Monday came around and the first day of Do-hari's teaching shift arrived for her to teach the students of Bulan High School, the next stage of the mission setting stage. I drove down the streets in her car to Bulan City, first dropping off Ae-Ri and Minsu to their school then followed by going to Bulan High School.
Do-hari began to feel slightly nervous as she began to think about how she'd teach the students and what to teach them, a surge of questions running through her mind yet she could find no definite answer. My gaze was focused on the road, my mind too focused on what Claudio had told me from Saturday.
'Operation: Samson...so they plan to kill me by betrayal like this? It's too early, and it won't work. I already know where you hide...Delilah. I trusted you in St. Meishi, but unlike your Philistine blueprint...your deception won't win again,' I thought to myself, gripping the steering wheel tighter and exhaled through my nose, light embers escaping.
Do-hari glanced over at me as she noticed the temperature within the car had rose, her eyes catching sight of my focused, yet stressed expression on my face. She reached over to grab my free hand, her gentle touch breaking me out of my trance.
"Nox...I've never seen you look so stressed before. Is it about having to teach at a school as well? I'm nervous as well...after the incident two years ago I barely left the house and now...I'm called to teach an entire class. Did you ordain it?" Do-hari asked, her thumb gently rubbing against my hand.
I began to calm down at her casual conversation, knowing she was trying to break me out of the dissociation I was in. "I didn't ordain it. I may be your Lord in Qutsade, but everything good that happens and any test is ordained by God alone. I am but a vessel used for His plans."
"I'm curious about something...if you're an Echo, do you have your own agency? I mean...I've been thinking recently, and I just feel like everything just feels a bit too perfect. Do you truly love me?" Do-hari asked, looking ahead at the city scenery ahead.
I chuckled softly at her and exhaled softly, turned my hand to interlock our fingers together. "I have my own free will, but I use it for God because I love Him. I have my own desires, wants, and drives. Though I am His Echo, I am still wretched at my core as I am my Lord's son, but I still have my own thorn in my side."
"A thorn?" Do-hari asked, looking at me with intrigue and curiosity.
"I struggle with grief on my own. Lament is my thorn that I am learning to deal with. Have you heard of the archetype of the Final Lament? Stella Bushi is a Final Lament, Arcania was the sacrifice...which prophesies Exzodia being offered up in the same degree, however instead of me lamenting over her, Qutsade will lament over me. I am a Final Lament," I explained, turning into the Bulan High School parking lot.
"Final Lament..? Like the final cry before the end? What do you mean Qutsade will lament over you? I'm not quite understanding," Do-hari said, holding my hand tighter as she felt a tug upon her chest.
"In due time...you'll understand, but just know...I wouldn't stay with you for as long as I do now if I didn't love you and desire a connection with you. Strip away the power I was gifted, I am just another human like you...someone who will marry you," I said in a comforting tone, parking the car and looking at Do-hari with a smile.
Do-hari smiled back at me, comforted by my words and didn't think too much about the prophecy of my own death, only taking in the hopeful tone of our future. "Well, I love you too~ Now, let's go, Woo-Chi is waiting for us!"
I watched as she excitedly exited the car and chuckled then exhaled once more, closing my eyes and awakening my Yaoke with my eyes closed. Opening my eyes, I mentally prepared myself for the inevitable encounter, my own Sovereign Butterfly resting upon my lips and dissolving to hold my tongue.
Together, Do-hari and I made our way toward the main building and made our way toward the Senior Floor, the two of us climbing three flights to reach it. As I trailed behind Do-hari, I began scouting the area my Yaoke and Sephora's eyes glowing to scout out any deception within the area.
'She's here...the enemy has been watching me closely, so at the very least we are upon the same page at this point. It comes down to who can stroke their pen the fastest to continue the story,' I thought to myself, looking ahead and watching as Do-hari stopped in front of her classroom door.
Do-hari took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, placing her hand upon the sliding door handle. "Here we go."
Do-hari slid the door open, a surprised gasp entering her as her eyes fell upon the lawlessness within the classroom. The students were being roudy, roughhousing, lewd acts, and more, a class without direction stood before us. In the back of the class, Woo-Chi sat still, her eyes focused on her phone as she texted Eun-Song and getting caught up on what happened Saturday.
