest. And you know what, since I am in a good mood, why don¡¯t you and the rest of the troopers park the carrier at the nearest town and take the day off as well.¡± I ordered with a grin on my face as I was still feeling the afterglow of that intense hand job.


    ¡°Yes Sir! Thank you for your kindness and generosity Sir!¡± The trooper replied and took his leave as evidenced from the sound of footsteps was getting softer.


    ¡°Now back to business, how about we go all the way next Restia?¡± I suggested and was met with a glare that could kill.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck Kazu-kun..¡± She replied as she dematerialized back into the crystal on my chest while I went back to my bed to rest after such an intensive workout session.

 CHAPTER 7: REVENGE

    Thunder crackled accompanied with streaks of lightning as if to accentuate the somber mood I felt as I sat alone in my empty room. The thought of being powerless in front of that bastard made my blood boil as I couldn¡¯t believe that he just took Shiho so easily. I slammed my fist against the wall of my room in anger hoping that it would mitigate some of my rage but it was little to no help.


    ¡°Restia, appear and unlock another seal, I am going to destroy that fucking beast and make him regret ever coming to find me!¡±


    I called out in a fit of rage as the familiar purple haired girl who for some reason chose to dress in goth lolita attire materialized herself in front of me.


    ¡°No, I will not do that Kazu-kun. You need to calm yourself down and think rationally. In addition, have you not realized that you are down to the final seal. Do you really want to forget about her completely?¡±


    Restia questioned with a serious tone that was out of character for her.


    ¡°But without that power, I cannot defeat Raikou.¡±


    I retorted furiously. The next thing I knew, there was a loud slap alongside a stinging sensation on my cheek.


    ¡°Calm yourself down, even with power you can¡¯t do anything when you have literally zero idea on where he is. My master has never lost his cool in tense situations like this and this is not going to be the day where that streak ends.¡±


    She explained calmly after slapping me across my cheek with all her strength. While it did not hurt, that slap without a doubt brought me back to my senses and calmed me down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see me losing my cool like that. And thank you for not following my orders to break the last seal. I can¡¯t deal with another loss like that. Not now at least.¡±


    ¡°Yea no kidding, while it was indeed interesting to see you lose your cool for the first time, I believe now is not the best time to do so.¡±


    Restia said as she sat down next to me and dematerialized back into the crystal on my chest. As if on cue, there was a knock on my room door and I could probably guess who it was. A voice called out soon after which confirmed by suspicions.


    ¡°Kazuha-san, I know you must be upset about what happened with Shiho. However, It was not your fault and none of us blame you. I hope you will come and share with the rest of us what you know about that bastard and we can take him down and rescue my younger sister together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I am not alone anymore, I have people I can rely on to help me.¡± I thought to myself as I gathered up my resolve and left my room. Risa who was standing outside my room awaited me and the 2 of us headed for our classroom.


    When I entered the classroom, I was met with the concerned faces of Emiri, Shiho, Mayu and Miyu who were all probably worried about my mental state after that confrontation with Raikou.


    ¡°Onii-chan, are you feeling better? Risa and the twins told Emiri and I what happened. Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. It was not anyone¡¯s fault other than that man¡¯s.¡±


    My sister asked with a concerned voice as the other girls in the class looked to me as well expecting an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright everyone, I have composed myself and I seek your help in rescuing Shiho.¡± I asked as I bowed my head to the rest of the girls.


    ¡°What are you doing Kazu? Is that not already clear? No way I am going to let that scumbag live after what he did to one of my precious students. He was lucky I wasn¡¯t around when he attacked.¡± Emiri declared confidently while exuding her powerful aura which makes me truly wonder exactly how powerful she truly was.


    ¡°Yes, now with the president and the vice-president back, there¡¯s no way that guy is going to get off the hook easily.¡± Miyu added on.


    ¡°But the problem now is that we have no idea where he even is or where he took Shiho.¡± Mayu stated.


    ¡°Kazu, he¡¯s a member of the JSF right? Weren¡¯t you a part of the JSF as well? Do you have any clues as to where he could be?¡±


    Emiri asked in a commanding tone which was quite unexpected from her but I guess she can be serious when she needs to be.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I have zero idea as to where he is hiding as high ranking members of the JSF operate independently and it was considered taboo to inquire about where another captain¡¯s base of operations was.¡± I answered her question while sighing at the lack of leads.


    ¡°Maybe you can ask him, Kazu-kun? I¡¯m sure he will have some sort of clue.¡±


    The purple haired goth loli appeared and commented. When she mentioned about ¡°him¡±, every hair on my body stood on edge as I immediately knew who she was referring to even without his name being mentioned.


    ¡°Him? Restia-san, who exactly are you referring to?¡± Kasumi asked.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your dear brother? He certainly has an interesting relationship with that man.¡± She replied Kasumi vaguely which made me shiver as I thought of my unique relationship with that man.


    ¡°I would rather not return to him if possible. I¡¯m sure we can find some lead elsewhere.¡± I said as I tried to skillfully change the topic and divert their attention away from that man.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°This is important Kazu, we do not have time to play around. If there is a way to obtain a lead, you better go get it.¡± Emiri ordered with a grin on her face as she was probably getting a kick out of this.


    ¡°Onii-chan, please. Any lead to help us find Shiho would be of utmost importance.¡± My sister begged with a serious expression which made me relent.


    ¡°Alright fine. I know a Major in the JSF who could possibly give me information on where Raikou is. He was the one who took me under his wing many years ago when I was forced to work in the JSF.¡±


    I sighed as I explained who that man exactly was but purposely left out the key details as to what made me shudder when he was mentioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s great news, we will go see him at once.¡± Risa commented to which I quickly rejected her proposal.


    ¡°That is impossible, JSF operations are meant to be discreet and if not for my previous accolades and that man¡¯s influence, I would have been forbidden to speak about it let alone return after my contract with them ended. To be honest, I am not even sure he will grant me an audience even if I returned.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Who are you kidding Kazu-kun? You¡¯re that man¡¯s favorite after all. He would bend the rules and go against any enemy in the world if you so requested it.¡± Restia chimed in which made me get goosebumps.


    ¡°All right then, Kazu will go and talk to this Major to seek a lead. Mayu, Miyu and Risa, the 3 of you will stay on standby in the school in case there is an Exceed attack while we are gone.¡± Emiri ordered.


    ¡°Where are you going pipsqueak?¡± I questioned,


    ¡°HEHEHE, I am going to pay the other 4 academies a visit to request for information and their help.¡±


    ¡°Information?¡± I cocked my head in puzzlement at her intentions.


    ¡°Yesterday, when that Wyvern Exceed attacked us, Liocott Academy was attacked simultaneously and I heard that Royal Academy was also attacked by a horde of Exceeds. This made Emiri and I suspicious as Exceeds are known to be independent beasts that act alone and based off instinct. Yet, there were simultaneous attacks at the same time at the 2 nearest academies from us when a category S appeared.¡±


    Kasumi explained calmly which caught my interest as I figured out what she was hinting at.


    ¡°So you are saying that what happened yesterday was no coincidence?¡± Mayu asked and Kasumi nodded which confirmed my theories as well.


    ¡°Yes exactly that. I understand that the Wyvern acted weirdly yesterday and it was under the control of that scum. If our suspicions are right, this is just the beginning as he was probably not acting alone and he had help.¡±


    ¡°Which is why Kasumi and I will be going to gather information from the top rankers in the other academies and discuss plans on how to combat potential threats like what happened yesterday if they happen again in future.¡± Emiri added on with a tone of seriousness.


    ¡°But regardless, once you have any leads on where that bastard took Shiho, contact me and we will drop everything to assist you in the fight. Nothing is more important than the safety of my students.¡± Emiri instructed.


    With everyone¡¯s respective tasks being decided on, we all departed the academy immediately. Emiri and Kasumi used Dimension Ripper to travel quickly to the other academies while I used my wind abilities to fly towards the main base camp of the JSF which was hidden in the middle of the sea.


    ¡°It would be quite convenient if I was able to use Emiri¡¯s Dimension Ripper to immediately teleport to the base but unfortunately the condition has not been met.¡± I thought to myself.


    Meanwhile, Kazuha and the girls could only wonder what was happening to Shiho who was being held captive inside Raikou¡¯s base.


    <u>Shiho¡¯s POV</u>


    I felt a sense of dread and unease as the nightmare I was having was starting to feel all to real. I was dreaming about how I was all alone in a dark room and multiple insects were staring at me with bloodshot eyes. While I knew it was not uncommon for such creatures to have interests in humans, I could tell that they had other plans for me.


    The insects started to climb into my clothes and infesting themselves in all sorts of places. The worse part was that I could feel the thousands of legs scurrying all over my body that made me retch.


    It was not the first time I had such nightmares yet they always felt real.


    I forced myself to awaken as I knew that the reason I was having such horrible lucid dreams was due to the drawback to my Regalia¡¯s ability.


    ¡°I guess it is true that the stronger the Regalia ability, the worse the drawback. Of everything it could have been, it just had to be disgusting perverse lucid dreams.¡±


    I thought to myself as I started to take in my surroundings.


    It was so dark I could barely see 5 feet in front of me. I was being hung up on some sort of wooden board with both my hands and legs being restrained with thick metal bars that seemed to make them impossible to break through. The atmosphere was certainly nothing short of eerie and disturbing.


    I tried to recall the last memory I had before I had that nightmare but all I could remember was fighting that bastard Raikou and him knocking me unconscious. I guess its safe to say that he was probably the one who brought me here.


