This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, organizations, and settings depicted are entirely fictional and created for storytelling purposes.
- Chapter 6: Entrance VI -
Yosen High,
"Alright, welcome back to FragSpace 101! I hope you darn kids are ready. This is on a different level than the drills you did in your previous education."
Since then, it has been a few days.
"Split yourselves into two groups."
Inside a spacious enclosed facility with metallic walls, spanning at least the size of a standard football field, stood the instructor of the Special S class and the class representative.
"Fuu~~~"
Celeste let out a puff of smoke from her mouth, pulling the cigarette from her mouth, motioning it to some of the students around.
"As we all know, just as humans use ranks to denote strength, the same ranks also apply to monsters."
Around them, students who had paired off began sparring matches while she continued.
"Know your weaknesses; know your enemy's weaknesses. That is one way to survive…"
Practical Curriculum,
This part of the programme comprised over 60% of Yosen's standard curriculum, which was centred around combat-focused survival skills for students.
Even their midterms were physically demanding, focusing on survival in fragmented space or specialised and controlled fragspace.
"If I were you, I'd start counting your lucky stars."
Near the facility's left midsection, Shane let out a huff as he tapped upon the device in his hands. A smart device which belonged exclusively to instructors.
Using said device, they can use it to control a wide range of applications within the training facility.
That is to say. This place wasn't just a place that was built with magisteel slapped on every angle of the place.
In addition to that, there were also augmented applications installed. In short, like a mobile training facility.
Using the inbuilt sensors of said facility, the system could, to some extent, determine the statistics of the trainee.
The data from said student could then be repurposed—combat evaluations, matchup balancing, progression tracking.
As such, Shane had little to do other than assist in adjusting student parameters.
[Tendou Ayaka]
- [Overall Rating: 3.9/5.0]
Their overall ratings were reduced to a student standard level. The highest ever recorded till now was an Enlightened Above level of Entropy (A rank).
Their ratings had been capped to a standardized student level. The highest recorded so far? An Enlightened-Above level of Entropy. A-rank.
Using that precedent, the system derived its current evaluations by cross-referencing previous combat data and internal metrics.
In other words, one's combat ability could now be quantified.
'She's close to being an Enlightened (B-rank). Not surprised there. But her opponent, on the other hand…'
[Damian Creed]
- [Overall Rating: 5.0/5.0]
'As expected. The limits of the system goes to around Enlightened-Above Entropy Levels.'
A few others in this very same school were like that.
The system couldn't properly analyze them, not because it was broken, but because its framework simply wasn't built for the kind of readings they pushed.
'Student president's definitely one of them.'
Shane thought. Then he drew his gaze to them.
To Damian, who dodged a sideward strike to the right.
His opponent, however, came from a family of swordsmen and was quick on her counter approach.
Seeing her first swing miss, she shifted her footing. With one forward step, she snapped her sword from right to left, aiming directly for Damian's ribs.
But again, Damian, who was unarmed, simply caught the wooden sword's approach mid-strike.
"Kuh."
The Tendou scion sweat-dropped, yanking her sword away and jumping backwards.
Lowering the sword to the floor, she exhaled a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"Your strength is the real deal. Are all the Creeds like this?"
"You'd hate to know."
Damian offered no answer and only that word. With a more or less satisfied expression on her face, she got back into stance once more.
Tendou.
A family of swordsmen who didn't inherit the name "Heaven" (according to eastern letters) for nothing.
No matter which style or form or technique their swordsmanship is, it would eventually lapse back to the same place, to the sky.
The sky above and the earth below.
In a sense, it was even the basis for their ultimate technique. One which is said to be unavoidable and unblockable, and in specific conditions, near unstoppable.
Even if the Tendou weren't counted among the most powerful in the Affiliates, because of that technique, the Tendou, no doubt, earned their place amongst them.
"Here I come!"
Ayaka shouted, taking her dominant foot – her right leg – forward, and as she did, she seemed to disappear in a blur.
It wasn't for long, however, when she appeared in front of him, her sword from a downward to an upward motion, in a clear arc.
Perhaps, thinking better of it this time, Damian neither blocked nor countered. He simply dodged.
He had an innate ability to discern techniques and trace them back to their origins. Doing so, no matter the technique, he could always unravel it in the end.
