Chapter 73: Trial Of The Unknown [Intermission] (3)

“W-Wait... I’m dying here, seriously...”

The owner of the room pleaded. As he just mentioned, his body was heavily wounded from bruises.

“Quite a beating now, haven’t ya’ Winster?”

The man coldly said as he glances over his friend's pathetic sight on the ground. He ignored Winster’s pleading and continued walking over him, as he takes a sit over the desk. “A deserved punishment for your own stupidity. Hence, I applaud her actions of beating you up. A truly deserve beating, I must say.”

“Hey... That’s not what you’re supposed to say to your own best friend... Help me. If you don’t want to help, at least encourage me with some words or appease me. You sly son of a bitch."

“In what way we are best friends? I admit we're acquainted but to that extent."

“No need for you to be so sweet. I can read between the lines. Don’t worry, I got you, fam.”

“You really need help. I know that you’re already retarded. But this? You need to seek some medical assistance."

“Aww... That’s harsh coming from you. But thanks.”

Winster supports himself up as if nothing happened, despite the immeasurable blood dripping down off his mouth. He took a cigar from the table and puts it over his mouth. “Want some?” He asked the man sitting in his chair before lighting it up.

“Thank you for the offer, but no thanks.”

“Why?! Are you sick!? What happened to my dear buddy, Luke?! Did that Irene girl do some number to you?! I won’t let that happen! I’ll avenge you, my brother!”

“Jeez... Did your wife really beat you that badly, for you to be this annoying?”

“I don’t want to call it beating, but a ‘love smack’. It’s her way of showing how much she loves me.”

“Sure she does. Anywho, how’s the test going with your academy? Have you taken a look with the kid that I told you?”

“Claude was his name, right?” Winster grabs another chair and places it beside Luke, and puffs a cigar.

“Yeah.”

“He’s inside of the training space along with the other students. Do you want to watch?”

“Just show it, stop asking questions.”

“Jeez... Okay...”

At the palm of Winster’s hand, a magic circle emerges from his skin—an octogram pattern brightened on his palm, revealing several images of fights in the air. They are live views of what’s transpiring inside the arena realm. Each frame has different from one another. Of course, each of their opponents they are facing are different, as they are divided from different ranking according to their spirit rank plastered over their card.

Luke hovers his hand over a single frame.

“He’s been doing well. And, an X-rank?”

“X-rank?! Let me take a look!”

The two’s eyes are fixated on a single thing.

"Magnificent. Shape-shifting weapon? I have seen those, and I could see that he's still doesn't know how to use them yet. Oh my, now I see why this looks interesting. An unknown-type class, huh?"

Luke glances over Winster.

“What’s the X-rank, Winster?”

“What the heck, you're not listening to me that time? I already told you about this, a few years ago. How cruel... They’re the unknown-type or the marked X, or a misfit from how other kids view it as such. This is the kid, right?"

“He is. He's another case of Christine."

Winster’s eyebrows flinch. “Now, I understand why. That means the temple is interested in him, right? Irene must have had a pretty rough time now, adding her beef against the others, too. Kuahahahaha... I bet she’s busting her ass right now! Hahaha...”

“You could say so. I don’t really care about her, but I’m more interested in the kid. He’s different from the others that I’ve talked with.”

“Because you’re trying too hard to be friendly, take a page out of my book. You'll learn how to be persuasive. And, stop being a slave to the temple, I already told you that just leave that hellhole and I’ll pick you up. I'll even make you a room in here.”

“Screw off.”

“Awww, how sweet.”

“I hope your ancestor would strike lightning over your head and fry your brain.”

“Nah, they wouldn’t do that. They love their one and only grandson. A piece of a reminder just quit the temple for good. It's for your own good."

“It’s easier to be said than done."

“Yada-yada, that’s what you always say, but you won’t ever succeed if you don’t even try in the first place. So quit your bullshit, Luke.”

“Winster!”

As they exchange banters with each other, a woman kicks the door open, abrupting their conversation. The two glances back. They saw a horrifying figure of Winster’s wife. Luke already made a decision, so he grabbed Winster’s collar and tossed him over to his wife. “Wait! What did I do wrong!? Is my beating earlier not enough?! Hyaaaaah!”

