Chapter 13

5 months later

"Alright. Today is a great day for you, high school seniors, 'cause today is your graduation day. We will hear an opening remarks or a little speech from our beloved principal. Mr. Dominic, the floor is yours," says Ms. Renata.

Clap... Clap...

The students give a big round of applause for Mr. Dominic. 

"Thank you for the time. As the principal of Montero School, I'm very happy for the graduation of my beloved students. My wish for you is to remain a good person! Even if you're not treated well by others. Remember, every good tree bears good fruit. Conversely, if the tree isn't good, then the fruit won't be good either. Thank you," says Mr. Dominic.

Mr. Dominic steps down from the stage to the accompaniment of loud applause.

Clap... Clap...

"I thought he was going to talk about the demons. Why is he always ignores their actions? They even dare to cause trouble in our school," says Daniel.

"I don't understand, either. There must be reason," says Dominggus.

"His power is the 3rd strongest in the world. Could it be that he's no longer as strong as he used to be?" asks Daniel.

"I wonder, too. At least we're lucky that he's not our enemy."

"Alright. The 33rd graduating class, please come up to the stage. We'll have a group photo session and hand shake for your graduation," says Mr. Satoshi.

All the 33rd graduating seniors come up to the stage. They start taking pictures and shaking hands. The event is very lively. Everyone is having a great time. After the group photo, they continue to eat together and chat.

"Hey, Darius. Come eat with us."

After all, Darius is still our friend. He's a student at Montero School just like us.

Darius is willing to come over to us.

"Don't get any funny ideas. I came here 'cause Petra called me, not because I wanted to," says Darius.

Darius is aloof as usual, but at least he isn't as bad as yesterday.

"Don't worry. We're friends after all. Friends will always be together. Right, Dominggus and Daniel?"

"Of course! Friends will help each other and forgive their friends," says Dominggus.

"Agreed!" says Daniel.

They chat and laugh together for some time.

Before long, the students from Salvador School come to Montero School for a friendly visit due to the incident that happened that day. 

"Hey, Dominggus," shouts Marie as she approaches Dominggus.

"Hey, Marie! You came, too? This is gonna be fun!" says Dominggus.

Heh. Fun? That's what you think it might be. Why don't I have a girlfriend? I envy them.

"Hey, Daniel! Don't you want to say hello to Diana? She's there alone," says Dominggus.

"Huh. We've been fighting for the past few days. It wasn't a big deal, but she's been quiet and rarely calls me," says Daniel.

"Really? When Mr. Gento, our principal, told us that there would be a visit to Montero School, she immediately raised her hand to come. I think she just needs to be coaxed a little," says Marie.

"Listen, Daniel. You're a man. Man up! Hurry up and greet her," chides Dominggus.

"Okay," says Daniel briefly.

From a distance, it's clear to see that Daniel and Diana are having an awkward conversation. Then, she leaves him.

"Hey! Go after her. Hurry up! Don't give up. Cheer up!" says Dominggus.

Daniel follows Diana and leaves. Then, Marveus comes over.

"Hey, guys. We meet again. How are you, Petra?" asks Marveus.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine, too. Anyway, where's Darius? I want to say hello to him," asks Marveus.

Marveus does not notice Darius who is sitting behind him.

"What do you want? Do you want to fight again? I'm much stronger than I used to be!" says Darius, grinning.

"Ah, there you are. Sorry, I didn't realize. Your aura is so weak that I can't feel it," mocks Marveus.

"What are you talking about? Come, fight me!" snaps Darius.

"Ahaha. Just kidding. Why do you get mad so easily, my friend? Today is a happy day. Let's enjoy everything in a relaxed manner," says Marveus as he pats Darius on the shoulder.

Darius immediately falls silent like a statue. Only his eyes could move.

"Listen, friend. You may have gotten stronger, but I'm still much stronger than you," whispers Marveus in Darius' ear.

Marveus freezes all the blood in Darius' body at his touch for a few seconds. It returns to normal when he removes his hand from Darius' shoulder.

