"Ready? Go!" I called out, swiping my hands down to start the 2500m dash between my students of Bulan High School.
Class A-12 took off at high speeds around the track while Do-hari sat next to me in her seat with a clipboard and stopwatch, writing down the names of those who would qualify for the Gethsemane Meet being held next week on the 9th of January. The selection of students were vastly important for this meet, especially for me.
The Gethsemane Meet was more than a Valkyria and Hero Meet to me, this was my one chance to recruit Selene and her allies to my Kingdom officially. However, I couldn't do it myself but through my hard working sheep who were working hard to place first in the Meet.
"Hey! You think Sang So-Yi is going to be on the team?" Tae asked, running next to Woo-Chi and glanced over at her.
"Most likely. She has the highest grades and skill level over at Grushia. With Headmistress Kaguya back as the Overseer of St. Goken, everyone's Ranks took off to the moon," Woo-Chi explained, turning a wide corner to get onto the outside.
Tae watched as Woo-Chi took off like the wind and grunted as her speed picked up a lot of dust from the ground, the obstruction slowing her down and a few students began passing by her. Ramud grabbed Tae's hand while he was jogging ahead and pushed her forward.
"You got a spot to get onto, Class Rep," Ramud said, encouraging his girlfriend forward in the race.
Tae smiled at him then began racing forward, passing by the ice skating Mi-Ri and the analytical Yong-Gi, each step moving like a wolf dashing through the forest to its prey. Behind Woo-Chi, who was in first place, Galia ran second place, his motions flowing like water across the turf.
I watched as Tae began speeding up on the straightaway, using the slipstream from Galia's speed to catch up to Woo-Chi after passing him. "Let's go, Class! Keep your form up and follow the wind!"
Tae gained her second wind, her High Wolf hoodie glowing brightly with a stream of aura flowing behind her as she gained a spurt of speed. Woo-Chi glanced beside her, noticing Tae catching up and chuckled before looking straight ahead.
With 23 other students behind them, Tae and Woo-Chi began breaking away from the pack, streams of green and blue lightning flashing around the field from their great speeds. I crossed my arms as I watched, a smirk forming on my lips as I began to noticed glimpses of Velocity Devastation within their steps.
'What does it mean to follow the wind..? What does it means to follow the rhythm and beats..?' Tae asked mentally with quick steps, her legs carrying her across the field as if she was paperweight.
'Too many sounds on the field..! I can't hear the beat..!' Woo-Chi thought to herself, noticing her first silhouette ahead of her rippling and fading out as she tried to warp forward due to being out of sync.
"Fine, I'll just beat you with raw speed!" Both girls declared, both of their next steps creating an indention in the ground.
Both girls took off at rushing speeds, lightning crashing down upon take off and stopping the rest of the students besides Soel-na, who lingered behind because of his lack of speed and stamina. He watched as both girls looked so free before him, his eyes glowing with admiration of their determination.
While the focus was on the racing Wind and Wolf, my gaze shifted over to Soel-na, who hadn't stopped running unlike the rest of the class. I uncrossed my arms and cupped them over my mouth before speaking.
"Come on, Soel-na! Move your legs if you want to keep up! You got this!" I encouraged, my voice piercing through the winds to reach his ears.
Through the crashing bolts of speed and rushing winds, Soel-na heard my voice, the words of encouragement reaching not his ears but his heart. A Holy Fire began to set ablaze upon his chest, a second wind entering into him and the Lord of Hosts blessing him with renewed stamina to keep running like the wind.
'This feeling in my heart....Mr. Nox... believes in me..?' Soel-na said to himself mentally, his heart racing against his chest with adrenaline and lifted Spirits.
"Whoa, look at Soel-na go," Ramud said, chuckling with amusement as he passed by everyone else.
"Damn, where did he get this energy from?" Ro Kwang asked, panting softly and resting his hands over his head.
Soel-na panted quickly, his steps uneven yet each one firmly planted on the track as he tried to catch up to his role models. Due to him being so far behind, he could hear the rhythm and flow of the Divine Monarch Butterfly, a faint trail of aurora becoming visible to him.
His eyes were opened for the first time in a long time, a gasp of divine air entering into him as he saw a sparkling silver silhouette in front of him. Reaching it, he boosted forward, travelling 400m within a second then stumbled from shock but kept his pace.
"Whoa! What in the world!?" Soel-na asked, panting and looking at his hands then touched his body. "Lord...what was that..?"