    I tried to break free of my restrains but to no avail. I attempted to unleash my stars but nothing was happening. I could not feel energy from within me at all.


    ¡°What the fuck is happening! I can¡¯t feel any energy and I can¡¯t use my abilities at all!¡± I shouted out in annoyance.


    ¡°Of course not little princess. Those metal bars around your little arms and legs are made of a special alloy that I have been engineering which is meant to be a counter to Exceeds. Needless to say, since you Fafnirs gained your abilities from Exceeds, they are effective against you as well.¡±


    A creepy voice called out from the darkness and the silhouette of the man I have been searching for slowly approached me. The lights of the room sparked open and blinded me for a few seconds. As my eyes adjusted themselves to the light, his despicable face came into my immediate view.


    His muscular body reeked of sweat and grime. The numerous beastly tattoos all over his arms and legs accentuated his aura but the worse thing of all was his face that was always coupled with a cocky smirk.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while princess. You seem to be more beautiful then before.¡± He called out to me while licking his lips as if he treated me like some sort of prey.


    ¡°Shut the hell up! Ever since that day, I have been searching for you to exact my revenge for the despicable acts you did to me that day.¡±


    I retorted in anger at first but after thinking of the circumstances, I chuckled a little.


    ¡°HAHAHAH What luck! Never would I have thought that you would willingly come and present yourself to me.¡±


    Before I could carry on, Raikou walked up to me and gave me a punch to my gut which made me cough out blood. He then used one of his hands to forcefully rip open the abdomen area of my white uniform blouse where that wretched brand he gave me was. He licked his lips once again and laughed while smirking.


    ¡°HAHAHAH Don¡¯t make me laugh, have you forgotten who gave you that brand. You are still that same weak pathetic virgin even after all these years. Let¡¯s continue where we left off shall we?¡±


    As I caught my breath from his blow, he placed his fingers on my thighs and started touching them. The feel of his disgusting fingers on my skin made me gag yet what truly made it unbearable was the fact that I was powerless to do anything about it.


    I could not think clearly and all thoughts led to the experience with this bastard all those years ago. However, this time I was truly powerless against him due to the weird metal restraints on my limbs.


    All I could do was hope and pray for someone to save me.


    ¡°Save me... Kazuha..¡±

 CHAPTER 8: RETURN TO SENDER

    As I flew through the skies just barely above the surface of the endless blue sea, all I could think about was saving Shiho and how nothing else mattered currently.


    My body was still recovering physically from breaking 2 seals in 2 days so I was unable to fly as efficiently as I had wanted to. Even with my years of training with the JSF, such influxes of power when a seal broke was always more than my body could ever handle. However what truly hurt was the cost of breaking those seals as the things I lost through breaking them would never return.


    After about half an hour of flying across the sea, I finally arrived at my destination. The floating dome of the JSF which was also known as Cornelius. The main role of this floating dome was meant to train new soldiers hence it was infested with soldiers which meant that I would be severely outnumbered if a clash occurred. I landed on the helipad of Cornelius and before I could even take a step forward, hundreds of JSF members who were probably on patrol surrounded me with their weapons loaded and trained towards my head.


    ¡°To be honest, I expected a grand welcome back but the fact that probably every available trooper on duty came to greet me was quite extreme.¡± I monologued before I started walking forward towards the command building of the Cornelius.


    Needless to say, all the weapons were locked onto my head and every single trooper present was prepared to pull the trigger if they had to. My goal was not these small-fries who were probably corporals at most but the leader in charge of this entire floating dome.


    When I was about to approach the door separating the helipad and the main command building, I noticed from the corner of my eye that a spear was being thrown towards me. Reflexively, I swerved my head slightly such that the spear would just barely miss.


    ¡°Rather rude to attack an unarmed person outside of his field of vision, don¡¯t you think?¡± I snapped sarcastically.


    ¡°On the contrary, I believe it to be my duty to use any means possible to prevent intruders from doing whatever jackshit they want.¡± A deep voice snapped back at me which a voice that that sounded all too familiar.


    ¡°I see you are still serving under that man, Rudolph. Haven¡¯t you considered changing your job scope? I believe you would be more suited to be out on the frontlines as opposed to being a drill sergeant.¡±


    My question was quickly met with a snappy reply as the older man started approaching me until he was face-to-face with me. He looked to be about double my age with a dead-serious expression on his face which was probably what made him so proficient at his job.


    ¡°Not interested. I happen to like my current job as it allows me to serve directly under the great Major Zech. Anyways, what are you doing back here? I heard that your contract with the Major ended a while ago. I can¡¯t imagine you would willingly come back to the JSF.¡±


    ¡°Its complicated and your intuition is as amazing as ever. I need to talk with Zech now. Its extremely important.¡±


    I answered Rudolph¡¯s question with a strong determined look on my face hoping that he understands my resolve and lets me pass. With a raise of his open fist, all the JSF soldiers who were aiming their weapons at me immediately disarmed them and saluted to Rudolph which shows his influence and power over them.


    ¡°1 hour is all you get, anymore than that I am personally busting that door down and making sure you leave Cornelius with one less limb than when you arrived.¡±


    Rudolph threatened with his arms crossed after he used his access card to open the door to the command building for me which was where the man I was looking for resided.


    ¡°Thanks, I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about favors. Just make sure you manage to enjoy your life post-JSF. I hope for your sake that this is the last time I am going to see you. Most importantly, make sure you protect yourself when you meet him.¡±


    ¡°Me too Rudolph. Thanks for the advice.¡±


    I replied with a soft smile and left the drill sergeant of the Cornelius and headed inside the main command building. The interior was not as guarded as opposed to the exterior since a large majority of non-Exceed threats would not have made it past Rudolph.


    I took the elevator all the way to the top floor which was where the office of the Major I was searching for was. In the elevator, a sense of dread appeared as I never would have thought that I would see that man again let alone enter his private office.


    Once the elevator doors opened, only a long corridor was present which was filled to the brim with troopers who were all probably the most proficient in combat on the Cornelius. Weirdly enough, none of them approached me or even made any eye contact which I assumed was a result of Rudolph telling them that I am a guest of their boss.


    At the end of the corridor was 2 large rose-colored doors that seemed way too expensive and honestly quite out of place given that they were nested inside a military stronghold. I took one last deep breath and pushed one of the doors opened.


    While this was not the first time I entered this room, the sight of its interior design never once failed to make my jaw drop. Everything seemed out of place to the extent that you would think that the room belonged to a young girl as opposed to a Major of the JSF.


    Soft toys lined the floors which was painted in a bright shade of pink. The wallpaper and other furniture in the room were also in a matching shade of pink which would make one think that they were in some sort of fantasy land from a children¡¯s story book.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Yet, the most inappropriate looking thing in the room was the man who seated at the bright pink desk in a bright pink office chair. The man who was naturally clad in a JSF uniform with a crest of the JSF sewn onto the right sleeve of his uniform which translated to the rank of Major.


    That man¡¯s body was so well-built that I once questioned if his muscles had muscles of their own. His pecs and biceps were so huge that I once saw him pop a button of his uniform top just by reaching for a pencil that dropped to the ground. His face was stern and with just a look you could tell that he was the kind that tolerated absolutely no nonsense. Alongside his extremely muscular frame that put body-builders to shame, he struck fear into members of the whenever he appeared.


    However, the truly terrifying aspect of this man was when he opened his mouth and started speaking.


    ¡°Oh my dear Kazuha!! Have you finally decided to return to my loving arms and accept my feelings?!¡±


    The man who looked like he would show no mercy to even a dying old man leapt at me with both of his hands spread open as if he was about to hug me.


    Fortunately for me, I have already grown used to his antics and I carefully dodged out of the way of his incoming hug which led to him landing on the hard pink floor. He started to sob uncontrollably after that and quite literally had tears flowing down his face as he asked.


    ¡°Do you really hate me that much, Kazuha?? I thought we shared a bond that transcended time and space such that you would willingly return to find me even after your contract ended. I was even thinking that your return was of such great timing as I have been feeling quite pent up lately and needed some sort of avenue to release my hormones.¡±


    I tried my best to show a poker face to him but that last line he mentioned made every hair on my body stand at attention and I lowkey started to regret ever coming back to him. However, time is of the essence and I will not let his weird antics deter me from obtaining the information I seek.


    ¡°Master, the reason I have returned is to obtain information on the whereabouts of Wild Beast Raikou. It is of utmost importance that I locate him immediately.¡±


    I asked while trying to keep a serious expression on my face to show the gravity of the situation. The man noticed my serious demeanor which was quite uncommon especially when I am in front of him and he composed himself immediately.


    ¡°Oh? That is quite rare coming from you. I didn¡¯t expect you to be one who enjoys meeting up with your fellow captains. Especially since you have a certain disdain towards Raikou. Am I wrong?¡±


    Major Zech was known to be intuitive and have an IQ of 150 but the reason he knew about how I disliked Raikou was due to the fact that we spent a large amount of time together back when I was in the JSF. While I considered him my master as he taught me everything I knew, it would be safe to say that he was similar to a father figure to me ever since the day he found me when I was just 13.


    ¡°You are absolutely right. I would not even step within a 15km radius of him if I had the luxury of doing so. However, he attacked my new school and kidnapped a girl. Not to mention that he was somehow able to control a S-class Exceed. Who knows what kind of vile acts he could be doing to that girl as we speak? Hence I am begging you to tell me his whereabouts.¡±


    I asked sincerely while highlighting the severity of the situation.


