บท 122: 118th Adversary: Within The Chaos
"I can't believe it….It's just your first day and I'm already being bombarded with complaints from other teachers."
At the cafeteria, Momo was scolding Miko and the others who were sitting around a table with her.
"Ishma, you broke a student's nose?"
"He told the teacher that I was eating in class. He deserved it."
Ishma had no remorse on her face.
"Regis, why did you get into an argument with an instructor?"
"He said dragons weren't the strongest creatures alive. I couldn't stay quiet after that."
Regis was the same.
"And you, Miko? You challenged a teacher to a fight?"
"I did nothing wrong. I simply wanted to see if he was worthy to call himself my teacher."
Miko had an air of arrogance around him. Momo felt the urge to strangle him. Actually, she did.
"You little! Do you know how much nagging I had to put up with from the principal today, huh?!"
"C-Calm down, Momo! Ugh?! A teacher…Keh! Shouldn't be doing this!"
Miko tried to calm Momo down to no prevail. He found himself being choked out in front of a lot of students.
"Yo, Miko. It looks like you had a productive day."
Ace and Sora entered the cafeteria and approached their table.
"You two…"
Momo released Miko and looked at the boys.
"You didn't cause any trouble, right?"
"We were perfectly behaved."
"Ace sent a classmate to the hospital."
"Sora, you son of bitch!"
"You did what?!"
Momo started approaching Ace with an intimidating glare.
"N-Now, let me explain. I'm not to be blamed for this."
"He hit on a girl and beat up her boyfriend when he approached him."
"I'm gonna kill you, Sora!"
"Are you all trying to make my job harder?!"
Ace tried to run but he immediately found himself in a sleeper hold.
"A-At least take your adult form so I can enjoy a woman clinging to me!"
"Momo, neuter him too."
Miko said.
"You son of-?!"
Ace wanted to curse but he was beginning to black out.
"You guys really know how to cause a scene huh?"
Luka appeared with Hina, Aya, and Kana.
"Oh, Luka."
Momo released Ace and he dropped to the floor.
"I heard you stopped Miko from fighting the teacher. Thanks."
"It would be a problem if he actually did."
Luka and the girls sat around the table, Sora lifted Ace off the ground and placed him in a seat.
"Ah!"
A few seconds later, Ace came back to life.
"Oh, Aya and Kana. You two look as lovely as ever."
(He sure bounces back quick.)
Miko thought.
"So Hina, How was your first day at the academy?"
"It was interesting to say the least."
"She got into an argument with the literature teacher."
Kana said. She and Hina were both taking literature classes.
"That woman just doesn't understand the beauty of flawed characters. People look at literature as a form of escape, but that doesn't mean they only want perfect characters. People are more drawn to characters they can relate to."
Hina grumbled.
"I think it's safe to say you guys aren't cut out for school."
Luka said.
"That's not it. To them, this is just a vacation. They had no intention of taking this place seriously."
"Hey, I didn't come to learn. I came for three things. To mess around, make connections, and kick ass. In no particular order."
Miko added.
"That's quite the to-do list."
Aya said with a laugh.
"Big bro!"
"Hm?"
Miko looked and saw his siblings heading toward him.
"What are you two doing at the Senior Division cafeteria?"
"We came to check on you."
Tessa took a seat next to Hina while Kristen sat next to Aya.
"I bet you're already stirring up trouble."
Kristen said.
"I'll have you know that your brother is a well-mannered individual."
"Says the guy who called his classmates bitches when introducing himself."
Luka grumbled.
"Anyway, it's good that you're here."
Miko stood up and spoke with a loud voice for everyone to hear.
"Look around and tell me if those who were picking on you are here. I'll like to introduce myself to them."
"He's pretty much a thug at this point."
Momo shook her head.
"Well, he is a criminal overlord."
"Hm….him, him, her, those two, her, her, him."
The twins started pointing out people one by one. Every time they pointed out a person, the tension in the air increased. Especially when the look on Miko's face started to become scarier by the second. By the time the twins were done pointing people out Miko had the face of a demon.
"I see. This many people had a death wish."