As she texted her friends, one girl leaned over her desk and looked down at her phone, scoffing at Woo-Chi and let out a laugh. "Look at Miss Goody Two Shoes here, once again still texting her Academy Friends like she's better than us..."
Woo-Chi grunted softly as the girl stole her phone from her hands, her gaze lifting in shock of her audacity. "Tae, give me my phone back!"
Tae evaded Woo-Chi's snatch and laughed as she fell onto the ground, crouching down and waving her phone in her face. "So-Yi leaves us and you come along after leaving Grushia...I still don't know how you made it in, but no matter how long you've been here the rules are the same..."
"What rules?" I asked, my authoritative tone bouncing off the walls as I approached Tae.
Tae looked up at me and stood up on her feet, looking me up and down with a light hum. 'What the hell..? He looks no older than me...two, three years maybe. 20...maybe 21 years old?'
"I don't know who you are, or what grade you belong to, but here in Class A-12, we run the show around here. You feel tough now, but when you tick me off you'll be running with your tail between your legs, sir," Tae said in a challenging tone, tapping Woo-Chi's phone against my forehead.
I chuckled softly with high patience, snatching Woo-Chi's phone out of her hand before she could even register what happened. "You were correct in calling me sir, but you decided to push your luck with blatant disrespect. However, I'll allow you to pass despite your lack of knowledge."
A guy chuckled softly at my statement, pointing his thumb at me and looking over at his girlfriend and friends. "Get a load of this guy...'I'll allow you to pass despite your lack of knowledge'."
"You should be grateful that all he did was snatch the phone," Do-hari said in the back, watching the entire interaction from behind me and catching attention as well.
Tae looked down at her hand, her eyes widening as she noticed Woo-Chi's phone was swapped out for a slab of hardened dirt shaped like a phone. She threw the dirt onto the floor and impulsively went for an attack, her hand phasing through my body and causing her to recoil in shock.
"What? I am as real as they come, after all...I can do this," I said, placing my hand upon Woo-Chi's head and protectively rubbing her head.
Woo-Chi blushed as I rubbed her head, groaning lightly and closing her eyes. "Oppai..."
Tae glanced between me and Woo-Chi, realizing our close relationship then turned her gaze to Do-hari behind me. She could sense Woo-Chi and Do-hari's energy, yet she could not sense mine as it was too high for her at her current spiritual maturity.
"Big brother..? Is that her brother..? What trickery did he just pull just now..?" Tae asked, fixing her hood on her head and cleared her throat.
Once the class got settled down and seated, Do-hari and I made our way to the front of the class where I took my seat at the teacher's desk while Do-hari prepared her ice breaker. I could sense Tae's gaze upon me and I looked right at her, tapping a marker against the desk.
"Good morning, class. My name is Do-hari Bong, and I am a retired Valkyria of...ahh, Manaport. I am currently 28 years old with two children and I am happy to start teaching you guys starting today," Do-hari said with a warm smile, glancing around the class to see only Woo-Chi was interested.
I cleared my throat, tapping the marker against the desk harder and closed my eyes. "And I...I am Noxius Winters, previous Dean of the old V.J.I Institutions, now judged and reclaimed as St. Meishi Academy. It's hard to hide my works, so yes I am the Dark Lord that judged V.J.I."
"Yeah right! It's like that Sa Nu Rim scandal at Grushia High. This guy's faking being that false Messiah for clout and attention. And who are you to this fine ass woman," One young man asked, scoffing at me and returning his lewd gaze to Do-hari.
I opened my eyes and looked at the young man, my gaze becoming serious as I noticed his hungry gaze. "My wife."
"Ohhh shit, bro you better stop stargazing at her," The guy's friend said with a laugh, patting his shoulder playfully, not taking me seriously.
"You, Nae Ki-Pam and Ro Kwang, are disgusting men. He just said she was his wife and you still gawk at her," The girl next to Nae Ki-Pam said, scoffing at them with light disgust.
Tae rolled her eyes and rested her cheek against her palm, waving her hand at the two of them with dismissal. "Yeah, we don't play that shit weirdos. We have a code here, jerkoffs."
Soel-na sat quietly in the back, keeping his head low as he constantly thought about how his college friends abandoned him at Pochon Park. He looked up at the commotion within the class, his gaze falling upon Do-hari's uncomfortable smile and my annoyed lion-like stare at Nae Ki-Pam.
