Jiahn, Mizu, and Ye-Won charged down the jungle while Akagi and Tae flanked the sides, the five chasing Yochanan down a pathway while the other students followed behind with the cloaked man's guidance. Yochanan looked back at the students, humming softly as he began to devise a plan within his mind.
Quickly, he pivoted around and launched his staff toward Ye-Won like a javelin, but she quickly phased through the attack then launched a bolt of fire toward him from her hand. He redirected the flames around his body, the fireball hurling back toward Ye-Won at double the speed.
"Careful, Ye-Won!" Mizu called out, vaulting over Ye-Won and used his tachi to slice the fireball in two then generated a wave to wash toward Yochanan. "Everyone, ride the waves!"
Yochanan's lips curled into a smile as he watched Mizu set up for another team attack, his heart beginning to pound from the potential of the students. "Come, show me that you can walk with the Lord!"
Jiahn surfed on the wave upon her hoverboard, drifting toward Yochanan and swinging the tail of her board for a swift slice. Yochanan dodged her slice then sensed Ji-MAN warp behind him, her small fire launching toward him like a bullet but phased through his body.
Yochanan leaped backwards and watched Ye-Won warp in front of him then slipped by her jabs before catching her punch with a smirk. "Your just enough and my just enough are two different levels. Your eyes are open, but you're not seeing yet!"
Pushing her back, he performed a backhand spring to dodge Tae's dash attack then flicked one of his crosses, an arrow of light pulsing beside him before firing toward Tae. Akagi charged in with a laugh, catching the arrow before using a burst of speed to appear behind Yochanan.
She warped in front of him as he pivoted around then landed an elbow to his back, her smirk growing wider as he was left open for her Twisted Tempo Barrage. Yochanan grunted as he was struck with an onslaught of warping strikes, Akagi's rhythm hard to track and get down due to her Stuttering.
"Stuttering...a disrupting technique within Fluttering. This...will be tricky to counter as one move can have multiple segmented steps within then..." Yochanan said to himself, continuing to hold his guard against Akagi's barrage.
Yochanan grunted as he was knocked away, stumbling backwards upon his feet before regaining balance. He dusted himself off, closing his eyes and let out an impressed hum. "Not even students of St. Meishi know the more advanced techniques of Fluttering. However, your moves are still a little sloppy."
"Ha! Sloppy? Look who's got the upper hand, Old Man!" Akagi said with a playful chuckle, returning to her stance with eagerness.
Yochanan chuckled back at her and crossed his arms, his cross accessories jingling upon his tunic from his movements. His necklace began to shine, the faint shimmer of a Guardian Angel flowing behind him. "I'll admit, you are fast...but you lack Fluency. Even in your stutter, you can still be fluent."
Tae got low onto all fours, pawing her hand against the ground as green-yellow energy began flowing around her body. "Fluency huh? That sounds like a challenge I'm willing to take! High Wolf and I are ready for anything!"
Woo-Chi noticed Tae's aura and rose an eyebrow with curiosity, unaware that Tae had awakened her ENA. "She has ENA as well..? Let alone that, she's a natural Earth Affinity with that kind of speed?"
The cloaked man watched over the five, humming softly and began walking to the side and watched from another, wider angle. He glanced over in the distance, noticing me watching in the distance while leaning upon the tree.
I glanced at the cloaked man, locking eyes with him for a moment then smiled and closed my eyes, lowering my head toward him. "This is only the beginning of their new journey, the new generation. Keep your arms around each of them."
"I will," The cloaked man replied, his gaze returning to the students as he crossed his arms and watched with great light in his eyes. "I see them, and I know them...They will make it through The Wilderness."
Tae dug her nails into the soft soil of the ground, smirking at Yochanan before boosting forward with a Howling Claw. Yochanan phased through the attack and blocked her spinning elbow then watched her warp behind him with another Howling Claw.
He quickly pivoted around to intercept her attack with a palm strike, the force pushing her back and creating distance. Jiahn rushed forward, a silhouette appearing in front of Yochanan then two uppercuts landed their marks upon his chin within a second. Grunting softly, he stumbled backwards and rubbed his chin with impress.
"Now, there it is. A Fluent Flutter Strike. Did you hear Him? His flow?" Yochanan asked, sticking his staff into the ground and took on a relaxed stance.
Jiahn nodded and began scanning around her surroundings, a Checkered Butterfly fluttering across the field with graceful yet irregular patterns. "I can see it, but I can't hear His tone that clearly. Not like how So-Yi or Hyeon Bae can, but I am a visual learner and He knows that."
Yochanan smiled at Jiahn and hummed softly, his gaze scanning the students to see Akagi missing from the group. "I can see you all are grasping the concept, but there will always be one quirky sheep."
Akagi appeared behind Yochanan then vanished and reappeared in front of him with a feinted punch, her stuttering shift still not causing Yochanan to move an inch. He phased through her actual kick then parried her punch, the momentum causing Akagi to spin then she looped toward a tree and flipped backwards toward it.