I chuckled softly as I watched Soel-na perform his first Flutter Step then crossed my arms, watching him continued across the track. One, two, three, four, after four consecutive Flutters and he had finally begun to reach Woo-Chi and Tae who were already across the track.
"This is so fun! I feel so free!" Soel-na laughed, leaping into the air and Fluttered forward into a roll then into a baseball slide. "It's like Flowmotion in the video games, but in real life! This is what he meant!"
Soel-na noticed a few holes in the ground from the girls' racing and chuckled excitedly, hopping over the first hole then Fluttered over the next. Rounding off one hand, he performed a backhand spring, propelling himself forward with a Flutter, and was not one leg away from the girls.
"You're not ready for what I have in store, I can finally hear my steps!" Woo-Chi said, grinning at Tae as they began to reach the final stretch of the race. "Your Grit won't save you either!"
"I don't need that, High Wolf is a Max Speed and Stamina Battlesuit! Use whatever you need, I've got something up my own sleeves!" Tae exclaimed, rolling her sleeves up and pulled her hood over her head.
Soel-na rose an eyebrow after heard their challenging words, wondering what was up their sleeves then grunted as a shockwave pushed him back. He rolled backwards against the ground, recovering onto all fours while skidding backwards and grunted heavily.
"What in the world..?!" Soel-na exclaimed, spitting out some grass from his mouth and shook his head.
Woo-Chi began phasing forward, each successful phase boosting her speed bit by bit, but none of them a true Flutter Step. Meanwhile, Tae began increasing her speed using Pack Mentality, each one of her wolf tattoos increasing her speed and stamina by one for each wolf.
They were even, side by side and neck and neck, neither of them wanting to give the other an inch. They remained even for another 400m until the last break, Tae could see her maximum speed, a blue silhouette appearing in front of her but shattering as she had ran out of stamina.
"No..." Tae exclaimed softly, tripping over her own feet and crashing to the ground right before reaching the finish.
Woo-Chi gasped as she noticed Tae fall right as she crossed the finish, but tripped over her own feet as well, falling right in front of me and Do-hari. "Crap..!!"
Do-hari gasped and stood up, covering her mouth in distress. "Oh my goodness! Are you two okay?!"
"Ugh..." Both girls groaned, laying on the ground in their success and failures.
I chuckled softly at the two and exhaled softly, looking at the time on my watch before pressing the button. "At least you can rest easy in the infirmary knowing you broke the record. Three minutes flat."
"Yay..." Woo-Chi said weakly, groaning lightly as she laid her arm flat on the ground.
----------------------
Lunch time came around for the Senior Classes, the cafeteria filled with everyone mingling together and students standing in line for their meals. Hanging out in the back of the class were the top students of Class A-12, each of them hanging around at the large round table.
"Fireballs, Pyrohen, spicy chicken with dipping sauce. I don't talk to grunts, man go ahead and get your boss. So many threats with me, imma need a bigger spot, mess with me and find the secret to yo missing pops," Ramud began rapping while Nae Ki-Pam was tapping on the table with his pen, Tae sitting in his lap and enjoying her french fries.
"Cooking hot shii, Tae when I whip the pots. A coin case ain't big enough for me when I hit the slots, I'm balling on you people, so swift I ain't missing shots—"
Ro Kwang tapped Ramud's chest to jump in the freestyle. "Soundproof, if it ain't about the money I can't hear you people talk! It's been four years, and I still got you people shocked, and that shit still don't got an effect when it hit a rock!"
"Green on my mind, that's a Gaia Fae, I keep an Mechtillery, you just got a little Ray," Ro Kwang continued, patting Ramud's chest while he was getting hype. "Lemme keep a whole score, I'm tired of these people speaking more spore. It puts me to sleep...then my mood gets 4/4."
"Aye, you can get left behind like Yong-Gi's Diamond Bee," Nae Ki-Pam jumped in, laughing as Yong-Gi looked up at him from his laptop.
"Ninjas only ditto they just tryna be another me! Throw the right bone, you can live a life of luxury! Got so many Os wallet looking like a bubble beam! Hit her with the super rod, she couldn't get enough of me she told me hit it twi—" Ramud began, his last verse becoming muffled as Tae grabbed his lips with her nails.
"Alright, buddy...you're getting a little ahead of yourself with the freestyles.." Tae said, her face becoming a bright red as she immediately knew his last verse was about her.