    ¡°Haizz, you do realize what you are asking me to do right? You are no longer a member of the JSF and yet here you are asking me to sell out one of my members. You really are a troublesome little spring breeze aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Major Zech replied but his actions betrayed his words as he reached inside one of his desk drawers and pulled out a map.


    ¡°You know I can never say no to you right? I guess I have taught you well that one should strike an enemy¡¯s weakest spot when attacking. Hmph!¡±


    The man¡¯s face changed into a smile as he passed me the map but just as he was about to release his grip on it, his smile widened which was a face I knew all too well.


    ¡°I think you are well aware that I have a soft spot for you my dear spring breeze and I have always given you what you wanted whenever you wanted it but that was when you were a part of my family. Now that you are no longer a member, don¡¯t you think that such assistance should be repaid?¡±


    Major Zech said in a seductive tone which hinted at his true intentions from the start. I knew exactly what he desired. It was akin to a ritual or tradition whenever I did something wrong or offended him in the past back when I was still in the military.


    I started to remove my white uniform shirt which left my upper body exposed to the cool air. As if like clockwork, Major Zech quickly stood up from his seat and approached me which showed how he was about double my size in both height and  girth as he towered over me with his giant muscular body.


    One would expect that a man with such a body would have no sense of being gentle but it was ironic as the delicate touch of his enormous fingers slithered over my exposed chest similar to how a mother would play with her newborn child.


    While this was not foreign to me, it certainly made me uneasy as I definitely did not swing that way. However, I never could bring myself to despise or think poorly of him since he was akin to a father to me. As far as I knew, the whole JSF knew of Zech¡¯s tastes but I was the only one who he ever made moves on.


    As his fingers continued moving downwards to my core muscles, I hoped that he would be finished soon as I had to find Raikou immediately. His fingers did not stop and they started to head for the buckle of my uniform pants. However, when I was expecting him to go further, he stopped.


    ¡°Put your clothes back on. You are in a rush aren¡¯t you? Go find Raikou and rescue that girl. We shall carry on next time.¡±


    Zech calmly said to me with a wink in his eyes which made me shudder. He then passed me the map and gave me instructions.


    ¡°I do not have his exact coordinates but all I know is that he is somewhere inside this rainforest in the middle of Africa.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. It¡¯s more than enough information for me to hunt him down. Thank you for everything Sir.¡±


    I graciously thanked Major Zech with the formal JSF salute and proceeded to leave his office. However, he called out to me just before I left to give me a warning.


    ¡°Kazuha, be extremely careful. I have no idea what traps he has set up in that rainforest but you can be sure that he won¡¯t just graciously open his doors to you. More importantly, I heard that he has completed his research so I urge you to hurry.¡±


    After hearing his warning, my anger soared and I immediately used my wind abilities to take off into the skies. While I lacked knowledge on what exactly he was researching, there were rumors from when I was still a part of the JSF that he was experimenting with the corpses of the Exceeds he killed in battle.


    In addition, while I had not faced him in direct combat with the both of us going all out before, his feats of great strength and immeasurable speed were commonplace. Since it was impossible for males to develop Regalia abilities, his research must be related to his otherworldly abilities I heard rumors of. Which meant that he was probably using Shiho as some sort of experiment or guinea pig.


    ¡°There was no time to lose, I have to hurry.¡±

 CHAPTER 9: NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK

    It took me about 15 minutes of flying across the sea to reach the rainforest where Raikou supposedly was residing. On the surface, it appeared just like any other normal rainforest with its lush trees and vibrant fauna and flora. However, there was no doubt that there were Exceeds present as I could sense several unnatural energies from the rainforest that definitely did not belong to humans.


    Raikou was not only a master at sensing energies but also controlling it. He could mask his own energy from being sensed by others which was honestly quite a useful skill to have when hunting for Exceeds but it was quite annoying for me since this meant that I was basically looking for a needle in a haystack.


    ¡°Would it not be more effective to search on foot Kazu-kun?¡± The crystal on my chest called out and suggested.


    ¡°Good idea, maybe there are clues I can find from the ground.¡±


    I proceeded to land on the rainforest floor and I found myself surrounded by tall luscious greenery from all directions. I thought about using Shiho¡¯s meteor ability to cover the land more quickly but decided against it as I did not want to alert Raikou of my arrival with the sudden surge in mana.


    As I started to walk in my chosen direction, I felt a sudden spike in mana coming from one direction. The feeling was familiar and without a doubt belonged to Shiho. I quickly turned towards the direction of the emission of mana and sprinted as fast as I could without using my ability.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Shiho. I am on my way, I swear I will not let anything happen to you.¡±


    As I was sprinting, a blast of energy landed directly in front of me. The ground in front of me was now a huge crater that could probably fit several B-class Exceeds inside. If I was 2 steps faster, it would have been a clean hit. I turned my head in the direction the blast came from and what awaited me was nothing I have ever seen before.


    A beast that seemed at first glance to be some sort of eagle Exceed but it was armed with various pieces of machinery all over its body. Its wings and talons were fully metallic alongside the presence of 2 energy cannons mounted on its back. It seemed to be more machine than Exceed which was probably why I could not sense it approaching me.


    ¡°What the fuck is that monstrosity!?¡±


    I questioned and the crystal on my chest replied with an abnormal serious tone in her voice.


    ¡°I have no idea but I won¡¯t forgive whoever did such a cruel act to one of my kind. Kazu-kun, we can figure out where it came from later. I can sense another 7 more of them approaching us at tremendous speeds. It would be wise to deal with them carefully as I can sense that they are on par with normal A-class Exceeds.¡±


    ¡°What!! There¡¯s no way! While a regular A-class would pose little to no threat to me, 8 A-classes attacking me simultaneously was a whole different ball game. Furthermore, that energy blast from before was abnormally powerful even for an A-class.¡±


    I replied while materializing my Kusari-Kama and preparing for battle. I quickly leapt towards the machine Eagle Exceed hybrid and performed a quick downward strike hoping to destroy it with one clean hit. However, the eagle somehow managed to react to my attack and dodged out of the way before retaliating with energy blasts fired from the cannons armed on its back.


    ¡°Kuzunoha Style Kusari-Kama First technique, SPIRAL DRAW!¡±


    I swung my Kusari-Kama downwards to create a vacuum of wind in an attempt to neutralize the energy but it was not enough. The amount of energy in that blast was too much for me to completely neutralize which led to the blast damaging me. The recoil of the blast resulted in my body being forcefully slammed to the ground.


    The smoke from my impact with the ground hid my body temporarily which caused the hybrid Exceed to temporarily stop launching attacks at me. This meant that the Exceed had some sort of sensor that located me rather than it being able to sense my energy. I took advantage of the lag in its movements as it was searching for me to prepare a counter attack.


    ¡°Kuzunoha Style Spear Second technique, REAPER!¡±


    I quickly swapped weapons to my spear and leapt straight at the Eagle while throwing my spear like a javelin through the part-mechanical body of it. As I enhanced my throwing strength with my wind abilities, the spear travelled so quickly that its sensors were probably unable to detect it which resulted in my spear piercing through the body of the hybrid cleanly.


    The Eagle Exceed hybrid¡¯s body which now had a gaping hole in it from my attack fell lifelessly onto the floor. I took a quick glance at the supposed dead body and noticed something even more peculiar.


    The glowing crystal that normally rested in the chest of Exceeds which was also known as their core was not present. It has never been heard of for an Exceed to have no core as it was thought to be their source of life and sentience.


    ¡°Hey Restia, is it possible for an Exceed not to have a core?¡±


    I questioned while trying to search for some form of cover in the thick foliage as I remembered that there were 7 other similar hybrids approaching me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That is impossible. The core is literally the life of the Exceed similar to how a heart is to a human. All Exceeds regardless of class and strength all have a core somewhere in their body. This is truly peculiar, I sensed the essence of Exceeds in its body yet it somehow managed to act without the presence of a core.¡±


    The high ranking Exceed residing in the crystal in my chest replied analytically which was quite rare as I had never seen Restia so perplexed before.


    ¡°QUICKLY HIDE!!¡±


    The voice called out as I saw the silhouettes of 7 eagle like creatures flying in the skies above me which I presumed were the same hybrid creatures as the one I had just taken down. While I was more than capable of taking them on individually, I would definitely not outlast them in a war of attrition hence I decided to lay low and not engage in combat with them.


    I eventually managed to avoid their detection through camouflaging myself with the natural greenery of the rainforest which was a skill I picked up during my time in the JSF. In addition, my current position also provides me with a decent vantage point of the 7 hybrids circling the area above me so I can observe their actions.


    After circling for about 10 minutes, they suddenly dispersed into different directions. Assuming that they have given up hunting for me, I quickly ran towards the corpse of the hybrid I had taken down in order to investigate it more closely.


    Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the machinery was still glistening in the sunlight which meant that they were manufactured quite recently. In addition, they were pretty well made as they fit onto the body of the Eagle Exceed perfectly as if it was done over many attempts of trial and error. However, what truly caught my eye was a small lion crest on one of its mechanical parts which made my whole body tense up.


    ¡°Restia, it seems that bastard was the one who created these monstrosities. I am unsure how exactly he managed to accomplish this but I have a bad feeling about what kind of experiments he is conducting on Shiho.¡±


    I commented but instead of the usual snarky comment, there was silence.


    ¡°Hey Restia, are you there? I can¡¯t believe you are sleeping at this time.¡±


    I called out again but the result remained exactly the same, dead silence.


    At this point, I knew that something was amiss. Regardless of how sloth-like she was, Restia would never ignore me in such dire situations. I wanted to prepare for upcoming combat by materializing one of my weapons but for some reason I was unable to do so which further accentuated the sense of unease I was feeling.