I stood up from my seat and walked next to Do-hari, gently tugging upon her skirt to gesture for her to take a seat. I stepped aside so she could sit down, my gaze falling upon the entire class. "I can see you all have not had true authority amongst you, so we will teach this class not from the books. You all seem pretty smart, so let's see how smart you all actually are."
"The Doctrines of August, Stella, Ryoma, and Misaki all happen within the Old Covenant of Exzodia, all within the ages of 1700s to early 2010s when August resurrected for a third time to lift the false veil," I began, my gaze scrolling over to Tae and met her gaze.
"In 1812 during Stella's Age, what was the reason for Stella falling into darkness and her original goal for the land of Arcania?" I asked, waiting for Tae to answer and watched as she blew a bubble with her gum.
"I don't know, you tell me, teach," Tae said mockingly, rolling her eyes at me.
"Her kingdom was destroyed, her family snatched away from her like a thief in the night. Her original plan was to kill everything, anything that stood in her way between her and revenge. The difference between me and her, she succeeded in her revenge while I was tempted with it for two years," I began, my gaze shifting from Tae to Nae Ki-Pam, noticing their postures shifting.
"This isn't comparison, I applaud her...she got what she wanted, God gave it all to her because he understood...but in the end she was left with an important question. 'What now?'," I continued, watching as Nae Ki-Pam began to sit up straight. "She was not filled with the Holy Spirit during her revenge tour, however He came to her when the ultimate evils arrived. An evil named Unknown."
"And that's when she chose God and His people over her own desires and sacrificed Arcania to drive out Unknown. She drove Arcania into two deaths: murder and a loving sacrifice. She murdered Risa, the rest of her humanity during her revenge, and gave Arcania as a Final Lament to Risa and everyone she lost," Do-hari finished, rocking from side to side in her spinning chair.
"So what? What is this supposed to tell?" Ro Kwang asked, his tone filled with boredom.
"I lost it all once as well, just like Risa, just like Stella. I wanted revenge, but Stella is a cautionary tale...a drive without God is directionless, it leads to Death and emptiness. However, even at your lowest, He will reach you and give you a place you belong, just as He did for Stella with New Arcania," I answered, keeping myself as human as possible as I thought about the loss of Exzodia Kingdom to Terminus.
Tae stared at me and met my gaze once again, scoffing lightly at me yet sat up straight and crossed one leg over the other. "That's interesting and all, but we don't care about all the sentimentals."
"Yeah? I bet each and every one of you has a grudge you carry, something that is only between you and God. Each of you have something that drives your need for revenge, each of you can become like Stella. When you get it all, when you achieve your greatest goal without the One who made you, what do you have left?" I asked, walking from behind the podium and walked along the isles.
"Look at all of you now, sheep acting like wild dogs and ravaging vultures. Primal sheep who have forgotten who you are. Yet, there is always one amongst you who sets the example," I said, stopping between Tae and Woo-Chi then placed my hand upon Woo-Chi's desk and looked at Tae.
"Why do you care so much about her? She's just another goodie two shoes who thinks she's better than us," Tae scoffed, crossing her arms and averting her gaze away from me.
"Because even she is like Stella inside, yet she chooses peace above all else. It is written in the Chronicles, Vengeance is the Lord's only. You are jealous of something you too can achieve, unlike Stella who was forced into her vengeance...you have a choice," I answered then turned to look at Nae Ki-Pam and Ro Kwang.
"You two desire connection with a woman, yet your good eye causes you to stumble. Instead of a Helper, you want a helper in your sins. If your eye, even your good eye, causes you to stumble, gouge it out so you may focus on the light ahead of you," I said, walking toward them and knocked on their desk.
"What? You want us to rip our eyes out? Just for looking at a woman? Is that a threat?" Nae Ki-Pam asked, shooting up from his seat and puffed up his chest.
I stared into his eyes, using my Yaoke to read into his very soul then smirked at him. "The Eyes of God can see within your heart. You've had three breakups, and all three were not your fault. You're just a wounded soul, wanting a genuine connection...but you need to know what true love looks like."
Nae Ki-Pam grunted softly at me, unable to make a comeback and sat back down in his seat speechless. 'He read into my heart..? Who is this guy..?'
