[Arashi Ushimoto – POV]
My every attack was a failure against Vance. My strongest attacks felt like mere child's play, but one thing was for sure: I was not going to give up.
"TEMPEST BLADE STYLE," I whispered, gripping my katana as hard as possible to unleash my most destructive technique. "ZERO-LINE SEVER."
This invisible attack cut along a line of inevitability. If you were on it, you would be hit.
Fweet!
"Kurogitsune," Vance's voice echoed through the arena.
In a matter of seconds, the wooden floorboards splintered and separated. From the shadows, a single black fox emerged, carrying a massive war fan on its back. In no time at all, Vance snatched the fan from the beast. Just a fraction of a second before my invisible blade could touch him, he swung.
"KAZE STYLE-GALE PARRY," he said plainly.
My attack—the strike I thought could never be deflected—was violently redirected. It was so fast that the pressurized air shot past me and slammed straight into Zorian, cutting deep into his flesh.
"GRAAAHH!!" Zorian's agonized scream ripped through the air.
"Zorian!!" Pearl shouted, abandoning her stealth and sprinting toward him.
While the chaos unfolded, I stood frozen in the corner. I could only watch as Pearl desperately reached for him, Zorian collapsing to the cold ground, his wound bleeding constantly.
"Remember this," Vance's voice whispered right next to Pearl's ear. He was resting his chin over her shoulder and she stood there like a stone statue. "Emotion in the fight leads to defeat."
And then, in an instant, the atmosphere collapsed.
"KAZE DOMINION:THOUSAND GALE REND."
The moment he released the technique, the entire arena was pulverized into ash. It was not a single, chaotic blast, but a precise, calculated cage of razor-sharp air currents.
Heh, I thought, struggling against the pressure. I thought I had a dangerous attack, but one strike from Vance could finish this in two seconds.
"Hahahaha I thought I have got a tough work to do but this was way too easy"Vance said with many emotions at the same time
THUD! THUD! THOOM!
I with Pearl fell to the ground, my sword clattering beside me. Zorian was already in the dirt, his condition worsening by the second. But as the dust cleared, my eyes were drawn to Pearl. Her uniform had been shredded by the blast, leaving her back exposed. Burned into her skin was a FALCON TATTOO.
"No, no, no, this can't be!" I almost shouted. "A—No—N—no, that's not—!"
"Yeah, Arashi, I saw it a few seconds ago, and I was shocked too. Looks like you aren't the only special one here," Vance said calmly. "Am I right, PEARL VESPER?"
"But how how is this even possible she didn't told anyone how is —" I was interrupted.
"Enough we will talk about this later" Vance said with authority.
A heavy silence fell over us, broken only by quiet weeping.
Sniff... Sniff...
"Yeah, Sensei... everybody here is special. The only useless fellow among these geniuses is me."
It was the crying voice of Zorian.
"No, Zorian, it's not like that—" Pearl tried to say.
"Just shut up!" Zorian screamed, his voice tearing at his throat. "I am nothing, because I don't even know myself! Who am I?! VAAAAAAAH!!"
He slammed his fists into the ground. "I am always working on my emotions! My personality changes around people just to survive. But none of that means anything now, 'cause the only thing that matters is winning and being myself. And I will WIN!"
"I thought that now I should begin with the theory part of the lesson, as that was also important but for know show me what you got" Vance simply raised his fan, commanding his fox to stand ready.
Tsssh. I pulled the bandage on my hand tighter.
"If you want to win in this world, you must have a weapon," I said, slowly standing up.
"I am willing to do anything. Just tell me what weapon," Zorian replied, struggling to stand straight because of his severe injuries.
"I have one and i think it is for you only but there is one thing. It contains manacles which you have to wear, and you can't take them off till the day you die or it breaks it self," I said with a strict face.
"I will do anything," he said with absolute determination.
"Very well then." I reached down and tossed the massive twin axes, connected by heavy iron manacles, toward him. "Its name is JUDICIUM ETERNIS."
"Why does this have a name?" he asked, gripping the iron but this time it was different from every conversation we have shared in these days.
"Because every weapon has one," a pained voice answered. "Like mine is the Vesper Loom, and Arashi's is god—"
It was Pearl, speaking through immense physical trauma, but she was quickly interrupted.
"And my war fan's name is Shin Kaze Uchiwa," Vance snapped impatiently. "Now start fighting, or I won't be able to teach you even the basics."
Chk. Chk.
"Very well then, we should now begin the training as the real training," Zorian said. As he gripped the chains, the executioner axes erupted with a burning orange aura, clashing directly against Vance's purple flux. "STARTS NOW."
I moved from the right, and Zorian from the left.
One Motive.
One Target.
Zero Experience.
100% Self-belief.
And now, constant fighting.
Whoosh—clink!
The chained axes spun outward.
Fshhh!
The war fan snapped open, catching the arc.
SshhK!
My katana slipped in behind the fan's guard.
Clank!
Zorian's chain jerked tight, executing a mid-air block.
Swish!
Vance twisted the fan, violently redirecting the pull.
Srrt!
My blade grazed just past Vance's shoulder.
Whoosh!
The heavy iron axe crashed down from above.
Fwoosh!
The fan slid perfectly off the impact, deflecting the weight.
Shing!
I pressed my sword in without a single pause.
Whoosh—Kwang!
Zorian reversed the chain mid-air.
Tssh!
Vance's fan skimmed along the tension of the iron links.
Zing!
My katana snapped toward Vance's ribs.
Clink—clank!
The axes recoiled and surged forward again.
Fshhh!
The fan dipped low, guiding my swing straight past him.
SshhK!
I chased the opening, slashing upward.