    All of a sudden, an immense pain appeared at my chest region where my crystal lied. It was like nothing I ever felt before. If I were to describe its anguishing feeling, it felt like my literal soul was being ripped out from my body.


    ¡°Kuzunoha Style healing technique, DEAD CALM!¡±


    I attempted to use my wind abilities to neutralize the physical pain I was feeling but to no avail. I could not feel my mana at all and the pain in my chest was increasing with a burning sensation. I clutched my chest praying that the pain would stop or even just alleviate slightly but it was no use. My crystal burned and in turn resulted in immeasurable and intolerable pain.


    ¡°That fucking piece of shit Raikou must have set some sort of trap and I can¡¯t believe I walked straight into it.¡± I thought to myself as I could no longer speak due to the excruciating pain.


    My knees eventually gave way from the pain and my body collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll. I was powerless to stop this unbearable pain from radiating to my whole body.


    The next thing I knew, the world around me turned pitch black.


    <u>Shiho¡¯s POV</u>


    My clothes were basically nothing more than scraps of thread at this point. The white uniform blouse and skirt I had on now barely served their purpose as they could no longer be considered garments due to how they have been torn and ripped to shreds. Even my underwear was not spared as they were forcefully removed and destroyed by that sick, perverted man in front of me.


    I was basically stark naked in front of him which made me want to puke.


    However, my thoughts of shame and disgust paled in comparison to my feelings of rage when I saw my roommate and crush Kazuha collapse lifelessly onto the ground while clutching his chest through a monitor in the eerie and dark room I was currently being held captive in.


    While there was no audio being projected, it was evident that he was experiencing extreme amounts of pain. I had watched his whole encounter with Raikou¡¯s creatures through the screen he purposely placed in front of me. I clenched my teeth in anger with such force that I could have sworn I heard one of them crack.


    ¡°You sick creep, what have you done with Kazuha!¡±


    I shouted while attempting to flail my arms that were still tightly bound by metal bars that somehow restricted my Regalia abilities.


    ¡°Nothing much, I just sent him a little greeting since he destroyed one of my precious pets.¡±


    The muscular man answered cockily while flexing his muscles with numerous beast tattoos engraved on them.


    While I had watched the whole encounter, I was confused at how he managed to control Exceeds to do his bidding let alone evolve them into some sort of mechanical hybrids that increased their strength tremendously. It was simply unheard of for a human to be able to make Exceeds do his bidding.


    As I attempted to channel my rage and build up mana, I was met with a confident chuckle from the man known as Raikou.


    ¡°You are quite the dumb one aren¡¯t you princess. I told you multiple times that regardless of how hard you try, there is no way you are going to be able to use your abilities with those restraints on you.¡±


    He walked over to me and slithered his fingers over my once clothed skin and smirked once again before speaking in his annoying cocky tone.


    ¡°You know what, since you care so much about that spring breeze, I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. Within 10 minutes of experiencing that pain, the crystal on his chest will implode and so will his body. He would be considered lucky if even a part of his shitty body remained intact after the explosion. HAHAHAH!!¡±


    Upon hearing his bold declaration, I could feel the bile rise from my body as my anger skyrocketed. Yet, I was truly powerless in front of him hence I could only clench my teeth and pray for an opportunity.


    ¡°Oh I am feeling quite generous today since you serviced me quite well just now so I¡¯ll spare you the sight of your beloved Kazuha self-destructing as I go and reclaim his corpse for the remains of his crystal. A crystal specimen from a male should be quite interesting to research and carefully dissect.¡±


    Raikou smirked while laughing to himself assured that his victory was guaranteed as he switched off the monitor showing Kazuha¡¯s lifeless body and left the room.


    ¡°Kazuha, there is no way you are going to die like this right? I thought you promised me that you would protect me and help me exact my revenge? Please don¡¯t die. Find a way, I know you can...¡±


    I murmured to myself as I lost consciousness as well due to the effects of the adrenaline wearing off on my body.

 CHAPTER 10: SOUL REAVER OF THE WEST

    My body felt light and serene as I was in a garden I knew all too well. It was in the backyard of the girl who I promised to get engaged to when I grew up. I looked forward and there she stood in her favorite white sundress with a matching white hat. Her long silky black hair was flowing with the wind as if it was her friend rather than a force of nature.


    ¡°Mizuki?? Is that you? I can¡¯t believe it? I thought you died?¡±


    I murmured to myself as I could not believe that the girl who I saw be consumed by an Exceed right in front of my eyes was standing right in front of me.


    As I approached her wanting to get a closer look at her once beautiful face, that same S-class Exceed that took her life appeared in front of me blocking my path. It had the body of a giant bee that was about the size of a house and its appendages were spears of extreme sharpness.


    I could still remember that exact scene where it opened its giant maw and swallowed her whole in one gulp. Now history was repeating itself as the S-class Bee Exceed opened its jaws once again and had Mizuki in its sights.


    ¡°NOOO MIZUKI!!!¡±


    I shouted at the top of my lungs and ran in an attempt to combat the Exceed that was undoubtedly more powerful than I was. As I was about to make it in time to save her from its vicious mouth, the whole image disappeared as I was faced with an unfamiliar ceiling.


    ¡°It is best if you don¡¯t get up. Your body may collapse again if you overexert yourself or get too excited.¡±


    An unknown female voice called out. I turned my head over slightly and saw a girl of unparalleled innocence.


    She had long white hair that ended at her shoulder blades, her face was free of blemishes and looked like the face of an angel. Her innocent look accompanied by her soft demeanor definitely made her wife material for any single males. Furthermore, she was dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono that was adorned with cute floral prints which accentuated her slender and modest body.


    ¡°Where am I? What is this place?¡± I asked the girl who was in a Seiza position next to me.


    ¡°This is my home. I¡¯m sure you must be very confused right now, but I can assure you that I have no intention of harming you. Especially since you are injured, please remain in the futon until your body has fully recovered.¡±


    The girl replied in a soft and calm tone which certainly did ease my tensed mood but I did not have time for this as I remembered why I blacked out in the first place. I quickly attempted to get out of the unfamiliar futon I was in but the girl quickly used one of her hands to pin me down.


    ¡°What! Remove your hands from my chest and let me leave! I have to go and rescue my friend immediately! I have no time to waste here.¡±


    I demanded hoping that the girl would understand my situation but the strength she put in her hands did not reduce but instead she was now pushing me back with even more force.


    ¡°How strong was this girl? I may be weakened now but I should still be able to overpower a mere girl who looked no older than Kasumi or Emiri.¡± I thought to myself as I was about to activate my wind abilities to forcefully overpower her.


    However, before I could amass my power, a sarcastic voice called out from the crystal on my chest which made me calm down.


    ¡°Kazu-kun, listen to that girl. While I am unaware of how our spiritual link was cut off just before you lost consciousness, I do not think charging into the enemy¡¯s territory is the wisest move currently.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did your crystal just talk? There¡¯s no way? I never thought I would be able to meet another person with similar circumstances as me.¡±


    The white haired beauty gasped at Restia¡¯s voice being emitted from the crystal on my chest which honestly was not surprising given that many would be surprised by my relationship with Restia. However, I was intrigued and curious about how she mentioned that she was in a similar situation as me.


    ¡°What exactly did you mean by similar circumstances?¡± I asked the girl directly.


    While I was expecting a verbal reply, the girl started to untie the obi holding her kimono in place which caught me off guard. Her kimono slowly loosened up and her shoulders were now exposed alongside the shoulder straps of her light yellow bra. This was certainly an exciting scene and I was trying my best to hold in my lust. When her upper abdomen was fully exposed, she shifted the left cup of her yellow cotton bra slightly which revealed a Fafnir crystal that was shining in a similar hue to mine whenever Restia spoke.


    ¡°No way, HAHAHHA! Restia, is that you? It has been so long, I never thought that you of all Exceeds would choose to form a contract HAHAH! Now it makes sense as to how that boy is able to be a Regalia when he has a dick.¡±


    A jovial yet mature voice called out from the crystal on the girl¡¯s left breast which immediately surprised me. Before I could converse with it, Restia immediately materialized herself in front of me and replied to the talking crystal.


    ¡°Raza, is that you? It certainly has been a while since our last encounter. I hope you have been doing well, you pervy old man. From what I can see, you landed yourself quite the cute contract, I hope you haven¡¯t been doing anything terrible to her?¡±


    Soon after, a short man materialized himself next to the white haired girl. He appeared to be just like a regular old man who would be enjoying retirement but the amount of power I can sense from him is immense. He was clad in a kimono similar to his master and he had a grin on his face. If I saw him on the streets, I would have definitely thought of him to be just a regular old man.


    However, this was the second time I have come face to face with another Exceed that is capable of speech with the first being Restia. Furthermore, if my suspicions are right, he is probably one of the 7 SSS-class Exceeds as well.


    Before replying to Restia¡¯s comment, he quickly approached Restia at a speed and placed one of his hands on the hem of Restia¡¯s usual purple goth lolita dress and forcefully flipped it up. Needless to say, Restia¡¯s panties were exposed to everyone in the room. While I wanted to be a gentleman and not look, I gave in to my curiosity and lust and made use of the opportunity to take a peek.


    Her panties today were light pink with multiple pink frills and pink lace which would make me think that she was a regular girl instead of a high ranking Exceed.


