Chapter 30: Training.
The wolf elder turned around. Kazuka called him back immediately.
"Hey, you haven't finished telling it yet, there are other races."
"That girl Airi will tell you about that, as for tomorrow, training will begin."
On the trail heading home. The three walked parallel to each other. Takeshi walked in the middle, Airi on the right, and Kazuka on the left. Kazuka turned his head, his eyes carrying an expectant look.
"Hey, Airi, is there anything unusual about me? During practice, I mean."
Airi turned her head with a calm look.
"You don't."
"Is that so? Why did the wolf elder look thoughtful earlier?"
"Who knows what that wolf elder thinks?"
"Then later, give me a brief overview of the races, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll tell you later while we're eating."
The three of them, Airi, Takeshi, and Kazuka, sat gathered around a blazing fire in the middle of the silent night. The flickering firelight illuminated the young faces.
Airi sat cross-legged, holding a smoking skewer of grilled meat, her red eyes glowing under the firelight like a pair of vivid rubies. She blew gently to cool it and then took a bite, her cheeks puffing slightly. Despite her cold exterior, Airi was clearly enjoying the meal.
Takeshi sat next to her, giggling while eating, his mouth smeared with a bit of sauce. He used a branch to poke gently at a potato roasting in the embers, his face shining with a mischievous look.
Kazuka sat opposite the two, both arms folded in front resting on his knees, an almost empty skewer hanging loosely in his hand. He didn't say anything, only occasionally looking up at the starry sky above, then back at the fire crackling softly as if telling stories.
The surrounding space was quiet, with only the sound of insects chirping from the bushes and the crackling of the burning fire. The warm orange light chased away the cold creeping into the night, creating a peaceful, simple, and intimate moment among companions in a strange land.
Airi swallowed the last piece of meat and threw the skewer away.
"Alright, I'll talk about it now."
Kazuka and Takeshi hadn't finished eating yet but still stopped to listen.
"Energy has 5 different colors, and the races will absorb different energies."
"The Human race is very numerous and strong, usually having blue energy. But as the wolf elder said, there are still those who are human but have energy of other colors, though they are the minority; most share one color. The other races are similar."
"Next is the Demon race with black energy. In the past, there were battles with humans, and both sides have always had ill feelings toward each other."
"Next is the Angel race. They have white energy and are the race that helped humans a lot in battles, but sometimes there are those who oppose and attack humans, though it's not worth mentioning. They are the race that cannot coexist with demons."
"Next is the Elemental, their energy is yellow, and they do not help or attack any side without a justified reason."
"Next is the Yokai, having purple energy; the Yokai are the monsters we often see. These Yokai are harder to control than other races, so many run wild in the human world. For that reason, they had a treaty with humans during the unification. These monsters are allowed to roam the human world, but if they destroy more than three nations, the Yokai must step in and stop them; otherwise, humans will consider it a declaration of war and a total war will take place."
"There are still other races, for example: Vampires, Elves, or the Dragon race... and many others. If you're going to ask me what Vampires absorb, let me explain right now."
"Vampires and demons have no relation, but they still absorb the same type of energy; the Dragon race is the same. Generally, those are just representative names."
"Like Elementals and Elves, the story goes: in the past, an Elemental married a human and gave birth to an Elf. Elves have great energy and energy talent very similar to Elementals. But they don't have wings and powers like Elementals. However, they still share the same type of energy."
Kazuka let out an "oh" in surprise.
"So that's how it is, no wonder when I practiced with Lady Kuroha, I had a completely different feeling about energy."
Airi nodded.
"Because the two of you are different species."
Currently, the wolf elder was lying on a simple bed; the dark moonlight obscured by clouds could be seen a little from the window. He looked pensive.
"A bit confusing. That hunt was 15 years ago, but the kid Kazuka is 13 years old. Even though everything is clear, this point is not. Could it be it wasn't? But at that time, that energy source couldn't be mistaken."
"Different colored energy is fine. But the feeling about energy is completely different. When he absorbed it, his body radiated a little; I felt it very clearly, it couldn't be wrong."
"In short, maybe he's not their child, but that energy source is not wrong."
The wolf elder closed his eyes to end the reasoning process.
"What will you do? Kazuka."
The next morning, the sun appeared from afar. Airi wore different clothes to be more convenient for training.
She wore a simple light yellow shirt, brown cloth pants that helped her move easily to adapt, and high-top boots for easy movement.
Airi stood in one place, looking up at the slope of the mountain. Her face clearly showed boredom and reluctance.
"What the hell? Is this wolf elder crazy? Why force us to climb the mountain? That mountain is so high; falling down is certain death. Are those two also crazy to follow? Your training methods are just too insane."