But to that, Ayaka's attacks hadn't ended.
"Tendou school of swordsmanship: Hibiscus Storm."
She was already in position to release said sword technique.
As said before. No matter what sword technique or style, everyone would eventually point their sword to the sky.
That is their essence.
Her sword was raised now, pointed heavenward. From that stance alone, a dozen techniques could follow. One of them was this.
A sword technique that uses the concept of folding papers, along with wrapping their swords with the wind to generate insane levels of shockwaves.
As she swings her sword, she spins it, wrapping wind around it.
Doing so would result in a high intensity of shockwaves and a never-ending flurry of slashes.
"W-woah!"
Students around the left section all had to stop battling due to the high intensity of the shockwave being released.
Yet, as "endless" as the shockwaves passed in front of a slash, Damian dodged every single thing.
'Sky, wind, clouds, and space. Everything eventually points to heaven, huh…? What an interesting sword technique.'
One developed to cut through the defences of monsters beyond fragmented space.
'It's something to be proud about. However—'
Dodging another shockwave by sidestepping it, something else happened.
Red particles gathered around his right palm, coating it entirely.
Also, in that instant, the red energy around his right palm was condensed to his index and middle fingers, respectively.
"Chance!"
Noticing the delay in Damian's movement, Ayaka would appear in front of him, swinging her sword in a left-side, diagonal from bottom to up manner.
But,
CHIK!
A sound was made.
It wasn't the loud woosh from the release of the shockwave that was made.
The accumulated wind to produce the shockwave that was supposed to be released by her sword was not released.
At the tip where the wind would've accumulated, something had been cut off falling onto the ground.
It was her wooden sword that was cut.
Then, at was that same moment when Damian pressed forward, grabbing her dominant hand, the one holding the sword, while his right hand, his fingers, pressed lightly against her neck.
"That was a good fight. I'll praise you. But you have a long, long way to go."
Realising she was at a loss, Ayaka let her wooden sword drop from her grasp.
On her lips was a wry smile as she muttered the words, "I give up."
From a not-so-far spot,
Celeste watched as his lips twitched. If she recalled correctly, she had never instructed them to take the fight so far as to use entropy in the match.
But eventually, the instructor let it slide.
She also got to see what the Creed could do, and she could go so far as to say she wasn't surprised.
Most of them here were talented enough, as most of them were inheritors of a particular ability, technique or power passed down to them.
The only thing that can be said they only lacked was actual experience.
If they gained enough experience, then no doubt, most of them here would be well known in the future.
Hence, having to see such strengths for students their age made her proud. Ayaka especially.
A Creed, though, was just an abnormal existence.
"Instructor. Why do I feel like I'm being targeted?"
"You're just imagining things…. Anyway, how is the other one doing… — Haah. Should have known."
Celeste turned her head to the other side of the mobile training facility to spot another Creed.
She was not surprised, however, that the glass creed wasn't taking things seriously.
No, it wasn't like he wasn't taking things seriously; the best word to use here was that he was already done with his opponent.
"Wait!? Huh!? How did he defeat me!? I won't stand for this!? Mmhph!"
"Stop screeching; you're disturbing my peace."
"Mmmphhh!!!"
Kaiden stood tilting his glasses upwards, his face still buried within his books. Behind him were golden chains that seemed to pop out from the ground.
Said chains wrapped around a girl with long black hair styled in a hime-cut; from her features, one could discern her to be from around the eastern part of Southern Helia.
And if one looked at her closely, her clothing style resembled that of a female miko, yet her attitude was unlike how she looked.
[Sakurai Furinaga]
- [Overall Rating: 4.2/5.0]
'Oh? She's rated higher than Ayaka…? Wait, a Furinaga? Ahh, that does explain a lot.'
For Shane, who had collective knowledge on most things, he could understand why she was rated higher than Ayaka.
"An Exorcist serving a 'Spirit of Old'."
"So, you're familiar with them too?"
"I've read up a little on them. If that's the case, then that fellow classmate of mine must be this generation's priestess."
Celeste kept her gaze squared on him for a moment before patting her head. It's like she thought.
'What a freak.'
What about Enma? She didn't make any effort. She had finished with them for the day. Alas, it is not as straightforward as one might hope.
'I hate my job.'
Celeste took a deep drag of her cigarette, then shook her head slowly.