    ¡°Oh Hoho, nice panties you have on today. I wouldn¡¯t have thought that you would be wearing such cute underwear Miss Exceed of the lust. Don¡¯t tell me, you are planning to impress that boy HAHAHAH---¡±


    Before he could continue his comments about Restia¡¯s choice of underwear, both the white haired girl(who still had her upper abdomen exposed) and Restia herself(after fixing her dress) jabbed him in his abdomen and his head respectively at the same time.


    ¡°I am so sorry, Restia-sama. Raza-sama can be quite a pervert at times but I can assure you he means well. It¡¯s probably because he has not seen for for such a long time.¡±


    The white haired girl started apologizing profusely while bowing her head which made Restia a little surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s no issue, that pervy old man has always been nothing but a creep but I must say that if he has chosen you as his master, you are quite lucky.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s so lucky about having this creep as a master, I bet he just touches her and peeps at her every opportunity he gets.¡±


    I commented while looking at the supposed high ranking Exceed that is writhing in pain on the floor.


    ¡°Well, I guess that is true and he is a little perverse but he means well. I lost my parents and my siblings to an Exceed attack just before forming a contract with Raza-sama when I was 12 years old so I guess he is somewhat of a father figure to me. He always takes care of me and keeps me company so I would not give up anything in the world for him.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The white haired girl replied while the Exceed known as Raza slowly climbed up and leapt towards her and quickly retied the obi on her kimono in order to cover up her exposed upper body. It was quite a shame that the view was gone but I guess she would have caught a cold if she continued to be half-naked.


    ¡°Little boy, don¡¯t think you can get away with seeing my dear Yukihime-chan in such a vulnerable state of undress. I am the only one who deserves to see her like that HAHAHAH.¡±


    Raza¡¯s comment was quickly met with another strike to the head by the girl who was known as Yukihime.


    ¡°Anyways, I believe I have not properly introduced myself. I am Horimiya Yukihime but you can call me Yuki. I am 18 years old this year and I am a student of Primrose Academy though I never really go there unless Saya forces me to for student council events. But anyways, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Yuki calmly introduced herself with a smile on her face as she did a full 90 degrees bow with her head touching the floor as she was still seated in a seiza position.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too. My name is Kuzunoha Kazuha and I was a part of the JSF but now I am a student in Saint Lily¡¯s Academy. Thank you once again for taking care of me and letting me rest in your home. By the way may I ask what exactly happened before you found me? The last memory I can recall was experiencing excruciating pain and blacking out inside the jungle.¡±


    ¡°Ah I see, nice to meet you Kazuha-san. I sensed an odd disturbance with my ability with the spirit connections in the jungle so I went to check it out. When I got there, I saw a large sector of the jungle being surrounded in some kind of suspicious metal cage and thankfully with the help of the spirits, I noticed you so I used my abilities to extract you and so I brought you to my home in the jungle. I believe it was the doing of that beast of a man who resides in the jungle.¡±


    Yuki explained in great detail while I attempted to understand the situation.


    ¡°Wait, you know Raikou? Tell me, where is he hiding? I could not sense his energy at all since I arrived here. In addition, that suspicious metal cage you mentioned was probably what interfered with my connection to Restia and thus my abilities as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that could have been the case as that period of time where our connection was broken, it felt like my body was being attacked by some sort of unknown force and I felt extreme pain similar to what you felt.¡±


    Restia followed up with her own side of the story while Raza who had heard the story chimed in as well with his own thoughts.


    ¡°That is quite peculiar, in all my years I have never heard of an Anti-Exceed metal outside of the Tetrasidium weapons those Fafnirs use. It must be quite powerful if it is even able to counter a SSS-class Exceed with such ease. In any case, I honestly doubt that you would be able to challenge that Raikou fellow alone in your current condition.¡±


    As much as I wanted to give a rebuttal to his comment, I could not as I knew deep down that he was right. In addition, there is no telling what other traps Raikou has set in this jungle.


    ¡°Damn it, is there really nothing I can do except sit around!¡±


    I called out in anger as I attempted to stand up from the futon but the strength in my legs apparently had not returned yet which led to me losing my balance and tripping. Normally, falling would be no big deal except this time as I fell, I was headed towards the direction of Yuki who could not react in time and hence got caught in the crossfire of my fall.


    When I came back to my senses, I realized that I was face to face with Yuki and my lips somehow landed on hers which meant that we were kissing. On top of that, I could feel a rather soft and squishy sensation on my right hand which could only mean one thing. My hand was currently resting on Yuki¡¯s right breast.


    Before I could react or even apologize for this mishap, I received a powerful punch to my face from Yuki which made me land forcefully back on the futon. When I looked at Yuki again, I realized that her once long pure white hair was now replaced with light orange-brown hair that was tied in 2 buns.


    ¡°You bastard, what do you think you are doing! To think that Yuki¡¯s first kiss would be taken by some unknown man who just appeared. I swear that girl is way too kind for her own good to save and accept strangers into her home. For her sake, I will ensure with my own 2 hands that you are ever walk again.¡±


    The brown haired girl spoke in third person and talked about Yuki as if she was a completely different person which caught me and Restia off guard. Not to mention that her pure and kind demeanor completely changed 180 degrees as this girl was now aggressive and rather vulgar.


    ¡°Now calm down Haru, that was clearly an accident. As much as I am quite annoyed that Yuki¡¯s first kiss was taken in such a cliched and anticlimactic manner, I believe that she would not want you to inflict any harm to anyone.¡±


    Raza attempted to calm down ¡°Yuki¡± or whoever was in front of me now which just made the whole situation more confusing.


    ¡°I apologize for this Kazuha-kun and Restia, this is a drawback of Yuki¡¯s Regalia ability but she will be back to normal in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Eh? That certainly is an unique situation to be in. Yuki mentioned earlier that she was able to feel the spirits or something of the forest, does that have to do with her ability as well?¡±


    I could not contain my curiosity and directed my question to Raza who seemed to be sneaking glances at Restia.


    ¡°Well, I guess it would not hurt to tell you. Yuki¡¯s ability is known as Spirit Seer which allows her to see, sense and communicate with spirits. It is a double-edged sword ability where she is able to use it as a source of power and detection but it can get rather annoying at times as well since she is literally receiving information from thousands of different spirits at the same time which would easily overwhelm the human brain. Hence, she made a contract with me when her ability awoken after her parents and siblings were killed by an Exceed.


    ¡°Upon forming a contract with a powerful Exceed such as myself, she gained better control over her spirit abilities to the extent that she is able to manipulate souls such as those of the deceased similar to a necromancer of sorts. However, with such great power came great drawbacks as well. Yuki developed split personalities and she has no control over when she would change into them. The current only known stimulus was extreme emotion such as anger or in current circumstances embarrassment.¡±


    ¡°Hence, this orange haired babe here is known as Haru who is rather impulsive and tends to think more with her fists as opposed to her brains. She has one more personality named Natsu who is rather eccentric but anyways, all 3 personalities are alive and not alive at the same time. Which means that all 3 share memories, sensations and feelings regardless who is in control but they are unable to control who comes out at what time. With the only rule being that Yuki is considered to be the ¡°main¡± personality and Natsu or Haru will revert back to Yuki within an hour at most.¡±


    Raza concluded his detailed explanation on Yuki¡¯s abilities and proceeded to make an attempt to cope a feel of Restia¡¯s chest but failed to do so after Restia gave him another punch to the gut.


    The brown haired girl which was apparently the Haru personality then sat down cross legged in front of me which was rather unladylike since she was wearing a kimono. With her legs in that position, I had quite the good view of her inner thighs but not of her panties which was quite unfortunate but I guess I¡¯ll take what I can get.


    ¡°Say, now that I have a closer look at you, you are quite the good-looking one and you are rather well-built as well. Heh maybe Yuki was on to something when she saved you.¡±


    Haru commented with a devilishly charming grin on her face.


    ¡°I heard that you told Yuki the reason you came to this godforsaken jungle in the first place was to save a friend from that beast bastard who decided to set up camp here. As much as I do not have the habit of beating up guys I don¡¯t even know, I¡¯ll help you out and take him down.¡±


    ¡°Eh what? Why would you do that for me? You barely even know me let alone the fact that you have no obligation to do so.¡±


    I questioned her suggestion curiously.


    ¡°You are a Regalia too aren¡¯t you. Which means that we are in the same boat one way or another and it seems that Yuki considers you a friend which means that naturally you are a friend of mine as well. Furthermore, the spirits in the jungle have been giving me seriously bad vibes about that bastard. And if he is developing some sort of Anti-Exceed equipment, that¡¯s all the more reason to put a stop to him since I would no longer exist if that geezer Raza¡¯s link with Yuki was gone.¡±


    ¡°By the way, you don¡¯t have to worry about me in a fight. All 3 of us are perfectly capable of holding our own in battle individually so don¡¯t underestimate me just because I am a girl. We even earned the title of the Soul Reaver of the West HEHEH.¡±


    Haru explained confidently but was definitely not in a cocky tone while puffing out her chest in pride. Currently, I could not sense her energy level which was probably due to her spiritual abilities but if she is a strong enough Regalia to earn a title, she must be decently powerful.


    ¡°I see, then I am more then happy to have you on my side. When are we going to make our move?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do so in a few hours time when the sun sets. The girl you are trying to save is currently safe as I can still sense her spiritual energy going strong which means that Raikou guy probably needs her alive for some reason since there would be no reason to keep her alive for such a long time anyways.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, but why are we only leaving at night?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°For one you clearly do not have the strength to engage in combat now so you might as well get all the rest you can. The second and more important reason is because spiritual activity is a lot more prominent in the night which will act as a sort of smokescreen for us which would make us harder to detect on the sensors he has hidden all over the whole forest. From what I can sense, he is definitely not a man we can take on using normal means so we need to use every available resource at our disposal to guarantee our highest chance of success.


