Chapter 348 Prove yourself
Rayna was doing everything to keep her mouth closed. When she had heard her father wanted to meet the Dark Magus, she thought the two of them would simply talk.
Maybe discuss helping each other in certain ways and then they could be on their way, but the way her father was speaking, of a test, it was almost like the two of them were about to fight.
“I can’t go against father. I know you saved my life, Dark Magus, but this is something that I just can’t do,” Rayna thought.
Meanwhile, Raze was thinking along similar lines. When he had entered, he had already decided that it wasn’t a good idea for him to go up against the Clan Master.
Now, it sounded as if he was proposing for the two of them to fight.
“He can’t be expecting me to win against him. He should know that is impossible, and if he wanted to just get rid of me, I doubt he is the type of person who would need to make an excuse, something like this.
“During this fight, what I need to do is at least show skills enough to impress him. That is the type of person he is, but can I do that without my magic?”
Raze was thinking back to when he had bested the Behemoth Clan Middle stage warrior.
At the time, he was only successful because of three things. The first was the element of surprise.
The Middle stage warrior never expected such an attack to be used, so Raze got a clean attack in.
The second was the item itself. The item had a special condition where it grew stronger based on the number of people around, and there were many.
On top of that, the skills used were stronger, but then couldn’t be used again within a certain period, that was the curse.
Then finally, Raze had used the special Dark Edge Sword Arts, not just the Dark Edge Sword Arts but the Magic Dark Edge Sword Arts.
A special technique that was meant to fuse both Magic and Qi together to create the ultimate attack.
‘I won’t be able to use my magic clearly, only if I think my life is in danger I should use it, but if I use the Magic Dark Edge Sword Arts, people seem to not be so suspicious about those skills. ‘
‘They believe the lingering magic that they can see in the air. It’s just visual Qi.’
The room temperature had changed ever so slightly, and Raze could feel the difference instantly.
He turned his head, and that’s when he noticed someone else entering inside, pushing the doors open.
It was a young man that looked close to be in his thirties or mid-twenties. He had a sword by his side, dressed in all black.
He calmly walked over, and when he reached the same area as Raze and Rayna, he too got on the floor and bowed down.
“This here is one of our individuals who have managed to reach the lower end of the middle stage. He was in the same year as my son, who I believe you are well acquainted with as well,” Belil explained.
“Yet, he managed to reach the Middle stage before him. Although we are not the biggest clan, what we do pride ourselves on, is creating strong warriors, which is why we have more Middle stage warriors compared to any other clan out there, which is proof of our strength,” Belil continued.
“I want you to face him, please, take your position toward the end of the pathway, and Trin here will take his place at this side,” Belil ordered.
Almost immediately, the Clan member named Trin had taken his position. Rayna stood up and moved into the oval area but still stayed relatively far away from her father.
“Rumors are rumors,” Trin said as he pulled out and held his sword, Raze had yet to move to the other end just yet.
“I can tell you are not a Middle stage warrior. You’re still in the Initial stage, yet you managed to best a Middle stage warrior somehow? Everyone knows that’s an impossibility and most likely the Crimson Crane were there to help you.”
Raze understood, according to everything he knew, it was unlikely for those who were a higher stage to beat those who were a lower stage than them.
So for an Initial stage to best a Middle stage warrior, where there was clearly a large rise in power difference, it seemed like a complete lie.
“Before I take part, am I allowed to use any skills and any items I have on me at present, including Qi pills?” Raze asked.
“Of course, I want to see how it was possible for you to defeat a Middle stage as well, and whether or not you are worth my time.”
Hearing this, Raze started to move to the other end, the first thing he had done was take a light blue pill.
Straight away he could feel its effects, the extreme heat being produced down here.
It was no longer affecting him, but it would only do so for a limited amount of time.
What this did allow him to do was use magic the way he needed to as well.
Raze then stopped as he was close to the door and turned around.
‘Everything the Clan Master does, it seems there is a reason behind it. I doubt that it was a coincidence that he placed me next to the door, to try to lure me in an attempt to escape.’
‘But I know that is useless, and I’m not a fraud,’ Raze pulled out the light wind-enchanted sword that made next to no noise at all as he swung it through the air and positioned himself.
“Get ready, fraudster, you will not fool the Neverfall Clan!” Trin exclaimed, as he charged forward and ran towards the center.
Raze then had decided to do the same, as he ran empowering his steps with Qi.
Before Raze had even reached the center, though, Trin was already there in the air, swinging his sword to the side.
A dark red aura wrapped around his blade as he swung it. Instead of backing away, Raze went straight ahead.
The second Descending Step pushed him forward, and he swung from the side with the third Devil’s Formation.
As the two swords clashed, there was no contest as to who had the stronger strike.
Raze was immediately pushed back, and the power was so overwhelming that he had tumbled across the ground a few times.
“Ah, the Descending Steps and Devil’s Formation, you have a good basic foundation and they work well together, you had a good teacher,” Trin claimed.
As Raze was getting up off the floor, he had taken a red pill, restoring some of his health, and a green pill as well.
“I can’t take too many more of those hits, or I’ll be done for, but this is a test, so he won’t go all out with his strength or follow up on strikes that will kill me,” Raze thought.
Raze charged in again, this time, using the first Descending Step, and following it up all the way up to the fourth step.
When he burst forward he used the first Devil’s Formation, a strike from above. It swung down and the sword hit the hard ground surrounded by Qi, but Trin had managed to get right behind him and delivered a large kick right to his back.