A young man in the back of the class next to Tae laughed at my statement, leaning back in his seat and resting his arm again the back of Tae's chair. "Wow, teach...you sound just like Yesha of Nazareth outside of these walls. You sound righteous, but you're still not proving anything. Why should we listen to you?"
"Because he's your teacher?" Do-hari answered, her innocent answer gaining another laugh from the young man.
"Yeah, the others have tried that. Look at us now. If you want us to learn something from you, prove to us you're worth writing something about," The young man said, raising a brow with a smirk on his lips.
I hummed softly at him, knowing he was of Alrean descent due to his darker complexion compared to his classmates, one shade darker than Tae, who was Sorien and Atren mix. "Your name. What is it?"
"My name? Heh, I am Ramud Horum, but everyone just calls me Ra. I'm currently the Class Rep with Tae here. Why?" Ra asked, tilting his head with curiosity.
"You sound smart, so answer me this. Do you know what an Echo is? It's spoken about it in The Chronicles," I questioned, crossing my arms and leaning against the teacher's desk.
"Echo?" Ra asked, sitting up straight as he began to rack his brain for information. "Uhh...it's that one thing...uhm..."
Woo-Chi scoffed at Ra, tapping her pencil against her desk and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh my God...an Echo is a person that reverberates a certain scripture, place, or even person. And it's specifically from the Biblos so not everyone can be or will be an Echo if it's not within God's plan."
"What? So who could this guy possibly be echoing? Yesha?" Ra asked in a doubting tone, rolling his eyes at Woo-Chi.
"I Echo even within my own lands. There was a King before the people of Exzodia was even established, an incarnate that was born before Yesha, one who echoed even Melchizedek named Melchihesed. I echo him, I echo August, Stella, Ryoma, everyone who came before I, I am echoing them for wisdom," I answered, watching as those with ears understood but those without became even more confused.
"Melchihesed? How can you Echo someone who just appeared out of nowhere and disappeared? What did he even say for you to echo him?" Ra asked, his voice tinged with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
"Blessed be Amram by God Most High, Creator of Heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand," I said, my Holy Fire emerging from my chest. "He echoed Melchizedek to Abram, Amram, exalted into becoming the father of the nations we know today in Exzodia and Eyica."
"If it was spoken by God, I can and will echo it. Even Melchihesed was a promise to Exzodia before she even began, a promise even before our Jacob who is now known as Eyica, one who has struggled with God," I added, noticing a few more ears began to listen closely.
Tae's leg shook as she listened to me, exhaling deeply through her nose and sucked her teeth. "Words can mean anything. How can we know what you're saying is true?"
"Blessed to those who believe even without seeing. Do you need to physically see God speak it to know it was spoken? Have you little faith in what I say is true? If I am a liar, why do you still listen and question?" I asked, crossing my arms and met Tae's gaze with curiosity.
"Your claims are huge and somewhat blasphemous. You echoing the one who echoed Melchizedek? And you didn't deny the idea that you echo Yesha, that in itself is blasphemous," Another young man sitting in front of Ra said, pushing his glasses up and looking at me.
"If you repeat what another person has spoken, are you not echoing?" I asked, looking at the young man with glasses.
"An Echo will perfectly match what the original Voice has said, that's why it's Blasphemy for you to claim to echo even a divine figure like Yesha," The guy said intellectually, meeting my gaze with a challenge.
"While that is true, an Echo is also a frequency...one that can be disrupted by the fallen world. I'll admit, I don't perfectly echo Him because I am imperfect. The problem isn't within the Voice or the sound, but with how the frequency is taken in. I do not come to replace Yesha, but to remind you all of who He is and why He came down to Earth," I said, pushing myself off the desk then stood in front of the class.
"However...I will meet you all halfway. If you want proof, I will grant it to you. I will cut you all a deal, me against you all. If you all win, I'll conform to whatever rules you want, however if I win, order will be restored in class," I offered, noticing the guys in the classroom whispering to each other and growing excited.
"You're gonna try to take on all of us at the same time? Is this guy serious? A teacher before you tried this already and got embarrassed, what difference do you think you'll make?" Tae asked with a scoff, leaning forward against her desk with intrigue.
