Without hesitation, Viper unleashed [Void Blast] towards Kai, the concentrated beam easily decimating the trees in its path. To everyone's surprise, Kai managed to jump and somersault over the intense spell, escaping certain death if he got struck.

Kai quickly seized the opportunity to finish the duel by aiming for Viper's neck with his [Lightning Blade], but to his surprise, before his attack could even land, Viper's body dissolved into darkness.

Kai mumbled, "She sure is tricky, using my own move against me. When did she create that [Shadow Clone] though?" Before Kai could think further, his shadow behind him suddenly distorted as a figure emerged surreptitiously from the shadows, blade in hand.

It was Viper, and she was about to turn the tables on an opponent superior to her when suddenly, Kai's body emitted electricity all around him, catching her blade which then sent electricity coursing through her body.

Though the electric shock wasn't fatal, it was sufficient to numb her body and stop her attack. The next instant, Kai had his [Lightning Blade] placed near Viper's throat as she was forced to surrender.

Kai commended, "Viper, I must say that you've impressed me the most out of you three. Even though you may not possess much destructive power, your tactical ability combined with your deadly vision enables you to not only hold your own against tough opponents, but also complement your teammates in team fights. In fact, you would have defeated me if not for my [Lightning Body] spell, which sends an omnidirectional electric current whenever triggered.

It's a self-defense mechanism I came up with against assassins when my reflexes fail me. Of course, if your attack was much stronger, my little protection would have stood no chance. You came very close indeed, Viper. By the way, was that last attack of yours from an Enigma Ability? If so, it's pretty cool, being able to meld with shadows."

Viper simply nodded without speaking a word. At this point of time, Chen suddenly woke up and asked, "Woah! Is the duel over already? What did I miss? Ouch…" Kai replied gently, "Take it easy, Chen. Your body's not fully recovered from that technique yet. The session's already over, but as I mentioned earlier, the result of this battle isn't significant.

What's more important are the individual lessons you've all learnt from this battle. Reflect on what you've experienced and identify your shortcomings. Subsequently, work on those weaknesses and you'll find that you have a lot of room to grow, myself included. Chen, I'll accompany you to the infirmary to get checked. The rest of you, you're all dismissed for today.

Think about what I've said and we'll meet here tomorrow at the same time. We're going to work on team tactics tomorrow, now that I've a better understanding of your individual abilities. Come on Chen, let's go."

Kai supported Chen as the pair limped off towards the infirmary. Viper watched on in concern before closing her eyes, disappearing in silence. Jibril stretched his body and exclaimed, "What a pity I couldn't take part in the battle today. Ah well, it's indeed been an eye-opener for me, witnessing your battle, Eunice."

Eunice turned red slightly before replying softly, "Is that so? I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself, Jibril. Tomorrow would be even better, right?" Jibril nodded with a wide grin as the pair headed back together.

When Kai had finally returned home, the sun was about to set as he trudged into his home, devoid of energy. He hadn't expected his battle against students to be so taxing to the extent that the medical staff at the Infirmary where he brought Chen insisted that he undergo some treatment as well.

Perhaps Kai had underestimated the severity of the wounds inflicted by Chen. After all, he had been accustomed to leaving his body broken and battered without medical assistance during his one year of training with Clan Vizard. His biological father, Redmond, was a real demon, claiming that the best way to cultivate and master demonic energy was to perform self-recovery without external assistance.

Painful and heartless as it sounds, the truth was that such harsh conditions had developed Kai's self-regeneration abilities using demonic energy, rebuilding his body into a more resilient one. Therefore, Kai refused medical treatment from the nursing staff, who were all stunned when Kai demonstrated his regenerative abilities, his bruises all fading shortly.

However, the use of such recuperative powers took a large toll on Kai's stamina, since he was still a novice at self healing unlike Akame and his father. As Kai dragged his feet listlessly into the living room, an excited voice called out to him, "Brother! Guess who's back?"

Kai turned slowly to face his upbeat sister as he asked monotonously, "Who's back?" Suddenly, his eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of blue hair flowing in the kitchen, which was different from his mother's. Kai rubbed his eyes sleepily and enquired, "I'm not dreaming right? Is that you, Adeline?"

