“Umm….ugh…the sun’s too bright…someone turn it off.”
Why must morning come? Why doesn’t the night last longer? Why do classes start so early? These are questions I ask myself every morning on a regular basis. It’s such a pain, I wish I could sleep forever. Wait, what’s the time?
I search for the clock hanging somewhere on my wall as if it were placed in a different spot each time I want to look at it. My brain is still asleep. Oh, there it is, and the time is…Crap, I overslept. Oh well, being a few minutes late for class won’t kill anyone…Except that, today is the ranking exam!
I swiftly throw myself into my uniform and descend the stairs while tying up my hair into my usual ponytail, attempting to make it look decent to at least some extent. My next objective is the exit across the living room- I kick my pinky toe into the corner of our dining table and freeze up on the spot; I’m barely holding back my tears.
“See, that wouldn’t have happened if you went to bed early as I told you to.”
My mom steps in with a ‘told you so’ line as she creeps up on me from behind. A tall and black-haired woman with violet eyes. Recently I’ve come to notice my sisters resemble her much more than I do. Maybe I’m after my dad, or I just might be adopted.
“Here, I’ve made you this. I had a feeling you would oversleep. After all, sleeping in on important days is your specialty.”
She gives me a steel box containing food. I wonder what she made me. Never mind that, I need to run! I thank her and continue towards the exit when she stops me one last time.
“I’ll be heading out now, and when I return, I’ll be one of the top-ranking students! So you better prepare a party by then!”
And with that, I dash out through the doorway. Leaving mom and my home behind. I’m excited; at last, I can display my ability. I’ve been training hard with Dad the whole break just for this day to come, but so did everyone else. It’s either school or training on free days, it’s only the older or talented kids that get to have free time since they usually pass the exams with flying colors. Lena and Himari belong to those people.
———
[Sometime later]
“I can’t believe you have left me behind! Some sisters you are!”
I’ve successfully caught up to my older sisters just as they’re entering the school. Charlotte looks at me with displeasure while Lena has more of a confused look on her face.
“Look who decided to show up.”
Says Charlotte proudly as I stand before her covered in sweat and a messy uniform.
“We woke you up, but you told us to go ahead and that you have everything under control. That there’s no way you would miss out on the exam day. So we left without you.”
“What are you-… Wait, yeah. That really happened, hasn’t it.”
Charlotte is right. Now that she told me, I can somewhat remember waking up. I was too sleepy to get up and decided to stay in bed for five more minutes. But still!
“There there, you’ve still made it on time. That’s all that matters, right?”
Lena fixes up my clothes and wipes my face with a clean tissue. I’m starting to slowly calm down.
“How come you are never this kind to me?”
Charlotte’s disappointment only increases as I give her a smug look.
“Maybe because I can’t have a single morning without fighting you to get you out of the bed sheets.”
“Hey! I got up on time today!”
We are interrupted by the sound of bells ringing throughout the whole school building. The exams will be starting soon, I need to get ready! Without a second thought, I sprint out toward the changing rooms, this time being the one leaving my sisters behind. When I arrive at the girl’s changing room, everyone is already getting prepared. I’m still on time though, now I just gotta find some space, it’s practically packed in here.
“Yuuna! Over here!”
I spot Himari shortly after scanning the area. She’s waving at me from a corner across the room. I squeeze my way through the crowds of students all dressed in the same black tops and shorts. Who’s idea was it to make a single changing room for all of the girls in the school?
“Where are your sisters?”
Himari questions me as soon as she gets the chance since she notices I’m alone.
“They should be here soon.”
I couldn’t help it. I finally get to demonstrate my power. A great way to boost my ego!
“Did you know? The same guy from last year will be overseeing the exams. Apparently, he’s one of the highest-ranking commanders straight from the capital. I can’t wait to see him again!”
If I can remember correctly, he’s pretty old. Like past middle age-old. With a full beard and a bushy mustache being an addition to his mean-looking face. That kind of guy.
“Since when are you into older men?”
Red as a tomato. That’s the only way I could describe her current skin tone. I guess she responds with colors now instead.
“I’ve only found out myself after last year. That single time our eyes have met was the moment my love for sprouted and has been blossoming ever since.”
