Arc I.5: “The Cosmic Guard”
Chapter II: “Next Steps”
Episode II: “Fall”
“So, what’ll it be?” Riella asked, her violet eyes piercing through Akira’s soul.
Akira clenched his fists, his mind racing:
The headmaster gracefully Aether-Skipped through the air until he reached Akira, getting ready to place his hand on the collar.
His hand lit up like a flashlight, golden aether pouring out of it.
“Millennial Fist of Judgement!”
Barely making contact with the collar, the headmaster was able to split it in two without causing harm to Akira.
He caught him before he fell into the ocean and brought him to land. After returning to his natural state, the headmaster collapsed.
He was vaguely able to remember the last moments when he was under the collar’s control.
It’s my fault… that everyone ended up like this.
He grit his teeth.
Not only did I let my guard down, but if I was able to use the Spirit, none of this would have happened anyway.
He tilted his head up, his eyes sharp as razors.
“I’ll do it.”
Riella smirked; I like that look in his eyes.
“Good. Then we leave out in ten,” She and the two guards standing with her walked towards the door.
“T-ten? Ten minutes? We’re leaving right now!?”
“Yeah, we’ve got work to do. We’ve already wasted enough time here. The others probably finished processing those criminals from Ron a while ago.”
That means… I won’t have time to say bye to anyone. He briefly thought of Asuka and Fevee.
“I know this is sudden, Akira,” the headmaster started, “But this will be a good next step for you. Gaining new experiences is part of the process of making a fine warrior.”
He stood up to place his hand on Akira’s shoulder.
“This world alone isn’t big enough to contain your potential. Go out and see the Universe, Akira. That’s what Haru would have wanted for you.”
“H-Haru…?” Akira stuttered.
[Apocalypse’s Island]
Rikito lay on the cold stone floor, his eyes glazed over and drool running down his lip.
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Inside his mind, he heard nothing but dark whispers. There were two sets of voices, one that echoed faintly after the other:
Ven’cael’saar… nahr’quor ven’cael’saar.
Ecanegnev… ew kees ecanegnev.
Quor’neth saa’luun thar’dyss.
Kool ta tahw eh did ot su.
Draal’ven… draal’ven… saar’keth draal’ven.
Nmad mih. Nmad mih. Ew etah mih.
Quor’neth saa’luun thar’dyss.
Kool ta tahw eh did ot su.
Mor’kai… mor’kai… quor’kai saar’luun?
Evas su. Evas su. Lliw uoy evas su?
Saar’vyrn naal’teth mor’dyss…
Uoy ohw era desruc yb doolb…
The unintelligible whispering continued in his mind endlessly.
He had staggered several times, trying to stand up, but the weakness in his body was inexplicably potent.
His own thoughts were drowned out until the point where he had lost all sense of self.
He remained unable to close his eyes— every time he did, the darkness would swallow him whole, the spirits tearing away at his soul.
Instead, he remained conscious through his suffering, tears slowly streaming down his face.
[The airship launchpad – UFA Mainland]
Akira boarded a large ship belonging to the Cosmic Guard, a large bag slung over his shoulder.
With him, Riella, and some other guards boarded the ship, carrying various goods and supplies, as well as transporting the criminals from Ron.
It’s a shame I didn’t get to see Asuka again… Akira frowned.
Suddenly, he slapped himself across the face.
What am I talking about? he blushed, it’s a shame I didn’t get to see anyone else either.
Riella watched Akira as they entered the ship.
“You alright there, Mr. Chosen One?”
“Y-yeah…” his cheeks flushed.
“So, where are we taking those criminals anyway. You guys have a big prison somewhere?”
“Actually, yeah, we do. But you won’t get to see it just yet. It’s dangerous to have rookies going to such a place.”
She leaned towards him again, her smile caught somewhere between condescending and teasing.
“Instead, we’ll be doing a prisoner transfer, and let another unit handle them.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Akira didn’t let himself be intimidated by her words.