WHAM!
A heavy axe blow forced its way through the defense.
Swish!
The fan bent the strike aside with compressed air.
Srrt!
Vance flailed a counter-cut back at us instantly.
Whrrr—CLANK!
Zorian's chains tightened into a deadly, close-quarters spin.
Fwoosh!
The fan cut straight through the airflow, disrupting our rhythm.
Shing!
I adjusted my grip, striking from above.
KRRING—Whoosh!
Both axes surged in a crushing follow-up attack.
Fshhh—WHUMP!
Vance snapped the fan forward with devastating force, catching both of our weapons at exactly the same time.
FWOOSH—CRACK!
Vance swung the Shin Kaze Uchiwa with his full, terrifying power, blowing both of us entirely across the arena.
"KAZE STYLE:PETAL SEVERANCE," Vance said calmly.
The attack was a million times more painful. Now, we both had lost. I didn't have any power left to move or fight. Zorian had taken multiple attacks from Vance and was now bound by the heavy Judicium Eternis; he couldn't move either.Pearl was already heavily injured due to talking the thousand gale parry at point black range but wait she is—
"No, I can't lose." It was the desperate voice of Zorian, who was once again trying to stand.
"No need to do so. If you had the knowledge I am about to give you, you could have defeated me," Vance said with a slight smile.
"I don't like people who bluff sensei I know I can't!" Zorian shouted.
"Yes, you would. In this world, the one who trains hard always surpasses the one he wants to surpass," Vance said, looking down at him.
"As I said before, the ones who have the will are the strongest," I said, a genuine smile forming on my face.
"This is the whole point of this lesson: to give you a personality and a goal. Which you got, Zorian, and I am very impressed. You didn't wait for emotional drama; the time you knew who you were, you jumped right into the fight," Vance said, putting his black fox away.
"Thank you, Sensei, but this is who Zorian sterling is," he replied with a smirk, a knowing look of what was going to happen next.
"Now that's what we call being in CONTROL OF A LEGEND—where the legend is you," Vance said, before turning his eyes directly to me.
"She is unconscious," I said, staring directly back at Vance. "She changed the topic while being unconscious to protect her secret. I think I am not heartless enough to throw her in the lion's den just for fun."
"Exactly, so we should stay quiet," Vance agreed. "But here is my genuine question: how were you carrying those heavy axes, and why did you plan to give them to Zorian?" His face became slightly stricter.
I looked up at the roof. My one safe eye became wet, but I was clearly not crying.
"They were from a friend who was just like Zorian. That is why," I explained, staring at the fabric. "And how was I carrying it with all its weight? I wasn't carrying it. It was Vyrm in my pocket that was holding them."
"Oh, now I understand," Zorian breathed out.
"Very well then, lesson one is now officially over," Vance announced. "Now, about all the important terms, definitions, and elements—their practical use will be told tomorrow, as I am tired. Bye."
And just like that, he vanished in a second.
"Wait, you beat us! We should be the tired ones!" Zorian shouted at the empty space.
"Zorian, I am no one to order you, but take Pearl—who cares for you more than herself—and get the wounds healed faster," I said, not looking at him.
"But what about you?? You are also heavily injured," he asked, genuine worry in his voice.
"What?? This is just a small cut—"
Beep... Beep...
I opened my eyes. I was covered in bandages. I must have fainted. But who was the one who changed my clothes?
"Me, me! It was me, Senpai!"
It was June, who looked very excited seeing me awake. Why was she talking to me? Should i show my emotion in front of her. No, no, what am I thinking?
"If not in front of me, then in front of whom?" she said with that same bright smile.
"How did I forget your A-rank ability is mind reading?" I groaned with annoyance. "But you only have 5 minutes, and you use that only on me."
"Yes, yes, Senpai! But Vance Sensei's said to send you to class as soon as you wake up," she said, making a dramatic face.
I had no plan on sleeping and resting anyway. I vanished from the bed and went directly to the classroom. Pearl and Zorian were already there. Vance was at the front.
Pearl lost all her color when she saw me walk in. I ignored Zorian without acknowledging his any injury and stepped right into Pearl's personal space, leaned in, and whispered, "Don't worry about your tattoo and true identity. That is a secret that will go in the grave with me. I promise."
I pulled my face back from her ear and said loudly for the room to hear, "But remember promises are made to break."
"Ok, ok, now sit down," Vance called out. "Today, as you know, we are going to study—which I definitely do not like to do, but exceptions are everywhere."
We all sat down and started listening.
Vance took his fingers and tapped his stomach. "Every individual carries a FLUX CORE here. A sphere. Quiet... until you touch it." He looked at us. "I know you all don't know anything about this, so just listen quietly."
He slowly traced his finger up his chest, drawing an imaginary line. "If you are capable enough to move it from your gut to your mind, you become the master of it." He tapped his temple to emphasize the point. "When flux reaches here, you don't force it to flow in your body. You command it."
He took a long pause.
"How long does it take, Sensei?" Pearl asked.
"Years," I answered for him, my voice plain. "If you survive."
"Yes. But there are levels of mastery. In total, 4," Vance continued, ignoring me. "Most people don't reach that. But you, Arashi and Pearl, have the potential for perfect mastery."
"Huh, how is that decided?" Zorian asked.
"By intensity," Vance said deadpan. "The stronger your flux, the higher your rank. People with very low or weak flux are put in the worker class. But there is one more thing. If your flux runs out... you can still fight, but it burns your lifespan."
"Lifespan??" It was the terrified voice of Pearl—a sound I had never heard from her before.
"If you think this is terrifying," Vance said coldly, "the next chapter is GODWOUND and TATARI."