Chapter 7: Entrance IV
Yosen Magic Affiliated College – Training Facility
"I'm sorry, but why me?"
Shane pulled back slightly, his brows furrowed into a frown as he pointed at himself.
His question was met with a sharp, warning look from the instructor—the kind of gaze that silently asked:
Do you want me to send you out of my class too?
"..."
"Haah. Fine."
Seeing no way out, Shane raised his hands in surrender. The instructor motioned for him to step forward, and he complied.
"Alright then. Smart Creed—"
"—It's Shane, ma'am. Besides, all of the Creeds are smart."
Shane interrupted her smoothly, not even bothering to hide his indifference despite the ticked-off look spreading across the instructor's face.
"How bold," she muttered, taking another drag from her cigarette.
"But yes, Shane... if that's what you want."
Meanwhile, as both spoke. The students had already begun pairing themselves into two.
The matchups were… pretty unexpected.
"Damian up against the Tendou girl, huh?" Shane muttered, shaking his head.
Before he could say more, the instructor exhaled a cloud of smoke, cutting him off mid-thought.
'This smell…'
"Not just that. Your brothers picked some… interesting partners," she remarked.
"One chose a Beastfallen spawn. And the other…"
"Onmyōdō."
"So you know of it too, Shane….?"
"I've studied a little bit. Old magic techniques... How unusual, but practical."
Yes. Onmyōdō.
It had existed long before Humanity Awakened, though its practice had been limited back then.
Rituals were carried out in its name, but the techniques never went beyond those confines.
However, thanks to Humanity Awakening, it allowed practitioners of that time to harness mana to perform Onmyōdō in ways previously impossible.
How truly unorthodox. However, practical.
"Hmm."
Turning back to the students. Everybody seemed to have picked their pairs.
However, for the Creed brothers, it was more like their pairs picked them.
"Damian Creed. Second place on the physical exams."
"You could have picked first ranked, but you chose me instead."
Tendou approached Damian, eyes closed, as they discussed shortly.
Damian glanced towards Enma who was at another side of the facility, who looked—no, he was preoccupied.
"I see, so that's why you came to me."
The three of them were occupied. Their pairs had chosen them—the Creed brothers—themselves.
"The Beastfallen seemed to have had eyes on the number one. Hence, I have to settle for you."
"Any problem with number two?" Damian asked dryly.
"No. You're his brother, after all. I'm content with that."
Damian sighed, refocusing on her. "Enough talk. Come at me—"
Before he could finish, she was already in front of him.
"Oh?"
FWOOSH!
"Wow. How fiesty."
Damian muttered as he dodged a swipe from his paired partner.
Ayaka paused after Damian had made a small distance between them.
She exhaled as she spoke. "I knew you wouldn't be taken down that easily."
As Ayaka said that.
There was another pause between both of them as if the calm before….
SWISH!
Ayaka swiped at Damian again. Damian blocked the swipe, but Ayaka spun mid-motion, sending a kick toward his neck.
Damian caught her leg, but Ayaka used the momentum to twist again, her other leg to attack Damian which forced him to skid backward.
But of course, Damian blocked it in time.
"Oh, as expected of a Tendou. If it weren't for you people, she would have become the second Eira Seiravelle."
Shane glanced at the instructor, who exhaled another puff of smoke as she observed the spar.
"Heavenly God Physique, or so I've heard... True, she does have the potential."
Meanwhile.
On the other side of the class. Enma seemed to have no problem with his opponent.
"Enma Creed. You and your brothers have caused quite the ruckus."
The son of the Beastfallen house—a male, more like a burly male for his age, with brown, wild-like hair—spoke as he cracked his head.
"Let's get this over and be done."
Enma couldn't be bothered; he was already feeling the toll of having to deal with many more responsibilities—student council and all—that would fall upon his head.
Anymore than this was basically a headache.
"I'm sorry, but I'll be going all out for this one."
As the Beastfallen words fell, furs covered his body as his body glowed with a golden light.
"Beast transformation, huh?"
Enma muttered, his expression not changing in the slightest.
"Hmph. Here I come!"
The Beastfallen lunged at Enma with a blur of speed. And even though it was called a "spar," both needn't go this far.