Airi shuddered.
"Thinking about the scene of rolling down that slope is already terrifying, and I don't even have wings yet."
A distance quite far from the foot of the mountain. Kazuka and Takeshi were close together; Kazuka's hand gripped a small rock protruding from the steep cliff. His hands seemed scraped; he bit his teeth hard and reached with his left hand to grab a large rocky ledge.
He hung there, panting.
"My shoulders are about to give out."
Not far from him, Takeshi gripped two small rock edges with both hands, exhaustion clear on his face.
"I... I think... we should go down..."
Airi shouted loudly to Kazuka and Takeshi below.
"Hey, how do you two plan to get down?"
Above, Kazuka was confused and turned to the hanging Takeshi.
"Takeshi, did she just call us? What did she say?"
Takeshi opened his eyes wide in horror and turned over.
"She asked how we're getting down!"
Kazuka was also surprised; his expression changed to match Takeshi's.
"Oh right, how do we get down?"
Kazuka screamed loudly, echoing everywhere.
"You damn wolf elder, why didn't you tell us how to get down?"
Suddenly, the rock Kazuka was clinging to made a cracking sound. Pebbles fell clattering on his head.
Seeing something fall on his head, Kazuka looked up; the large rock was showing signs of falling off the cliff. His eyes widened; he tried to move his hand to another smaller rock, but it was too late.
The large rock fell, and Kazuka fell with it. A scream echoed everywhere.
"Aaaa—!"
Takeshi panicked, reaching out after him.
"Kazuka!"
Airi stood below, screaming in panic.
"He's falling!!"
In mid-air, Kazuka screamed loudly, concentrating all his energy into his arm. He raised his fist—and punched straight into the cliff.
Boom!
His fist drove deep into the cliff. His whole body hung suspended. Kazuka gritted his teeth, his face contorted.
"Damn… it…"
After a while, the sun reached its peak. Finally, Kazuka and Takeshi reached the ground. The two of them collapsed on the earth, breathing continuously, without even the strength to say another word.
The wolf elder approached from afar, his voice rising from a distance. Both hands were behind his back.
"Well done."
Hearing the wolf elder's voice, the gasping Kazuka jumped up, pointing angrily at the wolf elder and shouting.
"Are you playing with us? I almost died just now."
The wolf elder curled his lip in contempt.
"Weren't you the one who isn't afraid of death?"
"But I won't die in such a stupid way."
The wolf elder lowered his voice to explain.
"Come on, this is an exercise for endurance, strength, dexterity, and reflexes. This exercise never gets old. Just now, you also reacted very quickly to save yourself, didn't you?"
The wolf elder pointed to where Takeshi was sitting and watching.
"And he is very dexterous."
"Why blame me? This is the most perfect exercise, second only to a life-and-death battle."
The wolf elder turned away again, but didn't forget to say back.
"Now you will practice that. And you, girl Airi, you practice too, don't complain."
"Ah, I forgot, you must run around this mountain at least 10 laps a day. You've just started heavy training so you might feel body pain, but it's okay, just rest properly. I'll be back tomorrow."
Kazuka clenched his fists, his face a mix of anger and resentment.
"Irresponsible damn old man."
Just like that, they climbed the mountain and ran around the mountain until exhausted; at night, they sparred with each other until late.
Time passed like that. They climbed mountains, hunted monsters, carried a large rock on their backs and ran, and dodged attacks.
6 months later.
They looked like different people. Kazuka and Takeshi became taller and their builds larger. Airi no longer had a look of boredom; her gaze had changed.
They were sitting around each other and began to meditate on a rocky ledge protruding halfway up the mountain. Closing their eyes, they concentrated at the highest level. After a while, Kazuka was sensing everything around him. A bird flew into his range of perception.
Kazuka opened his eyes wide, picked up a small stone right next to him, and threw it at the bird. The bird was struck and fell down. He clenched his fist as if to celebrate.
"Great."
Airi and Takeshi were still meditating. Hearing the noise from Kazuka made Airi annoyed.
"Can't you be quiet, Kazuka?"
But Kazuka had already jumped down; he was like a monkey jumping everywhere. He gripped small rock edges, then jumped down and gripped another. Just like that, he landed safely; Airi and Takeshi were right behind.
Takeshi looked around.
"Hey, the wolf elder said he'd come, but why is it taking so long?"
The wolf elder radiated a terrifying energy source and stood right behind Takeshi, his breath carrying a great aura right in his ear.
"I'm here."
Takeshi and Kazuka jumped in startle and stepped back. Contrary to them, Airi was very calm, her gaze as if she didn't care.
