Lunari City, Capital of the Moonsilver Empire.
From afar, you could see the city’s tall, white pavilions reaching for the Heavens. From up close, it exuded an unmatched air of cleanliness. Its roads were free from any refuse and the citizens walking its streets wore clothing which was easy to move around in and was clean, crisp and fresh. Its modernity was sharply contrasted by its citizens’ attire which harkened back to the roots of the tribes that lived in the region.
Towards the southern edge of the city, a large, circular complex was visible, surrounded by smooth walls at least fifteen metres high and five metres thick. On the northern side, there was a magnificently sculpted archway depicting all kinds of Soul Beasts across its top and sides while its bottom ends depicted cultivators sitting peacefully in meditation. The arch itself housed a large, metal gate which marked the only point of entry into the complex.
The buildings inside the complex were separated into three circular arrangements, each set evenly spaced from each other such that one could draw an equilateral triangle using their centres. In the centre of each set of buildings was a large, open-air, ring-shaped building. In the middle of this ‘triangle’ of buildings was a pair of semi-circular buildings nine storeys high. If one looked at the complex from above or on a plan, the repetition of circles gave the complex an ordered and harmonious feeling.
However, the purpose of this complex was far more significant than its layout. That is, this complex had a name that even the youngest child on the Bladeworks Continent was familiar with: the Bladeworks Academy, the academy known for producing not only the strongest cultivators, but also those with the most real combat experience. Each of the Twin Empires had their own branch but there was little difference between them, both considered as being at the pinnacle of education and training. In fact, famous cultivators and powerful leaders from across the continent would gather to watch the Bladeworks Academy Cross-Empire Battle, a tournament between the two branches which was held every three years.
The academy structure itself was broken up into three separate academies, the Initiate academy, the Intermediate academy, and the Advanced academy, each of which required three years to progress to the next academy. However, the dropout rate for the academy as a whole was infamously high.
On this particular day, the entrance to the academy was extremely busy. The large, metal gate was swung wide open and, if you had to look at the people in the crowd, you would notice that it was mostly comprised of youths no more than fifteen years old who were accompanied by either one or both of their parents. The reason they were gathered here is because today is the day the annual entrance exam would be held for this prestigious academy.
It was impossible to directly enter the Intermediate or Advanced academies other than progressing through the Initiate academy first. This meant that these excited youths only had a limited number of opportunities to attempt to gain the guarantee of becoming a cultivator of note in the future.
However, to even gain the right to take the exam each year, a person needed a certain amount of prestige. It was one thing to become strong simply through isolated cultivation, while another to actually use that strength in a meaningful way. So, even though these talented youths came from all corners of the empire, very few would end up staying. Those who left would need to prove themselves worthy of taking the exam once again.
Despite the large number of people gathered outside the grand archway of the academy entrance, it wasn’t chaotic. There were three distinct lines, each leading up to a table at which a middle-aged man was seated next to a pulsating blue orb, a device used for measuring one’s Soul Energy cultivation, a Boundless Soul Orb.
In the rightmost line was a girl that looked to be fourteen. She was dressed simply in a plain, long-sleeved, black dress that stopped mid-thigh which didn’t hinder her movement. Resting on her hips was a similarly-black, sash-like belt that wound around her slim waist twice.
Her dark attire contrasted starkly with her healthy pale skin. Her long, midnight-black hair was tied in a loose ponytail that extended as far as the top of her buttocks and swayed side to side as she walked. Although young, her face was no longer completely round and was beginning to show sharpness in her features. Her chest also showed signs of beginning to mature as slight curvature protruded forward. On her lips, a soft, confident smile caused people to pause when looking at her.
She wouldn’t be counted among the peerless beauties but her keen, bright-green eyes held a steel that didn't belong in someone her age. This, combined with her smile, held a peculiar charm that couldn't be explained if one were to ask what made her attractive.
However, what truly set her apart from normal girls, and explained her presence in this line, was surely the sheathed katana threaded through her sash-belt and which was decorated with an image of a pair of intertwined twin dragons.
Suzuki Kira, Takanashi Kira in her previous life, having followed her Uncle Tetsuya's instructions, had come to this place at the designated date to take the entrance exam to the academy which would change the course of her life.
Although she looked fourteen, she was actually only twelve years old, although her experience and mental fortitude was something no other twelve year-olds could possibly match. This discrepancy in apparent age was due to her body which had grown not just stronger as she'd trained these last few years and her Life Energy cultivation had increased.
