64 Arms of Agnorah (1)

"Hmm… So Luwei was right." Master Haniki said, his bright amiable eyes not leaving the screen.

He and Master Koo Minchii had been observing Savyrran for a while in the last four hours, and within all that time, she had never met a single soul beast. The first one she had met was the venomous bull serpent, which she defeated with ease. However, the bull serpent was only a common class soul beast, and thus, its defeat did not really surprise Master Haniki too much. Still, the fact that she had been able to do so when she did not have her essence had rather impressed the master.

But what was most shocking to both Master Haniki and Master Minchii was the fact that the girl had fought against three yellow users and one green user at the same time, and still emerged victorious. Though Master Haniki believed Luwei Bufan's words about how strong his disciple was, seeing it happening in front of him was still a little too shocking.

"She never once revealed a soul armos nor her essence, yet she is so strong." The young looking but old master said. He smiled cheerfully at a rather stoic vice head. "Did you do the thing I asked?"

Master Minchii nodded. "All the feed with her in it recorded by the light crystal is diverted to the screen here. No one else in the academy can witness her trial."

"Well, good." Master Haniki clasped his palms together, lost in a deep thought. Before the trials began, he had asked Koo to design Naa Vah in such a way that while everyone in the academy could watch all the other applicants, all the recordings which had Savyrran in it would never be seen by anyone else other than Master Haniki.

Master Haniki had had no interest in observing the trials, however, for the sake of Luwei, he had decided to watch this Savyrran Thark to see for himself exactly how strong she was. At first, he had been a little disappointed since nothing interesting was happening. Every single soul beast was deliberately avoiding her. But things started picking up the moment the girl went to the cave of the bull serpent.

But of course, that fight with the bull serpent had taken mere seconds. And though Master Haniki could tell that the girl was strong, that fight did not reveal her full strength. It was only several hours later until she came into contact with those four boys did Master Haniki finally see what Luwei Bufan had meant. But something rather strange had caught Master Haniki's attention, and he could not stop thinking about it.

"Koo… Why do you think the soul beasts were hiding from her?"

Master Minchii looked up at the Head of the Combat School with interest, though his face never showed it. He that saw the usually cheerful face of the master had become very serious. This could only mean one thing; Master Haniki had seen something important.

"It's rather hard to say." Koo said, lightly touching his forehead. He usually did this whenever he found himself thinking hard about something. And since he was always thinking hard about something, he was always touching his forehead. "Soul beasts are very perceptive creatures. They tend to sense a person's essence even when it is being actively hidden. If they sense that a human or another soul beast is stronger than them, they will stay away."

Master Haniki waited, carefully watching Master Minchii, as though waiting for him to say the obvious.

"But that couldn't be the reason why the soul beasts were avoiding her." Master Minchii finally blurted out. "She has not manifested her essence. I know Nien said the girl's soul energy looked like it had been cloaked, but it makes no sense. Do you think the soul beasts could sense it?"

"Well, I don't know about that. But what I do know is that that sword has something to do with it."

"The sword? What do you mean?"

Master Haniki chuckled. "Did you take a good look at the sword?"

"I did see its craftsmanship. It's quite elegant for something that simple."

"Indeed. Did you see the black intricate markings on the blade?"

Master Minchii nodded. "Does it have anything to do with anything?"

For a moment, Master Haniki could not believe that Koo had no idea about what he was talking about. But he realised that not many people had seen an Arm of Agnorah. After all, there were only twelve of them in existence, and they were all owned by some of the most powerful people in the Second Dimension.

"Yes. Yes, it does. Koo that girl's sword is one of the Arms of Agnorah."

"What!" For the first time, an actual expression of shock formed on Koo Minchii's face. That child wielded one of the Arms of Agnorah? But that was impossible. "That can't be. There are only twelve of them in existence. And the Agnorah Clan follow strict rules when it comes to forging these legendary weapons."

"I thought so too. But it isn't too surprising that the clan forged a thirteenth arm for Savyrran though."

Koo Minchii pondered over the words carefully, until he was hit with a sudden realisation. Then he nodded. "You are right, master. The Bufan Clan and the Agnorah Clan have been allies for centuries because of Yidai. If the sole son of Yidai vouched for his disciple as worthy of an Arm of Agnorah, then there is no doubt that that sword would have been forged for him."

Master Haniki nodded at Koo's revelation.

Then Koo added, "The soul beasts must have sensed the legendary sword on her. That's why they were staying away from her. But, isn't it too shocking that she is able to wield one of those arms? I heard only indigo and violet users can wield an Arm of Agnorah."

"There are many legends surrounding the Arms of Agnorah. But yes, only people in the legendary class can wield those legendary weapons. Perhaps, Luwei understood the strength of his disciple, after all he had been training her since she was six. No wonder he had one forged for her."

"Still, I don't see how that has to do with anything. Arms of Agnorah may be powerful, but their full power is only released once the wielder uses it in conjunction with their essence. Since the girl has no essence, she is only using that sword in its most basic form." Koo added thoughtfully. He may not have seen an Arm of Agnorah in person, however he had heard a lot about how they worked.

"You are right." Master Haniki said with a sigh. He could not think of anything else to explain why soul beasts were deliberately avoiding the young girl. "Perhaps there is something we are missing here. Even Luwei did not fully understand why the girl was so strong in spite of not having manifested her essence."

"Clearly, she is strong. But it doesn't matter. If people find out that she has one of the Arms of Agnorah, she is going to be in danger." Koo said. He was known for his unapologetic honesty, and unlike most people, he was never afraid to speak his mind to Master Haniki.