I’m pretty sure she’s referring to that one time the guy was walking around as we students were lined up. He was trying to intimidate us with his stare while explaining some stuff. I can’t believe she means these cheesy lines seriously. I’m caught off guard when someone’s arm wraps around my shoulder.
“There you are. What happened to all that ‘waiting for your sisters’ talk? And what’s up with her?”
Oh, they found me. Rather than being focused solely on me, their attention is stolen by our drooling lovebird. Charlotte seems more confused than myself.
“She’s having a love-struck episode.”
Lena walks out of the man-made swarm and approaches Himari as she pronounces -
“Nothing unusual there.”
I guess this normally happens to her. Despite knowing Himari for quite a while, I’ve never really seen her like this. I guess Lena manages to calm her down before I get to see this side of her. Since they are classmates and all that.
“Calm down, Himari. Do you really want to go through this again? Don’t make me remind you how the particular type of men you specifically choose to shamelessly fall in love with end up ditching you anyway because they aren’t the kind that would enjoy girls as clingy as you. Honestly, just ‘clingy’ doesn’t do you justice. How many times have you been dumped already in the past year? Go find a normal loving guy for once, but maybe work on yourself first.”
The girl full of love and joy suddenly drops in mood, leaving her happy-go-lucky attitude behind and entering the seven stages of grief. The exams will be starting soon, will she be alright? Three students walk by and one of them pushes Himari over onto her fours.
“Oh, my bad, didn’t see you there. You’re so pale you blend it with the walls.”
All there of them start laughing. They’re obviously here to pick a fight, their grins say it all. Typical peanut-brain goons with big egos. I help Himari back up onto her feet. She looks alright, but I ask her just in case to which she only nods. The main girl of the trio is an arrogant princess from a wealthy family named Aura. Her father is the Mayor of this town. The other two goons tagging along are just her yesmen without a personality.
“Do you need something?
My eldest sister confronts them, but she’s only met with more harassment.
“The monster and the failure, what a combination. The biggest failure around even, I can’t imagine the disappointment your parents must have felt when they’ve finally realized that you’ve reached the end before anything even started. The only reason you are in the S rank is because you happen to have some borrowed power. But that doesn’t matter anyway, because out in the wild, you’ll be nothing more than demon bait.”
Coming from the bitch that happens to be somewhat relevant only because she was born into a rich family. She gets really up close to Lena’s face as she whispers the last sentence. As if trying to strike fear into my sister. Not like that would ever work with the person this crap came from.
Lena remains calm throughout this whole encounter. On the other hand, Charlotte smiles with a vein clearly visible on her forehead.
“I’m gonna pounder her teeth in so deep that they will come out of her ass.”
She quietly whispers to herself. Loud enough for us to hear and Lena responds by shaking her head. She doesn’t care enough to start a fight. Now personally, I’d love to do exactly what Charlotte said she would do, but someone else gets ahead of me. Before anyone gets to react, Himari’s palm is diving deep into one of Aura’s soft cheeks, leaving just a red mark behind. The sound it produces is music to my ears.
Princess Aura is in shock. She definitely didn’t expect this coming, even though she should have. Her parents have never laid a finger on Her Majesty, yet here she now is, sitting on the cold floor after getting smacked by a midget.
“Say whatever you want about me, but keep my friends out of your filthy mouth.”
There’s no response to Himari’s warning and her victim’s expression displays anger before her goons pick her up and all of them leave in silence.
———
[School’s training grounds - Exam time]
Just like last year, all of the students are lined up before a small podium upon which the overseeing commander stands.
I’m standing between Lena and Hidiku. The rest got separated from us, but it didn’t take me long to find them. On one side, a bit further, stands Charlotte with Enmei. And of course, she somehow managed to fall asleep standing up straight.
“Fight me.”
Enmei elbows her just to call her out.
“Shut up. Don’t touch me creep.”
A valid response from my older sister, she pretty doesn’t want to have anything to do with the guy. I hope he was only referring to the sparring session we're going to have later as a part of the exams. Though, if I can hear them all the way here, then that means so can the commander. In fact, he didn’t get to start his speech yet and he’s already down his little stage, heading towards them.