In front of him stood a beautiful young woman dressed in an apron, her luscious blue hair flowing below her shoulders. However long her hair was, it wasn't enough to conceal her pointed ears, a sign of her ancestry. The woman, upon seeing Kai, rushed forward to embrace him in a tight hug and exclaimed, "Yes, it's me, dear. My, you've grown so much over the past year that I nearly couldn't recognise you! How've you been doing?"

Kai replied as he reciprocated her gesture, "I could say the same of you. You've grown into such a captivating beauty that if not for your hair colour, I could have mixed you up with my mom, hahaha! I'm doing fine, just came back from my new job as a Mentor at Zion Academy."

Adeline took a step backwards and said gently, "Yes, I've heard about your new job from Yuri. Sounds pretty interesting! Come, take a seat, dinner would be served shortly." At the dining table, Kai sat between Adeline and Akame, while Yuri sat in between Arkad and Charissa.

Charissa was the first to speak as she spoke gently, "Thanks for the help in the kitchen earlier, Akame and Adeline. For Adeline, I formally welcome you back to Nirvania. I suppose your training back at Eren is complete?"

Adeline replied cheerfully, "Yes, Master. After I've mastered the Eclipse Luminos under your tutelage for 7 months, I spent the remaining time in Eren interning under the Coventry led by Sister Ilya so that I can improve my healing magic as well as the use of my Eclipse Luminos. Upon completion of my minimum term of service with the Coventry, I returned here immediately."

Kai was about to open his mouth before Charissa interjected, "Yes, Kai, I was Adeline's master for a period of time to help her awaken her Eclipse Luminos, before I was finally discharged by my brother and allowed to return here. Adeline, your return could not be any timelier. At least I can now leave Nirvania knowing that Kai has you by his side."

Kai appeared dumbfounded as he questioned, "What's going on? Mother, I've only been with you for less than a week and you're leaving already?" Charissa replied solemnly, "As much as I love to spend as much time with you, Yuri and your father, I'm only discharged because the Sylph Kingdom currently doesn't require my services.

However, I've recently been summoned back to lead the Rangers on another mission by my brother. Knowing Azir, he would not call me back unless he deems the situation grave enough. I'm so sorry, Kai, Yuri."

Yuri patted her mother's back as she said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mom. Dad and I are still here to hold the fort we call home. Just promise that you'll come home safely, okay?" Charissa hugged her daughter tightly before turning to face Kai, tears in her eyes.

Kai rubbed his head in annoyance as he muttered sheepishly, "Don't worry about me, Mom. At least we had spent time together as a family of four, no matter how short it was. I've Adeline and Akame by my side on top of Dad and Yuri, so just concentrate on your mission and come home safely!"

Charissa looked at her husband who simply kept his eyes closed as he nodded in agreement, a smile on his face. She felt extremely relieved upon this sight. Her husband was a man of few words, but he was a family man, having single-handedly brought up Kai and Yuri without a single word of lament against her. Her children had all matured and grown up perfectly, and they were in good hands, so they were no cause for concern.

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Charissa wiped away her tears as she smiled brightly, apologising, "I'm so sorry to disrupt this joyous mood with my news, come on, let's eat! We're still family regardless of what happens." The sombre mood disappeared as quickly as it arrived, as everybody resumed their dinner.

Kai spent the next couple of days training his team on tactics, where he divided them into 2 teams based on their complementary abilities. Jibril and Eunice formed one team, and Viper and Chen formed the other.

Kai focused largely on polishing their teamwork, combining the strengths of each team while teaching them to cover each other's weaknesses. This was crucial as even though they were powerful individually, against enemies who were well-drilled and synchronised they stood no chance if they fought like individuals.

One week was not a lot of time to transform them into a perfect team, but his team learnt fast and swiftly grasped the basics of team fights. Apart from combat tactics and techniques, Kai reiterated the importance of survival knowledge, since they were going to be out in the field for an extended period of time.

Hence, Kai had his team undergo a refresher course on foraging and navigation to attune them to the dense and harsh terrain that awaited them in their mission. After all, the mission they were allocated to required them to infiltrate and destroy the base of operations of a group of wanted guerrillas who had been threatening the peace of a nearby Nirvanian settlement.

