It was actually taking place. He, including everyone else, was being sent to war. Buraun, like every other hamlet in Adonai, was quick to send warriors to the front lines of the Detrimental War, releasing entire militaries at a time. Unfortunately for Adonai, the nation had been suffering from a severe scarcity of warriors for years.
And, from the looks of it, Adonai was losing the war.
Within Buraun's very own barracks, a blue-haired male was equipping himself with armor as gray as his eyes, clicking the uniform's final piece into place around his forearm.
"...Hard to believe I quit teaching for this." Oshieru mumbled to himself, flexing his hand absent-mindedly.
Laying flat atop a wooden table, the former instructor's tachi blade shimmered in the barrack's lights. Oshieru stared at the sword for several moments, his mind seemingly moving slower than ever before.
Not for a second did Oshieru regret resigning as a teacher at Buraunmajikku Academy—he needed to be there with his students to guide them through the throes of war. Despite the fact that Oshieru himself has never been groomed into a man of war, the blue-haired male would be more than unable to live with himself if he simply left a group of teenagers out on the battlefield, all alone.
With determination bubbling within him, Oshieru stretched his hand outward and grabbed his tachi sword tightly.
'This is it—my chance to rectify my past mistake… a chance to prove that I can protect my own students…' The former instructor thought silently, sliding the blade into the sheathe strapped to his waist.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
Oshieru groaned, knowing that the knocking at the room's door was most likely a warrior informing everyone that Buraun was about to dispatch its warriors.
The door creaked open, prompting Oshieru to sigh and turn around slowly. "I'm ready to go—!"
The former instructor halted in time, adorning a perplexed look on his face. It was not an authoritative warrior knocking at the door; it was none other than Oshieru's previous co-worker and friend.
"I hope you didn't forget about me the moment you left, Oshieru." The black and blonde-haired man at the door said, folding his arms over his chest.
Oshieru inhaled as he hesitated to speak, "Akushon? What are you doing in the barracks? Teachers were ordered to stay at the academy."
"That still holds true, but I'm afraid that it doesn't apply to me anymore." Akushon admitted cryptically, walking over to a set of gray armor posted on the wall.
The blue-haired male blinked repeatedly. "You quit?"
As he clamped on separate parts of his armor, Akushon raised a brow. "I hope you're not getting hypocritical on me, Oshieru."
"I hope for the same, but I just didn't expect for you to be as reckless as me." Oshieru replied earnestly, his gray eyes surveying his friend.
Akushon became quiet for a few moments as he continued to put on Buraun's standard armor. The black and blonde-haired male exhaled deeply, eventually glancing toward Oshieru with a resolute gleam in his eyes.
"Oshieru, I've been mirroring your teaching methods for quite a long time now—both before and after the incident in that forest. You've managed to become a second guardian to your students; neither I nor any of the other instructors at the academy have come close to such a thing." Akushon passionately vented, maintaining a serious expression.
The room became silent once more as Oshieru merely observed his friend. He had no clue as to how to respond; his mind raced as confusion poured into his body.
"Even if my students viewed me as a second guardian, that does not mean I prepared them well enough to be good warriors." Oshieru stated cynically.
Akushon shook his head. "Of course not—they're first years, Oshieru! But you worked with the schooling requirements that the council forced on you and made impressive achievements with them! I've seen how your kids have grown these past few weeks, and it has been phenomenal."
Oshieru tapped his finger on the wooden table beside him incessantly, clenching his jaw as he spared a few seconds to ponder the current moment.
Suddenly, Akushon extended his arm toward Oshieru.
"Ignore why I'm tagging along. Just know that this is for the students." Akushon declared strongly.
Staring at Akushon's hand pensively, Oshieru gradually reached out and shook hands with his friend, humming softly.
"Our only job is to prevent our students from spilling their own blood. That, and winning the war, I suppose." Oshieru affirmed, receiving a nod in response from his previous co-worker.
Akushon exhaled. "Then let's get going."
XXX
'Damnit…'
Kaminari Nozomu cursed under his breath as intense winds were launched outward in every direction, his open cloak flailing wildly. Behind the white-haired man were Reberu Manabu and Asami, who were also bracing themselves for the strong gusts that were flying through the air.