Woo-Chi chuckled softly at the trio and looked over at Tae, her eyes lowering to the bandages on her arm. "Are you okay? That fall you took earlier looked like it really hurt."
Tae looked over at Woo-Chi then at the white bandages on her arm, smiling at them with her single canine tooth exposed. "Yeah, I'm okay. I actually like the white bandages. I usually wrap my pet Husky in white bandages when he's hurt, just like they do for wolves in the movies~"
"Mmm, you would love Grushia High School. Their entire mascot is a Hound, mainly because of Miss Yuta...but yeah. Better than just a basic Viking over here," Woo-Chi said in a teasing tone, resting her elbow against the table and her cheek upon her palm.
"Yeah, whatever, Special Winds," Tae said, rolling her eyes and letting out a scoffing laugh.
Woo-Chi chuckled at her then looked back, noticing Soel-na sitting alone at a table and eating by himself. She wondered why he chose to sit alone and hummed softly, deciding to get up and go sit next to him.
Soel-na looked up to see Woo-Chi approaching him, a soft blush forming on his face then he quickly looked away as she sat next to him. 'She's...she's approaching me..?'
"Annyeonghaseyo, Soel-na," Woo-Chi said in a warm tone, leaning forward against the table to see his face but he kept turning around. "Mwo..? Wae nal mushi-haeee..?"
Soel-na let out a soft groan as Woo-Chi softly tugged on his blazer then looked over at her, his bashful gaze finally meeting her warm smile. "Min Woo-Chi..! Mwoyo..?"
Woo-Chi gasped with her hand against her chest, feigning an upset expression. "Aigoo...I didn't mean to disturb you, Soel-na. I just wanted to see why you are sitting alone."
Soel-na averted his gaze, his heart racing against his chest and he brought his hands to his laps to wipe off the sweat. "U-Uhm...I don't know. I just...kinda like to be alone."
"Really? I caught you making a few glanced over there at our table. C'mon, no one's gonna bite your head off over there," Woo-Chi said, grabbing Soel-na's bag and stood up.
"Wait— Woo-Chi— Min Woo-Chi!" Soel-na called out, tumbling over on his seat as he tried to get up, his milk spilling over the back of his blazer.
Woo-Chi covered her mouth with a gasp, genuinely taken aback but couldn't stop her awkward laugh as she looked at Soel-na on the ground. She glanced back at her friends, noticing them all trying not to laugh for Soel-na's sake as well.
Woo-Chi hurried over to him, trying to help him up then he slipped on the puddle which caused her to accidently drop his things as well. "Aiishh..!!"
I watched in the distance with Do-hari while on my stroll around the building, covering my mouth and closing my eyes, also trying to stop my laughter while Do-hari stared at me with a judgemental gaze. I decided to keep forward to keep myself from laughing, the sight of the class too humorous to continue observing.
Woo-Chi finally helped Soel-na toward the table with her friends, setting his things down and wiping down his belongings with her handkerchief. "Okay, finally.."
"Ayyeee! If it ain't the speedster Soel-na!" Ramud greeted, throwing his arms up and gaining attention from the rest of the cafeteria from his loud voice.
Tae covered his mouth again and sighed, her gaze shifting over to Soel-na and wondered what Ramud was talking about. "Speedster?"
"He came in third place in the race. Bro, he was flipping and like...he was shooting across the track like crazy!" Nae Ki-Pam explained the best way he could, never have seen Fluttering before.
Soel-na's flushed face only grew more from the attention, his bashfulness bringing him to hide behind Woo-Chi for comfort. "Uhm..."
Woo-Chi glanced behind herself, noticing Soel-na behind her then smiled at him, seeing a bit of an early version of herself within him. "C'mon, they aren't gonna crack your skull. You can sit next to me."
Soel-na met Woo-Chi's gaze again, his heart literally Fluttering like a butterfly, sparks of butterfly essence leaking from his body as he moved over to sit beside Woo-Chi. "Gamsahamnida..."
"Eung.." Woo-Chi nodded, giving him a soft giggle as she wondered why he was being so shy.
------------------------
Later that day, I recieved a call from Kaguya to meet her at the main building of St. Goken Institution with Luciel while Do-hari was teaching the class. I stood up and grabbed my bag, explaining the news and made my way out of the class with a wave and a smile.