Do-hari chuckled softly at Tae's skepticism and looked over at me with a smile. "Oh, you'd be surprised with how well he performs on the field. After all, he is a retired Dean of another institution. His resume is quite good."
"I wouldn't call it my resume, but yes I am not to be underestimated. You want knowledge? You want to seek truth, I am offering it to you on a silver platter. All you have to show me is how badly you want proof. Faith that produces no good works is dead, so show me that drive," I said, tapping the podium and began making my way out of the classroom.
"Oh this guy is batshit insane," Ra said with a laugh, smacking his fists together with a fiery excitement.
Nae Ki-Pam smirked at my challenge, cracking his knuckles. "We're gonna see how omniscient he really is. He talks a good game, and he knows he has to back it up...let's show this guy who we are!"
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I stepped outside into Bulan's Battle Zone 1, my gaze scouting the area to see a wide open track and field area with equipment laid around the area. As I walked onto the field, Ra grinned as he made his way behind me then held his hand out toward me and fired a ray of fire toward my head.
I stopped walking, phasing through his attack then turned around and remembered my first time out on a schoolyard and my first skirmish against Peter, Andrew, and Ava. "You all remind me of the time I first began my walk, people doubted me before like you."
Ra chuckled at me and cracked his knuckles, tilting his head then dashed toward me at high speeds. "Getting sentimental already? You know you've already lost!"
I phased through his roundhouse kick then blocked his elbow strike with the back of my hand. Redirecting his punch, he spun around into a back heel kick in which I ducked under then palmed his punch to deflect his hand backwards. Tae rushed toward his side with a twirling missile dropkick, her body phasing straight through mine.
I summoned a Sovereign Butterfly, launching it through the crowd of students then warped toward my butterfly, sending a burning kick straight toward an Alrean male to the back of the class. He blocked my kick, grunting softly as my attack broke through his guard into a weakened stance.
"He just broke through Galia's defenses with ease..! Just who is this guy?" Nae Ki-Pam asked in disbelief, grunting as he barely dodged a wind blast from my hand.
A young woman with cyan hair and sunset orange eyes rushed toward me, throwing a high knee toward me but missed then followed with a stomp at my feet into a long reaching back hand strike. I evaded her strikes and palmed her arm down then glanced lower, noticing a large icicle producing from the ground to impale my face.
Thrusting my hand down, the icicle pierced through my hand, my phasing not working and causing me to wince slightly. I glanced at my hand and watched the icicle melt, the whole in my palm causing visions to flash in my head, the sounds of the students cheering causing the echo to grow louder.
"Nox..!" Do-hari gasped, rushing over to me and held my hand in hers then looked up at my face to see a smile upon my face.
"No, I'm alright, nae sarang... My Lord is just preparing me for my Long-suffering. I will learn next to these students. They don't know it now, but this lesson will be the most important they receive," I said, Sephora's eyes glowing and releasing a healing energy to mend to my wound.
"If Mi-Ri can hurt him, we can too! We can win this!" Ra rallied, letting out a draconic roar as his tribal tattoos began to glow.
"If they want an inch, I'll give them a mile...and one extra just so their hope and faith doesn't fade away. This lesson is for me as much as it is for them!" I said proudly, my Holy Fire emitting from my chest.
Ra stormed toward me and landed a flush strike against my jaw, sending me flying backwards and propelled himself toward me with an axe kick but I swiftly countered with a NY Flare against his rib. Tae rushed in after him with a roundhouse toward my jaw, but I leaned back to evade it then caught her ankle upon her next strike.
I chuckled softly at her then pushed her back, my body becoming a blur as I rushed forward and feinted a stomp into a Brazilian kick against her midsection to knock her backwards. Tae rolled backwards into Mi-Ri, who caught her and brought her back onto her feet.
Woo-Chi watched in the background with Soel-na with confusion and curiosity, a million questions running through her mind yet one struck her Spirit. 'Why is he not phasing or warping...and why did he allow himself to be pierced..?'
Nae Ki-Pam rushed toward me with a flying kick that missed then I blocked Ro Kwang's back fist, pushing his arm backwards so he could strike Yong-Gi behind him, knocking the glasses off his face. Parrying synchronized strikes from Tae and Mi-Ri, I gracefully redirected her ice blast to Tae's face then elbowed Mi-Ri's chest to knock her backwards.
