"It is with great pleasure that I stand before you damn bastards!" Lt. Draco spoke loudly with a stern yet proud look on his face as he stood in front of us, the nine of us standing tall with our hands held behind our backs and the crowd cheering.
Apart from five of us as well as Kane from Platoon, we also had three others of the remaining platoons standing in the line with us.
The first was a young woman my age with long blue hair tied up into a bun and light blue eyes, dressed in the same uniform as the rest of us and wielding an abnormally large calligraphy brush that had a blue ink stain at its tip.
The second person was a rather good-looking dude with shoulder-length blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes, the sleeves of his uniform shirt rolled up slightly to reveal the large blue rose tattoo on his right bicep along with having a confident and slightly cocky smirk on his face.
The last was a slender girl with a bored look in her dark brown eyes and hair of the same colour styled into a low and short ponytail. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she looked like an older copy of Azula from ATLA and the visible burn mark on her right hand seemed to hint at Fire Magic.
"Over the past three months, I have tried my damned best to make sure you bastards didn't pass, but you surpassed what little expectations I have of you all! I can only hope that you nine are strong enough to at least handle border patrol without passing out like a bunch of pansies!"
'Oh, we love you too, Lt.' I thought with a smirk as the man continued to speak and nearly burst out into laughter at the hesitant looks the people on the side gave each other as well as the amused looks from the nine people standing behind him.
"Now! It is with great pleasure that I give to you all…The Nine Battalion Generals!"
"General Sparda Blade of the Scarlet Mantis!" A tall man that looked like the adult version of Dante and Vergil stepped forward, his golden eyes scanning over us all as his black hair with grey streaks was slicked back. Dressed in a scarlet suit with a dark oak cane and a gold handle, the man looked the furthest thing from a fighter as he glanced at his sons and back at the rest of us.
"General Natalia Wyrsky of the Grey Lightning!" The next to step forward was a beautiful woman dressed in a dark grey suit of armour, her blonde hair cut short to shoulder-length while her eyes were a startling blue sparking with electricity now and then.
"General Michael of the Azure Rose!" The next was a middle-aged man dressed in the standard-issue priest garb of the Rune Knights and I frowned at how similar he looked to Kaiser. Unlike Kaiser, his long blonde hair was hanging loose to the middle of his back while his deep blue eyes scanned us all, a dark blue rose tattoo on the back of his left hand with thorny vines growing out of it and coiling around his arm up to his shoulder.
"General Jack Markma of the Emerald Demon!" This time, a grinning man dressed in the standard Rune Knight garb walked forward and stood besides Kaiser, his dark green eyes more focused on certain members of those who passed as he had a dark green ragged cloak thrown over his shoulders.
"General Fate Drafka of the Lilac Dancer!" A beautiful woman with long purple hair and eyes of a similar colour walked forward with a soft smile and she was also wielding dual calligraphy brushes holstered at her right side.
"General Rill Ripper of the Dark Panther!" This one surprised me as a guy that looked to be my age or younger walked forward with his spiky grey hair standing straight and violet eyes looking forward. The reason I was surprised was because of the fact that his eyes were focused entirely on me as he walked forward and I blinked a bit while taking note of the pair of short swords on his lower back.
'Wonder why he's so focused on me.'
"General Matthew Burner of the Golden Sun!" It was the first time I saw someone taller than Titan as the behemoth of a man walked forward, having a full ginger beard and a man of ginger hair hanging loosely behind him while wearing a pair of simple pants with heavy duty boots and a loose dark grey shirt.
"General Lahar of the Violet Stars!" This one I recognized from the canon as the bespectacled man forward, his frame looking small next to Matthew as he smiled and nodded at all of us before looking out in front of him.
"General Raphael of the Cyan Phoenix!" A lanky man that looked a bit sickly with dark blue hair done up in a low ponytail and a burn scar on the side of his neck was the last one to walk forward. He didn't seem to care for any of us as he simply nodded at Azur before looking back up, confusing me slightly before I shrugged as I looked back at Lt. Draco who continued speaking.
"Now remember that there is only one spot in each battalion! You are now allowed to move to the battalion you wish to join! Move!" He shouted and I didn't waste any time as I walked over to the one person I've wanted to join since I heard of him.
Ignoring the whispers of shock in the crowd as well as the shocked looks from both Dante and Vergil, I stopped in front of the General of the Scarlet Mantis who finally looked from his sons at me.
"…Hmm." That was all he said as he looked at me, but at least it wasn't a look of disdain or disgust that I was expecting so I was fine with it.
Taking quick glances at where the others were, I noted how some looked hesitant before moving while others went for someone just like I did.
As expected, Elise had gone with her aunt, Dante with Jack Markman and Vergil with Rill, Titan with Matthew and Kane with Lahar.
The woman with the large brush had gone to Fate Drafka, Kaise was standing in front of Michael and finally, Azur was standing in front of a pleased Raphael as we all looked at Lt. Draco.
