Hey! I hate having to put an epigraph before a new chapter, but with how I did it in the last volume, I might as well do it again. This chapter—the 80th installment of Volume 2—is the finale! This novel is still relatively new, having been published in September of 2021, but the fact that I have managed to write this much and create a crap ton of hidden lore that is waiting to be unveiled as the story goes on is insane to me. I may not receive a lot of attention or reads; however, I've said this before: this entire novel is created to literally recreate everything my imagination has conjured up for years. Ever since I saw my first action movie and watched my first anime!
As the novel progressed, my grammar and punctuation improved with it. With this being my first ever novel, I'd like to give myself a smidge of credit for adapting to the scene of being an unofficial author in a relatively short period of time.
One more thing before we move on to the beginning of this final chapter of Volume 2; I'd like to offer another reminder, just like what I did in the final chapter of Volume 1—everything that has been either hinted at or talked about in this novel, and has yet to be fully uncovered or talked about, will be! I have everything I need and have put towards this novel stored somewhere safe. I have prepared this novel all the way up to the final volume.
(This chapter will be longer than most.)
And with that Author's Note, I bid you adieu…
Enjoy!
XXX
With the strands of his jet-black hair swaying in the gentle winds, his indigo blue eyes that pierced through the darkness of the night, and him standing tall with a tight hold on what remained in his arms, Tanjo single-handedly shocked the majority of the warriors or instructors present by catching the falling Mizuki, preventing the child from being consumed by the crimson-red pentagram. Adding to the group of shocked individuals, also resided Kaminari Nozomu, staring down from a wooden root above, his eyes glued to the Class 1AB student.
'What is that brat doing?' Nozomu asked himself, clenching his fist as he could only standstill. A gasp was then elicited from the white-haired man's mouth. 'I wasn't even thinking about where he was remaining during all of this. I was too caught up in my own problems…'
Panning down toward the ground, Oshieru was also locked up in a state of shock. How had Tanjo slipped past him and Akushon? Not to mention the assisting warriors that are grouped up with them as well. 'A first-year can't defend himself in a situation such as this…' Oshieru gritted his teeth, 'It's only going to result in what happened with my last group of students!'
Before Oshieru could get lost in a barrage of memories, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. Looking to his left, he spotted Akushon, giving a stern gaze. Akushon slowly breathed in and said, "Now isn't the time, Oshieru. It won't happen again. You know why? Because you're not going to let it, right?"
Oshieru remained still with those words. His muscles began to relax as his shoulders fell slightly. The blue-haired instructor glanced back at the rest of the students, including the one from Class 1AR. "I came back to teach to rectify my past mistakes, not just to sit in remembrance." Oshieru declared, turning back to the sight of Tanjo. The blue-haired instructor gripped the hilt of his tachi blade, unsheathing the sword and placing it at his side. "Remind me to give Tanjo a punishment upon our return to the academy."
XXX
Mizuki kept his eyes shut, letting the darkness of his eyelids hide the world in fear of what was to happen next. When Mizuki first fell, courtesy of Yuso's tossed pentagram, he had accepted that he was no longer able to live a fruitful life of any kind. Then, with a band of people in cloaks, along with a scary redhead, chasing after him, all presumably because of what Father Laurence had induced in his body, was a sad realization. What's worse is that Mizuki never had the chance to say goodbye to his two siblings, Sona and Toshiro.
He's never been able to outsmart Toshiro, as well as failing to be acknowledged by Sona as something more than just a hindrance. Not as someone who was resilient or strong; not even a future warrior. Mizuki surmised that this was just how life was—depressing and unfair.
Suddenly, Mizuki could feel arms wrap around him for what felt like the umpteenth time. Surprisingly, the hold that the person had wasn't suffocating or careless at all. Even an aura was emitted from the person, seemingly affecting Mizuki's aura.
Mizuki slowly opened his eyes, having to squint to prevent any pain due to unexpected brightness. The first thing Mizuki could notice was the person who had wrapped their arms around his figure. The chalkboard-gray armor the person wore, the blue headband that flapped in the wind, and the resolute expression on their face. Mizuki's eyes widened. 'It's one of the students we were previously spying on!'