The guerrillas were located deep in the heart of the jungle in Northern Nirvania, close to the border between Nirvania and the Sylph Kingdom. The mission was classified as A Rank by the Adventurers' Association, which meant that it was suitable for Grandmaster tier combatants.

Judging from the description of the mission, Kai felt that it was pretty straightforward. Putting it simply, it means to find the enemy base, kill everyone in it and wreck the entire place, then go back home. However, he just could not put a finger to the uncomfortable vibe he was getting from this particular mission.

The dread he felt was awfully similar to his experience in his first extermination request, when things went awry. Kai could only pray that he was just being sensitive about his knack for landing in trouble.

On the last day before they set out for their mission, Kai announced that it would be a rest day for them to perform their individual preparations. He also offered them a treat at the newly opened restaurant named Vicki's which was immensely popular, as a reward for completing their rigorous training.

Surprisingly, Viper flashed momentary distress before she politely declined Kai's offer via hand gestures. The rest agreed readily and they fixed a time for their meet-up at 1800. At the appointed hour, the three team members were already seated when Kai arrived, bringing 2 more guests with him.

Kai introduced, "Hello everyone, I'm pleased to share that the school has approved of me bringing 2 more people to aid us in the completion of the quest. This lady with the blue hair is Adeline and the lady with the black hair is Akame."

The 2 young women gave warm smiles as Chen exclaimed, "Adeline…You don't mean the Sylph Princess Adeline right?" Adeline gave a playful look as she teased, "Yes, that's me alright! I'll be serving as your combat medic, to take care of any nasty injuries you have sustained."

Jibril was stunned momentarily, but soon regained his composure and said gently, "Welcome to the team, it's alright for me to address you as Adeline for the course of this mission, right?" Adeline smiled brightly and answered, "Of course, unlike Kai who holds a position of command in the team, I'm just a fellow teammate. It's a pleasure to work with all of you!"

Kai nudged Akame who begrudgingly muttered, "I'm Akame and I shall be your…supervisor, yes!" Everybody gave confused expressions before Kai intervened with a serious tone, "Well, you all can treat Ms Akame as the vice-captain of this team, just like Ms Adeline. Their orders hold the same weight as mine, so if you all want to live, you better comply with their instructions!"

The trio stiffened slightly upon hearing Kai's words before he continued, relaxing his expression noticeably, "Hahaha, I'm just joking! I'm serious about their appointment as vice captains though!" The trio started murmuring excitedly before Kai interjected, "Alright, enough of the stifling formal stuff! Come, place your orders! It's Akame's treat after all, wahahaha! Just kidding!" before Akame threatened to rip off his ears.

After the three had placed their orders together with Akame, Jibril asked, "Captain, why are you not joining us? Adeline, you too?" Kai answered matter-of-factly, "Well, I've actually made prior arrangements for a reunion dinner with some of my old friends at this very same restaurant.

You guys just enjoy your meal and accompany Akame. I'll be over there with Adeline if anything crops up. Enjoy the treat, you're going to need all the energy you can get for the upcoming mission!" Kai then got up from his seat with Adeline as they sat someplace else.

Minutes later, a group of six entered the restaurant as everybody's eyes were glued onto them. They comprise of, firstly, the twin aides of Sword Saint Van, Julian and Julia, next, the members of Saint Cross, Shen and Jean, the Master of the [Scalpel Palm Style], Jonathan and member of G.E.M.S, Rachel.

Everybody looked on in awe, this was a gathering of the golden generation of young heroes, the Rising 8 as they were affectionately known by Nirvanians. Some patrons turned to stare at Kai and Adeline, before slowly realising that the couple was probably the last 2 low-profile members of the Rising 8, students of the Lightning Saint Ray himself.

Jibril muttered in envy, "So these are the so-called national heroes, I'm going to make a name for myself too!" Chen called out excitedly, "Master Jonathan, it's such a coincidence to meet you here!"

Jonathan turned around and replied gently, "Ah, Chen, a coincidence indeed, yet at the same time, it may not be so. Kai, I entrust Chen to you, please take care of him during your mission." Kai nodded before Julian interrupted, "Ah, come on guys! We've gathered here to have fun, not worry about work! Come, let's place our orders and have a good meal, hahaha!"