Things were escalating beyond what would be called: spar.
However, both did.
To match the Beastfallen energy and hype. Enma dashed at the Beastfallen midway.
Unfortunately for the Beastfallen.
The opening was clear—too clear. His form was way too open-wided.
Without hesitation, Enma stunned his opponent with a sudden body slam, grabbed his arm, and flipped him overhead, slamming him into the ground.
All with a resounding:
THUD!
"...."
The room fell silent shortly as the Beastfallen hit the ground with a loud crash.
"What happened?"
"He tossed the Beastfallen... like paper."
"The Creeds…"
Back at the edge of the training facility. Shane let out a small laughter, watching this happen.
The instructor, however, had a frown on her face. Though it was only expected, however, the Beastfallen had undergone his beast transformation.
The Beastfallen's strength should have been on par with an Enlightened-Class Awakener, or so, at least in terms of raw physical power.
"Are all of you like this?" she asked, glancing toward Shane.
Shane grinned. "Trust me, it's much worse when you pit two Creeds against each other. Good call, Teacher."
"... I see. Then, the glasses Creed?"
"He's done already."
Like Enma, who was quick to end their "spar," which at this point was honestly not a spar anymore.
The Onmyōdō who was supposed to be Kaiden's spar partner was wrapped up in golden chains.
While the culprit in question still had his head buried under his book... whatever he was reading.
"These kids..." The instructor muttered, darkly.
Back at the Creed-Tendou fight.
Damian lowered his hand down, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"Hm. I see." Damian said, warming up, cracking his neck as he moved closer.
"You've got enough power, but not enough to take me out."
"... As much as I hate to say it, but I already know that much. But still."
Again. Like before, without warning, silently and almost in one breath, she was in front of him again, her hand on her sword's hilt.
"I'm no good with hand-to-hand. This is my specialty."
SHING!
Damian's eyes widened slightly, but he was quick enough to dodge.
"Hm? I thought I dodged it…" he muttered, noticing strands of his hair floating in the air. His grin widened.
"Now, this is getting interesting."
Perhaps this was now worth his time. "Come," Damian motioned towards her.
Tendou nodded again. She appeared in front of him, her hand on her hilt, about to draw it, however.
"Too bad." Damian pressed back her hand that was about to draw her sword.
"Kuh."
She had prepared for such a situation.
The thing was just that... his physical strength alone was stunning.
She jumped back, pulling away from Damian, drawing her sword fully as she slashed the air in patterns.
Tendo-ryu: Fuyuo-Arashi. Hibiscus Storm.
A multiford aggressive slashes in certain patterns, quick and precise.
Under normal circumstances one would want to quickly evade the range of such a technique.
After all, it's a move that sends waves of invisible, sharp wind like slashes at the opponent. However…
"Not bad. Your counters are excellent. Your techniques are a cut above the rest."
Tendou's eyes narrowed as she gripped her sword tightly.
The boy she was supposed to be fighting was dodging those invisible slashes without batting an eye.
"However, you rely way too much on your mana-enhanced physique."
What's more… she lost sight of him?
"Perhaps, if you focused more on honing your base physique, you could reach new heights…."
At this point.
Most people had already finished their spar.
Not as exaggerated as a certain family by the name Creed made it out to be.
But they did.
And thanks to that.
"Tsk." A certain instructor had been pretty much ticked off. "What do you kids take me for?"
She muttered darkly, causing Shane beside her to flinch.
Then in the next. "All of you! Stop!" She suddenly shouted.
"You kids.."
She began twitching.
"I said spar, you're supposed to learn your partner's weaknesses, not beat each other senseless!"
She shot Shane a glare. "Minus five points for you."
"What? What did I even do?"
Shane, confused, turned to the instructor, only for her to retort back.
"Want me to increase it to ten?"
Shane paused, weighing his options before giving a reluctant salute.
"No, ma'am. Thank you very much."
But contrary to his words: 'Haah. Screw this. What a drag.' He thought so to himself.
"By the way. I failed to mention this earlier, the reason I isolated you from the start."
Now that the entire class attention is now shifted back to her.
The instructor turned towards Shane. "Shane, my dear… You are this class' class rep."
"...."
"Ha—Hah!?"