"BLADE OF FIRE" "SIXTH FORM: HELLISH FIRE"
"I'm the unrivaled," Mazhiro declared confidently, as flames engulfed his sword.
"This should do it," Mazhiro thought, watching as the robot fell.
For a few minutes, the robot lay motionless on the ground. Mazhiro and Shailya began to move away, but suddenly, on the same spot, a new robot appeared, identical to the first. It locked its target on Mazhiro.
"Senior, look back," Shailya called out urgently.
"What is it—" Mazhiro turned and was shocked to see the new threat.
"One, no two, wait, ten... no way, there are more—fifty, seventy. Seventy gigantic robots of the same caliber," Mazhiro was frightened by the overwhelming numbers.
"It isn't like I cannot fight them, but this many—" Mazhiro said, his voice wavering.
"Are you scared?" Shailya asked, trying to gauge his senior's resolve.
"Nope! I'm totally fine," Mazhiro insisted, though his face betrayed his worry.
"Fine, you look like a total disaster," Shailya noted, seeing Mazhiro's overwhelmed state.
"Time for the play," Mazhiro announced, steeling himself.
"BLADE OF FIRE" "EIGHTH FORM: RUSHING FLAME"
Mazhiro rushed towards the robots, slicing them in half with his fiery blade. The attack required a tremendous amount of power and stamina, leaving Mazhiro panting heavily.
"Huff, if this keeps going on, I could never defeat them. Huff-huff. That boy is in danger, huff-huff, he needs to—"
"A surprise attack from behind, this is it," Mazhiro thought, as he felt a looming threat.
"Goodbye, mother, father, sister, brother, and my dear love," he resigned himself to his fate.
Just as Mazhiro was about to give up, a new character entered the fray.
"Not so easily, you damn robot," Anata said, stepping in with determination.
"BLADE OF LIGHT" "FIRST FORM: GLIMPSE OF LIGHT"
"I will carry him. I think you are not that injured, are you?" Anata asked Shailya.
"Nope! I'm fine," Shailya replied, regaining his composure.
Anata's first form was far stronger than Mazhiro's, but it still wasn't enough to quell the chaos. The robots continued their relentless attack.
13 FALLEN DOWN, 57 REMAINING
"What is this? Is this really a training robot?" Anata was confused by the robots' resilience.
"This is something else," Shailya said, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"That's fine," Anata replied, readying another attack.
"BLADE OF LIGHT" "11TH FORM: RAY OF GOODNESS"
Anata's powerful slash took down 17 robots in one blow, but they were only injured. None of the seventy were completely dismantled or dead. They could rise again at any moment.
30 FALLEN DOWN, 40 REMAINING
"Why-why aren't they falling back?" Anata pondered, frustration creeping in.
"Crap, I-I am not doing anything. In order to get a high rank, I need to act," Shailya thought, grabbing his sword.
"SWORD OF DARKNESS" "FIRST FORM: EVIL"
Shailya's blow was more powerful than Anata's. The Sword of Darkness was one of the rarest swords to obtain, and learning to use it was nearly impossible.
700 years ago, the Sword of Darkness was obtained by Jinho Akatsumi of the Akatsumi clan, one of the seven prestigious clans of "Prithvi". The Akatsumis hailed from Minho, a small town in Japan. The Sword of Darkness had been hidden for thousands of years, and after Jinho acquired it, he documented its use. Before Jinho died, he hid the sword far from the reach of warriors and clans involved in wars. It was concealed in the sacred tree of Minho. 700 years later, Shailya was gifted the sword by Vahalla after completing his training. A sword is far more powerful than a blade, with the first form of a sword equivalent to the 10th form of a blade. Finding a sword is nearly impossible, and only a few special individuals from the seven prestigious clans can wield one.
"I can defeat them," Shailya declared with newfound confidence.
"SWORD OF DARKNESS" "SECOND FORM: EVILS OF THE HELL"
Shailya's second blow was fatal for any being to overcome.
68 FALLEN DOWN, 2 REMAINING
"This-this will be my blow," Mazhiro tried to say, summoning his remaining strength.
"BLADE OF FIRE" "ELEVENTH FORM: HELLFLAME"
Since my childhood, I was looked down upon by everyone—mother, father, brother, everyone. I was just a useless son to them, born to destroy the clan. But I wanted to prove that I could be the next sun of the Akatsumi Clan and surpass my brother. I trained hard. I chose fire to train myself; my brother specialized in ice. Honestly, I never hated my brother to begin with," Mazhiro began, his voice tinged with a mix of determination and nostalgia.
"Mazhiro, come here, see this," Mazhiro's older brother called out one day.
"Woah, brother, this is the best!" Mazhiro exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement.
"Hahahaha," both laughed, their bond evident in that joyful moment.
