In a restaurant within a private room, sat Shasha, Kai and some guests, Shasha had intended to enjoy the string of victories that his fighters had brought for him, which resulted in him, effectively securing the financial success of his home. However he had received some unexpected guests.
At first, when he heard the announcement about certain individuals who had just arrived, he thought those were either Edwin or Maxwell. So he intended to run away, but when the servant who was catering for him told him who had arrived, Shasha's face became extremely ugly, and Kai followed suit.
The room was quite an expensive one. It was very spacious and had a large table that could seat twenty people. Shasha, who had lived as a miser, according to his standards, wanted to splurge and enjoy himself. Yet he never expected that the room he had booked would actually be full, and that the table would have no free seat available.
Shasha was usually not good at handling such situations, so Kai spoke in his stead. "Guy, why now? Why has the Crown Prince chosen this moment to act? Wasn't the plan to only act after a few more years?"
Kai's words were directed at a handsome young man who was sitting at the end of the rectangular table opposite Shasha. He had blonde hair with crystal clear blue eyes, eyes that emanated intelligence. There was no doubt that he was a conqueror of hearts. Kai also knew that he was a conqueror of minds as well, and a lot more...
"I have no idea why the Crown Prince has chosen to act. Actually why he has chosen to act now is irrelevant. What matters is that we do act. Our orders are to take this city and its surrounding cities within five years. We also have to make do with the soldiers we have." said Guy as he ate the delicious meal in front of him. His words carried great weight, yet he spoke as if he was merely describing the weather. That incredible composure was one of the reasons why Guy had become a general at such a young age.
"How many soldiers do we have?" questioned Kai with narrow eyes.
"What you see is what you get."
Kai immediately slammed the table, causing all four of its legs to break. "Preposterous! Do you know what it takes to conquer a C rank city? Let alone a Peak C rank city? And you expect the young master to do it with a handful of inexperienced soldiers? Are you mad?!"
Guy was disappointed and sighed. "When I was growing up Sir Kai, I was always taught not to waste food, and not to be rude during a meal. I was also taught not to chew bones, and to leave something for the dogs. We owe it to those starving all over The Sovereign Continent to finish this meal."
Kai was about to shout, when Shasha raised his hand to silence Kai. "Guy Schmidt, that is your name correct?"
"Yes your highness that is indeed my name."
"I have heard great things about you."
"I wish I could say the same your highness."
Kai was fuming with rage, but he knew Shasha well enough that that moment was not the time for him to speak. Shasha was an odd character. He was quite the fool when he was in leisure. He couldn't cultivate, he wasn't much of a scholar but he did have one oddity in his personality. Only a few people knew about it and from the way Guy was acting, it was clear he did not either.
Shasha merely chuckled a bit and bent over to pick up a piece of meat from the floor, and began to chew it. "You know what Guy Schmidt? I agree with you, it's rude to waste food but I also believe that it is rude to beat up other people's servants and not apologize."
A light flashed in Guy's eyes as he came to a sudden realization.
So the Crown Prince was right, Prince Shasha is quite capable in such situations. This is interesting.
"My apologies you rhighness, I had to test their skills, it's our country's tradition to haze new recruits. They are quite infamous but I assure you, my troops know when to hold back."
Shasha shook his head and removed all the meat on his drumstick and chewed voraciously. "Guy Schmidt, you seem to have misunderstood me."
Suddenly the door burst open, and Kenshin along with Bastian walked into the room dragging unconscious bodies behind them. The room became extremely silent at this sight, such that even an ant's footsteps could be heard.
"Crack!"
Everyone heard aloud cracking noise and looked towards the source, only to see Shasha holding half a bone in his hand while chewing at the same time. He swallowed what was in his mouth and threw the remaining half to Guy "I hope that's enough for you. After all, I have to look after my brother's dog."
Shasha quietly stood up and walked toward the door. He signaled for Kenshin and Bastian to drop the bodies, which they did. Just before he left the room, he rolled his eyes and looked back, as if he had forgotten something.
