Tora's Pov"She's a tough one. And she keeps her calm even under pressure." Kiri said to me after he sat beside me. I watched silently and listened to his report on what had occurred during their scouting mission. I had actually been monitoring them while they engaged the monster herd that was looking for us. Training my senses every day had allowed me to improve by leaps and bounds. Being connected to Byakko had really given me something I never thought I'd have. After listening to Kiri, I thought up a plan on how to move forward and make sure everyone got an active part in this training exercise. At that moment I heard Musashi speak to me: "You need to gauge the strength of the big warrior and his woman. The water girl is good for long range support. I can already sense that she's gotten a better understanding of herself. Give her a chance to prove herself when the opportunity presents itself. That way she can also boost her confidence that she lost when she failed the last traini
Tora's PovBefore the Tengu could finish gathering the fireball, I swung my sword across its abdomen tearing through flesh and organs together. It let out a screech even as it began falling back down. The rest showed signs of anger and increased hostility as they saw their brethren's lifeless body fall out of the sky. No longer holding onto anything, I began free-falling toward the canyon. The tengu took that as a sign to attack and finish off their enemy. "Do it now young cub." Byakko said to me. Immediately, I began reaching out to the wind around me. After using his power of lightning constantly, I had forgotten that he did not just have power over lightning, but over the wind as well. Using Byakko's knowledge, I reached out with my power and began drawing the wind to me. Gathering it in a circular motion around my entire body, the speed of my fall gradually reduced until I was no longer descending. I was floating in the air with an air bubble surrounding me.Turning my attention
Kiri's PovThe imoogi's head went up a few meters as he stared down at me. His movement didn't cause so much as a ripple on the surface of the water, almost as if he was rising from within a mist. "ONE VERY POWERFUL CAGED ME HERE OVER THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. HE HAD TO RESULT TO TRICKERY AS HE COULD NOT FIND A WAY TO DEFEAT ME SEEING AS HE WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH. NOW I REMAIN HERE TRAPPED LIKE A BIRD IN A CAGE. FEASTING ON ANY WHO ARE UNFORTUNATE TO ENTER MY DOMAIN." By now his voice had claimed higher and I could hear the anger in his words. It seems he blamed himself for falling into a trap. I began pacing. Putting on airs to make it look like I was in deep thought for a while. Looking up at him, I asked"What kind of power did he use to trap you here? I know for a fact that imoogi have enormous magic powers. So just how did he manage to imprison you in this place?.""NECROMANCY. THE INSECT USED THE MAGIC OF DEATH TO SEAL ME HERE. THE CLOSER I GET TO THE ENTRANCE OF THIS CAVE, THE
Kiri's Pov I had only linked my senses to my shadow creations. I had never tried taking control of one of them before. It was actually not as hard as I expected it to be. Maybe it was because Celeste was in control of my actual body. Anyway, I can't think about that right now. Taking control of one of the golems, I sent a mental command to the others through the link I used in controlling them. One moment they were fighting to subdue imoogi, and the next, they all began throwing everything they had to get him to move back. Imoogi at this point, no longer had the beautiful appearance he wore before. Instead, he now looked so skinny his bones were pushing against his skin. His perfect teeth were now razor sharp and scattered like a piranha and the tips of his fingers were now black and extended into claws that had left serious markings and damage on the golems and surroundings. Acting as a unit, I joined the remaining golems in their task. It wasn't easy to make him move though. He s
Tsuru's PovAfter leaving Tora behind, we continued to make our way toward what was left of the herd of monsters. With the minotaurs dead now, the only thing left to worry about was the humanoid bat and its sonic screams. I still held my bow at the ready and spoke to Ushi"You'll have to hold off the leader while Ame and I will take care of what's left of the herd. When we're done, we'll have to work together to defeat the leader." "Don't worry about me and just take care of your part." He answered. His reply was bold as usual, but there was something underlying in the way he spoke. Did something happen when I was scouting? I'll have to talk to him later. Right now, the herd had come into view and it was time to act. "Alright you guys." Ame spoke up. "Ushi I'll give you a boost to get behind the herd so you can get to the leader quickly. Let's finish taking care of this quickly before Tora and Kiri get back." As she finished speaking, the water serpent we had been traveling inside
Ushi’s Pov Watching the bat fall to the ground, I willed every last bit of power I had left into my fists. My mind made up to end the monster with this next attack. With a loud crash that raised another cloud of dust, the huge monster fell to the ground. Growling with hate in its eyes, it looked at me with defiance still in its eyes. It tried once more to take off, but its wings were too damaged to carry out the action. “Why are you trying to run away now? You were more than agile when hunting us, so why are you trying to escape now that the tables have turned?”Growling one last time, the humanoid bat grabbed both of his wings at the connecting joints before ripping them off his back. Blood flowed freely from its back but this didn’t seem to faze it in the slightest way. After a moment of standing still, it began to look around as if it was searching for something. Its gaze went from Ame, to Tsuru, before finally settling on me. A decisive expression became evident on its face. He