Both of them freeze up before his ‘majestic’ presence. He gets close up and personal, straight into Charlotte’s face, so close Himari would have already been smooching him if it were to be her. Maybe he’s just trying to show off the scar that goes over his eye. Was that always there? I haven’t noticed it last year, it looks pretty cool. On the other hand, sis looks traumatized.
“Having fun?”
The questioned girl shakes her head in denial to his calmly asked question, but unlike Charlotte, her partner in crime somehow catches a glimmer of hope and nods with a nervous smile. Charlotte falls into a silent panic.
“Good. I’ll see you in the principal's office after exams.”
The soldier walks away as my sister gives him a timid ‘sir, yes sir’. Enmei continues grinning. Knowing him, he sees this as some kind of special training opportunity only the chosen ones are worthy of, freak. I feel kinda bad for sis. Meanwhile, Himari is located on the other side. She’s somewhat closer compared to them and… sobbing.
“It’s not fair. It should have been me.”
Was she always like this?
“Yuuna, are you going against her today? You were raring to go last time.”
Lena notices me staring down our friend. She’s right. Despite Himari’s current state, she’s strong, really strong. And her fighting style is pure art. She’s the second-highest-ranked student for a reason. I can feel the motivation fueling my determination. Today I’ll beat her and prove to everyone that I belong at the top. Just watch me!
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The commander climbs back up to his previous location.
"Greetings, future soldiers. My name is Nolen Spriggan and I will be your instructor for today's ranking exams. Here we will determine what rank you are qualified to hold, but keep in mind, that you have your fellow comrades on the field with you. Be aware of your surroundings to avoid harming anyone else. I'm hoping to see some promising students today. That is all from me, I wish you all the best of luck."
"Sir, yes sir!" The ranks chant in unison.
Alright, It is time to begin! The exams are divided into multiple parts. There are different categories for each ability group; hand-to-hand combat, combat with weapons, and some endurance tests. Everyone will be using a wooden sword as a weapon; it’s the standard and only option here.
We are starting with the hand-to-hand combat. For this test, everyone is required to find a partner they will face. There will be multiple groups at once monitored by the teachers and the instructor. Getting beaten by your opponent doesn't mean you have failed or anything of the sort, it all depends on how you perform.
My partner is Himari. She's well-trained in hand-to-hand combat. What's more, she has a habit of not holding back. It's not a bad habit... Actually, that depends on the situation, but you won’t hear me complain since that means I can also go all out.
I slowly make my way towards my chosen opponent as cold sweat slowly emerges from my skin.
“You want to go?”
I ask her without a second thought. For a second, the petite girl looks at me with surprise in her eyes, but that feeling changes to joy in a matter of seconds.
“Alright! But I must warn you, I won’t be holding back on you just because we are friends.”
Himari says with a joyful smirk on her face.
“Oh please, don’t insult me.”
I pull out a confident smirk of my own despite slightly trembling with anxiety.
“Time’s up! Everybody, begin!”
Commander Spriggan yells across the field. His signal makes me reflexively direct my sight at him, but when I look back, Himari is already raring to go; her face says it all. Oh, man….I might actually end up with a broken bone or two if I’m not careful enough. Alright, Yuuna! This is no time to be scared. Show her what you are capable of! And as I stare directly into Himari’s eyes, she suddenly vanishes.
It takes me a moment to realize the speed that this girl can reach, but it’s just enough to evade her roundhouse kick from my rear. I lean to the side far enough to flip myself over as I use my arms to support myself in my leg’s stead and bounce back to my feet.
“Not bad, but there’s more where that came from!”
Himari dashes towards me and launches a barrage of punches from every angle possible. I attempt to block them until she strikes a blow stronger than the previous ones. This one breaks my guard and throws my arms back, but she’s not stopping here. I try to regain my guard as she continues, yet my efforts are close to being in vain. She’s not letting me block, so I try dodging instead and as a result, one of her fists grazes my cheek, causing a cut.
My blood begins to boil as I block one punch after another, it’s outright irritating! Think Yuuna, use your head!
Your… head.
