Distracting the Crowd

The next day, Arata and Ryouma were sitting with their class in the stands, watching the competitions. They seemed to be engaged with the tournament, watching with excitement like the rest of the students in attendance. But it was only a show. They were both anxious and worried about the conspiracy that they were trying to prevent. But they had to appear as though they knew nothing. Although he never looked over in his direction, Arata was carefully observing Seth and those around him. He seemed to be just another student, blending in perfectly in the sea of students. Arata wondered what would have happened if he hadn't made eye contact with him a few days ago. They would have never known about the sinister plan. It might have even worked. And then.....

The crowd cheered loudly as two strong students clashed viciously. The loud cheering pulled Arata out of his thoughts as he joined in with the cheering. Akari gave him a brief look, obviously able to see through his facade. She had been informed about what was happening, both her Father and Azrail were told. They, in turn, only told a handful of people, who would be able to move in if the Institute is unable to take on the Demon's. The two Clans were to be on standby.

Akari asked to join the mission and help Arata, but was declined by her Father, as it is a mission in the shadows. A mission for the Sato Clan. So she was made to sit out of the upcoming mission, only to intervene in the case that the rest of the Ise Clan intervenes. If possible, they wanted to deal with the Demon's of the Valley in secret, defeating them without alerting the students and outsiders.

Akari looked at Arata and Ryouma as they continued their charade of careless youths. She sighed understanding the heavy weight they had on their shoulders, the lives of everyone in attendance on their shoulders and no one knew about it. And if everything went according to their plan, no one would know. They would save the Institute and never be recognized for it. This was the difference between those in the Sato Clan and those from the Ise Clan.

As the competition continued, Arata was using his Shadow Awareness to scan the Arena. He spotted hidden devices that were planted by the Demons the night before. Damien had tipped them off this morning that the Demon's had left with a bunch of strange devices and then returned a few hours later empty handed. Hyosuke wasn't able to get a proper view of the devices without giving away his presence, so he couldn't inform the others about what it was. There were also more Demon's that entered the school grounds last night through the portal.

Arata looked over to the Seniors section and locked eyes with Eamon, who nodded, acknowledging that he also saw the hidden devices. He blinked as his eyes briefly turned white and Arata felt words appear in his mind. Arata nodded to say that he received his instructions. He whispered in Ryouma's ears. Ryouma nodded. The two of them stood up, Arata turned to Akari.

"We are going to get some snacks, do you want to come with?"

Akari nodded casually as she got up and walked off with them. The Arena had different stands throughout it that were run by students, some selling equipment and others selling food. There were students that, like Arata and the others, were looking around while the battles were taking place. Most of the Seniors would send their juniors to shop for them while they watched the matches.

There were many students that were doing their best to sell or promote their goods. Throughout the Arena halls were shouts and yells coming from the different stalls as students tried to gain the attention of students passing by. Akari and Ryouma stayed close to Arata as they walked through the hall, seemingly looking over the different stalls. Arata's eyes lit up as he looked at a wall, before looking at a stall nearby. He turned to his two friends, pointing at the stall.

"What about this place?"

Akari and Ryouma took the hint as they both nodded. The three walked over to the stall, which was run by a brown haired young girl, she seemed excited as she saw the three of them walk over. Arata, Akari and Ryouma were quite famous within the Institute, so the girl instantly knew who they were and understood the business opportunity before as she jumped forward, instantly beginning to start her pitch.

"Hello there, little juniors. The three of you look like you could use some state of the art armor. You may not know this, but your Senior Sister Cirie here is quite famous in the Institute for her powerful, but also stylish armor. You won't find a better deal either as I am all about helping the Juniors, like yourselves, reach new heights while you are here."

Arata inwardly chuckled at the shameless bragging, but he was more concerned about something else as he smiled warmly at her.

"I am not in need of armor at the moment, Senior Sister. But my friends here are. They are in need of some new equipment, but they are both quite picky about the look and feel of their armor. But if the quality is right, we would be more than willing to pay whatever price. Gems won't be a problem."