“Greetings, Linda.”

“Oh, Luke. Greetings. Enjoy your stay, I’ll just take my husband if that’s okay with you.”

“No problem. You can take him whenever you want. Good luck.” Luke grins at the pathetic sight of Winster before laughing.

“You devil of a best friend!”

“Bye~ Bye~”

Inside of Winster’s head, he’s cursing out Luke and his future descendants for eternity, as his last tears drip down on his face while his wife drags him away. From that point onward, he promised to himself to never ever flirt with Ms. Seo the head school nurse—because death awaits him.

Luke taps the shoulder rest of the chair. “Claude Belmont. Who are you really? What kind of mystery lives within inside you?”

Meanwhile, just right outside the window of the office, a woman with silver-white hair and horns had a plastered smile on her face as she eavesdropped over the entire conversation between them while hiding her presence.

“They’re also here, huh? Fate really finds its way to connect us both, my dear sister. The string threads of our fate had already been entangled since the beginning. On the other hand, Luke Reican. Fufufu~ I wish you the best of luck. This world is the best. Full of surprises. Fufufu~ I was hoping to plant some seeds, but I'll postpone it since my lovely sister is here.”

Luke inside of the office, he felt a cold wind grazing over his skin as he watches the sight of Claude fighting against the golem. Miles away from them, a frightening yet disturbing sensation resonated in the atmosphere, which was felt by Alicia and Luke. The two look over the sky and saw fragments of mana, as if the sky was being pulled out in between, separating two otherworldly dimensions. However, it abruptly disappeared in a matter of seconds, turning everything back to normal.

“My, my, what a feisty cat you picked over there, dear Claude. Fufufu~ Better get going before that woman finds me. I'll just harvest elsewhere."

Alicia fades away.

Back inside the office, Luke was sweating bullets. He felt another world had risen from the ground, just from the split second of that disturbing sensation. His eyes are glued to the white translucent screen. After what happened earlier, the screen where Claude was fighting suddenly turned white. He stayed still, staring and contemplating.

“What’s going on?”

Meanwhile, back in the courtyard...

Young people were all to be seen waking up one by one from their unconscious state, all utterly confused, pondering their brains out as if someone played with their minds. Contrary to their belief in what’s real or not, all of them fought against a creature beyond their comprehension, and as if they fought an otherworldly godly being.

Adelle and Lily were among them who had just come back.

“Uggh... The dizziness is killing me.”

“Me too.”

Then there’s Shin Morino, who also woke up with them. He pondered on his thoughts before his awareness caught the attention of his surrounding. The same could be said for Ami beside him.

“Shin, are you okay?” Ami asked while holding her forehead.

“Yeah. What a fight that was.”

“I didn’t even win against it.”

“We’re on the same boat. Hahaha...” Shin laughed.

With all the confusion, Tino stood at the same spot, but his nose has wrinkles on them. He glances over at the clock right above him. However, an uncertain sensation engulfs his body. A mysterious feeling that would haunt his life.

“Aaaah!”

Then suddenly, a thunderous screech reverberates through the courtyard, almost tearing their ears off. All of them are screaming in pain. A glimmer of hope beholds in front of their eyes, as Tino casts a magic protection barrier over all of them, nulling the sound. The horrid sound stopped, and they all sighed in relief, but there’s still the danger looming before them.

“O, fear not! As long as we’re inside of this enclosed space, we are safe!”

Tino was utterly confused by the sound. He looked over the sky and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but he can’t help himself to be cautious about it. Not only him but also the others. Out of fear, Ami unconsciously held Shin’s hand, not realizing it, she just stood there praying. Shin noticed it and blushed incredibly hard while enduring the excruciating pain of Ami’s grip.

Meanwhile, Lily and Adelle were glancing around, searching for a specific man. And, right beside them, there's Claude on deep thoughts, holding his chin contemplating about his stupidity earlier which almost caused an undeniable predicament of disaster in the future, as it almost destroyed his body and as well his surrounding. Lucky enough, Diana nulled the cast of Tsuki. 

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Author Notes: Not sure if you guys will like the change of perspective in interludes. If you do, let me know in the comments.