"Haha! Here we go!" Akagi laughed, launching herself toward Yochanan at high speeds and let out a battle cry.
Tae charged forward and lifted up a large stone then leaped into the air, striking the stone with a dropkick toward Akagi. Akagi planted herself upon the stone then used a burst of speed to increase her velocity, red lightning beginning to crackle around her body as she prepared her Twisted Joker.
Ye-Won watched as Akagi rushed around the trees then hatched an idea, her tattoos pulsing floral yellow and she began to use Plant Energy to manipulate the trees, each swing of the branch boosting Akagi even further.
Yochanan watched as Akagi began to move at near invisible speeds, afterimages beginning to form behind each movement. "What is this technique? They are helping her improve her Stuttering..."
Each Silhouette appearing during her Stutter Rush was a perfect beat aligned with the divine rhythm, each propulsion forward being guided by the Hand that Moves. The cloaked man watched with approval, seeing that Akagi's progress was good then his gaze shifted back over to Yochanan.
Yochanan could barely follow Akagi's rhythm due to her rhythm skipping beats from the singular divine rhythm he was used to. He braced himself as Akagi rushed toward him, but she warped through him and rushed toward Mizu. He turned around to see what she was planning, her set up becoming longer than be expected.
It's not time yet...
It's time to flow with the rhythm we made...
Akagi nodded and hopped forward as Jiahn launched her hoverboard toward Akagi while Mizu set up a wave of water. Akagi began surfing the wave, each movement aligning with her silhouettes perfectly and making her a second faster than before.
It's time.
Onward!
Akagi leaped off her hoverboard toward Yochanan at intense speeds, her body stuttering and skipping steps until she appeared in front of Yochanan, iridescent energy pulsing around her fist. She let out a bellow as she landed her Twisted Joker, the force being one Yochanan could not resist against.
"This power...! No...I must push!!" Akagi roared, her Holy Fire rushing from her chest as she was able to launch Yochanan away with the assistance of the Invisible Hand.
Yochanan grunted as he rolled backwards along the ground before recovering upon one knee, huffing softly and moving his hair from his face. 'Dear Lord...What in the world was that sudden rush of energy she got?'
Everyone stood surprised that their on the fly plan had worked in delivering a flush strike against Yochanan that actually pushed him back. Akagi stared at her hand, her hand shaking from excitement and adrenaline, her breathing still shaky from the high rush of energy she received.
The cloaked man stepped forward and raised his hand, ending the battle between both sides. "That will be enough for now. Seeing their performance, I am sure they have learned enough for the next stage, both participants and spectators."
The students all began to cheer and celebrate, their first trial being a pass. Akagi and the others gave each other high fives, each of their bonds deepening from their shared victory. Yochanan chuckled softly and walked over to his staff, taking it from the ground.
I smiled at the verdict and turned away from the area, snapping my fingers to reveal more of the road within The Wilderness. "Good job, my sheep. Do not celebrate too early though, the trials are only just beginning."
With their first victory upon their hands, Hyeon Bae and Akagi began leading the group down the road once again while the cloaked man followed behind. While they travelled down the road, various residents began cheering for them, some residents playing music for them as they marched down the path.
The sounds of nature harmonized with the beautiful music filling the jungle, a kaleidoscope of multiple colorful butterflies flying through the trees in a path leading to the second Temple. During the beauty of the environment, the students took time to enjoy The Wilderness, the trees beginning to have various coloring to them.
"Look at that over there!" Nae Ki-Pam called out, pointing in the distance to see a silver Hound watching them from the distance.
Everyone glanced over at the Hound, noticing her just watching them silently before walking into the jungle once again. The cloaked man noticed the silver Hound as well, humming softly before continuing forward to the next Temple.
"Hey, wasn't that Cerebral?" Jiahn asked, leaning over to So-Yi.
So-Yi nodded then looked over at Hyeon Bae, Jiahn, and Kim Eun. "If Cerebral is here then Kaguya is 100% one of the teachers for Class S. We have to face off against Kaguya and Cerebral next."
"You said what?!" Pyo Yu-Ni asked, hurrying forward and holding So-Yi's arm. "We're facing off against Headmistress Kaguya next?"
Li-Na pushed up her glasses and looked down at her tablet in her hand, exhaling softly. "We pass through whether we win or lose, but that doesn't change the fact that Miss Kaguya is an S+ Rank Valkyria..."
"I've reread then entire Book of Hisumi in the Chronicles, and Headmistress Kaguya has nearly every one of Hisumi's abilities. Yuta and Nomura Technique to access to Cerebral herself...this will be a hard one. Not as difficult as Nox, but difficult," Ye-Won said, quietly sighing and looking up to see the Second Temple before them.
Standing at the entrance of the Second Temple was me, watching the students approach then noticed both Woo-Chi and Hyeon Bae's eyes light up. I chuckled as the two raced toward me, Woo-Chi beating Hyeon Bae by a mile up the stairs and looked up at me with light eyes.