The wolf elder laughed loudly.
"Alright, physical training and those reflexes are settled for now; now we will spar."
Kazuka jumped up vigorously with joy.
"Great, I've been waiting for this day."
"Alright, follow me."
They followed right behind the wolf elder, sticking close to the foot of the mountain and crossing to the other side. It was a vast land with sparse green grass growing; the wind blew continuously, making their hair fly with the breeze.
Takeshi was surprised by this place.
"Is there an empty land here? If we had gone a bit further during our hunts before, maybe we would have seen it, right?"
The wolf elder spoke up: "Alright, sit down, I'll give a brief overview."
They found a patch with a bit more grass and sat down cross-legged, their gazes all directed toward the wolf elder. He coughed once as if to start.
"As you know, this world has many strong people. But do you know how to recognize a strong person?"
Airi shook her head, "No."
Kazuka stroked his chin, thinking.
"I think it's sensing their energy."
Takeshi answered: "I don't know."
The wolf elder nodded.
"There is no way to identify a strong person. Sensing energy is just sensing their energy and of course, it is not accurate, Kazuka."
Kazuka was dissatisfied; he grimaced.
"Then why did you ask?"
"Because I like to."
"Let me explain; surely the girl Airi knows a bit already, but I'll still say it."
"To know a strong person, it can only be through combat. Because we cannot know how large the opponent's energy gate is, or what their combat skills are like."
"In a battle, concentration and tactics are the most important things, utilizing everything around you to fight."
"Having a larger energy source and a larger energy gate, but you will still lose if you lack tactics and concentration."
The wolf elder pointed toward Kazuka.
"You said you once fought a very strong murderer, right? Tell it so I can analyze."
Kazuka nodded and began to tell.
"At that time, I was chased deep into the forest..."
"That's how the story went."
The wolf elder let out an "oh," his face showing clear satisfaction.
"Oh, not bad."
"Alright, this kid Kazuka was much weaker than that guy but being able to force him into a pincer position is very good."
"Relying on luck is indeed interesting."
"Thus it's clear: tactics and calmness hold a very large part of the battle. And the match where you faced that murderer is an example. Probably needed some luck too."
"Alright, try fighting each other. Now all three of you will fight and everyone is an enemy."
Takeshi nodded while saying: "Is it a chaotic match?"
The wolf elder stood far away and observed the three of them. Airi, Kazuka, and Takeshi were standing and entering combat stances. Their eyes darted continuously, observing their two opponents.
Kazuka had a body and sword overflowing with energy. Takeshi had tightly clenched fists, orange energy wrapping around his body. Airi had her left hand spread out as if it were a prepared attack.
The silent situation where no one moved first became even more tense. Kazuka did not attack to open the match; he jumped backward and rolled continuously many times on the ground to keep his distance. Airi raised her hand to the sky, summoning a series of blood-red swords and pointing them at Kazuka and Takeshi (estimated about 50 blood swords).
She lowered her hand without hesitation. Kazuka ran in a circle, preventing them from catching him; Takeshi, being closer, had to struggle to fight back. His hands overflowed with energy, punching away the incoming attacks.
The attack round had just ended when Kazuka rushed in from Airi's flank. A horizontal slash carrying a lot of energy closed in on her. But Airi was very alert; a long bright red sword materialized from her hand. She slashed vertically from above and blocked Kazuka's attack.
Unexpectedly from above their heads. Takeshi was hovering in the air, carrying his punch. He exerted strength, eyes wide open, the punch aimed straight down, but Airi and Kazuka managed to jump far away in time.
Boom!
The large explosion from Takeshi's punch caused the ground to crack open. Kazuka jumped back with vigilance.
—"Takeshi is very strong now; his punch is even stronger than mine, I must be careful. As for Airi, all her moves are hard to block."
Airi released a vertical energy slash directed at Takeshi. Then she dashed extremely fast toward Kazuka.
Takeshi concentrated strength into his left hand and fired an energy beam, successfully blocking it.
On Kazuka's side, he was surprised and didn't have time to bring his sword up to block. Airi delivered a slash, but Kazuka leaned his body back and avoided it.
He pressed his hands against the ground and made his arms like pillars, as if doing a handstand. Kazuka's two legs kicked straight into Airi's stomach, sending her flying far away.
Kazuka had just stood up normally, not yet catching his breath. Takeshi had already closed in right beside him. Takeshi's left hand swung a punch into Kazuka's chest; he opened his mouth, let out an "ah," his eyes wide. Kazuka was thrown back, his feet skidding on the grass, his sword stabbing into the ground to keep him from sliding further.
