บท 57: Battling the Protagonist
"Psst. Jianyu, wake up." Siduo whispered.
The little boy's eyes opened with difficulty. "Mm. I don't feel like going… I want to sleep."
"You don't want to see your big sister kick some ass?"
The boy released a groan as he sat up, his eyes still closed; then he barely opened them to look at his sister and sighed. "I do."
"Good boy." Siduo ruffled his hair.
The two entered the room where Karni was already waiting for them. His eyes looked completely dead inside.
"Just so you know." Karni began with a low and quiet voice, which gave Siduo chills.
"I'm absolutely not paying for breakfast if you run out of money."
"Sheesh, do you think of that guy as some monstrous fat beast? He looked toned, you shouldn't worry too much."
Karni just kept on looking at her with the same eyes before turning around. It wasn't worth arguing about this. It was too late anyway. How would he go about explaining it anyways?
Oh hey, you know I read about you, and you're really just from some books and characters there. That guy is too, that's why I know he likes to eat? Yeah, that sounds like a reasonable thing to say to a real person.
Saying he saw Tang Wulin eating in a vision would also be… Just no. So, until she asks questions, he's just going to stay quiet. He didn't really want to deal with it.
They reached the sea - the main beach and tourist attraction of the city. They were actually about 10 minutes early. It was only 4.50 in the morning.
"Ah! They came earlier than us." A sleepy voice was heard from the entrance of the beach. It was a lean brown haired boy who said it.
"Hello." Tang Wulin was the first to greet them.
"Oh! Big sister, you're so pretty. Those ears are so cute." A girly voice came from behind the group.
The other day, they didn't really have the time to acknowledge everyone's appearance, but Xu Xiaoyan was excited to see this pretty lady again.
"Mm. My big sister is the prettiest."
The group noticed the little boy and went into a little bit of laughter. If it weren't for Jianyu, everyone would've likely been quite on edge about some strangers suddenly wanting to spar.
Except for two people in the group who stilldan't completely dropped their guard. Gu Yue was one of them, while Tang Wulin was the other. Though the latter pretended to be friendly.
"You look quite beautiful yourself." Siduo complimented the girl back. She was being honest. The blue haired girl was definitely the prettiest of the group.
"So. How do you want to do this?" Tang Wulin asked.
Karni let Siduo take initiative. She was the one that started this, so she should lead it. Siduo understood this. "Let's have a 2 versus 2, though we would prefer it if you joined the battle." She meant Tang Wulin.
"Of course, since it was us who made the deal. Alright, who of you guys is going to join me?" Tang Wulin looked at his group.
Xie Xie already started hopping over before being pulled back by Gu Yue.
"Gu Yue, you can't always have the captain to yourself!" Xie Xie complained.
She just ignored him.
"As long as we face the strongest two, we're satisfied." Siduo said in a cheeky manner.
"We're the strongest." Gu Yue said.
Siduo looked back at Karni. Who nodded.
"Alright, Jianyu, please go to the side of that pretty sister and that simple boy." Siduo smiled at her little brother.
"Simple?"
"Wha- Ouch!" Siduo was about to tease Xie Xie, as her nature was to cause problems, but Karni hit her on the head.
"Don't be rude. You always make bad impressions on the first meeting."
"You don't need to always rub it in." Siduo complained.
The four who were about to battle made a bit of distance between one another.
"Little brother." Xu Xiaoyan put her best face on. "How strong is your big sister?"
The little boy looked proud. "She's about to become a Soul Ancestor." He smiled cheekily.
Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan looked at each other, realising what the boy just said. "Looks like the captain and Gu Yue will have quite a challenge on their hands." Xie Xie was also secretly glad that Gu Yue pulled him back now.
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Karni approached Siduo. "Sisi."
"Mm?"
"Don't underestimate the two. I'm willing to bet that guy has just as much strength as you if not more, while that girl likely has higher spiritual power than me. She can likely control multiple elements."
Siduo looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but nodded. "You'll tell me later about how you know this, I hope you know. You've been weird since yesterday."
Karni sighed. "I suppose I should."
The two got in their positions, as did Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.