"Mr. Nox!" Hyeon Bae called out, smiling brightly at me and hopped in front of me.
"Lord Nox," Oriel greeted, bowing respectfully toward me and smiled.
"No, I am not Lord while there is another within your presence. Right now, I am your Headmaster of Class S," I gently corrected, gently ruffling both girls' hair with a smile.
"Another Lord..?" Woo-Chi asked, glancing back at the rest of the students and the cloaked man, not knowing who I was speaking about. "But God is always present and people have called you Lord before."
I chuckled softly at her statement and nodded, turning toward the Second Temple. "You'd be right about that, but this one is different. Anywho, come inside. This is the Baptism Temple, I'll let the Angel in here explain before I begin."
Woo-Chi and Hyeon Bae looked up at the temple, four waterfalls of divine flowing waters rolling down from the sky into the pillars of the temple. The students still at the stairs noticed a moat of holy water surrounding the temple, the purifying waters strong enough to silence any demon who dared to approach.
The cloaked man followed the group inside and looked around, the floors a beautiful white marble while the walls were chiseled to perfection with intricate designs. At the front of the temple rested a tub of clear waters, the water within the tub seemingly normal waters, but the cloaked man knew its purpose.
The angel before the baptism pool smiled at each student who entered the temple, his wings fluttering with happiness. "Greetings, children of God! As the Lord as willed it, you have reached your second blessing, Born Again. Baptism is important for Belivers for it is a profession, union, and embracement in our Lord."
"Do we all have to be baptized? Is it that important for us?" Ro Kwang asked, raising his hand to ask his questions.
"Yes, it is significant that you be baptized as it represents your very commitment to God. As it states in 1 Peter 3:21 'and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience towards God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,'" The angel answered, walking away from the baptism pool.
"However, if you are feeling called to participate in this ceremonial moment, step forward to be baptized by Noxius Ascea Exzodia. If the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, come forward," The angel said, holding his hands behind his back.
The cloaked man looked at each student, waiting for their first steps. Soon, Woo-Chi stepped forward first with a repentant expression, willing to allow the One above me to help her find her way again. Ha-Rin stepped up next then So-Yi and Soel-na. Finally, surprising everyone, Ro Kwang stepped forward.
"What? I'm serious about God after learning from Mr. Nox. I might be a little flawed, and a bit reckless at times...but I want to be a better man. After all, Manaport is still out there and we are given dominion over the Earth to protect and steward," Ro Kwang began then looked ahead at me, noticing my warm smile.
"If the previous generation won't step up other than the select few, we must! I'll allow God to work through me for any task!" Ro Kwang proclaimed, pressing his fist against his chest.
The cloaked man smiled at Ro Kwang, seeing what was really in his heart and hummed softly. He watched as the five entered into my temporary care, one by one each of them being taken under the water and risen up carefully.
Though Woo-Chi stepped up first, she was the last to come to me, her eyes still filled with guilt and pain. I looked up at her from the pool, seeing her hesitation and her hidden pain. Woo-Chi looked back at Ha-Rin, tears slowly rolling down her face.
"How can you all still accept me after everything? It's so easy to say, 'Because I love you' and I see it when I look at Ha-Rin. How much God still loves her enough...to be here at this moment. But I tried to stop her Salvation, how can you still smile at me?" Woo-Chi asked, lowering her head and sniffling softly.
I walked through the water toward Woo-Chi, gently grabbing her hand and smiled at her. "Because even when you mess up, even in your worst moments, God still sees what you can be. He doesn't see your for your mistakes, that's why you're here. Where you need to be."
"There is no love stronger than the love my Lord can offer, the forgiveness He gives you. You are where you belong right now, and He sees what's in your heart. He wants you to rest in His presence finally...so come. Allow Him to be the author and finisher of our faith," I said, gently guiding the weeping Woo-Chi into the pool.
Gently, I began to lower Woo-Chi into the waters, the water's color slowly becoming lighter like a Sovereign Butterfly absorbing grief and pain. Woo-Chi could feel a warmth surround her, her body becoming lighter slowly as the water had began to shine brightly.
'None shall snatch you from The Father, Woo-Chi...You were always His, but you lost your way. Now you're back again...Before you were in the womb, I knew you. And I still do, Min Woo-Chi,' The cloaked man said mentally, smiling as he watched the water slowly ease Woo-Chi's grief and pain within.
I rose Woo-Chi out of the water and looked at her, using a towel to gentle wipe her face and smiled softly at her. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you have been baptized. Walk in His Truth, in His Rhythm. Follow His Voice because I am His Echo that will soon come to pass while the Word is still in front of you."
Woo-Chi looked up at me, a few tears still rolling down her face but she had a soft smile on her face. She nodded at me and hugged me tightly, her arms embracing me as if I were her guardian angel. I chuckled softly and placed my hand on her head, giving her comforting head rubs in her time of need.