Tanjo quickly looked down at the shocked Mizuki, smiling slightly. "Good thing I caught you, huh?" A small trace of fear could be found in his tone. He was in the middle of a giant quarrel.
On one of the rooftops, Itami scowled at the sight of Tanjo making a sudden appearance. More notably, it was that Tanjo had managed to obtain the child. "Doryoku," Itami called out to his brother, "Go get the kid back. Gimu is still engaged in a fight and the redhead is still on the roots with the lightning guy."
Doryoku nodded. "Whatever you say, brother!" With those words, Doryoku leaped off of the rooftop and charged at Tanjo.
Doryoku's ring illuminated a bright green, then came a large, green fist, directed straight at the first-year.
Off to the side, returning to the instructors, Oshieru's eyes widened at the sudden incoming assault, prompting him to dash forward, trying to potentially intercept the attack. But, before Oshieru could even get close to preventing the incoming attack on Tanjo, a shine of yellow came from the sky, then a figure dropped in from above, slashing at the green fist and forcing it to dissipate immediately.
Oshieru halted at the sight of the newcomer. It was Gabriel! What surprised the blue-haired instructor even more was the sword the long-haired blonde had brandished. The sword had a golden outline tracing the length of the blade. But, within the outline, the blade appeared to be made of silver-colored steel. However, with Gabriel wielding the sword, a yellow aura encompassed the entirety of the blade, similar to the swords warriors usually use. The sword Gabriel has in his hands is none other than the Excalibur sword that Father Laurence presented to him.
Tanjo, who had watched Gabriel fend off the incoming attack, eyed the blonde in confusion. "Gabriel!? What are you doing here?"
Gabriel turned around to glance at Tanjo, smiling brightly. "To save you guys, of course!" Gabriel faced Doryoku once more, his smile retained. "If you're wondering, Father Laurence is fine. We were sheltered in another part of Ryakudatsu!" Well, that answers the confusion as to where the minister was.
Tanjo nodded in relief. If Gabriel had arrived, that must mean that local warriors might as well! "Thank you, Gabriel!"
Gabriel's grin deepened as he stated, "Don't thank me yet, first-year. You need to get out of here—keep Mizuki safe." All Gabriel got in response was another hasty nod, and Tanjo began sprinting away, attempting to escape safely.
From above, still standing on the giant, wooden root from his pursuit of Mizuki, Yuso observed the occurring events that played out. From when Tanjo caught Mizuki to when Gabriel arrived, none of what happened was any good to him. In actuality, it just resurrected Yuso's previous vexing emotions, bringing them back in full force. He'd need to get that checked.
In response to these occurrences, Yuso started running down the giant root, not giving up on chasing and getting Mizuki back for a moment. Nozomu noticed this and continued his own chase to intercept Yuso from obtaining Mizuki himself.
Yuso was aware of Nozomu's presence behind him, but he kept a safe distance by creating a new pentagram and running through it. Another pentagram appeared just before Tanjo, then emerged Yuso with his arm outstretched, grasping for Tanjo's arm. The pentagram embedded in Yuso's palm began to illuminate a crimson red. However, Yuso's hand just fell short of reaching Tanjo as a familiar blue-haired instructor slashed his sword down at Yuso, causing the redhead to form a protective pentagram.
Tanjo's pupils dilated as he saw his teacher. "Mr. Oshieru!?" He'll most likely be in a lot of trouble and might be expelled at the end of this.
"No time to be surprised! Just focus on reaching somewhere safe!" Oshieru ordered sternly, keeping his eyes on the redhead before him.
Behind Yuso, Akushon made his appearance known as he swung at the red-headed male. Yuso effortlessly jumped over the incoming assault, landing a few feet back. "It truly amazes me how people of your lowly caliber plan to actually keep the curse as if you could use it to its full potential," Yuso spoke in a degrading tone, eyeing the two instructors.
Footsteps could then be heard as the three spotted Nozomu running up into the scene, sliding his feet to halt his movements. Lightning could still be vividly seen, flashing all over Nozomu's form. "You do run too much."
Yuso closed his eyes. "I only fight when necessary. If my target is fleeing, then I have no reason to hinder myself with people like you." The redhead reasoned, opening his eyes once more to glare at the three of them with his demonic-like eyes.