My rival is happily punching away when I, without a second thought, force a step forward, just like a crazy person would, and throw myself at her. The confident girl misses her punch by an inch and ends up getting head-butted. I fall to the ground as I hold my head and tremble in great pain. Himari falls on her back as her soul leaves her body.
This year’s exams are a bust.
———
[Even later that day - After exams]
“Where… am I?”
As the room is filled with sunlight of the afternoon, coming through the windows and the medical bed creaks, Himari slowly sits up while regaining her consciousness.
“We are in the school’s infirmary.”
I answer her question with a smile as I sit in a neighboring bed while having my forehead wrapped in bandages. We both do.
“The… infirmary?”
Himari slightly leans her head downwards and rests it on one of her hands when suddenly it comes back to her.
“You head-butted me!”
The injured girl yells out as she points her index finger in my direction. I kind of wish I would have thought my actions through. I can’t think of an excuse, so I giggle it off while scratching the back of my head. Two knocks sound from the doorway, then the door opens; it’s Lena.
“Hey, you two. You are finally awake.”
She makes her way to our resting space and then sits down on my bed.
“Seems like you are doing fine.”
To which Himari answers with her evil-portraying gazes targeted at me.
“We could have been better off if one certain person used her head.”
I look back at her as confusion lingers on my face.
“I did though.”
“Not literally!”
We must look stupid with the bandages on our heads in this situation. Or at least it made my older sister giggle. Himari sighs before proceeding with a question.
“Is everyone still doing the exams?”
“They sure are, I’ve completed mine a bit early so I took the opportunity to come and check on you.”
That’s nice of her. Though, I feel sorry for whoever went up against her.”
[Around the same time - Somewhere in the Hikone town]
A mother and her daughter are walking through the crowded streets of Hikone, holding hands so the little girl doesn't get separated from her mother and get lost. The little girl suddenly stops and begins to gaze at the sky. Her mother stops a bit further and looks at her.
"Sophie, come. We’ll be late again."
Her daughter points at the clear blue.
"Mom, look! There's something flying up there."
The mother looks up at where she's pointing at. As they stand there watching the object in the distance, more and more people gather around them as they start noticing the floating object and stare at it. At that range, a person could think it’s just a bird. Just that the thing is standing still.
The longer they stand there and gaze upon it, the more apparent it becomes that it's slowly descending towards the town. The mayor's mansion to be precise. It's been built on a small hill at the edge of the town. One of the guards on the lookout routine uses his spyglass that allows him to see into great distance. Once the object gets close enough, its nature becomes painfully clear.
A muscular humanoid figure at least two meters tall, black as ash. Knees bent backward, a twisted spine through the body piercing through its back and becoming visible to the naked eye. Thick horns come out of its forehead and the face practically outlines its skull, with missing eyes in the sockets.
A demon has descended from the heavens.
As soon as the observing knight realizes what the town and its people are up against, he runs to the nearest emergency bell and starts ringing it to alert the rest of the guards about the dangerous threat.
It doesn’t take much time for some of the troops to group up and head for the mayor's mansion. At the current height the demon is at, and with its speed, they have enough time to get to the mayor and escort him out. There are only five of them as they are in a hurry and the rest are still on the way.
Running towards the mansion, they notice the demon stops moving for a few good seconds just before they enter the mansion. It looks down at them with a sinister grin that appears on its sightless face. The uneasy feeling becomes mutual between the soldiers. One of them halts his advance before the entrance with cold sweat running down his body.
"Wait! Don't go inside!"
He tries to warn them. Unfortunately, it is too late. As the rest of the soldiers take their first step inside, the demon comes ramming down into the building, crushing his comrades right before his eyes; he freezes up.
Standing right behind the demon, he looks at his friends crushed beneath the destruction. Streams of blood flow down from beneath the rubble. Their bodies have been torn apart; parts scattered all over the place with visible organs hanging out of them and intestines hanging off the wooden supports for the roof.
Frozen in place, unable to attack nor run for his life. The monster looks at him with the same grin it had given a few moments ago. As if forcefully pushed to the ground, the soldier feels immense pressure on his body. The beast then walks off, further into the mansion. The guard feels completely powerless, he drops down to his knees and follows the demon heading deeper into the building with his gaze until finally, it disappears into the vast darkness of the corridor.