Xu Xiaoyan volunteered as the referee. "3. 2. 1. Begin."
Two people dashed with great speed, though one was delayed. The one delayed was Siduo, as she needed Karni's soul skill.
Purple soul rings shone all around. Siduo, Karni, Wulin as well as Yue. Though Gu Yue had two yellow rings as well.
3 Soul Elders and a single Soul Grandmaster.
Karni was reminded quickly. Tang Wulin didn't yet have his gold soul ring. That happens just before the exams, which are next year.
There was quite a bit of shock in Tang Wulin's and Gu Yue's eyes when they saw this.
Karni applied his second soul ring to Siduo, who now dashed fully with her Hell Cat's first soul ring. Directly at Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin wasn't really any slower than her. His strength was immense after all. Siduo could tell just from getting close. Even if she used her White Tiger, she couldn't truly battle him in pure strength. Karni wasn't exaggerating.
Her second and third soul rings shone as she started her attack. At the same time, Tang Wulin's arm became a golden claw made of scales.
She didn't want to go head on with him, so she dodged with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but as if Wulin was reading her mind, he dodged as well, but differently. In his case, his eyes were shining purple as well. He didn't use a technique, but pure strength to get explosive power to dodge.
The both of them dodged at the same time, which meant they were facing each other head on again.
Hell Hundred Claws met the Golden Dragon Claw. Siduo could immediately feel the push back.
She fused her Mysterious Jade Hands into her attack while fusing her skill into her third one.
Now it was a giant blade of energy that met a claw. Both of them were knocked back. Siduo was pushed farther back, but Tang Wulin's arm actually bled. His strength made him stay his ground, but overall, he was equally injured.
Tang Wulin looked in surprise, but so did Wu Siduo. This amount of pure strength was absolutely terrifying. Her bones felt like they wanted to break.
"Wulin, watch out!" Gu Yue shouted.
Karni's third soul ring was shining. His sound gathered up and he came nearby in a melodic manner.
Just as he was about to start swinging at Tang Wulin, a wall of dirt appeared in front of him. He smacked the dirt, which immediately fell apart due to the intense vibrations.
Gu Yue looked with shock. What she felt in that sound. "An aspect of space?"
Karni wasn't aware of this, and he didn't hear her, so he was left oblivious. Instead, he was clicking his tongue. Gu Yue's timing was just as annoying as he read in the books. Even with his predictions, he couldn't react fast enough. It wasn't the speed, it was the placement and the speed combined.
Tang Wulin's second soul ring shone when Karni destroyed the earth.
"Sisi! Switch!"
Siduo understood immediately. She saw the spikes sprouting from the ground as well. She also had the predictions after all.
The two jumped up and Siduo grabbed Karni in the air, then threw him toward Gu Yue. She activated her first and third soul ring of the White Tiger. The spikes didn't penetrate her diamond layer, but it clearly damaged it.
As Karni reached Gu Yue, she was pulled away by a vine. "Shit." Karni sent another soundwave into the path that Gu Yue was going to dodge towards.
Both Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were shocked. He knew exactly what they were planning. How?
"Hey, eyes on me."
Siduo charged towards Tang Wulin. Shooting her Diamond Light Wave.
Meanwhile Jianyu was shocked on the side. The other two were so strong! They were actually keeping up with his big sister and brother!
Gu Yue reacted simply to Karni's sound wave. She called upon water to absorb the sound. It was one of the best elements to work against it, but she still lost control of the water as soon as the sound was absorbed. It simply became too unstable whenever things like that touched it.
Sound travelled faster through water, but it also had trouble getting out of it.
"So." Tang Wulin intercepted Siduo's Diamond Light Wave with ease.
"You two are from Tang Sect too huh?" He now wore a genuine smile. If they were from the Tang Sect, he didn't have to be wary anymore. He could fully enjoy this fight.
Siduo clashed with him. Clearly losing in the bout. "Yeah. We are." She quickly switched her martial soul and made distance. Charging towards Karni and Gu Yue.
Karni could feel this. He forcefully applied his second soul ring to Gu Yue. His mind hurt a little while doing so. She really did have higher spiritual power than he did, but he could also tell they're both still in the Spirit Sea realm. She was just higher than him.