Unknown PovReading the reports on this Tora fellow has been nothing short of thrilling. If the information wasn't coming from a trusted source is would've discarded it because it all seemed too good to be true. The boy continues to show so much promise and he's growing at an unprecedented rate. "What have we here?". I asked no one in particular since I was the only one present. "Now this is a most interesting development. I believe I can make use of this before the others find out." Scribbling instructions down on a piece of paper that was lying on my marble desk, I held it out sideways before speaking again. "Make sure you're not seen. I want this done as discreetly as possible." The note vanished from my outstretched hand as I finished speaking and all I could only smile. "Well, this is shaping up to be a lot more interesting than I thought." I chuckled to myself.Ushi's PovSitting under a tree, I watched as Ame practiced her fluid movements on the surface of the lake in the
Professor Pius PovLooking at the young ones seated before me, I thought back to the last training trip they had embarked on. It ended up lasting a few weeks as they were determined to defeat as many creatures in the desert as possible. Tora seems to have grown once more. Ame has gotten reasonably better since she got that sword from general Sun. Kiri's aura is a lot thicker than it was. "I see you're getting in tune with yourself finally. Did you get past that bottleneck that you've been trapped in?." Ushi, the one I referred to nodded, "Yes I did professor. I'm still learning more about my new growth, but all is progressing well." Turning to the final one, Tsuru, "There's not much else for you to improve, but I assume you are learning to work in a group?." Her reply was a nod of affirmation. "Very well. Now onto the main topic for the day." The look of concentrating on each of their faces increased. Only Tora managed to keep a neutral expression, not showing any emotion. "From
Tora's PovHaving your sight taken in just an instant can be very unsettling. Especially when you are not expecting it. Everything suddenly went dark but years of training helped me reign in the sudden panic that would have overtaken me. Gradually, light began to return starting from behind me. On closer inspection, I realized that the light wasn't returning, but the darkness was being sucked into one spot in front of us. It continued to gather and swirl until it formed a hurricane about twenty feet high. The speed of the hurricane slowed down until it finally dispersed leaving a figure crouching where it previously was. Letting out a deep breath, the figure stood up and looked around. He stopped when his gaze landed on me. His eyes were pure black with no hint of color. They seemed to suck in and swallow the light around, creating a shadow effect around them. He was dressed in a pure black kimono with red trimmings at the edge of the sleeves and the bottom. One of his shoulders was
Tora's PovMoving inside, I took a seat at the workstation and faced everyone. "First before we do anything, now that we've gotten acquainted with each other, it's best we know who our links are and what we can do. This way, we'll be able to pair up properly when we have to divide ourselves during missions." I said to them. "I'll go first. I'm connected to Musashi Miyamoto and the white tiger Byakko. I've always used a sword but with Musashi, my techniques improved by leaps and bounds. With Byakko, I have the authority over wind and lightning. Which I incorporate into my swordsmanship." Everyone was quiet and there was a small hint of surprise on Richard's face. Ame spoke up next. "I am connected to Susanoo, God of storms and the sea. Being linked to him gives me hydrokinesis but on a more powerful scale." She finished. Cecil spoke up next before anyone could start. "I am connected to the one named Brunhilde. A renowned Valkyrie who was the best of them all. Being with her gives me
Ame's PovThe walk back to our quarters was uneventful. Richard, Ursula and Conrad were taken to the infirmary. Cecil argued against it when the medics tried to take her and insisted that she was alright. Now, the rest of us walked back as Kiri briefed Tora on the rest of the platoon's condition. "You know what you did wasn't necessary." I said to him. He paused what he was saying to Tora but didn't break his stride. "What do you mean?." He asked. "If you hadn't provoked her in the first place, this entire fight could have been avoided." I said to him. "I'm never able to understand what goes on in that head of yours." He didn't reply but he offered a smile instead. "If I didn't do that, a repeat of what happened when we first Tora could have occurred." He said to me. "Not that it's any different now, but if we had allowed this matter to drag on any longer than necessary then it could cost us our lives during our missions." I turned my gaze to Tora, he remained quiet as usual. As al