"Kami! It's just him for right now! We need to hurry up and take him down before Imawashiki comes back!" Manabu hollered loudly, glancing at the lightning-wielding man in front of her.
Grunting annoyingly, black marks proceeded to spread across Nozomu's body as blue lightning flashed around him dangerously.
"Reberu, me and you will take him on! Asami, watch for Imawashiki!" Nozomu ordered, dashing forward.
Asami frowned as she watched her fellow Tansu vessels sprint away. "Why do I get stuck with being on look-out!?"
In the distance, Shototsu clenched his fists as he saw Nozomu and Manabu run toward him. The purple-haired Tansu vessel had no hope of defeating the three alone, even if it was just two of them engaging. However, Shototsu had a job to do.
"Alright, Kaze, do your thing!" Shototsu shouted as he thrust both of his hands forward, dispelling waves of wind.
*SWOOSH!*
Manabu quickly erected a wall made of earth from the ground, blocking out the wind immediately. Nozomu, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and endured the currents of air, sprinting through it as he instantly closed the gap between him and Shototsu.
"Go down!" Nozomu yelled, opening his hand as he reached for Shototsu.
The purple-haired Tansu vessel's breath hitched, forced to be vulnerable as Nozomu grew closer.
'Do I need to assist you at every turn?' A tranquil voice rang through Shototsu's head, making the man's face scrunch up.
'I'm not exactly used to fighting another Tansu vessel!' The wind user argued.
Before Nozomu could grab Shototsu—*SWOOSH!*—an even more powerful barrage of wind was sent outward, both tearing the group apart and launching Nozomu backward.
'Kami's too fast for me… and then add Manabu's endurance to the mix… I can't win this fairly.'
'Then give yourself an edge.' The delicate voice returned within the purple-haired Tansu's head.
Unsuspectedly, Shototsu felt a surge of power run deep through his veins, his heart beating at a faster rate. Underneath Shototsu, the ground transformed into earthen spikes due to Manabu's manipulation, forcing the purple-haired man to leap and maneuver around them skillfully.
'Here goes nothing!' Shototsu thought to himself encouragingly.
Without warning, Shototsu pumped his legs and dashed through the air at speeds beyond light, purging the distance between him and Manabu as he lodged a fist in the principal's stomach, punching her into the ground and creating a massive crater that expelled a shockwave for hundreds of miles.
*BOOM!*
Surprisingly, Manabu clenched onto Shototsu's arm, unaffected by the attack. "Are you trying to destroy the planet!? You're lucky I absorbed most of the force!"
Swiftly, Manabu lifted her legs from underneath the purple-haired Tansu vessel and kicked upward, her feet slamming into Shototsu's abdomen and sending him flying into the sky.
"Kami! After him!" The principal shouted.
Jumping off the ground, Nozomu soared to the clouds, latched his left hand around Shototsu's arm, and reeled back his right fist, unleashing a punch directed at the purple-haired man's face.
*KRSSHH!*
Luckily for Shototsu, a wall of immensely dense wind stopped Nozomu's fist from advancing any further.
"We're Tansu vessels, Kami! This fight could go in either direction! We'll only destroy Earth as collateral!" Shototsu exclaimed, glaring at Nozomu.
"That's why I didn't come alone!" Nozomu strained, tightening his grip around Shototsu's arm and flinging him back down toward the ground.
*CACKLE!*
Dancing along his right arm threateningly, Nozomu punched down, enabling a streak of lightning to tear through the air and strike Shototsu, increasing the velocity at which the purple-haired man descended. On the ground below, Manabu opened her hands—*BOOM!*—and let a stream of purple magic erupt upward, leading to Shototsu being directly in the middle of the two attacks.
*KABOOM!*
Every cloud in the sky dissipated instantly, showing more of the red color that the Earth had coated itself in up above.
Falling from the red sky, Nozomu analyzed the aftermath of the attack closely.
'That attack definitely didn't kill him… we can't use any Aura Sense to do any actual damage without completely obliterating the planet.'
Suddenly—*SWOOOOSH!*—starting on the ground, a gigantic cyclone appeared, swallowing Nozomu whole. The white-haired man attempted to throw himself out of the tornado, only for his efforts to be cut short as Shototsu miraculously reappeared and tackled Nozomu violently.