"My father, Minaki Akatsumi, was a great swordsman. He used the element earth, and with his blow, he could manipulate the surface of the earth. Everyone in my clan, no, in my town, was talented. I was far behind them. 'Surpass my brother' was just a dream to me."
"A few years ago, I was sent to the Malwai School of Arts in Parina to learn about swordsmanship. But even there, I couldn't keep up with my classmates. On the final day of my first year at the Malwai School of Arts, I learned that I had failed the first year. A broken me just wanted to end my life, but I couldn't because I lived for a reason—a reason to protect the girl who led me this way. She gave me a reason to fight, a reason to live."
"Looking into the past, I realize that I needed to get stronger to pay her back. I need to stand back, I-I need to fight not for myself but for her sake."
"I need to. No, I will fight."
"I WILL FIGHT!!" Mazhiro declared, his resolve unshakable.
"Shailya, Shailya!" Vahalla's voice snapped Shailya back to the present.
"Huh, where am I, Vahalla?" Shailya said, disoriented.
"You are at the training camp," Vahalla replied.
"Huh, yeah, I remember now," Shailya said, his memory clearing.
"I want an answer," Vahalla said, his tone serious.
"What answer?" Shailya asked, confused.
"WHYYYY THE HELL DID YOU USE THE SWORD OF DARKNESS?" Vahalla asked, clearly enraged.
"Uhmm," Shailya hesitated, trying to find the right words.
"ANSWER MEE!" Vahalla demanded, his fury palpable.
"I didn't have an option back there," Shailya explained.
"Uhhh, you know how dangerous it is to use the sword. And after all, it is the Sword of Darkness. Do you even have an idea of its power? You could blow up the whole area. In order to use it, you need to train, train hard. I forbid you from using any Sword. You will just use your body and blades, axes, or other normal weapons but not the overpowered ones," Vahalla warned.
"Vahalla, but there was no choice. Many people could have died there," Shailya protested.
"You sure are something. Fine, I will teach you another way, but first, finish this camp," Vahalla conceded.
"I will," Shailya promised.
"Good work, Shailya," Mazhiro praised.
"I was nothing without you, senior," Shailya replied humbly.
"Did you happen to see Anata—I mean, that girl who saved us?" Mazhiro asked.
"Nope," Shailya answered.
"So, who are you? Your blow was amazing there," Mazhiro inquired, curiosity piqued.
"Uhm, I am Shailya, Shailya Mahoraga. Thanks for the compliment, senior," Shailya said.
"Shail- Mahoraga, you are one of the Mahoragas?" Mazhiro asked, surprised.
"Yeps, senior. I'm Shailya Mahoraga, son of Mahoraga," Shailya confirmed.
"Do you happen to know about the Akatsumi clan?" Mazhiro asked.
"Nope! Are you an Akatsumi?" Shailya asked, intrigued.
"Fine! I am Mazhiro Akatsumi, son of Akatsumi," Mazhiro revealed.
"I think he doesn't know about his clan's past with mine. I will not dare to tell him now," Mazhiro thought to himself.
"Amazing, but your clan, it sounds like a foreign name," Shailya remarked.
"Oh, is it? I'm from Japan, but my clan's roots are from both the Japanese Union and the Indian Union," Mazhiro explained.
"Indian Union, really?" Shailya asked, astonished.
"Yes! I think you don't even know about your own town. What was it, Dihangula, Diwansul-" Mazhiro tried to recall.
"Diwankula," Shailya corrected.
"Oh yeah, I'm a little forgetful. So, even we Akatsumi belong to Diwankula," Mazhiro said.
"How come?" Shailya asked, curiosity piqued.
"Come on, you'll get to know our clan's whole history once you get that strong," Mazhiro assured him.
"Please, tell me something about my past," Shailya insisted.
"Fine!" Mazhiro agreed.
"Thanks," Shailya said, grateful.
Mazhiro took a deep breath, preparing to share the intricate history of their intertwined clans. "Our clans share a deep and complex history, one filled with alliances, betrayals, and legendary battles," Mazhiro began.
As Shailya listened, a sense of connection and purpose began to grow within him. The realization that his journey was part of a larger narrative, one that spanned generations, filled him with renewed determination.
In the shadows, the mysterious figure continued to watch. "The pieces are falling into place," they whispered. "Shailya and Mazhiro are key to the unfolding events."
As the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon, Shailya knew that the path ahead would be filled with challenges, but with the guidance of Vahalla and the support of his newfound allies, he felt ready to face whatever lay ahead. The training camp was just the beginning, and the future held untold possibilities.
Unbeknownst to Shailya and Mazhiro, their actions were being closely monitored by forces both seen and unseen. The world was on the brink of monumental change, and their roles in the coming conflict were crucial.
[To be continued in Chapter 8]