“Jashagychty Aloo” Boe chanted his “Vitality devourer” technique and placed his right hand on the dying assassin’s head. A warm stream of battle aura entered Boe’s body and the assassin’s body started shaking violently. Boe needed to restore his power to go help Kamys and this technique was the best way to do it. A few seconds later, Boe felt that his technique was successfully completed and he drained all remaining battle aura from the corpse. This time, Boe’s demon didn’t appear, but Boe was still happy. The previous contact with the demon was enough for him to gain a little understanding of the next step of his battle teaching. He needed to create a mental connection with the demon and this experience gave a great boost in Boe’s confidence in breaking through to the rank 2.
But when he stood up, he saw Kamys standing on a cliff a little higher on the mountain. Kamys’ face was ashen after the battle, and his mouth was open wide from shock. He thought he had a monstrous power after he defeated the assassin, but Boe did it faster than him and didn’t even look to be tired or out of battle aura.
“Brother Boe, you are just too scary…” Kamys jumped down and completely relaxed. His aura became cheerful, warm and kind again, his eyes were now brown and hairs red. He had a very relaxed and exhausted look on his face, but his eyes were burning with excitement. He knew that he could finally tell everything about himself to Boe, they now knew each other’s secrets and could trust each other. He was always a very talkative person and couldn’t really keep secrets, so the last few months in the school were a torture for him.
“I don’t think I’m the scary one here to be honest. What was that bird behind you and was that fire fountain your job as well?” Boe slightly smiled and came closer to Kamys. He usually had an apathetic personality, but for some reason every time he was with Kamys, he was acting like his past self. Boe has never really considered why that was happening, but now he understood that Kamys was his first real friend in this life. When Boe was in a grave danger, Kamys didn’t hesitate even for a second before jumping in to save him. As the saying goes, the true friend shows his loyalty in times of troubles. So Boe decided, that no matter what happens in the future, he would definitely never let Kamys down.
“That’s a power of my bloodline. To tell you the truth, I don’t really believe it, but my father always told me that I have a blood of a Phoenix and a Dragon in my veins. The bird that appears when I activate my bloodline is supposedly the result of a mixture of both bloodlines. And the battle teaching that I’m training is called the “Rebirth of a Phoenix”. But my power is nothing compared to my father. When he activates his bloodline, a huge amber-colored bird appears, flies around him and help him in battles. My bird is red and it doesn’t even move, which is a first level of its evolution. A second level is when it becomes vermilion, though it still doesn’t move but can attack enemies. My father is at a third level, that’s why his bird is amber-colored, can fly around and assist him. A patriarch of my clan is at a fourth level, his bird is bright yellow and it has an actual physical body! He can mount his bird and fly around, can you imagine it? The records of my clan are stating that there is a fifth level of bloodline manifestation. Anyone who reaches this stage would merge with their bird and reach a level of power far beyond this world. But no one reached that level in the history of my clan although we had a few ancestors at rank 9 and even legendary rank 10.” Kamys was talking non-stop, he seemed to forget about their battle and his current condition. He was so happy to finally tell his story and brag about his father and patriarch. He was fifteen-year-old boy after all, he still had a childish character and dreamed about becoming a powerful being in future.
“Your clan is actually that powerful? Why are you in our little school then?” Boe was stunned after he heard Kamys’ story. He couldn’t imagine for what reason a powerful clan would send their own young talent to train in a low level school.
“My clan is one of the three guardian clans of our king. My real name is Kamys Theodore of the ancient Theodore clan.” Kamys felt rather guilty that he lied to Boe before, but now he was relieved.
“Guardian clans of the king?” Boe didn’t really know much about the Shadow Kingdom, so he had no idea what that meant.
“Are you even from the Shadow Kingdom? How can you not know about guardian clans?”
“I was actually born in another kingdom and came here to study in our school because of my master’s instructions…” Boe had no choice but to mention his master.
“That explains a lot. Well, guardian clans are the three ancient clans that swore loyalty to our king when he just unified the Shadow Kingdom under his rule. Each clan protects a different side of our kingdom. My clan is responsible for the south borders, where the Empire of demons lays. The war with demons got a lot more serious these years and a lot of my clan’s people died by the hands of demons so my father decided to send me out of the clan until I’ll be able to protect my own life. But he passed me the battle teaching of our clan and helps me from shadows. I’m his heir after all…” Kamys’ voice became soft and sad when he was talking about his clan and their current state.
“So you have a very noble background, eh? And I’m just a poor little boy from a tiny village in a small kingdom. My master chose me as one of his students, gave me the “Demonification” battle teaching and then sent me to our school to train and develop myself. Nothing interesting here, so keep telling me about other guardian clans.” Boe was even more depressed when he was reminded of his origins. He didn’t know anything about his parent’s current life. They probably think that I died right after Rak… Boe hoped his parents were okay and his little brother would support them before he would be able to get back to them.
“Poor little boy? You’re at least not weaker than me, and I’m the current “Child of Fire” of my clan. This title is only given to the best talent of a generation and you somehow surpassed me, do you even understand what kind of monster you are?” When Kamys just started training, he showed the best talent among his peers and that was exactly the reason why his clan agreed to send him out to keep him safe. He was the best candidate to become the next patriarch of his clan so the resources he was receiving were immense, but Boe managed to become stronger than him at the same age without any kind of a support. While Kamys wasn’t the strongest on the continent, he was definitely one of the top ten within the Shadow Kingdom. Previously only other children of guardian clans, royal family and personal disciples of hidden powerhouses could contend against him. But now Boe claimed that he was just a beggar from the little village and yet he was evidently on the same level of strength as the best geniuses of the kingdom.
