Starshine Academy, Faustus City Pt1

There were two type of squads that were sent out by Starshine Academy. Battle and Backup Squads.

The former were the first waves sent directly to places that needed more active defence of areas.

While backups stayed in more peaceful areas for 'recon' until they were called in to support others.

But this meant only one thing for the students.

"Free day!" The captain of their great Arkra Cruiser started shouting after reporting here for duty.

"Free day~!" A twin-tailed girl shouted back with the same vigour, causing her two friends to sigh.

"These idiots…" A girl sitting on her seat while fiddling with her mechanised legs mumbled quietly.

"You shouldn't say that, Betty." A girl whispered beside her while cleaning a purple coloured blade.

Perhaps it was overkill to give only four people full reigns over an entire ship, but Arkra was eco-friendly. It ran on converted Miasma going through its engine and acted more like a purifying system.

Defending this place was a critical part of their responsibility. At least, that was the official order.

Betty wondered if this was really okay.

She had joined Starshine Academy to get away from her past, and this atmosphere was nice…

…but there HAD TO be a catch somewhere.

"What's wrong?" The most disciplined and elegant member of their team asked the worried girl.

Betty touched her mechanical ear piercings and thought about what to say without them hearing.

Not wanting to ruin this peaceful atmosphere.

Eventually, the question was asked: "Is it okay for us to be here? There's nothing outside Faustus."

Other than towns and villages.

She didn't say the latter part of this out loud, but the girl cleaning her sword knew what Betty meant.

"Faustus is well-protected itself, and we have fellow Exorcists in places they need to be. Believe they can do their job. Or does little miss 'Boogie Woman' feel worried?" The girl had whispered.

"Don't call me that, Bella." Betty hadn't known this sword obsessed maniac would know of her past.

The two of them stared at each other with tension.

"Say it with me now: 'Free day!'." The Captain of the Arkra Cruiser, Ryan, tried pulling them into his pace. Only to see them scoff and go back to maintaining their weapons and mechanical limbs.

Betty's legs always needed to be checked regularly due to her growth in recent years, and Bella's katana would rust if it didn't get the required attention. They looked too busy to humour him.

Only the last girl left, Tia, had some time for him.

"You might as well leave them be. Want to play with me for a while?" She hugged him happily.

Tia didn't seem to mind his blushing appearance.

"You're on…!" A spirit of competition burned in Ryan's eyes. They finally had the time to cut loose.

Ryan lead Tia to their little stadium. There was one circular goal hoop a bit high up and a sports ball.

He waited for her to get ready by dribbling for a bit.

The youth loved how the ball freely moved from one hand to another. Not abiding by any rules.

This was Shaolin Soccer.

It was a sport that had lasted 100,0000 years without ever changing. In fact, he was even a star player of the Valkcry Abes. A team that had dominated the sport and even won a World Cup.

…But now when he mentioned the Valkcry Abes, he would either be met with confusion or malice.

It was said in the past that Valkcry Ruins was the Sacred Lands to the Holy Doctrine, and he was a heathen for saying such blasphemy. Even though to Ryan himself, this was worse than anything.

Ryan stopped dribbling for a moment and looked forlorn. Thinking of a past that would never return.

The adoring cheers of his fans as he entered the biggest stadium for the Glowing Rain World Cup.

Ryan immersed himself in his fantasies a bit.

Blowing a kiss to the 'audience' in the stand just like that day. Those who came here just for him.

He experienced the joys again.

Being at the centre of attention just felt right to him. There was no stage fright or pressure here.

In this stage of his delusions, he played a match with a rival team on the day of the World Cup.

…Only for a disaster to strike him- No, everyone.

The screams and struggles to make it out alive started to resound in the deepest parts of his mind.

Clouding the delusion of grandeur with ruination.

A destroyed soccer stadium, and insect-like Nether Demons that suddenly spawned out of nowhere.

Then a hand that reached out to save him…

When he got out of that place, he suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar world far into the future.

"This can't be happening…! Why me? WHY?!" An illusion of himself was speaking in his memories.

His world had been taken from him.

Fame. Fortune. A place to call home. Everything was lost without ever any hope of returning.

Accepting this was the first step to recovery…

Even so, he'd sometimes miss those times.

"I'm ready. You want to start first?" Tia came walking down to the soccer stage full of spirit.

Ryan's eyes turned to the weapon in her hand.

They called this a 'Sacred Weapon'. It looked like a futuristic revolver, but it was much more than tech.

Things had changed since his time at the Valkcry Empire. People didn't just use 'Magic' itself now.

There were all sorts of things that had been uncovered and preserved about engineering.