"Oh and my apologies, I had to test their skills. Just so you know, they failed, dismally."
...
As soon as Shasha and his crew had left, Guy started giggling. Slowly, his giggle turned into laughter and he started rolling on the floor laughing. One of his men couldn't take it anymore and said, "General, why do you find this funny? We have been given an impossible mission and have to follow the orders of a cripple. What part of this is funny?"
Guy stopped his laughter and laid on the floor staring at the roof. Although there was nothing, he looked like he was gazing far off into the distance "Firstly let me correct you Captain. This isn't an impossible mission, it's a test. This time we are not merely following the orders of a cripple, we are also following the orders of one of the strongest cultivators on the continent. As for the reason I am laughing, that is not something someone of your stature can understand."
Guy stretched out his hand and gripped nothingness. His cultivation base roared with excitement and his face showed a savage grin.
Finally! I have the chance to fight alongside him! Everything is going according to plan!
Guy flipped his body up and headed for the exit. "Someone please pay for the damages. Gentlemen open your eyes pay attention to this moment. For this will be the first true city conquered by him! We will follow him till we die!"
"Yes sir!"
The soldiers were baffled but still complied. They were not aware that Guy looked up to Shasha so much. Yet they knew their leader well and they trusted him. All the men that were with him could follow him to the jaws of death if need be.
Yet none of the men in the room knew what Guy was thinking. If they did, they would no doubt cough blood.
We will follow Sebastian Tirius. We will follow the King of Titans!
Shasha, Bastian, Kai and Kenshin walked back to Shasha's abode in silence. Bastian had received word telepathically from Kenshin that they had no need to hide from their pursuers for now. Shasha was in a bad mood which made the air heavy.Bastian had never seen the silly and childish Shasha look so serious. It did not feel natural, especially considering the fact that Bastian was a master at reading expressions. To him this sudden shift in character was too drastic.It seems I didn't know as much about Shasha as I thought I did. But still, the change shouldn't be this bad.Along the way they met with a few hindrances, but a look from Kai would scare them away. They arrived at Shasha's house only to be stopped by the door by Kai. Kai whispered something into Shasha's ears. Bastian did not know what Kai told Shasha and he couldn't hear a single thing that Kai had said. All he could tell was that Shasha's face was now far graver than before."Kenshin and Bas
When Bastian heard Tino's voice through Kenshin's link, he felt like he had been struck by lightning. Kenshin could feel a slight disturbance from Bastian's side, but now was not the time to split focus on such a thing, for the spell he was using used up much of his mindIt's her! What the heck is she doing here? And judging from the conversation she is familiar with Shasha and Kai.Bastian listened to the conversation attentively while coming up with a plan.Hhmm, I see. She was sent by Shasha's brother, and judging from what we have seen and heard from today, Shasha is the prince of a country that is powerful. Interesting, he did well to hide this.Then another phrase surprised Bastian. "Is there anywhere in this world that can hide us from him? Kai you and I both know that this world will soon fall into our father's hands. There will be nowhere for us to hide. We have no choice but to do this. You know far more than me the consequences of not following
When Bastian had gotten all the information he could get out of Li, he left the space, only to see Kenshin standing in front of the door like a statue, paying Bastian no mind whatsoever."Kenshin, do you have a way to prevent sound from leaking from a room, to the point where even you can't hear anything?" said Bastian telepathically to Kenshin. Kenshin nodded. "Do you trust me?" Once more Kenshin nodded to Bastian's telepathic message after showing a slight message. Sighing in relief, Bastian told Kenshin what he needed to do, and to former's surprise Kenshin agreed....."Knowledge, what kind of knowledge do you want?" Shasha was in a bind, so he was willing to grab any opportunity to help him, even if it came from a slave, right now he wasn't even thinking of credibility, much less the fact that Bastian had heard his conversation with Tino.At this point Bastian looked at Kenshin and nodded. In response, Kenshin formed some seals, and a formless energy
