Daoist Killheart

I had Pektog make me a map of the surrounding areas, and then he highlighted the parts that rookies tend to appear. I found the place I appeared which was much deeper into the forest, most likely having to do with my greater strength. I stayed the night in the village training them, the hobgoblins learned well.

The orcs were prodigious with my malevolent sword intent, I trained them to apply it to their various weapons. They were even able to apply it to their more blunt weapons. Albeit they intent was significantly weakened after all intent suits a certain weapon.

I also spent some time teaching my commanders and sub-commanders big picture battle thinking. They had all lead warriors to battle, but they haven't dealt in the large scale. Where there are multiple commanders and multiple battlefronts. Previously I handled the coordination but now I have bigger things to deal with.

Since I must leave the job to them, I must, of course, make them capable. So I went through some scenarios and described my reasoning for a plan of attack. Pektog did well to learn it, and Graklak to a lesser extent.

Even though he was an orc he has years of experience leading in a way his charisma was enough to win battles. Pektog had finished training his death knights, who were well trained in his sword code. Ulbrag commanded the void archers he trained himself, and Dazkieht commands my shadow corps.

With the training complete, and I went to the skies to investigate the rookie's arrival. After all arms and armaments are half the fight. I thought in uproarious laughter.

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In another part of the forest, a group of boys and girls just teleported into the formation. They were fairly dispersed, but one young boy was fairly fast in finding everyone else. He was a master tracker and could follow even the most arcane tracks back to a person.

Their class meets up without issues and even seemed to have a sense of unity. Though it was class unity, everyone knew their place so the class functioned. In my class, my presence disrupted this dynamic, but I ultimately usurped the position of the top making the order return.

"Justin, what should we do?" said a brown-haired freckled beauty to the tracker.

"I looked for everyone so we could cooperate after all nothing says we can't work together?" He said with a warm smile, everyone's stressed faces calmed with his smile. They were told earlier they may be killed by their own classmates.

"So why are we working together? Most classes don't work together in the dream formation." Said a short black haired noble boy

"Paul, with your family there is no way that you didn't hear about it," Justin said in a stressed tone, he wouldn't want to work together if it wasn't for the special circumstances.

"The dark hand behind the goblins...." Paul said under his breath

"Dark hand?" Someone said in confusion

"Yes, the last year class had a bit of an issue. They were mostly annihilated by organized goblins, and hobgoblins. One of the students even lost their weapon's spirituality." He said in a dreadful tone

"Wait that bad? Why didn't they just scatter?" The brown-haired girl said

"Isabel, you have a brother in 2nd year right?" Justin asked avoiding the question

"Did you ask him about it?" He said prying deeper

"When I do he just grunts about it being not fair, and then he stops talking." She said in sadness, her brother had changed a lot since he went to this school. She was originally planning on going somewhere different but seeing her brother like that she changed her mind and came to this school.

"Well when they scattered, more were waiting and most of them we cut down. The only people that survived was Phantom Carol and Daoist Killheart."

"Daoist Killheart is just abnormal...." Paul said in a chilling tone, he saw him in the school tournament a few months ago. He utterly dominated all comers without trying.

He was devilishly cunning in his schemes and ruthless to men and women alike. They say his heart is filled with devilish intent, this idea came from the phenomena of Lucas' sword heart.

The final sword intent left a chilling impression on everyone even though no one directly saw it, his frightening powers and immense insights made people feel as though he was a Daoist monk filled with evil intentions.

"Right...." Justin said in a quiet voice

"Anyway as an aftermath of the whole issue, a bunch of noble families pressured the school. The school revealed the escape word, and a didn't kick all the students out. But the noble families had to pay a price for it, and it wasn't pretty." Paul replied

"Wait what's that?" Someone asked as they looked up at the sky

Justin and Paul turned around and looked up, they squinted their eyes. Something was up high, at first they thought it was a bird. As low-level knights, they were above regular humans, but they still couldn't see at the level of higher level knights; without the aid of special skills. The figure was hard to see at first as the sun glared at them, but as it moved further it became obvious.....It was a person.

"He's air walking, who's here?" Paul asked

"Daoist Killheart was meditating earlier, he must be exploring the formation," Justin said in a dreadful voice, they definitely didn't want to get the attention of that jinx.

They were so distracted by Daoist Killheart that they didn't notice. The incoming army of goblins and orcs, hidden among the shrubbery.

**************************

I was enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest as I walked on air. With my extremely acute hearing, I could hear the conversation. I found it amusing that I am now called Daoist Killheart. But it rather suited me in a way.

It seemed most talents get titles after their first year, and mostly from new generations and sometimes from older generations. With my splendid performance my getting a title was a given.

I didn't want to intervene today, instead I would watch the goblins and orcs deal with threats. I honestly can't see my commanders and sub-commanders interfering in a fight this small let alone me. I just want to see if anyone in the foot soldiers is worth developing.

Plus I need to build further unity, after all, there is still a racial barrier. I need them to work together better and fight for me and not their race. I need to become the most important thing to my army of apostles.

At that moment, the distracted rookies were attacked by the hidden shadow corps. They flew out swords shining with bloodlust and quickly cut at the rookies. A few people went down and the goblins quickly fled, when the rookies tried to pursue. Ulbrag directed his Void Archers to shoot them down.

Their void archery made the arrowheads, capable of embedding into the body without the need for force. Justin tried to bring everyone together to fight back against the attack. But a hobgoblin was sent in as an assassin, he struck down Justin and Paul in a moment.

'Good they recognize leaders well.' After all, beasts have an innate understanding of power structures, I expect at least this much from them.

Isabel was fighting for her dear life, against the goblins. Then I sent a message using the power of providence to the goblin that was attacking.

"Let that one go," I said to them, they hesitantly moved back to my order.

She is John's sister, I realized it based on their resemblance and since he has given up on pissing me off, then I won't cause him unnecessary trouble. Her classmates looked at her in surprise, as they were confused.

A few moved closer to her in hopes of being spared as well. But the goblins were relentless, and a few of the smaller orcs joined in the slaughter. A squad of armored warriors attacks as they radiated deathly intent.

Their malevolent gazes intimidating the rookies, and their swords cutting their throats in a single swift motion. They were Pektog's death knights! It didn't take long before order was lost among the rookies, and in a few moments, they were utterly decimated.

Their weapons left on the ground with a few other items. Isabel was spared she ran away in fear, I listened in as she said the safe word. I had already figured out the safe word, but I still prefer being guided by Drrak over-relying on the school.

Drrak and I have common interests but the school and I have differing interests. But ultimately I only have 1 true ally, myself. With the completed massacre, I descended from the clouds to the ground.

The blood-soaked ground quickly disappeared, as the corpses and blood had faded away. Maybe it was the formation or my cold disposition but I didn't feel much about it. Even though I have yet to truly kill anyone or anything.

At most I have killed things in the formation and spared people I competed with. Of course not of my own volition but because the consequences of murder just aren't worth it.

It is better to spare my enemy for now, for the sake of improving my power. Then to become focused on my enemy and forget my path in the first place. I prioritize myself and that requires that I see the big picture and not the little instances.