"Was this his plan all along?" Stare wondered.
"Was his over-exaggerated reaction part of the plan from the beginning?"
"Wait! Was he purposefully avoiding me right from the start?"
"Doesn't that mean he had already unsealed his memories, or were they all just coincidences?"
Stare's mind swirled with unanswered questions as he stood in a daze.
He wanted to believe Y-204 had regained his memories, but he wasn't entirely sure about Y-204's intentions.
That was a significant factor he had overlooked when devising his plan. While Y-204's attitude was predictable from their clashes in previous cycles, there was one thing Stare couldn't predict—Y-204's ambitions. Stare didn't know what Y-204 aimed to achieve or what his ambitions were. This lack of understanding was one of the reasons they struggled to agree besides the Oracle's path.
Whenever Stare thought he had a glimpse of Y-204's goal, he would soon discover he knew nothing at all.
"It's always that unreadable expression," Stare muttered in annoyance.
But he couldn't base all his theories on a mere smile; it might just be a coincidence as well.
Regardless of whether Y-204 had unsealed his memories, talking was no longer a viable plan. Stare had to implement his Plan B to neutralize the Oracle's Path. If he couldn't convince Y-204 to abandon his role, he would have to ensure he couldn't play it through other means.
As Stare was lost in thought, Lagertha's voice abruptly brought him back from his reverie. Her tone still carried a strong sense of displeasure.
"The more you delay, the more lashes you'll receive... I've already added 50 more to your punishment, and any further delays will result in more additions."
Stare shuddered slightly at her words. He wasn't certain he could survive the 5,000 lashes, and she was already adding more.
But then he briefly stared back at the white haired boy who had focused back on his training and then back at the steel-like dummy with a slight smile on his face as his grip on the katana in his hand tightened.
If Y-204 had unsealed his memories and this was all part of his plan, Stare wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of breaking down.
Nah, he would rather face the challenge with a smile.
Unhoned body or not, Stare had definitely gone through worse in past cycles and he managed to somehow survive them, this shouldn't be any different, especially if that fucker was expecting him to break down.
No longer concerned with whatever or whoever was around, Stare slowly brought the blade of the katana toward the steel-like dummy, continually slashing the katana against the dummy producing a sharp metallic clang with a small determined smile on his face.
.
.
.
.
It's been almost seven hours and all Stare had been doing through all that time was just Slash! Slash! And Slash!
His face was now drenched in sweat, his breaths were labored, and his hands occasionally trembled when the katana held with them made contact with the steel-like dummy. He could barely even keep his legs steady.
At least he still had the small smile on his face, although the smile didn't look conscious and rather seemed to be forcefully stuck to his face as he would occasionally try suppressing it, only for it to stubbornly reappear.
Luckily the only person in the training hall, who was opportuned to see this pitiful state of his was Lagertha.
She remained standing in the same spot since she gave out her punishment as her crimson eyes remained locked on him.
Although it was a certainty that the huge amassed fanbase of enemies Stare had built up would definitely give anything just to see this sight, they had long evacuated the hall alongside the other students.
It was just the two of them, the weapons on the walls and training dummies scattered around in the extremely large hall.
The nearly empty hall echoed with the weary sound of Stare's katana striking the unyielding dummy and Lagertha's voice, devoid of emotion, as she counted each slash, disregarding those she considered 'unworthy.'
Clang!
"Five thousand and fifteen."
Clang!
"Five thousand and sixteen…"
Stare wasn't sure how much time had passed since he began the punishment, and, to be honest, the only thing keeping him going wasn't the desire to leave Y-204 unsatisfied. In fact, he could barely think of anything else at the moment besides Lagertha's counting, which resounded in his ears with every strike he made.
He was so close to the end.
Stare felt like he could fall unconscious at any moment. His mind was barely keeping up, and he could feel blisters form on both his palms from repeatedly swinging the kantana, even his legs couldn't hold his weight any more.
Stare was certain that he would have succumbed to unconsciousness long ago, if it weren't for the resilience he gained from taking the Algos.
The Algos had made slight modifications to the Primes' bodies, rendering them more durable. For the first time, Stare resented having such enduring stamina and resilience.
At last, the words he had been eagerly awaiting reached his ears after another weary slash.
"Five thousand and fifty... you've completed your punishment."
Stare released a sigh of relief and, without hesitation, let the katana slip from his extremely fatigued hands. He sank to his knees in exhaustion.
His entire body ached, not to mention the gnawing hunger. The dispensation of the second batch of food had likely already ended. While Stare had missed the previous one due to unconsciousness, he guessed that the morning dispensation followed a similar routine, lasting no more than fifteen to twenty minutes, especially with no class afterward.
Stare wasn't concerned about the food distribution at the moment. His primary focus was his current physical condition. He couldn't muster the strength to move any of his limbs.
He gazed up at Lagertha, expecting her to summon one of those fast-healing elixirs. She couldn't possibly leave him in his current state, could she?
However, her next actions left his already weakened mind and body in shock.