"Young master I hope we have made the right decision.""Of course we have, or rather to be honest; we had no choice in this issue."Kai and Shasha were sitting in the office discussing the events from the day before. Kenshin and Bastian had not arrived yet, so the duo were just having some small talk, which followed along the usual formula of Shasha sounding confident and Kai being overly cautious."Good morning gentlemen." Bastian entered the room with Kenshin in tow. Kenshin immediately performed the necessary procedures to make the room sound proof and sat next to Bastian in front of Shasha's desk."So young master, have you prepared what I asked for." asked Bastian."Ah yes, of course, Kai please bring them out." replied ShashaWith a wave of his hand, a bunch of documents appeared on the table. Maps, diagrams and scrolls of all sorts were covering the whole desk. Those were details concerning Yani City, from the population, to detailed
At that moment, in his mind, Bastian was facing a dilemma. He was not sure just how much Tino could be trusted, nor was he sure enough that she would be able to execute the plans he had in mind. At times like those however, there was only one option, move forward and hope for the best. Well as far as Bastian was concerned anyway.Bastian signaled for Kenshin to take down the barrier he had put up and nodded toward Shasha. "Tino, come here immediately, I have a mission for you."It wasn't even ten breathes when Tino suddenly arrived within the room. To her surprise, Bastian and Kenshin were in the room as well.That's odd, how did they enter here without me noticing?After looking at Kenshin for less than a fraction of a second, Tino's eyes flashed with awareness."I am here your highness, what can I do to serve you?" said Tino, with her typical seductive tone. Shasha was usually affected by it, but at that time, in such a situation, he knew he coul
No one in the office had expected things to get this far out of hand. Shasha sighed in resignation while the usually calm Kenshin even raised a brow due to the surprise he was feeling. Never would he have expected such a thing to occur."Bitch, do you doubt me when I say that the next time a hand touches you within this office will be the day your pointless life ends?" said Bastian with a devilish smile. Tino barely had any time to process what had happened when Bastian's words assailed her ears. She could barely believe what had happened.As expected of him, I barely saw him coming. He has been hiding his true strength this whole time. He clearly planned this ahead of time. I have to tread carefully in his presence from now on."No, I do not doubt your words." Tino's looked toward Bastian, and her eyes clearly showed that she saw him in a new light."Good, now leave the office. You have your mission." Bastian waved his hand as if an annoying fly was in h
As soon as Bastian disappeared from the space, another form appeared in his place. Normally that would not be possible, as the space was only accessible by an investor, avatar or mark bearer. Surprisingly, Li being the witty man he was had found a backdoor to that rule, and his backdoor was the use of Soul Brethren."Hello Kenshin or should I say Taiga, well that doesn't matter. Anyway I have given you plenty of time to think it over, so you should already have an answer. So, young man what will it be?"In front of Li stood Kenshin, his lifeless pupils giving out a tinge of hostile intent, Li had gotten used to being despised throughout his life, but something about being disliked by the man before him gave him goose bumps."Minister Li, what you are asking me to do is not only dishonorable, it is vile. Bastian is my brother, though not by choice. He is still family to me none the less." said Kenshin as he crossed his arms."Now, now Kenshin, we have been
*Boom!*After the dust settled down, the absolutely silent arena entered a state of tension, waiting to see what they were all expecting, and indeed they were not disappointed. A battered and bruised body belonging to a middle aged man had been beaten beyond recognition and smashed into the ground, with the Taiji symbol beneath it. One would never think that Bastian had accomplished such a feat in only two strikes.The crowd went into an uproar when they saw that, shouts of 'Tempest Monk!' where being uttered all across the arena. There was no need for the referee to even say anything, because everyone knew that Bastian had advanced to the next stage.Following his usual routine, Bastian left the arena. As usual Teachers sent by the Dwight and York families were on standby waiting outside, but their attempts were once more futile.Once he had lost his trackers, Bastian headed straight home. When he arrived, two big men fully adorned in armor greeted him w