Arata pulled out a small bag and threw it to Cirie, who caught it easily. As she looked inside, her eyes lit up immediately. She looked at Arata with a fierce gaze. Arata gestured to Ryouma and Akari.

"I'm not the one you need to convince, if they like it, we'll take it."

Cirie then turned to Ryouma and Akari with a predatory look. She pulled the two of them in as she began showing off all that she had. Ryouma and Akari took the hint as they began questioning everything that was brought before them, keeping Cirie occupied. Meanwhile, Arata was hiding behind the stall as he scanned the wall. He found that the device was inside the wall itself. There was also a pulsing aura surrounding the device.

Arata knew that if it was tampered with, it would activate. As his Shadow Awareness scanned through it, he saw Runes that he was unfamiliar with, but he felt a sense of danger emanating from them. A voice within him spoke softly.

"They are bombs, but not the explosive kind. Instead, it releases a pulse of pure Death Energy, which will attach itself onto every piece of Life in the area, pulling and absorbing that life back into the device. Just one of these devices has the power to kill at least 80 Cultivators with River sized Elemental Reservoirs. Those with smaller Reservoirs will have no chance."

Arata was stunned and scared by King's assessment of the device. It seemed a lot more dangerous than he thought. But King wasn't finished.

"Those with larger Reservoirs may have a chance to resist if their Level of Refinement is above Dilution. But if there were more of these devices that were set off simultaneously and their pulses overlapped....."

King's silence told Arata more than enough. Arata continued to look over the device and found something peculiar about the Energy that was powering it. He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a inkling that he might know how they were activated, but he would need to observe another device. He came out from behind the stall. He looked around the halls in search of another device. He spotted one close by, but there were too many people around to get close and take a look without drawing attention. He needed a distraction.

He rejoined Ryouma and Akari, who were trying on different armors and being led through each item on display by Cirie. She was currently explaining to them the strength and resistance of her Charmed Gauntlets. They were extremely fashionable, but also strong enough to withstand large explosions of power, redirecting them through the powerful crystals in the gauntlet. Arata stepped forward and spoke up.

"As the Heir to the Ise Clan, the ability to take on a powerful opponent head on is extremely important. Would you be fine with letting my Shadowguard and Akari test out the gauntlet?"

Arata spoke quite loudly, and the students that were passing by all heard what he said. The Shadowguard Ryouma and the Heir to the Ise Clan wanted to test out some equipment? This sounded like a good show was about to take place. Cirie also saw the business opportunity, to have them display her equipment in this was in front of so many people. She grinned happily.

"But of course! You may test out the equipment to your hearts content."

As a crowd began to gather around the stall, Ryouma and Akari gave Arata a inquisitive look. Arata then stepped back and vanished in the crowd of people rushing forward. The two looked at each other with a look of understanding. They needed to make a scene. Akari put the gauntlet on, also grabbing a shoulder guard and putting it on. Akari looked at Ryouma with a fierce gaze as she nodded.

Ryouma charged up his Energy as flames began to seep out of him, twirling around himself in a flashy manner. Everyone watching were in awe of the powerful and majestic flames that Ryouma was creating. Although they seemed wild, those with knowledge knew that they were extremely and precisely controlled by Ryouma. He moved his right arm up, pointing it to the ceiling, as the flames rushed around it, spinning and swirling like a tornado of fire. He then roared as he pulled his arm back and threw a punch towards Akari, who responded by blocking the fist with a punch of her own, wholly relying on the gauntlet, the shoulder guard and her physical strength.

As the two punches collided, Ryouma's flames exploded with an intense heat and pressure that many of those watching were pushed back, repelled by the force of the attack. Akari, however, was able to remain where she was. The crystals on her gauntlet lit up as they absorbed and redistributed the Fire Energy. Her shoulder guard helped to hold her arm in place, while also shielding her face slightly from the sparks of the flames.

