CHAPTER 37: MAGNUM CARNAGE

After Hermes finished his conversation with Elizabeth, he returned to his dorm room to get ready for the next day. His mind swirled with theories about the conversations they had just an hour before.

He had gone there to obtain information on the Marcia Empire, but somehow obtained an entire lesson on Ethyria and the many realms of existence from Elizabeth herself.

According to Elizabeth, one can think of Ethyria as a type of clay. An incorporeal material that houses elemental properties which can be shaped or molded into spells using cosmic force. Creating a spell takes three components. The ethyric mixture one needs to craft the desired spell, an Ancestral Tongue language like Solari to call upon the powers of nature to mold the ethyric mixture, and cosmic force to fuel its creation.

Although her explanations made sense, without actually seeing how they were done realistically, he would not be able to fully understand the nuances of such methods. He had already realized that the spells he cast against Kel'thus inside the underground palace were done entirely by Elgacia. There were a lot more intricacies at play than he originally assumed when it came to mysticism.

Another thing he learned was that the abilities of a technology domain Celestial did not rely on Solari or any ancestral tongue at all. They can simply think of the item they want to conjure and create it. The same applies to their other abilities as well.

No one in Sanctuary City knows why such a difference occurs, but many scholars assume that it has to do with how Atomnium, as they call it, works. The clear benefit of this, however, is that most Technology Domain users do not even need to sign a contract with a spirit to wield their abilities. Some still do insist on doing so just to obtain a larger pool of Ethyria to work with other than their own, but it is not required in the earlier stages.

The next few days, he spent the time researching mysticism extensively in the library as well as going along his usual routine with the academy and joint training exercises. His training with the gunblade had also yielded him the ability to brandish it without much trouble compared to when he first started.

It was now the fifth day of the second week. Only 3 days were left before approximately 40% of the new cadets would be selected to take the Elysian Monolith test. This was nothing to concern himself about, however. He already knew how strong both Kevin and Elizabeth were.

Elizabeth's knowledge in combat and mysticism were on par with fully graduated cadets. At just 12 years old, she had already mastered most of the knowledge that Guardians her age are currently acquiring. During the Guardian Regiment's Recruitment Examinations, she had scored an S+ on the knowledge portion and a solid S in the cosmic force portion. Even her physique score was slightly higher than the average girls her age would be able to obtain.

Wiping the sweat off his face, Hermes walked over to the other side of Training Facility B where a singular silver box stood; it housed the gun shells Dorian had provided him. After lots of hesitation, he had finally mustered up the courage to use them.

Opening the latch, the reflective golden surface of the cases was mirrored in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Hermes picked up six of them and opened Dawnbreaker's revolver cylinder, carefully loading them one by one.

-Click!

The sound of the obsidian black revolver chamber closing back into the barrel echoed throughout the empty hall.

According to Arthur, the gunblade had the ability to shoot both normal rounds as well as magical rounds. The ones he housed inside the revolver chamber were normal ones loaded with a special mixture of gunpowder.

What makes the gunblade so formidable, however, is its ability to channel the explosive power of its shells as the user desires. Instead of just firing and waiting for the bullet to escape the barrel, you can switch to 'barrage' mode using the lever positioned horizontally across from the hammer spur.

When this mode is activated, the barrel will, instead of firing a bullet, use the explosive power inside the shells themselves to coat each slice and slash with a fiery coating. The problem with this approach, however, is that the explosion itself or its recoil could backfire on the user, which could cause heavy injuries or even death.

Hermes took a deep breath and placed the gunblade over his shoulder. He took a step forward and bent his knees slightly. This was the stance he had formulated to use the gunblade optimally. His hard work had finally shown some results.

With his hand on the gun handle, Hermes slowly inched his index finger toward the trigger, getting ready to pull at a moment's notice.

Calming his thoughts, a newfound resolve ignited inside him. It was now or never. Either he succeeds in shooting it properly, managing to grasp something useful using [Augmented-Comprehension] and [Martial-Study], or gets hurt trying.

Hermes quickly activated both abilities and in just a sliver of a second, he would enact the attack he had envisioned inside his mind using [Augmented-Comprehension]. He channeled his focus, finely tuning his muscles to the utmost precision, and exerted force with a decisive stomp of his left foot to enhance the momentum of the swing.

"Haah!"

The gunblade, firmly grasped in his hand and resting casually over his shoulder, became a blur as Hermes blazingly swung it in a single, fluid motion; one that reflected his dedication to honing his skills. Simultaneously, his index finger tightened its hold over the trigger, igniting the shell inside the chamber.

-Boom!

As the hot air continued to push itself out of the barrel to ease the pressure inside, the meticulously etched grooves inside the blade redirected the ring of explosions toward the sleek edge of the gunblade. Along the path of Hermes's slash, a vivid display unfolded—trails of fire and smoke emerged, triggering small explosions that punctuated the dissected air.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Just as he envisioned, the diagonal slash of the sword skillfully countered the bulk of the recoil unleashed by the gunblade. The even distribution of explosive power along the blade's edge ensured that the resultant pressure was uniformly spread, effectively mitigating the overall force to a negligible level.

Nevertheless, Hermes' hand trembled noticeably; despite meticulous preparation and rigorous training, his body seemed ill-equipped to contend with such formidable forces. Exhausted, he gently rested the gunblade on the chilly metallic floor, panting heavily, with palms pressed against his knees for support.

"Hah, hah… I will call this move 'Magnum Carnage, First Movement'."

A satisfied smile graced Hermes' lips. Not only had he executed the envisioned move on his initial attempt fairly well, but the proficiency of his performance had also gleaned valuable insights from both [Martial-Study] and [Augmented-Comprehension]. At last, he grasped the fundamental intricacies of Gunblade swordplay. With enough practice, a formidable swordplay will soon be forged; one that will one day be etched within the annals of human history.

