Encore 31 — New Beginnings (IV)

"Welcome to our base."

Aisaka said, leading Yuichi through the base. As she lead him through, the apostles looked at Yuichi, glaring at him and gossiping.

If it was Yuichi from before the incident with Alpha, then he would have retaliated. However, retaliating would only lead to showing them a weak mentality. He wanted to show them that he was strong, unconditionally.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll meet with this base's priest, and then, you'll take the initiation to become an apostle. From there, the priest will give you a rank according to your strength."

As Yuichi swept a glance over the apostles, he noticed something.

"They're all wearing crosses. I thought you said you don't have to be religious to join."

"I would say that the majority of apostles are religious due to the persuasion of some Archbishops, they've turned."

"I have a feeling that they're not Christian. What religion do they follow?"

Yuichi's hunch was correct. Aisaka sighed.

"Sepism. Instead of believing in God, they believe in the Archangel, Michael."

"Why?"

"Who knows?"

Aisaka shrugged.

The God they refer to is not the Almighty but one of the sons of God, Michael.

Yuichi was wondering how much trouble it must have been to establish the church due to religious beliefs.

"We're here."

They stopped in front of a door with two statues of angels, standing guard. They were like gargoyles. Yuichi felt strangely on edge in front of the statues.

Ruby hid behind Yuichi.

"Uhm..."

"She's taken a liking to you. She's using you as a mask because she's afraid of this base's priest."

"He's... scary..."

"Should I be worried?"

Yuichi asked Aisaka.

The apostle merely smiled, as she usually does. She knocked on the door. After seconds, they did not receive an answer but she still opened the door.

A muffled voice said.

Aisaka opened the door, revealing a beautiful chapel. A man was praying at the front of the room. He was on his knees in front of an angel's statue, muttering something.

They walked toward the man and stopped.

"Father Makoto."

The man stopped praying and turned to the group, smiling like a Buddha.

"Ah, first-apostle Aisaka and third-apostle Ruby. And... who is this?"

The man looked over at Yuichi with his hazel eyes. He had auburn hair and his skin complexion was slightly darker than others.

There was something about the Priest that Yuichi did not like. Perhaps... It was the smile. The fake smile.

Yuichi had the urge to strike Father Makoto down with his sword but he resisted.

"He is an apostle I scouted. I was hoping to have him do the initiation."

"I'm Yuichi Asame."

"Well, he looks ready enough. We'll start the initiation immediately."

"Uhm... Father?"

Aisaka was confused.

The Priest walked past them with a delighted look on his face.

"Usually, initiation is within a week for preparation."

"He's ready, are you not, Yuichi Asame?"

The boy nodded.

·———·

Yuichi put on an apostle uniform and walked into the initiation room, which was a holographic room.

He saw the many apostles watching him and scoffed slightly, watching them sneering at him.

Yuichi could make a giant impact with a single test.

The room was spacious and grey. It was dressed with metal plates, most likely to dampen any rampant mana.

[This is the initiation test of Yuichi Asame. You will be facing three holographic Imperi with increasing difficulty. The first will be an orge.]

The voice of the priest reverberated throughout the holographic room and the spectators' area.

Before Yuichi, an orge appeared and roared.

The test had begun.

The orge charged toward Yuichi—blood spluttered from the orge, and it fell past Yuichi.

It was over.

Within an instant, the boy sliced the orge with Tainted Wisdom. The apostles watching were silenced, staring in shock.

They all stared at his ebony sword in awe. It was what one would call a relic, an ancient item found in dungeons that greatly give the wielder an edge.

The dark mana emanating from it was extraordinary. Definitely not something an apostle should possess.

Nevertheless, the test continued.

[The next Imperi shall be Whiteclaw.]

A large wolf materialised in front of Yuichi. It roared proudly as the boy stood as still as a statue, constantly scowling at the beast.

This beast was also known as the King of Wolves. It was a large wolf, two times as large as a horse, with yellow eyes and a knife-like horn protruding from its forehead. It was around two times more powerful than an orge.

The wolf slashed at the boy with its pass but missed. Yuichi attempted to stab through its forehead but the Whiteclaw snapped at him, causing the boy to fall back.

It was faster than the orge, not that he let the orge have a chance to attack.

"It's nothing I can't handle though."

He muttered to himself.

Yuichi activated his Singularity; lightning lightly cloaked his entire body. The Whiteclaw backed off slightly, surprised by the boy's sudden rise in power.

From its horn, mana converged into a single point of energy. It shot its laser at Yuichi.

Using Tainted Wisdom, he met the laser, head on, slicing it in half, before mutilating the Whiteclaw, mercilessly.

The sable sword did not glisten, even in the slightest. It kept its dull shade, untainted by blood.

It was a hologram, after all.

[The final Imperi will be Black Viper.]

A large, jet-black snake appeared. It glared at the boy with its vermilion eyes.

This holographic Imperi was probably the most dangerous beast used in the initiation.

The apostles were surprised and Yuichi gave a faint smirk.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

He knew the Black Viper was strong. That was why, he wanted to destroy it. Although, using his full power would be too much.

Yuichi increased the output of Sacred Lightning—he dashed around, confusing the viper. With a long neck, it was clear that speed was the viper's strong suit.

The viper could not catch up with Yuichi. The boy imbued his sword with his Sacred Lightning.

He began to shave away at its tough scales. As soon as he landed on the ceiling, he leapt off of it, slicing the viper clean in half.

With that, the initiation finished.

[The initiation is finished. Yuichi will be a second-apostle.]

He could not hear, but it was clear that the other apostles were not happy. Regardless, Yuichi was content with his results.

"I'm one step closer..."

He whispered to himself.