Nozomu sneered as he lunged towards Yuso, tossing a punch. Yuso deflected the punch with his forearm, forcing it to the side and launching a kick towards Nozomu's waist, landing a straight strike. Yuso backed up in an instant as Akushon slashed at him from the side, then ducked as Oshieru ran up and slashed at him from the front as well. It seems that the three are teaming up.
The white-haired Nozomu clutched his waist, wincing slightly at the pain. 'He hits hard. I don't know who this guy is, but he also managed to remain relatively unharmed by my punch from earlier.' Nozomu spoke to himself, looking back at the redhead who stood tall. 'Kanden,' Nozomu called out, 'If you don't mind, I still need your speed.'
XXX
'Get back to the group and all will be fine.' These words were constantly repeated in Tanjo's mind as he ran away from the fight. The jet-black-haired teen kept his hold on Mizuki as he traversed through the scene, attempting to return to his classmates and the assisting warriors. It was the best time to; Gabriel was fighting the green-fist guy, the two instructors were fighting the red-haired male, and all Tanjo had to do was get to the end of a single, long pathway to reach the others.
However, before Tanjo could get all that far, a root emerged from the ground, tripping Tanjo and setting Mizuki free, along with a quick holler. Tanjo looked up as Itami gazed down at both him and Mizuki. "I haven't been having all that good of a day, so please stay put as I take the brat back!"
As a new wooden root emerged, directed at Tanjo, time seemed to have slowed down. The jet-black-haired teen watched as the single root got closer with every slow second. Without a moment's notice, Tanjo felt a sudden surge of power in his legs. So, in response, Tanjo grabbed onto Mizuki and hopped over the incoming root. As Tanjo was in mid-air, time slowly reverted back to its original pace.
Tanjo landed back on the ground safely, not letting go of Mizuki for a second. 'That's the second time that has happened!' Tanjo quickly thought back to the class versus class battle.
—Flashback—
'Shit! Do I run? Not at all. I'll just tire myself out, and I obviously can't hide if he smashes through everything! How abo-AH!' In the middle of Tanjo's mental devising, a huge red arm could be seen swiping at Tanjo horizontally.
But before the arm could collide with Tanjo, some type of instinct kicked in. A weird feeling was spread from within Tanjo's body. The feeling was identical to using his magic. But whatever it was, it enabled Tanjo to bend completely backward, his legs still being firmly placed on top of the dirt-covered ground.
Tanjo felt like everything around him started moving in slow motion as his eyes tracked the thick and armored arm that swung over him, still being able to feel the heat that the red armor produced.
Suddenly, time seemed to have resumed back to its normal speed.
—Flashback End—
Wherever the strange urge comes from, it has now saved him twice. Maybe the old man could explain it. Speaking of the old man, Tanjo was still befuddled as to how and why Nozomu was here in Ryakudatsu.
"Hey! How in the Hell did you do that!?" Itami yelled in irritation, enraged at how Tanjo managed to avoid the incoming root.
How could Tanjo answer if he didn't know himself? It almost reminded him of when Naderamu demanded to know what Tanjo did as well. But before either Tanjo or Itami could do or say anything, a painful gasp could be heard from above, coming from a figure falling down toward the ground. Tanjo, Mizuki, and Itami each looked up and spotted a man in armor falling, blood seeping from his chest. More specifically, he was stabbed in the heart.
Tanjo watched as the man clad in armor that matched the warriors of Buraun fell from up above. 'Isn't that…the Chief?'
XXX
A Few Moments Prior
*CLING*
The sound of two swords clashing together could be heard from atop a giant, wooden root. After Haishi blocked Gimu from attacking Nozomu, the two were now fully engaged in a battle. Haishi was equipped with his standard warrior blade, while Gimu used his Kanji-marked sword.
"I'll make sure that this is the last time you interrupt one of my fights!" Gimu declared loudly, swinging his sword even harder as it once again clashed against Haishi's blade. Sparks flew momentarily at the force of the impact.
The two continued to clash weapons, parry swings, and dodge various attacks. During their clash, Haishi managed to strike Gimu directly in the face with his elbow after pushing his blade to the side with his own. The assault appeared to have broken Gimu's nose as a nasty crunch was elicited from the hit, as well as the blood that came rushing out of Gimu's nostrils shortly after.
"Argh! You bitch!" Gimu insulted in anger, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter and swinging even harder.
Gimu's swing knocked Haishi off balance, giving Gimu the chance to spin and kick the commanding warrior back even further. As Haishi attempted to stand back up, he received a kick to the side of his face, sending him to the edge of the wooden root they are currently fighting on.
As Gimu slowly walked over to Haishi, he snapped his nose back into place forcefully with his free hand. The commanding warrior managed to get up and on one knee, turning to observe as Gimu got closer to him and eventually towered over him menacingly. "Not many can actually hurt me, y'know. I'll give you credit for that." Gimu said, with a hint of gratification, "But I'm also not a fan of being hurt; it indicates that I'm losing."
"What could you possibly want with a mere child?" Haishi demanded, one eye blazing at the man. He couldn't quite use both of his eyes since the other half of his face hurt too much.
Gimu chuckled quietly before saying, "He has something we want; it's as simple as that."
What could a child have that attracted the attention of rogues? That was the question Haishi asked himself as he continued to look up at Gimu. The commanding warrior gritted his teeth as he jumped off the root, pushing himself up and swinging at Gimu. Unfortunately, something prevented Haishi from landing a strike on Gimu.
"Graah!" Gimu's sword had found itself lodged in Haishi first. The blade of the Kanji-marked sword pierced Haishi directly in the heart, making the commanding warrior of Buraun spit out blood from his mouth. That typically wasn't a good sign.
"I didn't lie when I said that I'll make sure that this is the last time you interrupt one of my fights," Gimu stated, pushing the sword further into Haishi's chest. Gimu then raised his right leg and firmly placed his foot on Haishi's stomach. "Now…rot in Hell!" With those words, Gimu pushed Haishi back, taking the blade out of his chest and making him fall off the edge of the giant wooden root, falling straight down to the ground. Haishi's vision started fading as he fell, blood continually seeping from his lips. One final image came into his mind as he was dying.
It was a vivid image of the assisting warriors that participated in aiding the students and instructors to Ryakudatsu. All of them were in their chalkboard-gray armor, smiling happily. Something Haishi wished he could see one last time. Haishi's lips tugged into a smile with one final thought,
'Kou…You'll be a fine commander after me…'
*THUD*
XXX
Not a word. Not a sound. Not even a single inch of her moved as Kou watched Haishi fall to the ground after being stabbed in the chest. The rest of the assisting warriors had horrified expressions, and the first-year students wanted to look away in fear.
This wasn't supposed to have happened. This trip was only meant for the students to get stronger, not for Haishi to die while the others were being attacked. A single tear escaped from Kou's right eye. "...Haishi…"
"HAISHI!" Kou then started running over to the unconscious Haishi, nearly forgetting about everything else.
The assisting warriors' eyes widened at her leaving. "Kou! Come back!"
XXX
Tanjo and Mizuki could only watch as Kou ran over to the recently deceased Haishi, hugging his unconscious form in tears.
"Don't let them distract you, boy!" Itami made his presence known by calling out to Tanjo. Just as Itami was about to launch even more roots to attack, a purple beam was blasted at the green-haired man. Itami was forced to form a wall of wooden roots to prevent getting struck by the beam.
Tanjo glanced over to the side, noticing Kou with her right arm extended outward, shaking, and glowing a vibrant purple. So that's her aura sense? It is not a very good time to find out.
As all of this was happening, Mizuki never stopped eyeing Haishi's dead form. To everyone else, they couldn't see anything but a dead man, but to Mizuki, he could see a white figure slowly exiting Haishi's body.
Mizuki's aura began surging from within, attracting the child to the white figure emerging from the body. The child slowly slipped out of Tanjo's hold, who was still looking at Itami and Kou, and walked over to Haishi's body.
Mizuki's hands began to glow green as he reached out to the white figure. Kou, who was still holding onto Haishi, watched as Mizuki practically reached out to the air above the commander's body. Suddenly, a blinding green light encompassed the whole area.
