“A duel?” Kylie was jogging alongside Davies and Jack. Although they had already had their morning run, their new instructor – Shattering Lion – had ordered them to run a few more laps. Kylie and he group were behind the others, serving as the tail of the long line of trainees marching steadily around the field.“It is a surprising outcome, but it does make sense. This guy’s father is famous for being unpredictably crazy.” Davies murmured. His words were heard by both Kylie and Jack, and while Kylie chuckled at them, Jack’s twitching eyelids suggested that if it wasn’t because they were currently outside and within another’s eyesight, he would have very much liked to pummel Davies into the ground.“I wonder how it would be like, and what the criteria for choosing the representatives would be like,” Kylie could not help but voice out her thoughts. Shattering Lion had been open enough to inform them of the location of the dule and how many representatives would be required; however, Kyl
Looking at Kylie and her friends training together, Shattering Lion’s stern eyes were slightly clouded. He had just instilled a certain strategy to the trainees and had asked them to form groups of four to try the strategy out. After all, most squads that are sent out on missions – at least when it came to the Lion King clan – were comprised of four individuals. The trainees were used to this as Instructor Lam always made them train in fours.“She’s intelligent and picks up quickly. It isn’t just because she’s next to those to. She doesn’t lose out at all even though she’s training with them.” Shattering Lion was a sharp observer. His eyes were not mere decorations, but tools to sharpen young talents and analyse enemies. The strategy Shattering Lion had taught them today was one that they would be learning for the next few weeks. It was a high-level strategy called Pincer. It was a technique that every Lion King squad was expected to know, and one that bore enormous fruits when master
“If it isn’t the famous Kylie,” Philip smiled charmingly and extended his hand towards Kylie in greeting. While his expression and mannerisms were as astute as that of a prince, Kylie could see the craftiness of the snake hidden within. She frowned as she stared at Philip’s outstretched hand. To the trainees who were watching on, their eyes stinging pleasurably at the sight of a dramatic break that would wash fatigue from their minds, Philip was the perfect gentleman. After all, he was someone who was gentle and kind to them all; but Kylie knew that this was just an act.A snake like Philip was only known to be himself around his enemies. Gathering allies with lies and filling their heads with fairytale behaviour was what people like him knew best. Kylie knew this. Davies knew this, and Jack knew this; but the other trainees did not. Kylie didn’t want to accept his hand at all, but she knew that in doing so, her already diminished image would grow even more diminutive. She could alrea
*Kylie*“Mmm”*Hey Kylie! Wake Up*“Why are you screaming? It doesn’t feel like it’s been an hour.” Kylie grumbled in her sleep as she turned over and placed her pillow over her head. It was a funny sight, for the source of her disturbance was in her head. That pillow was not going to do any good.*That’s because it hasn’t*“Then why are you waking me up?”*Because that creepy old man who comes to see you at night is here*“Creepy old man?” Kylie couldn’t help but whisper as she opened her eyes and pulled the pillow off her head. Her eyes travelled to the only window in the room, and enhanced by her Beastman abilities, she was able to easily see in the darkness. There was a man standing next to the window. When Kylie saw him, all the drowsiness she had accumulated was forcefully extinguished.“Did you call my father’s teacher a pervert” Kylie smiled bitterly as she sprung off her bed and bowed in greeting towards the intruder.“Good evening Grandmaster.”Indeed, her unwelcome yet welc
The days went by quickly and two weeks passed by swiftly. Due to the duel with the Clan of the First, things were very active in the Lion King Clan, specifically, the Kingsman mansion. Kylie, Davies, and Jack hadn’t been to school in the past few days – since the incident with Sam and Igneous – and just like every other trainee, they focused on their training. The list for the representatives had already been published. Shattering Lion had unsurprisingly picked the trainees he felt were best for this mission. These were the five representatives he had chosen: Kylie, Jack, Davies, Philip, and a boy called Razor. Kylie was the only female rep. Her place would have been disputed by the trainees under normal circumstances with them wondering how a 1 Star got selected, but after her little display, the noise around her had died down; those annoying whispers had turned into pleasant gongs. What they didn’t know however, was that Kylie would have been selected anyway. After all, Galbraith’s
The Barren Battlefield was vastly different from its name. For one thing, it wasn’t a wilderness that contained nothing. Rather, it was a stadium, one that was large enough to seat a 100,000 people! At the centre of the stadium, was an elevated field that was just as expansive as a football field; however, instead of grass and white markings, the platform was made out of the strongest minerals upon the earth, making it the best place to fight. This was the greatest stage of the Lion King clan, one that very few clans could match up to. This was the Barren Battlefield.Right now, the large stadium was filled to the brim with Beastmen from every tribe. News that the Lion Kings would be duelling the Clan of the First spread like wildfire, and when the list of representatives was released, the hubbub surrounding the entire affair grew exponentially. That was because of two names: Igneous and Jack.One had to hand it to the Clan of the First. They really knew how to promote businesses. Bel