Raze’s upper body made him fall, and his face hit the ground. When he looked up he could see the disappointed look on Belil’s face, and the concerned look on Rayna’s as she was biting her fingernail.
“I guess even with the pills and the sword techniques I haven’t done enough to impress him. Well, I hope you keep your promise, anything I use will be fair game, right?”
Raze thought as he stood up and firmed his feet once again. This time he waited for the Middle stage warrior to strike.
Trin was growing impatient, and he had decided to charge right ahead just like last time.
“The way this little fight was set up, we can only directly go after each other. There’s little room for us to move side to side, but in this case, it works out well for me.”
Raze’s sword was placed down by his side as he shuffled his feet so they were the correct distance apart. Then the sword started to be wrapped around, wispy trails of Dark Magic were wrapping around the sword.
At the right time, Raze burst forward with the second step, and swung the blade.
“The 1st Formation of the Dark Edge Sword Arts! Shadow Bind Formation!”
With a little bit of magic added, Raze thought in his head. The sword clashed with Trin’s again and the power this time was equal; there was no clear winner.
Then the shadow that wrapped around the sword started to bind Trin, holding him in place.
Quickly, Raze used a couple more of the Descending Steps while Trin was struggling with what was happening, and then lifted the sword in the air, holding it by the hilt with both his hands.
“Dark Edge Sword Arts second formation, Eclipse Strike!”
The sword had turned completely black, as added Qi and Dark Magic were combined. A large amount of power was channeling through the sword.
“The Noctis Clan’s sword art was hidden here, the Dark Faction leader’s message was hidden here. So I have to hope that this won’t cause a problem!”
The attack unleashed from Raze’s sword, as it swung, the air behind it was covered in Darkness. Only then had Trin gotten out of the Shadow bind, the attack was ready to hit him.
Until, in one half of the room, all of the candle lights had gone out, and the attack landed, hitting a certain person’s forearm, leaving no mark on his body. Belil was standing there having blocked the attack.
“Now, you are certainly full of surprises, aren’t you?” Belil said with a big smile. “Alright, then it’s agreed, I give you permission to marry Rayna!”
Chapter 349 A proposal?
Raze stood there, a little shocked for a moment. There weren’t many times when he was too stunned to the point where his brain wasn’t working, not allowing him to think of the next move or what to do next, but this was one of them.
Originally, he was surprised how his strongest attack had simply been blocked by the Clan Master. It didn’t look like he had used any special technique but just allowed it to hit his body and do next to no damage.
The Eclipse Strike was said to be one of the strongest attacks in the Dark Edge Sword Arts, and Raze hadn’t held back, adding his magic to it. The attack might have been slightly weaker than when using the special sword fighting the Behemoth Clan, or when killing the Dimension Boss. Since, when it was used against the Dimension Boss, Raze also was able to perform 8 of the Descending Steps leading up to the strike, making it its most powerful yet. Either way, he thought his new star mage mana strength and his Pagna stage increase might have made up for that, but it appeared to be nothing in front of a clan leader.
‘I wonder if the Pagna Academy principal will be just as strong as this as well. I’m starting to have my doubts. Even with the student’s help and the Crimson Crane, along with Dame, if we will be enough to overthrow the academy.’
This wasn’t what had stunned his brain into overdrive with thinking; it was the words that had come out of Belil’s mouth.
“Alright, then it’s agreed, I give you permission to marry Rayna!” Belil said with a big smile on his face.
Raze didn’t understand, since when was this fight all about him marrying Rayna? He hardly knew her; they had met fewer times than one could count on their hand, and why was this man so quick to throw her into marriage?
Raze didn’t understand, since when was this fight all about him marrying Rayna? He hardly knew her; they had met fewer times than one could count on their hand, and why was this man so quick to throw her into marriage?
Raze didn’t seem to be the only one surprised by this. His opponent, who had practically lost the fight, was shocked by the words. He almost completely forgot that there was even a match that was going on in the first place.
“Wait, Clan Head, we can’t do that! We know next to nothing about this man! We can’t have someone so precious and talented marry this stranger; he doesn’t even belong to a clan!” Trin claimed.
It wasn’t that Trin wanted Rayna for himself, although he would have been more than happy if that opportunity had come up. It was more so he was thinking about the Clan. Marriages were no small matter, especially when it came to those close to the Clan Master. It would allow clans to build close relations and benefit each other in numerous ways. It was how many clans even became part of the Demonic Faction or the different factions around in the first place.
For Trin, he saw next to no benefit of this happening. He soon turned his head to look at Rayna because if there was one person that could stop this, then it would at least be the other party that was involved.
But when he turned his head, he could see that she was saying nothing and instead had her head down, her face was blushing red. She was clearly trying to avoid the whole situation altogether. Right now, she was in the middle of deep thoughts. How could she go against this idea of marriage when, in fact, it was actually her idea to begin with?
Rayna started to think back; in the large table room just above the current floor they were in, a meeting had been called by the Elders as well as the Clan Master. Present was just Rayna, as her two brothers were off somewhere, and there wasn’t even a seat for Dame anymore. It was long assumed that he wouldn’t be returning. The talk was about the matters that were happening, and the conversation had turned towards the Dark Magus.
What Rayna had told about the Dark Magus was true; her father had originally decided to send out her brothers. Still, right then, to protect him, she had come up with a solution.
“I believe there is another way!” Rayna called out. “What if we were able to get the Dark Magus to join us? I believe he could benefit this family greatly. If he was to marry me, then he would be loyal to us and would be added to our strength.”