XXX
Nozomu, who was glaring at Yuso, dashed forward at a remarkable speed and threw yet another punch. However, it seemed that Yuso was ready because a red pentagram that served as a barrier blocked the punch. But to Nozomu's surprise, the pentagram had cracked. So he just needs to hit harder? Easy enough.
Before Nozomu could retract his arm back, a red chain shot out of the pentagram and wrapped itself around the white-haired man's arm. Three more pentagrams formed around Nozomu, all suddenly shooting out stone spikes from their centers.
Nozomu clenched his fist even tighter as he yanked his arm back, breaking the crimson-red chain and dodging the incoming spikes. 'If I hadn't asked Kanden for the speed, I would've been dead.'
'Just stay focused.' A deep voice emerged from within Nozomu's mind, breaking him out of his thoughts.
'Thank you, Kanden.' Nozomu thanked the dragon inside his mind. He might need to check up on the dragon one of these days; it's been a while since the last time. And it wasn't even intended.
Then, without any warning, a bright green light shone behind Nozomu and the instructors. Everyone, including Yuso, looked toward the bright light with curiosity, except for Yuso. Yuso's eyes widened uncharacteristically at the sight before him.
The reason Yuso was after Mizuki, declaring him his target, was for one reason: the curse that resides inside him. The Kekkan no Sosei. A curse that could bring the dead back to the world of the living. And Yuso was right here, watching the child use it for the first time.
XXX
"How Beautiful…"
Regashi could be seen standing far away on top of a building, marveling at the sight of the bright green light that encompassed an entire block or more of space in the village of Ryakudatsu. The blinding light was most likely due to not being in a strong enough state to perform the task, which is common to most aura-induced actions and abilities. But, Regashi smiled with glowing eyes. 'That. That is our ticket to our future.'
XXX
As Mizuki continued to extend his arms out, the white figure slowly began to sink back into Haishi's body. Mizuki's hand maintained its green glow as they forcefully shoved the white figure back to where it originally came from.
As the white, humanoid figure seeped back into Haishi's body, the bright green light began to dissipate slowly. Kou, who had her eyes squeezed shut from the blinding light, slowly opened her eyes back up, only to see a dazed Mizuki and an unconscious Haishi.
Then, to Kou and everyone's immense shock, Haishi's upper body lifted off from the ground. Suddenly, Haishi's eyes opened—the commander had made his return.
Off in the distance, Yuso ran past Nozomu, Oshieru, and Akushon, his eyes locked on Mizuki as he darted toward the child. His palms began to glow crimson-red while his eyes rotated clockwise. This was his chance. Yuso couldn't mess up now.
To Yuso's misfortune, Itami's roots returned, directed at Yuso as they sped forward. In irritation and surprise, Yuso was forced to form eight pentagrams to prevent the wave of roots from reaching him. That wasn't good. Yuso was about to reach his limit. He could only form a few more pentagrams before he couldn't do anymore.
A bright fire then started to combust around Mizuki, circling around him in a clockwise motion. Mizuki's pupils dilated in fear at the sudden heat and fire surrounding him.
Yuso narrowed his eyes and ran faster, but fire shot out at him. Instinctually, Yuso formed two pentagrams to serve as barriers and protect him from the fire. Yuso then realized something as a result of his actions. He had reached his limit.
Behind Mizuki, Imawashiki appeared from within the fire, smiling at Yuso as he put his hand on Mizuki's shoulder. With his other hand, Imawashiki waved at the redhead in a teasing manner.
For the first time, Yuso scowled as he forced himself forward. Yuso's palms began to glow even brighter as his eyes rotated even faster. His Shirugeto was getting out of control. "No, you don't!"
Suddenly, multiple pentagrams appeared all around the area, all pointing at the fire. Shortly after, stone spikes shot out of each pentagram at blazing speeds, and all were directed at the fire. However, before any spike could reach the fire, Imawashiki and Mizuki had dissipated into nothingness.
After the disappearance of Imawashiki and Mizuki, all of the other Furusato Unit members were also consumed in a spiral of fire, indicating their departure as well.
