Whispering Retribution
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Grade- A
Description:
A sword art created by one of the most powerful swordsmen in human history. Created just after the 'collision', this sword art focuses on using the human body to generate enough speed for the sword to cut, pierce or slash anything. Mastering this art to the pinnacle allows the user to be in a class of their own in the speed category, with no one able to say they are faster.
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Gazing at the information displayed on his watch, Evan had stars in his eyes as he ripped open the packaging and started flipping through the book in front of him.
'This… is just what I need! It's similar to the Demon reaper one because it emphasises the use of every part of the body. Now if anyone suspects me, I can show them this sword art, giving a plausible explanation.'
Martial arts and combat spells were graded from
The demon reaper martial art synonymous with the Hale family was one of the rare
Since both martial arts possessed similar qualities, Evan could heave a sigh of relief as people's suspicion of him being a former scion of one of humanity's pillars would drastically decrease.
Placing the book down, he turned to look at the other item that was placed beside the Whispering Retribution art.
Unwrapping the cover of the item, Evan gazed at it as a star-struck expression replaced the indifferent one currently on his face.
Laid on the floor was a sword sheathed in a red and black scabbard that seemed to suck out all the light in the room.
Unsheathing the sword, Evan traced his finger across the black blade interwoven with dark red patterns that gave off the feeling of a revenge-crazed beast as he admired this stellar piece of craftsmanship.
'This suits the current me so well.' He thought with a grin plastered on his face, showing a hint of childlike purity which was hidden deep inside.
Even though he went through so much, a tiny sliver of his past personality remained, although barely hanging on by a thread from being eradicated by the much more dark and cynical personality he recently gained.
Standing up from his cross-legged position, he held the hilt of the sword tightly in a two-handed grip as he started swinging it in a downward cut motion.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swooshing sounds resounded in the room as Evan began swinging his sword according to the descriptions in the book.
There were 9 forms, each corresponding to each of the nine ranks.
As he was just a beginner in the sword's path, Evan resolved himself to earnestly practice daily to achieve completion of the first form as soon as possible.
"Haa… Haa."
Half an hour later, Evan stopped swinging the sword as he panted, with droplets of sweat dripping off his forehead onto the floor below.
'This is harder than I expected. Why do they make swinging a sword look so easy?' he inwardly complained as he regained his breath and sat down, resting to return to his peak condition.
Thirty minutes later, the pilot made an announcement stating they were nearing the borders of Zone C.
"Ugh."
Getting up as he groaned softly because of the numbness caused by sitting in the same position for extended periods of time, Evan walked to the door and exited the room in search of his squad members.
Travelling into the corridor, he was met with the gazes of the other members of the Fanged Wolves as they each left their rooms at the same time.
Nodding to each other, they set off and arrived at the area where the main cabin of the aircraft was located.
Astrid was as aloof as usual as her emerald green eyes looked dull and void of any emotion.
Kang was the same since their first meeting, silent as if he took an oath not to speak.
The only different one was Finn, who was looking around at the empty seats around them, constantly mumbling under his breath indecipherable words that only he knew.
Otto was at the very forefront, with his large shoulders in full display, stalwart and dependable, as if they could hold the largest of burdens.
Strapping themselves into their seats, the squad of mercenaries patiently waited for 10 mins until the voice of the pilot of the aircraft overhead began speaking.
"We are 2 minutes from the military outpost in Zone C. The aircraft will descend and hover just above the ground, requiring you to jump from the cargo bay. Prepare yourselves. The cargo door will open in a minute's time."
After that, the voice cut off, leaving the squad in a state of silence for a few seconds before they began busying themselves to prepare for their impending arrival.
A minute later, the squad was standing in a straight line, with all their gear stored in a storage ring, as the cargo door opened slowly, showing the military outpost.
There were 2 large buildings directly in the centre, with 4 watchtowers in each of the cardinal directions, ensuring that nothing gets past the patrolling soldiers and into the barracks.
As Evan took this sight in, he entered a daze as a particular phrase his father used to say reverberated in his mind as he silently repeated it.
'Those on the front lines fighting to ensure that humanity survives another day are the most miserable people to exist. They fight to the death, not knowing if they survive tomorrow to allow a kid to continue smiling, just one kid, and they will gladly sacrifice themselves if that one kid can live a better childhood on this forsaken earth.'
Only at this moment did Evan truly understand the deeper meaning of what his father said as he gazed from above, looking below at the soldier's grim determination being displayed on their faces, having the burden of humanity's future on their frail looking shoulders.
As the aircraft descended quickly, the voice of the pilot rang out once again, jolting Evan out of his dazed state.
"Go, go, Go. Permission for your landing has received a green light. Hurry!."
With Evan in the middle of the group, the Fanged Wolves moved towards the cargo bay and jumped off in a couple of seconds.
Feeling the rush of air hitting his face, Evan braced his body as the ground came rushing up to meet him.
Thud!
Channelling his mana to cushion the fall, he landed with a big thud as the ground shook slightly from the speed of the fall.
Even though the squad jumped from a low altitude, gravity still made their descent speed faster and faster, hence why the ground shook.
Gazing around, Evan noticed only Otto landed the same way as him, using his body to handle the force of the landing.
However, he keenly noticed that beneath Astrid, Kang and Finn's feet, the ground remained solid, with no indentations, as opposed to what he and Otto caused.
'Interesting.'
Patting the dirt off his body from the landing, Otto spoke quickly.
"Alright, now that we have landed, we need to rendezvous with the commander of the base before we set off."
Since they placed this military outpost in a Grade 2 zone, the rank of the commander shouldn't be too high.
The number of powerful personnel was limited in number, so the military gave the more dangerous zones higher priority.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Evan nodded as an unparalleled seriousness appeared on his face.
'This is it. The beginning of my perilous journey. Wish me luck, father and mother from wherever you are. I promise to gain enough strength to gain revenge and find you!'