It takes him a bit, but he soon comes back to his senses. The soldier gets up on his feet before turning his back on the mansion and the man he’s supposed to rescue. The Mayor has his own skilled personal guards at his side at all times and so he leaves the threat in their hands. Instead, he decides to return to the town and help with the evacuation. Little did he know the same demon was standing right behind him.
It came back for him. Or to be exact, it never let him go in the first place. It is merely toying with the troop. In a matter of seconds, his lower jaw comes loose. The demon swung its arm, ripping apart the skin and muscles that were keeping his face together. His tongue is hanging out; the man lost his ability to speak words and now only yells in unrecognizable sounds as he falls on his back after his legs fail him.
He has nowhere to run. The monster steps on his stomach with its full weight. Unable to breathe, the man slowly suffocates. Tears begin streaming down his face when the demon leans towards the guard and gets into his face, then gently strokes him on the head as if it's patting him.
The thick and rough texture of the demon’s hand can be felt as it runs down the soldier's head before running its fingers through his eyeballs and into the eye sockets. Cries and groan-like sounds echo out with the tortured victim in great pain.
The demon lifts its victim up, holding him by his skull from the inside of his bleeding eye sockets. It carries the soldier to a snapped wooden pillar and finally ends his suffering by swinging him with full force onto the pointy edge of it, impaling him completely.
Now the demon is truly headed inside the mayor's mansion. Creaking accompanied by an ear-aching sound can be heard throughout the mansion's first-floor hallway.
The demon proceeds to walk through the mansion, scratching the stone walls and dark wooden pillars supporting the structure of the building, leaving claw marks and the corpses of its victims behind. A trio of guards comes descending from the ebony-paneled stairs leading to the second floor, at the end of the hallway the demon is walking down.
"Man, this place reeks."
One of us yells out after catching a displeasing scent. The demon doesn't show any signs of stopping. The trio is made up of two men and a single woman, they are the mayor's elite guards; only the most skilled can be assigned to such a position. The demon is well aware the mayor is on the second floor, getting ready to escape. It has no intention of slowing down. Instead, it starts moving faster.
As they descend all the way to the flooring, their captain takes a step before his team. Blond short crew-cut hairstyle with a short goat beard and dark brown eyes, the right one bearing a scar. The symbol of a battle-hardened veteran. Brown, light, but thick leather clothes cover everything but his head with some light metal plating over his arms, legs, and torso. On the left side of his waist is a katana scabbard, in which its blade is stored - attached to him with a belt. His name is Cliff.
The two soldiers accompanying him have the same gear; it's their clan's style. The Ryoshi clan - a clan of demon hunters. They specialize in this kind of thing. The woman, Rose, has slightly orange hair with a side cut and blue eyes, while the last man of the group has long brown hair tied into a ponytail with a short beard and hazel eyes. He's Kenjiro. The three are the elites of their clan.
The demon begins its run towards them. Standing before the two soldiers, Cliff switches to his battle stance as he grasps his blade, but he doesn’t pull it out just yet. He patiently waits for the demon to get close as it is running down the long corridor. Two seconds later there's a five-meter distance between them. The captain firmly leans towards it, producing a creak.
In an instant, the wooden flooring makes an audible crack as Cliff dashes towards the enemy, leaving a distance only of an inch between the two of them with not even a single second passing by. It is almost as if he teleported or vanished for that very short moment, and it is only now that his sword is being drawn.
Cliff swings his blade, attempting to slash the demon before him, but its reaction speed doesn't allow that and the demon bends backward, completely dodging the swing. Its crooked spine can be heard through the hallway as its joints dislocate.
"Damn, you are one agile bastard."
Rose, standing behind her leader together with the other guard, suddenly has a little bit of a surprised expression on their face.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone dodge this attack unscathed. Impressive."
Kenjiro standing beside her then grins.
"Unscathed? Just look at it, the thing had to break its back."
Both of them start giggling. The man fending off the beast lets out a sigh as the demon bends back towards him.