What were once known as Mystic Tools were now called Sacred Weapons, and there was much more.

Mystic Tools in his time were magical items that had one or more functions. Each one was unique.

But now, Sacred Weapons that were created by this newfound material known as Divine Ore cut out middle man. They didn't need expensive artisans to create items anymore, but brought it out of metal.

Having only one function depending on the nature of the Sacred Weapon seemed worse in terms of variation, but these fewer functions usually had a lot more strength than the weapons back then.

It made sense why Exorcists of this era were so strong. Each of them were equipped with one.

He too took out his weapon for this competition they'd have for amusement. It looked like a bat…

…because it ACTUALLY WAS just a metal bat.

Tia stopped in her tracks when she saw what he'd brought out. Her eagerness suddenly wilted.

"Maybe we shouldn't use weapons." She offered. It was the biggest mercy she could give to this dolt.

"Why not?" Ryan didn't catch on to her feelings.

Of course, there was a big difference between their weapons… but he wasn't unskilled in soccer.

The goal of this game was to get the ball through the upright hoop behind them. Not fighting.

"Because I'm stronger than you. Who wins and who loses will be decided if we used weapons." Tia sighed, but her words didn't seem to offend Ryan whatsoever. He shrugged as if it didn't matter.

This put her in a difficult spot here.

She liked playing Shaolin Soccer like he did, but the fun for her came in how you never knew who'd win.

If they weren't on the same level, then it wouldn't be gratifying to win. It'd be like bullying a little kid.

Ryan understood her thoughts.

But if she didn't use her weapons, then her weak body and slow special ability would make her lose.

Moreover, this was a matter of his pride as a Valkcry Abe. He wouldn't lose in a soccer match regardless if it was in the past or future. This belief was why he could stand tall despite the disparity.

Tia looked at his attitude.

He was the same as when they first met. Showing no signs of competitive spirit unless it was soccer.

A unique person who used Mana in a way that had been lost in recent eras after the Great Eruption.

Tia looked at the cross on the back of her hand. A Limiter that prevented her from externalising Mana.

She arguably had the best bloodline in the current era and had inherited great traits from them.

But all of that became meaningless due to this suffocating shackle that made her body weaker.

Fragile she may be, but it wasn't like she hadn't been trying to overcome her physical limits at all.

They just weren't increasing…

The only thing she could do was rely on the things she'd learnt to use back at Faustus in the distance.

…..

….

…

..

.

'Hrunting Custom- Witch Hunter' was locked and loaded with pressurised air. Like always.

I could hear a roar from the wolf in my arm.

The gem on my Limiter, my 'Spectral Core', was ready to be worn around me as a Mystic Code.

I wasn't sure whether to feel pity or envy.

Ryan probably never had to go through the gruelling training people went through as Exorcists.

Choosing suitable Sacred Weapons. Mastering the Combat Gift that had been taught to me personally.

Finding a suitable Spectral Core to help me use the Mana that would normally be locked inside me.

"I'll try fighting differently then." I told Ryan while focusing my attention to the gem on my Limiter.

Not everyone had Mana flowing through their body like me. Those that did were considered one of two things. Either 'Specialists' born from Sages that were naturally born with pathways all over them.

Allowing Mana to flow through them easily.

Or they were 'High Humans'.

People who had to awaken a Gift before they could even hope to use Mana as naturally as Sages did.

I took a look at my opponent's details in my head.

Ryan Rayleigh, an Earth Specialist who had C Rank Magical Talent. Exceptional strength beyond me.

He had more Mana and the ability to externalise magical power without having to rely on Spectres.

And could simply move the earthen field around him to his whims. Shaping it using willpower alone.

So how did he lose?

When it came to basic stats themselves and variation in moves, Ryan really had me beat.

However, my weapon and Gift truly made the difference. Especially since she was his antithesis.

'Hrunting Custom- Witch Hunter' was pointed at him. Wind Mana surged and focused into it.

But that wasn't all.

Even though her Mana was locked away, there was a new way for a Specialist like her to externalise it.

She reached her willpower deep into the Spectral Core gem on her Limiter and activated a new form.

A flame erupted from the gem and covered her body whole, while also changing her current outfit.

The sportswear she was wearing altered to become red like her innate Affinity for flames.

A 'Feral Wolf' that had been away her call jumped out of the gem and wrapped itself around her body.

Becoming a fiery battlesuit for her to wear.

The suffocating feeling her Limiter had been giving her finally faded. This felt more like her 'real self'.

There was a synergy that happened between the flames covering my body and the wind in my gun.

I shot a round at Ryan without hesitation.

