"Who's next!?" The bald man shouted. He placed the tip of his wooden sword on his shoulder and glanced around.
But to his surprise. None of the men he fought could stand to their feet.
"Sir Zarek..." One of the Soul-Hunters that he beat up whimpered, crawling to his feet, inch by inch. He could barely feel his legs, let alone his hands. "Please... We've had enough. W—we give up."
"Huh?" The bald man glanced down at the Soul-Hunter, and his brows jerked in confusion. "Who are you?"
"W—what?" The man got up to his knees, he felt betrayed. "Sir Zarek, do you seriously not remember me? It's Darius of the 11th Soul Squa-"
THWACK!
"THEN ACT LIKE IT!" With a high pitched voice, the bald man smacked him on the head with the wooden sword, and drove him back down to the ground. "Act like it damn it! The 11th Squad is considered the strongest, most lethal squad in the 14 Soul Squads because of our combat prowess!"
"I will not..." He drove his foot into the man's stomach and hurled him outside the window like a bag of trash. "Accept such weakness!"
The participants of the second selection all glanced at him with wide eyes, their brows jerked and their mouth agape. They looked like they all saw a ghost, but not Kazuki.
He knew who the bald man was, what he was.
"V—vice captain, who is that mad man?"
"Hm?" Elias muttered under his breath. "That man? Oh, pardon my ignorance. That man is the overseer of the second half of this selection. Second seat of the 11th Soul Squad — Zarek."
"Huh? Second seat?"
"That's right, though you have no need of this knowledge now, but the 14 Soul Squads stands on hierarchy. Not just by the number of the squad, but within the Squads itself. The captain is the head of the squad, the second in command is his vice. Then the third faction — the seated hunters. These hunters varies in number depending on which Squad, but the lower their number, the stronger they are."
"Hang on, so you're saying this bald dude is the fourth strongest in the 11th Soul Squad?" One of the participants mumbled.
"Huh?" Zarek glanced over his shoulders. "Vice captain of the 9th squad? What the hell are you doing in my unit?"
"Zarek." Elias stepped forward. "Surely you haven't forgotten in your thirst for battle? You were assigned by to oversee the second part of the second selection."
"I have no interest in the second selection, besides I'm busy, so scram." He said disdainfully.
"Oh? Busy doing what?"
"Are you blind? I'm training my men!"
"What men?"
"What are you—" He turned his attention back to his men, but they were all gone. With the 9th vice's interruption, they used the opportunity to flee before he noticed. "What!? Not again!"
"My my." Elias chuckled. "Is this how training always goes in the 11th squad?"
"Tsk, they are all pathetic. And they dare call themselves Soul-Hunters of the 11th, well whatever. It doesn't change my mind about taking charge, I have no interest in training these hunters."
"Even if the orders came directly from the head commander?"
Zarek scoffed.
"Looks like it's settled then." Elias turned to the participants. "Well then, I'll leave you in his care."
Then he left.
The participants were more terrified than excited, not after the blood lusted glare Zarek gave them as they all stood at the center of the 11th Combat hall.
"Let's get this over with. Firstly, here in the 11th squad we have one rule in combat. You only introduce yourself to your enemy when you view him as a worthy opponent, or as the man who's going to kill him. So I have no reason to tell any of you my name."
"Man... He's brutal.." One of the participants whispered.
"No shit." Another followed.
"I assume you just finished the tutorial on the first half? That means you know about Soul-Techniques, good. This second part of this selection focuses on combat training, there's more to fighting Soul-Beasts than just aimlessly tossing around your Soul-Energy and depleting it in the process." He began.
"When fighting a Soul-Beast, their hardened skin makes it difficult for Soul-Hunters to kill them, so you have to identify their weakness and end it with a single strike! Who knows what that weakness is?" He glanced around, but he received no response.
Just when he thought this set of hunters were hopeless, a single voice changed his mind.
"Their core." Kazuki spoke up.
"Oh?"
He knew the weaknesses of the Soul-Beast, after all he knew the story. But he confirmed this theory even further in his battle against the A-tier Soul-Beast.
The participants all mumbled, and Takashi especially, was shocked.
How did he know this?
"That's right, their core. And because of that, combat training is crucial in other to take it down efficiently. Now then, we'll begin." He pointed his wooden sword at them with a wide grin.
"Why don't we start with the bastard that called me bald?"
They all murmured. Not because they tried searching for the culprit. But because in their minds, they all called him bald.
And none of them wanted to fight someone who just sent six grown men flying across the room.
He stepped forward, staring at each individual, and gauging their Soul-Energy at the same time. "Oh? It seems we have talented hunters this year." He said, referring to Kaira and Takashi.
Then his eyes twitched immediately.
"You." He spoke with a cold voice, then pointed his sword at Kazuki.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. What ranked Soul-Hunter are you? And how did you pass the first selection?" All eyes turned to him, especially Takashi.
"D-rank. The head commander." He replied simply.
"The head commander huh? Well, seeing as that noble slimeball of the 9th let you pass, it must be true." He walked up to one of the wooden swords his men left behind, picked it up and tossed it at Kazuki.
"Huh?" It was his turn to be shocked. Out of anyone in the hall, he had the biggest reasons not to fight Zarek.
"But I don't buy it, show me kid, show me what made the head commander believe in your weakness." He pointed his sword at him with a wide grin, ready to strike.