“Our first match ladies and gentlemen is one that waters the mouth and wets the tongue. While many would assume that the first battle would be one that would prepare us for the highlights to come, the Barren Battlefield is no place for preliminaries. This is a warzone, and the first match is going to be just that!”“From the Clan of the First, we have our first representative. He is someone whose name rocks the world of geniuses and reminds us of our inadequacies. His first achievement was coming third place in the Rookie Championship ten years ago. His exquisite blade techniques and dagger skills elevated his name to the lips of both the new and old generation alike, making him the envy of young men his age but a catch for our poor young daughters. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the one who is called the Son of Blades…”“Davidson!”“DAVIDSON”“DAVIDSON”“DAVIDSON”Surrounded by the loud chants of the crowd, a young man who looked to be in his late twenties walked out of the tunnel. Hi
Davidson sped towards Davies immediately. His feet dug into the metallic platform strongly as he pushed himself forward. His eyes flashed coldly with each step he took, gleaming brightly in the dark like two dangerous orbs. Wielding both daggers, he swung his arms towards Davies, covering every possible escape route for the latter.Unlike Davidson, Davies was sluggish. He didn’t move when the referee announced the start of the match, seemingly slow to get his wits together. His eyes were as calm as a lake and his smile was still plastered on his handsome face. He held both daggers at his side defencelessly, seemingly too slow to put up a good defence.“Such a weakling dares to stand before me?! Next time, show me the respect I deserve you little twat!” Davidson chuckled as his daggers pierced through the air and sliced through Davies. A cruel smirk crossed Davidson’s face and his eyes lit up brightly.[I don’t believe it]Davidson’s smile widened when he heard the startled voice of th
Kylie had another dream. Well, at this point, she spent more time dreaming than she did staying awake; however, this dream was familiar. It was an image she had seen before and one that she did not miss. She did not think she would see this again, but here she was once again, her spirit stranded on this worn-down planet. The red sun in the sky bore down on her and transmitted great heat, for although this was a dream, Kylie could feel the burning fire of the sun. The Legacy candidate of the Lion King tribe tore her eyes away from the sun and cast her eyes to the only figure present on this planet. Unlike her meet dream of this place, there were no enemies today. And unlike the first time, the protagonist of this dream was staring at her.A figure that seemed familiar yet eerily unfamiliar. It was as though she was holding a dystopian mirror before herself, for the person Kylie was looking at was an alternate image of herself. Same face, same figure, same complexion, and the same heigh
“What...is...that?” Razor asked with widened eyes. His arms which held Philip trembled strongly as his transformed skin failed to cope with the scorching heat now present in the hall. Yet even though his fur sizzled and burned, Razor could feel nothing. All that went through his mind was the shock of seeing Kylie in this new form.“Did you know about this?” Jack turned to Davis and asked. “No. Of course not. This is my first time seeing something like this” Davies replied.Both men were stunned by what they were seeing. Jack was using his spear to absorb the heat that threatened to reduce him to ash, for his spear’s origin was related to a creature that loved flames. As for Davies, he was using Jack as a shield by standing as close to him as possible. His response to Jack was not marred with lies, for he indeed had no idea what was going on. He had never seen Kylie in this form before, neither had he seen her radiating so much fury. No...wait. He had seen her show this much anger be
“Those eyes that were formerly lost, are now filled with conviction. They have figured it out.” Bloodlust muttered to herself silently, the pretentious crazed look she had mustered fading into nothingness. Her eyes still held her rage and her quivering from the loss of her brother did not cease, but her hidden wisdom had been pushed to the surface. This change was easy to discern. After all, it was easy to tell when an opponent had suddenly turned cautious.“Don’t worry about her ability to regenerate!” Kylie screamed, not telling the others that Davies held the key to defeating this monster; such a decision would cost them their element of surprise.Unfortunately for Kylie, Bloodlust was keen and sharp. She was unlike her brother. The moment she saw Kylie and Davies exchanging looks and noticed that his demeanour had grown emboldened, she was confident that the two were plotting something. She didn’t know how they had communicated without saying a word, but she would be arrogant to d