"What the hell..? He's fending us off so easily...it's like he can read us subconsciously," Ra said with soft pants, resting his hands upon his knees for a breather.
"Seriously...who is this guy..?" Ro Kwang asked with light frustration, looking up at me and noticing I still hadn't broken much of a sweat.
Suddenly, an energy blast flew through the crowd and toward me, catching me slightly off guard but I managed to block the blast in time. Lowering my arm, Woo-Chi dashed toward me like rushing winds with a 540 tornado kick which I evaded.
I clashed fists with Woo-Chi, seeing her annoyed and troubled expression but met her with a smile then planted a butterfly upon her chest with a palm strike. Woo-Chi grunted softly as she stumbled backwards, noticing the butterfly upon her chest and expected me to warp her around.
Instead of warping her, the butterfly began restoring her wasted energy continuously, the act breaking her heart even more. "What are you doing? Are you even trying to win? You're defending and striking back then you heal afterwards? That's now how you were training me!"
"You spar with this guy?" Tae asked in disbelief, using Mi-Ri as support on her feet.
"Almost every day...and he's never been this restraining before. You should see him when he's training me privately! He's shooting around in the air!" Woo-Chi exclaimed, waving her arms in the air then shot a quick glare at me.
I chuckled softly at her and crossed my arms, meeting her hurting gaze with my usual Shepard smile then exhaled softly. "I do train you like this, but you never noticed it until now. I'm meeting them where they are, testing them within their limits. The Lord will never test you with more than you can handle."
"Besides, you've always said you wanted a fair spar against me. Now is your time. No phasing, no warping, just the man behind the Echo. However, even while weakened...do not expect me to hold back," I said with a grin, taking on my Lion Stance with a determined expression on my face.
Woo-Chi couldn't wrap her head around what I was doing, yet she felt comforted by my words and the challenge I gave her. She closed her eyes with a smile, Special Air appearing around her body, her battlesuit surprising her classmates around her especially Soel-na.
Woo-Chi opened her eyes and gave me a serious expression, her body flickering and appearing in front of me like blurring winds with a strike that went through my afterimage. She skidded forward then exerted her body, releasing a blast of wind around her body and managed to push me away from her.
"She's keeping up...her Spirit Energy just sky rocketed to B Rank with her battlesuit. Only chosen Valkyrias obtain one of those, not even top ranking Valks and Heroes have one...and she just casually shows hers..." Tae said in disbelief, her heart beginning to covet against Woo-Chi and her gifts.
As she watched Woo-Chi clash with me with each blow, her jealousy slowly began to turn into spectacle and awe, each rushing blow giving her the desire to own one of her own Battlesuits. She began stepping forward out of Ra's arms, watching the battle in front of her with determination, a small Holy Spark emitting from her chest.
Woo-Chi barely dodged my Lion's Fist, her eyes distracted by the speed of my attack and getting her caught with a back palm against her jaw. I dished a flurry of windmill jabs against her body, finishing with a palm against her stomach to knock her backwards.
Woo-Chi rolled backwards into Tae's catch, her head moving up to look at Tae with a mix of disbelief and gratitude. She got out of her hands, dusting herself off and glancing away from her. "Thanks, I guess..."
"Hmph, I didn't have to help you...but you're somewhat cool out there and I want to help you. Don't think this makes us girls or anything, I still don't like your twinkle toes attitude," Tae said, fixing her hood over her head.
"And I don't like that coveting spirit you have, you remind me of Ha-Rin. Jealous and prideful, but unlike her...I actually think you're cool," Woo-Chi scoffed, fixing the bangs of her hair.
I chuckled at their passive aggressive attitudes toward each other, placing a hand upon my hip and looked at my free hand, noticing it was gaining bruises from all the heavy clashing. 'She's gotten very strong since the first day we trained together, and much faster... Woo-Chi, you are greater than you realize...'
Tae hopped up and down, shuffling her feet to build up energy then became light on her feet and charged toward me with a trail of afterimages behind her. She threw a flurry of punches toward me, each punch I evaded with a keen eye then elbowed her next jab downward.
I grabbed Tae's head, pushing it down to make her bow then rolled over her back to avoid Woo-Chi's low wind blast at my feet. As I rushed toward her, Soel-na flanked me from my left with a wooden plank, landing a swing upon my side and sending me rolling on the ground.
