"Sukiro get up" sebastian said his voice low, serious
"what ..what happened" sukiro yawed as he rubbed his eyes
"We have.. A new matter in our hands.." sebastian spoke calmly
Sukiro's face tensed up in confusion and curiosity..
He walked outside… The entire party was silent looking at the ground..
A symbol drawn throughout the mud..
Elijah smirked "it's about time huh"
"Figures to be the case" sirius muttered
"What's happening?" sukiro asked confused
"The time for the strongest.." klaus whispered
"The strongest?" sukiro asked
"The night of rankers.." sebastian spoke
"Are we just going keep building the tension or is someone going to explain me what's happening" sukiro spoke irritated
"Every five years a competition happens between the S-rankers of the continent" klaus muttered as he fixed his glasses
"The S-rankers of the continent gather in one place.. And a battle happens to determine the strongest party and the strongest hunter"
"How so?" sukiro questioned
"Whoever kills or defeats the most amount of S-rankers and carries their bands to the tower is announced as the strongest hunter"
"And whichever party has the most amount of collective amount of bands is the strongest party and are granted the title of 'the supreme'"
"How many times have you guys been there" sukiro questioned curious
Sebastian looked up, his expression serious "zero" he muttered
Sukiro's smile vanished
Sukiro stared at sebastian
His mind had gone blank
"Zero…." he muttered "you mean we never participated?"
Elijah's smirk twitched "we weren't strong enough back then… we were freshers.."
"And now?" sukiro asked
"That symbol is an invitation.. Or a warning.." Klaus spoke deep in thought..
"Could be both: Sirius smiled sarcastically
"And if we refuse?" sukiro asked
"Another party, a new one will be chosen and possibly send to their deaths… and we will be marked as cowards for the next five years"
Elijah grinned "which is no fun and very boring"
"The question is are we ready?" sapphire mumbled as she looked up
The air seemed to wrap around sukiro as he looked down on the symbol. Something inside him stirred
A grin curved around his lips..
Not one of happiness
Or joy..
"So this is where the strongest gather.." he mummered
"Good"
Everyone one looked at him
A different kind of smile covered his lips
One filled with hunger, a predator..
Elijah smiled…
"We have a week to prepare" Sebastian chimed happily
"I suggest everyone gets to their training.. Let's meet each other in 6 days
"6 days… and then I can finally meet other S-rankers.." sukiro quietly thought to himself..
Each one of them trained relentlessly for the next 6 days..
Sapphire healing lost limbs of animals
Elijah casting magic..
Klaus preparing the best potions
Sirius toughening his body
Sebastian with his close combat skills
And sukiro trained.. Each and every single thing from everyone..
And before they knew it the 6 days were up..
The party gathered in the evening as the sun set behind them..
"I reckon that everyone has trained pretty hard" sebastian smirked wiping his bruises
"You bet!" klaus roared with energy
"How was the training sukiro?, i did get you a few times" Sebastian grinned
"But so did i" sukiro retorted
"Wait, you trained with Sebastian?!" sirius scoffed in shock
"Yea i did" sukiro replied confused
"But you trained with me?" sirius asked confused
"He trained with me as well" klaus replied
"Same here" elijah muttered as he raised his hand
"Ya, he was with me aswell" sapphire spoke
"You trained with everyone?" Sebastian asked in disbelief
Sukiro laughed nervously "pretty much"
"How is that even possible?" klaus asked stammered
"I can perform everything and it's not like I know my class yet anyways" sukiro smiled nervously
"Makes sense" elijah nodded
"Well i think we all should rest up, big day tomorrow for you all" Elijah muttered as he walked away
Sebastian sighed "yeah i am pretty tired myself.. Let's rest up for tomorrow"
The party nodded in agreement as they moved to their tents
"Wait where did you train for your sixth day?" sapphire asked "if i am right you trained five days with all of us?"
Sukiro smirked, a quiet kind one that said he was hiding something "you will get to know soon"
The day arrived..
Everyone boarded the ship quietly..
Their eyes spoke volumes, the intense training, the hard work.. It reflected from them..
Their minds played everything again and again..
And then they landed..
Everyone got off the ship.
Large gates stood in front of them, beyond them remained a large forest.. Filled with monsters each one stronger than the next..
But there was the a bigger predator in there, deadlier and more monstrous than any monster
Humans..
The party looked at each other, their hearts filled with nervousness yet also excitement.
A deep breath..
And a step forward into the unknown
M