Shortly after my battle, it was time to move on to the second phase. Where we would have to fight against ten Rank 2 beasts.
"Get ready!" I shouted over to my teammates, after all these beasts were no joke when combining their attacks together.
Also, I didn't have much hope for the two even after being able to take down many of the rank one creatures, to be able to handle two at once. After all, even I had almost died due to just one attack of a rank 2 beast or was it a grade beast?
So I quickly gathered my team and began formulating a plan as Klaus began to reopen the gate. After coming up with a plan and Analyzing their conditions, I took what I thought to be the best course of action.
"Patricia for my plan to work, I'll need you to cover my left side when things get rough. Thus guarding me as I lead the charge." I said in a somewhat commanding tone but the two didn't seem to care as they had already registered me as the leader of the party in their minds.
After a quick nod from Patricia, who seemed to have exerted almost half of her stamina after going after so many rank one beast. This was one of the reasons I had her at my side instead of Stewards position, so I could watch her but also have her protecting me like a give and take relationship.
"Steward, you'll lag short behind the charge and will provide cover wherever you see fit." I gave a form of safety role to Steward because of his high agility, and let him lag behind so that he could get rid of whatever creatures were to attack from behind rather than from upfront.
Though our two instructors said that the beasts would be Rank meaning that they would have little intelligence instead of Grade beasts where they have higher intellect, you could never be too care, especially if you had the power to control the situation at hand.
"Got it." Steward replied as the gate lifted and ten rank two beasts shot out.
'Now's the perfect time to be working on my style, like I said before, my nunchucks are too blunt for the piercing effect that I want but they have built into me a sense of flexibility and agility for however long I've had them. So the only weapon I can use now would be my sword, and it's strange flame inscription properties.'
I thought while looking at the rest of the participants, who were slowly waiting for someone to make the first move. Only acting when attacked directly not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves or be in the way of some of those with higher backgrounds.
Seeing the same thing I was, Patricia asked,"What's the call Marcel or is it Leader now?" She teased while observing our surroundings as we got into formation.
"I'll be honest for once." I said, shocking the two of them while ignoring Patricia's tease.
"In order to pass we cant let them get overwhelmed, obviously our strength is in numbers but we should take this chance to rest up a bit and only act when attacked." I spoke while the two stared at me wondering where it was that I had once lied even though they did seem to understand the somewhat cold and slight arrogance in my gaze they had never seen immediate act that way.
They soon proceeded to nod understanding where it was that I was coming from and that many of the others had chosen this course of action as well.
Though our group wasn't as lucky as a black panther with white spots and all white eyes charged to our location. While it did, I summoned my sword out, and took my battle stance which seemed rather amateurish when analyzed by Steward.
As the panther approached at increasing speed, blades of wind began to manifest before it and shot out towards us like bullets. Guns were rare now days and only really used by those who lacked talent in Ki or were wealthy enough to purchase them from the military.
I knocked away some of the wind blades from my front leaving Patricia to slightly manage to dodge and block with her single gauntlet. Soon Steward raced up to help shield her while I met the panther head on.
It was quite fast, however one single rank two beast wasn't much of a match for me. That was unless it hadn't come alone, which I soon found out wanted to be the case because on its tail was a small pigeon with horns. And from those horns came a burst of wind combined with the wind and swift movements from the panther.
The two beasts took me by surprise and managed to knock me back but they couldn't inflict much damage to me because of my high stat endurance and with the Ki only focusing on protecting my body.
'Almost forgot I was trying to focus on learning rather than ending this quickly.'
I dashed from my knocked back position to appeared in front of the two.
'Flexibility, move like water,' I thought as my sword proceeded to Pierce forward and then curve upwards in an upside down 'u' shape. Though the panther dodged the attack and I suffered another headbut to the stomach followed by a burst of a compressed wind blade.
'Move faster!' I urged myself while two people appeared beside me. Instinctively I replaced the Ki covering my whole body just into the souls of my feet and wrists.
Feeling cornered the panther lept upwards slamming down its pawns onto the ground pushing my team back while I jumped into the air.
'In theory I don't need the wind affinity to make wind bend down to my will. I'll used the strength I have from my muscles!' I thought while once again moving the Ki in my body to focus on my arms and shoulders making them glow by directly targeting my muscles fiber they bulged with great strength.
Then I unleashed my attack while still within the air slowly descending down. This time I held both hands onto my sword before releasing my attack onto the beast.
Then I struck.
The wind pressure bent to my call and a line of visible wind from the top of my head to my feet emerged and shot forwards at great speed. Was this even wind or just the pressure behind my attack? Just how dangerous would this move me in my partial transformation or even in my complete form?
I thought as both the panther and bird were split into two and a deep slash appeared a few inches into the ground. The combined blood gushed out everywhere as I landed on my feet and rained a bit down from the sky painting me and my comrades in blood as I had a wide smile on my face.
'I did it! A wind pressure attack based on strictly using Ki!' I thought while my team looked at me in horror, with my wide smirk extending from ear to ear and my eyes threading to pop from their sockets. Along with the blood splattered and running down my face and my purple eyes. I guess I truly looked like the reincarnation of evil itself.
Though they had only thought this wind I began to start laughing out of amusement at my system announcement below.
"KE, KE, KE, KE!"
[ Congratulations you have unlocked the Personal Ki skill tab!]
[What would you like to name your first skill?]
"I'll call it the Blade of Aeolus." I said finally coming back to my senses.
[Blade of Aeolus:
Category: Wind Nature Ki Technique
Ranked: C+
Cost: 10/10 Ki]
Unknown to me, Klaus' eyes were practically staring daggers into my soul from amazement and curiosity.
"So this is what master calls a real prodigy, and not one given herbs and such to make them stronger, huh, I wonder which of the two of us, who do you think would win?" He spoke as he suddenly appeared at her side by enhancing his legs with Ki.
"I feel like he's hiding something so as he is now I'd say 70% but after he enters into the academy and then the institution along with whatever probal secret he had then your chances just may be 5%."
"Would you leave me for him?" Klaus asked, not insure in the least but rather just out of amusement.
"The thought would never cross my mind." She said before the two kissed intimately while I was forced to get my act together as my team and I still had beasts to defeat.