It had been a thought in her head for a while; she had talked about it with Dame. Still, she only half seriously meant it at the time. Knowing that this might be the only way to save him, she was happy to give up her chance at marriage, and she would much rather marry someone who had saved her life than a stranger from another Clan that would treat her as a lesser.
Her father had agreed but only after meeting him, and she knew full well he wanted to test to see if Raze was worthy enough to be part of the Clan, and it seemed like it was a success.
“Trin, did you forget? The Dark Magus is not part of just any clan; he is part of the Crimson Crane. They are a well-known group through all the factions. So having him join our family will improve our relationship.”
Even though Belil was saying such playful words, the heavy feeling that at any moment, Raze’s life could be taken didn’t go away, which was why Raze was pretty much saying nothing and was just allowing things to go along.
“It will take a while for things to be set up; we will need to have a big ceremony for this to happen. As a gift, we can have you look after an entire city. It can be owned by the Crimson Crane, an extension of the Neverfall Clan’s generosity for joining us.”
It was quite clear as well to Raze that in the father’s mind, this whole thing was already a done deal. For a moment, he looked behind Belil and towards Rayna, who managed to mouth the words to him, saying she was ‘Sorry.’
‘I don’t quite understand what had happened for it to come to this, but I don’t think she had done this out of her own greed. It appears that she had tried to do this, in a way to protect me.’
‘Marriage isn’t exactly a big deal or a problem. To the world, if they know the Dark Magus is connected to the Neverfall Clan, this will be fine. I can think of this as a political marriage to even further advance my position,’ Raze thought.
“And besides, that’s not the only clan you have relations to, is it? I think you have a nice surprise: the Noctis Clan.”
Hearing these words from Belil, it confirmed it; the reasons the sword technique was being used. This was a chance to find out more about the previous Dark Faction founder as well.
“Ah, this is such a good day. I believe that I should give you a gift right now, not just on your wedding day. Let’s get ready; the Light Faction, they were the ones that attacked you before, right?” Belil asked.
The question, Raze was wondering where it was leading to, and what madness was about to unfold.
Chapter 350 Your First Gift
Raze didn’t quite know how he had gotten into this situation, but right now, Raze and Rayna were in a room alone together. They were told to go to one of the rooms above and get ready for a gift that Belil was preparing for them both.
Only the three of them would be involved, and he had asked for the Dark Magus to dress in something that would make him stand out a bit. He didn’t quite know what he meant by that.
In the room, Raze had entered a dressing room of sorts, even though there was no need for him to actually get changed. He used his Dark Magic to switch out of his beloved blazer and went back to the magic robe.
The robe that people were familiar with, the one that stuck to the name Dark Magus. Raze had imagined this is what Belil meant by those words. When he exited, Rayna was there waiting. She looked the same as before in her martial arts robe, with a spear by her side.
She had tied up her hair into a bun and had placed a few armor pieces on her forearms, but everything else was just the cloth that was on her body.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” Rayna said. “I know it’s a lot to explain, but honestly, it was the only way I could stop the Neverfall Clan from becoming an enemy of yours.”
“It’s stupid; my father doesn’t usually go after individuals or anything like that. It was just because the Behemoth Clan got involved, and although all of the Demonic Faction are under one umbrella, he can get quite competitive sometimes.”
“Don’t worry, I understand,” Raze said. “The situation, it’s not as bad as I thought.”
In a lot of ways, Raze felt like this might be better. Would the Behemoth Clan still be after him now that he was connected to the Neverfall Clan? And he could slowly gain trust and learn why the Dark Faction Founder had come here of all places.
It didn’t seem like something Raze could just ask outright, and there didn’t seem to be the right time anyway.
“What I am worried about is what exactly is this gift that he’s prepared for us,” Raze replied.
Rayna had to admit that she was slightly concerned as well.
After preparing, they had exited the room onto the main floor, and they could see Belil waiting for them. He had changed as well and was now in an extravagant piece of large black and gold cloth. It was large in the shoulder areas, but it wasn’t tied up. Belil had a pair of trousers on, but the center part of the cloth remained open, revealing his well-chiseled stomach, and parts of the cloth were dragging on the floor.
“Let’s get going, then, shall we,” Belil said as he bent his legs. When he jumped up, he exploded with power.
He had jumped so high that when Raze looked up, he couldn’t even see him. The abyssal base was extremely deep. It was the same size as a large mountain but only in reverse.
“How high can he jump?” Raze asked.
“From here, well, he’s probably already out of the base. Come on, it’s best not to keep him waiting,” Rayna replied, as she jumped up onto one of the large chains and waited for Raze to follow.
The two of them continued to jump on the giant hanging chains and then ran across them while hopping from one side to the other until they had eventually reached the outside. Belil was just standing there, staring off into the distance, but he could hear the other two had arrived.
“The portal expedition, it was that way over the mountain, right? I think that’s where the Light Faction had attacked from as well,” Belil said, seemingly like he was talking to the others, but he didn’t wait for them to reply and was already on the move.
While running through the vast lands, Raze suspected that Belil wasn’t going at his full speed and was going at a speed where the two of them could keep up.
As they continued to travel, a mountain could be seen up ahead. It was one of the few places that Raze recognized because he had been there before. It was the first portal dimension he had entered, and where he had exited with Dame and the others. Currently, though, there was no portal there.