    ¡°All right then, let¡¯s go with your plan. Shiho, just wait a little longer, I am coming to save you soon.¡±


    Restia and Raza soon returned to their respective crystals and Kazuha returned to rest on the futon in an attempt to recuperate as much as his strength as possible. Haru left the house and surveyed the surroundings and consulted the spirits of the forest for the best route to head to Raikou¡¯s lair.

 CHAPTER 11: THE WILD BEAST

    When the skies darkened and the majority of the rainforest fell asleep, Yuki and I made our move. Since she had scouted the location where Raikou¡¯s base could be earlier that day while I was resting, I decided to just follow her lead.


    She was somehow quick on her feet while running across the uneven terrain of the jungle floor while dressed in her kimono which showed how experienced she was with the environment. I had recovered about half of my energy which was not ideal given that I was about to enter combat with Raikou but we had no time to lose so I just had to make the best out of it.


    As we sprinted through the greenery, I could hear the sounds of machinery and gears above us which reminded me of the eagle hybrid I fought earlier that day.


    ¡°Yuki-san, are those the sensors you were talking about?¡± I asked as quietly as I could.


    ¡°Yes, they are scattered all over the entire rainforest and they are probably engineered to detect abnormal energy signatures. They have never caught on to me before as I am able to use my abilities to suppress my own spiritual energy similar to how you are able to suppress your mana.¡±


    She answered calmly without losing her breath even though we were sprinting at top speeds which was a testament to her physical abilities. She then started to hum a gentle tune that was similar to a lullaby as she was running which caught my attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a nice melody you are humming there.¡±


    I commented which made her blush slightly as we were running under the moonlight.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment Kazuha-san.., it is a spirit song I use to communicate with the spirits of the rainforest to thank them for assisting to mask our energies.¡±


    I nodded in acknowledgement and took the opportunity to glance over at her. It could have been the serene and magical atmosphere alongside the romantic nature of being under the full moon but for a second I could feel my heart skip a beat at how beautiful she looked.


    After around 15 minutes of running, Yuki suddenly stopped in her tracks and the crystal on her left breast starting glowing as she materialized 2 tachi swords. They both glowed in the moonlight which illuminated their red and blue hues respectively. I thought that we had arrived at Raikou¡¯s lair but there was just an empty patch of land in front of me surrounded by light patches of greenery which was certainly abnormal but there was quite literally nothing in front of me.


    ¡°This location in front of us has completely no spiritual signs, that basically means that there is basically nothing living there which is impossible. Hence, this is where I suspect that wild beast is hiding.¡±


    Yuki explained calmly as she started brandishing her tachis.


    ¡°Hold on to me.¡± She instructed which caught me off guard as it was not everyday a cute girl asks me to hold onto them.


    ¡°Uhm, where should I hold onto exactly?¡± I asked as she was currently holding onto a sword on each hand which led to her instruction confusing me.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Anywhere is fine as long as your body is making contact with mine.¡±


    I gave a quick nod and looked at her petite frame and eventually chose to hold onto her shoulders as I felt that it would be the least awkward for her. When I placed my hands on her shoulders, I could feel her jump a little alongside her body warmth. Regardless, Yuki did not let this interaction faze her as she poured her mana into her swords.


    ¡°SPIRIT CLEAVE!¡±


    Yuki¡¯s swords glowed as she seemingly sliced at thin air. I was about to question her when suddenly a bunker-like building appeared in front of my eyes. It was not huge by any means but it was certainly more than capable of housing that beast.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go off me until we get past the barrier. Only you and I can see this bunker in front of us.¡±


    Yuki turned her face towards me which I noticed was a little flushed and instructed to which I nodded and followed her with my hands consistently on her shoulders. I would assume that if a third party saw the 2 of us in this kind of position, they would assume that we were a couple having fun together.


    As we walked together towards the bunker, Yuki touched the door but her hands just phased through them as if they did not exist in the first place. While I was shocked at the sight, she carried on walking as if it was second nature to her.


    When our bodies completely passed through the ¡°door¡±, the shape of the bunker completely dissipated and what stood in its place was akin to some sort of tower similar to those airline control towers.


    ¡°What the hell!?¡±


    I said out in shock at the vast change in infrastructure.


    ¡°Yes, it appears my guess was right, that ¡°bunker¡± we saw was just a cover-up. I¡¯m not sure how he managed to make use of such powerful cloaking to hide this tower but I¡¯m more than certain that this is how he keeps track of everything in the forest.¡±


    Yuki explained while dematerializing her swords.


    ¡°By the way Kazuha-kun, you can let go of me now..¡±


    She said bashfully as I assumed that she was probably holding in her emotions as much as possible to prevent herself from swapping into Haru as her impulsiveness would not be ideal in our current predicament. I quickly let go of her and started to sense for Raikou¡¯s or Shiho¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Kazuha-kun, there is an abundance of anti-spiritual energy in this place so I am afraid that I am unable to assist in detecting your friend using my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Its all right Yuki-san, you have done enough. It is now my turn.¡±


    I replied as I managed to detect a shred of Shiho¡¯s energy from the top of the tower but it was rather weak which was abnormal coming from her. I started to get a bad feeling and signaled to Yuki that she was at the top of the tower.


    ¡°I found her. She is at the top of the tower but I am unable to detect Raikou as he is able to mask his energy as well. Let¡¯s hurry up and rescue Shiho and leave.¡±


    Yuki nodded and noticed a ladder on the side of the tower that leads to the top. From my judgement, the tower was about 50 meters tall so climbing a ladder would take too long. On top of that, it would be quite inconvenient for Yuki to climb a ladder in a kimono. I quickly carried her slender body in a princess carry and used my ability to levitate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Yuki-san, this must be embarrassing for you but this is the fastest way we can reach the top.¡±


    I said as I flew at full speed vertically to reach the top of the tower. I looked down at Yuki who was currently in my arms and she avoided eye contact and was quite literally turning red. I then saw her hair start to change into a brown hue which meant that she was about to swap into Haru.


    ¡°That one is going to murder me if she sees that I am carrying her in such an embarrassing way. I got to make it to the top before she completely swaps personalities for my own safety.¡±  I thought to myself as I used all the energy I had to fly to the top at full speed.


    When we finally landed on the top, I received a punch to my face before I could even assess my surroundings.


    ¡°You you disgusting pervert, how dare you hold me in your arms like that! I will rip your arms out myself!¡±


    Haru exclaimed as she gave me a roundhouse kick to my abdomen which hurt more than I thought it would given her slender frame. Before she could hit me again, she stopped in her tracks and pointed behind me.


    ¡°Is that girl who is dressed like a slut over there the friend you are looking for?


    I turned around and saw Shiho being restrained on a giant metal block with metal chains on her arms and legs. Her clothes were all torn to shreds and her hair disheveled. She was currently unconscious and her body looked lifeless as if it was drained of all energy. But I knew for a fact that she was still alive. Without thinking, I immediately ran towards her and started to attempt to break her out of her restraints.


    While this porn-like scene would normally arouse me, all thoughts in my mind were just to release Shiho and get her away from Raikou at all costs. Truth be told, while we never really engaged in combat with each other, I have no idea whether I would be able to beat him given that Regalia abilities are only effective on Exceeds and other Fafnirs and he far outclasses me physically.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I materialized my kusari-kama and tried to use it to break open the restraints but to no avail as I could barely even make a scratch on them. Shiho then started to wake up and converse with me in a weak and dehydrated voice.


    ¡°Kazuha? Is that you? You¡¯re alive? Haha.., I knew you would come to save me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk for now, save your energy. I will get you out of these chains quickly before Raikou arrives and we can head back together.¡±


    ¡°No wait..., Those chains are made of some metal that nullifies Exceeds. You won¡¯t be able to break them using tetra weapons or your abilities.¡±


    Haru then walked up to us and interjected on our conversation.


    ¡°Your girl there is right. That is the same metal that trapped you and made you feel that excruciating pain back in the forest. We won¡¯t be able to break it normally.¡±


    ¡°We have no choice! We can¡¯t just leave Shiho here!¡± I retorted but was met with another kick from Haru.


    ¡°Calm down Kazu. I¡¯m not saying that we should leave her here. I¡¯m saying that there must be some kind of tool her that can release them.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, I can¡¯t believe you are cheating on me with this beauty Kazuha.¡± Shiho commented with a sulk on her weak face.


    ¡°Calm down ok Shiho, this is not the time for this. I¡¯ll explain everything later, for now she is a friend that is helping me save you.¡±


    I explained calmly trying to pacify her and make her stop using whatever remains of her energy to be jealous.


    All of a sudden, the ground began to rumble and the tower shook with a strong vibration. I could sense an extremely powerful aura approaching and there was no doubt that it was Raikou. True enough, he emerged from the shadows and walked out confidently from probably some hidden room in the tower.


    ¡°My my, I see you somehow managed to survive. I went to search for your corpse but I couldn¡¯t find it so I assumed the explosion would have disintegrated all of your body. Who would have thought that you would enter the lion¡¯s den after you somehow managed to cheat death once. I assumed that brown-haired girl had some part to play in your survival. I am also quite impressed that you managed to find my hideout . Truly impressive. But no matter, I will make sure none of you will be able to leave to tell the tale.¡±


    ¡°Raikou you bastard! What have you done with the Exceeds and what have you done with Shiho!¡± I called out in anger and could feel my energy rising from within me.