“So, you’re a captain, right? If I’m a rookie, what other ranks are there in the guard?”
The two of them walked through the long corridors of the ship, the hallways curving around the circular layout.
“Oh, that’s a good question. I didn’t think you actually had a brain up there from what the headmaster told me.”
“What!?” Akira grunted, “You little—”
“So, there are about five main ranks!” she said stoutly, shoving her five fingers in his face.
“We have a lot of new recruits— mostly idiots like you, but some of them are people who are just temporarily working with the guard.”
“You b—”
“A lot of those guys actually have other jobs, but they end up collaborating with the guard due to special circumstances. They could be Officers from the UFA, regional lords, or even businessmen. Oh yeah, a lot of bounty hunters too.”
Bounty hunters?
“Then we have Novice Soldiers. They’re recruits that have gone through formal training and have been allowed to officially join the guard. Once you’ve done that, you can work your way up to being an Adept or even a Senior Soldier. They get much more status within the guard and the systems it governs, as well as higher pay.”
That’d sure make Asuka and Sikira happy… Akira chuckled to himself.
“Then,” Riella said, placing her hand on her chest proudly, “You have captains like me. We have enough authority to command our own elite units on missions.”
“Wow, really? So, are you the one in command of our unit?”
Riella choked, “W-well, I’m a bit special so… they just use me for elite missions, so I don’t have to bother myself with leading the unit all the time.”
So, she’s just a captain in name only.
Akira exhaled.
But I guess that still goes to show that she must be powerful. She’s a year younger than me, too… I wonder how high her yield is.
“Anyways, above me, there’s the Vice-Commander and the Commander-in-Chief. While the Commander doesn’t really show himself, the Vice-Commanders are definitely known to be a cut above the rest. As far as I know, there are currently three Vice-Commanders, one of which is the Commander-in-Chief’s very own grandson!”
“Ey? How strong are they?”
“Pfft! How strong are they? Strong enough to make you or Apocalypse look like a chump, that’s for sure!”
“If that’s the case, then I’d love to see for myself,” Akira smiled as he cracked his knuckles.
“Yeah, good luck with that,” Riella rolled her eyes.
They stopped walking once they reached the doors to a large room.
“This is the mess hall. You can come here whenever you need something to eat.”
“Woah… now that’s what I’m talking about!” Akira said as he was about to run in.
Riella grabbed him by the collar.
“You can come back later. For now, let me show you to your room so you can unpack.”
She glanced at the large bag on his back.
“Isn’t that heavy?”
Akira held the straps of the bag and bounced it up a couple of times.
“Nah, not really.”
Yeah, as I thought, this guy is just another brute. No wonder he fell victim to those weak criminals.
Riella narrowed her eyes in skepticism.
Why would the headmaster of the UFA recommend someone like him for the Cosmic Guard? Wouldn’t that other guy— the prodigy, Rayon, be a better fit?
She sighed, “Anyways, let’s go.”
Within a couple of minutes, she showed him to his cabin.
“Wow, it’s bigger than I thought it would be!” Akira dropped his bag down and hopped onto his bed.
“There’s a safety chair built into the wall here near the door,” Riella stepped into the room, placing her hand on the folded chair.
“You’ll need it for when we take off in a few minutes.”
“Right, thanks.”
He stopped bouncing on his bed to look at her.
“I guess you can actually be pretty nice when you try, huh?” Akira laughed.
“Hmph!”
Her cheeks turning purple, Riella stepped out, slamming the door behind her.
What’s he talking about?
She stomped down the hall.
“Yikes…” Akira muttered under his breath.
[Next Time on Lyte of Utopia]: “Unyielding”
[Yield Levels]:
Akira: 1b
- Suppressed: 1
Riella: ???
- Suppressed: 5
Headmaster: 10m
- Recovering: 2m
Riella’s Cosmic Guards: 50-60m
Rikito: 200m
- Strained: 5