The three continued to run, and instead of going up the mountain, they had gone around a smaller mountain. Then they hurled down it and could see a vast green forest with yellow leaves falling to the ground.
Then up ahead, what looked like a small little town, similar to the one where the Red Brigade clan was at.
Rayna was getting more tense the closer they moved towards the town. There was a simple reason for this; they were in the Light Faction territory. On the border was the Dawnblade Clan’s territory.
It was where Beatrix Highborn, one of the first people that had struck Raze and almost killed him, and had gone head to head against Dame, as well as the man known as Nabi Highborn were from. The Elder that Raze and the Crimson Crane had managed to defeat.
When looking at the place from afar, the town seemed to be void of people, and instead, there looked to be warriors training out in the fields, swinging their swords, several men sparing against each other, and large crates of supplies moving in and out.
“The Dawnblade Clan is under a lot of pressure from the faction themselves,” Belil started to comment. “They have had three losses against us, the Demonic Faction.”
“Three?” Rayna replied. “I know they lost to Dame when they attacked, and the recent loss of the Elder, due to the Crimson Crane, but the Crimson Crane is not part of the Demonic Faction, and even if we include that, it would only be two.”
“Yes,” Belil answered. “But the Dark Magus is the one being blamed for having defeated the Elder, and he is now allied with us, so that means it will soon be the Demonic Faction’s doing, and as for the third…”
Once again, Belil jumped up from his position; they were still at least one kilometer away. Yet jumping from where he was, Raze could see Belil land perfectly in the center of where the concentrated Light Faction warriors currently were.
Immediately, Qi energy was dispensed, and almost instantly all of the warriors around felt sick, their bodies uncontrollable as they dropped their weapons onto the ground.
‘That’s almost the same effect as if I were to use the first Descending Step, but he’s able to do this with just his Qi.’
No one looked as if they could get up off the ground to attack him, and as Belil walked toward one of the main buildings where a rush of those wearing white cloth had come out with their swords, he had a few words to say to them all.
“The Dark Magus has agreed to become a part of our family today! I hear that the Light Faction has a vendetta against him and wishes to get rid of him. So I have come with a gift for him, and a warning to you.”
Belil readied his fist as he brought it to his side. Large ripples in the air could be seen condensing, and the area round felt like it was getting denser. The floor underneath his feet was cracking, and each time the Qi energy felt like it was condensing more and more.
Cracking down, going further in and in. Then, unleashing his fist, it was one strike, a powerful giant blast of energy, no, not energy, but the attack of a fist, that had ripped everything in its path apart.
The attack hit the buildings, crumbling them to pieces, and the warriors, all they saw was the vast energy. Swinging their swords, doing whatever they could, it was useless as they were consumed by the attack.
The sound was as devastating as a lightning strike. Rayna and Raze quickly rushed over to where Belil was, and when they stood by his side, they could see that one half of the entire town had been completely destroyed.
While the other half, where his fist wasn’t thrown, was left intact.
“This is my gift to you, Dark Magus. Welcome to the family.”
Chapter 351 The Honour of the clans
After the devastation caused by Belil, the rest of the Light Faction members who hadn’t been caught in the attack immediately made a run for it. Most of them had just been stationed there for a few days and were hurrying back, running deeper into the Light Faction territory.
Raze was just looking at the destruction that was left in front of him. It was hard to believe that several rows of buildings existed here before, since now there was no structure left standing, just rubble on the ground.
‘Did the Clan Head really just get rid of a whole town like that? Because of a wedding gift, to congratulate us two being together? He knew the Light Faction had declared the Dark Magus as an enemy.’
‘I guess in his eyes, this is his way of telling them not to mess with me. Which is why it feels like he’s doing me a favor.’
After witnessing this destruction, though, the loss of countless lives, those that he probably had never met before, Raze was starting to wonder something else as well.
‘Are Pagna warriors more frightening, or are mages?’ Raze thought. ‘It’s hard to believe that the man that I defeated from the Behemoth Clan is a middle-stage warrior, and Belil, the leader of the Neverfall Clan, is a middle-stage warrior as well.
‘I’m starting to see, unlike the initial stages, that within the middle stage warriors, the strength can vary greatly. Most of the Crimson Crane are at the eighth stage, and even between them, their strength is quite different.
‘The Light Faction elder that we beat must have been a high eighth stage warrior, or a low ninth stage warrior, and here what we are looking at is the peak of the 9th stage, someone who is close to reaching the Divine level.’
In his head, Raze was trying to compare his strength to himself when he was a 9-star mage. He could have done the same level of destruction, but it was hard to say in a fight who would win. Since he hadn’t seen enough, how fast was Belil, what about his speed and his various techniques? It was the same with magic, one had so many opportunities and ways to strike.
“Are you trying to think of a way you could beat me?” Belil said, walking back toward Raze and Rayna.
“I can see the look in your eyes; you’re thinking about something. Well, I like it; keep growing, keep getting stronger, and maybe someday, you’ll be just as strong as him.” After saying those words, Belil was off, running back into the direction of the Demonic Faction.
He had practically left Rayna and Raze alone together and had left with a big thought in Raze’s mind.
‘Him? Who is him? Who is he referring to? Is it a rival that the Neverfall Clan had? Or maybe, is it referring to the person who was the head of the Noctis Clan, the Old Dark Faction founder Bofan Kilikola.’
It was the name that Raze had found out from the librarian of the Dark Faction, but from what he remembered as a professor, it had to be a different name he had used in Pagna compared to the one in Alterian.
