Rising god-Chapter 105: Academy

The dawn broke over Zorath, and Baines’s lodgings stirred with activity as his exclusive guards and servant, Mark, arrived early. Their eyes widened at the sight of the garden, as its rare plants stripped bare overnight. The guards exchanged wary glances.

"Come in," Baines called from the doorway, his voice curt. He vanished inside, leaving the eleven to follow, their unease palpable.

Inside, Baines sat, his presence commanding. Without preamble, he opened his pocket space, and a metallic clatter filled the air.

Clang... Clang.

Black chains spilled forth, glinting with an otherworldly sheen. The guards and Mark tensed, drawing weapons. "Sir, what are you doing?" the 5th-star guard leader demanded, his frown deepening.

Baines didn’t respond. The chains lashed out, swift and relentless. "Sun barrier!" the leader roared. The guards rallied, their auras merging into a golden shield, reinforced by their collective strength.

BANG!

The first chain struck, cracking the shield. CRACK!

More followed, relentlessly. "Pour it all out!" the leader bellowed, urging the guards to channel every ounce of aura to mend the barrier before the next attack came.

A part of them thought this was a test. If only they knew.

The chains were cunning, some snaked over the top, others burrowed through the floor, wrapping around their limbs.

’Shit, what’s going?’ Fear gripped the leader as he struggled with his comrades’ screams echoing as background.

The chains engulfed them, Mark falling first, untrained for combat, and the leader last, his 5th-star strength no match for Baines.

After trapping them, Baine released the ethereal chains. They shot straight at those outlines deep inside the body. As they wrapped around their souls, the wrapped part detached from the chain.

Afterwards, Baines released the chains wrapped around them.

They clutched their chests, coughing and heaving. When they touched their chest, they wondered what had happened. They felt it, something was in them; however, nothing else had happened to them. Trembling, they met Baines’s impassive gaze, his expression as if nothing had occurred. "Mark," he called out.

"Y-Yes," the servant stammered, scrambling to his feet.

"If I reach Five Sun, what do I get?"

Mark, still shaken, recited, "A h-hundred thousand exclusive guards, a Sun Destroyer vessel, four battleships, your rank second only to the emperor or a crowned successor. You could wage war against anyone..."

Baines nodded. A hundred thousand was a lot, but it didn’t really amaze him as someone who had fought in the Last front with that number against a million outliers.

’So, academy, huh?’ Though he didn’t like the idea of the academy, he had already put among his plans to learn magic. This only brought back the time he would’ve used to learn it.

And as for why he placed them on chains, he didn’t want a repeat of those dragons he ordered the death of in Darkan. But that wasn’t all. Vole didn’t need to tell him, this place was more dangerous than Darkan on so many levels.

Here, he would’ve to talk to people he didn’t want to, fight unnecessary spars, basically everyone would be on him. And for that, he would use these people the empire so readily gave to him.

Now he was ready to go to the academy.

....

The Solaris Empire’s curse left it vulnerable to outside attacks. To the east was the Vodal Kingdom; however, it was largely separated by a vast territorial sea, but to the direct west loomed the Lunar Dominion.

Just like the Ashen dominion, their size was enormous. It was half as large as the Solaris empire, well, it was due to eating a lion’s share of the Ashen dominion. That wasn’t all, if the Solaris was the land of the sun, they were the masters of the moon and all its properties.

They served Selmira, the goddess of the moon. And with their known patriarch to be a saint, more specifically, a 10th star, it didn’t make sense to unnecessarily antagonize them, and to foster a relationship between them, an academy was established between the two territories.

Soctis Academy.

An academy well-attended by the younger generations of both territories and taught on both mana and aura users. The only condition the academy offered was attending for a year; the person could then decide whether or not to continue. It was for those who suddenly found what to do with their lives, or those who lost hope.

The academy usually went well, and was normally quiet unless a spar was requested by two parties; however, today,

-The Darkan hero, Jin, has arrived in the academy.

Students, whether interested or not, rushed to the administrative building where he was said to be located. That wasn’t the only news that came,

-Jin Malakar.

That was how he announced his name on the registration table.

...

"Where’s he?" fгeewebnovёl.com

"He’s there, see?"

"Is that really him?"

The guards couldn’t stop the large influx rushing into the administrative building to see Jin. He was wearing a scarf around his neck, flanked by nine guards and a servant. They were aware he had received a sun star, so they understood the guards.

It was really him, living in flesh.

’Damn it all,’ Jin cursed under his breath. He still couldn’t accept this situation. The fame was good; he had always wanted it all his life, but not like this.

After all, he wasn’t the real Jin.

***

A day later, Baines stood before a petite woman swathed in an oversized mage robe, her wide hat casting shadows over her face. "I am Kirk Barn, here to learn magic," he said, presenting a letter, his appearance average thanks to the bracelet.

The woman frowned, scanning the letter. ’Kirk Barns, only child of the Barn merchant family.’ Her gaze lingered on the sack of gold coins on the table. ’Only a merchant would offer such an amount of money,’ she thought, sighing. She stamped the paper. "Accepted," she said, regret in her tone. ’I wish Jin had come instead.’

Baines took the paper and entered the tower.

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