Time: 6:17 pm
Day 51 of boarding crisis
Location: Unknown
Before a large crowd of hostile-looking students stood a swordsman, partially adorned in the clothing of the far eastern warriors. His hairstyle was a wolf cut, and he had just beheaded a challenger.
Looking back at the crowd behind him, he saw that no one was approaching him, so he sheathed his sword after wiping the blood off of it.
"Move! You're in the way!" An unruly voice came from the crowd as they made way for the one who spoke.
Walking out of the crowd was a decent-looking guy with bandages on his hands. He wore a torn black armless light jacket over the school's uniform trousers and a pair of black crocs.
His left eyebrow had two vertical cuts, and his dark brown hair was a messy partial fade. He took a simple upright posture, neither folding his arms nor resting on one leg.
This aura… He's strong. But not someone I can't win against. the swordsman thought to himself.
"So, why're you here?" The one standing before the swordsman asked.
"Are you the head of this faction?" The swordsman ignored the question and asked his own.
"Oh? Rude. That's no good considering the position you're in right now. Well, I'd allow it just this once…
"So? What if I was the boss?" He smiled slightly, looking directly into the eye of the swordsman.
The swordsman gently placed his thumb on the protective gear near the hilt of his katana, preparing to unsheathe it at any moment.
"I didn't quite hear you, say it again, Rayne." A guy with a black headband walked out of the crowd with two disc-like blades dangling from his belt. His deep red short sleeve was flown atop a body-hugging black long sleeve. He wore black shorts on tight black leggings and black flip-flops.
"What a time to appear… Oris." Without turning his head, Rayne looked at him.
"Your arrogant words interrupted my dinner, so I came to tell you… Know your place and abide by the rule." They met eyes with each other without further words.
"Were you going to draw your weapon, stranger?" Another came out of the crowd, pointing a crossbow from his vambrace at the swordsman, with a trident behind his back.
"Even Snide?!" Rayne exclaimed.
"This faction… is headless," a voice came from the top of a Regeni billboard in that vicinity.
Turning their heads to the billboard, they saw a figure lying at the top with his legs crossed as the freezing breeze blew by.
He took out the stick sweet from his mouth with his bionic arm, and the candy wasn't on it. He rolled from his lying position and landed on the ground in a dramatic manner, bringing forth dust.
"What's the point of showing off, Bjornar?" Oris pinched his eyes in frustration.
Rayne let out a sigh, "I give up."
"Showing off?" Bjornar walked slowly toward the gathering while sizing up the swordsman.
Stopping in between the swordsman and the others, he shifted his look towards Oris.
"Why do I have to show off when I'm the strongest here?" he said.
"Yes, strongest in contradiction," Snide closed his eyes.
"Keep imagining that, just like the imaginary candy on that stick," Oris said, looking down on Bjornar while folding his arms.
Bjornar smirked, "You know nothing of this candy stick." Getting close to Oris, they had a staredown.
"Piss off, you tire me," Oris said, breaking his cold deep blue stare.
Bjornar giggled like a clown and looked at Rayne. "I heard you earlier, Rayne. Seems like you were getting carried away, eh?" He raised his voice.
Rayne smiled. "Oh, I think not," he replied.
Bjornar rolled his eyes and looked at the swordsman. "Seeing that I answered your question, it'd be normal of you to answer ours."
Without answering immediately, the swordsman brushed through the four guys with his eyes slowly as he thought to himself.
So far, there are four here who have distinguishing strength. From their interactions, it's clear they are more acquaintances than friends…
According to my intuition, the strength gap between them is little to none, and their egos are high, none would accept being led by another, hence, the no-boss situation…
If I were to guess the weakest among them and attack him, I'd be seen as a threat, and the others would attack me at once. Their sheer number will put me at a disadvantage. Plus, I have little to no idea about their strengths and weaknesses…
But, if I take them down one by one in isolated places, I should be able to become the sole head of this faction and commence my plans. This would be interesting. Having thought of all these, he sneered slightly.
"I've come in search of refuge, somewhere to hold as my ground," he replied.
"That's good, now I can continue my dinner and then rest for tomorrow. You're welcome," Oris turned back while yawning and waving his hand.
Snide rested his crossbow on his shoulder and turned back as well, "Be quick in your response next time." He walked back from where he came.
Seeing what the swordsman said, the crowd dispersed into the buildings in that vicinity.
Rayne's carefree demeanor disappeared, and a serious look appeared on his face as he looked at the swordsman.
Bjornar also squeezed his face while looking at the swordsman suspiciously.
Two just left, two remain, one's not so far away from me, the other is.
The swordsman slightly shone his sharp upturned dark gray-colored eyes in anticipation.
It's an opportunity to strike them down, starting with the blonde closer to me!
Seeing the look the swordsman had put on, Bjornar immediately threw himself into a fighting stance. The Regeni veins on his bionic arm glowed blue.
As the swordsman was about to draw his sword,
"Wait!" Rayne raised his voice.
The two held their stance, their slightly glowing eyes a testament to all the imaginary moves and outcomes of their battle.
"Bjornar, he doesn't know the rule. You're supposed to tell him." Without moving, Rayne said.
"Tch, blame his sudden bloodlust towards me and not me." Bjornar withdrew his stance and turned back, walking past Rayne with a frown.
The swordsman withdrew his stance as well but said nothing.
"The rule goes thus: 'Conspiracy will not be tolerated. Traitors will be brought to nothing.' Restraining, no?" Rayne said.
"You were pardoned for beheading that guy because you didn't know and were probably in self-defense, but you won't be pardoned next time, even if I exclude myself." He continued, looking at the headless body behind the swordsman.
Shifting his look to the swordsman, staring at him deeply, he saw an aura of discipline, skill, and talent. An aura that opposed his own pure training and hard work but no talent.
But there was a similarity; they were both strong in their arts.
Knowing this made their blood tingle in exhilaration and anticipation.
Rayne turned and walked away from the swordsman.