Once I made it out of the building and within a secluded path, my clothes began shifting into a pinstripe suit, formal jacket, and caped attire designed for a king. Adjusting my tie and smoothing out my jacket, I hummed softly with a smile then warped away to St. Goken Institution.
Luciel hummed a soft tune as she walked toward the main building, fluffing out her hair as she entered, her ID Badge hung around her neck by a cute flowery lanyard. "I wonder why she just called me and Nox. Oh, I wonder if Su-Yun can handle the class by herself with Song Boon."
I appeared at the main building, my Sovereign Butterflies fluttering away in various directions then I began making my way inside. The security guards at the front nodded at me and I nodded back at them, a mutual recognition now between us.
I looked ahead into the vast lobby, various banners of the Yuta and Nomura Clans setting along the walls with pictures of various Beasts of the Passing Gardens. Many college students sat in the lobby while waiting for the receptionist to call upon them, some there for registration for Randall United while others wanted to meet Kaguya as the new Overseer.
Walking down the halls to the elevators, I noticed my Spiritual Wife, Luciel, standing in front of the large steel doors patiently then walked over to stand next to her and looked at my watch. "Hmm, I hope I'm not too late."
Luciel grinned at my comment and closed her eyes, her bag being held in front of her with both hands. "Don't worry, Mr. Bong..~ You're not too late for the meeting."
I chuckled softly at Luciel and followed her inside the elevator then pressed the button for the top floor then leaned against the metal wall. "Mr. Bong huh..? You don't think I'd share my maiden name with Do-hari...or maybe..."
"Ha! As if I'd be jealous, I'm actually happy for you!" Luciel interrupted, crossing her arms up and raising her nose up. "Besides, what's the next steps from here? You completed your task in marrying Do-hari and bringing back the Ascean and Aetherian spirit in her family."
"I don't know. Only The Father knows what my next steps will be, all I'm meant to do is steward and enjoy His Works. However, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning you, My Queen. This is all for the greater days ahead for Qutsade and the Father's holy work," I answered, reaching over to Luciel and gently poked her cheek.
Luciel smiled with a soft blush, exhaling softly and gently pushed my hand away. "Well, until we take upon Qutsade's thrones, you can not be too doting on me. Tuh! As much as it's hard resisting my Spiritual Husband as well, I have to remain strong! For a while longer!"
I chuckled at Luciel's playfully dramatic tone and crossed my arms, my gaze shifting ahead at the digital numbers on the screen reading the floor numbers. "Alright, alright. You don't need all the theatrics here."
Luciel giggled softly and gently bumped into me, pressing her shoulder against mine. "I'm not being dramatic, I'm just being truthful!~"
The two of us continued to catch up while the elevator continued to ride upward until finally stopping at the final floor. The doors opened, revealing the sight of a long corridor with another receptionist desk at the end.
The two of us stepped out and began walking down to the end of the halls, reaching the desk to see a woman with cherry red hair wearing casual formal wear, leaning back against her chair while scrolling on her phone while chewing on gum.
She glanced up at the two of us, noticing us standing in front of her desk then groaned lightly as she sat up. "What's up..? What can I do for you two, tryhards? You here for an interview for Randall?"
"No, we're here to see Headmistress Kaguya," Luciel said, showing her staff badge and her Rank Badge. "I am Luciel Winters, Professor at Grushia High School and an S Rank Valkyria."
"And I am Nox Winters-Bong. A Professor at Bulan High School and I have no ranking amongst this system," I introduced, giving the woman a bow and looked at her nametag on her shirt. "And I'm guessing your name is Bon Sakura."
"Yeah, no shit Detective Konan," Sakura said, her gaze studying my attire to see only my staff badge then lifted her eyes to meet mine. "I'm gonna need some type of identification other than that staff badge. We are in a new age buddy, your word counts for so much 'round here."
I chuckled softly at her then crossed my arms, my gaze landing over to the other woman sitting on a beanbag, her hair as blue as a blueberry then I met Sakura's gaze. "If you want to know who I am, I'll tell you. I am the Ō-Keh El King of Exzodia talked about in the Book of Hisumi, the King with eyes of wonders and mysteries."
"Wo-haha-ow. Oh buddy, this one is a new one. Okay, humor me pal. I saw you glancing at my sister, Mr. King of Exzodia. Tell me her name and I'll believe you," Sakura said, staring into my eyes and leaned against the desk, her gaze filled with a fiery challenge.