Mr Green's PovMaking my way to the training ground where the members of platoon nine were, I thought back to what I had seen from the silver-haired recruit name Sekizo Tora. He was efficient and quick witted. He displayed an attitude fit for a platoon leader. "Sir.! Do you really have to go by yourself? Surely there are more important matters for you to attend to." The young secretary walking behind me asked. "It's alright Sophia. There are certain things I have to do myself." I replied. "Plus I believe there's more to that young man than meets the eye." Getting to the training room, the guards opened the door and I stepped inside. The place was a literal mess. Scorch marks decorated the ground, the land was broken in so many places. Web-like craters and other dents showing points of impact were everywhere. To one side, the ground was smoking and red-hot with lava being the cause. If I didn't watch it myself, it would have been hard to believe that a fight between platoon members t
Tora's PovI raised my hands just in time to block a punch that was aimed at my abdomen. The force of the blow sent me flying deep within the gathering of trees outside of the clearing. I felt pain climbing up my spine and spreading throughout my body like wildfire. What on earth was that? When I finally came to a stop, I fell on my knee and looked ahead. It took great effort to channel and enhance my sight as my mind was reeling from the pain. Moving was hard and painful, a spot on indication that bones were broken. "SHIT!." I exclaimed. More pissed off than anything else. Concentrating, I began walking back to the clearing while tapping into my pain receptors and dialing them down to almost nothing. I had picked up this trick during one of my meditations some time ago. My armor was dented, but my headband and bracers remained intact. Healing internal injuries required precise focus, so finishing this battle quickly was the only acceptable option left for me. By the time I made it
Tora's PovDealing with the wolf was easy. He was no real threat. This one was a fighter. Her body was bones for battle, and she loves the thrill of the fight. This was a warrior worthy of my respect. Watching her technique, I got a rough estimate of what her power will be. Once the outline of the female warrior appeared, I heard Byakko give an appreciative growl. "A valkyrie. No wonder she is built different. Truly a fine specimen." Byakko said. At that moment, she had just dived down with power condensed at the tip of her spear. There were two ways to respond to this. Get out of the way, or respond with something equally powerful. I choose the second option. Channeling power through my arms, legs, and sword, I prepared my attack. I gathered power in my sword until the steel was blue and it was humming with electricity. I took a stance and waited while tightening up my muscles. The spear got close enough in a matter of seconds. Enhancing my senses so as to not miss the timing, I e
Kiri's Pov No longer able to withstand the urge, I dropped out of the shadows in front of Richard and his two teammates. The moment my feet touched the ground, I lunged at Ursula with my blade at the ready. I reached her long before her panic could fully set in. As my blade was coming down, I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand and all my senses screamed danger. With my momentum, it was already too late to stop myself. My blade clashed with a katana the force knocked me back as a wave of current went through my arm. Dammit. "What is going on here?." A pissed-off Tora asked. I released my control over the shadows, instantly freeing everyone. Just as I was about to answer, I saw Tora's muscle twitch before he was no longer in front of me. The sound of two blades clashing behind me made me turn around quickly. Richard was being pushed back by Tora. A vengeful expression was clear as day on his face. "That guy is dangerous and unhinged." He yelled. His teammates, however, didn
Richard's PovThe sound of weapons clashing caused Ursula to turn around immediately. Although if I hadn't parried the attack, she would be bleeding right now. I didn't know if the attack was meant to be a fatal one or if it was only intended to cause an injury. A mixed expression of shock and realization was etched on her face when she turned around. She just realized that Kiri was not just a smiley face. Weaving some signs with her hands, they glowed and she yelled out a spell as she struck her palm on the floor. "Show yourself. REVELARE." The glow from her hand seeped into the ground and went out in a wave across the room. I quickly started looking around as I knew this was her spell to show whatever was hidden, be it living or nonliving. However, nothing happened. Nothing was revealed. Kiri remained hidden. Even Cecil and Conrad wore looks of surprise on their faces. "Why isn't it working? Why can't we see him?." I said while looking around. "I don't know." Ursula screamed in
Richard's Pov I watched the silver haired boy walk out of the room after addressing his friends. Even without saying much, it was obvious that he was the team leader and they respected him. I looked at Conrad who was still on the floor shaking. Be it from anger or fear, I didn't really give a damn right now. "You always speak before carefully observing who you're speaking to." I said looking at him. "I hope you learned something today." I turned away from him and went to the bed I had picked earlier when we arrived. I was putting away my sword and shield when I heard someone walk behind me. The sound of someone seating on my bed followed and I turned around to see who the person was. Ursula sat on my bed with her legs crossed and her arms folded. I had known her for quite a while and she usually did this when she wanted to talk. Stopping myself from taking off my shirt as I was about to hop into the shower, I jerked my head towards the door and walked out of the room with Ursula at