If it wasn't for Purple Demon Eyes. He likely wouldn't have been able to apply the skill on Gu Yue.
Gu Yue's eyes went out for a second, seeing all of these predictions, but she still managed to react to Siduo's quick attack from the side. She teleported away to Tang Wulin.
"HUH!" Siduo yelled in rage. She saw her use three elements by now. And one of them was space?!
"Sisi. She can control all but time."
Siduo sighed out. Her eyes focused into slits, her ears perking in caution. She had to put in 110 percent for this fight. "Understood."
The both of them dashed towards Gu Yue and Tang Wulin again. It's just that they were on opposite sides now.
Vines of Bluesilver Grass and icicles that were boosted by fire, like missiles, were shot towards them, but they all missed in the next second. Karni's second soul ring was shining. He forced Gu Yue and Tang Wulin under Vision Bestowal.
Tang Wulin had some trouble fighting against the skill as he hadn't yet reached the Spirit Sea realm.
This time, Siduo dashed for Gu Yue, while Karni went for Tang Wulin.
Siduo used her Hell Hundred Claws on Siduo, but she teleported away and even put a dirt wall between them for additional safety.
Siduo went around it with her speed, but intense wind was slowing her down, while the ground was slowly being covered with ice. She was losing a solid foothold. The first soul ring of Gu Yue was shining.
Meanwhile Karni activated his third soul ring again, Tang Wulin barely reacted to the staff approaching him. His Golden Dragon Claw appeared in a ferocious manner.
Karni quickly split his staff into two. One half hit the Golden Dragon Claw, which knocked not only his arm, but his whole self back due to the amount of force. Karni really face that, but he threw his other drumstick directly into Wulin's head as he was punched back.
Tang Wulin fell onto the ground. His mind was completely jumbled, he couldn't control his body at that moment.
"Wulin!" Gu Yue shouted before quickly teleporting to him. Ignoring Siduo.
"You!" She turned towards Karni, who was a bit confused. It's not like the effect is deadly for Tang Wulin. If Karni chose so it could be, but he didn't. He applied only the stun effect, but Gu Yue didn't know this.
All of her soul rings shone as three elements were called forth. Light, Fire and Earth. A giant spike that seemed closer to a meteor appeared.
Karni began to sweat, while he sensed two energies fusing behind him. It was Siduo charging in.
"Wait Sisi." He activated his third soul ring again and threw it at Siduo's feet, who really didn't expect it. She just stumbled and lost control of her body for a split second. Enough to interrupt the fusion.
"Yue!" Tang Wulin held Gu Yue's shoulder who quickly calmed down when she heard the voice.
"It's just ringing a little. I was stunned, I wasn't actually hurt."
Karni sighed as he helped Siduo up. "Let's end it here."
"My third soul ring can't actually kill a person unless I want to. It can stun them though. In the split form, that was thrown and wasn't a direct hit with my own hands, I would have trouble injuring a person, even if I wanted to."
Siduo looked a bit annoyed at Gu Yue. "But if he wants to, he can even make hundred year old soul beasts' heads explode."
Karni facepalmed. She really wasn't helping. "That was when I still didn't understand my martial soul. I was forcefully bringing it forth back then. Of course I couldn't control its goddamn effectiveness! Now stop causing trouble when there is a misunderstanding." He hit Siduo on the head again.
It was true. The normal third soul ring was powerful as a glass of water. In comparison, the comprehension he gained now turned that into a bucket of water. With his understanding of it, he could choose what part of sound to call out. The deadly force of sound was something the Stacks always brought out, but now he could choose not to.
There was one lie he said though. Even with a ranged attack, he could kill. What mattered was the effect applied to the staff. Deadly or only Stunning. When it's thrown, the effects would simply be weakened by about 30 percent now.
Of course, someone might be stunned for days if they were weak enough. Their mind might be temporarily damaged, but it wouldn't ever be permanent unless Karni specifically decided to use the destructive properties of sound.
It was really all about how tight or deep he made a frequency, and how much its quantity was. His sound could be both soothing or dangerous. He could control it all thanks to his comprehension of the Sound's Heart.