"Come on, you're kinda wasting our time here," Luciel said with light impatience, crossing her arms and glancing down at her watch. "We still have a class to teach, y'know."
"No, no, my love. There's no such thing as a waste of time when a challenge is thrown directly toward me. I'll allow it, and I'll guarantee we get back to work on time," I said, smirking at Sakura and began searching around her desk with my eyes. "And I won't even cheat for this."
I spotted a loose hair upon her desk then reached over to grab it, Sakura leaning back to see what I was picking up and watched carefully. I held up her strand of hair. "With this strand of hair, I can tell you your sister's name."
Her sister glanced up from her book, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Hmmm..? Sis, who is this guy..?"
"I dunno...but now he's got me hooked," Sakura said, waiting with high interest as she watched me study the strand of hair intently.
I ran my fingers through the hair strand and hummed softly, closing my eyes to use Essence Reading and clasped the strand of hair into my hand. "Your ancestors were Cherry and Berry, which is why you two are close friends of Kaguya and at the top of her chain here. Bon Sakura means Cherry in Japanese which is what nationality the sisters were."
"Since you are Direct Echoes of your predecessors, and going off naming alone taken your family generation has kept up tradition...your sister's name is Beri Natsuhaze," I finished, opening my eyes and setting Sakura's hair strand on the desk.
"Seikai..." Beri answered, her gaze lowering back down to her book.
Sakura was left speechless as she stared at me, her mouth open yet no words came out. She looked down at her button and pressed it, ringing us in and sat back down in her seat. "Go in..."
Luciel and I made our way into the room to the right, the large golden doors opening inward to reveal a large office. At the center of the office stood a large rectangular table with chairs on the ends and two couches on either side, a chandelier hanging above the table with glistening colors.
Sitting on the couch facing the door, Flynn glanced back and gasped in shock then shot up on her feet. I looked over at Flynn, my eyes widening as well a bit after not seeing her after nearly a year. She hurried over to me, her steps echoing quickly through the office before throwing herself toward me.
"Noxie!!" Flynn cried out, wrapping her arms around my nape and nuzzled her face against my neck, her wings fluttering with happiness.
I held my sister in my arms, holding her tightly as to not let go of her. "Flynn...you're still okay..."
Claudio chuckled as he watched the reunion, sitting against the arm of the couch and exhaled softly. "Well, well...if it ain't the King and Queen of Qutsade. It's been quite some time since we last met."
Luciel looked at Claudio and waved at him, greeting him with her usual warmness. "And good afternoon to you as well, Mr. Tribal Leader."
Flynn finally let go of me and wiped her tears, sniffling and smiling at both me and Luciel, taking out hands into hers. "For so long I've longed to be at your sides again... I missed when it used to be the three of us all together, the Foster Family all wrapped up again."
I smiled at Flynn and wiped away her tears for her, my brotherly instincts immediately setting in as if they never missed a beat. "I was never truly far from you... I've always been near in here."
Flynn looked down as she felt me press my finger against her heart, a warm smile forming on her lips as her Holy Fire gently began to ignite. "I know... It's just better to see you in person! Oh, Overseer Yuta wanted to see you both!"
Flynn dragged us into the office and toward Kaguya's desk, her chair facing the window while she overlooked every campus within St. Goken Institution's district. Luciel and I rose an eyebrow as to wonder why Kaguya was facing the window, both of us waiting for her to turn around.
"So, you two have finally decided to show up at my establishment?" Kaguya asked, spinning her chair around to face us and chuckled at the two of us. "Well, welcome to—"
Kaguya gasped as she spilled her coffee over her skirt after bumping her knee against the desk, hissing from the hot liquids and standing up quickly instinctively. The mug rolled off her skirt and fell onto the ground, shattering upon impact against the floor.
"My God..." Kaguya said with a light groan, sighing softly and heating up her body temperature enough to quickly steam off the stains on her clothes then cleared her throat. "Anyways...welcome to my new office! Now that I am in charge of St. Goken as planned, we are now partnered with Randall United."
"Yeah, we saw and encountered some interesting folk outside your office," Luciel said, chuckling softly and placing her hand upon her hip.
"Ahh, Bon Bon and Buruberi? Those two and I go way back to St. Theria Academy overseas in New Japan! Of course I had to bring them with me, as snarky as Sakura is and aloof as Beri can be," Kaguya said happily, her metaphorical hound tail wagging happily to speak about her friends.