'Five years...has it really been that long already?'
Her serious expression was gone, replaced by an air of confidence. She was still Kira, but at the same time, she wasn't the same person as before. However, to her, it felt like only yesterday that Tetsuya had entrusted her with the Storage Crystal she wore on her left middle finger. The letter within it had been read countless times over the years whenever she'd felt lonely or wanted to give up, each reading giving her new courage and determination.
Eventually reaching the front of the queue, Kira walked up to a stern-looking bespectacled man who was seated at the table before her. He looked up and rasped:
"Place your hand on the orb."
Kira obliged and the previously softly undulating blue light suddenly flared up as it already had countless times that morning. Within the blue light, flecks of blue could be seen swirling around within the orb. The stern man actually lowered his spectacles from his eyes as he gazed into the orb, his irises changing from a dull brown to a bright blue.
"Hmph, Soul Energy at the 5th stage of Core Rank, just barely cutting it. Name and age?"
"Suzuki Kira. Twelve."
The man pushed up his spectacles and proceeded to skim a scroll before him. For someone her age to have that level of Soul Energy was nothing amazing to him who’d seen countless young talents pass through that gate.
"S...Sakamoto...Sonozaki...No Suzuki Kira here. Next!"1
"Excuse me, senior, but there must be some kind of mistake."
"We don't make mistakes. Move along now."
The man's tone didn't show any signs of anger but he spoke matter-of-factly, clearly used to these kinds of situations. Kira, however, couldn't accept this. Her Uncle may be lazy and a slob but he kept his word.
"Please check again. I'm certain there's no mistake."
At that moment, a pair of black shadows flickered towards Kira and she instinctually dropped her hands to her katana. She froze as a pair of large hands gripped her shoulders from behind. They didn't seem to have any intention of harming her but they squeezed gently to let her know not to try anything.
"Little Miss, it's not good to argue. You're still young and have plenty of opportunities to make a name for yourself. You can come back again next year."
A calm, deep voice resounded from above her. The physical pressure alone wouldn’t have stopped her, but the intangible pressure behind his words was enough to make her hesitate. Not wanting to cause a commotion, Kira didn't fight back and instead calmly spoke to the man at the table.
"I was sent here by Tetsuya. He said I would be able to take the entrance exam."
The stern-looking man's brow creased and he massaged the space between his eyes as he heard these words, clearly recalling memories that were far from pleasant. Saying nothing more, he instead pulled a second scroll out of his robe and unfurled it while muttering to himself. A few breaths later he looked up at Kira while saying in an exasperated voice:
"If you were referred here, why didn't you just say so? Let her go. Good grief, kids these days."
The hands on Kira's shoulders slowly released themselves as the deep voice spoke again.
"Well there we go. Good luck with the exam little Miss."
As she turned around to face the source of the voice, he had already vanished, a rush of air and the corner of a red sleeve disappearing in a flash the only indication that a person had stood there. Kira shook her head before walking past the desk and passing through the archway. As she passed the stern man, he made no apologies and instead just waved her in before calling up the next person in the queue.
On the other side of the tunnel-like entranceway, there was a large, open field with a single, wide cobblestone lane leading straight towards the closest ring of buildings which, for convenience, was the Initiate academy. Now that she was this close to the buildings, Kira noticed their design looked old, as if from another era. Nonetheless, they were still in very good condition and gave off a majestic aura that Kira found quite inviting.
Kira followed the path between two large buildings until she arrived at a second queue. This one was far shorter than the previous one and only led to a single table. Seated on the other side of the table was a rather big-breasted woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. However, she, compared to the stern man, had a very friendly demeanour. Her bright pink hair came down to her shoulders and wasn't curly nor straight, instead being some chaotic mix between the two, with clumps of hair twisting out in all directions.
Kira's turn came fairly quickly this time around and, as she approached, the lady smiled at her while asking:
"Hi there. What's your name, little one?"
"Suzuki Kira, I was referred here by Tetsuya."
Kira had just assumed that the lady would know who she was referring to, despite not knowing her Uncle Tetsuya’s family name. The fact that she never knew her own mother’s family name embarrassed her greatly. However, the already-pleasant lady's smile widened even further when she heard the name she gave.
"Ah, little Kira, you must be the one Tetsuya mentioned in his letter."