Kylie frowned as she watched Bloodlust rapidly approaching. Razor was engaged with the Blood Daemon, keeping her at bay with his powerful blows and tearing her apart with the blades that adorned his arm. Unfortunately, his victim could be so careless with her actions and her attacks. Her swift attacks and careless nature made it difficult for Razor to be as brazen as he usually was, affecting his fighting style. Thankfully, Razor was not alone. Jack was there as well.As someone who had trained more as a marital artist than as a beastman, Jack was more suited to a battle like this. In a battle that required more caution than brazen obliteration of the enemy, Jack was a better fit. Phillip had also crawled out of the wall he had been struck into. While he was not as strong as Razor or as skilled as Jack, he too was used to a more reserved fighting style due to the fact that he had been fighting against opponents stronger than he was for the past few weeks of training prior to the missi
Dark Shadows’ eyes fluttered close as she embraced death. She didn’t think she would die like this but alas, when did she become the decider of her fate? Her greatest delusion had been to underestimate the beastmen because they were young. If she had taken them seriously from the start and actually drawn up a strategy to handle them, even if she had lost, she would have taken half of the team with her. It was unfortunate for the one who ruled these parts to come to this realization while standing on death’s door; however, her death was not filled with only regret.Yes, she had failed to lead properly and caused Slender and Muscles’ death by sending them after opponents who were much too ready for them. Yes, her foolishness and carelessness had led to the death of Breaker, meaning that even if she had survived, the Blood Daemon family would have killed her for her error. And yes, she had brought Bloodlust to tears and broken the spirit of the once reserved girl. These were all things s
For as long as she could remember, she and her brother had been together. From the moment of their birth to the time the family decided that they should go on their pilgrimage, they had been together. That was the life she had grown accustomed to. Her brother’s presence had become a part of her. He was an extension of her image, a mirror that reflected the part of herself that was always suppressed. Her strict nature and bridled character could be maintained because he was free for both of them. Hs carelessness and free spirit made up for her lack of either one thereof, making it easier to reach the level she had reached.Daemons were special. Each one was highly valued, and the Daemon families were powerful in their own right. Much like the Beastmen’s influential tribes, Daemons were the influential families of the Undead, and their elders came from these families. From Speed Daemons to Rage Daemons and Blood Daemons, Daemons were a force to be reckoned with; a force that not even th
“Sh*t” Dark Shadow could not help but swear when she saw Breaker’s head rolling helplessly across the floor.Her eyes flashed coldly as rage and fear overcame every fiber of her being. It was unusual for the two polar opposite emotions to share the same space, but that was exactly what was happening right now. Her eyes sought the figure of the assassin. She wanted to see the one who had been so brave as to venture into her den alone. After all, she didn’t believe that all the beastmen who had been sent this time were assassins. Yet she could not catch a glimpse of the assassin. She roared in rage as she stamped her foot onto the ground, but her rage would not last long. For in no time, a large figure broke through the door of the throne room, blowing it to smithereens, and barged inside with an insidious smile on his face. This person was a beastman covered in spikes. His shaggy mane was reflective of his clan and Dark Shadow knew immediately who was behind this.“The Lion King tribe!
Dark Shadow sat silently upon her throne. Her eyes gazed calmly upon the large chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling that had been unused since the time she started living here. After all, what need did an Undead have for light. Whether it was sunlight or artificial light, it did not have a place in their land.“It feels quiet without them here,” Dark Shadow muttered, sighing tiredly.“If Slender and Muscles heard you say this, they would be very pleased,” said an Undead who had just walked into the room.Next to this Undead was another of his kind but of the opposite sex. The two approached Dark Shadow’s throne and knelt before her, offering their respect to their mistress.“Bloodlust greets Mistress Dark Shadow.”“Breaker greets Mistress Dark Shadow.”Looking down upon her two subordinates, Dark Shadow chuckled lightly and gestured for them to stand. These two, Bloodlust and Breaker, were the other two 4 Star Undead under her command. Bloodlust and Breaker were both Bloo
Psycho opened his eyes to the unfamiliar sight of daylight. He squinted naturally, as was expected for a creature more accustomed to the shadows and began to squirm uncomfortably. He wanted to get out of the light and into the darkness. His eyes rapidly sought for shade or shelter, anything that could grant him respite from the scorching heat of the sun that threatened to suck him dry.“Why am I here? And where is the captain?” Psycho wondered as his patched and cracked lips refused to part to even allow him to speak.He didn’t know why he couldn’t move as freely as he wanted, for his eyes were struggling to adapt to the piercing brightness of the sun. He could not see properly. His body just felt unusually heavy. Almost as though there was something keeping him bound. The last time he felt this way was right before he awakened as an Undead. For before he opened his eyes to this world that he knew, his body would not listen to him. Since then, he had clawed his way through the bittern