…

Finishing his duties as a cadet, Hermes was finally free to do what he wanted. He quickly took a shower inside his dorm and changed clothes. Stepping outside once more, he headed for the all too familiar library, which he had gotten used to. Suddenly, an authoritative voice resounded from behind him.

"Stop."

Turning around, the figure of a middle-aged man in a military uniform engulfed his eyes. The man had fairly sizable wrinkles and a fat face. His blonde hair was disheveled underneath his military cap. His eyes, which were tainted in a deep blue, gazed toward the young cadet before him.

Upon keen observation, Hermes discerned the distinct markings of a superior officer in the man before him. Without a moment's hesitation, he seamlessly executed the trained protocol, snapping his feet together with precision and delivering a crisp salute by swinging his fist toward his chest.

"Good Evening Sir!"

The man pulled his arms behind his back as he scrutinized the young man before him. Hermes continued to stand in the usual military stance without moving an inch except for the occasional blinking.

"You. What company do you belong to?"

"Sir, I have not been assigned a company or battalion yet, sir!"

"A new cadet? How do you peasants continue to sneak inside here… Tsk."

'Arrogant tone, check. Blue eyes filled with disdain for others, check. A punchable face, check. All qualities of a Verdier family member…. Just my luck…'

Hermes continued to stay silent. Arguing with a superior could give them an excuse to court martial him. His plans for the future were too big to waste trying to cause problems with some pig from who knows where. In his opinion, it was much better to just stay quiet and endure the brief humiliation.

As the cadet remained unresponsive, a smug smile formed on his face.

"I heard you are one of the most promising cadets from your generation… Is that true?"

'Heh, so he already knew who I am and decided to pretend to be ignorant...'

Hermes answered shamelessly, without hesitation. "Yes sir, that is indeed me."

"Oh? How about we put it to the test, then? Me and you can have a sparring match; I'll allow you to learn something from fighting me."

'This asshole just wants to beat me up…'

"Sir, I apologize, but I will have to decline your offer. I have other things to do currently."

A frown appeared on his face. "Boy, are you going against my orders right now?"

"I didn't know you were giving orders, sir."

"Hoho, you even have the gall to talk back to your superior officer?"

Waves upon waves of cosmic force oozed out of his body, creating an ocean current of authority. The sudden increase in pressure made Hermes buckle under the enormous weight.

"Khhh!"

"You should know your place, peasant. Just because you are a Guardian doesn't mean anything. No one is higher than the nobles. You are all just our slaves, got it?!"

'He is out of his fucking mind! Damn it, it's too painful, ugh!'

The enormous pressure became even larger, like a tsunami drifting into a metropolis, carrying more and more debris within its colossal waves. All of it bore down on Hermes' body with keen precision and no regard for his safety. Blood began to ooze from his pores as the enormous amounts of Cosmic Force began to press onto his body.

Suddenly, another pressure emanated from a few meters away. It was a cosmic force signature that he was familiar with.

A voice as cold and indifferent as a mighty titanic king bore down on the arrogant Verdier family man.

"Oh? All of us are your slaves? Me included, right?"

The man tried his best to shield himself from the onslaught of an even higher authority than his very own. One that bore the resemblance to a pitch-black abyss that consumes all who jump inside its gaping mouth. At the same time, Hermes' body was freed from the Cosmic Force Suppression he had just been subjected to.

The Verdier family officer began to pant heavily as his knees buckled to the floor. He looked in the direction of where the Cosmic Force was emanating from as horror marked his entire expression. Cold sweat began to pile underneath his stomach's skin folds.

"B-battalion commander M-ming Xue! I-I didn't m-mean what I said! I-I was just educating this rookie!"

-Step, step, step…

From within the obsidian void, cold and calculated steps resounded across the corridor as it got closer and closer toward their direction. The Verdier officer, who was already trembling in fear, began to crawl away slowly.

After finally having a moment to relax his body, Hermes turned his head toward the source of the commotion. The figure of a man in an open navy trench coat, military uniform underneath, and a sword sheathed on his left hip, appeared into view. Casting his gaze toward the face of the man, a glimmer of indifference resounded from within the pitch-black abyss inside his irises.

Hermes immediately recognized the man. It was the one person who continuously provided him with motivation in training, hoping to one day best: Battalion Commander Ming Xue, the second highest rank beneath Arthur himself.

His eyes were entirely focused on the prey before him; Hermes felt like even if the Verdier officer prayed to Buddha, the deity of enlightenment would ignore his plight in favor of not offending the monarch marked in the shadows.

After stepping directly in front of him, He used his voice to issue a single command.

"Speak. Who sent you to bother Hermes?"

"B-battalion Commander! N-no one did!"

"Oh?" The darkness surrounding Ming Xue expanded into tentacles that wrapped around the poor wrench. Soon, they encroached upon his entire figure, covering him in absolute darkness. Not even his wails of agony could be heard. The executive officer was completely wrapped in the darkness, like a cocoon.

A cold sensation traveled down Hermes' spine as he witnessed the scene. Although he faced the cold-hearted man in battle, this was the first time he had seen him using his abilities against an opponent without holding back.

'Reminder to self… Never fuck with Ming Xue… Like ever…' The thought continued to ring in his head, as if a long forgotten survival instinct had reawakened inside him. Suddenly, the accomplishment he was so proud of just a few hours ago felt too small to even boast about.

Noticing his shocked face, Ming Xue nodded slowly. "No need to worry. He isn't dead yet."

Before Hermes could sigh in relief, Ming Xue's bloodthirsty voice resounded in his ears.

"Instead, he himself will soon be wishing for death…"

End of Chapter