"Hey! If you two aren't planning on doing anything, at least go get me some milk until-"
Before he gets to finish his sentence, the demon begins its assault and swings its arm at the captain. He evades it by jumping back a few meters and the demon hits the wall instead, leaving a hole leading outside in it. With no time to spare, Cliff dashes tuns it, then jumps and spins with his blade in hand. However, it grabs his arm just in time to keep his blade just centimeters away from its uncanny face.
As the demon is distracted, the other two soldiers are now behind it, drawing their blades and swinging their katanas simultaneously from both sides as they head back in the direction of their original position. Before their blades reach it, the demon completely turns around using only its torso, leaving the bottom part of its body behind, as the bones can once again clearly echo through the building.
Using the momentum it built up, the demon throws the captain at Rose, knocking her back, but misses Kenjiro. It tries to evade his slash but despite its very fast reaction speed and agility, it is too late. Instead, it tries to counter by throwing its fist at him but Kenjiro manages to dodge as he lowers his center of gravity and cuts through the demon's right ankle.
It is only partially cut and the foot is still hanging on to the rest of its flesh, but it does the job and makes the demon unable to walk on both legs. While Rose is trying to pull her captain back on his feet, the Demon lets out a fearsome roar. It is loud enough to make the three of them cover their ears and momentarily stun them.
"What the heck was that?"
Rose looks at the demon after being momentarily deafened; it’s gone. Kenjiro then yells out.
"Behind you!"
Rose doesn’t get the chance to turn around when the demon swings its arm and sends her flying through the wall to the outside of the broken-down mansion, hitting a carriage mounted to a horse that is meant for escorting the mayor. As Rose tries to grab the carriage and pull herself up on her feet, the demon briefly gazes at her before getting interrupted by Cliff throwing a rock at the inhuman beast.
"Hey, I'm your opponent."
Blood is trickling down my his. The demon looks his way for a few seconds, then ignores him as it looks back. It takes a step towards the hole when Kenjiro appears behind its nape, moving in for the strike but the demon doesn't bother to turn around. Instead, it puts its hand behind the nape and grabs the blade which then gets squeezed and destroyed.
For whatever reason the demon is showing no interest in fighting them anymore. But even so, Cliff dashes, positioning himself before the beast in an attempt to pierce it as it is distracted by Kenjiro. The demon effortlessly uses its second hand to grab his head and throws him outside, through the hole in the wall.
As the soldier lands, he does a few barrel rolls before stopping near next to Rose.
"I see things are going great on your end."
She pronounces sarcastically as she struggles with the pain. Injured, Cliff looks at her with exhaustion as he notices something going on in the background. He spots the mayor. A short, round guy with a mustache and an ugly face. He is still in the upper half of the mansion, but instead of escaping, he's maneuvering something down with a rope from the window of the second floor.
“What the hell is he doing?”
It's a suitcase. The soldier stares in confusion. Rose notices and follows his gaze. Then it becomes clear what is going on as money slips out of the overflowing suitcase.
"You can't be serious…"
Rose limps toward where the mayor is easing his money down as Cliff stays put and tries to recover, even if just a tiny bit. Meanwhile, the demon is ready to drop down from the building but once again gets interrupted by Kenjiro. He grabs the demon by its legs and lifts it up.
It is caught off guard by Kenjiro's unexpected strength and ends up in the opposite wall, giving Rose more time to get the mayor and the captain back on his feet in order to help the soldier holding the demon back. Meanwhile, Rose finally gets beneath the mayor's window and grabs the rope as the suitcase is about to reach the ground.
"Excellent! Now stow the case away into the carriage before anything happens to it!"
The mayor shouts as climbs out of the window to let himself down the rope. Rose is still holding onto the rope irritated, so she pulls it with all her might and sends the mayor crashing down to the ground. Having problems standing up with his heavy body, she looks at him with disgust and pins the round man with her foot.
"Hey, fat swine, there are soldiers risking their lives to protect you, some even lost their lives, and for what? So some greedy pig can save his precious pennies, putting them over the lives of people? Those soldiers have families that are waiting for them to come back home but instead of helping them you trample over them for some money?"
Rose starts pushing his foot harder into the mayor's sternum as he screams out in pain. Then she pulls out her sword and points it directly at his face.
"It will be better for all of us if you die here."
"KENJIRO!" A sudden yell can be heard from the captain calling out to his comrade.