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
Professor Pius Pov"How in the divine realm did he come back?." Tora, or rather Byakko said in disbelief. "There's no way he was able to manifest on his own after all this time. It's very obvious he has begun to work through minions." "Indeed brother. The atrium did not just give an opportunity to beings like us, but also to Ankaluman and his forces." Raksha replied in a cool voice. Tora's eyes sparked with electricity as a growl emanating from him reverberated through the room. "Does anyone care to fill in the rest of us on what's going on?." Kiri's smile had turned into a neutral expression at this point. "We would also like to know what we've been fighting for so long that it can't even be said out in public." Byakko answered after he calmed down a bit. "Ankaluman. He's not a person, a god, nor is he a mythical creature. He's just an entity. Call him the darkness that existed before our world and other worlds came to being. His aim is simple. He wants to make the universe become
Tora's PovThe feeling of going through the portal wasn't something one could get used to. You just learned to tolerate the side effects. This time around was no different. I felt like I was being stretched as far as my body could allow, and then some more. Other travels had been instantaneous but this one seemed longer for some reason. The sensation ended as abruptly as it began. After what felt like hours, I felt my feet touch solid ground. I took a moment to get my bearings then turned to check on the team. "Why did it feel different this time around?." Ushi groaned as he fought back the urge to throw up. Tsuru and Ame were in similar conditions. Only Kiri managed to wear an indifferent expression. Although, the stray bead of sweat that ran down his face gave away his discomfort. "It should have something to do with the distance that we traveled. Whenever we went on training, the travel was almost instantaneous. This time however, it seems like the distance was so great that we f
Tora's PovStanding there in all his glory, the centaur scratched one of his front hooves on the ground in front of him. His upper body was well defined and he was shirtless. Muscles that had seen proper use decorated his form and some battle scars were visible. He looked like a spartan general with a physique that screamed danger. His lower body was equally if not more interesting. The brown body of a horse was adorned with black hooves that were dark the light of the sun bounced off them. I was no horse expert but his horse anatomy was so muscled and lined that I almost forgot there was a man attached to it. The hair of his horsetail was so silky smooth that it swayed with the slightest breeze. All in all, he was an able bodied centaur if I do say so myself. Well, that explains why he could run that fast. "If I know my myths right, and I do, there's only one centaur qualified to be a trainer for people like us." Kiri said beside me. "Son of Chronos. The demigod trainer and the on
Tora's PovThe surprise attack kicked us all into high gear. Kiri immediately vanished into the shadow of a nearby tree. Ame's swift movement aided her as she quickly dodged trees and ran into the forest. Killing intent as sharp as a blade was directed at instructor Green from behind. But even with the huge body he possessed, he nimbly jumped out of the way of the arrow intended for his back. "An archer are we? And a competent one from the looks of it." The instructor said in an amused tone. Using the moment of distraction, I was in front of Ushi instantly and lifted his limp form from the ground. Aiming a lightning attack with my hand, I sent a large bolt in the instructor's direction. "RUN!" I yelled out. Without looking back to know if my attack met its mark or not, I fled into the forest with Ushi in tow...Running as fast as Ushi's weight could allow me, I zigzagged till I was sure I had put a good distance between the instructor and myself. Using my still enhanced senses, I he
Tora's PovWatching the shadow, Kiri pulled himself out from it and casually walked over to where we were standing. Instructor Green looked over at us for a moment and then continued speaking. "Congratulations to those of you who have survived this exercise. It seems not everyone is incompetent. But don't let it get to your head, otherwise death will come for you when you least expect it." The doors behind him groaned as they were pulled open by the guards outside. As he stepped through the doors, Mr. Green's appearance changed to become that of a normal human once more. We walked behind him as he spoke. "You will be divided into platoons to carry out missions as soon as possible. Your platoon will consist of your already formed group and another one. Each platoon will have at least ten unit members in it." We walked into an auditorium that could seat at least a thousand people. "Get seated. After the announcements, you will find your room and acquaint yourselves with your platoon
Tora's PovFive people filed into the room. Everyone stayed quiet for a while and it felt like the tension was trying to build up. They were all dressed in the provided combat pants, boots, and black t-shirts. Seems they got here earlier than we did. "So are we going to introduce ourselves now that everyone is done sizing each other up?." The guy who gave off the air of team leader walked and stood in front of me. "The name's Richard." He said with an outstretched hand. "Richard Fyres." I shook his hand while giving him a nod. "Sekizo Tora." I replied. He gave a nod of affirmation."These are my teammates." He said. "Starting here, this is Ursula White, the battle-ready one is Cecil Forester, the one who's always ready to pounce is Conrad Beck and finally the scary looking one in all black makeup is Alexis Fey." He introduced. Scanning them, Richard had a warrior's build, with his brown hair that was shaved at the sides and the rest packed in a ponytail. He carried a sword and roun
Tora's PovTaking to the trees so I didn't have to crane my neck upwards, I followed after Alexis' crow form as she maneuvered between the trees like they were part of an obstacle course. I kept a close watch on my surroundings and used my powers to strengthen my legs so I could keep up with her. After we had been moving for a better part of twenty minutes, we came to a stop at the base of a small mountain. Funny. I don't recall seeing any mountain range when we came here. Jumping down from the tree I was perched on, I landed softly on the ground just as Alexis was turning back into a human. "No need to be so cautious. Anyone who isn't allowed will be lost the entrance. As you might have guessed, this place is enchanted." She said. "I see." Was the only reply I could give to her. "Where do we go from here?" I asked. "We are not going anywhere." I turned to look at her with a raised brow. "You are going to climb to the top. There you will find what you are looking for." She said to