"Yes, that's me. And Teacher is..."
"My bad, so rude of me. I'm Teacher Hanami but you can call me Sis Hana. I'm an old friend of Tetsuya's. When I got his letter I was curious about what kind of person would catch his attention, especially since this young talent would only be joining us five years later! I had to hold in my curiosity and now here you are. I'm so glad to finally meet you!"
Kira found that, compared to her last encounter with an acquaintance of Tetsuya's, this woman was her polar opposite in terms of personality. She wondered if this young woman was also as close to him as the weapons-tester Kazumi was.
"Anyways, enough chit-chat. The big building behind me is the Initiate Arena. Your test will be held there. Here's your entrance exam number. Show it to the students at the entrance and they’ll guide you from there.”
"Thank you very much."
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"No problem. Good luck!"
Kira nodded and received a small tile, the size of a shogi piece, with the number ninety-nine on it from Teacher Hana before walking off towards the Arena.
'You're going to need it. We usually give our referred students a free pass but that Tetsuya was so insistent. He really has high expectations for her, enough that he doesn’t want us to hold back. Old man, you better not go too hard on her.'
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After entering the Initiate Arena Kira noticed that there was a number of assistants, dressed in either blue or red outfits which Kira assumed were school uniforms. After showing the students her tile, one of them directed her to a waiting room further inside.
The room was fairly large and sparsely furnished with only a few benches. There were only two exits: the one she came through and another that presumably lead into the combat area. This made it easy to see who was coming in and out.
When she stepped into the room, all eyes turned to her. You have to remember that this was an academy only for those with indisputable talent. Each person who entered the waiting room was a rival for those coveted spots in the first year.
On seeing that it was a girl that entered, the overwhelming majority of the youths showed looks of disdain while a select few nodded approvingly. Others still simply looked away as if it didn’t concern them what the genders of their competitors were.
Kira noticed all this but didn't say anything. She simply found a corner to sit in before closing her eyes to meditate to maintain her peak condition by circulating her Soul Energy. She wasn't completely sure what to expect from this test so there was no use in worrying. Not long after she sat down, she heard a female voice coming from the other exit:
"Could applicant numbers thirty-four and seventeen please follow me?"
Kira opened her eyes to see a fairly large boy with bulging muscles leap up from his seat. He looked around until his gaze landed on the only other student moving, a blue-haired boy who looked relatively frail and was wearing a pair of spectacles. From his outer appearance, it didn't seem that he had much of a chance but Kira didn't think it was that simple. This was due to his eyes which had a depth that even she couldn't see through.
"Hah, a wimp like you has no chance. Why not forfeit now?"
The large boy puffed out his chest while declaring loudly.
"I suggest you stop flaring your tailfeathers like that, they might just get burned."
The smaller boy spoke in a very calm and dignified manner.
"You..."
"You two! Save it for the arena."
The female assistant, who wore a red uniform, wasn't about to take any nonsense and the two boys immediately fell silent as a wave of intimidating aura rushed out from her. Of course, how could they forget? This sister was also one of the select few students here. Why else would she be allowed inside? When the pair left, Kira closed her eyes once more.
Pair by pair, the young applicants left the waiting room until there were only a few people remaining, including Kira.
"Applicant number ninety-nine, please head into the stadium."
Kira's eyes opened and flickered with surprise. Her number was called on its own?
The other remaining applicants were also somewhat confused. Did the assistant make a mistake? If not, what did having a single number called signify? Also, they hadn’t heard of anyone with a number in the nineties until now.
Kira quietly got up and, without glancing at the remaining applicants, followed the assistant out of the waiting room and into a long tunnel which opened out into the grand arena. From the inside, the actual size of the arena became much clearer. There was a large, slightly-elevated platform in the centre which was about three hundred metres in diameter. About fifteen metres away from the platform were the viewing stands which were layered in steps ten metres above the ground. A fifth of these stands were enclosed into rooms with tinted glass, presumably for VIPs who came to watch the matches.
The young assistant, who looked to be about twenty years-old, stopped at the end of the tunnel while motioning for Kira to step onto the main platform. For the exam, only a part of the duelling platform was necessary and was partitioned off from the rest. After all, the youths applying to join the academy could only be so strong.
