Prove Your Worth

Arata and Akari entered the large hall, side by side. They both kept their eyes fixed on Akimitsu on the other side of the hall. They completely ignored all the piercing eyes that were locked on to them. All the young boys were either in awe of Akari's beauty, or eyeing out Arata with intensity. The young girls were the same, as some were stunned by Arata's handsomeness, while others were looking at Akari with envy.

Although it seemed like they were ignoring everyone, Arata was actually scanning all the young boys in attendance with his Shadow Awareness, as per Arata and Akari's plan. They walked slowly, as if they were on a stroll together, completely unaware of the tension they created when they walked in. Their slow walking may have looked intimidating and proud, when really it was so Arata had enough time to scan everyone.

Arata stepped forward, leading the way through the crowd. Akari understood the signal. He had finished scanning everyone. Arata walked over to Akimitsu and bowed politely.

"Arata Sato gives his greetings to Lord Akimitsu. My Father sends his greetings."

Akimitsu grinned.

"Young Arata, it is good to see you again. First you are revealed to the world, then you hold a ceremony for your Shadowguard, and now you show up at one of my social gatherings. It seems you are trying to catch up on everything you missed out on while you were away."

Arata chuckled.

"Well, you helped train me, so you know my temperament. I'm not really one for these kinds of events. But as a favor for a friend, I decided to come along."

Arata moved to the side as Akari stepped forward and curtsied.

"Greetings Father. I apologize once again for being late."

Akimitsu waved it off.

"These events are for you, my dear. You may come and go as you please."

Akimitsu turned back to Arata.

"I hear you and your Shadowguard recently got back from your first Clan mission. So how was it?"

The nobles began to whisper amongst themselves. An 11 year old child was already capable of going out on a Clan mission? Just how strong and mature was this young boy? While everyone else focused on Akimitsu's words, Akari noticed something else in her Father's eyes. Concern. Arata nodded as he replied.

"Within my expectations. We got back last night, no injuries and both me and my Shadowguard have improved considerably because of it."

Akimitsu looked impressed. As did the other nobles. Akari came and stood beside Arata.

"I told Arata about the party and he accepted my invitation. Being close friends, he was naturally interested in a gathering of this nature."

Arata inwardly sighed. And the bait has been cast. The nobles all conversed in whispers to each other. Although it was extremely subtle, the meaning behind her words were obvious to these nobles. The games of politics and deeper meanings was a game that these old men were well versed in and they would be complete idiots if they didn't understand what she was trying to say.

Arata was here to compete for Akari.

The smarter and more well versed young nobles behind Arata and Akari also picked up on this meaning and stared at Arata. He could feel the gazes of the room hit him instantly. Arata stepped forward.

"As a close friend of Akari, I was also very interested to see the kind of people that would be attending. Seeing the nobles and Clan leaders I have only heard about through my Father is a true honor."

Arata bowed politely to the nobles gathered. Akari continued speaking.

"Arata was directly able to join Class 7 and was made Vice Class Representative. Teacher Takuma found that it was needed for Arata to help lead the class due to his strength and skill."

"So what is the strength and skill of the son of the Angel of Death, if I may ask?"

Arata turned to the noble that spoke. He had salt and pepper hair and a long face. He had a scrutinizing look in his eyes and his voice was extremely arrogant. Arata grinned. Someone took the bait.

"Well, I was hoping some of your sons could help me with that."

The nobles looked at Arata curiously. One of the nobles spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?"

Akari turned and nodded to Arata. He looked at the nobles.

"Like my Father, I don't like to beat around the bush, so excuse me for being forward. Many of your sons wish to become closer to Akari, thus they are all gathered here today. Now, I am not going to compete for her in the same way as they all are, however, as she is my friend, I believe that the person she grows close to should have a certain level of 'strength and skill', if you know what I mean."

The nobles eyes lit up. Being the smart and scheming people they were, they instantly understood what Arata was saying. Not only was Arata saying that he wasn't going to compete for Akari's hand, he wanted to test those present. If a person could pass the test, they could potentially gain the backing and approval of Arata, who was the heir of the Sato Clan. The backing of the Sato Clan was something that would definitely go a long way. Akimitsu was interested to see what Arata and his daughter had come up with.

"So what do you propose to do, Little Arata?"

Arata smirked. He turned and walked into the center of the hall. The young nobles all made way for him. In the center, similar to the Sato Clan hall, there was a circle on the ground with a symbol inside. The Ise Clan's crest. Arata stood at the center of it before turning back around to face Akimitsu.

"Anyone who joins the Ise Clan will also affect the strength of the Sato Clan. As our Clan's are greatly linked, it is only fitting that we would want the person that comes together with Akari to be someone strong. For when the Ise Clan gains strength, we at the Sato Clan gain strength also."

