The Day Before the Training
"Arghh, this is so bad. How can I get the 1st rank with over 30 lakh candidates?" Shailya was concerned, pacing back and forth.
"Chill man, it isn't like you have to compete with all 30 lakh candidates directly. There will be some filtration that will reduce the number of applicants. Secondly, you now know about your inner strength, you can use your 'powers'. You just need to cut yourself off from fear and believe in yourself to unlock your 'powers' and later try to merge your peaceful feelings with your rage and enthusiasm to get the first rank," Vahalla explained.
"That is some motivation, dude," Shailya said, feeling a bit more reassured.
"To protect your planet, you need to spread awareness. For that, you have to climb to the top spot to show yourself. Just believe in Mahoraga the savior," Vahalla motivated Shailya.
"Now then, in the name of Mahoraga, I, Shailya Mahoraga, go to sleep," Shailya said with a smile.
"You should indeed, as the training is near," Vahalla replied.
"Anyways, good night," Shailya greeted him and went into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, in a distant location:
"Marinabad Attack Force, the MAF unite. This is the moment when we take control of Marinabad. Hail Muvah!" said General Asheer Rehman of the National Army of Muvah.
"Hail Muvah!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Today at 1 a.m., the first division of MAF under the command of Shehbaz Ali will advance towards Marinabad. While the second and third divisions will distract the Malwai Military, the fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth divisions will be at the border for immediate backup. The tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and seventeenth divisions will follow the first division," the chief strategist, Sheikh Abdul Khan, outlined their plan.
"I want the sixth, eighth, and fifteenth divisions to treat fallen soldiers," the chief strategist continued.
Day 1
"A warm welcome to the cadets here. Get on the buses allotted to you, and the first test will begin. In this test, you must write a test on your buses. You all are allowed to cheat, though it is not encouraged. Remember, you'll be given scores by our secret agents among you. Thank you," Chief Trainer Ganitvadev spoke.
"You shall begin," the Pannival declared.
"Only fools will cheat, knowing secret agents are allotted to every candidate," a fellow trainee remarked.
"Yeah!" another trainee agreed.
Three hours had already passed, and half of the examinees had completed their tests. Some cheated, some were honest, and some tried their luck. For Shailya, the test was a piece of cake after his training with Vahalla. Within an hour, the bus reached its destination, the Marinabad Joint Military Training Centre.
"Let's finish the second test, Shailya," Vahalla was hyped.
"Sure," Shailya seemed to be in a good mood.
The First Section: Fitness Run
"Fitness- eh, this is so easy," Sukheer said confidently.
"Don't be stupid. Don't be overconfident about your win. Focus on the fact that you learn a lot from every test," Shailya advised.
"This could be our only chance to climb the top ranks," Sukheer noted.
"These tests. It doesn't matter if you rank first or lower, what matters is you do well to please those government dogs," Shailya said with disdain.
"You think those are government dogs?" Sukheer asked, surprised.
"Exactly! I just hate the fact that I'm here applying for the military, serving the government," Shailya said, frustration evident in his voice.
"That person standing at the north part of the training center, he is the 19th most powerful soldier in the whole military. The person behind him is the 7th highest, Sarou, and likewise the others too. Everyone here is a high-ranked official from different regiments here to recruit us. You can't just insult them by saying 'Government Dogs.' You standing here is the mercy of the Pannival. If he were like the dictator of Ryuku Islands in Korea, Son-Ahjin, we would be enslaved," Sukheer explained.
"I WASN'T TRYING TO SAY THAT!" Shailya retorted, his voice rising.
"See, since childhood, I saw my dad struggling even after getting the job that most people dream of—a shiqdar, head of the district. The government kept posting him in every dangerous situation. Once, Dad was sent to Rimoa of the Nicobar Islands alone to negotiate unarmed. My dad was shot and was in a coma for six years. This wasn't it; when my dad failed to negotiate, locals of Birbhum casually came inside my house and started vandalizing. We were in exile in our own country for two years. When things got normal and my dad woke up, the government immediately gave him the mission of capturing the Mirai Bikers' Gang. He captured the gang leader, and this was the end. What did they think about taking away a job from a young man? After the whole service, we were abandoned. My dad chose to start a grocery mart, but the government sealed it, claiming the property tax was unpaid despite our documents proving otherwise. Why? Because a high official, Mina Takeri's relative's mall wasn't a hit because of our grocery mart. It has been four years since then," Shailya was visibly irritated.