------------------------------
The cloaked man watched from above inside an airship named Heavensent, the silver, golden, and bronze body of the aircraft glowing under the setting sky. Hyeon Bae and the other students watched from inside as well, each one viewing Woo-Chi and the others within The Wilderness.
"Mister, where are we headed next?" Hyeon Bae asked, walking over to the cloaked man then gasped as the Holy Dove flew toward her and landed on her head. "Ascea..."
"We are headed to Grushia City and passing through Tonchon. We're going to be passing through there and heading to Bulan next. This trial is for those who stepped forward specifically," The cloaked man said, looking down below to see me walking with Woo-Chi and the others.
I decided to stay with Woo-Chi, Ha-Rin, So-Yi, Soel-na, and Ro Kwang, knowing they could not face Kaguya alone even if they were guaranteed to pass through. Listening to the sounds of nature around us, I knew the danger was not upon us yet, but I could still feel watchful eyes.
Five howls echoed through the jungle, one coming after the other until the fifth howl sounded with a silver ring to it. Suddenly, the sounds of nature halted, only crickets making sound which unsettled the students into goosebumps.
Sang So-Yi awakened her Beshin-Keh, scanning the area and summoned her Blessed Woldo into her hand, her Silver Swallowtail butterfly appearing around her. "They're getting closer... We're currently in Dotari, the tall grass around here will obscure our visibility."
Ro Kwang rolled up his sleeves and glanced around as well, shadow energy pulsing around his hands as he took on his stance. "I've only seen Headmistress Kaguya a few times...is she really as strong as you all say?"
"Very. She's the Headmistress of St. Goken Institution for a reason. If Cerebral is on the field, she's already using her Ten Passing Shadow Gardens Technique," Ha-Rin answered intuitively, cherry blossoms forming around her body.
I crossed my arms and continued to walk forward, sensing Kaguya within the shadows then phased through a silver bullet. I dodged another bullet then summoned my Sovereign Butterflies, sending one to latch onto the students and warp them to safety.
"Whoa! It's already starting!" Nae Ki-Pam exclaimed, placing a hand upon the window of the airship.
Tae crossed her arms as she watched below, exhaling softly as she worried if Woo-Chi, Ha-Rin, and So-Yi could work together as a team. "This is a problem."
"What do you mean?" Ramud asked, glancing over at his girlfriend with confusion.
"We will be passing through two cities, Grushia and Bulan and the trial is completely nature based. I could hear it even from all the way up here...the sounds of nature and the howls of the Cerebral Hounds," Tae began, gripping her sleeves tightly with slight concern.
"Their unity is out of wack and if the Ten Passing Shadow Gardens are like what I think they are, the sound of nature are probably within Kaguya's control meaning...if So-Yi doesn't want to work with the others, they are screwed because she can see the natural illusion of Kaguya," Tae finished, feeling the tension within the ship rising.
"So this passing trial comes down to if So-Yi has truly forgiven Woo-Chi and Ha-Rin huh? Now I understand why they stepped forward..." Ko'rai said, exhaling softly and letting out a soft grumble.
The cloaked man listens to their conversation while watching below, his focus being on the trio of girls on in The Wilderness. Angelic eyes began to fall upon So-Yi primarily, each eye wanting to see what was truly in Sang So-Yi's heart.
So-Yi quickly glanced around the area before glancing up to see a Senyata Eagle swooping down from above. "Everyone, move out!"
Woo-Chi and the others looked at So-Yi and glanced up, noticing darkness spikes raining down toward them. Quickly, everyone began to spread out to dodge the raining spikes from above then the Senyata Eagle landed with a screech.
Woo-Chi warped backwards into a running start then swallowed her fear before boosting forward, letting out a battle cry as she launched a spinning kick toward the giant eagle. The eagle dodged her attack then flew toward Soel-na, his wings hardening into heavy steel as he slashed toward him.
Soel-na phased through the attack instinctively then Fluttered backwards with acrobatics before leaping into the air, but the Senyata Eagle was already in front of him with great speeds. Soel-na panicked immediately, not knowing what to do until Ro Kwang wrapped a shadow whip around his ankle to pull him down from the steel wing slash.
"Follow me!" So-Yi called out, waving her hand before racing forward into the tall grass.
Woo-Chi grunted softly as So-Yi went into the unknown, but Soel-na took her hand and pulled her forward. She followed behind his steps, grunting as the two entered the tall grass as well. Following behind was Ha-Rin and Ro Kwang and above, the Senyata Eagle scouted them and let out calls to the other animals.
The sounds of nature started back up again, the noices disrupting So-Yi's concentration from God's tone, the flow of the Divine Monarch Butterfly becoming more blurry to her. The others began to notice So-Yi slowly becoming less confident in her steps, her eyes checking both ways multiple times before making a choice.
"There's too many Unseen Things in here... I'm being overloaded right now," So-Yi grunted as she stopped in her tracks and held her head, the various sounds causing her ears to ring.
"What do you mean too many Unseen Things? Where are you leading us?" Soel-na asked, looking at So-Yi with soft pants. "And where's Mr. Nox?"
