Chapter 48: Special Grade (3)

A myriad of emotions played across the faces of the sorcerers present in the room. Their eyes, wide with shock remained glued now empty screen before them. Surprise, jealousy, anxiety, embarrassment - all these expressions danced on their faces, painting a vivid picture of their inner turmoil.

"This is going to be a problem," the elderly man seated at the centre of the seven seats sighed, his fingers massaging his forehead in an attempt to alleviate the stress that was rapidly building up.

The room remained silent for a few more moments with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Then, like a dam bursting, chaos ensued. Voices rose in a cacophony of shouts, accompanied by the sharp sound of fists pounding on desks and chairs being kicked in fits of rage and exasperation.

"Silence!" The elderly man's authoritative tone and powerful aura served as a warning, instantly replacing the disorder in the room with an uneasy calm.

He then turned to face his colleagues, scanning each of their faces as he posed the important question, "What do you all suggest?"

The man on the far right of the table spoke up first, his tone resolute as he declared, "We cannot grant August Blackwood the rank of Special Grade."

This statement received a few murmurs of agreement throughout the room. Another voice joined in from the same side of the table, "With such power at a young age, appointing him as a Special Grade would be equivalent to creating another catastrophe."

While this idea was rapidly gaining traction among members of the Supreme Council, some were not entirely satisfied. One among them spoke out, saying, "How can we deny the promotion of a sorcerer who went toe to toe with our country's finest?"

But another man quickly countered, "While we cannot deny his strength, we can delay his promotion based on his lack of experience in our world. He will be officially promoted to Special Grade once he has fully adapted to the ways of the supernatural."

Words of praise like 'Excellent' and 'Genius' filled the air as the members of the Supreme Council plotted ways to control this young magician until they could figure out what to do with them.

None of them had anticipated anyone actually completing the test. Despite the Head of the Zenin clan's claim that the boy was likely to qualify as a Special Grade, they all dismissed it as an exaggeration.

After all, out of the last eight candidates who underwent the evaluation, only four made it to the stage of fighting against a Special Grade, of which none had cleared the '5-minute' challenge.

Although they claimed it was a reward for taking out two powerful wizards, the real reason they skipped August to the final stage was that - they didn't want to waste time watching him struggle through the earlier stages, only to potentially fail at the final challenge. In their minds, that last task was impossible to overcome.

Not to mention the resources and time that were required to construct the different levels of the evaluation; The intricate design of each stage, the careful selection of the creatures that inhabited them, and the meticulous planning that went into ensuring the safety of the candidates - all of these aspects added to the already high cost, but they managed to cleverly reduce it by condensing the entire evaluation into a mere 5 minutes. 

Or so they thought.

So, when August proved to be more than a match for one of the strongest and most skilled sorcerers in their nation, they were understandably panicked. Of course, Genbu wasn't giving it his all, but the outcome was obvious to everyone present. The young man's untamed strength and boldness had stunned them all into silence.

They had even come prepared with tubs of popcorn and nachos, fully expecting to revel in the downfall of yet another cocky youngling. Instead, they found themselves on the edge of their seats, their snacks forgotten as they watched all the unexpected twists and turns of the event unfold.

The sudden sound of someone clearing their throat reverberated through the room, pausing the heated discussions among the council members for a brief moment before they resumed.

"Hold on, let's not forget——"

"Ahem."

The sound interrupted them for the second time, causing them to direct their annoyed glances towards the back of the room. Their irritation turned to shock as they caught sight of the speaker.

"Ahh, pardon me. I have a bit of a sore throat. Please continue with your discussions. I am simply here to ensure fairness within this council," the silver-haired blindfolded man spoke nonchalantly while waving his hand dismissively. 

Anxiety sent chills down their backs as sudden awareness crashed over them like a freight train. They had almost completely overlooked the fact that the teacher of the young sorcerer they were trying to control was still in the room with them.

__________

The elevator door dinged open, its sound bouncing off the walls of the quiet hallway. August trailed behind Mei Mei with footsteps echoing down the empty hallway as they continued down the passage, their silhouettes flickering against the walls illuminated by dim lights. Finally, they came to a halt in front of a massive wooden door, adorned with an array of yellow tags, each one featuring a unique symbol.