Gu Yue seemed to calm down a bit. Tang Wulin put on an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about all this. It got a little bit wild there for a second."
Karni waved him off. "No worries. It's not like you guys were the only ones. Karni looked to the side of Siduo."
"Hey, you bastard." Siduo grabbed Karni's shirt. "I was trying to fucking protect you. Do you know how fucking terrifying that attack of hers was just then! She was fusing elements! Fusing them! I'd most likely barely be able to tank it even in my fused form!"
Siduo needed to catch a breath due to her anger while Karni was surprised. He didn't expect he was in that much danger. He forgot just how impulsive Gu Yue was when it came to Tang Wulin sometimes.
"I'm sorry." Gu Yue approached. "I thought you actually hurt him. I could feel that it was a spiritual attack and that elements of space are in the sound. I thought his mind would be…"
"Wait. Elements of space? I don't control space, I just control sound though?"
"Huh?" Gu Yue looked at him weird. She shook her face. "Your sound is not pure sound, that martial soul of yours is not of pure sound. Your sound controls additional things. You… you controlled this subconsciously?" Gu Yue was looking at him as if looking at a beast. Even she couldn't control the space with her current power without carefully considering it. Yet this guy affected it directly by accident?
Karni had a strange look now as well. He always thought that he simply controlled sound, but now that he heard this, it felt like so many things clicked in place. His sound wasn't just sound. Of course. Even during his predictions. He could hear it constantly. Like it was giving him additional perception. Then… it might not just be space that's additionally affected! Predictions, could it be another element as well?
Tang Wulin came forward. "If you don't want to, you don't need to pay for breakfast. It's our fault this time."
Tang Wulin himself was surprised that Gu Yue personally apologised, but really she apologised when she heard the care from Wu Siduo. Wu Siduo reminded her of herself to a degree there.
Karni looked at Tang Wulin. This guy. He was truly a monster. While he used his stun version of the sound, he was still going all out. If he hit Siduo with this, even in her White Tiger form, she'd usually feel consequences even hours afterwards; unless she was hit in her Hell White Tiger form. Just how special was Tang Wulin's physique? He had to believe that it was his bloodline.
"Besides. You helped me out a little. That sound of yours, while it hurt, it seemed to boost my power afterwards a bit. I just had to get it under control."
"You fucking what?" Karni said, but not in an angry tone. He was just completely baffled.
Tang Wulin stared for a second. "Man, you two surely like to curse huh?"
"Ah!" The two of them realised and apologised. "We have a… mouthful of a teacher, so we got used to it."
The rest of the group closed in and looked at each other. Xie Xie sighed while nodding. "We get that. We also have a weird teacher."
"Hey now. I might just tell that to Teacher Wu, you know?" Xu Xiaoyan teased.
"Don't you dare!"
Tang Wulin laughed. "But man, I really didn't expect you guys to be so strong. How'd you manage to know everything we'd do? It felt that way at least."
"Oh that!" Karni realised.
Siduo dropped her guards as well by now. This group were all in the Tang Sect. The Tang Sect only accepted good and honest people. Besides, since Karni seemed trusting, Siduo felt trusting to a degree as well. Though she had to admit her competitive spirit was aroused.
The only person she truly didn't like at the moment was Gu Yue.
"Let me show you." Karni activated his first and second soul rings. "Don't resist."
The group was confused. Both Gu Yue and Tang Wulin remembered the illusion they were bestowed.
They were amazed by what they saw. It looked quite different than before. Much less chaotic.
"It shows predictions of the future. It's supposed to be used for sharing, but I've learned to use it as a confusion tactic as well. Recently I managed to add some fake predictions to cause more chaos."
Tang Wulin and Gu Yue finally understood. Gu Yue was still bugged about something though. "Is it spiritual as well?"
Karni nodded.
"How high is your spiritual power exactly?"
"Oy, Gu Yue, that's rude to ask." Tang Wulin scolded. He hasn't seen Gu Yue being interested in another person like that for a while. It also made his heart uneasy to a degree.
"I don't mind." Karni really didn't. If anything, he wanted to be on these guys' good side. It would be beneficial to both himself and Siduo.