Gasp! Wheeze!

"Whoa! Insolent. This guy is too strong!" says Darius to himself.

"Hey. What's wrong with you, Darius?"

"I'm fine, Petra. I'll go to the restroom," says Darius.

It does not end there. Marveus wants to test his strength against Petra. He tries to do the same thing he did to Darius.

"What about after this, Petra? What are your goals after graduating?" asks Marveus while patting Petra's shoulder.

"I'll devote myself to becoming a Zodiac. It looks like I'll continue studying to improve my magic skills." 

"What? Why didn't anything happen? I've expended more of my power than I used when I tapped Darius on the shoulder. Is my power too weak for him?" mutters Marveus to himself.

"What about you, Marveus?"

"Huh? Oh... I'm going back to the village to learn lots about my father's magic skills, 'cause I want to become so strong that I surpass him," replies Marveus.

"That's so cool. Cheer up then, Marveus."

They spend some time together, after which they return home.

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Petra continues his studies to become a member of the Zodiacs. He wants to help people and protects the weak.

Dominggus and Daniel live in the same village. They both return to their village to continue their studies there.

Marveus returns to his village. He goes back to studying magic from his father's book. He does not have a definite goal yet. What is clear is that he wants to be stronger than his father.

Darius also continues his studies to become a Zodiac. He was born into an ordinary family, but he trains as hard as he could to become very strong.

Marie continues her studies in Europe. Her goal is to become a researcher of ancient objects from the past. She is fascinated with historical things.

Diana continues her studies in Japan. This is her dream country where she can get to know Japanese culture. Diana loves Japan so much that she decides to settle down there.

They continue their respective lives and pursue their dreams. Although uncertainties await them ahead, their steps are confident. 

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At the Zodiacs' Headquarters

"Captain, Senior Dominic has agreed to meet with us. Next, we have to prepare all the files for this meeting. After all, he'll definitely ask the purpose of our request to meet with Gaia," says Gunther.

"I've prepared some supporting data so that we can meet with Gaia, 'cause this is a serious matter. Just three demons messing around was already enough to overwhelm us! What if they manage to collect all fragments? This is a very serious matter!" says Maximus.

"Is there no other way? Suppose we make a big meeting with the Great Alliance Force? Maybe they have a solution, too," says Cordelia.

"In fact, I already talked to one of the giant trio. They themselves are also puzzled about what steps to take, 'cause the likes of this incident is also encountered by a number of Alliance friends in their respective territories," says Gunther.

"Why don't we just increase the number of members to protect the border areas? I think they'll start invading the areas furthest from the city center. That way, their movement won't be noticed by us," says Ozzy.

"There may be some truth to what Ozzy said, but we've received new information about this Giganto. His magic can create a teleportation gate and he can go anywhere. Even worse, my Apocalypse Shield doesn't work against him!" says Maximus.

"Alright. Now, I will go out to check the border areas. Ozzy, come with me. Who knows we might get a clue where these demons came into the city from," says Ivar.

"Agreed! We'll split into two-man teams. I'll go with Iris," says Cordelia.

"I'll go with Tristan," says Domevlo.

"I'll help Gunther at the base," says Archibald.

"Alright. All that's left is Domino, Domina, Maximus, Apollo, and Crysalia. What about the rest?" asks Ivar.

"You already know. I'm definitely with Domino," says Domina.

"All that's left is Apollo and Crysalia. You two will make a team," says Maximus. 

"Report immediately if anything suspicious happens. Don't take any rash actions. Our opponents are very strong! A few wrong steps will be very dangerous for us," says Maximus.

The Zodiacs go out to patrol the border areas.

Meanwhile, Maximus is preparing for an important meeting with Dominic to discuss the Soul Stone.

Maximus feels the need to meet with Gaia, because Gaia keeps 2 fragments of the Soul Stone. He wants to ask directly what steps should be taken to deal with these demons.

According to the obtained information, the demons have managed to collect 3 fragments out of a total of 8 fragments of Soul Stone.