In response to the apparent threat the class were now posing, Septus’ body began to blur and shake until he suddenly divided into seven bodies, each with their own colour of clothing, no longer the black it was at the start. Looking at each of the class, the seven each took their sword still in its scabbard from their belt.
“I tried to be indulgent. I can see now your teacher has been spoiling you far too much,” they muttered in unison as they began wrapping the leather strap around the crossguard and giving a few test swings to make sure the scabbard wouldn’t fly off.
In response to his sudden division, Bea drew upon her summoned demon's power to divide into, as she called it, a Beakers dozen. All thirteen Beas then charged at the seven Septuses and began grappling all of them.
Having not expected his opponents to use his own trick, Septus was caught off guard and was currently stuck trying his best to throw the Beas off. As Gunter could attest to, she was very nimble at avoiding such attempts. Especially if she could find purchase on clothing or armour.
Distracted and flailing around, Tasha took her turn and sprang from her spot near Daisy to right in the middle of the fray. Ignoring the hits and strikes from Septus, she began striking at his mana channels only to find he was wearing a set of under-armour that was effectively blocking her strikes.
“I didn’t want to do this so soon,” she groaned as she increased the mana flowing through her to maximise the enhancement effect they had. Normally no sane warrior would do this as while there were benefits; the drawbacks would be close to torture. Tasha, however, had been trained not to be bothered by such issues. So where many a warrior chose it as a last-ditch effort, it was closer to the top of Tasha’s playbook.
“Gaghh!!!” the Purple Septus cried out in pain as one of Tasha’s strikes had shattered a rib through his armour.
“Impressive… to think you are even conscious using such a technique?” the Purple Septus commented as he looked Tasha over, who was bobbing and weaving around two other Septuses' strikes. Taking a moment to nurse his injury, the Purple Septus looked at Tasha with newfound admiration.
“I was taught by someone who would call this technique weak,” Tasha replied as she delivered a sweeping kick at his legs with the intent of shattering them, only to feel her own shin fracture. Her face displayed a brief moment of pain before it was replaced with surprise.
“You are not the only one who can use such a skill,” he replied with a smirk as he gripped her by the hair as she tried to retreat.
“NIKLAS!!!” Gunter shouted to his familiar that had been circling in the sky above. The very second Tasha’s hair became taut, Niklas swooped down and cut the hair leaving the Purple Septus with nothing but a handful of hair for his trouble. Looking up at the bird, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Familiars as well, then?”
“Yes, Familiars as well,” Kline replied as he moved towards the first Septus that had escaped the Beas grappling. The Violet Septus looked absolutely terrified as he looked at Kline astride his Manticore with a spear at the ready.
“So scared for the head of the guard?”
“Well, I am the fear emotion,” the Septus replied, defensively holding up the scabbard-coated sword. Manny, though, only swatted it to the side as if it were dealing with a child—a child not from the kindergarten class, that is.
“MINE MASTER HATH DECREED YOUR DEATH FOR THE LADY DAISY!!!”
“Oh, i-i-it talks?!!”
“Yes, he does,” Kline replied.
“THIS ONE’S NAME IS MANNY, AND HE SHALL BE YOUR END ON THIS DAY!!!” Manny roared as he slowly approached a slowly retreating Violet Septus.
“I-i-interesting fact,” the Violet Septus said as he found his back against the HQ wall.
“What is that?” Kline asked.
“KLINE, GET MANNY BACK!!!” Maxwell shouted as he could see what Septus was doing.
“Even a cornered rat can kill a cat,” the Violet Septus said as he charged Manny into a tackle. Kline and Manny didn’t react as they expected him to fail due to the sheer difference in size and strength, only for Manny to yelp in pain. Maxwell recognised the terror terroriser technique—a skill to convert your fear into strength temporarily.
Slowly but surely, Kline could see the angle of his view begin to change as the Green Septus started lifting Manny in the air before suplexing the pair into the ground. Using his heightened speed and movement skills, as well as plenty of experience dealing with the kindergarteners' dogpile attacks, Kline got out of the way of his Familiar.
“A-are you ok?! The Green Septus asked, looking around the groaning Manny for Kline.
“I AM!!!” Kline replied as he began making strikes with his spear, which the Green Septus dove to avoid retrieving his sword to further defend himself.
Daisy watched the fight as it was unfolding, shooting pinpoint, accurate mana shots at any opening Bea and Tasha created but seeing him suplex a Manticore left her stunned. Even with all her overwhelming rage and hate, she could see he was powerful.
“Maxwell, any suggestions? He seems tougher than we bargained?” Daisy asked just as she kneecapped the Red Septus with a Scatter Manashot blast.
“He has some decent armour on, and Tasha doesn’t have the healing array, so she is starting to struggle. I can join the fray, but now may be the time to call sir.” Daisy nodded as she took out a pocket knife and made a cut in her ring finger. Maxwell did the same to his own ring finger, assuming two fingers would draw their teacher there faster.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“I can see after playing with you kids, I can’t take it easy any longer,” the Yellow Septus said as, with a flick of his thumb, he undid the straps holding the scabbard in place. With another flick, he shot the scabbard out and hit a pair of Beas that were too close together, knocking both off their chosen Septus.
“Righto, I guess I’ll start with these two,” he said as he ran the blade through the two stunned Beas on the floor.
“BEA!!!” Gunter cried out in shock only to see the two Beas vanish into dust.
“HOW DARE YOU HURT HER!!!!” Gunter roared as he raised his warhammer, which he had been using to block the few counters Septus sent the support group's way, and charged into the fray. Almost immediately, it became a flurry of strikes, all of which were being parried with seemingly little effort from Septus.
“Wow, you got a good arm on you… though I don’t feel technique, so you’re not a real fighter,” the Yellow Septus observed.
