Chapter 11: The Gears of Destiny

A petite girl leaned weakly against a tree in the forest bordering the village, greedily drawing in deep breaths of the surrounding air.

Her nascent chest rose and fell with each movement. She weakly lifted her head, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

Before her stood a man wearing a snow-white mask, and beside him, a woman with long, blood-red hair, clad in revealing attire. Although a mask obscured his face, the girl could still perceive the profound depth in his eyes.

“Why won’t you kill me? I have already lost.”

The strong survive, the weak perish. Though young, this truth was deeply etched into the girl’s mind.

Her entire world revolved around intense daily training and the mechanical execution of tasks assigned by the kingdom.

To the kingdom, losers were expendable. For a loser could never become a puppet.

Her hands were stained with the blood of the Corrosives. The girl’s sole purpose was to eradicate all Corrosives from this world, for this was the mission entrusted to her by the kingdom.

“I don’t have the time to kill you; it’s too much trouble.”

The black-clad, masked man loomed over her, his voice low and deep, as he turned his body away.

“I have no issue with you eliminating those lesser Corrosives. It’s the law of the jungle: the strong prey, the weak evade. In turn, both sides experience their own growth, completing their respective evolutions.”

“What… are you trying to say?”

The girl’s legs trembled, yet she gripped the tree trunk firmly and struggled to her feet.

“I am quite fond of those who dare to challenge destiny, who dare to challenge the strong.”

The man turned his head slightly, performing a habitual gesture that revealed only half of his mask to the girl.

“The gears of destiny never cease, yet I wish to break them, to leap from this torrent. For that, power is essential. And you, you may consider me destiny itself… I shall wait. I will wait for the moment you can truly stand before me.”

With these words, he took another step forward.

Behind him, a stirring of emotion bloomed in the girl’s heart for the very first time. Unlike the automatic flush of heat she felt while hunting Corrosives, the emotions suppressed by her puppet state seemed to quietly awaken and grow.

She watched the man of the Corrosive Realm gradually depart, until she could no longer suppress the sudden tremor in her heart. She cried out to him, her voice still tinged with childishness.

“Wait! I will one day kill all the Corrosives in this world! You are no exception!” She raised her arm, pointing at the man’s receding back. “So! At least… tell me your name.”

The man chuckled softly from beneath his mask upon hearing this.

“Very well, then. Just call me Tie.”

***

The night quickly passed, and Akuma groggily opened his eyes, sitting up in bed.

‘Was it a dream? I can’t believe I’m still dreaming about the past,’ he thought, though his hands continued their work. In mere moments, he was fully dressed.

He stepped down from his bed.

Akuma looked up, only to find Mo Ya’s bed neatly made, but the man himself was nowhere in sight.

“What? That guy is an early riser.”

Akuma grumbled, walking to the bathroom door, preparing for his morning ablutions.

A creaking sound accompanied the opening of the bathroom door, and Akuma stepped inside, picking up his towel and toothbrush.

“Good morning.”

Mo Ya’s voice suddenly came from behind him, and then… Mo Ya opened the bathroom door.

A firm, well-muscled body was reflected in the mirror before the sink, and Akuma instinctively turned his head.

“Wait, wait, wait! Why are you here?”

In his panic, Akuma jabbed his toothbrush repeatedly at Mo Ya, yet his gaze remained fixed on the man. Mo Ya’s damp body seemed to possess a magnetic allure, drawing Akuma’s eyes greedily up and down, a faint blush creeping onto his face.

“Just… just get out first!”

Holding his toothbrush, he pointed towards the door, gesturing for Mo Ya to leave.

“Oh…”

Mo Ya exited the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

Before the mirror, Akuma sighed helplessly, sinking to the floor, shaken but unharmed.

‘That guy is like a ghost… If that’s the case, I’ll need to be even more careful when dropping my disguise,’ he mused.

The sun officially crested the horizon, ushering in a new day for the students of the Magic Academy.

It was as if the events of yesterday had been a deceptive illusion; everyone’s faces had returned to their usual ease.

But was it truly ease?

Mo Ya mused idly before dismissing the thought, redirecting his attention to the training grounds before him.

The Demon Practice Field, located on the southeast side of the academy, was where they would undergo their practical combat training today.

However, this so-called practical training was merely a test to assess the new students’ proficiency in magic condensation.

In that case, his coming in last seemed to be an undeniable fact.

All of this year’s new students had gathered on the field, ready to spar with the academy’s examiners.

“Next, Afu from Year One, Class B.”

Afu, whose name was called, confidently strode onto the stage. He was to face a Mr. Wu Ke, who looked very much like a bald man. It seemed Wu Ke simply *was* a bald man…

“So you are Afu? Don’t hold back. While your current strength cannot defeat me, the objective of this trial isn’t that. You merely need to earn my recognition.”

With these words, he struck a pose, signaling Afu to attack.

Afu was anything but reserved. After rolling up his sleeves, he slammed both hands onto the ground.

“I see. So your magic attribute is Earth, and your cohesion is quite high.”

Observing the ground cracked by Afu’s impact, the instructor nodded approvingly.

But an even greater surprise followed: Afu astonishingly pulled a massive great hammer, fashioned from clods of earth, from the fissured ground.

“Interesting. You can already achieve this much? For the amount of time you’ve been enrolled, you are far stronger than the previous batch of new students.”

Afu’s astonishing display piqued even the instructor’s interest. He shed his outer robe, a smile spreading across his lips.

“That Afu, don’t let his constant smiling and roguish demeanor fool you. He actually practices very diligently, and now, it’s time to showcase his results.”

Akuma said this to Mo Ya, who was leaning against a wall, relaxing. The latter showed a flicker of interest.

On the field, sand and the thunderous sounds of hammering enveloped the area for a while, causing Mo Ya to quietly plug his ears.

The colossal rock hammer crashed to the ground, scattering into countless fine dust particles.

Afu, drenched in sweat, slumped onto the ground.

His stamina was insufficient to continue his rampage. Yet, the instructor remained standing, seemingly unaffected.

“Aluosi.Fu, you have passed. And… starting today, you are my student.”

The instructor extended his brawny arm to Afu, signifying his approval.

“So that’s it. The purpose of this trial… it was this all along.”

Akuma clapped his hands in sudden realization.

Indeed… only those who, after understanding the might of the Corrosives, can remain unwavering and fully commit to battle, are most likely to become humanity’s guardians, to become a solitary wolf!

“Is that so? Thank you for the explanation.”

“Huh? Did I say something?”

Mo Ya slowly walked over to Akuma, his gaze fixed on Afu on the stage, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Aluosi.Fu, would he also challenge destiny, grow stronger, and break these gears?

“Next, Akuma.”

On the stage, the teacher responsible for calling names announced.

“Well then, you slacker, enjoy my performance.”

“Oh…”