He walked away from the table and started cracking his fingers.
"Wait."
Just as he was about to begin his "introduction", a voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw a student standing there.
He was over 6ft tall, had tanned skin, black hair with white ends that stretched down to his back, gold eyes, and a mole under his left eye. He was wearing a uniform just like the one Ace and Sora were wearing which meant that he was in his fourth year.
"?!"
When Luka saw him her eyes widen. She wasn't the only one. Everyone other than Miko's group strongly reacted to his appearance.
"Could you spare them?"
"Huh? Why should I? These fools need to know who they shouldn't mess with."
"Well, if you attack them in your current rage, it will become a scene too gruesome for us to enjoy our meals."
"I don't care about your meals."
"I know, but I do. So…"
*BAM!*
An explosive sound rang out causing Miko to look around.
"What the?"
He saw everyone his siblings pointed out lodged into a wall, and heavily bleeding.
"So as a comprise, I'll take them out in a less gruesome way for you."
Miko turned back and looked at the guy in front of him.
"So which one of the Dragon Stars are you?"
The youth showed a bright smile and said-
"I'm Kaido Khan. It's nice to meet you, Miko."
"Kaido?"
"Yes."
Miko began sizing up Kaido without any care that he might come off as rude.
"I see."
He smiled and relaxed his body.
"Then, Kaido. I'll accept this compromise for now."
He turned around to look at every one.
"But this is the only time. The next time, it won't matter where or when, or who doesn't like it. Touch my siblings again and people will find your heads in a duffle bag in your classroom."
He then turned back and looked at Kaido.
"How's that?"
"I appreciate it. Then I'll see you later."
Kaido left with a crowd of people following behind him. Miko stared at his back for a while before taking a seat.
"So that is Kaido, huh?"
Ace and others were also watching Kaido.
"He saved those people's lives by sending them to the hospital. I don't know if that was a noble act though."
Sora said.
"That's how he is. Kaido comes off as a noble person who hates conflicts. Because of this, he tends to use force to settle things as quickly and peacefully as possible."
Luka explained.
"He does seem like more of a gentleman than a fighter."
Hina said.
"Are you guys blind?"
Miko cut in.
"That guy is a beast through and through. Just standing in front of him and I knew….This guy was similar to me. Someone who would enjoy a reckless battle to the death and treat it like a game."
"I agree with Miko."
Ace spoke with a serious expression for once.
"I don't know if it's because I've learned Beastly Vita but I can now understand beasts and easily identify when they're a threat or not."
Ace pointed in Kaido's direction.
"That is a beast in human skin. Not someone I would want to tangle with."
Meanwhile, Kaido had made it back to his table with people surrounding him.
"So that's Miko? He's a ruffian like the rest of his family."
One of the students said.
"I wouldn't say that if I was you. He doesn't seem like the type to take insults towards his family lightly."
Kaido said.
"He reeks of a madman. Kaido, I think you should avoid him."
"What are you saying? Kaido can crush that brat with a wave of his hand. There's no need for him to avoid him."
"No, I can tell he's strong. I might not be able to beat him."
"Hahaha!"
Everyone around the table started laughing.
"You don't need to be humble, Kaido."
"That brat is only throwing his weight around because of his family background."
"That's right. He's nothing but an arrogant brat."
Kaido laughed in response to their comments before looking in Miko's direction.
"I wonder if he would get along with Bloom? If I brought her an ally like that she would be happy, right?"
He mumbled to himself.
Later that day.
"I got to meet with one of the Dragon Stars on my second day. That's not a bad start."
Miko was in his room talking with Tia.
"So do you think you can get along with him?"
"Too early to say. Especially since he's wearing a façade. It's hard to tell what he really is like."
Miko rested his head in Tia's lap while he began to think.
"What's on your mind?"
Tia started petting his head.
"Say, Tia, at my current rate do you think I really have a shot at winning this war?"
"Having doubts?"
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't. But don't get me wrong. I'm determined to see this through to the end…"
"But you're concerned about your growth."
Miko nodded.
