Retrieved Will (8)

Fumiko and the others watch from a distance, smiling at Ashiro.

"You think he's ready for Satsujin, Fumiko?"

Fumiko shook her head towards Akari's question. "Nah, Satsujin wouldn't lie down that easily. I bet he's training and strengthening his numbers." Fumiko stated, worried about the future. "However, during Ashiro's fight, I sensed Kodak's energy suddenly spike at the Kyoto hospital. He's getting stronger."

Akari lights up like fireworks from the information given to her and Kohaku. "For real!?"

Fumiko nodded her head in response, softly smiling at the thought of Kodak reuniting with them very soon.

Kyoto Hospital 3:42 AM…

Kodak's physical body remained asleep, however, his spiritual body was still training intensely with his three avatars.

Energy crackled within his body as sparks of black and purple tore into the grassy field of the mindscape.

[New Kinetic formations Unlocked!]

Kodak stood strong, breathing heavily as he looked at Kiko. "Damn... don't you get tired?"

He wiped sweat from his forehead with his shirt.

Kiko smirked in amusement at Kodak's obvious question. "You've only just now understood how your abilities work. Your usage of both kinetic and destructive energy has risen immensely."

Kodak smirked at Kiko's assumptions about his current strength. "Thanks for the compliment."

"However, Kodak. That's no reason for you to slack off. You still need to condense your cores and even then you've only unlocked 4 of the 5 destructive battle art forms. You are doing well though."

Kodak inhaled a deep breath, before locking his gaze onto Kiko. 'Win... that's all that my mind is focused on. I've been in this mindscape for about a month. But I refuse to fall behind. I still need to unlock the more advanced movement techniques of revenant.'

Basic revenant techniques are merely linked to how a user fights and the style of the user's avatar. However, the basic techniques are centered around Aura applications, energy blast-based attacks, and even movement techniques. Kodak has surpassed those limits and unlocked the advanced revenant techniques.

"System, show me my current stats and skills."

[Opening Stats!]

Name: Kodak Kawnari

Title: Destructive Ruler

Strength: 3.5M

Speed: 5.9M

Revenant Capacity: 8.7M

Revenant Output: 5.4M

Revenant Proficiency: 2.1M

Innate techniques: Destructive Battle Arts.

Skills: Combat Sense, Destructive Shockwave, Destructive Charge, Wingless Flight, Ruler's Aura, Blaze Wave, Telepathy, Destructive Amplification, Radial Destruction, Blast Burn.

Kinetic Formations Unlocked: 5/5

Destructive Formations Unlocked: 4/7

Kodak smirked at the stats, impressed with his progression. 'All the stats were barely S-Rank, but now I can be considered a high-tier S-Ranker!'

"Kodak! Get your ass over here!"

"I'm coming, calm your tits Kuroi!"

Kyoto Nexus Academy 5 PM....

Ashiro took a meditation stance in his dorm room, channelling his cores. 'I need to push further for my formation of the earth core!'

[Limits have been reached!]

Ashiro's body collapses, and a smile appears across his face as he looks at the messages from the system. "Looks like I shattered my old record. Hell, I even unlocked the third earth formation."

---

Ashiro wakes up, feeling the golden shine of the sun beaming into his room. He then looks next to him, seeing Kohaku. The golden light illuminated her stunning beauty, warming Ashiro's heart.

'Absolutely Stunning.'

Ashiro rose from the bed, going about his day. Making breakfast, doing his morning workouts, and going to class with Kohaku, Fumiko, and Akari.

"Hey Ashiro!" Haru called out to him during combat classes.

Ashiro turned around, seeing who was trying to get his attention. "What's up, Haru?"

"Do you need help on condensing your cores?"

Ashiro immediately replied with no hesitation. "Nah, I already did that with 2 of my 5 cores."

Haru's eyes slightly widen in shock. "R-really, but you've only been here for about a month?!"

Ashiro chuckled and nodded towards Haru. "Yeah, if you think I'm a prodigy. There are 2 people who are even more innately gifted than I."

Haru chuckled at Ashiro's claim."Yeah, right. You might be strong, but your jokes are kind of wack."

Ashiro didn't answer, only keeping his face serious and making eye contact with Haru.

Haru's expression of shock and disarray was only amplified by Ashiro's serious face. "Wait, you're serious!?"

He then looked behind Ashiro, seeing a stream of red lightning fly at the back of his head.

"LOOK OUT!"

[Skill: Blooming Sanctuary Activated!]

Thick roots and vines burst from the floor, neutralizing the red lightning.

Ashiro looks at the person who fired the blast of lightning, annoying him slightly.

Haru jumps over the shield of vines and roots, shouting at the attacker. "AKANE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

Akane smirked at Haru's angered face. "Who knew a pretty boy such as yourself could get this angered?" Her tone was playful and mocking of his anger.

Haru gritted his teeth, feeling the energy of the vines he had just conjured shroud his body. "YOU ALWAYS START SHIT FOR NO REASON!"

[Skill: Energy of Yggdrasil Activated!]

