With both swords lit in black lightning, Ezra spun like a top.
Siiiiin!
He sliced into the apes' neck as they descended.
John cleaved off his right leg.
Bam!
The ape landed on its back, with its head subsequently bouncing away.
The ape was dead as could be.
Immediately the surroundings felt a tremor and the apes' carcass disappeared.
It was sucked into Ezra's space ring.
John was dumbfounded seeing Ezra leap to his side, to which he sucked in the cleaved foot.
A leap later, he sucked in the head as well.
He leaped to John's side, leaving a comment. "It was B-rank"
John nodded. The meaning; to everyone else, it was B rank.
"This is enough. Let's head back"
They reached the fortress in strides.
With a few healing potions, John was looking as good as ever-though now he needed to rest to wash away the fatigue.
The soldiers were too shocked to speak, all gazes lingered on Ezra's bloody figure.
Fear, Admiration, Envy, Disbelief were the prominent emotions their expressions exposed.
Ezra took note of them, with this battle, he'd achieved his aim-elevating his image in their minds-for better or worse, firmly laying a foundation for his reputation to grow.
Now, his display would make them rein in any funny plans they might've had.
More importantly, 'I can begin whetting the weeds'
In the academy, he planned extensively, not just the demons, but his method to take the throne, and then how we would rule.
'There too many powerful people, and that isn't helping'
If not for the Emperor's domineering strength, Niton would have been fractured between Grandmasters.
If grandmasters were less, kingdoms of Ribera and Roosevelt wouldn't have sprung up so easily.
'So, should I go ahead and weed out a few?'
There wouldn't be much to having a few students die to beasts.
But…
'No'
Ezra decided against it.
Apart from the population shortage, you had the apocalypse on the horizon, and with how all the events in his past life were brought forward, the probability that the apocalypse would happen years earlier was rather high.
After all, this beast tide did not happen till 1723 in his past life, now it happened at 1713, a decade earlier.
Ezra had a hunch other events would happen even quicker, and his hunch seemed true with how the demons launched attacks.
He knew from his past life that the beast tide was the doings of demon worshippers and told Fredrick.
Only, he didn't know where their hideout was; it was never discovered in his past life.
'And I wanted to rest'
Ezra chuckled, he had thought of taking things easy after hitting master rank, and he would've…
'This damned feeling' thought Ezra, rubbing his neck.
If not for the foreign feeling pushing him.
Regardless, he was eagerly awaiting good news, as he'd instructed a few soldiers to find Marcus for him.
His lips parted to reveal a cruel smile.
'Marcus, I can't wait to meet you'
As said, revenge was a dish best served cold.
Then, Fredrick sent him something he was to receive today.
With the A-rank beast slaughtered, John was certain that no more beasts would appear, at least not today.
Ezra walked into his tent, drinking cold water, thereafter taking a rinse to wash away the dust on his body and threw away his silver rank armour.
He'd only worn it as formality.
After all, he stepped out to see the soldiers laughing over small jokes.
'Zero discipline'
Ezra clicked his tongue. 'To act like this while awaiting enemies…have things been too easy for them?'
The soldiers noticed him and the chatter gradually died down.
Ezra stared for a while, before saying, "Carry on" and walked away.
Surely, he thought of scolding them, but with the majority being students or hot blooded youths, he decided against it.
The lack of casualties seemed to have instilled a sense of false bravado in them.
'I did my job too well'
He realized.
'Well, experience is the best teacher'
He went over the battle, noting differences between it and that of his past life.
'A ranks didn't show up until the sixth day, and the mad rush began on the seventh'
The beast tide in his past life lasted ten days.
The soldiers began cleaning out the place.
Most beasts were buried. Normally they'd salvage the skin, but most of the skin was destroyed by the spells and Ezra's poison.
As the beasts had turned rabid, their inner organs were disposed of.
Yesterday's pile of carcasses were buried in front of the fortress with the help of earth mages.
Not Severus though, my boy was having an all you can eat buffet.
Of course, with his taste exquisite, Severus couldn't eat just anything.
He badgered Ezra until he was allowed to eat the apes' corpse.
Time trickled by and noon came along with a surprise.
A flying carriage landed in the fortress, completely black it was, with the colouring of three scratches.
"State your business" said the soldiers.
"Hmph" the coach was unperturbed, his passenger spoke. "I have something for a Sir Ezra"
They froze. There was only one Ezra in the army.
Ezra stood silent as the man introduced himself.
"This is a gift from his Majesty, he tasked me with delivering this to you. Its name is Darkane. His Majesty sends his regards"
The passenger, which Ezra found out to be a member of the Royal guard, handed him a sword sheathed in brown and blue leather with its black hilt sticking out.
"Please tell him that I am deeply honoured"
The royal knight nodded, before turning away.
The coach was also there and stepped forth to give Ezra a ring.
"I was tasked to hand this to you as well," he said. "The sender remains anonymous. He said you'd recognize the item, and if you didn't-you should simply throw it away"
Ezra fiddled with the ring. He didn't sense anything unusual, so he nodded.
With that, the guard and the coach left.
Ezra sat in his tent, looking over the two items.
'So this is the Emperor's gift?' he thought, unsheathing the blade.
Complete black it was, with small white lines across its surface.
'Darkane…suits it nicely'
While it was undoubtedly badass looking, Ezra already had two Epic gold swords in his space ring.
He'd have to test the sword's usefulness to decide if he'd swap another sword for it.
Ting!
"Huh?" Ezra hears a tingle, looking around, he finds its source pinned to his clothes.
It was the miniturized Skyfall, protesting against Ezra collecting other weapons.
"Don't worry" he said. "I'll take you out to face the really strong guys"
Skyfall stopped its protests.
'Whew'
After a few months, Ezra now understood the nature of both Severus and Skyfall sufficiently.
'Now…'
He picked up the ring, fiddling with it before putting it on.
Unlike the coach thought, Ezra already knew who the sender was.
'Fredrick, let's see what the surprise of his is'
Trying to access the space, he finds it locked.
Ezra brute forced it and the lock broke off without a hitch.
Then he removed the item within.
An all black armour with a helmet also black, lay folded on the ground.
A short note lay atop it.
'Armour made from the mountain snakes scales with a few other things. Imbue mana to discover its effects'
Ezra smiles, putting it on.
Only…'Isn't it a little big?'
The armour was larger than him, but just a bit, he could manage.
Exhaling, he infuses mana into it.
Lo and Behold the armour tightens to fit him.
'Auto fit'
Now he didn't have to worry about armour falling off during battle.
Right then…
JUUM!
The ground shook.
JUUM!
It shook again.
Benjamin stormed in. "Sire, you need to see this!"
Ezra watched from the horizon as new guests arrived.
Seven of them.
Though few in number, they exuded pressure of at least B-rank.
Ezra mind was whirring 'There might even be an A rank beast hidden within'
His eyes narrowed. 'Seems I've captured their attention'
Gattiste was to be a place occupied easily given that an A rank was deployed, yet it stood unbreached.
"Is this a joke?"
"It has to be! We already got rid of the beasts"
"Mommy!"
The soldiers clamoured nonstop,
They'd been relieved, certain that the day's battle was over.
Why had so many B ranks chosen to appear, and where did they even come from?
"Silence!"
Ezra's command put the clamour to a stop.
"Get to your positions NOW!"
The beasts were running towards them, and they were acting like headless chickens.
"We will stand, we will fight and we will win, just as we did before. HOLD STEADY!"
Their anxiety calmed as they awaited the dashing monsters.
With how sudden it was, Ezra did not have time to plan anything, and just picked out the top twenty along with Sir John and a few of his members jumped off the palisade and sped towards the beasts.
"Aim for the legs" he said. "We want them on the ground as fast as possible"
"Yes!"
As they neared the point of collision.
Shiiim!
Something tore through the sky.