"This is a lot, but you should know that this was during the old Pannival's reign," Sukheer defended.
"This whole system, I don't like it," Shailya said, shaking his head.
"FIRST TEST BEGINS NOW," the announcement echoed through the training grounds.
After a while, a monstrous robot appeared, towering over the cadets.
"What the heck is that?" everyone was shocked. Robots weren't supposed to be that huge and easy to control.
"What shall I do?" Shailya thought, feeling a surge of panic.
"I'm not going to let you cheat," Vahalla's voice echoed in his mind.
"It's not like I'm gonna ask you," Shailya retorted.
"Fight, fight, fight for humanity," Vahalla urged.
"You trying to say that to motivate me?" Shailya asked, skeptical.
"Fight for your life," Vahalla's voice faded away.
"Uhm, my life?" Shailya pondered, feeling the weight of the situation.
The robot started charging towards Shailya.
"Crap, how am I gonna-" Shailya was confused and scared.
"I will take care of this," said Mazhiro Akutami, stepping forward confidently.
MAZHIRO AKATSUMI
RANK 1 (First Test)
RANK 2 (Current Test)
RUNESTONE REGIMENT 3RD DIVISION
Captain
Overall Military Rank: 14
Runestone Rank: 3
"Uhm-" Shailya tried to say something but was interrupted by another candidate.
"Stop it, Mazhiro," said Anata Shikawa, stepping in.
ANATA SHIKAWA
RANK 1 (First Test)
RANK 3 (Current Test)
RUNESTONE REGIMENT 1st Division
Captain
Overall Military Rank: 12
Runestone Rank: 3
"Why the hell are you here?" Mazhiro asked, annoyed.
"That's what I should ask," Anata replied.
"Stop it, guys," another voice chimed in.
"Who are you now?" Shailya asked, bewildered.
"I'm Sainen," the newcomer introduced himself.
"Huh?" Shailya said, still confused.
"I don't need help from anyone," Shailya declared.
SAINEN
RANK 3 (First Test)
RANK 1 (Current Test)
RUNESTONE REGIMENT 2nd DIVISION
Captain
Overall Military Rank: 7
Runestone Rank: 1
Shailya climbed onto the shoulders of the monstrous robot.
"This- This isn't a robot," Shailya said out loud, realization dawning on him.
"Huh! What are you saying?" Mazhiro was shocked.
"Its reflexes and the way it moves, this is not just a robot, not even from the next 100 years. It is something beyond the future," Shailya explained.
"Huh! What the heck?" Mazhiro said, incredulous.
"Anyways, I'm going for its head," Shailya decided.
With a swift motion, Shailya sliced the robot's head.
"Done," Shailya said, but then he noticed something alarming. "Huh! What the- it is regenerating," Shailya exclaimed.
"Hey cadet, what's going on up there?" Mazhiro asked.
"Uhm, this robot just regenerated," Shailya replied.
"Say what? Regenerated??" Mazhiro was confused.
"I can do this," Shailya said, determined.
Shailya sliced the head continuously, but the robot's head kept growing back until Shailya's sword was worn out.
"What the-" Shailya said, frustrated.
"What is happening there?" Mazhiro asked.
"My sword has been worn out," Shailya admitted.
"I'm coming," Mazhiro said.
"You don't need to," Shailya insisted.
"Stop it now, will ya?" Mazhiro said, determined to help. "Lemme crush him," Mazhiro was excited.
"BLADE OF FIRE" "FIRST FORM: UNRIVALED FLAME"
Mazhiro's rolling flame attack landed well on the regenerating robot, but it wasn't enough to take it down.
"What the? It didn't work against them," Mazhiro remained calm.
"BLADE OF FIRE" "FOURTH FORM: MIRACULOUS WAVE"
This attack was powerful enough to leave a scratch on the regenerative robot, but the robot was still fit and fine, continuing its rampage.
"We weren't trained to do this. Fine!" Mazhiro said, preparing for his next move.
"BLADE OF FIRE" "SIXTH FORM: HELLISH FIRE"
"I'm unrivaled," said Mazhiro, his confidence unwavering.
As the flames engulfed the robot, Shailya watched in awe. The battle was far from over, and the true nature of the monstrous robot remained a mystery. The cadets were pushed to their limits, and the stakes were higher than ever. With each passing moment, Shailya realized that this was just the beginning of a much larger conflict.
[To be continued in Chapter 7]