Part 28

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The fourth school year went by much faster than the students could have imagined. The faceless teachers who hid their faces behind blindfolds were replaced by Juan Gai. A cruel and rigid old man who denied the usefulness of theory, preferring practice. Not only Guan Yu, but also many other children howled at his teaching methods. Every day, he would select five cadets and train them from dawn to dusk. All of the students developed abrasions and bruises, with the stronger the student was, the more wounds covered his body. As a matter of principle, Gaius did not fight weaklings to their full strength. In his opinion, most of the cadets met this criterion, and those who attracted the attention of the grey-haired man became frequent guests at his private lessons.

Occasionally, Viceroy Sun Jian began to attend classes. Sitting in a corner, the Fire Giant could watch his students train for hours. Without saying a word, he would watch the sparring. No one understood what criteria he used to judge the fights, and at any moment the Viceroy could get up and walk away, leaving the staring children alone.

More often than not, he watched his son's inner circle. Everyone who hung around Sun Ce was subjected to a comprehensive evaluation from the Liping ruler. By burning through them with his gaze, he drove the children to panic, forcing them to make mistakes and do stupid things more often than not. Yu didn't escape the attention from Sun Jian either. On several occasions, he had come to his secluded training sessions when there wasn't a soul around. The man would take a seat on the small chair that stood for him in the corner and cross his arms over his chest, watching the child.

Ignoring it, Yuu tried to disengage himself from the Fire Giant's gaze. As he fought with the shadow and practised basic stances, the orphan only noticed at the very end that the Viceroy was quickly leaving his company, leaving the boy to his own devices.

Aside from these strange visits, their routine studies were greatly diluted by Gaius. The children could rarely function normally after his lessons, and it wasn't just physical problems. The emotional burnout after each such reprimand took its toll on everyone. The realisation that no matter how much you practised, there were absolutely no results was depressing. The cadets were getting discouraged and it was becoming more and more noticeable every day. Slumped looks and slumped shoulders, and to this was added quiet whispering and apathy, which infected the students one by one.

Apparently feeling that he had overdone it, Huang Gai organised a small event to boost morale. Standing in front of the formation of cadets, he grinned contemptuously, folding his arms across his chest. His trademark stance drew annoyed stares from the children.

-Split up like a bunch of snot-nosed shits. You are the future warriors of the Fire Nation. The best of this town! The tip of the spear that will strike down our worst enemies! You think I'm too harsh? That your training isn't working? You think it's pointless?

The last sentence he shouted so loudly that the front rows of the ears popped. The kids who woke up from their phlegmatic staring at the walls turned their attention to the teacher.

-Then I'll show you what you've achieved. -Then I'll show you what you've achieved. All of you, follow me, march!

While Sun Ce gave out the normal commands to control the formation, Gai hurriedly moved towards the exit to the inner courtyard of the barracks. Usually, there were various fortifications and imitation buildings where the disciples trained on.

Following the teacher, the children were frozen in a stupor. A company of soldiers stood in two straight rows in the middle of the yard. The Fire Nation warriors stood motionless while the impatient old man stomped his foot, threatening to burst out in anger. Not wanting to provoke the nervous old man further, the cadets lined up opposite the warriors. The gazes of the two squads became more and more tense. The meaning of the future event was clear to everyone present, but everyone wondered what format it would take. Anything could be expected from the bodyguard, but before Tse could ask a question, the frantic old man jumped aside and waved his hand.

-First Company, attack!

Dumbfounded by what they heard, the children looked at the big men in armour rushing towards them. Surely many of them had been in real battles, and now this crowd was coming straight at them.

Reacting the fastest, Sun Ce shot a fireball at the approaching soldiers. His example was followed by the other fire conquerors as well. A fiery inferno was unfolding over the battlefield, jets of flame flying at a variety of angles, threatening to hit both their own and the outsiders. The few people present who could not command the elements rushed to the side to get away from the dispersed mages. Of the thirty-seven cadets, only eight did not know how to control fire. Fleeing from the all-consuming flames, they moved out of the direct line of fire, bumping into similarly ordinary soldiers.

Seeing a horde of thirty men in front of him, Yu looked back at his comrades doubtfully. They were certainly good at fighting without weapons, but against a crowd that outnumbered them three to one, they had little chance.

They decided that it would be safer to get lost among the training fortifications. There, they thought, they might find some sticks or stones. Without a word, the classmates rushed towards the stone barriers. The reactive warriors rushed after them, overtaking each other and surging far ahead.

While the unconquerors were playing catch-up in the maze, a fiery confrontation was unfolding on the field. A dozen company mages were slowly and surely crushing their small opponents. With synchronised blows sending out powerful bursts of fire, the dozen men advanced. Fully concentrating on the attack, they crushed their weaker opponents that were acting alone. Realising that they would lose at this rate, OWLs came to the only option: they had to get in close. Shouting to the most skilful conquerors among the cadets, they formed a small wedge with the heir at its tip.