Akimitsu nodded his head. He agreed fully with what Arata was saying. The Sato Clan didn't care as much about the politics of nobles and Clan's. Although they could use it when necessary, it wasn't a primary objective to them. Strength and power, however, was a different story. Sato Clan placed importance on being strong, so naturally they would get behind the strong. Arata continued.

"The test is simple. Whoever can push me out of this circle, on behalf of the Sato Clan, we will support and back that person and their family or Clan."

The nobles began buzzing at this opportunity. The young nobles, however, were instantly tense. Some were even slightly insulted. Many of the young nobles were older than Arata so they understood his standing as the Heir to the Sato Clan, but they didn't think someone so young would be any real threat. Arata looked at all the hungry eyes around him, everyone wanting to defeat him. Arata slowly got into the Vitality Bestowal stance.

"Prove your worth. Begin."

At this, many of the nobles charged forward. Many quickly chanting as they ran forward, some thought it was unnecessary to use a spell and just tried to get there first. Arata had a calm look on his face, he didn't see the nobles as enemies he need to defeat. He saw them as guinea pigs.

'Let's test out the power of the Void.'

There were multiple fists coming from every direction. Arata simply stayed in his position as the punches and kicks collided with him. But after a person would touch him, they were instantly frozen, some frozen in mid air. One by one, as the nobles connected with Arata or someone that was connected to Arata, they were frozen in place. There were around 12 nobles frozen around Arata, the others stopped charging as they stared in shock. Arata took a deep breath.

'The Void really is on another level. Not only is my capacity larger and my Energy stronger, I can feel the Non-Elemental Energy in those that I'm connected to.'

Arata was intrigued by this new sensation. He could not only feel and sense the Non-Elemental Energy in the young nobles Elemental Reservoirs, he had an inkling that he could control it. He could use their own Elemental Reservoir and circulation against them. He wanted to test this theory. He focused on a young noble that had connected with his chest, so Arata was looking right at him. Arata began to stir the Non-Elemental Energy in his body. The young noble was stunned as he felt his Energy circulating.

Arata noticed that the other Energy within this noble was fire based Energy. He directed the Energy to push and guide the fire Energy to the young noble's shoulder, where another young noble was connected. Arata concentrated and sent a surge of his own Energy into the young noble, forcing the fire Energy to explode out.

A burst of flames erupted from the boy's shoulder. The young boy attached to the shoulder was sent flying away by the force of the flames. The nobles, both young and old, were completely shocked by what had happened. They were already confused with the young noble's freezing in mid air, but then an explosion of fire occurred which confused everyone. The fire didn't come from Arata, yet their instincts told them that he initiated it. No one understood how he did it.

Except for one person. Akimitsu was now on his feet, a look of shock and excitement in his eyes.

"He did it. He actually reached it."

Arata felt comfortable with this new found ability, after trialling it with the young noble in front of him, he understood how to use it. And he began to utilize it. One by one, in rapid succession, there was an explosion of different Elements. Ice, Lightning and another Flame explosion. Arata was setting of different Elemental explosions within the nobles he was connected with. When there were only two people left, he simply placed his palms on their chests and they were sent flying away. Arata then resumed his stance.

The young nobles were unsure of what to do. This young boy had more to him than they all thought. They began taking his title seriously now as they viewed him as a serious opponent. The Heir to the Sato Clan.

There were two young nobles that were observing quietly on the side. One had a short brown hair that was slicked back. He wore a white and green formal suit and had a curious look on his face. The other one had long black hair that was smooth and flowed down his back. They were both incredibly handsome, but in different ways. One had a rough and rugged charm while the other had an elegant and noble charm. The rugged young noble nodded.

"As expected of the Sato Clan, he is something else."

The other noble nodded as he watched another group of nobles charge forward and get sent flying back by Arata.

"He is calm and levelheaded, and his aura and intent is powerful. He has definitely seen real battles. He is far too much for these nobles to handle."

The young boy held disdain in his last sentence, practically spitting when he said the word 'nobles'. The boy next to him nodded in agreement.

"Shall we have a try? We can try and get the drop on him while he's distracted."

The elegant young noble chuckled.

"He isn't distracted at all. He knows we're coming. But let's go and see how strong the son of the Angel of Death is."

They looked at each other and nodded before walking forward. Although he had been fighting and taking on the young nobles, they were quite simple to him. The main direction of his concentration was split in five directions. One of those directions were the two young nobles that were now walking towards him. He had noticed their entire exchange and their intentions to join the fight. He breathed steadily.

"Seems like the test is truly about to begin now."