Ro Kwang looked around as well, noticing the tall grass surrounding them from all sides then created a sword from his shadows and sliced in a circle to clear the way. The sliced tall grass immediately began growing once again, as if it were never cut to begin with.
"There has to be some trick to this...the sounds of nature are louder than before!" Ro Kwang said, grunting softly as he dropped his sword back into his shadow and looked down, noticing he was the only one with a shadow. "So-Yi, look at me for a moment!"
So-Yi's vision began to slowly become more blurry, but once she turned toward Ro Kwang, a fiery, orangish aura surrounded him as if his Holy Fire had consumed him. 'What..? He's a key to this..? What good could his Shadow Control even bring right now?'
"Ro Kwang, this isn't the time to be trying to flirt with So-Yi," Soel-na said, looking over at him with slight disproval.
"I'm not! You all don't have shadows! What the hell...y'all look like 2-D cutouts of some insane budget anime!" Ro Kwang said, scratching the back of his head as he tried to perceive them the best they could. "Everyone...except So-Yi at the very least."
"What?" Ha-Rin asked, glancing over at the others and noticed they were also flat and two dimensional. She gasped and recoiled backwards, looking up at the sky to see her spatial perception was lost. "W-What the heck is going on?"
"No light is passing through you all if I'm hearing Ro Kwang correctly... something is disrupting your Holy Fires, but I can't tell because I have scales over my eyes," So-Yi said, growing more frustrated due to the slight setback.
The cloaked man continued to watch the five from above and crossed his arms with a light exhale through his nose. "You're not seeing enough So-Yi...do you really trust Beshin-Keh over the wonder God has set for you..?"
Hyeon Bae heard the cloaked man speaking to himself and looked down at the others, noticing only So-Yi and Ro Kwang was visible. She hummed with confusion, wondering if the others could have gotten lost.
I rushed through the cornfields, dodging each of Kaguya's attacks while searching for the students. Phasing through her next flurry of strikes, I parried her kick then warped into an Lion Upper then struck her with 13 Flutter Strikes in rapid succession.
Kaguya grunted as she slid backwards with an excited chuckle, standing straight and dusted herself off. "Truly, I must say, Headmaster Nox... sparring against you is fun. However, do you believe you wouldn't be tested as well?"
I looked at Kaguya, seeing Hisumi's Spirit within her fully and chuckled softly as I slipped my hands into my pockets. "You forget, The Wilderness is still my domain. I love being tested, and I'll gladly accept any text from my Father. However, do you think I wouldn't guide my sheep back on path?"
"Hm?" Kaguya asked, her eyebrow raising with curiosity.
Ro Kwang looked around for a moment after hearing loud thumping and a loud roar, his body instinctively turning around to see my Helios Lion pouncing from the tall grass. He let out a yell and began running away, slipping through Ha-Rin and the others.
"What the— Ro Kwang, wait! You're the only one I can see!" So-Yi said, grunting softly as she chased after him without knowing what was happening.
Ha-Rin, Woo-Chi, and Soel-na quickly followed suit as well, each of them running from the roars as the Helios Lion chased after them with roars. Each roar casted a ball of light above the students, creating a shadow path for Ro Kwang to follow while he ran with fear.
As the students ran, Kaguya's Ancient Bull charged forward and rammed into the Helios Lion, pushing him back then let out a loud bellow. The Helios Lion recovered quickly and got down into a pouncing stance with a low growl, his eyes glowing brightly with a kingly presence.
"Do you truly believe my sheep wouldn't follow the signs? Do you think I control only one sign?" I asked, phased through Kaguya's jab then countered with a knee strike and launched my butterflies toward her.
Kaguya grunted as she leaped back then summoned her Katana, using Iaido Slashes to deflect each butterfly then rushed forward like a bolt of lightning. "I don't doubt your signs nor their ability to be obedient! I doubt if they can truly distinguish God's Noise from ours!"
Suddenly, a crowd of Kaguya's Ruinous Bunnies began charging through the five, detouring then from a path using their shadows to lead Ro Kwang and the others further into confusion. So-Yi looked down at the shadows, noticing then taking shape into bunnies then came into a complete halt.
"Stop!" So-Yi called out, panting softly as the scales from her eyes began slowly peeling off as she could see clearly again.
Ro Kwang stopped in his tracks as well, turning back and noticing everyone had returned to normal and panted softly. "What the heck was that..? A huge lion was chasing us then a bull struck him and saved us! These bunnies are helping us through—"
"No they aren't, listen!" So-Yi said, growing silent to listen to the surrounding and heard no sound of nature at all. "Those bunnies just led us into more danger, but...you have an ability that is useful."
Ro Kwang pointed at himself and looked around, making sure So-Yi was talking about him. "Me? My Shadow Control is useful?"
So-Yi nodded and looked around, noticing multiple shadows peering through the cornfields but could not distinguish them at all. "I can see the Unseen, but sometimes I can not distinguish them without an Interpreter. If I can share my ability with you, you can help us."