Breaking into a sprint, the teenagers rushed straight at the enemy, who continued to be distracted by the other students. A few metres before the enemy mage, Ce jumped up and thrust his right leg high. A flaming sickle rained down between the two soldiers, forcing them to jump aside, breaking the formation. Bursting into the gap that opened, the cadets pounced on their enemies, trying to hold out as long as possible until the rest of their classmates arrived. As they clashed with the commander of the conquerors, Tse felt his heart begin to beat furiously and a smirk of anticipation spread across his face. The excitement of the battle and the fury of the fight consumed him, leaving no room for reason.

While his classmates took the lead in the battle of the mages, Guan Yu and the others raced through the stone labyrinth, trying not to be caught by the other soldiers. The Fire warriors, who were encouraged by the chase, followed sharply on the heels of their prey. Because of the narrow passage, the children had to split up to avoid crowding in one place, waiting for their pursuers to catch up.

Jumping out another small window, Yu flew straight at a soldier running past. As his head hit the poor guy's chest, he heard a quiet sob. Falling to the ground, the soldier was twitching and drooling from his mouth. His comrades watched the strange attack with shock, taking no action.

Rubbing his bruised head, Yu stood up to his full height. The fighter's well-being could be considered later, but now he was facing two strong opponents who were gradually coming to their senses. The boy was surprised to realise that he was not much shorter than his enemies. The short soldiers from the metropolis were only half a head taller. Dodging a swift lunge to the head, the cadet deflected the next blow into the wall and struck the man in the chin from bottom to top with his open fist. Shrieking after his hand made contact with the rock, the soldier nearly bit his tongue as the orphan's palm flew into his jaw. Flying slightly into the air, he stood up on wobbly legs. His eyes looked in different directions and his head dangled as if on hinges.

Yu, who had not expected such an effect, almost missed a leg kick from the second warrior, but, trapping the limb between his ribs and arm, the boy spun along his opponent's leg. Putting one foot under his enemy's leg, with his free palm he struck the soldier in the chest. The creak of the armour being crushed and the sensitive sigh of pain startled the boy. The Fire warrior who had fallen to the ground showed no signs of life, nor did the other two. Checking their condition, Yuu realised with shock that he had been able to knock out three grown men with a couple of blows. Turning his gaze to the first fallen soldier, he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

-Well, maybe not with a blow.....

After this victory, the boy began to search for opponents, but making his way through the labyrinth, he met only a couple of knocked out soldiers, who lay in ridiculous poses. It looked like his classmates had also met their opponents. Deciding not to wade through the stone entanglements, the cadet easily climbed the wall, towering over the entire range. Flames continued to flicker in the distance, but it looked like the mages' main phase of the battle had come to an end as well.

Jumping around the buildings, Yu reached the entrance where a couple of classmates were waiting for him. Greeting Yu with a nod of their heads, they returned to their dialogue. Listening to the two boys' stories, the orphan realised that he wasn't the only one who had easily dealt with the soldiers. The kids were easily able to knock out three or four people each and even looked for a new encounter with the enemies, but in the end they never found anyone. Easily adding up in his mind, Yu chuckling to himself, realised that he and his comrades had knocked out everyone who followed them.

When the rest of the non-mages had also exited the labyrinths, they all headed in the direction of the hushed battle between the mages. Before their eyes, Sun Ce sent the enemy commander into a knockout. With a wide smile, the young man greeted his classmates and, after making sure they were alright, he stared at Huang Gai expectantly.

It didn't take long for the old man to wait. Jumping down, he landed in the circle of students. After examining the faces of everyone present, the grey-haired man bellowed menacingly.

-So!?!? Now you see! It's not you who are weak! It's your teachers who are too strong!

At the last word, he smiled patronisingly. Stretching his shoulders, Gaius, with a roar, dispersed everyone away, bringing the children, who were dazed from their victories, into the semblance of a fighting squad.

Walking in formation with everyone else, Guan Yu watched the soldiers waddling in the other direction. Battered after a short battle, they were helping each other walk. A clear line between ordinary people and conquerors separated these people. The fire mages defiantly distanced themselves from the common people, causing the latter to gnash their teeth, which was audible even here. Such a division was very strange to Yu who was used to a different atmosphere. He understood why mages acted arrogantly, but to openly send the people who would have your back in battle. It was beyond the boy's comprehension, because no matter how the aristocrats in the squad treated him, when the battle started, they would fight by his side and help him in his time of need.

-It can't be just us.....

-What are you talking about, orphan?

The voice of a classmate who was walking next to him scared the boy. Almost jumping out of the formation, he only shook his head negatively, deciding not to develop this topic. If he was really desperate, he'd better ask Sun Ce. He was above everyone else in the hierarchy, so he could probably explain. Deciding that he could always ask, the cadet put the unnecessary thoughts out of his mind, concentrating on the main thing. All their training and lessons were not in vain. They are strong and well trained. A bunch of kids could handle an entire company of soldiers, even if there weren't many mages there, but still.

Yuu clenched his fist with delight, remembering the feeling during the battle. If he could pull this kind of thing off with his bare hands, then what would happen if he was given a guan dao. Crunching his neck, the child imagined himself to be a great warrior and hero that would defeat thousands of enemies. All that was left was to grow up a bit.