‘I had beaten a low Middle stage warrior back then. So I thought I might have stood a chance going against the Dark Pagna Academy. If we take the fight to them now, it might be extremely difficult.’
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Rayna said. She could see that the Dark Magus was in deep thoughts, since he hadn’t said a word or moved since her father had left. “You see, these Light Faction members, they had already gotten rid of all the civilians that lived here. It was only Pagna warriors here.”
“And they were setting up a base here. Most likely they were planning another attack on the Demonic Faction. My guess is father decided to kill two birds with one stone by getting involved himself.”
“In a way, because of what he has done, he has stopped a full-out war from breaking out.”
“For now,” Raze replied. “I wasn’t worried about that; I’ve been told the lives of Pagna warriors are like this. One submits to their clan, knowing full well what they need to do.”
“Correct,” Rayna replied. “Of course, you would know since you’re a Pagna warrior yourself. Honor is the most important aspect; the Clan’s honor is more important than the lives within it.”
“All of the factions have a different sense of what this honor is. In the Demonic Faction, supreme power rules all, and those below must obey. The Dark Faction uses anything at their disposal to win, whether that’s poison, slitting their throats at night, or attacking when the enemy isn’t looking, after all, only winning matters.”
“Then the Light Faction. One must not lower themselves down to the levels of the Dark Faction or Demonic Faction; otherwise, they are just as bad themselves. They are to fight head-on and straight forward. They are never to use underhanded tactics.”
“Fighting till the end with this honor means that they and the members of their clan can hold their heads up high. Which is why those who have run away will most likely be killed by their own clans when they get back. The death my father gave them was more of a blessing.”
Rayna started to head back, and Raze followed along as he listened to what they said. He remembered Gunther explaining something similar a while back, how it didn’t matter what energy you used to cultivate. But he was in the group that believed one’s belief and the culture of the faction they believed in determined if you were part of what Faction. Raze was starting to understand how the Dark Faction could accept using the Assessment method they were currently using.
To them, it was part of their morals, what they all believed in, and because the Clans were what was most important, the lives were just to be used by them.
‘Doing whatever it takes to win is the Dark Faction’s way. I guess that suits me a bit, and I should use it against them if I’m going up against them.’
When Raze had returned to the base, Rayna had stopped him just outside. She shook her head, stating that there was no need for him to come back. The matter was settled, and when things needed to proceed with the wedding of theirs, she would find a way to contact him.
The best way was going to be through Fixteen, and she knew that as well. But before they parted ways, she had one more thing to tell him.
“I still owe you a favor, for saving me,” Rayna said. “I thought that doing this might have helped you, but I fear it has made things worse. So as your… wife, if you need anything from me, then feel free to ask.”
With that said, she quickly left, turning her head away, making sure the Dark Magus didn’t see her blushing face. As she went, she realized something.
‘Wait, I don’t even know his real name; I just know him by ‘Dark Magus’… I’m so stupid,’ Rayna thought to herself.
With the tricky situation having been dealt with the Neverfall Clan, Raze felt like it was safer for him to make movements in the Demonic Faction once again. The Light Faction should be off his back, and the Behemoth Clan would be aware of this soon.
The city of Repton, he had a lot of heat on him due to what he had done, but it was his regular meeting place.
Upon returning to his room, Raze had found a few crates of food that had been prepared for him. Touching the food, he had placed it in his new blazer that was able to contain close to an unlimited amount of items.
Taking all of the food with him, he was sure that it would be enough for all of the others.
‘Alright, Dame, I hope you’re right. If we give the food to the main disciples and the others, they will be willing to join our cause. Because I’ve realized that I’m going to need as much help as I can to take these guys down.’
It was finally time for Raze to return to the assessment cavern, and he just hoped that the others were holding out and doing okay.
Chapter 352 A sight of Horror
In the underground assessment, things were intense between the students who were fighting. Twenty new students from the other underground assessments had been let into the cavern.
They had already gone through the same methods as the current year-one Red Headband group. However, there was a huge difference between the rest of the groups and what the year-one Red Headband group had been through.
The other students were unable to take the suffering, the hunger, and the thirst anymore. They had figured out the reason for the assessment, and in turn, they had gone from fighting each other. No one felt like they had anyone on their side anymore, and they had activated their instincts and the Qi in their bodies to the max. They had advanced through the stages, becoming stronger than they were before.
Now, joining the first years, they saw easy targets in their sights. Those who hadn’t lost all of their thoughts. Those who were still hesitant to attack their fellow students. They ran around, leaping forth and hitting the students who were still weak, their bodies still not activating with the desperate Qi to fight back.
The main disciples were able to put up a fight so far but had realized that the others’ attacks were either at the same stage as them or higher.
“These guys, they’re not going down!” Lisa spun around and knocked one of the attackers by the side of their head, but they had managed to lift their hands to block the attack.
“The one thing that these guys don’t have compared to us is skill though. We have to use our techniques and skills to fight back!” Sherry exclaimed, as she swung her thin sword, almost dancing around her enemies. Since it wasn’t a real sword, even when her strikes hit, it wasn’t causing a lot of damage.
The same couldn’t be said for their attackers. Most of them had given up the weapons in their hands and had managed to use their Qi to reinforce their fingers. They would swipe at the Red Headband students, attempting to attack their necks.
One group in the center of it all had the majority of the attackers on them.
