Chapter 106: Fourth-Year Students.
December 10, 2017.
There were still 14 days until the 'Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.'
Upper-year students who had been away on missions had already returned.
"It's been a year since we last came back, right, Muraka?"
"Yeah. I wonder what this year's first-years are like. Let's go take a look. Honestly, I'm a bit sleepy."
Youtou Muraka yawned. He had short black hair and a scar over his left eye. He wasn't wearing the Jujutsu High uniform but casual clothes; his build was sturdy, and he carried a black backpack.
"After all, we rushed back overnight; I'm dead tired too. But I can still hold on. If I can personally capture Suguru Geto, I reckon I can get promoted to a first-grade sorcerer."
Tenzheng Taichi had dark circles under his eyes, looking as if he often lacked sleep. He wore black casual clothes, was thin, and had messy "chicken coop" hair.
As they passed the training grounds, they saw the first-year students training and walked over with interest.
Panda glanced at the two approaching and called out, "Hello, seniors."
"Holy crap, the panda talked!?" Youtou Muraka initially thought it was a doll and was startled.
"Is it a cursed corpse made by the principal?" Tenzheng Taichi said, looking at the seams on Panda.
"Um..." Panda, feeling a bit embarrassed being stared at by the two, asked, "Are you third-year or fourth-year seniors?"
"We are fourth-year seniors. My name is Tenzheng Taichi. This startled senior here is Youtou Muraka."
"..."
Youtou Muraka was speechless, but he had indeed been startled just now. He then looked at the four people in the field and noticed two were sitting cross-legged with strange markings on their faces. He asked:
"Panda, what are those two doing, meditating?"
"That's Tatsuro and Inumaki Toge. They're training a very strong sorcerer technique! Would you two seniors like to give it a try?" Panda smiled with such simplicity, as if he had no ill intentions whatsoever.
"Wouldn't this be bullying them too much?" Youtou Muraka rubbed his head and said, "After all, the juniors are only first-years, and I, your senior, have already been on practical missions for half a year."
"But both of them are second-grade sorcerers. Are you seniors sure you don't want to give it a try?"
"Second-grade?" the two exclaimed in unison. Tenzheng Taichi and Youtou Muraka looked gravely at the two meditating in the field. After all, they themselves had only been assessed as second-grade sorcerers in their third year, and now there were two first-years...
"Want to fight?" Panda said.
Just when I was worrying that Tatsuro wouldn't have a punching bag when he activates Sage Mode, haven't two fourth-years just arrived?
The two seniors exchanged glances. Youtou Muraka rubbed his head and said, somewhat embarrassed, "Is it really okay?"
"Of course."
Panda stood up and shouted, "Maki! Yuta! Come over here for a second! These two fourth-year seniors want to spar with Tatsuro and Inumaki Toge. Let's clear the field!"
"Are these two crazy?"
Maki slowly stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said, "Fighting Tatsuro and Inumaki Toge in their 'Sage Mode'? Don't tell me Panda is setting them up?"
"Phew..." Okkotsu Yuta also gradually stopped, panting heavily. He said, "Maki, let's go out and rest for a bit. I can't take it anymore."
"Mm."
The two left the track, picked up the water bottles placed on a chair, and began to chug them down.
Panda estimated the time the two had been meditating and said, "Seniors, please wait a moment. Just a few more minutes will be fine."
"Okay," the two replied.
They wanted to see just how formidable these first-year juniors were. Could they be even stronger than them, who had been on practical missions for half a year?
Their combat experience was honed bit by bit in battle. If they couldn't even beat two first-year juniors, they might as well drop out and start over.
Three minutes later.
Tatsuro opened his eyes. Just as he was about to squander the sage energy in his body, Panda from the side shouted, "Hey! Tatsuro! Come over here, there are two sand... two seniors who want to spar with you!"
"Did you just almost say sandbags?" Maki and Yuta complained internally.
"Seniors?"
Tatsuro looked over. Because entering 'Sage Mode' required complete focus on perception and could not be disturbed by the outside world, he had directly blocked his hearing to concentrate fully on sensing natural energy.
Panda, seeing Tatsuro walk over, introduced them, "These two are fourth-year seniors, senior Youtou Muraka and senior Tenzheng Taichi."
Tatsuro looked at the two, extended his right hand, and said, "Hello, my name is Tatsuro. Who wants to spar with me?"
"Such arrogance."
The two seniors exchanged glances. After a silent communication, Youtou Muraka extended his right hand and said, "I'll go first. You made second-grade as a first-year; are you always this cocky when you talk?"
"Always been like this."
Tatsuro didn't offer any false modesty; after all, his arrogance was directed at people. When he had one tomoe, he would shout, "Do you also wish to dance?" Now that he had three tomoe, not being arrogant would be an insult to all the beatings he had endured.
Of course, this excluded known powerhouses. Like Kinji Hakari, who was invincible when his domain was active – that guy had chased him and pummeled him until his head was full of lumps.
"..."
Youtou Muraka's eyes twitched, and he inwardly vowed that today, he absolutely had to beat this first-year student until he learned to respect his elders.
Inumaki Toge, having recovered a bit of sage energy, slowly opened his eyes. His frog-like pupils looked at the two seniors who had suddenly appeared. He curiously walked over and asked, "Panda, who are these two?"
"They're fourth-year seniors who returned today. Senior Youtou Muraka has already chosen to spar with Tatsuro. Toge, you can spar with senior Tenzheng Taichi later."
"Hello, my name is Tenzheng Taichi."
Seeing the outstretched hand, Inumaki Toge shook it and said, "Hello, senior. My name is Inumaki Toge."
...
In the training field.
Youtou Muraka took out a samurai sword from his backpack and said, "Senior won't bully you. I'll give you the first move."
"Really?"
Tatsuro stretched his muscles. Sage markings, like dark circles, appeared around his eyes.
"Of course! After all, I'm a fourth-year senior!" Youtou Muraka said, patting his chest.
"It's over. This senior is going to be instantly defeated right from the start," everyone thought internally.
"Is that so? Then I won't be polite."
Tatsuro's hands quickly formed seals. When it came to a technique with a large area of effect that was also difficult to kill with, this was the only one.
"Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Tatsuro took a deep breath, his chest puffing out significantly. His internal sage energy plummeted by a thousand. Anyway, it's going to be wasted, might as well go big!
Feeling the immense cursed energy within his body being compressed, he then exhaled it with that breath.
"Voom—!!"
As the flames spewed from his mouth, the air itself distorted from the heat, and the moisture in the air instantly evaporated. All-encompassing flames rushed towards Youtou Muraka, who was fifty meters away.
Clang—
The sword in Youtou Muraka's hand fell to the ground. At this moment, he no longer knew how to describe the current situation. The large word "death" appeared in his mind.
"Surrender quickly!"
Tenzheng Taichi, on the sidelines, could feel the rolling heatwave and quickly stood up, shouting.
"I surrender!"
Youtou Muraka immediately surrendered. The range of this technique was too vast; he had nowhere to dodge.
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Sorry, I forgot to upload the chapters tomorrow. I will upload the two extra chapters today. Enjoy!