    ¡°So you are the Wild Beast that has disrupted the sanctity of this forest of spirits. You are truly unlucky that I am the one you are facing as I do not have a habit of showing mercy against people I absolutely hate.¡±


    Haru added on as her energy increased tremendously as well but Raikou who I knew for a fact could sense our energies was not even fazed. Instead, he started laughing with a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°All right then Spring Breeze, you want answers? You are going to have to beat them out of me! Since it was forbidden for JSF captains to engage in combat with each other, I bet you never knew where my nickname came from. Maybe I¡¯ll show you why they call me Wild Beast Raikou.¡±


    Raikou cockily declared as he shouted out a battle cry before removing his top. His bulging muscles and well-toned body was covered with beastly tattoos which was a known fact among the whole JSF but this was the first time I had seen them up close. From what I could make out, there was a tattoo of a mantis on his right arm, a lion on his left arm, a serpent on his left leg and a dragonfly on his right leg.


    I materialized my kusari-kama and Haru materialized her tachis as we both took a battle stance to prepare for combat. As we waited for his move, Raikou did not take a battle stance or even put up his guard which surprised the both of us. Instead, the tattoos on his limbs started glowing in a black hue.


    ¡°Kazu, look at his right bicep. Is that a¡ª¡±


    Haru questioned and I immediately knew what she was talking about. There was a crystal embedded in his right bicep that looked exactly like a Fafnir crystal.


    ¡°No way! That¡¯s impossible. But there was no doubt, counterfeit or not that was a Fafnir crystal.¡±


    I replied as I started thinking of how this was possible. Firstly he was male and secondly he was definitely over the age of 30 where Fafnir crystals were known to lose their power.


    ¡°We can figure the details out later, get ready for anything. I have a really bad feeling about this.¡± I told Haru who nodded as she steeled her resolve and was preparing for battle.


    The tattoos that were glowing started to separate from Raikou¡¯s body and transform into separate entities. Before I knew it, there were 4 massive Exceeds in front of me. Similar to Raikou¡¯s tattoos, there was a lion, a mantis, a serpent and a dragonfly. Each one radiated tremendous strength however their energies felt unnatural and unalike any Exceed I have faced before.


    ¡°Kazuha each one of those Exceeds is a S-class at least, maybe even a SS-class. But I get an uneasy feeling from them, its as if they are engineered rather than being organic.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I know what you mean, nonetheless, we can¡¯t let these things run rampant. We have to stop them right here and now.¡±


    Raikou then started to laugh once again as he exuded control over all 4 Exceeds.


    ¡°Do you like them? I¡¯ll give you a little teaser of what I am working on. These used to be S-class Exceeds that I was tasked to defeat under JSF orders. They were honestly quite challenging to take down which gave me the idea of making them into my pets. Why beat them when you can make them join you HAHAHAHH!! Now with these at my side, I am easily more powerful than not only the JSF but even all those stupid Fafnirs. Maybe its time we get the show started.¡±


    Raikou whistled and the 4 Exceeds charged towards us at the same time from different directions. Fortunately, both Haru and I managed to dodge out of the way and assess the Exceeds. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shiho still being restrained and powerless to defend herself if any of the Exceeds started attacking her so I called out to Haru.


    ¡°Haru! Protect Shiho at all costs. I¡¯ll hold those beasts back myself. If anything happens to me, take her and escape. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°You idiot Kazu! Don¡¯t be reckless! Do you think your girl over there will be happy knowing that you sacrificed yourself just to protect her. We will take on those beasts together and find a way to escape later.¡±


    Haru replied with conviction as she headed straight for the serpent and dragonfly Exceeds which meant that the mantis and the lion were my responsibility.


    I started engaging in combat with both the lion and the mantis at the same time with both of them towering over me which made it quite hard for me to dodge their attacks while also dealing meaningful damage. I decided to focus on taking down the mantis first as I quickly sprinted towards it after dodging a pounce by the lion and changing my weapon from Kusari-kama to a naginata.


    ¡°Kuzunoha Style Naginata Fourth technique, STORM EXECUTOR!!¡±


    I increased my speed drastically and coated my naginata with wind and sliced at the mantis¡¯ body from all directions ensuring that there was no way where its core would not be exposed for me to destroy.


    However, my strikes proved futile even with my naginata made out of Tetrasidium as I only managed to deal superficial wounds to the mantis. On top of that, it managed to parry one of my strikes and forcefully shove me to the ground. The lion saw its opportunity and quickly ran towards me and leapt into the air seemingly attempting to pounce directly on top of my body in order to crush it.


    Thankfully, my combat reaction speed that was honed to almost perfection by the JSF kicked in and I managed to activate Shiho¡¯s meteor ability to get myself out of the way. However, my energy was not unlimited especially since I was only about half as strong as normal due to the anti-Exceed trap Raikou used on me earlier.


    While the lion was recovering from its failed attempt to jump on top of me and the mantis was recovering the wounds I inflicted onto it, I used the opportunity to consider my options given that I was going to run out of gas soon.


    ¡°I still have Risa and Yuki/Haru¡¯s abilities to make use of on top of Shiho¡¯s but there is no bodies of water nearby for me to use Risa¡¯s water manipulation effectively and I do not know enough about Yuki/Haru¡¯s abilities to use them. If only I managed to meet the condition with Emiri or Kasumi so I could make use of their abilities to get us out of this pinch.¡±


    I took a quick glance over at Haru and saw that she was holding her own against the serpent and dragonfly with her tachis but similarly to me she was not inflicting any significant damage.


    What¡¯s worse is that she is clearly getting exhausted as well fending off 2 S-class Exceeds at the same time. While I knew she had considerable strength, that strength was not infinite as well so she probably was not going to last much longer as well. Furthermore, there is no telling when she was going to swap back to Yuki as her time limit was going to be up soon.


    However, I had no time to worry about her as of now as I had my own share of Exceeds to handle. I considered my options and decided that there was almost no possibility of the 2 of us winning a war of attrition so our best bet was to end this battle now. I called out to Haru and told her of my plan.


    ¡°Haru! Lure the 2 Exceeds you are fighting to an area near me. I¡¯m going to attack all of them at once.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy! We are already struggling with 2 each and now you want to take on all of them by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Trust me. I got a plan. I¡¯ll inflict lethal damage onto all of them at the same time and when their cores are exposed, you go in and destroy them. It¡¯s the best shot we have.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. We¡¯ll go with your idea.¡±


    Haru replied and immediately ran towards my direction while still fighting with the serpent who was attacking her from below and the dragonfly that was attacking her from above. I then ran towards her direction as well while fending off the mantis and the lion and baiting them into having a head-on collision with the other 2 Exceeds in order to give me an opportunity to use my ability to its limit.


    ¡°BANG!¡±


    As per my plan, the 4 beasts who were acting independently collided with each other and while it did not do any significant damage to any of them, the lag in their movements gave me the time window I needed. Haru also took up a guarding stance to protect me if any of them was going to start to charge at me.


    ¡°Restia come out quick!¡±


    The purple haired goth lolita appeared next to me and since our minds were linked as a result of the contract, she knew exactly what I was thinking.


    ¡°Kazu-kun, this is the last seal. Once you break it, there is no going back. Are you really sure you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°I have no choice. There is no going back if we all die here as well so this is the only option I have. I understand the consequences and I am resolved to face them head-on. I have no regrets.¡±


    ¡°All right then, I shall support your decision then Master.¡±


    Restia replied as she closed her eyes and kissed me. Power was flowing through every cell in my body but it could never compensate for what I was about to lose. However, I would lose everything if I did not go all out right here and now.


    As Restia dematerialized after assisting me to break the seal on my abilities, I could feel my eyes getting wet and tears trickling down my face. The last shreds of memories I had with the girl who I had promised to marry when we were kids slowly burned into the abyss of being truly forgotten. I would say that this drawback was the worse out of all the Regalia abilities I have seen before as it truly lives up to the concept of equivalent exchange. The greater the power, the greater the cost.


    I pictured her face one last time as I was charging up all my energy. There was so much more I wanted to do with her, see with her and remember her by but all I could do at that point was apologize and say my final goodbye as the final vestiges of my memories of her vanished.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mizuki.., this is truly goodbye forever.¡±

 CHAPTER 12: THE BATTLE IS OVER

    ¡°Kuzunoha Style Final technique, THUNDEROUS STORM: CONTINOUS BUTTERFLY DANCE!!!!¡±


    After channeling all my energy into my naginata, I gained immense speed that made me almost appear to vanish to the naked eye and circled around all 4 beasts similar to how they are the eye of a tornado. I was so fast that I was generating such immense amounts of wind that I was quite literally a tornado.


    The Exceeds all tried to escape the tornado that was slowly closing in on them but they were unable to do so as I would strike them if they came too close. They were unable to dodge any of my attacks as well since they probably could not even see me with how quickly I was running. With each rotation, I gathered more power in my naginata and dashed through all of the beasts in a straight line.


    With each dash being more powerful than the last, the thick skin of the Exceeds were slowly being damaged and wounds were starting to be visible. But this was not enough. I had to go further. After about hundreds of strikes have been inflicted, I finally ran out of energy.


    While this was the first time I used this technique, I felt strangely at ease as if there was some unknown force assisting me. Heck, I could not even remember where I learned this technique but it somehow felt natural to me like I had always knew it.


    After I finally collapsed on the floor after expending all my energy, I noticed that the external skin of all the Exceeds were gone and it would be easy for Haru to finish the job. With a final glance towards Haru, I gave her the signal that it was her turn now and my world soon became dark as I lost consciousness.