“Meat Shield!” Liam shouted. Immediately, Simyon leapt in the way, standing in front of them. A swipe was made at his chest, but the attack didn’t cut through. Simyon then grabbed onto the student’s hand holding him. Right after, Safa dived in, thrusting her wooden spear, hitting him in the stomach. Then from behind, Liam grabbed onto his flying sword and whacked one right on top of the head. It was a devastating blow that had caused the student to fall right to the ground.
But the student wasn’t dead, and in a desperate move, grabbed onto Liam’s leg. Another student was already there to attack him, and a fast swipe was made right at his neck. It was a fatal blow. Before it hit, Dame had grabbed the student by the wrist and then hit him away with the palm of his hand, sending him back a few meters away.
“All of you have to focus; you need to be ready for anything that is going to come your way. You guys are in the Dark Faction, not the Light Faction. Do whatever you can to fight and win this fight!” Dame shouted.
Dame was doing his best to not get involved; he wanted all of them to evolve, to grow in strength like these other students had done. To do that, they needed to feel like their life could be taken at any moment. However, he wouldn’t let them die; it was his promise to Raze, and he fully intended to keep it. So if it wasn’t a lethal blow, he would let them get hit.
The fighting continued, and many students from the year-one group had died; there weren’t many left. There were four main disciples in total. And then out of the rest of the Red Headband group, there were only six that were still alive.
Tinson, Violet, and Joe were still alive, having backed themselves up against a wall. All they were doing was reacting to the attacks; they weren’t trying to beat their opponents. These three were Red Headband users who knew each other for a long time.
Tinson was the only survivor from Raze’s rampage in the dark space. They had somewhat realized what they had done, forcing their hand to attack Raze, but Tinson had stated to Raze that if he helped them, then they would be by his side in return.
The other students were those that were part of Alfred’s group, a group that stuck together, planning to get rid of Raze, but their plan had failed, and Alfred had remained dead. There were only three of them left alive right now.
The fighting continued, and everyone was getting tired. That was until strangely, one by one, the attackers started to do something strange.
One of them had dragged the body of the dead across the floor and was running back down the hallway. Some of the others were doing the same, with the dead bodies of the past, not even those that had been killed yet. Eventually, one by one, the 20 attackers, now dwindled down to around 17 attackers, had retreated down the hallway, taking the dead bodies along with them.
Everyone was still on guard, not moving from their positions for a while, ready to fight. They all kept their eyes on the doorway, waiting for them to come back and attack, but it hadn’t happened just yet.
And eventually, Tinson had collapsed, falling to the floor, exhausted.
“Ah… I’ve got no energy!”
Violet quickly grabbed him and lifted him up.
“Quickly, you have to cultivate, get some energy inside you; it’s the only thing we can do.”
Tinson listened and started immediately, and most of the others that were still alive in the room had done the same.
“It’s strange, right?” Joe said. “Those guys, they’re all from the other assessments, but they’re acting like beasts. They’re attacking together, even though they don’t know each other, and now they’re retreating as well.”
That was what was making it difficult for them all. Not only were the other students at higher stages, but they were working together. The same couldn’t be said for the first-year Red Headband students, apart from an odd collaboration from one part of them.
“Thanks, you saved me a few times back there,” Simyon said, looking at Ricktor.
“If you really want to thank me, there are many ways you can, once we get out of here,” Ricktor said, licking his lips.
Which immediately made Simyon regret his decision of ever thanking him and made nearly all of the dissatisfaction return in an instant.
“What do you think is going on in there anyway?” Liam asked. “Why did they retreat?”
“They may be different from us, but they still have Qi energy as well,” Safa replied. “They probably realized it was a lot harder to take us down than they originally thought, so they need to rest as well. They know they’re stronger than us in the Dark Space; they’re better at fighting in there.”
“Then what about the dead bodies?” Mada added. “Why take the dead bodies with them?”
They all knew that there was only one way for them to find out; they would have to go down the hallway, past the seclusion rooms and into the dark space.
“The rest of you recover; I’ll go have a look at what’s going on,” Dame said.
Out of everyone, Dame looked to be completely fine. Other students were starting to notice that there was something different about him compared to the rest. They would have been happy about it, apart from the fact that he was only helping out a few people. Not complaining though, Dame walked ahead and continued down the hallway.
“Dame!” Safa called out. “Stay safe!”
Dame gave a thumbs-up as he headed in. He walked past the seclusion rooms, and as he did, turning his head, he realized that the dead bodies they had stored in the seclusion room were gone as well.
‘I don’t have a good feeling about this.’
The more Dame went down the hallway, the more sounds he could hear. He hadn’t felt like this in a while. He was at a higher stage than all at the academy; he was beyond most of them, so why now did he feel so scared?
’17 fourth-stage attackers, if all of them were to go at me at once, can I best them?’
Dame continued forward, and when he did, he had entered the Dark Space. Focusing Qi on his eyes, he could see slightly, but still not well at all, but enough to see what they were doing. His stomach was churning at the sight, and the sounds he could hear.
“They’re going to come back… and they’re going to be stronger than they were before. As time goes on, we’re only going to get weaker as well. Raze… where are you…?”
Chapter 353 Attacked out of nowhere!
Entering the Dark Space, Dame had a shiver running up his spine. He knew what was going on and had guessed what the students had resorted to.
For them to be doing this naturally, it must have been what they had done in the other assessment rooms to keep going the way they had been doing.
He didn’t want to stay in the room any longer and had decided to turn around and head back down the hallway.
‘I don’t understand what the academy is trying to do. I know the Dark Faction is relentless and will do anything at the expense of victory, but what will become of these students after they leave this place?’ Dame thought.