"You can share Stigmata Abilities? Since when?" Ha-Rin asked, glancing back at So-Yi and noticed she could percieve normally again. "Whoa, you're back to normal!"
"First, I've always been normal. And second, I said if...I don't know if it's possible to even share abilities. However, if I can, Ro Kwang will be able to help us get out of here," So-Yi said, making her way over to Ro Kwang.
Ro Kwang watched as So-Yi approached him and gulped lightly, his breath hitching as she stood in front of him and took his hand. She placed his hand over her eye and focused, blue energy forming over his hand and stretching toward Ro Kwang's eye.
Ro Kwang grunted as his vision had become more clear with Beshin-Keh, his gaze slowly shifting around to see multiple Shadow Spirits around him. He stepped back and gasped in awe at the wonder and beauty around him, his eyes lightning up at the glimpse of the Spirit Realm around him.
"What do you see? Do you see any Shadows?" So-Yi asked, leaning forward and peeking around him to look at his face.
Ro Kwang nodded as he looked around, noticing a few travelling Butterfly Residents and hidden animals roaming the lands. Ahead, he noticed a figure cloaked in white with Sovereign Butterfly wings walking down a path. "Yeah, I actually do!"
So-Yi watched as Ro Kwang ran forward, her expression surprised as she was able to share her ability with someone else. She looked back at the others with a focused expression. "Let's go before he leaves us behind."
They each agreed and began hurrying after Ro Kwang as they followed the mysterious Butterfly Resident through the cornfields. After a while, the Resident vanished and the shadows had disappeared from the ground, the area now filled with quiet whispers.
"Welp, I've apparently hit my limit," Ro Kwang said, grunting softly as the Beshin-Keh vanished from his eye. "And my time limit..."
"What now? We've been following you two around so far and we haven't even left the cornfields. Do you even know what you're doing?" Soel-na asked and groaned, crossing his arms with slight impatience.
"Hey man, we're trying here. I don't see you doing anything too important here, Twinkle Toes," Ro Kwang replied, glancing over at Soel-na with a scoff.
Ha-Rin snickered and held her finger over her mouth, lowering her head at Ro Kwang's comeback toward Soel-na. She looked back up then walked forward, looking around with curiosity. "Well, I don't have a Stigmata or any special Battlesuit so I can't really do much...but I do hear a lot of whispers."
"I do too...one of them is saying Follow Me, but I can't tell where it's coming from," Woo-Chi said, using Special Air to discern the whispers from one another.
'She can Interpret as well..?' So-Yi asked mentally, glancing back at Woo-Chi and noticed the same fiery aura around her that Ro Kwang once had.
I blocked Kaguya's punch and lowered her arm slowly, chuckling softly at her with a soft sigh. "You know I Echo my Lord correct?"
"I am very aware that you do. That's the very reason you're being tested. Right now, your students are very close to Cerebral and she can mimic nearly any voice and rhythm. Our trial is finally reaching the peak," Kaguya said with excitement, breaking away from me and walked backwards a few steps.
"Just as God has various instruments to play His symphony...I also came prepared with instruments for my sheep to listen for. God told me I would be tested soon, so I came prepared," I said, smiling at Kaguya and manifested my Sovereign Butterfly wings.
Kaguya transformed into her Valkyria Form, yellow lightning crackling around her body. "Now I'm curious...We agreed to not use our Dragons here, so what are you using?"
Woo-Chi continued to listen to the whispers and heard a beautiful howl in the distance and a loud bark. "Hm..? That's not a Hound...I recognize that sound."
"I do too," Ha-Rin said, growing excited from the familiar barking sound.
"That bark...it's the same one from The Absolute mountain. Is it really the Divine Dogs?" So-Yi asked, quickly turning around with bright eyes.
"Divine Dogs?" Ro Kwang asked then heard another bark, his gaze shifting to his right to see a dog with white fur and halo patches upon his body. "What the..."
Suddenly, a silver ring howl sounded to their left, Cerebral the Silver Hound, stepping forward with her four Hounds backing her. Cerebral shifting into her human form and smirked at the students, placing a hand upon her hip.
"You all are exactly where you need to be... You've made it this far and admittedly, you are getting closer to Bulan than I would like to admit. Sometimes, I forget how good Nox is at his role," Cerebral said, her gaze shifting to the Divine Dog behind the students.
"But it seems that we have one last ride! One more test for this trial and it's the most exciting one! Who will you listen to in the end? The Cerebral Hounds or the Divine Dogs?" Cerebral laughed, shifting back into her Hound Form before vanishing at high speeds.
The Divine Dog let out a howl, calling forth upon his pack then vanished at high speeds as well. Both packs began clashing and spreading out through the fields, their barks and howls colliding with one another.
'The only one who can hear things clearly is Woo-Chi... without her, we will definitely be trapped here. But...no So-Yi, that's the old me. She's on a new path, so we have to give her a chance,' So-Yi thought to herself, taking a deep breath and exhaled.