"I'm well into the Spirit Sea realm by now, but the reason I was able to apply it to you was also thanks to my Purple Demon Eyes."
"I see." Gu Yue nodded. Everything made sense. She could tell he figured out her spiritual power too to a degree.
"Now then. You guys still up for some breakfast?" Tang Wulin asked, trying to change the topic.
"Yes." Siduo nodded. "I'll pay."
"You really don't have to." Tang Wulin insisted.
"I promised. Though I won't pay for the girl." She gave Gu Yue a side glance. She taught Karni a bit about his martial soul, but she was still genuinely intending to kill for a second there. Karni only isn't that sensitive to bloodlust yet.
"That's okay with me." Gu Yue nodded, but didn't really care either. She understood it.
This only pissed Siduo off more, but she didn't voice any actual complaints. She knew when she was fighting a losing battle.
"Well, no take backsies." Tang Wulin crossed his fingers.
"Sisi… You were given two chances. Two. You… Don't come begging me for money later on."
Siduo wondered."Hey now, why are you so aggressive, did you see him eat before?"
Karni looked Tang Wulin into his eyes. "Yeah." Then he turned back to Siduo. "I'm looking forward to your suffering."
… … …
Siduo was absolutely speechless. This must be this guy's tenth meal by now, and it didn't feel like he was even close to full yet.These weren't small meals either. All of them were huge.
The others have long since finished eating and were just chatting. Karni seemed to be quite friendly with the group.
"So, you see, the two hugged there at the very end and our teacher was super angry and attacked the whole arena!" Xie Xie was bragging while leaving out many, many details.
Tang Wulin didn't care, while Gu Yue punched Xie Xie as soon as he said it.
Karni found this incredibly amusing. It was hilarious to actually witness this in real time. It was like meeting celebrities that looked at you as an equal. Then he looked towards Siduo who had an ashen expression.
"Phahaha! See! You should've listened."
"Don't you fucking dare!"
"I told you so!"
"You bastard! Come here!"
Siduo wanted to pounce towards him, while the little brother smiled from ear to ear.
"But big brother!" Jianyu called out to Tang Wulin. "How come you can eat so much? You don't look fat!"
"My bloodline is quite powerful, so I need to eat to keep up with it."
Siduo stopped attacking Karni. "Is that why you're so physically strong?"
Tang Wulin nodded.
She looked towards the others. "You guys are strong too I'm guessing. Since you call him your captain. Are you taking the Shrek Exam next year?"
Karni was surprised like the rest. She actually figured it out on her own.
The whole group nodded.
"What about you guys?"
"We are as well. We're having extra training this year to be even stronger, so you better prepare once we get back. It won't be a draw next time."
Tang Wulin's eyes blazed. "Of course." He looked at Karni as well. "I'm looking forward to having a real match next time."
Karni's heart skipped a beat. So this is what it felt like. To have such rivals. Siduo was a bit different for him. She was his friend and the two motivated one another to grow, but this… This really did ignite his rarely seen competitive spirit.
… … …
The group went with them to the ship. The parents were already waiting there. They didn't have time for any special goodbyes. It was quite simple since they only knew each other for about 2 hours now. All of them were aiming for Shrek, so they had a sense of camaraderie.
"Next time, they'll probably be Soul Ancestors. Will we really be able to fight them?" Xie Xie wondered.
"Well, you'll just have to become stronger." Tang Wulin laughed.
Xie Xie nodded. "I want to try fighting those two next time as well."
Tang Wulin let his eyes wander for a bit. The boy said he saw him eat, but it felt like an excuse. That guy clearly knew him. Gu Yue as well. Even with the predictions. He was the only one who wasn't surprised by them. The girl actually was. Who really was this Val Karni?
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
AzKoPo
AzKoPo The story will go in a more light-hearted direction for the foreseeable future. This arc, Shrek, the one after that. The mentality of Karni is now fully developed in regards to the world, but that doesn't mean that the story won't take a dark turn at suitable moments, it's DD after all. At least Karni has now grown out of most of his major flaws.
Next time, a trip across the ocean, aboard a ship.
Enjoy!
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