"Hey! I'm not snarky, I just keep it real here!" Sakura called out from her desk.
"See?" Kaguya chuckled, taking a seat back at her desk and interlocked her fingers together over the surface of her desk. "Now, what I really called for is... because I am the Overseer of the entirety of St. Goken Institution after The Supervisor stepped down, I need two Overseers over Bulan and Grushia."
"Overseer already? I just became an Evangelist-level not too long ago, plus...I'm kinda still learning this Queen thing," Luciel said honestly, placing her hands upon her chest in shock.
"Ohh? You're an Evangelist now? Wow, Mr. Yochanan would be happy to hear that," Flynn said with a curious gasp, nodding with approval for Luciel.
Claudio chuckled at his draconic bestie, getting up from the armrest of the couch toward Flynn to pull her away. "Come on, Winter Drake. Let's go bother Sakura and Beri, so the royals can focus."
"What? C'mon, I wanna hear this too!" Flynn protested, trying to resist Claudio's pushes and grunted in his arms.
I watched the two walk off, noticing how close they had become and smiled then looked back at Kaguya. "I will have to outright decline being Overseer as it'll collide with Echo, Cipher, and Ascea when He permits the title to be used. However...I do know a good Law Enforcer who would make a perfect Overseer.."
"Hm..?" Kaguya asked, tilting her head with curiosity over who I had already chosen for Bulan's Overseer. "Who?"
--------------------------
Sauline rushed through the streets of Soksu, Bulan, persecuting Belivers who proclaimed the name of Yesha openly, putting them under her Subjugation and silencing them in the name of God. Luke and Priscilla were with her, helping her in the act of silencing public speakers.
Sauline got to the last speaker, taking him down in chains and huffed softly, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Okay...that was the last one. We arrested 14 people. Now, we put them on trial."
"Are you sure about this, Saullie? I mean, I get defending the word...but this feels kinda extreme. We're out of jobs with Manaport, so what are we doing this for now?" Priscilla asked, walking up to Sauline with slight worry.
"This is right to do. I won't have anyone believing a lie, and so what we lost our jobs at Manaport? That won't stop us from not spreading the truth of God!" Sauline declared then grunted as a fiery cutting wave flew toward her, forcing her to dodge which cut the chains of the public preacher.
"It's the Burning General, Vaughn. Seems like Randall United is quick with their calls," Luke said, adjusting his glasses and began stepping forward.
"I guess you seemed to have missed one public speaker, and this one isn't gonna let you get away with such nonsense!" Vaughn said, walking forward and loosening his tie while resting his sword against his shoulder.
Luke hummed softly at Vaughn, storing a sum number of 100 Spirit Points evenly within his Energy Points. He adjusted his glasses, digital displays of his Spiritual Bank showing on his screen. "You seem to be a close partner of Noxius's. He proclaims the name and power of Yesha on a daily, do you believe in his tale?"
"I believe in it 100%, but I do more than believe. I truly try my best to integrate it into my life daily. I don't have to ask you if you do, but what I can do is stop you from hurting the innocent!" Vaughn said, getting into his stance.
"182...332...604...1,102...2,008! S+ Rank Energy! I'll show you the raw talents of being a fighter with Tax Collector abilities. Allow me to show you what Continuous Compound can do!" Luke said, his body becoming a blur as he moved toward Vaughn and launched a palm strike to his midsection.
Vaughn remained ready, having trained against Do Song Boon only once but that one time was all he needed to withstand even the mightiest blows. He began hardening his core with intense heat, the heat toning his muscles to act like steel to block Luke's attack.
Luke grunted from his attack having barely any effect upon Vaughn then stored 100 Spirit Points into his physical strength before compounding it to S+ Rank level. He groaned as he launched a high mass attack, but Vaughn parried his attack with his sword grunting heavily as the mass knocked him backwards.
'What is that Continuous Compounding..? Is he giving himself Interest on his energy to double it?' Vaughn questioned mentally, landing on his feet and let out a heavy exhale then staggered lightly.
"This Luke guy is as good as Lord Nox said...Tax Collectors are no joke even in battle.." Vaughn said with a soft groan, looking down at his watch and noticed he still had five hours left of his shift. "Good thing I still have time... hopefully I have some Overtime Hours today.."