Ignoring the numerous eyes on them, the Rising 8 nonchalantly placed their orders with a young, nervous waitress with white hair before resuming their catch-up session, behaving totally like young people their age.

Shen, who sensed the discomfort in the air exuded by certain patrons who had been staring nervously at them, cleared his throat as he announced, "I'm sorry if we had disturbed your meals everyone. Please continue and pay us no heed, we're just some old friends gathering to reminisce good old times. Thank you!"

Everyone soon resumed their meals as normal as the air cleared instantly after Shen's remark. Julia elbowed him as she teased, "Way to go, Mr Vice Captain. Your intelligent words surely saved us from any awkwardness." Shen simply nodded as their food arrived shortly, the chefs probably afraid of offending them.

The 8 of them started sharing their respective experiences before recollecting old memories as they laughed and teased like ordinary citizens. Meanwhile, on the table nearby, Eunice commented, "Too bad Viper couldn't join us. The food here is scrumptious! Not to mention the opportunity to enjoy the rare sight of the Rising 8 all gathered together! They actually appear more approachable in real life, seeing them like this."

Jibril replied with a slight annoyance in his voice, "Maybe it feels that way because of our personal interaction with Captain Kai, a member of the Rising 8. It doesn't matter, after this mission, we'll be on our way towards becoming heroes too, just you wait!" Chen nodded in agreement, his eyes burning with resolve never brighter before.

At the corner of Chen's eye, he suddenly noticed a waitress mishandling a glass cup as she was cleaning the table. To his surprise, the waitress displayed unnatural dexterity and uncanny reflexes as she simply kicked the dropping glass up with her left foot which landed perfectly on her tray.

Chen swiftly called her and whispered innocently, "I witnessed your cool little trick earlier, care to share with me how it's done? If not, can I have your name at least?" The waitress, who sported white hair tied neatly into a ponytail, blushed slightly as she simply walked into the kitchen without replying.

In the kitchen, the young woman tried to calm herself down as thoughts raced through her mind. She assumed that everybody was preoccupied with their meals and talk to catch her little trick, done in a span of merely 3 seconds. What made matters worse was the person who had caught her in action, someone she knew personally.

Before she could think any further, her thoughts were disrupted by a man who stepped into the kitchen. This man was her father, Casey, who was also the owner of this restaurant. Casey remarked, "Pretty nifty trick you showed there, Vicki. Too bad you got caught in the act by one of your friends.

You know that our teachings teach us to prioritise stealth above all else, right, my dearest daughter? Luckily for you, it's no big matter and the boy's probably too dense to discover your identity. Nonetheless, treat this as a warning to never assume, especially when you're out in hostile territory. I wish you all the best for your mission tomorrow, Viper."

Vicki nodded regretfully. At least she had learnt a vital lesson without paying a huge price. Now, she was Vicki the waitress, but come tomorrow, she would be Viper the assassin, proud daughter of Cobra, former Nirvanian Black Ops executive. Vicki smacked her lips in excitement for the times to come, starting tomorrow.

A group of men were kneeling in reverence to a man seated on a makeshift throne, which in reality, was simply a large wooden crate. The man was flanked by 2 bodyguards, one lean and pale and the other heavily built and tanned.

Nonetheless, both exuded strong auras as they stood proudly next to their master, who was fairly muscular like his tanned bodyguard. Upon closer look, the kneeling men were all wanted criminals, or more precisely, guerrillas who had been harassing the nearby Nirvanian settlement for resources and supplies.

The representative of the men spoke humbly, "Our esteemed Master, this group before your mighty self is all that remains of your Army. Ever since the failed assault on the Green King's Abode, our forces have steadily declined without proper leadership from you or the other executives.

However, now that you've returned as promised, we can finally reinstate our lost name and honour, getting revenge for all our comrades who gave up their lives for the cause. Long live Lord Astaroth! Long live the Chaos Legion! And long live General Amon!"

The man who was seated simply smiled as he smirked, "I'll do what I must to face those worthy enemies once again…especially the one named Redmond."