Seated on the outermost edge of the duelling platform on a wooden deckchair was an old man who was casually sipping a multicoloured drink through a clear tube. The chair seemed to be under great strain as the old man occasionally shifted from side to side, trying to get his entire bulk to fit on the seat to no avail. His grey hair was rather long but floated like a mane around his face. Yes, this elder was particularly fat but Kira wasn't about to point this out as she approached him. Apart from him and the assistant behind her, there were no other people present in the quiet arena, making it certain that he was to be her examiner.
"Greetings senior. My name is Suzuki Kira, entrant number ninety-nine."
Kira spoke calmly and clearly, giving all the relevant details to this fat elder.
"So you're the one, haha. Ung."
The fat man chuckled lightly before grunting as he stood up from his seat which gave an audible creak of relief. His considerable stomach bounced twice almost causing Kira to laugh had the situation not been so serious. She had to pass no matter what!
"Come up on stage. Nothing to be afraid of, this elder isn't going to bully you."
He said as he huffed, struggling to ascend the single step onto the stage.
'This old man...he isn't so simple...right?'
Kira thought helplessly as she moved under the fat man's one arm to assist him. To her surprise, although his arm was beefy and looked like a lump of flab, it was fairly hard underneath.
"Ah, thank you. Now, you're probably wondering why you're the only one here. All the referred students are given numbers in the nineties, which means that they all get to be tested personally by this elder here. Lucky you!"
What he didn't mention was that Kira's circumstances were different to the other referees but Kira wouldn't have noticed anything as they weren’t tested and were directly accepted into the Initiate Academy. Her number, however, accurately represented her as the tenth and last referred student for this year. This meant that there were nine other youths who were accepted due to exceptional circumstances.
Kira nodded slightly towards this fat elder.
"So, you've already been through the Soul Energy test at the gate which we use to filter out those who don't have enough innate cultivation talent. However, from the people who pass that test, we usually only find about ten percent of them worthy of becoming students here through a test of combat ability. For any great weapon cultivator, actual combat ability is of the utmost importance. That being said, your opponent will be me. Don't hold back and give me everything you have!"
On hearing this, Kira actually felt the uneasiness in her heart melt away. If there was one thing she wasn't lacking in, it was actual combat experience. If the exam was based on the technicality of Twin Energy control, she wasn't entirely certain of passing. This was still a pain point for her even after all these years of training.
Kira's left hand drifted down to tightly grasp the twin dragon-motif sheath while her right hand calmly grasped the hilt of her katana as if taking the hand of an old friend. Without drawing the sword, Kira tapped her foot on the ground, launching herself towards the old man, her face changed from a calm smile to an expressionless mask.
'Such a good temperament. But is her skill good enough to match it?'
The old man didn't have to wait for long for the answer to this question as Kira’s image seemed to split into three while her presence completely vanished. With the strengthening of her body, Kira was now able to produce these multiple afterimages while applying her Takanashi Clan's Principle of Masking.
But who was this fat elder? As someone chosen by the most famous academy on the continent to be an examiner, how could his cultivation and experience not be at a frightening level? He calmly extended his Soul Sense to within a three-metre radius around him and discovered Kira's actual location. To his surprise, Kira was in the blind spot behind one of his bulging arms!
Kira had just begun a draw cut towards his left arm when a red haze coated the elder's body.
CLANG!
The resounding sound of metal hitting metal rang out as Kira's sword was stopped by the armguard which had materialised on the fat elder's arm. The armguard was made of a dark metal with strange red inscriptions that gave it an imposing air.
Borrowing the momentum from the hit, she allowed herself to retreat slightly before slicing at the air. Her dark pupils flashed gold for an instant.
'Wind Rending: Storm.'
The fat elder noticed the incoming energy blade and raised his armguard to block it. However, the hit never came. The elder's eyes flashed with surprise as the energy blade split into several smaller ones, attacking him from all directions. Raising his other arm, a similar armguard appeared. Using both arms, he blocked Kira's Skill head-on.
She watched the fat elder’s movements carefully before shifting her position and slicing at the air once more, releasing yet another Skill. Only this time...
'Wind Rending: Gale.'
The energy blade she sent forth actually whistled as it sliced through the air at extremely high speed and Kira rushed forward to try and keep up with it.
Wind Rending: Kira's first high-levelled Skill at the Basic rank and her first true ranged ability. The use of this Skill brought her a sense of wonder that never faded at all during these five years. It was the Skill she spent the most time on, finally mastering its simplest form before proceeding to create multiple variations of it. She had fallen in love with this Skill as its possibilities, at least to her, seemed boundless.