    <u>Haru¡¯s POV</u>


    He did it. He managed to inflict enough lethal damage onto those beasts for me to finish them off. He was honestly quite impressive despite his slight perverse tendencies which made me see why Yuki developed feelings for this clown just after a day of meeting him. Regardless, I can¡¯t let his sacrifice be in vain so I with all of my remaining energy, I sprinted towards the 4 Exceeds in order to finally vanquish them.


    ¡°UNBOUND SOUL: SPIRIT FANG!!¡±


    I reversed the grip on my tachis and leapt towards the severely weakened bodies of the Exceeds and aimed for their cores in order to prevent them from regenerating.


    However, when I was in the air, I noticed that all of the Exceeds had no cores present inside of them which caught me off guard as I had never seen any Exceed without a core ever before. That lapse in my judgement caused my actions to lag for a moment which was all was needed for their battered bodies to vanish right in front of my eyes.


    I looked up and saw Raikou standing there with his tattoos back on his biceps and his legs. He must have recalled them back to his own body somehow.


    ¡°Oh damn, I certainly was not expecting the both of you to be able to bring my pets to the brink of death. I do apologize for not honoring the fight but such wonderful and powerful pets don¡¯t come by everyday and it would be a shame if I just lost them like that. But consider this a gift for you efforts.¡±


    Raikou took out a remote from his pocket and pressed a button it which released Shiho from the restraints and made her weakened body drop lifelessly to the floor. I quickly went over to assess her condition alongside Kazuha¡¯s and was going to use my spirit abilities to heal them but Raikou started laughing cockily once again.


    ¡°I guess since I obtained what I came for from that princess over there, I no longer have a need for this place so I shall give you a parting gift. Till we meet next time.¡±


    Raikou declared as he vanished into thin air.


    As if on cue, I felt my consciousness drift away as this was probably the time limit of our swap back to Yuki.


    ¡°What amazing timing as always.¡±


    <u>Yuki¡¯s POV</u>


    I knew what was happening since I shared memories with Haru-chan but the timing this time was quite awkward. There was always an uneasy feeling whenever we swapped but there was no time for that now as I could sense spirits again somehow.


    Since Raikou claimed he had no need for this tower anymore, I assumed he removed the anti-Exceed barrier that secluded this tower from the rest of the rainforest. The spirits started talking to me once again and told me that Raikou planted bombs in this whole tower.


    True enough, I could hear the sounds of explosions soon after and while they would not damage the forest significantly, we were still 50 meters up in the air and if we fell from this height on top of all the debris of the tower self-destructing, there was no way we would survive. Especially since both Shiho-san and Kazuha-san were unconscious and immobile.


    There was no other choice.


    ¡°Raza-sama, I need your assistance.¡±


    I called out while clutching the crystal on my left chest and the familiar looking old man emerged.


    ¡°Oh my! It appears that we are in quite a pickle aren¡¯t we Hahah!¡±


    Raza-sama commented in his usual jovial tone that was quite out of place given the current gravity of our predicament.


    I quickly dematerialized the tachis I had in both my hands and started reaching under my kimono. My hands travelled from the slit at the hem of the floral colored cloth of the kimono and slowly made its way upwards. Higher and higher from my knees to my thighs and finally my crotch.


    I felt the cotton I was looking for which was the pair of panties I was currently wearing and immediately reached for the side-tie on the left side of my panties. With a quick tug, the knot came undone and I could feel my panties getting looser. I quickly reached for the other knot on the right side and it came undone soon after.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    With both side-ties of my panties undone, I pulled them down my thighs until they were at my ankles. A bright yellow fabric with white lace at the edges came into view at my ankles which I quickly picked up and bundled into a ball.


    I am quite thankful that there is no one else here to witness this embarrassing scene other than the unconscious Kazuha-san and Shiho-san. I passed the ball of my panties to Raza and he immediately exclaimed in joy at the discovery of what I had just handed him. He started to examine them and let out exclamations of joy.


    ¡°Yuki-chan, I didn¡¯t know you were feeling so proactive today? But maybe this is not the most ideal location for us to continue this with the whole building collapsing and such..¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time for this! Raza-sama, I need to use the spirit gates to get both Shiho-san and Kazuha-san to safety and receive medical treatment before this whole building collapses into a pile of rubble.¡±


    ¡°Tch, and I thought you were finally going to accept me as your partner of love. All right then, I¡¯ll allow it. Thank you for your payment as always.¡±


    Raza smiles creepily and disappears with my panties back into the Fafnir crystal on my left chest. I felt power welling up within me and I quickly materialized my tachis again. I used the blue one to draw a magic circle on the floor and once it was complete, I carried Shiho-san with one hand and Kazuha-san with my other hand and placed them on top of the magic circle.


    It is at times like this where my years of tough physical training in the jungle came in useful where I was used to running with heavy objects such as people on uneven surfaces such as this falling tower 50 meters in the air.


    Once we were all on top of the magic circle, I used my red tachi to gave myself a small cut on my left thumb which caused a few drops of blood to drip on top of the magic circle which activated it. After the circle has consumed enough of my blood, I felt a tingling sensation which signaled me that the spirit gate was ready to be used.


    ¡° SPIRIT GATE!!¡±


    The magic circle came to life and before I knew it, we had vanished into the gate. My vision that was once of the collapsing tower changed into a dome of pure gray with white lines marking the spirit paths which are the way spirits travel all over the world. It was similar to a underground shortcut of sorts where we could travel long distances within short periods of time.


    Since humans were normally not allowed to use these paths, they normally lacked the mana needed to even open the gate let alone traverse the paths. Hence, I always need a power boost from Raza whenever I need to use it but as we are in a contract relationship such benefits did not come free of charge.


    I had heard from him that different Exceeds normally have different costs or rituals for them to grant their masters extra power. It just so happens that Raza is a perverted old man who wants a piece of my freshly worn underwear as the price.


    While this was not the first time I had used the spirit gates, the experience was always a weird one as we were quite literally going against the laws of the world with how quickly we are travelling. The exact speed of travel was always a mystery to me but from my experiences in the past, I was more or less able to traverse half the world in about 5 minutes.


    My mana was not unlimited like that of spirits so I could only use the spirit gates once every few days at most which was how long my mana took to recover after a one-way trip. While training was able to assist in raising my physical abilities, it is said that one¡¯s amount of mana is determined at birth and it would barely increase even with all the training in the world.


    After around 2 minutes, I managed to locate Saint Lily¡¯s Academy on the spirit paths and chose that as my desired location to exit the spirit gate. My mana was certainly dwindling but I think I have just enough to barely make it. I took a quick glance down at the man who was lying unconscious at my feet and smiled.


    ¡°You truly are amazing, Kazuha-san.¡±


    I felt my heart skip a beast as I stared at his masculine face sleeping. I had never met a man around my age before so I was honestly quite intrigued with him. He just looked so cool as he was fighting with those Exceeds just now. I wish it could have been me with him instead of Haru.


    ¡°Oh why did I have to get embarrassed by him carrying me that I swapped to Haru.., I lost my chance.¡± I said to myself as I knew that Haru knew that I was experiencing these feelings yet we were unable to converse with each other so I pretty much have no one to confide in.


    While I could feel my face flush, I reminded myself that I could not afford to swap to Haru now as she needs all the rest she can get from engaging in combat just now and I would rather not swap to Natsu. I could sense that we were nearing the end of the spirit path so I composed myself and headed straight on.


    Finally, we made it to Saint Lily¡¯s Academy. It was quite a new experience for me as well as I rarely even attended my own academy let alone visit another. I am not exactly the most book smart person so I saw no point in attending classes and it would be quite troublesome if Haru or Natsu appeared.


    After all 3 of us exited the spirit gate, my knees gave way and I collapsed to the floor while kneeling. My mana must have been at its limit since Haru used quite a bit in her fight as well. I was about to pass out when a black haired girl picked me up in time. I took a quick look at her face and saw that she was beautiful such that people would probably see her as a model.


    For some reason, her face reminded me of Kazuha-san but I¡¯m sure my eyes must be playing tricks on me from expending too much of my energy. But to think that Kazuha-san is surrounded by such a beautiful girl, do I really stand a chance against her? The beautiful black haired girl then spoke with a calm and dignified aura.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She then looked towards the 2 other people who were unconscious on the ground and gasped in shock.


    ¡°Shiho-san what happened to you?? Why are your clothes all tattered? Onii-san, why are you so weak?¡±


    She seemed to have came to a realization of what happened and quickly offered me a hand.


    ¡°I am Kuzunoha Kasumi, while I have no idea who you are but if you are with Shiho-san and Onii-san, you must be a Fafnir as well. Come let me assist you to the nurse¡¯s office to get all 3 of you checked. Are you able to stand up and walk?¡±


    Her voice was like an angel¡¯s as it was confident yet soothing to the ears. But wait, she said Onii-san which meant that she was the younger sister of Kazuha-san? Maybe I do stand a chance. I quickly replied to her and took her hand in order to stand back up and walk to the nurse office. Perhaps she noticed my difficulty in walking so she called over 2 students who looked like kids to assist me and Shiho while she assisted Kazuha-san.


    ¡°Mayu, Miyu, bring them to the nurse office immediately. Oh and bring them some fresh clothes to change into.¡±


    As we slowly walked towards the nurse¡¯s office, I couldn¡¯t help but think about how I am thankful that I saved Kazuha-san.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try going to school for a change? I wonder if they¡¯ll let me transfer here from Primrose.¡± I thought to myself as I felt my heartbeat increase at the thought of going to school with Kazuha-san.


    ¡°So this is what having a crush feels like.¡±