As the flames died down, everyone was silent as they looked at Akari and Ryouma, their fists still connected. The two of them grinned as they pulled their fists back. A sound of approval was heard behind Ryouma, making him turn around. Arata was suddenly there, like he had never left, and was looking at the gauntlet.

"That is a good piece of Tech. A truly powerful piece of armor, worthy of the Ise Clan's Heir. We will take it."

Arata gave Cirie another bag of Gems and signalled for Ryouma and Akari to follow him. As the three of them walked away, many of the students approached Cirie and began inquiring about her other equipment for sale. Cirie lit up like a light as she began telling the gathered crowd about her other pieces of equipment.

As the three walked away from the crowd, Akari chuckled softly.

"You know that I have no use for this, right?"

Arata smirked.

"I think it suits you. Come, let's find somewhere quiet."

They walked over to a small cafe that was set up by some students. There wasn't many people around, so they were able to get a table in the corner for themselves. As they sat down, a young girl sat down on a table behind them, facing the other way. Arata saw that it was Eva. After they sat down, Akari was about to ask something, but was cut off by a look from Arata. Akari had a confused look on her face before she felt a rush of Energy pass through her. Arata nodded.

"OK, it's safe to talk now. Thank you Master Eva."

Eva didn't respond, simply drinking her tea. Arata spoke to her while looking at Ryouma and Akari, communicating with their backs to each other.

"I observed two of the devices. They are bombs. They release a pulse of Death into the area before pulling all the Life Energy back into the device. They will probably use this to power the spell formation and summon the Demon Lord. The bombs have a trigger that will activate if it senses someone tampering it. I have a feeling that the devices in place are only the beginning, they will plant much more."

Ryouma and Akari's faces went grim as they listened to Arata's words. It was becoming more and more real about how deadly the situation was. Arata continued.

"I found one thing that we may be able to exploit. I believe that each device is connected to a different person. Each device has a slightly different aura, meaning that each device is controlled and activated by a different person. For them to pull off the pulses correctly, to ensure that they empower each other and not cancel each other out, they will need to be set off all at the same time. There is no room for mistakes in this."

Arata paused here as he began to think things through as he spoke.

"This is just my theory, but I believe that they won't leave such an important aspect of the plan to the individual's discretion. They will want to control the exact time that everyone activates the bomb. I also think that the bomb isn't activated so simply and will need time to charge and prepare, so in preparation for the attack, the Demon's in charge of the bombs will be in a meditative state."

Ryouma understood what Arata was getting at.

"You think that they will gather the Demon's controlling the bombs together, in one place, so that they can prepare together before activating the bombs."

Akari spoke up.

"Having them in one place, the higher ups can then give the order to everyone at once, ensuring that the bombs are all activated at once. But during the time that they are preparing, they will be gathered in one spot and be unable to defend themselves."

Arata grinned as he nodded his head.

"If that is the case, then that would be the opportune time to strike. We wouldn't need to worry about the numbers that the Demon's have, instead we would just need to focus on the higher ups and the Demon's that are protecting them. I think this our best shot."

Ryouma and Akari seemed excited as they listened to Arata. He had found a flaw in the Demon's plan and had already found a way to exploit it. Arata, however, scratched his head with an unsure look.

"This is, however, just a theory. It is based from my brief observations and we should confirm this information first. I don't think that it is something to put all our effort in, but to simply consider and think over while planning everything."

Arata heard a soft giggle behind him.

"Be more confident in your abilities, Arata."

Arata was slightly stunned. He hadn't heard Eva's voice up until now. It was quite pleasant to his ear. The three of them felt the sensation of the Energy passing through them again. Eva stood up and walked off. Arata and the others stood up and went back to their seats. Eva watched them walk away, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

"He was able to find a weakness and make a plan instantly. He is truly gifted."

A warm look appeared in her eyes as she watched them from afar, before she shook her head. A serious look on her face.

"No. Not this time. Keep your distance."

Eva had a myriad of emotions flash through her eyes before she regained her composure and walked away.