A couple of days before the students were set to return, a meeting had been called between the five large clans of the Dark Faction. These five clans were the ones that supported the academy the most with their funds and equally because they were the most powerful, they had the most say in the Faction.
There was no faction leader, but since the Erupting Fist Clan was the most powerful clan, and the head of the clan, Murkel, was also the principal of the academy, many people saw him as the de facto faction leader.
Still, despite this, it wasn't as if the clan leaders regularly met up, nor did they often have meetings with each other. They were far too worried about increasing the strength of their own clans or even having internal fights to stop one another from rising up and taking their positions.
At the same time, they had to keep up the appearance of being strong to the others because even the lower clans in the Dark Faction would constantly be fighting, looking for a chance to become part of the main five.
Strangely, Murkel had called for a meeting between the five main clans, and the clan leaders had turned up at the academy. Inside the main building, they had gathered in a large room, sitting in large seats that were spread apart from each other.
Crine from the Flowing Force Clan was present, Samantha from the Tulip Falls Clan, Feebie from the Lethal Bite Clan, Gavin from the Moon Shield Clan, and of course, there was Murkel himself from the Erupting Fist Clan.
There was one person who was standing rather than sitting, and that was Amir Huthell, a man who, although belonged to the Dark Faction, didn't belong to any clan. He considered himself a Wanderer.
The other factions liked that there was someone who seemed neutral in the academy itself, outside of the big five, and his position remained neutral. If there was something he didn't like, Amir wasn't afraid to speak up on behalf of the lesser clans.
In a way, many of the lesser clans saw Amir as their representative in many situations.
"I'm sure you all won't be surprised as to the reason why I have called a summons today, before the students have come back," Murkel asked, his eyes wandering around the room.
Some were nodding, while others looked quite confused by the whole thing.
"Is it an incident related to the academy?" Gavin asked. "I know of a large incident that would require us to meet up as the Dark Faction, but not in terms of an academy basis."
"Ah, are you talking about the recent portal opening?" Samantha interjected.
"Correct," Murkel stated before anyone else could get more words in. "You should all know by now that there has been a portal that has opened up, one that is presumed to be at the middle stage level, perhaps it might even be divine, yet no one has had a chance to fully explore, and that's because of what has been going on so far."
"The battles," Crine said. "I heard that the position of the portal, it's almost perfectly on the border of all three territories. So there have already been numerous fights over it, with neither side being a victor."
At times there were no set lines on a map that would claim past a certain place was one territory or the other. The closest thing they had to that were the cities themselves. So when a portal would open up in between two cities, then how were they to decide who owned the portal?
This was when clans closest would battle it out, and the issue was, it was the portal opening up in the center of the three territories. Not only was the level of the portal good for them, but the positioning of future attacks and information gathering was great as well.
They could easily send people over to investigate the portal, allowing them quick access into the others' territories to see what they were doing. It was no wonder there had already been so many fights over such a thing.
"As you said before, there is a reason why I have called you to the academy; it's because they have now become involved as well," Murkel explained. "An agreement has been made between the three factions."
"In order for there to be little bloodshed, they wish to use the martial arts tournament to decide who should receive the portal. Because of this, the martial arts tournament will be brought forward and will occur in the next two months."
The leaders turned to look at each other, hearing this. Usually, the martial arts tournament was to take place close to the end of the school year.
"This is a chance not only to gain a lot in this battle of territory but also to show the others that we are superior to them. That our future generation of warriors will outmatch theirs."
"However, from what I have seen, I don't think we have a chance at winning. The Light Faction is full of talented students who have pure blood passed down to them. Meanwhile, the Demonic Faction is sure to go through methods beyond anything we can imagine to get the strongest pupils possible."
"So what are you suggesting?" Feebie asked. "Do you want us to train our descendants directly to give them a chance?"
"That won't work," Amir commented. "When relation comes into play, it seems that our sleeves are too soft, and at the same time, we are blinded by the talent we see. Although they might be the best here, compared to the other continents, it might be a different matter altogether."
"This is why I have decided on the next assessment, where all students will take part. I have already asked permission from the other clans, and due to the nature of what has happened, they have accepted."
"We have no choice but to push the students further than we ever have had to, by making them take part in a Kodoku assessment."
The color drained from the other clan members' faces, as they weren't too sure, as they could very well lose their own disciples in all of this.