Flames covered the pressurised air bullets of Witch Hunter. A marvel of modern technology and magic.

Ryan didn't dodge or block.

Earth Mana reinforced his body and improved his physical resistance, but that wasn't enough.

My bullet was a rare mix between a physical and magical phenomena. This wasn't enough at all.

But he didn't stop there.

A darkness that the Holy Doctrine of the past would've considered heretical arose in tandem.

The fiery bullet I'd just shot deflected off his body.

With the defensive abilities of an Earth Specialist and arcane defence of Dark Mana, trying to damage him with bullets alone was difficult. But it wasn't like those were the only options I had.

The moment he shifted his attention to try and set up a shot with the ball, my body moved quickly.

Stepping on his knee and launching myself up. The momentum being used to set up a perfect shot.

However, I underestimated his pride.

"Get back down here!" A spirited look filled with youthful figure followed a roar of excitement.

He grabbed me by the ankle and threw me away.

The metal bat covered in Earth Mana and Dark Mana touched the ball to keep it in the air.

He looked ready to baseball swing it into the hoop.

Only to be interrupted again by a bullet I sent straight towards the ball and slapped it away.

The ball suddenly got out of both our ranges.

This was the point where we had both forgotten about being in the same squad and focused fully.

Attack, defend, interrupt, try to shoot a goal, etc.

This process was rinsed and repeated until we were both covered in sweat. The floor was a mess.

Craters had formed from me detonating explosive rounds, and the rest was shaped by Ryan's Mana.

The ground moved like water. Twisting and turning into waves around him to both block and interrupt.

Black hands of soil sometimes tripped me up.

They got in my way whenever I tried to dribble the ball, and even tried to restrain me sometimes.

It was a good thing I had my 'Dawn Walker' Mystic Code on. Enhancing my physical abilities greatly.

Although not as great as Ryan, I also had ways of controlling fire like a natural Fire Specialist.

But that wasn't why I struggled so much.

I did it because… it was really fun~

The sweat trickled down my face as we would sometimes be tangled up with each other.

Throwing one another around and fully utilising our power without restraint. Not caring of our looks.

Maybe I'm the weird one.

Guys liked playing Shaolin Soccer more than girls did in general. My two other friends were like that.

It was true they diligently studied and stained, but their hobbies were more 'girly' than playing soccer.

That's why I liked these moments with Ryan.

He didn't care if I was a girl or not. For the sake of scoring a goal, he'd try every scheme in the book.

Our struggle to get the ball continued.

…..

….

…

..

.

In the stands nearby, behind a reinforced glass barrier strong enough to ricochet the nigh indestructible soccer ball, there were two people spectating this match without saying a word.

Betty was using something a retro as a pen and paper to write things down, and Bella just watched.

The latter seeming amused with their every action.

"Betty! Betty! This guy… Ryan actually gave Tia a suplex! Why aren't you reacting!?" Bella shouted.

"Because I'm sure he'd do the same to us if we were in her place." Betty didn't seem to care.

But her hand wouldn't stop moving whatsoever.

Seeing how she was losing her composure, Bella coughed before holding herself with grace again.

"What are you writing?" She asked more calmly.

"Whenever I see them fight, there's always something new to learn." Betty gave a rare smile.

Ryan was the embodiment of a forgotten era before Limiters, Spectral Cores and Mystic Codes.

While Tia was an exorcist of the current era with bountiful talents coming directly from her blood.

There wasn't anyone with as much raw talent than her. She had room to improve, but that was it.

As long as time passed, she'd become an S Rank Demon Hunter in no time. An exorcist of the era.

"Don't you think we should stop them?" Bella spoke worriedly while seeing their deadlock.

"Tia is holding back, so he won't get hurt." Betty replied absentmindedly while studying the duo.

"That's not the point…" But Bella could see that they were getting too close together as 'friends'.

Maybe Betty wouldn't care, but Bella was someone who knew how relationships ended for exorcists.

It was always a tragedy that couldn't be stopped.

Fondness was one thing, but the affection these two strangely similar soccer players had was…

…in a way, much scarier than facing Demons.

But she has to admit watching them was amusing.

Bella had slowly grown addicted to watching their matches rather than playing the game herself.

Suddenly, she heard a ringing sound from both their phones. It looked like they were contacted.

"We have a mission?" Bella asked without checking her phone when Betty put down her pen and paper.

"Apparently." The timing was... Betty didn't like it.

She had no choice but to interrupt them. There was nothing more important to an exorcist than 'work'.

But her friends stopped her.

"We have some time left, and it's not urgent." Bella checked the content before making that decision.

They let the duo continue until the match ended.