A light green energy glows around Haru, shrouding his entire body. He then leaps off the wall of vines and roots.

Akane smirks, snapping her fingers as Haru leaps at her. A clash of Phytokinesis Energy and lightning echoes through the gym.

"COME ON, YOU'RE TOO DAMN NICE TO PUT UP A FIGHT YA FRICKIN IDIOT!"

[Skill: Cursed Bolt Breaker Activated!]

Akane overpowers the clash of immense energy, so much so that she even punches through the energy and strikes Haru in the jaw.

The blood red lighting tears through Haru's jaw, splitting it wide open as blood drips from his mouth.

Haru didn't care though, powering through the pain with sheer will and could only think of fighting Akane until she couldn't even move a muscle.

The robotic voice of the system then calls out to Haru. [Warning! Your body is in critical condition, healing factor is activating!]

The torn flesh and visible bones of Haru's jaw begin healing, forming around his face as a sensation of focus and anger floods into his mind.

"Growth." Haru chants, causing the energy caused by the vines and roots to amplify in both output and proficiency.

Akane looks at Haru with an expression of slight amusement. But she doesn't care and a bolt of red lightning forms in her hand.

[Skill: Voltage Burst Activated!]

Akane smirks as both of them are at a distance. "CATCH THIS YOU STUBBORN GOODY-TWO-SHOES BASTARD!"

Akane pivots her feet and throws with her entire body. The red volt of lightning crackled with animosity as Haru barely dodged the attack. A cut appears on his cheek, and blood leaks from the flesh wound.

"You missed."

Haru then conjures up multiple small platforms of roots and vines.

[Skill: Nature Walk Activated!]

But as he ran upon the platforms, jumping around trying to confuse Akane. Haru notices that the flesh that was cut earlier from Akane's attack started to worsen.

'What!?'

But before he could do anything, Akane leaped into the air and grabbed Haru by the face, dragging him through the walls of the gym. Debris crumbles from the vicious drag down from Akane.

Haru then flicks his wrist, summoning endless, complicated formations of vines and tree roots.

"LIKE I WOULD LET YOU USE YOUR PITIFUL BRANCHES YA DAMN PUNK!" Akane screams as her grip on Haru tightens, getting stronger & stronger.

But then a glow of purple energy enters the fight as Akane is stabbed directly in the back. Blood leaks, dripping onto Haru's face as he looks at the lethal wound. 'Purple spikes!?'

Akane stops dragging Haru and her grip loosens slightly. Her head then jerks around, seeing Shion from afar, commanding the spikes from a distance. Blood leaks from her stomach, angering her deeply. "STAY OUT OF THIS!" She yells with a burst of lightning echoing in the gym.

The sparks of red lightning tear through the ground. As this happens Ashiro helps the gym teacher escort multiple students out of the gymnasium. Only a few students remained, mainly Fumiko, Kohaku, Akari, Masaki, and a couple of S-Ranks in the gymnasium.

Akane then tries lifting her hand towards Shion, charging up with a red glow of lightning. "SHOULD'VE KNOW YOU DELTA SCUMBAGS WERE GONNA INTERFER!"

[Skill: Electrical Wave Blast Activated-]

A glow of green emanates from Haru, and vines snap onto her, binding Akane's entire body almost instantly. "NOT A CHANCE!"

[Skill: Roots of Bondage Activated!]

Haru then grabs one of the vines extending from the restrained Akane, throwing her around the gym.

When he finally releases the vine he was holding onto, Akane crashes into the roof.

Lightning surged from the vines as Akane screamed in anger. "ENOUGH YOU COCKY SON OF A BITCH!"

Akane plants her feet onto the ceiling of the gymnasium, charging lightning over the lower portion of her body.

[Skill: Voltage Blitz Activated!]

A sonic boom echoes through Akane bursting off the ceiling, while Shion and Haru plan on blocking the onslaught headed their way.

Akane speeds up as she flies through the air. However, she's noticed a figure jumping into the air from behind Haru and Shion. "STAY OUT OF THIS YOU DAMN OUTSIDER!"

[3rd Flame Formation: Flaming Throwdown!]

Ashiro jumps through the air, conjuring up 2 extra arms made of the blue flames. "Pick on someone your own size then shithead!"

The arms latch onto Akane, burning her skin so intensely that it begins to bubble. She flinched in pain as Ashiro's flame arms tightened their grip, slamming her directly into the ground.

A massive cloud of dust and debris echoes through the gymnasium. Ashiro looks down and sees that Akane is completely unconscious.

"Get off her, or this bastard gets it!"

Ashiro turns around, seeing two other people holding Shion and Haru hostage. "Tch, fine."

He then drops Akane, but before he could even react, Ashiro is suddenly struck across the face, by a blur of blue energy. His nose drips a little amount of blood, annoying him.

"Who the fuck are you!?" Ashiro exclaims, upon seeing a light blue-haired student. The opponent smirks, not taking Ashiro seriously. "I should be asking you that, ya damn outsider."