"Well, I think your growth isn't a problem. In fact, it's monstrous. However, I can understand why you're anxious. After all, your enemies are all people with thousands of years of experience and are leagues above you in strength. Beating them will take something special. But you know Miko, I don't think there's anyone more special than you."
"Special, talented, genius. These are the words I hate the most, but there's no escaping them."
Miko mumbled.
"I've been labeled a genius since I was kid, but I hated that you know. No one looked at my hard work, they all treated my achievements as something natural. It degrades my effort. My point is, don't treat me as anyone special. Treat me as I am, Miko."
"…Alright, I will."
Tia smiled.
"…So you're wondering how to close the gap between you and the rest? Did you perhaps feel a gap between you and that Kaido boy?"
"Something like that. Just meeting him made me realize that I'm not doing enough. That I can go higher and become stronger than I am now."
Tia bent forward and made her forehead touch Miko's.
"If anything, I love your desire to continuously improve yourself."
"I think this obsession will keep me alive."
Miko laughed. Tia moved her head back and looked at Ishma who was watching tv.
"Stupid Crow, why don't you unlock more of your abilities so that Miko can use them?"
"Listen, Lizard. If I could I would've already. Besides, he's your proxy right? Teach him your abilities, you lazy bum."
"Ishma's right."
Miko said.
"You're calling me a lazy bum?"
Tia frowned and Miko got up from her lap.
"Not that. Currently, I'm only able to use the dragon and water aspects of your Divinity, but nothing else. I'm having trouble grasping the concept of chaos. What makes it worse, the second gate of Ascending Satan is the gate of chaos. In order to open that gate and get stronger I need to understand chaos."
"Understanding chaos is impossible. It can't be understood, that's why it's chaos. However, I think you're looking at chaos the wrong way."
"What do you mean?"
"You see chaos as disorder and mayhem right?"
"It isn't?"
Tia shook her head.
"Chaos is the beginning or rather the origin of everything. Everything in this world is born from chaos. It's a formless beginning that can bring forth endless possibilities."
"A formless beginning…The origin of everything…."
Miko started to ponder Tia's words. He kept mumbling them to himself over and over again.
"Do you think you can grasp something?"
Regis asked.
"I need to mediate on it."
He immediately sat in the lotus position and closed his eyes. The girls didn't disturb him and let him concentrate. Miko cleared his mind to the point he was no longer thinking. His mind was completely blank. After who knows how long, something started emerging in his mind. He didn't know if he should call it something since it had no form. Yet, he knew that it was there. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't ignore its existence.
Miko kept focusing on the formless entity until he came to a realization.
"This is my origin. The chaos within me."
When he realized this, he started to focus on it even more intensely. Before long it felt like he was being devoured by the formless entity. He lost all of his senses and he even forgot who he was.
Soon, Miko became a formless entity himself.
"…Ko…Miko….MIKO!"
"?!"
He opened his eyes and saw Tia's face close to his. He looked around and saw Ishma on the ground and saw Regis hiding in a corner. And his room was a mess.
"What happened?"
"Ah~. You've finally snapped out of it."
Tia said.
"Miko, your body was leaking an azure aura. It was calm at first but it suddenly turned into a storm which blew rampantly."
"I….I was devoured by my own chaos."
"Miko, you're bleeding."
Tia took out a handkerchief wiped Miko's mouth and nose and showed him.
"….My blood is blue?"
This was a first for Miko.
"Miko, I think you've grasped the concept for chaos, but I think you've dove too deep into it. You stared into the abyss so it stared back at you, kind of situation."
Miko looked confused. For some reason he had a hard time gathering his thoughts. His mind felt cloudy.
"Listen Miko. I think you need to create an image to guide you through the chaos. Something that will keep you connected to reality. Otherwise, this will keep happening."
"….How do I do that?"
"Try to create something from the chaos within. Remember, everything is born from chaos. Picture something that represents your origin and let it be your guide."
She started straightening him up.
"However, don't rush. It's seems that because of your abilities the powers of chaos are far more dangerous for you than others. Take your time and I'm sure you'll get it eventually."
She hugged Miko who still had a confused expression.
"Don't rush, just take it slow."
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง