The Nyuwek rips the South in one of its longest durations this year, about 8 hours of nothing but rain. Thankfully, the City of Jiangnam and subsequently any territory that is reached by the Demonic Sect suffers minimal losses.
"Thank you again for your service!"
A Solemn voice said, his tone is low and heavy with exhaustion, but he is nevertheless relieved that Months of planning about the arrival of Nyuwek has been proven to be a fruitful endeavor.
And it is the work of The Lord of War, Nazawa Aigen together with the new Lord of Merchant Lago Namen as to why the Demonic Sect can be said to have no damage other than some cases of hallucinations.
"I-It's nothing, I'm glad to be of help!"
Lago Namen said, his voice is still young and full-spirited. The full weight of his duty has yet to burden him, given the meticulousness of his father, Lago Miwa, it is a given that the load of duty he left behind is light.
"Now for the part most tedious…"
Nazawa Aigen looked over at the mess that is his office, many papers filled with procedure as well as the very expensive scrolls of instant communication littered the floor, table and even soft chair of his large office.
Scratching the back of his head, he regrets not having any secretary to handle the menial and mundane task. If Lago Namen here isn't the Lord of Merchant, he would be happy to appoint him as his assistant.
"Years of experience This One had, yet task this mundane remain a hassle"
"Umm, if its not impertinent for me to give my humble opinion…"
Lago Namen said, his brown face covered with thick glass shyly ask.
"Oh? speak… This One appreciate the voice of the younger one"
Lago Namen smiles, unlike his mentor who thinks that he is superior just because he is old, the Lord of War is wise and gentle, accepting the voice of those much younger than him and even welcomes it.
"If… The Lord of Sword dislikes having a secretary, you might want to make something called folder"
Lago Namen voice is still low however, careful in its intonation as to not sound rude to Nazawa Aigen who is much, much older than even him.
"Folder? Hmm, this One heard this so-called folder which allows One to store paper without needing a large cabinet"
Lago Namen nods, his brown eyes sparkle beneath his glass as he done so.
"This One will take the young one advice to heart, oh?! Look at the time, This One is thankful for the young one assistance, you of great help to This One imposed duty"
Nazawa Aigen smiles, closing his snake like-eyes that wears a monocle for reading. Lago Namen nodded and bowed before he took his leave.
As his footstep gradually fades in the distance, Nazawa Aigen once soft face twists into a frown. His snake-like eyes sharpening extremely into a that of disdain.
"Soft…"
His words moved in unison as the countless papers and pens floated into the air, his technique called 'World Awaits' affected the entire space of his office, warping even lights as it manipulates the countless scattered paper and neatly organizing them.
"Naïve…"
His Aura of soft white blends into the background, almost non-existent in its translucent quality. Making sure that his office is flawlessly clean, even doing so much as to lift every bit of scattered dust and dirt.
"Weak willed… Yet, the kind of man she fancies?"
His voice filled with ill intent, venom lacing his words as he expresses his contempt towards Lago Namen, the man his daughter fell in love with.
"He is certainly capable, smart too… Maybe I am too old to understand, but I will not let you be unhappy"
Nazawa Aigen then produced a Hair oil made of a mixture of both Serpent and Loong saliva, its normally rotting stench was replaced with soft floral like smells, a blend of chamomile and lavender.
He applied some to his hand, rubbing it together and applied it to his hair, making sure that not even a strand of stray hair escapes the perfect frame of his cubical head, cleaning himself obsessively from any impurity with the 'World Awaits'.
And thus, he is ready to meet with the strategist of the Mugeon Dynasty, the Demon King has entrusted him to handle the strategist, and he will gladly see to it until the business is done.
The 'business' in question is regarding a formal apology regarding the misdemeanor of their 'son', Prince Mugeon Edward.
Not even addressing him by his full name, Mugeon Rulis Edward. How lowly has he fallen that the so called 'messenger' didn't even bother to refer to him in his full name?
"Excusatio non petita,"
But Nazawa Aigen already sees past their intent, so foolish of them to announce the entire reasoning of their visits in the official message, do they take him for a fool?
This much…
"…accusation manifesta"
Is child's play, Nazawa Aigen will make sure that the strategist of that phallic-less emperor will be broken fully.
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"I assume today's Joint Training will begin in earnest…"
Musashi Gen said, addressing the old lady that sits in front of him. Liu Haite is currently performing some kind of ritual to auspicate today's premonition.
"…"
But no words responded back, feeling annoyed, the Lord of Sword began poking on the Lord of Poison with his long Nodachi.
"Cease this you fool…"
"Yer taking too fucking long!"
His words are rough and it didn't stop his relentless poking.
"You cannot haste greatness, and why should I perform an auspicate if you already gathered the students anyway?"
Liu Haite ask with low growl, annoyed that he interrupted her teatime with Lady Hwang. She even wore her floral dress for this occasion and musk herself with the finest of perfume.
"The Elder requires the oh so important tradition to be uphold, believe me, I was annoyed too"
"Tch, just begin the Joint Training, I'll tell the elder that the auspicating process reaches neutral."