'He's active now, still timid. He's the guy Moon-li and the others saved from Dahlia...he's still terrified,' I thought to myself as I rose onto my feet, dusting myself off and hummed softly. 'There's still no reason to use spirit energy, only Mi-Ri and Woo-Chi have used spirit attacks...'
While I planned my next steps mentally, Woo-Chi, Tae, and Soel-na charged toward me with loaded attacks ready for me. I dashed forward and slid under Tae's flying kick then rolled forward, handspringing into the air to avoid Woo-Chi's sliding kick. I countered Soel-na's swing with a scissor kick, snapping his plank in two the released a light pulse of wind to push him backwards.
Woo-Chi waited for me to land, warping ahead with a knee to my back then wrapped her arm around my neck for an inverted backbreaker, releasing a pulse of wind to launch me in the air. While airborne, Tae landed a triple axel kick, ending the third with an axe kick to send me to the ground.
I landed onto my feet then chuckled lightly, dodging Tae's follow up stomp with an afterimage then appeared in front of her with a Dagrax Palm, an invisible palm knocking her back. "You're growing faster and faster! You're not weak, just asleep! Wake up and hear my voice!"
Tae slid backwards along the ground, her Holy Spark growing into a Holy Ember then she charged into battle once again. I blocked her chop, twirling her around then blocked her back kick with my own then pivoted around to clash fists with her. Tae began throwing attacks she had never tried before, her creativity evolving as her desire to defeat me grew.
Woo-Chi flew behind me, kicking my back into Tae's roundhouse kick then Woo-Chi struck my back with a shoulder bump, releasing a pulse of wind to send me into Tae's flurry of kicks. I shook my head lightly, chuckling once more with delight in their shared efforts to face off against me.
"You're doing great, but now it's time to step it up!" I said, blocking Tae's punch then grabbed her wrist, pressing upon a pressure point to numb her entire arm.
I blocked Woo-Chi's flying punch then struck her stomach with a back kick, pivoting around into a thumb strike against a pressure point against her chest, numbing her surrounding Energy Points which caused her aura to disappear. Soel-na rushed behind me with a bicycle kick, but I grabbed his ankle, pulling him down then struck him with a stunning uppercut.
Tae shook her arm back awake, grunting softly with frustration then took on her Wolf Stance, blue energy surrounding her hands as she shaped them like claws. "Tae Chi-Won Technique: High Wolf!"
Tae leaped into the air toward me, crashing down with a claw strike that missed and left a small impact crater in the ground. Swiping away her next strike, I took her aura from around her hand, shaping my hand into a claw as well and shifted the energy into flames.
"Regal Crush!" I roared, striking her with a burning palm strike against her stomach, causing her to cough hard under the pressure.
Tae grunted as she flew backwards, landing on her feet and staggering lightly but Woo-Chi held her up by her hood then launched a barrage of wind blasts toward me. I took on my Gimatet Stance, stomping on the ground and double palm striking the air to form hardened winds in front of me.
Yong-Gi adjusted his glasses in awe, seeing slight shimmers in front of me within the hardened winds protecting me. "He just made invisible crystal...he has ENA within his system. Not just any normal ENA, that crystal is also superheated meaning he didn't just use Earth and Wind...he used Fire in there."
"The structure is incredible, the currents of the crystal deflects the wind while he uses the literal sand from the ground and heat to form the crystal for impenetrable defenses against Spirit Energy. It's all basic, entry level Affinity Control," Yong-Gi said, gathering data with his glasses as he watched closely.
"He's holding his defenses, we have to break through them if we want to get to him! Leave it to me!" Tae called out, stomping on the ground then dashed forward then leaped into my defenses.
She struck it with a Howling Fist, but my defenses immediately deflected her attack and repelled her backwards. She tried it once more, the same result happening again yet it fueled her resolve. She continued to strike my barrier repeatedly, each strike being repelled with ease.
However, with each strike an additional invisible strike struck my barrier and bypassed the repelling force. I watched Tae closely, noticing her body instinctively shelling up after being repelled, the Crest of Atren shining upon her shoulder to counter the repelling force.