Haru then headbutts the male student keeping him pinned, unleashing a storm of vines upon the student.

[Skill: Vinestorm Onslaught Activated!]

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE DAMN THINGS!?"

Haru then flanks around the vines and delivers a critical blow straight towards the attacker's back. Sparks of black and dark green then burst as Haru screams the chant.

"DEATH BURST!"

The attacker goes flying as Akane begins waking up, seeing the student's body fly past her as Haru lands a death burst.

"REN!"

Akane gets up, and immediately strikes Ashiro across the jaw as she goes to restrain Haru.

Ashiro flies across the gym, not perceiving the attack. "KEUGH!" He crashes into a wall, before getting up almost instantly as he sees Akane punching Haru across the jaw multiple times.

"HARU!"

[Skill: Unyielding Impact Activated!]

A loud shockwave of energy echoes through the gymnasium, and everyone looks around. Some students cowered at his mere presence, while some others stopped what they were doing upon hearing his commanding tone.

"EVERYONE STOP!" Ken's voice echoes through the gymnasium, Ashiro jerked his head over, feeling the threatening aura emanating from him.

'So that's the King of Nexus, Ken Nakamura.'

Ken walks over, instantly separating Akane and Haru, peeling their grips off of each other. "You both made your point, don't drag others into your pointless brawl!"

"Especially you, Haru. I get that Ren was keeping you in a dangerous position. But seriously, a death burst just cause he was being a nuisance is just uncalled for. You should know better, after all, you're supposed to be the most peaceful of the nexus royals."

Ken then shifts his attention towards Ashiro, anger fuming from his gaze."You have no right interfering in a fight between the 3 royals, let them settle their differences. Otherwise, DON'T."

Ashiro gritted his teeth from Ken's words."Then how about you make me?" His words echo through the gym as everyone looks at Ashiro's challenge in shock.

"He's getting too cocky, even if he's an S-Rank!"

"He needs to be put in his place."

"KICK HIS ASS KEN!"

[Skill: Elemental Nexus Activated!]

"Stoneforge."

[Ironclad Aura selected!]

[New Elemental Amplification Unlocked!]

[Quaking Might has been unleashed!]

Ashiro's skin turns to a dark shade of grey. He feels his body weight increase and his skin turns rough and coarse.

Ken glared, fed up with Ashiro's shenanigans. "You really wanna fight!?" The ground begins cracking beneath them as the auras clash.

[Skill: Commander's Aura Activated!]

Ashiro felt the crushing amount of revenant coursing through Ken's aura technique. 'Damn, I knew he was strong. However, I didn't think he'd be this powerful!'

Ashiro then feels his instincts screaming out to him, but he isn't certain of the threat looming over him.

Godai's voice then echoes through Ashiro's head. "HE'S ATTACKING, JUMP UP!"

Ashiro swiftly leaps into the air, staying in the air with his flaming flight skill.

He watches from above as Ken suddenly disappears. Ashiro looks around frantically, trying to look for Ken, but a heavy attack then strikes him in the face.

Ashiro descends quickly from the ground, crashing into the floor. He looked up with his vision fuzzy, but he could tell that Ken was the one who dealt the blow.

His palms then glow blue as the room gets hotter and hotter. Ken crushes his foot into Ashiro further.

[Elemental Discharge: Firestorm Selected!]

"Incinerate!"

Ashiro's body tensed as the flames poured from his palms, sending Ken flying back from the intense flames.

A sea of blue flames burst through Ashiro's palms. Deeply wounding Ken.

Multiple people flee from the gymnasium, leaving only Ashiro's group and Ken's group.

Ken looks at his arm, seeing the charred skin and stinging pain emanating from it.

'Damn. Those flames are dangerous, if I take an attack head-on like that, then I might be severely damaged.'

The wound then starts closing, and the charred texture of his skin dissipates. A serious look plasters over Ken and Ashiro's faces.

"You know, I never thought you would get this strong just from staying at this academy for a mere month. But I see now that this newfound strength of yours has made you arrogant, cocky, and just downright vile."

Ashiro gritted his teeth, angry at Ken's words. "Vile!? I've been targeted from the get-go!!!"

The blue flames around Ashiro's stone skin surged wildly. "I was targeted just cause I was an outsider! What type of fucked up logic is that!?"

Ken shook his head, disappointed with Ashiro's yelling. "You're a man, so act like one."

[4th Flame Formation: Blazing Emberstorm!]

A wide radius of flames burst from Ashiro as the words from Ken left his lips. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Ken yelled, worried about the others, however, he was surprised to see that Ashiro's group didn't even budge.

"ENOUGH!"

[Skill: Channelling Boost Activated!]

Ken's aura then starts climbing even higher than before. Each step of his echoed with authority, like a ticking time bomb that was ready to explode at any moment.

Ashiro stood tall and strong, ready for the attack. However, that attack never came. Ken turned his back on Ashiro, and began walking out of the gym.

Ashiro looked at Ken's decision, confused. Why would he stop fighting when his reputation is on the line?