“YOU BECOME A REAL WARRIOR WHEN YOU FIGHT FOR THE WOMAN YOU LOVE!!” Gunter roared in response, increasing the speed of his strikes.
These words, though, had the reverse effect that he had hoped they would have, as while they spurred him on, they caused the eleven remaining Beas to pause in red-cheeked shock. A pause the Septuses took full advantage of to throw all her copies from them. Now free of Bea, they all freed their blades from their scabbards.
“We need to find the core one,” Bea cried out as she landed near Maxwell and Daisy.
“Core one? But he is all the same?” Daisy observed.
“No, Bea is right. Even copies need a core part to go back to; if we take that one down, they won’t be able to function. There is always a delay between the core and the copies.”
Maxwell was still forever grateful for how much he had learnt when put through the wringer by Sithy. Even now, he could maintain fast-think at the same rate that his mana naturally replenished. It may be nowhere near the maximum he could handle, but it would increase his reaction time by a significant factor.
“Yeah, he’s right,” Bea said with a nod agreeing with Maxwell’s information.
“Ok, with you guys out the way, it won’t matter which is the core if we hit them all… TASHA RETREAT!!!” Daisy shouted to the clumped group where Tasha was still dealing out a beating as bad as she was getting. Without a second or even a first thought for that matter, Tasha jumped out of the mess and landed deftly near Maxwell.
The young werewolf, upon seeing the elf, had to contain a pang of shock. Tasha was coated in blackening welts from where Septus’ hits had gotten through her defence. Though seeing how Tasha was moving, you wouldn’t have known it.
“Ok, everyone, time for a sir Haddy Special!!” Holding out her hand, the class immediately retreated backwards, knowing what was coming. As with all her mana shots, her hands began to blur with a bafflefield. Immediately after, a fiery blast appeared in the middle of the regrouping Septuses. A cloud of smoke and dust erupted, filling the courtyard and blinding all the onlookers.
“Did we get him?” Tasha asked.
“You know because you asked that we didn’t?” Bea snarkily replied.
“She’s right, you know… such an interesting technique. Good thing I’ve seen it before; otherwise, hoo boy, a few of me would be dead… You sure you should be using such a dangerous spell in public?” Septus’ voice asked from within the cloud.
“Can you lot answer me this though… What is it you really are after? You insult and attack me in public, so it must be something important.”
“I already told you!!!” Daisy shouted back.
“Ah yes, ‘Enacting Justice’... do you feel this is just? Six on one? Even after we did the duplicate game, it was still lopsided.”
“I DON’T CARE!!!! YOU KILLED MY MUM AND PROBABLY MY DAD!!!”
“I don’t know who has been putting that idea in your head, but I will need to have words with them,” Septus sighed as Maxwell cast a wind spell to dispel the dust cloud revealing only a single Septus in the black clothing he was wearing before splitting.
“Done playing the copycat?” Bea asked.
“I’ve sufficiently assessed your combat ability. It was foolish to consider his students would be weak even at a young age. So I shall face you seriously now,” Septus replied as he held his sword at the ready.
Looking at the sword itself now they had the chance; the blade was rather unimpressive for the weapon of the head of the capital’s guard. If anything, its mundanity made it even more suspicious.
“Ok, I will try to pin him down again,” Bea said as her remaining copies all charged Septus, who in response moved in the same way that Kline and their Teacher moved—weaving around the Beas in a way that seemed almost as if she were purposely avoiding him. As he reached a few steps in front of where the Beas landed, he stood upright once more. A few seconds passed before all the Bea copies vanished, having been destroyed in his initial movement.
“What happened?!!!” Bea cried out. “He moved like Master Mimi and Serena!!!”
“Ah, I thought I saw some of her tricks with you. When this is all over, I would like my coin purse back,” in response, Bea clicked her tongue.
“I didn’t see anything either, and I’m using fast-think.”
“Interesting… so we have a reckless brawler, a speedy duplicator, a toolmaker in love, a close combat tactician and you; little miss Potshot.”
“You forgot me!!” Kline shouted, having manoeuvred out of sight during the cloud of smoke to get a surprise attack.
“Oh, I didn’t; you are by far the most interesting. Avoidance techniques are often developed in life-or-death situations. I would love to see how you learnt them at such a young age,” Septus casually replied as he held his sword over his shoulder and blocked the spear strike with the flat of the blade.
“You wouldn’t survive them,” Kline replied as he retreated and returned to the class formation.
“No?... No, I suppose you believe that… I felt no lie there.”
“You can sense lies?!” Maxwell asked in shock. He had read some people could develop the power, but it was exceptionally rare.
“Oh yes, perfect for my job here,” Septus replied, gesturing to the HQ around him.
“IF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH, THEN WHY ARE MY PARENTS DEAD?!!!”
“I… I can’t say… it is one thing knowing the truth but another proving it. This power is not accepted, as evidence, Lady Haemont. It is all too easy to use it while lying, so evidence is always needed.”
“Enough of this. I know you killed my mum… I know you are responsible for everything… I KNOW EVERYTHING!!!” Daisy shouted as she held out her hands, intent on ending this. Pouring all her mana to supercharge her own version of Manashot.
“Raaa, Idiot kids should stop!!!” A raven flying overhead cawed.
Hearing a Munin shout from above, a familiar chill ran up everyone’s spines. An overwhelming chilling force of aura was approaching. Daisy reeled in her mana usage and fired the shot, which Septus took the brunt of. Staggering back half a step, Septus seemed genuinely shocked by the power of the shot.
It was as he marvelled at his chest where the shot landed that a few of the onlookers began to collapse unconscious. A casual tapping footstep against the cobblestones approached the HQ building.
“Well, now… what’s going on here?” Alex asked as he stepped between the two sides.