"Good! Now the generals will be allowed to move to the candidate that they wish to have in their battalion." To no one's surprise, the generals stood still in one place and Lt. Draco nodded before turning to the crowd.
"With that, you bastards are someone else's problem and this year's Rune Knight training is now…over!"
"Look at you! Oh, you look so adorable!" I just gave Lisa a deadpan stare as she ruffled my hair, the woman smirking as I rolled my eyes while looking at the amused Matteo.
"I see that bootcamp has been rough to you, huh?" He said before chuckling as I groaned and shook my head, Lisa giggling as she took her hand off and let me shake my hair rapidly back to its messy look.
"You didn't warn me for that. I shouldn't have listened to you." I muttered and he simply smirked before we turned as footsteps drew near.
My eyes widened as I caught sight of Sparda Blade walking towards with purposeful strides, a smirking Dante and a stoic Vergil following after him.
"General Blade." Matteo spoke with a formal tone and a slight bow before I witnessed the brothers looking shocked as Sparda gave a low chuckle and nodded back.
"It's good to see you, Captain Matteo. I see you have finally found the love you've been searching for. Sparda Blade, pleased to meet you."
"Lisa Adonna and it's a pleasure to meet you as well." Lisa spoke with a smile and Sparda nodded before turning to Matteo as he spoke.
"I almost did not until Eric here helped her and the many other slaves escape from their prison."
"Is that so? Then it seems that you are already an example to all Rune Knights-in-training."
"I simply did the right thing, sir."
"That is quite difficult to do for some. However, I am not here for lengthy pleasantries but to tell you that you will be picked up tomorrow by my Colonel for your first meeting with the rest of the battalion. I will also ask that you make sure you have everything you need for the next six months as none of the Scarlet Mantis are allowed to be away from our compound grounds unless it's for a quest."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good! Dante, Vergil, I shall leave you to entertain your friend. Return when you wish."
"Yes father./ Thanks, pops." Vergil and Dante spoke respectively and I smirked as the man nodded with an amused smile before walking away, with me looking at Matteo as he patted my shoulder before smiling softly as Lisa gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
"We'll be waiting for you to celebrate."
"I won't be long." I spoke and they nodded before disappearing into the ground and I rolled my eyes as Dante snickered while Vergil looked amused.
"He's got all the mature ladies falling him, doesn't he Vergil?"
"Indeed, he does. Makes me wonder if he actually likes them a little older."
"Oh, go to hell, both of you." I grumbled and they both laughed before I looked over to see Elise along with her aunt walking towards us.
"And these are the three idiots I've had to bunk with for the past three months. Vergil and Dante are the two you already know about and this is Eric Creed, the guy that got trained by Matteo the Saint."
"Wait, seriously?" Unlike Sparda's stoic demeanour, Natalia seemed to be a bit more of a fun person as she looked a bit surprised at her niece's words, looking at with a raised eyebrow and I responded with a smile and a nod.
"Hmm, it would make sense since Elise has been telling me you've only had your magic for four months and you're already quite proficient with your control over your ethernano."
"Yeah, was the wall jumping something you've been training?" Elise asked and I snorted as I shook my head.
"Nope, just thought I'd try something especially since Danny was probably the worst match-up for me."
"Danny's the worst match-up for anyone even if he's weaker than his foe. The guy might be lazy, but it's a good thing he doesn't like fighting too much or else that fight could have gone sideways for you faster than you could blink."
"Yep." I wasn't arrogant enough to not know my limits as I realized that this world wasn't all about the power like I thought.
No, the battles of those that aren't monsters were fought with skill, tactics and finesse. I had to adapt to that mindset and while it did take me more than a while, it was something I made sure to learn first.
"I guess this is where we say our goodbyes and meet each other in another six months?" Vergil's words cut me from my thoughts and I looked at him to see him holding a hand out, to which I smiled as I nodded and shook his hand firmly.
Turning to Dante, the two of us grinned as I held my fist out and he laughed as he bumped it with his own while nodding, to which I shook my head with a smile before turning to Elise with my arms wide.
"Come on, buddy~"
"You don't tell anyone about this." She said to her aunt, who simply shrugged before Elise blushed slightly as she walked forward and hugged me.
"I have to admit that I am going to miss our study times together."
"Don't worry. When we're older, we can have those study times together."
"I would…like that." She spoke with a smile and I was surprised as she gave me a soft kiss on the cheek, quickly turning around and vanishing into the ground right as the four of us watched her leave in shock.
"Dante, no. We're going after Father."
"And I'm going to see how much I can tease her before she tries to kill me. It was lovely meeting you, Eric."
"And you as well, Ms. Natalia." I spoke after I snapped out of my shock, watching as the three of them vanished into the crowd before shaking my head as I turned and walked towards where the exit to the camp was.
Hopefully, it's not a big party.