Liu Haite said while clicking her tongue, before storming away. And her way of doing it is kind of ridiculous. She quite literally just floats while still in the sitting position.
Musashi Gen clicked his tongue and began to walk into the Forest of Darkness where the students have gathered, but along the way, he spots a patch of Begonia.
Normally, they would bloom in different color, but for some reason, their color now is Black… Pitch Black.
"…"
Musashi Gen 'Iai sense' blare all kinds of warning against him, this and the peculiar Begonia would certainly be an ill omen of what's to come.
Musashi Gen produces a scroll of instant communication; he bit his own finger to write a message in red.
"Suspicion of Danger, tighten all security near the Academy. My humblest request for you Heavenly Demon"
He doubts Viren would guard the Academy, at most he will give him about 5 Maw's and nothing more. But Musashi Gen would personally be there, waiting for the ill omen to come.
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The long-awaited Joint Training has officially begun, as the thousand students gathered around in their respective Semester and Class.
The Joint Training that is split between the Martial Class and Theorem Class had a considerable difference, mainly in its participants.
The Martial Class has bulky and strong individuals while the Theorem Class consists of limp-handed and skinny ones. Nevertheless, an outlier persists in each group, defying the overall archetype of their Class.
Like Nanming who chooses the Theorem Class despite being graded 97 and even 100 in practically every physical test he attended.
As he sat down on a wooden chair and table while thousands of others were placed in each of his cardinal directions being separated by a wooden partition to avoid cheating.
The Academy staff then handed each one of them 3 papers with text imprinted on them, a brush and small inkstone.
As Nanming reads the text, finding it was a question with 4 basic choices written below it, he is expected to brush up on all the wrong answers and leave the correct one unscathed
This makes it so that once you brush off a question, you cannot choose it again, which means every decision matters.
'The river which flows from Hanin Plateau within its countless tributaries and becoming the vein of Hazhui is…'
Nanming brushed off all options besides Huang River.
'Complete this sentence: Resolutely our Clay form shall be reshaped in the deepest pit of…"
Nanming easily finds the correct answer, its Tar.
He felt that this was too easy, just trivia that tests your common knowledge. That was until the next question.
'Synthesist of three-fold element requires the said Three elements to have the same polarity as well as orbital mass of satellite particle, for the Three elements of the opposite polarity to result in a successful Synthesist requires a catalyst of either alchemical reagent or neutral energy. Which of these pairs can be qualified as Alchemical Reagent or Neutral Energy?'
Now this is something that is neither an impossible question nor trivia that is common knowledge, it's something that tests both knowledge and logic. Requiring One to think and memorize, determining the correct answer by themselves.
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On the Martial Class, however, things are a bit different.
Each Semester has their own arena of just a circular patch of dirt; each Semester students have one chance to fight.
The condition of losing is leaving the circle, getting incapacitated or being rendered unable to fight.
And the way the fight takes place is that the winner will fight for the next three rounds. If they are defeated before those three rounds, they lose, but if they manage to win three times in a row, they will become eligible to participate in the competition.
Repeat this until there are about 25 students that passed, a very low number given that there are about 800 students in the First Semester, including those who have yet to climb to the Second Semester.
"AGHH, I YIELD, I YIELD!!"
"Gao Len wins!"
A student had his arm dislocated with a swift move, the one who did this has achieved his second win, a male student called Gao Len.
He is small, but it doesn't mean he was weak, on the contrary he is among the strongest Old First Semester, a term used to refer to those who failed to climb Semester.
"Next!"
He shouts, a true fiend of the Demonic Sect he is, red eyes and black hair as he scours the unwilling students.
An unspoken rule of the Joint Training is that when One has no challenger for the next 15 minutes, he automatically becomes eligible to participate in the competition.
This is to avoid passive play by the students who just wait until the very end to compete so that they have a greater chance of winning.
But Gao Len is strong, strong enough that losing to him will be an afterthought because he will surely put a broken bone or two in your body.
And because of that, no one is willing to go. Until Wu Chen stands up.
"I will meet your fight…"
He said in unbroken confidence, his stride of elegance step with pride of knowing no defeat. His eyes trained forward, unflinching as he met Gao Len red eyes.
"An honor to fight you prince…"
He bowed, and as Wu Chen enters the ring, Gao Len assumes a fighting stance.
"But it does not mean I will hold back"
He said with resolute voice that signifies how serious he is, in his mind, it's a way to show how powerful the majestic Wu Clan is.
"Haha, it will be more shameful for me if you did hold back"
Wu Chen laugh and warmed up his body by jumping lightly and loading his arm, as he did a sight of his muscle peeks through his robe, causing a roar from the females akin to a beast in heat.
"…"
Wu Chen looked at them with pity and annoyance, but the females mistook his glance as an appreciation and roar even more.
"Hahhh, let's just get this over with…"
"I assume the same…"
Both Wu Chen and Gao Len then dashed at the same time, as Gao Len load his fist to try and jab at Wu Chen's face…
AHHHHHHHH
"-!"
The roar of the female breaks his focus and he's the one who got his face jabbed by Wu Chen, as the sound of fist colliding with skin rings Gao Len head as he staggered back.