"Min Woo-Chi!" So-Yi called out, catching her attention quickly. "Lead us! Be our ears while I be our eyes, just like we used to be two years ago!"
Woo-Chi's eyes lit up in surprise, flashes of their teamwork playing in her head when they were a duo. She knew she could distinguish the sounds from one another, and without her they would fall into confusion. With a smile, she nodded and began to work on discerning each bark and howl.
"This way!" Woo-Chi called out, running to the right to follow the bark and growl of a Divine Dog.
The others followed behind her quickly and raced through the cornfields while dodging Cerebral's attacks to the best of their ability. Cerebral slipped through the cornfields like an ancient assassin, pushing ahead of the students with primal excitement.
Woo-Chi sprinted forward and boosted ahead with a burst of wind, twirling around rapidly for a spinning heel kick, but Cerebral evaded the kick then charged toward Ro Kwang. He let out an excited exclaim, launching himself toward Cerebral as well for a clash.
"Haha! Before, I had doubts about you students! But seeing that you can hold your own against me? This is fun!" Cerebral howled, dodging the attacks from the five students excitedly.
So-Yi rushed forward and attempted a Flutter Strike, but Cerebral mimiced her technique, catching her with four Flutter Strikes to the chest. She phased through Soel-na's attack and grabbed the back of his collar, hurling him toward Ro Kwang like a bullet.
Suddenly, the Sovereign Butterfly Resident warped toward Soel-na and caught him before setting him down and launching a pressure strike toward Cerebral. The pressure strike connected cleanly, the force knocking her away through the fields.
"It's the Sovereign Butterfly Resident!" Ro Kwang pointed out, watching him shift into the Alpha Divine Dog and run off again.
The Alpha Divine Dog barked, as if to command the students to follow him. Without question, the five followed him through the cornfields and soon they escaped the fields to enter back into the vast jungles.
"You haven't lost me just yet!" Cerebral called out from above, pointing her finger at So-Yi and Woo-Chi.
An Ice Hound and Lightning Hound rushed toward the two girls and went for a chomp at their legs, but Woo-Chi released a blast of swirling winds around her body, knocking the two away while So-Yi launched her Silver Swallowtail toward Cerebral. She took Woo-Chi's hand and warped in the air, launching Woo-Chi toward her.
Woo-Chi warped past Cerebral and planted her feet upon a tree trunk before launching herself toward Cerebral, but she dodged her attack and fired a blast of lightning toward the two. Woo-Chi flew in front of So-Yi and guarded for the both of them, taking the bolt of lightning herself.
"Woo-Chi!" So-Yi called out as she began descending from the air, grunting as she began descending quickly and couldn't call her butterfly back to her quickly enough.
Woo-Chi grunted heavily as the bolt of lightning shocked her in place in the air, the voltage growing more painful for her and causing her pain throughout her body. She held her hand down toward So-Yi, slowly glancing down at her then groaned as Cerebral added more power to her blast.
"So-Yi, Woo-Chi!" Soel-na called out, grunting as he searched around for anything to help them with.
Ro Kwang tried to shoot a shadow appendage into the air to catch So-Yi, but it wouldn't reach far enough and was draining his energy quickly. Ha-Rin grunted as she tried to transform into her Valkyria Form but a Fire Hound pounced on her and pinned her to the ground.
"N-No..! It's all... falling...NNGH!! Apart!" Woo-Chi groaned, gritting her teeth as she began trying to resist the lightning.
"You've made it this far and I admire that! However, there's a limit to your power! Making it this far in this Cup is an achievement for most! You can rest easy knowing that!" Cerebral laughed, holding the bolt of lightning against Woo-Chi then grunted as she noticed Woo-Chi fighting back.
"No!" Woo-Chi roared, her wind wings rushing from her back as Special Air let out a roar and activated its defensive protocol, storming winds blowing everywhere to protect Woo-Chi. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, and I won't let my friends down!"
Proclaim it loudly!
Allow me to hear your voice!
Your heart!
Woo-Chi heard God's voice clearly then let out a roar, white lightning surging around her body to break free of Cerebral's oppressive power. Special Air began roaring as well for God, the battlesuit pulsing between verdant green to red, blue, and silver colors.
Cerebral grunted softly as she guarded herself from Woo-Chi's surging winds and lightning then watched as she flew down toward So-Yi like a bolt of lightning. She looked down at the ground, noticing Woo-Chi didn't awaken, but hit something more beautiful.
The cloaked man smiled at Woo-Chi, humming softly with a nod. 'A Breakthrough...an evolution in her power through her desire to save her friend. You see it now, Woo-Chi...you are needed and loved.'
Ha-Rin heard a loud roar in the distance and looked back, noticing two streams of energy rushing through the cornfields like beams of light. "Mr. Nox and Headmistress Kaguya!"
Ro Kwang glanced over as well, grunting softly as he noticed Kaguya flying out of the fields and ran forward. "Wait, what happens if she beats us to Bulan?"