Luke stood up straight as he noticed Vaughn had took his attack relatively well, his curiosity growing with questions on how my allies train to handle certain situations. 'That counter felt hyper specific...going beyond 2,000 right now strains my body...I can't compound too much power at one time...I should lower the rate back to 0.30..'
Vaughn pointed his sword toward Luka and Sauline, flames flaring around his blade with his growing might. "In the name of Yesha, the Good Shepherd and Lord Almighty, you will stand down. Working hours are almost over, and that gets bad...for you."
Sauline scoffed at Vaughn while walking forward, unsheathing her rapier then took on her stance. "Is that what you believe? Your false conviction doesn't work here! Now, be subjugated under the law!"
Vaughn braced himself and planted himself firmly upon the ground, watching as Sauline used a burst of speed to appear in front of him within seconds and thrusted her sword forward swiftly. Barely evading her first attack, Vaughn countered with a knee strike to her stomach then blasted her away with a burst of flames.
Luke caught Sauline then grunted as he slid backwards along the ground, his feet finally catchin balance before he could let her go. He charged forward then cut an angle behind Vaughn and drew out a dagger, launching a critical slash to the back of his neck.
Vaughn's body immediately began dividing his back into ten imaginary sections as Luke's blade drew near, the weak spot upon the 14:6 ratio shifting downward so Luke's attack dealt no damage to his neck. Luke grunted as the blade of his dagger snapped off and flew toward him, forcing him to dodge out of the way.
"What the...what the heck was that?" Luke asked with perplexity, stepping backwards with short breaths and kept watch of Vaughn. "The attack did nothing to him..?"
Vaughn hummed softly at the two, his gaze shifting between both of them as he shifted around for better positioning. 'I honestly got lucky there...if I hadn't focused my weakness lower in time, I would've definitely taken some damage...'
Sauline huffed and charged forward once again, gliding forward with a flurry of thrusts which Vaughn parried and evaded then slipped in two fast slices as retaliation. Sauline gasped, barely blocking the first slash then rolled to the side to evade the second then swung her sword at his legs.
Vaughn stuck his blade into the ground, blocking Sauline's slash then he blocked Luka's sneak attack incoming from his left. "Hmph... obviously you juniors have some kick in you, but I've been in the game longer than you young bones. I'm only 40 years old, and I'm keeping up with you all!"
Vaughn swiftly landed a sweep kick upon Luke then twisted his body to land an elbow upon his back as he fell, the impact knocking Luke back onto his feet. He stared at Luke, segmenting each of his body parts into 10 sections, all segments equalling to 50.
Vaughn slipped his tie from around his neck and wrapped it around his hand, using the number five as the current constant resembling the last five hours of his shift. Using the 7:3 Ratio, he calculated the formula to equal 35:15 in his head, striking both points 35 and 15 upon Luke's body.
Luke grunted heavily as Vaughn struck his core, staggering him then landed a searing stomp upon his thigh, getting him down onto one knee. 'What the—!? I have S+ Rank Stamina and Grit..! How did he just bypass my defenses?!'
"Before becoming a General for Randall United, I used to be an accountant and I would always use the 7:3 Ratio for counting my hours. From 7am to 3pm, 8 hours. That's how long the restraints last, but Rationing as an ability?" Vaughn began, looking down at Luke with a smirk and tapped his own head with his finger.
"It is Accounting. You aren't the only one with Tax Collector abilities. The reason you couldn't withstand my attack is because I divided your energy evenly within your body. Your energy is banked in a 7:3 Ratio," Vaughn explained, crossing his arms and meeting Luke's surprised expression.
Sauline bellowed as she rushed toward Vaughn at high speeds, but a bright light flashed in her eyes causing her to groan and fall onto the ground. She cried out with her hands covering her eyes, now blinded from the glory of heaven.
"Sauline!" Priscilla gasped, hurrying over to her friend and got down beside her to check on her.
Sauline...
Sauline...
Why do you persecute me..?
All movements around the area had stopped, everyone seeing no one around but hearing the sound of the voice. Though Sauline was blinded, through the darkness of her eyes she could see a holy essence standing in front of her.
She immediately knew this presence wasn't me, but something even higher than me. "Who...who are you, Lord?"
I am Jesus...
Whom you are persecuting...
Now stand and go into the City of Dong-ga,
Where you were headed...
And you will be told what to do...
Luke and Priscilla both stood speechless, both of them helping the blinded Sauline onto her feet by her hands. Vaughn stared at Sauline, noticing she was now truly blind and could not see, her desperate cries filling his ears.
