Blades of Rebellion

job they clearly weren made for. You
e the Truest form of a White Dragon If Ive ever seen one, ”

”Beat it Diaga! Soul or not, Ill end you myself if you keep pestering us, ” Toga said.

”Fine, Ill back off. Leave it to us Red Dogs to keep coming to their rescue. If we do it out there, no reason we wouldn do it up here either. Cmon, lets go. It feels like the next exam is about to start anyway, ”

The group walked off, his lackeys chuckling as they left.

Toga slumped down next to him. ”So what are we going to do now? ”

”Dunno… My only option is to overcompensate on the next two exams. Assuming they let me continue that is, ”

”Think you can do it? ”

”It doesn matter what I think. I must do it, ” Ryumas eyes burned with determination. Something of this caliber wasn going to break him. It was a minor setback.

”I envy that fire you have. You somehow manage to have more than the Red Dogs, ”

”Thanks I guess, ”

From the looks of it, the instructors were going through the last of the people. None managed to score as low as he did, something his fellow schoolmates weren too shy on reminding him.

”THIS NOW CONCLUDES THE FIRST EXAM! I WANT ALL STUDENTS TO PLEASE PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THE SECOND EXAM! ”

All the students began whispering to themselves again, some openly staring his direction. He knew what they wanted to say, none would do so to stomach the nerve.

”If I may interject, ” Wen said. All attention was on him now. ”Not only did Ryuma fail to reach a soul force of fifty, but he also has one monstrously lower than fifty. Why must he be allowed to continue with the test? Wen said.

”Because thats what has been decided. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it up with the High Edict, ”

Wens eyes went wide like saucers. He looked up into the stands where the High Edict was now standing in attention, with chilling eyes directed at Wen.

At once, Wen immediately knelt with his head down. ”FORGIVE ME YOUR HIGHNESS!? IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO QUESTION YOUR WISDOM! ” Sweat started forming on the young mans skin.

The entire student body followed Wens lead and knelt now that the High Edict was standing. All except for one student, who was stuck glaring back.

Ryuma wondered what it was this man was thinking. Why would he of all people save his exam. If anything, he would have thought that the High Edict wouldn even acknowledge his existence with a display like that. What was he after?

”You
e forgiven, ”

It was all the man said in such a low-pitched voice. It mattered not, with how quiet it was, everybody heard it, as well as the veiled threat it imposed on Wen. His eyes slightly shifted from Wen, to the now standing Ryuma.

Ryuma felt his face slamming into the dirt. The back of his head being covered by hands. ”Are you insane!? ” Toga whispered.

Now that Ryuma thought about it, his staring could have been mistaken as a look of defiance. He was lucky Toga did that when he did, otherwise he couldve doomed his entire family should he have offended the man in any way.

Thankfully, nobody other than Toga noticed that little slip up.

”You may continue, ” The High Edict said. He sat back down into his seat.

All the students got up, that heavy pressure to kneel on sight having now lifted. ”Well my body feels lighter now, ” Toga said bouncing to emphasize his point. ”How about you? ”

”Im sorry, what? ” Ryuma asked. His body didn feel heavy at all. He didn know what Toga was talking about.

”Listen. we may be friends Ryuma, but if you pull a stunt like that again, Ive no clue who you are. Im not being dragged down with this nutcase, ” Toga said.

”Oh yeah… my bad man. I don know what came over me. I was just curious, ”

”Curious about what? How fast you can get your family clapped? ”

”Why would the High Edict want to save my expulsion from the exam? It doesn make sense, ”

”Why wouldn it make sense? He might just want to see what is it that makes you the strongest, ”

Ryuma went into deep thought. Was that really what it was. A simple whim? If that were the case… then did he really get a second chance at passing this exam?

Or… was he now just here for passing entertainment?