When every member of the Furusato Unit vanished, so did every pentagram, which had easily surpassed Yuso's intended limit of ten. Yuso's palms lost their shine as his eyes stopped spinning. On the other hand, Yuso stood out because of his crimson-red hair. It grew in length. It had previously only reached down to his ears, but it had now extended all the way down to his neck.
'I…failed.' Yuso lamented, his face returning to its normal placid visage. Suddenly, a pentagram formed underneath Yuso, swallowing his form and enabling him to disappear without a trace.
XXX
With the rise of the sun, everybody that was still present stood together. Haishi was sitting in the middle, surrounded by his colleagues. The students and instructors stood behind them all, conversing with one another. All seemed fine, except for Tanjo.
Akogare and Naderamu walked over to Tanjo with worried expressions. Tanjo hasn't uttered a word since he lost Mizuki. 'I…wasn't watching. I let him squirm out of my grasp.'
"Tanjo?" Akogare called out to his friend, reaching out for Tanjo and placing a gentle grip on his shoulder, getting the jet-black-haired teenager's attention. "Are you alright? I know that was scary and all, but you nearly acted like a real warrior running out there and trying to protect that kid!" Akogare attempted to calm down Tanjo, only to realize how fruitless his efforts were.
"I could've prevented him from being taken…" Tanjo said in a voice that couldn't be a touch above a whisper. "I let him just walk away into danger!"
"Tanjo," another familiar voice called out. Tanjo turned and noticed Kaminari Nozomu, his old man. "What were you thinking when you ran out there?"
Tanjo breathed in, only to fail to formulate a proper sentence. "I…wanted to save Mizuki."
"Was that the name of the child?" Nozomu questioned, raising a brow in curiosity.
Tanjo nodded slowly. This all felt so weird to Nozomu. He'd never seen Tanjo so depressed. But, the white-haired man could vividly remember a seemingly important day for Tanjo. One that ultimately led to him joining Buraunmajikku Academy. The memory also helped Tanjo fight through the class versus Class battle.
—Flashback—
A question popped into Tanjo's nine-year-old head, prompting him to ask the old man about it. "Do warriors fight for people to be happy?"
Nozomu's brow was raised slightly, but just enough for Tanjo to notice. "Yeah, some do." He then responded flatly.
With Tanjo receiving his answer, a face full of thought emerged on his younger face's features.
Nozomu noticed the blank stare Tanjo had while they were walking, "You look like you have something on your mind. Spill it out before we arrive, I want you to learn from today." Nozomu requested, looking back down at the child next to him.
"What if I want to become a warrior?"
Those simple words made Nozomu stop abruptly, halting Tanjo as well. Nozomu then let go of Tanjo's small hand and kneeled in front of him instead.
Nozomu moved his originally free hand to his left and placed it upon Tanjo's small head, ruffling some of his hair on impact. "Before I answer, may I know what brought you to ask me that?" Nozomu inquired, a serious look staining his face.
"Well, I always see you with a mean-looking face. It makes me think about if you ever feel happy? Then I thought about other people who have the same looks, and if they feel happiness. So if a warrior fights for the happiness of the people, I was thinking if I could fight for it as well?" Tanjo answered, looking right back into Nozomu's royal blue eyes.
—Flashback End—
'He's been trying for so long…' Nozomu noted to himself, closing his eyes in contemplation. Nozomu then opened his eyes back up to look at Tanjo and said, "When we return home, we'll be having a talk. But, until then, stick with your class."
Tanjo eyed Nozomu dubiously, surprised that the old man wouldn't say anything more. A smile then spread across Tanjo's face. With the nod of his head, Tanjo replied to Nozomu,
"Whatever you say, Old Man."
XXX
Gabriel could be seen walking into a dark room, being presented with the sight of Father Laurence standing before him. The Excalibur sword is still in his hand from earlier.
"Father..?" Gabriel called out to the minister.
"My son, I'm afraid that we have a change of plans."
XXX
Dear God, writing all of that feels different than my normal length of chapters! However, that concludes the second volume of The Village Disciples! And again, anything that hasn't been discovered to be talked about in its entirety just means that it has yet to be revealed! Example Number One: What Happened When Laurence Hisahito Had an Encounter with Kokoro Kangae? That will soon be answered! For now, I hope you will stay tuned for Volume Three!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_