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“Well, you can consider my master to be a hidden expert, I guess… Better tell me about other guardian clans.” Boe couldn’t explain his master’s origins, since he didn’t really understand it himself so he tried to change the topic of the conversation again.
“Hidden expert? You don’t have to tell me about him if you can’t, but if there will be a chance, introduce me to him.” Kamys’ eyes were sparkling like stars in a night sky. People of this world always respected strength, so meeting a powerful expert was always a desire in young hearts. “Second one is a Garcia clan. They’re located in the west and protect our kingdom from Church of Light. But in reality they’re doing nothing since we’re on pretty good terms with them and their Grand Inquisitor since the beginning. And the last one is He Clan, which is responsible for the north borders and are doing a very good job of establishing good relationships with the Dark Elf Kingdom. It is thanks to them that we’re able to participate in this competition.”
“If three clans are protecting our kingdom from three sides, then what about the east?”
“East is where the savage Empire of Beasts located, but that place is the safest one. The royal family and King Karib are responsible for that region and beasts don’t even have a single emperor to rule them all, so they’re not a threat to us.” Kamys wore a very proud expression on his face when he was talking about King Karib, as if it was him who guarded the kingdom from beasts.
Boe was now wondering where was his little Green Plains Kingdom located on the Lin continent. He had never seen a complete map of the continent and had no idea how The Strongest moved him from his kingdom into the Shadow Kingdom.
“Ligu family might already know that their assassins failed to kill us, let’s leave this place and go to the He clan or straight to the Dark Elf Kingdom as fast as we can.” Kamys has finished telling his story and Boe said as much as he could, so he felt that it was enough and they needed to move.
Two days later, in a Kemon Forest on the north of the Shadow Kingdom.
A dark silhouette in tight pitch black clothes with a black mask on a face was swiftly moving between trees. When the mysterious figure heard someone walking twenty meters ahead, it stopped moving and listened to the conversation.
Meanwhile, Boe and Kamys were discussing the upcoming competition when Boe suddenly stopped talking and took a glance at their back.
“Someone is following us,” Boe whispered but didn’t stop walking.
“I noticed that too, what do we do?” Kamys didn’t look back, but he was already prepared to act.
“it might be assassins from Ligu family and they should be stronger than previous ones, so we should act decisively.” Boe has already activated his demonification form and Claws of Enthriil were already on his hands.
“Let me attack with my fire technique first while you’ll get close to them.” Kamys’ couldn’t activate his full power yet or else the enemy would easily notice the bird near him.
The masked person stood still behind the tree and held the breath. Kamys suddenly turned around, his eyes were crimson, hairs looked like they were burning, aura became majestic and fiery. The bird appeared behind his back and Kamys used his “Falling Star” technique, it was his strongest long-range attacking technique. It created a fireball in his hands, which he then threw at the enemy.
The fireball was extremely fast, but the masked person dodged it to the side and then looked at Kamys with stunned expression on the face. He then noticed that the second young man vanished and immediately jumped up.
Boe was a meter away when he slashed his claws at the enemy, but to his surprise, his attack was easily dodged. He then brandished his weapon in the opponent’s direction, but the masked person has already vanished from his sight.
Kamys was preparing to go all out and was ready to activate his “Awakening of the phoenix” technique, when an enemy appeared next to him. He tried to dodge an attack, but a leg was already landing on top of his head.
*BAM*
Kamys was kicked in his head and flew two meters away, when he landed onto the ground, he coughed and spitted out some blood.
Boe was enraged when he saw his only friend injured by an enemy, his killing intent overshot all the limits and his blood started crazily burning. He was ready to tear his enemy to the shreds, but then he stopped in a place and his jaw dropped.
A mysterious person took off the mask and the hood. Boe saw a gorgeous female with eyes as dark as night, a waterfall of shiny, thick black hair and absolutely perfect chiseled facial features. His heart started beating faster and his breath became unsteady. He has never seen anyone as beautiful as the girl in front of him, he even forgot that she has just injured Kamys.
“You two are now in serious problems, run away from here and leave the Shadow Kingdom if you can.” The girl looked to be fourteen of fifteen years of age, but her tone sounded like she was already a queen. Her voice was soft and melodic, her aura was gentle and dignified. Each and every aspect of the girl was absolutely flawless in Boe’s eyes.
“I’m … We’re very sorry. Assassins are hunting us two down, and we thought you were one of them.” Boe’s voice shook at the beginning, but he then regained his calm and it became cold and indifferent again.
“I don’t mind it, but they will be furious when… Well, it’s too late already.” In the middle of a sentence, the girl looked behind Boe’s back and her face became grim.
Before Boe had a chance to turn around and find out what the girl saw there, someone has already landed a hit on his head and he was heavily smashed onto the ground, blood spraying out of his mouth.
“Your highness, please stop running off from your bodyguards. If something will happen to you, your father will behead me so I beg you to spare my life and stay by my side.” A white-haired middle aged man in black military uniform with a black crow on a chest was now standing on top of Boe, while a young man in the same uniform was already tying up Kamys.
“Ro-royal guards?” Kamys’ voice was trembling from fear as he looked up at the uniform of two men.