"Huh, here I was expecting it to be a big party if I'm being honest." I spoke with a smile as we sat at the dinner table, Lisa simply rolling her eyes with an amused smirk as Matteo snorted.
"As if we have the money for that."
"He wanted to, but I know you enough to know that you wouldn't want a big event for this." Lisa said with a smirk and Matteo grumbled as I chuckled at her words, taking a bite from the pie I was eating before nodding.
"Thank you. I'm not the most social person so a large party would just have tired me out more than I wanted to. Besides, this is the best gift I've received from anyone in a while."
"Oh, this is not the only thing. Show him." Lisa spoke and I frowned slightly in confusion as I looked Matteo, who held out his hand to form a golden magic circle above it before my eyes widened at the sight of the book in his grasp.
'The World of Jutsu-shiki.Holy crap, is this a book on it?' I thought in shock as I softly took the book from him, putting it down and looking at him as he spoke.
"The book is on the basics of Jutsu-shiki, like learning the language, figuring out how to carve the sigils and how to bind them together to make the barriers. It was the only book for sale at the magic store so I hope you like it."
"I love it. Thank you so much, but I thought I had to wait on learning other magic until I got my personal magic?" I asked with a frown and Matteo smiled as he nodded.
"You do, but these are just to give you some ways to fight until it does show itself. How have things been on that part?"
"Urgh, hard. I feel like I'm close, but there's this…wall between it and myself."
"Hmm, it sounds like you have some inner-turmoil that is stopping you from figuring it out what it is. Perhaps taking some off from trying to figure it out may lead to you figuring out what it is you are missing."
"Maybe." I muttered before blinking as a clap echoed in the room, both of us turning to Lisa who looked exasperated as she finished off her wine glass.
"Now that we're done with the work mumbo-jumbo, can we celebrate Eric's achievements for today?"
"Yes, Lisa~" I spoke teasingly with a roll of my eyes and she simply huffed as Matteo chuckled and lifted his glass, to which I did the same before we three clinked our glasses together.
"To Eric and the journey that awaits him. May he persevere and return to us healthy and whole just as he leaves us tomorrow."
"To Eric!/ To me!" Lisa and I spoke respectively and I smiled as the atmosphere in the room felt light and cheerful, taking a sip from my glass as Lisa began to tell me everything that happened in the town while I was gone.
You know, I think I'm going to miss this when I'm gone.
Taking a deep breath, I sat at my desk of my room and looked at the book laid open in front of me, the single lamp on the desk shining down upon it while the moonlight shone through the open balcony sliding doors.
'Jutsu-shiki was so broken in the anime, but I suspect that it's also very hard to learn.' I thought to myself with a frown as I opened the first page before blinking at the first page.
Making sure I wasn't seeing things right, I stared at the three different alphabets in front of me, one separate alphabet for the letters in lowercase and uppercase as well as one for every symbol and number.
'…Hah, this is going to take a while.' I muttered as I began reading, the sound of the insects outside acting as background noise as I focused on every little detail I read.
The more I read, the more fascinated I became by this book and with this just being the basics, my mind began to race when I turned over the last page, wondering just how good the other ones would be if this one was this good.
'So, Jutsu-shiki are basically domains one make through carving numerous enchantments in space itself to seal off a specific area and make it yours.' I thought to myself as I placed a finger on the table in front of me, ethernano flowing to my finger as I placed it down and slowly began to carve something into it.
Biting my tongue in concentration, I slowly drew a barrier around the book to see if it would work and the moment I finished drawing the last sigil, my eyes widened as the sigils around the book flashed before they began to glow a dim orange.
As I reached in to pick up the book, I winced as I felt my hand being electrocuted constantly with each second I held it inside it and as I took the book out, I sighed in relief as the pain vanished instantly as if it was never there.
'So, making the barrier requires intent and concentration as I wanted to make a barrier to shock someone and it did it. From what I read, one can make an instant-kill barrier, but you would need to be far stronger than the occupants of the barrier to make one like that and if I am stuck in the barrier when it finishes, I will also die along with them.' The more I processed the information about the book, the more I began to wonder everything that could be possible.
'Well, now is the best time to do so.' I thought with a smirk as ethernano appeared on my finger once more and I placed it on the sigils I have already carved before I began trying to see if I can remove them.
If not, I think I'll have to give Lisa an IOU until I can buy one back.
A/N: And we're done with the training arc~! Next chapter, the Scarlet Mantis meeting!
For anyone wondering what he's going to be like, I'm basically making him a Yujikuna and yes, he'll have the tattoos just like Yujikuna would.
As for magic, I have three different ones that he's going to use and Jutsu-shiki is one that will compliment both of the other two so that's why I'm making him learn it first.
Also, yes, Sparda is modelled after the Sparda from DMC, but like Dante and Vergil, he is not that Sparda but simply inspired by it.
Just to make sure I clarify that part.
Anyway, check out my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories that may peak your interest. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!