"She won't. You will learn what it means to achieve true victory over a Goliath! Run!" I commanded, charging forward at high speeds after Kaguya.
The students grunted as they ran forward as well, each of their feet beating against the ground at a quick pace to try to catch up with Kaguya. Soel-na panted as he began lagging began due to his stamina, but a stream of iridescent energy appeared in front of him, the Monarch Butterfly Essence becoming visible to him.
The path is straight and narrow...
Do not be conformed to the ways of the world.
I will lay you paths straight!
Soel-na grunted as the divine flow shifted to the left then Fluttered over to the left with a sidestep then began dashing forward with a series of acrobatics fluttering. Woo-Chi glanced over at Soel-na, her eyes slightly widening as she witnessed Soel-na's fluent and natural flutter ability once more.
"This way is faster! God is showing me the path!" Soel-na called out, waving his hand then grunted as Cerebral teleported toward him with a big boot to his face, sending him flying. "Nngh!!! Woo-Chi!!"
"It's time for the real last ride to begin! Can you still move to His beat when your Interpreter is occupied?" Cerebral laughed, teleporting toward Ha-Rin with a swift knee strike.
Ha-Rin barely dodged her attack then slipped under her spinning kick by sliding under. She rolled forward and transformed into her Valkyria Form, radiant pink energy surging around her body as she propelled herself forward. "Ro Kwang, use your shadows on me!"
Ro Kwang ran after Ha-Rin and extended his shadow toward her, his shadow connecting to hers and stretching hers out further. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing wise! That's for sure!" Cerebral howled, teleporting in front of Ha-Rin then grunted as So-Yi struck her cheek with a Flutter Strike to knock her away from Ha-Rin's path.
Woo-Chi used a burst of wind to propel herself forward, but missed her flying kick as Cerebral phased through her. Cerebral parried So-Yi's tornado kick and ducked under Woo-Chi's energy blast, a smirk forming upon her lips due to the increasing pressure.
The energy blast boomeranged around and flew toward So-Yi at high speeds then she caught it like a baseball and locked onto Cerebral, a silver symbol shining upon her face. So-Yi smirked and warped toward Cerebral, landing her guaranteed strike upon her to send her back before unleashing a blast of energy toward her.
Cerebral landed upon the ground and looked up, her eyes widening as she was struck by the blast of energy, a massive smoke cloud forming in the air. The students within Heavensent cheered for So-Yi and Woo-Chi's teamwork, their demonstration of eyes and ears being one of the best they've seen.
I continued rushing forward and looked behind me, noticing Ha-Rin's shadow reaching mine then smirked and began my spurt upon her shadow, allowing it to connect to mine. "She better follow my steps exactly if she wants this to work..."
Ha-Rin watched as I began warping forward, leaving behind silver silhouettes with each step and grunted as she began to speed up. For the first few silhouettes, her timing was either too late or too early when matching with my silhouettes, causing her to Freeze for a second.
She grunted as she stumbled forward but pushed forward, her movements finally matching with one of my silhouettes which accelerated her a second forward, boosting her movement. She began dashing through my silhouettes in sync, achieving Flutter Steps and began to catch up with me and Kaguya.
"Heh, this has been very exciting, Nox, but it's time I show you what I am made of! Watch closely!" Kaguya called out, snapping her fingers and decelerated time around the area while she pushed forward.
I watched as Kaguya rushed forward while I moved in slow motion, but my lips curled into a smirk as I summoned Madriax into my hand then slammed it against the ground. "By your will Lord, allow the Acceleration Room to appear!"
Kaguya grunted as the diluted space around her cracked and shattered, a cool breeze blowing across the jungle which boosted acceleration for my students. She looked back to see all five of the students charging like a stampede of lambs, each one overtaking her as I manifested a golden chain to wrap around Kaguya's ankle.
Kaguya grunted as she watched the students pass the welcome sign of Bulan first then let out a soft laugh as she slowed down. "Wow, they really did it...they actually beat me in something."
I smiled as I watched them run off then slowed down before coming to a stop. "God willed it, and I only do what He commands of me. Now, they'll be in my Spiritual Wife's hand."
"I wonder what Luciel's trial will be about," Kaguya said softly, letting out a soft hum of wonder.
Everyone continued to run down the streets of Bulan, finally exiting the jungle area into a massive school campus and came to a stop. Behind them, Heavensent landed on the ground, the doors opening to let everyone out as they reached another Liminal Space.
Within the space rested two Temple on each side, one named Wisdom and the other named Knowledge. Both temples were being guarded by Cherubims, their flaming swords protecting the sacred wisdom and knowledge both temples contained.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer. Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing," Luciel's voice sounded, her tone ringing out like a wise melody in the wind.
Suddenly, Luciel warped onto the rooftop of the main campus, looking down at everyone and met the gaze of the cloaked man. She smiled at him then began to calmly float to the ground using her Evangelical Butterflies. "You all have arrived...I'm sure you all are tired, so come rest."