‘They’re sanity, their respect for life, all of it will be gone. Do the clans have some method to return them back to the way they were before?’
‘Or do the clans not care? They just want a bunch of loyal, strong, hardened killers.’
There was a thought deep in the back of his mind. Although they said they were doing all of this for the sake of the Martial Arts Tournament, that was short-sighted thinking.
Even if they managed to win with the five students that had made it out of this assessment, or more than that after this.
This preparation, this desperation, it almost felt like they were preparing for a war instead. Where they needed to be at the strongest possible in the shortest amount of time.
Even if they managed to win with the five students that had made it out of this assessment, or more than that after this.
This preparation, this desperation, it almost felt like they were preparing for a war instead. Where they needed to be at the strongest possible in the shortest amount of time.
It was the only way he could rationalize what they were doing right now.
Eventually, Dame had returned, and seeing him return in one piece, they felt like it was good news, that was until they could see the look on his face.
“Most likely, the students will group up and attack us again,” Dame informed them all in a loud voice. “And they will have more energy than the last time they attacked. I don’t know how long until they are back.”
“Maybe they will wait a few days until we’re all weaker, but just know that if we just wait around, the problem isn’t going to go away.”
After saying those words, Dame decided to go over to his group, Liam, Simyon, and Safa.
“What are we going to do now then?” Liam asked.
“We need to keep training,” Dame replied. “It’s the only way we’re all going to get through this. You guys are getting better at working together; you’re getting used to the techniques that you have learned.”
“But Simyon, your body is close to breaking through to the next stage, but to do that, your dantian needs to break through to the next stage as well.
“That’s the same for all of you; we need to break through so all of you are at least at the fourth stage like them; your life depends on it.”
The others understood after the dread they had just gone through. They could each feel their bodies getting slightly stronger, but it wasn’t quite there.
“Follow me; we’ll be safe in the seclusion rooms. For now, we need to use the gift that Raze left us.”
With that, the rest of the Red Headband students just watched as the group walked down the hallway to the seclusion rooms.
The rest of them thinking that they must be mad to do such a thing.
“Hey, what about Raze?” Joe, one of the trio of Red Headband students asked. “Isn’t he in the Dark Space as well? If all of those guys went there, does that mean he’s dead?”
“I doubt it,” Tinson said. “But it does make me wonder, where is he in all of this? I mean, he wasn’t even protecting his friends. Maybe he’s just stuck in the seclusion room. Maybe those attackers know not to mess with him either.”
After a short while with Dame and the others leaving, one person started to move forward towards the room, and it was none other than Ricktor.
He took a few steps before he had been grabbed by the arm by another fellow main disciple.
“What are you doing?” Mada asked. “Are you planning to team up and help the others again? Where’s the respect for yourself gone?”
“Respect?” Ricktor replied. “If we don’t do something or team up, then we will all die.”
“And that just means the Clans’ trials were too tough for us, but we will die with honor.” Mada replied. “Remember, the honor of the Clans we are with and the honor you have. You can’t just throw that away, and in such a desperate way work with the others.”
“We have to rise with our own strength. Remember, although we might die, the clan will continue to live, and the Clan’s honor is number one. Dying for the sake of the clan and allowing it to rise is an honor.”
Ricktor couldn’t help but laugh. “You really think like that? Do you think the ones that survive thank the Clans for living every day? Are we alive now because of the Clans or because of what we have done?
“Right now, our life is on the line because of the Clans, so again the situation has to come down to us. If we’re dead, what good is honor? It will disrespect our clan and family.”
“What about the respect for ourselves? Let me ask you something when you saw Raze that day, the one from a no-name family, the one that is from no clan. When he beat us.”
“The eyes of all the other students that day, did it look like they had no respect for him, even though he was part of no clan? I think it’s time we start thinking for ourselves.” Ricktor stated as he continued to walk off.
Mada’s grip loosened, as he was left with Ricktor’s words. He couldn’t grasp it. The Clans were everything. They were what made up the faction, what protected the people, and the rules and hierarchy were what allowed the Clans to be in the position they wanted to be.
One would rather die a member of their main clan than die being a nobody or being known as a traitor, but why… Why did the whole situation feel so wrong to him?
Ricktor continued to walk down the hallway. Mada was right about one thing; he was looking for a certain group of people down here.
He turned his head looking into each of the seclusion rooms and noticed something.
‘So the dead bodies were taken away, now I understand what is happening. Our deaths give us so much honor, to the point where our bodies aren’t even buried but fed to the ones that killed us! Ha, it makes me laugh how stupid I was to follow such things myself.’
In the whole underground facility, Ricktor knew there was one that was clearly stronger than him, and it was Dame.
With the two of them, maybe he could use him to break through to the next stage and reach the peak of the initial stage.
He carried on walking until he heard a sound. He turned his head and could see all of the others in one room sweating, huffing, and panting.
“Hello,” Ricktor said with a smile, before he knew it, from the doorway, a large stone leg came out swinging right toward his face.
He lifted his hands, and his body was sent crashing against the hallway walls. It was a strong hit.
“What was that!” Ricktor asked, and now standing in the hallway itself, Ricktor could see it, a large stone warrior statue, but it was moving as if it was alive.
Chapter 354 Young Masters Unite
Ricktor himself had managed to reach the fourth stage. Something had changed in him after the fight with Raze, allowing him to open his eyes more. When he cultivated, more energy was drawn in when using the Dark Essence absorption technique.