But that was a mistake; the close distance allowed Takeshi to close in once more. Sensing Takeshi behind with a large energy source coming along, Takeshi smirked.
"Take this, Kazuka!"
"No way!"
Kazuka's right hand, which was holding the sword, let go; he spun around, delivering an elbow strike. The blow hit Takeshi's nose directly, causing it to spray blood and knocking him aside.
Still not letting Kazuka breathe, a red chain wrapped around Kazuka. He couldn't react in time and was bound. Swords from afar flew straight toward Kazuka. Unable to counter or dodge, he could only stand there. But those red swords stopped in time right next to him, then they vanished along with the chain.
The wolf elder, sitting under a tree, shouted loudly: "Keep fighting!"
"Are these kids two-on-one? It feels like some kind of natural law, doesn't it?"
Kazuka rolled backward again to keep distance and observe the situation.
Takeshi, with a large energy source surrounding his body, saw Airi closer than Kazuka. He dashed toward Airi. Seeing Takeshi closing in on her, she shouted: "Blood Abyss!!!"
The wolf elder watching also went "oh."
Takeshi stopped immediately; he threw a punch into the air. His energy flew off like a large stone, but carrying a lot of power toward Airi.
"Blood Explosion Form!!!!"
Airi's body was surrounded by a large pillar of red energy; Takeshi's attack rushed in and collided with it. Then it disappeared.
As soon as the energy pillar vanished, from inside, Airi slashed out three energy strikes toward Takeshi.
He crossed his arms with the intention of blocking the three incoming attacks. The first slash caused the energy on Takeshi's arms to decrease, not yet having time to fill that empty energy source. The second slash rushed in, knocking away all the energy on his arms.
Sensing something was wrong, Takeshi gritted his teeth, wanting to avoid the third slash but it was too late. Before he could uncross his arms, the third slash hit.
Takeshi gritted his teeth and let out an "ah"; on his two arms were two long wounds bleeding.
—"Must stop the bleeding."
His eyes widened, as if he had just discovered something wrong.
—"Energy? What's going on? Why does it feel like it's being disrupted?"
Kazuka saw Takeshi's opening and rushed in. But the wolf elder had jumped right beside him. He kicked Kazuka, sending him flying far away to land on the ground.
"Alright, that's enough fighting."
Kazuka flew far, rolling several times on the ground. He jumped up in anger and roared loudly.
"You old dog! Why stop while we're fighting?"
The elder walked toward Airi.
"Hey little girl, you aren't allowed to use disruptive energy."
Airi looked up and gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Sorry, I forgot."
"Of the three of you, only you know how to use it; those two don't know yet. Moreover, it's energy from another race; how can those kids filter that energy?"
"I said I'm sorry."
Airi ran to Takeshi and smiled.
"Sorry, Takeshi."
Takeshi was still in shock and didn't understand.
"What happened to my energy?"
"You'll probably learn that soon. Sorry, I ended up bullying you."
Takeshi looked at his palms.
"Is that so? There are even things like that?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you don't need to apologize to me so many times. Anyway, this is just a sparring match."
Kazuka ran over with curiosity.
"Hey, what's wrong with everyone? There must be a reason that old man stopped the match."
Airi laughed embarrassedly.
"Well, I accidentally used something you guys haven't learned yet."
Airi grabbed Takeshi's hand and sucked her energy from inside Takeshi's body back into her own. Kazuka watched with curiosity.
"What is it? Tell me, I'm so curious."
The wolf elder spoke while walking over.
"You don't need to be curious, kid, I'm about to show you two soon."
"Really?"
The wolf elder suddenly got angry.
"Hey kid? Why do you have to ask again every time you hear something?"
"Huh? What's wrong with that?"
The wolf elder shouted.
"It's fine for you, but it's annoying for me, kid. You'd better cut out that 'asking again just to be sure' style, I hate it."
Kazuka raised his voice back.
"Don't think just because you're my teacher that I'm afraid, you damn old man. Do you always have to be satisfied?"
"Do whatever you want to me, let's see how good you are."
"Just wait, I'll take you down one day not far from now."
Airi and Takeshi, standing before this daily argument, clearly showed helplessness and annoyance.
"Arguing every day, don't you get tired of it? Just like cats and dogs, so noisy."
Takeshi stood there shrugging too.
"Haizzz, let them be; they'll finish arguing and be back to normal in a bit, it's like this every day. This scene is too familiar to us."
Airi shouted loudly.
"Are you two done arguing?"
Finally, they stopped. The wolf elder sighed.
"Truly a waste of time with a kid like you."
Kazuka stuck out his tongue as if to provoke the wolf elder.