The two Tansu traded punches and kicks as the typhoon flung them around in the sky. Nozomu and Shototsu were completely unharmed by the tornado, but the wind's speed was quite restrictive. Fighting inside was also debilitating.
Eventually, Nozomu reeled his fist back once again and rammed his knuckles into Shototsu's cheek—WOOOSH!*—successfully dispersing the tornado from the force alone and knocking the purple-haired Tansu vessel back down.
However, just as Shototsu was punched downward, he grasped Nozomu's arm, making the two of them travel through the air at equal speeds.
"This fight is pointless! Whether you beat me or not, the result of this war is already determined! You're only causing more pain!" Shototsu roared furiously as they descended quickly.
Nozomu grunted. "Why, damnit!? Why be a rogue!? We both know people can be cruel, but that does not permit cruel behavior in response!"
"I never had a choice in this, Kami!" Shototsu cried in response as they fell closer to the earth below. "I just wanted to live my life, but look where that landed me—look at where we all ended up!"
The white-haired man adorned a look of confusion. "Then what led to you becoming a terrorist!?"
During their bickering, Nozomu briefly glanced at the ground behind Shototsu's head, clenching his jaw as they were about to plummet into the dirt.
"This!"
Tearing his eyes away from the ground, Nozomu was granted a clear view to Shototsu's chest, which had a massive hole that apparently refused to heal.
"Wha—!?"
*BOOM!*
Before Nozomu could respond, the two crashed into the earth, forming a cloud of debris all around them. Manabu and Asami, who remained posted on the ground, darted to where Nozomu and Shototsu landed, clearing the debris that floated in the air around them.
"Kami!?" Manabu called out to the white-haired man.
Laying on the ground motionlessly, Shototsu had tears cascade down his face. Next to the purple-haired Tansu vessel was Nozomu, who was staring at Shototsu's chest with a bewildered expression.
"...I'm not sure how they managed to injure me, or nearly kill me, for that matter… but the Furusato Unit forced me into working for them…" Shototsu wept softly, his body limp on the dirt floor.
Asami and Manabu eyed the hole in Shototsu's chest, several questions piling up within their brains. Who, other than Imawashiki, was strong enough to nearly kill a Tansu vessel? Even at their weakest, Tansu vessels were nigh impervious to any attack possible, whether it be from an Aura Sense or a man-made weapon.
"...That's why… even if me and Imawashiki fall to you guys… this war is still already decided… Regashi, our leader, is a monster—an incomprehensible monster…" Shototsu claimed weakly, his groping voice ringing in everyone's ears.
Suddenly, a familiar voice garnered all of the Tansu vessels' attention:
"An incomprehensible monster with a plan to save us all." Imawashiki declared with a monotonous tone, flames surrounding his body.
Nozomu and the rest glared at Imawashiki intensely, tensing up at the mere sight of the fiery abomination.
"...I can't say I'm disappointed in you, Shoto. I also cannot say you're entirely wrong; however, to beat what's wrong in this world, fighting dirty is nothing but a tactic." Imawashiki looked at the purple-haired man lying on the ground.
Asami stepped forward, her eyes meeting Imawashiki's. "You're better than this! You were a wonderful boy! Better than all of us combined even! Did Regashi threaten you, too!?"
The fiery abomination shook his head slowly. "I made up my mind long before I had even met Regashi. Of course, he is offering a world that I would've assumed to be impossible, and I am willing to sacrifice everything, including myself, for the betterment of everything."
"Hold on… Isn't Regashi the son of the last ruler of Furusato? He was the prince!" Manabu recollected, thinking back to the history books in Buraun.
"Yes, he is." Nozomu pitched in, standing tall. "I knew him personally before Furusato was destroyed. He, too, was a good kid—until he changed, at least."
Imawashiki hummed. "That's what the world does, Kami, and that's what it will continue to do unless something is changed. One change to better it all."
Asami clenched her fists, water leaking from her palms. "And that change you speak of is not happening!"
*FWOOSH!*
"...Isn't it?" Imawashiki queried dangerously, his brown eyes narrowing. "Come find out if it is or isn't, then."
XXX
I have no clue why writing has been so hard for me recently! I did just have major life changes recently, but I should still be able to sit my ass down and write these chapters! Especially when we're so close to the finale of this entire novel! What will happen next? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_