Mei paused before entering and looked back at him with a serious expression. "Remember, August," she warned, "don't act as your usual provocative self in the slightest inside the room." Her words lingered, emphasizing the gravity of the situation they were about to face.

With that, Mei gave the door a firm knock before pushing it open without hesitation. The door let out a creak as it revealed a room filled with hushed murmurs, which quieted even more upon his entrance.

The door behind him shuts close automatically, sealing them off from the outside world.

Following Mei's gesture, August strode confidently towards the podium while she made her way to the back of the room with an inscrutable expression on her face, joining his blindfolded sensei.

"August Blackwood" The Jujutsu commander's voice resonated through the room, his gaze scrutinizing August from head to toe as if examining a rare specimen. August met his stare without flinching.

"Yes, that would be me," he responded with composure.

The commander nodded in admiration. "Your display of magic was quite impressive," he commented with weight behind his words.

August replied with a polite "thank you", acknowledging the compliment.

The elderly woman seated next to the commander spoke up, her tone both stern and curious. "Before we reveal your official evaluation results, Mr Blackwood, would you be open to answering some questions?"

August raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go ahead," he said.

The elderly woman leaned forward. "Your Innate technique—the Elemental Order. Can you tell us more about it?"

"Well, just as its name suggests, it allows me to manipulate elements," August replied cryptically yet accurately.

Unsatisfied with his answer, the woman pushed for more details. "Can you give us further specifics?"

August's expression turned cold as he answered, "No."

"Please try to unders——"

"It is my understanding that I am not legally obligated to disclose any information about my innate technique," August interjected firmly, silencing the room.

The faces of the council members scrunched up at this, realizing that this young man was not as naive and ignorant as they had hoped; he understood the game they played all too well.

"Let's continue," another member of the council interjected, attempting to steer the discussion back on topic. "Mr Blackwood, you used 'Arcane Domain' in your battle against Special Grade Sorcerer Genbu Kushihashi. Is that correct?"

August nodded in agreement, curious about where this line of questioning was leading.

The man pressed on, "Can you explain how you were able to do that?"

"What do you mean, how?" August appeared confused by the question, tilting his head slightly.

The man chuckled softly and elaborated, "You may not be aware, but it is unheard of for someone to master arcane expansion within a few months of discovering their innate technique. It is truly unprecedented. We are all curious to know your method."

Everyone in the room listened intently, eager to hear how this young magician pulled off such a remarkable feat.

"Oh!" August snapped his fingers. "I saw Genbu do it," he said matter-of-factly. "It looked really cool and useful, so I decided to try it myself and it worked!"

"It...worked?" The council members exchanged bewildered looks as they tried to comprehend what they had just heard.

"Yes, it was surprisingly easy! I just mimicked Genbu's technique and it worked!" August replied casually, as if performing an impossible feat was no big deal.

The room burst into pandemonium once more, while August calmly stood at the podium, watching the reaction his words had stirred up with a faint grin on his face.

"That's enough, all of you!" The commander's words boomed throughout the room, his patience finally exhausted by the childish behaviour of the top leaders of the Jujutsu World. His powerful aura radiated outwards, serving as a warning to everyone present. The room fell into a hush as the council members settled down, their faces displaying a mix of surprise and respect.

Turning his gaze towards August, the commander's eyes held a serious glint. "I hope you understand that what you achieved today was no easy feat," he said firmly.

August simply shrugged, unfazed by the intense atmosphere. The commander let out a sigh, his amusement evident as he shook his head.

"Display the evaluation results," he commanded loudly, his voice echoing through the room. The screen in front flickered to life, showing the scores given by each of the seven judges during the fight.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the commander began with anticipation evident in his voice, "it is with great pleasure that I announce August Blackwood has surpassed the threshold with a remarkable score of 61 out of 70 points. Having met all the necessary criteria for advancement, the Jujutsu Supreme Council has unanimously agreed to promote August Blackwood to the rank of Special Grade, effective immediately."

As the applause filled the room, the commander stood up from his seat and approached August on the stage. "Congratulations on becoming Japan's 5th Special Grade Magician, Mr. Blackwood," he said while extending his hand towards August.

Their firm handshake was met with cheers and clapping from the council members. They rose from their seats in recognition of August's remarkable achievement.

"I hope you will serve Japan with loyalty," the commander said with a rare smile gracing his visage as he looked at August.

"Hmm?" August tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Why would I?"

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