And with that, his body had clicked, making him a fourth-stage Pagna warrior. When he entered the new assessment hall, it was the same; the feeling of his body having evolved into something else continued.
Using his martial arts down below, he was feeling it; he was getting stronger by the moment. In his mind, it was clear that there were only two who could best him in this assessment, including those humans that had turned into wild animals, and those were Raze and Dame. So why, even though he had carefully observed everyone’s strength, and watched the others grow, was there someone who was able to best him other than those two, or at least match his strength?
These were the thoughts that swirled in his head until he saw that it wasn’t someone, but instead, it was something. A stone statue that was wielding a stone spear in its hand. It had a menacing face and was looking right at him.
Ricktor could also sense the Qi that was coming off from its body.
‘That thing, it’s alive!’ Ricktor thought.
In the middle of his thoughts, the statue’s spear started to break down, crumbling and rebuilding into something else; it now had a sword in its hand. Then it placed the sword down by its side and shifted its foot forward.
These motions, Ricktor recognized them well.
‘This technique, it’s from my clan. Don’t tell me he’s going to do that!’ Ricktor thought.
But knowing his own techniques well, he knew the perfect way to counter it and readied his sword, holding it straight in front of him.
“Stoney stop!” A female voice shouted out, and Safa along with the other two had come running out.
Immediately after those words were shouted, the statue appeared frozen, before it stood straight up, no longer did it have Qi that was empowering its body.
“Stoney, really?” Liam commented.
“What, I think the name is kinda cute,” Simyon replied.
“Yeah, the thing that was just trying to kill us moments ago, why not give it a cute name. Then I can say, hey, do you remember when Stoney was busting our balls earlier,” Liam complained.
The situation was certainly strange, and Ricktor didn’t know what to make of it. He looked at the statue and originally assumed that it might have been some type of beast.
But then, why did it know his Clan’s techniques, and how did it have such powerful Qi? Lastly, the others were pretty relaxed with it being around them.
“What are you doing here?” Dame replied. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Dame had exited out of the small space as well. In the first place, it was quite amazing how all of them could fit in the seclusion rooms, since they weren’t large in the first place.
They were just big enough for one to practice their martial arts without much movement.
“I’m more wondering how this thing knew our clan’s techniques. It appears if I was to get out of here and inform my father, that he might be inclined to get rid of all of you who are keeping this thing,” Ricktor replied.
“Ah, so you think threatening us is a good idea, in a place like this, where we are encouraged to kill each other?” Dame replied.
Seeing the situation quite tense, Safa was wondering what to do. Just before, Dame was the one telling them that if they wanted to get out of here, not only would they need to get stronger, but all of them should work together. And for some reason, unlike before, Safa didn’t feel like Ricktor had visited them with bad intentions.
“It’s a monster,” Safa answered. “We found it down here, maybe an escaped beast from a portal or something, but it listens to what I say since I found it. I think it likes me.”
Ricktor pulled a face; he knew it was a blatant lie, it made no sense, and it didn’t explain how it knew their techniques either.
“I suppose I would be inclined to ignore the statue’s origins, as long as you do me a favor,” Ricktor suggested.
After those words, Liam proceeded to hit Simyon on the back. “I’m sorry man, but it looks like your arse is going to have to be a sacrifice.”
“I swear, you better shut up before I electrify your balls,” Simyon said, his fingers sparking slightly from the power of the Enchanted glove.
“I was actually looking for you,” Ricktor said, staring at Dame. “I can feel that I am close to a breakthrough, and in order to get out of this, I need to reach the next stage, and if possible even the stage above that.”
Dame thought about Ricktor’s suggestion rather than straight out saying no because he too wanted to rise out of the initial stage and move to the middle stage, and when watching the warrior, he noticed something.
The statue, it was stronger than the last time Raze had used it. The statue was handed over to Safa, and with a bit of magic, she was able to activate it. In doing so, the statue listened to her commands.
The command she had given was to attack everyone apart from Dame. Which was why when Ricktor had attempted to enter the room, he had been quickly met with a kick.
They were to fight in the small seclusion room, so there was no place for them to run, and in turn, would have to force their strength to defeat the statue.
However, why was the statue stronger than before, and he thought back to what skills it could use. Dame had seen it; he had seen it use all of the techniques belonging to the five main Dark Faction Clans.
Not just the skills or techniques but the way they fought. With Ricktor having taken two of them on, he could tell that it was almost a mash of their powers firing the statue’s strength.
Now, the statue was stronger, was it directly linked to the statue? What had clicked for him was that the statue no longer used the Moon Shield Clan’s skills. The disciple was now dead.
It had clicked in Dame’s head then. The statue’s strength was related to the strength of the main disciples.
‘If Ricktor reaches the next stage, does that mean the statue will get stronger? It already has the added strength of the other disciples, so right now the statue is like that of a fifth-stage warrior.
‘It’s still not strong enough to go up against me, but if Ricktor reaches the 5th or 6th stage himself, then the statue will be at the peak of the initial stage, or maybe a low Middle-stage warrior like that of Beatrix.
‘With that, I can use the statue to try and grow into the Middle stages myself.’
Dame was also not ready to accept the deal on this thought because he knew he would need to be at least at the Middle stage to help Raze with his goal, but he didn’t need to rush.
“And what’s in it for us if we accept your deal?” Dame asked.
“Well, you will have an ally on your side, who will be the next head of their clan, and I have a feeling that will be very soon,” Ricktor smiled, licking his lips.