'Diverting Force, she's countering my own counter. These students are more gifted than they realize, if only they'd stop looking outwardly and start looking within,' I thought to myself, watching as a crack formed upon my invisible crystal.
"There! Howling Moon!" Tae howled, striking the barrier with a claw strike infused with lunar energy then broke through my barrier only to grunt heavily as my broken barrier released a burst of winds. "Nngh..!!! It had countermeasures!?"
Woo-Chi caught Tae and skidded backwards with a heavy grunt, stopping herself and Tae down the field. "He's crafty like that...he thinks of almost every outcome. He'll limit his power, not his creativity."
I chuckled softly and stretched my arms, looking around the Battle Zone and hummed softly. "This concludes our first lesson, recognizing who you are. Each and every one of your proved something, you're more than what you think you are."
Tae and the others looked at each other, a few whispers spreading through the class as they began to reflect on everything that happened earlier. Do-hari smiled as she began to see revelation before her eyes, her heart fluttering as she watched each student grow into their realization.
"We can all collectively agree that I won the spar, so the class has to follow my rules in the class. There are only two rules: That you love the Lord, your God with all your mind, heart, and soul, and that you love your neighbor as yourself. That's it," I said, crossing my arms and shifting my gaze between each student in the area.
Tae inhaled sharply and crossed her arms as well, glancing over at Nae Ki-Pam and Ro Kwang. "Uhm, I dunno about all of that. These two weirdos are somewhat a threat to this new movement of peace."
"What? Says the girl who bullied Woo-Chi since the day she arrived!" Ro Kwang said defensively, pointing at Tae with an accusatory finger.
"In her defense, Woo-Chi was acting better than everyone else," Mi-Ri said, holding her arms and glanced over at Woo-Chi.
"I literally was minding my own business the entire time, but pop off queen," Woo-Chi said, rolling her eyes at Mi-Ri's accusation. "I don't know how this spun back on me when the accusation fell on Nae Ki-Pam and Ro Kwang."
"Right, let's keep it on topic," Tae said, subconsciously agreeing with Woo-Chi, her dislike for Nae Ki-Pam and Ro Kwang overriding her jealousy of Woo-Chi.
"Great, the Class Rep's girl tag teams with Woo-Chi for one day and becomes her greatest ally," Nae Ki-Pam said sarcastically, scoffing lightly at Tae with a judgemental expression.
Do-hari and I chuckled along with the class's bickering, the two of us glancing at each other with knowing smiles. The two of us began leading the class back inside, the activities of the starting period coming to a close so that Do-hari could take charge in teaching the class.
Making it back into the classroom, Do-hari decided to get the class started with the history of Qutsade, the joined lands of Exzodia and Eyica, as recorded in The Chronicles. While she taught, I supervised at the teacher's desk, rhythmically tapping the desk with a marker to keep the class's focus.
"Ugh, this is so boring..." Tae said, laying her head down then grunted as a marker hit her on the top of her head. She sat up quick, holding her head and glanced at me. "What the hell was that for, Mr. Nox?!"
"Damn, that junk was loud too..." Ro Kwang said in an instigating tone, unable to hold his chuckle.
Woo-Chi held her lips with her mouth, stopping herself from laughing and lowered her head with her eyes closed. It was funnier to her than anyone else because she went through the exact same discipline, but harsher.
"What? I'm teaching you discipline even when I'm not on the stage. Stay...focused," I said with a light chuckle, wiping my mouth to cover my laughter as the sound of the marker connecting on her head was louder than I expected.
Do-hari waved her hand at me, gesturing for me to stop laughing only to watch me turn around in my chair and close my eyes, the sound replaying in my head. "You shouldn't even be throwing things at them, yeobo."
"Right? That hurt actually!" Tae said with a scoff, picking up the marker and throwing it against the back of my head. "And you can have it back!"
I grunted as the marker hit me, my hand rising to the back of my head as I heard the students laughing. I chuckled along with them, slowly understanding why Luciel loved to teach as well while in Grushia. Though this batch of sheep were rebellious, they did hear my voice and stayed.
This was only the beginning of the grand mission, the start of an ending era. As I watched the class, I couldn't help but to silently lament over what I was going to lose to save my home from eternal destruction. All I could do in the moment was smile, watching how everyone became invested in Do-hari's teaching, my presence only needed for their comfort.