The fat elder, having just blocked Kira's first Skill, was already impressed. However, seeing her attack him while he was still in a defending position, and furthermore with a Skill that seemed even more intimidating than the last, made his heart skip a beat.
For him to have blocked her first Skill with his armguards was more of a kindness than anything else, an acknowledgement of sorts as Skills at this level were of no threat to him.
Kira’s timing was impeccable and the position she chose for her follow-up attack was one from which he couldn't easily defend. This was enough to make him question if she really was only twelve years old.
Meanwhile, Kira's flanking attack succeeded and the Wind Rending: Gale directly hit the fat elder's back. Only, instead of cutting him, his body fat simply jiggled a bit as it seemed to dissipate the force causing Kira to be completely dumbfounded. In her moment of hesitation, the elder turned around and leapt towards her. Yes, leapt.
His gigantic mass actually soared several metres into the air as he aimed an elbow towards Kira. This was an attack that didn't rely on anything besides pure force and the fat elder wanted to see how Kira would deal with it.
Kira, with her calculated way of fighting, had no intention of taking this attack head-on if this were a real fight. However, this was an exam in which her ability to adapt to different situations was being tested. Hence, she should deal with it in the best way she could. Raising her sword horizontally in front of her, she placed her left hand on the flat of her blade and took up a wide stance, a layer of golden light coating her sword as her pupils flashed gold.
'She's taking it head-on? Haha! Cmon, little girl, show me what you can do!'
As the fat elder was about to reach her, Kira finally released her Skill.
'Rejection Blaze.'
When the elbow of that fat elder came into contact with her sword, he felt a powerful pushing force as that layer of golden light turned into a blaze of energy that lasted for almost a second. With his weight and the height of his descent, he wouldn't be pushed away but, at the same time, he wasn't falling any further, looking rather comical for a second. Within that second, Kira performed a very simple motion and slid her one foot back while pivoting her arms and torso.
'This is...redirecting force! Knowing this principle and applying it in battle is already enough to be considered a talent, but to be able to use in this kind of situation, she must be a genius!'
The old man thought as he crashed into the stage. Ordinarily, this would leave a rather large crater in the ground. Instead, a large number of blue ripples flowed outwards along the surface of the platform. Kira, who was standing nearby, was breathing heavily.
Having had her life saved by Rejection time and again, Kira often took the time to ponder over this Skill. By observing its strengths and weaknesses she developed this variation. Rejection was in itself a very powerful Skill despite being ranked as only a Basic Skill. This ranking was due to it having no offensive ability and that it had a very clear weakness: the Skill only produced an instant of intense force.
To Kira, who had a very good sense of timing, this wasn't a major issue and led to her having much success with this Skill. But from this nature, especially seen during the fight with the Murasaki Clan's Hideyoshi, it was clear that the cost of trying to stop powerful Skills was far too high even if one properly grasped the timing. This was why Kira tried to improve this Skill rather than simply create a variant on the same level.
Rejection Blaze could be considered a delayed Skill in that it needed time to accumulate energy but, when released, it had a higher potency than the original Rejection while also persisting in its effect for a longer duration. This lessened the negative effects on Kira in exchange for being a more costly option in terms of Twin Energies.
Seeing that fat elder had yet to pick himself up, Kira was preparing her next attack when the fat elder yelled:
"Hold up! That's enough, that's enough. Upsie."
He struggled to pick himself up and Kira wondered if this was the same person that flung himself through the air mere seconds ago. He eventually walked towards Kira, his armguards already removed, presumably to a Storage Crystal. His manner had also returned to that of a jovial old man.
"Phew, you really made this old man work for his salary. Who's your master? I'm certain that mischievous kid Tetsuya couldn't have taught you that well."
In front of this girl whose keen sense for battle awed him, nearly giving him a heart attack, he was very curious about her background.
"My master died a long time ago but he wasn't well known as he only taught sword techniques. Also, senior shouldn't look down on Uncle Tetsuya. He's surprisingly capable."
"'Surprisingly capable'. Hmph, and this old man farts rainbows. Anyways, I believe congratulations are in order. You pass, and very convincingly too. You can call me Teacher Yama. Welcome to the Bladeworks Academy!"
"Thank you, Teacher."
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1 Using Western alphabetical order for convenience here. My Japanese is far from where I’d like it to be.