Shaking his head to make the dizziness go away…
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"…Shut the fuc—"
But the roar continues to disorient him, and before he knew it a second fist land straight to his stomach.
Gao Len clutched his stomach as he crouched in one knee, but it's not the pain that caused him to fall, it was that damn girlish pitch that hurt his ear and stunned his brain.
"Can you still fight?"
Wu Chen said, his voice is that of worry rather than just plain asking. Gao Len clicked his tongue at his pity and let out a fighting spirit so fierce....
"YAHHHH"
…its silents the females
Wu Chen smiles, assuming a different stance as he pressed the advantage of his long height, this time, he told Gao Len to attack first.
Which he gladly takes, as his right fist rushed so fast that it becomes a blur.
BRUK
But it's not Wu Chen body that he struck, rather it was his palm. He had blocked Gao Len fist, and he looked calm about it too.
Momentary shock taking over Gao Len as he was rendered unable to move, letting Wu Chen get a free hit to his head.
And just like that, he passed out.
"Wu Chen wins!"
The staff said, it was met with thunderous clap and the females from earlier cheers louder than even the clapping sound.
And for the next 2 rounds, Wu Chen wins, resulting in his eligibility on competing in the competition.
Gao Len sits dejectedly under a tree, pondering over the fact that he just lost. Its not the losing part that makes him upset, it's the fact that he is unable to compete in the competition.
Since the price of even entering the top 10 of the competition allows you one trip away from the Academy, he has been stuck here as the First Semester student for 3 years and he hasn't gone back home since then.
He misses the scent of his house, the moo of the cows and the yelp of goats in his hometown. Eating a freshly ripen apple straight from its tree and the smell of Meat pie his aunt baked for him.
All lingers like ghosts in the back of his mind, and it's all because the damn girls screaming at the top of their lungs.
"There you are"
A voice then calls out to him from the direction of the crowds who watched the next fighting, it was Wu Chen.
"I greet the prince!"
He said as he immediately bowed to one knee, but Wu Chen smiled and told him not to do that.
"My apology for that ruckus, I cannot exactly control other admiration towards me…"
"It is unbecoming for a prince to apologize to a lowly fiend like me"
But at Gao Len words, Wu Chen face becomes stern. He then placed his hand on top of Gao Len shoulder.
"It is even more unbecoming of me to force a so called 'lowly fiend' to bow, an unfairness should be compensated. But I can't exactly bend the Academy law by my will alone"
Gao Len is confused at what Wu Chen is going at, but he kept his face neutral.
But his next words break that neutrality.
"Hence, I'll give you my trip away from the Academy. Use it to your leisure"
"Wha— but…"
Gao Len stammered his words, unable to form a complete sentence as he watched Wu Chen fleets away before he could object.
"…"
Gao Len smiles, ecstatically trembling as he will be home at long last. Such joy of reunion with the rest of his family, the many tales he had and the many foods of home he will consume.
"I'll swear it, I will always remain by your side… Prince Wu Chen!"
Gao Len is never one to entangled himself into a politic, but for the Majesty Wu Chen, he'll gladly brave a pit of tar if it meant serving him.
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"Man, isn't that kid so cute?"
A man wearing a black metal armor peers into an orb that displays the inside of the Academy, watching children having fun is certainly a happiness for him.
"Its cuter if they writhe and cry in such happy occasions, right?~"
He said, his lip of utter happiness creates a jarring sense of horror when his remarks is anything but happy.
"Apostle Kiln, I will not allow any transgression… Stick to the plan and nothing else"
A woman said, her face is covered with a thick white veil so that only her mouth appeared, in fact, her mouth is the only exposed body part of herself as she was covered head to toe in thick black and white robes.
"Prbttt you're not a fun person to be around… Apostle Mu"
The man called Apostle Kiln said as he plays his tongue between his lips, but then his neck was covered in barbed wires of thorn.
"Ugh"
"Your arrogance knows no bound, it pains me that the Sixth Lord Aldos has to be content with your recklessness and impertinent behavior"
She said, but then a cold metal of a longsword pressed against her neck as Apostle Kiln let his neck be punctured by the thorn to do so.
"Careful with your words lady~ I am no gentlemen"
"…I can see that, enough with this"
The woman who is called Apostle Mu retract her thorns, and likewise, Apostle Kiln retreat his blade and sheathed them back to his waist.
"Remember, our objective is the ghostly visage of Wu Yinkuan. Collect his anguish with that contraption given to you"
At her words, Apostle Kiln produced a bottle like object with ornate decorations. But he instead tossed it around like some toys, handling it with reckless abandon.
"Ceased that you fool!"
"Alright, Alright I get it! I go in, get the Ghost and fuck off… No injury, no victim and no death"
Apostle Kiln turned serious as he prepared all the necessary things, but before he could leave, Apostle Mu warned him one last time.
"The Demonic Sect is considered its own nation by The Lord Almighty Hasut for a reason, should you cause any disturbance, don't let them know you are of Camelot. Else, we will all be annihilated by the Black Storm Wu Hailang Raijoo and his retinue"
Hearing that, Apostle Kiln smiles and waves his hand before his entire form fades into dust.