"Hurry! Get me back to the base!" Sauline ordered, shaking her head to try to cure her blindness, thinking she was just moving too fast.
The onlooking citizens of Soksu watched as the Knights of Taurus had finally retreated from the area, Vaughn exhaling softly and glancing up at the sky with a light smile. He nodded and began check-in on everyone around, making sure they got the emergency care they each needed.
--------------------------------
Jayden walked out of the office of his bowling alley, looking at the news of Soksu on his phone and scratching the back of his head. "What the heck? That is one crazy chick, no way someone's out here attacking Believers like this."
Anaise looked over at Jayden after overhearing him, a bored expression on her face while she stood behind the counter and watched families and friends bowl on the lanes. "What are you talking about?"
Jayden looked up at Anaise then walked over to the counter, placing his phone down and slid it toward her. "Some wildebeest was out there just randomly arresting public speakers! I thought we were moving past this already."
"Whoa, that happened a city down from us. What if that crazy witch comes here?" Anaise asked, looking up at Jayden with a curious expression.
"Meh, I ain't worried. We got Do Song Boon and she could launch a propane tank to the sun if she wanted to. Ain't no way some Prosecutor is beating Randall United," Jayden said with a chuckle, grabbing his phone and leaned against the counter. "At least Mr. Vaughn was out there. He's a trustworthy guy."
"Yeah," Anaise said, looking back after hearing the chimes of the sliding doors. "Welco— Ahh, Mr. Nox!"
I looked over at Anaise and Jayden, giving them a smile and waved at them. "You don't need to do the whole Mr. Nox thing. We're all friends here, right?"
"Appa! Can we go to the lane with the butterfly floors?" Minsu asked, happily tugging my sleeve and pointing toward lane 13.
Do-hari giggled softly at Minsu, leaning down and rubbing his head. "Patience, my little sunshine..~ We're getting there, don't worry. Here, let's go to the arcade while Papa Nox talks with his friends."
Ae-Ri's eyes lit up from the word arcade, her gaze lifting up to her mother. "Can we go to the claw machine? I really want the golden Pyrohen Plushie..!"
Do-hari nodded and smiled at her children then looked up at me, meeting my eyes and watching as I handed her my card. She smiled at me and hummed lovingly, taking her children to the arcade while they waited for me to pay for Lane 13 specifically.
"Well, if it isn't Echo of the Rose of Sharon turned into a true family man. What brings you here today?" Jayden asked, knocking on the counter with a chuckle.
I smiled at the two and leaned against the counter. "I'm here because I have a very special task for you two. In three days, a Law Enforcer will appear in Dong-ga seeking help for a condition. The Lord has asked for you two to lay your hands on her and heal her sight."
"What? Are we talking about the same crazy woman who was out there throwing cuffs on everything that moved? She was out there saying how the High Priests of North Emerald in the Taurus Kingdom gave her authority!" Anaise said, her tone filled with exasperation and groans.
"That woman has been chosen to be God's instrument to proclaim His name to all of St. Goken and to Manaport and to the people of Qutsade. He will show her how much she must suffer for His name. Besides, I have already chosen her for a task of my own," I said, letting out a hum as I thought about Kaguya's proposal.
"This is genuinely some insane shit, but alright. We'll do it..." Jayden said with a reluctant expression, letting out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.
I smiled at the two of them then placed some money on the counter plus a tip to pay for Lane 13 before walking off to call Do-hari and the children to the bowling lane. Jayden and Anaise watched as the four of us made it to the lane then Jayden looked at the large sum of money on the counter, enough to pay the electricity bill for the month.
"In Yesha's name...this is more than enough to cover this month's expenses," Jayden said, taking the money off the counter and began counting.
"Well, he is some form of god-king in Exzodia, so it'll make sense he'd be rich. I just wonder...how is he so connected all the time with the Man Upstairs..." Anaise said in a thoughtful tone, her eyes following my family and watching as we bowled together.
"I guess it's something not for us to know, and to just accept. I mean, it gets the bills paid," Jayden chuckled, playfully patting Anaise's head with the sum of cash before walking to the office to store it.
Anaise rolled her eyes, sitting up straight as she heard the chimes of the doors once again, seeing more customers walking inside. She began tending to her customers, but also couldn't stop thinking about what she was tasked with doing, the thought remaining at the forefront of her mind.