Free Web NovelChapter 49: Chapter 43: Weapon and Threat
A/N:
Warning: This Chapter contains graphic content that involves coercion and child abuse.
I do not endorse or promote abuse of any kind, be it mental, physical or sexual on anybody regardless of age, gender, or affiliation.
Do not forget that this is just a dark fantasy novel and even here, abuse is not cool.
You have been warned.
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As soon as he did, he subconsciously activated Reality Materialisation. It was difficult to manifest anything in the real world but in his mind, he reigned supreme.
(Refer to Ch34: Aurevion Pantheon)
His spiritual body changed into his original appearance as Ezekiel Ashbourne but with a few changes. Instead of a single pair, he had nine pairs of wings completely unfurled behind him.
His Aureliarc blazed with blinding light and materialized into a physical crown that seemed to have been made out of celestial bodies themselves but if one looked carefully, they would be able to recognise the three gems in the center.
They looked suspiciously similar to the three celestial bodies in the Aurevion Pantheon. He stretched out his hand, and grabbed the Mara Demon. He said, "Seeing you so hungry for my soul makes me wanna try it myself."
The Neo-Nephilim tore off the Mara Demon’s body piece by piece and consumed it with great relish. He saved the main head until the end because he wanted the Mara Demon to see its body ripped apart and consumed. He wanted it to feel it all.
When he finally finished eating the Mara Demon, changes started taking place in him. Two demonic horns grew out of his forehead. His Aureliarc, which had turned into a crown, also changed. From a crown it became a headband that wrapped around his forehead.
The two ends of the headband met in the middle of his forehead, leaving an empty space between his eyebrows. A slit appeared there. It opened a revealed vertical eye inside. Its sclera was purple with golden hues. Instead of a pupil, his Aureliarc blazed in the eye. Tattoos in blue, purple, and gold also appeared on his body.
(For the headband, refer to Monkey King’s headband. It’s not the same but it’s similar. For the vertical eye, refer to the eyes of any of the Upper Moons from Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba. That should help you visualize it better.)
When the changes finished taking place, Zeke felt powerful. His spiritual body finally reverted back to his appearance as Rank 1. He returned to reality, only to find that his real body was completely drenched in sweat. He also had a headache. He had a meal and fell asleep. Unbeknownst to any of the trainees, their food that night had something other than the usual medicine.
Zeke woke up with a splitting headache. He felt as if he had downed 20 bottles of Dragon’s Fire without having any food or water. He groggily looked at his surroundings and found that he was in a cart along with nine unconscious trainees.
As if sensing his moment, an instructor entered the cart. When he saw that Rank 1 was awake, he was surprised. If it was any other trainee, he would have simply killed them but Rank 1 was different. He got out of the cart and told the head instructor.
The head instructor came into the cart and saw that Rank 1 was awake. Zeke also didn’t bother to pretend to be unconscious because he knew that the head instructor was at least a First Rate Warrior and would easily be able to see through him.
The head instructor looked at him and asked, "The drug we gave you should have been enough to knock even a Second Rate Warrior out. How are you awake? Oh, and you may speak freely."
The head instructor knew that Rank 1 wouldn’t say anything until he said so. Zeke nodded and said, "I don’t know. I just have a splitting headache right now."
The head instructor thought of something and asked, "Have you ever consumed a toxic substance before? How did it affect you?"
Zeke thought about it and said, "I ate a lot of snakes, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and rats when I was in the cave. In the beginning, I got sick a lot but with time, it started decreasing until I stopped getting sick at all."
The head instructor’s eyes widened but he quickly calmed down. He tapped some acupoints on Rank 1’s body, instantly knocking him out. Then he got out of the cart.
[What is it with them and knocking children out? They should at least get a white van and some candy first.]
Zeke woke up once again but this time all of the trainees did. His headache was also gone. Seeing that all of them were awake, the head instructor said, "Follow me."
The trainees formed eight lines with ten trainees each according to their ranks. As he began walking behind him, Zeke was surveying his surroundings. It looked like they were in a forest. So basically, they were in the middle of nowhere. They walked until they reached a huge shed. Zeke thought, ’That’s weird? A shed this huge in the middle of a forest?’
The head instructor looked at them and said, "You all have received basic combat training, and cultivation techniques. Now, it’s time for you all to choose a weapon. Inside this shed, you’ll find weapons of almost every kind.
Ten of you will go inside at the same time and choose a weapon that suits you. After you have chosen your weapon, you will inform your choice of weapon and rank to the instructor inside. You have two incense sticks worth of time. Any longer and you won’t get a weapon. Begin"
Zeke and nine other trainees walked inside the shed. He was shocked to see so many weapons. Swords, spears, bows, daggers, maces, staffs, whips, gauntlets, etc. He could see almost every type of weapon inside this shed.
The trainees were having a hard time choosing because of the numerous options but he already had a weapon of choice, a chained scythe. He spotted a chain scythe and walked towards it. As he was, he spotted another weapon. It consisted of two long blades connected to each other at its handle forming a quarterstaff-like weapon.
(Refer to Glaive from Shadow Fight 2. Not a real glaive but the Glaive from Shadow Fight 2. They’re two completely different weapons. I can’t find it’s real name so if you do, please leave a comment here.)
He picked it up and brandished it. He could tell that it was a moderate range and high speed type weapon. It was crafted from the trunk of an ironbark tree. He tried wielding it and it felt unexpectedly smooth. Much smoother than a chained scythe ever felt. He decided that it was the one.
[I was an idiot. What ’the one’? We’re talking about weapons here, not women.]
But then he fell into another dilemma. He didn’t know this weapon’s name. He took it with him and went to the instructor that was inside the shed. The instructor looked at him and said, "Rank and weapon."
Zeke replied, "Rank 1. Weapon..."
He just showed the weapon to the instructor. The instructor looked at the weapon and said, "A two bladed swordstaff. An uncommon choice."
The instructor noted it down and said, "Return the weapon back to its place before leaving."
Zeke said, "Yes Sir."
He kept the swordstaff back in its place and left the shed. Four hours later, when every trainee had chosen a weapon, the instructors knocked them out again. The head instructor personally knocked Zeke out.
When they woke up again, they were back in the cavern. Zeke trained, ate his food and fell asleep. When he woke up, he found that there was a two bladed swordstaff and a book near his bed. The book contained the foundational moves of the two bladed swordstaff. He decided that he would read it after having a meal.
He walked outside only to find all the trainees in an uproar. He walked towards Rank 2, a girl with silver hair and blood red eyes, and asked, "What’s going on?"
The girl replied in a cold voice, "The instructors are gone. We can’t get out and we don’t have food."
Zeke hummed and thought, ’They’re really treating us as gu.’
Zeke said, "Calm them down. If they wanted us to die, they wouldn’t have spent so much effort on us." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The girl nodded and said, "What will you do?"
Zeke replied, "Nothing. I’ll just train like I do everyday."
Then he walked away. And he was right, as three barrels full of meat arrived in the evening. Now the trainees were fighting about how the food should be divided. Zeke didn’t care about them. He walked towards one of the barrels. Seeing him, the trainees fell silent.
They wanted to stop him but were afraid to. Zeke took enough meat for one day and walked to the cabin of sorts that he had created. He picked up the swordstaff from the ground and walked back out. He drew a line outside the cabin and yelled at the trainees, "LISTEN UP."
All of the trainees looked at him. He said, "You cross this line, you die."
Then he went back inside.
