Chapter 17: The Academy Goes to War (Book 2)

  Zi Xue's words made my heart skip a beat, I hugged her tightly and said with deep emotion: "Dear, I know you're good to me, just now the principal has already told us that this time going to the front line is not very dangerous, you also heard it, we are following the Dragon Knights together, don't worry, should be back soon."

  Zi Xue didn't rely on the road: "If you go for such a long time, what if you are seduced away by other beautiful girls? This time, all the top four beauties in the college have gone, and they are all more beautiful than me."

  I pinched her nose and said, "You don't trust me that much, besides, your sister is going this time too, let her supervise me, am I the kind of person who changes my mind so easily?"

  Zixue patted me and said, "Whoever said that was right, but really want to let sister supervise you." Her words made me secretly smile bitterly. Originally, Ziyuan didn't have a good impression of me (I thought), if she came back to add fuel to the fire, would I still be able to live?

  A coughing sound came from behind us, and I quickly pulled Zi Xue to her feet. It was the deputy dean. I gave an awkward smile and said, "What brings you here?"

  The deputy director pointed at me and said, "You little scamp has been caught red-handed by me again. Fortunately, the principal didn't see it, or you would have been lectured. Of course, I had to come this time, as I'm leading the team to the front line."

  "I exclaimed in surprise: 'Wasn't it said that we should follow the Dragon Knights? Why are you leading the team again.'"

  The deputy dean sighed and said: "You are all elites of the college, of course you have to work hard to ensure your safety, how can I lead the team without you?"

  Zi Xue said happily: "Then you must help me take good care of Lei Xiang, if he encounters any danger, you must help me protect him, when I come back, I will ask for him from you."

  "Alright, don't worry, I wouldn't dare provoke that duke father of yours," said the deputy dean with a chuckle.

  "I asked: 'How did the academy suddenly decide to send us batch of people to the front line?'"

  The vice president sighed, "This is a temporary decision we made. Zixue, you should know that the principal took the 5th-grade elites to participate in the four-university exchange competition a few days ago. Because Liva has already joined the Dragon Knights' team, our college's strength has been greatly reduced. In the end, they only got last place back. The principal is extremely angry and very dissatisfied with the current teaching situation. In order to improve your combat experience, we old guys discussed for two days and decided to let you directly enter the battle. You will definitely become stronger after being baptized in the flames of war. Only on the battlefield can you understand the truth that the more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in wartime."

  I thought to myself, all those grandiose words, but in reality, it's just for the sake of the academy's own honor. To be honest, I really don't want to go, especially since I'm afraid of facing the Beastman tribe, and I reckon Father will also bring the Bimon Military Unit onto the battlefield. However, I also want to see the Demon Tribe, especially their Fallen Angel and whether there are any differences between us.

  "Lei Xiang, go back and prepare well. Although you've recovered most of your strength, the injury hasn't fully healed yet, so hurry up and heal it. Also, be more restrained when you're at the academy. Especially don't let other teachers see me in a difficult situation, I'll leave first."

  As I watched the vice president's departing figure, I said to Zixue: "You can rest assured this time, I will definitely return safely."

  Zi Xue nodded and said: "The sky is already late, I'm going back."

  "I'll send you off."

  I've been sending Zixue to the Duke's mansion every day, watching her disappear into the deep courtyard before returning to school. It seems I really don't have a fate for studying, more than a semester has passed and I've only truly attended classes for two months. This time, I'll be going on a long trip again. Father, if I were to confront you, should I take action? Grandma's death still lingers in my heart, for her sake, I will seek revenge one day. Although you are my father, I won't forgive the wrongs you've done. Although my current identity is that of a beastman spy, how I act is entirely up to me, I am an isolated entity and only do things according to my own preferences.

  Time flies so fast, and in the blink of an eye, a week has passed. In this week, except for nighttime, I've been inseparable from Zixue, sticking together every day, with endless conversations that can only be described as being stuck together like glue.

  Before I left, I asked my sister to take off the bracelet she gave me because I'm mainly using dark magic and the bracelet isn't very useful for me. I passed it on to Zixue, and in return, she gave me a protective mirror that had been passed down from her duke ancestor. It's black and shiny, and according to her, it has great protective powers. The design is quite light and doesn't weigh much, paired with a lightweight leather armor, I can easily wear it on my body, showing off the muscles of my arms. Holding the ink-black sword, I feel an indescribable sense of majesty.

  ……

  "General assembly."

  The 100 students of the academy, quickly and neatly lined up on the playground, each wearing a high-grade white helmet specially made for us by the academy, forming a square array of ten rows and ten columns. The vice president stood in front of the team and shouted loudly: "Young men and women of Tiandu Academy, you will participate in this competition as future pillars, let's use our enthusiasm for the motherland to eliminate the enemy!"

  His words instantly sparked a resonance among everyone, and almost everyone shouted slogans of killing enemies.

  "Alright, let's set off now. The Dragon Knights' squad is waiting for us. It's your greatest honor to fight alongside them. Advance."

  Everyone shouted in unison: "Advance."

  We marched in step, following the vice president out of the city gate. Not far away in the wilderness, 10 dragon riders were waiting for us on their giant dragons. Their main task was to escort supplies, and we were part of the supply guard team. This time, the main transport was various defensive equipment and arrows. The total number of guards was 1,100, including our 100 student soldiers. It belonged to logistics support. Because this batch of materials was very important, dragon riders would follow along to protect them.

  Many students are seeing the Dragon Knights for the first time, everyone is very excited, and they are all speaking their own heroic words, vowing to become Dragon Knights. Some even set their sights on becoming a Dragon General.

  The entire team has gathered, and Ziyan used her soft and hard bubbles to arrange herself beside me. The other students are all jealous, but I'm secretly suffering. Since we're all going to be low-ranking officers in the future, and the academy is ensuring our safety, they've specially prepared horses for us. Of course, I'll be riding my own Black Dragon. The deputy dean has arranged me at the back of the team, with Ziyan on my left side.

  "Several hundred miles away from the capital, Ziyan beside me said: 'Lei Xiang, is your injury healed?'"

  "I replied calmly: 'About the same. What's up?'"

  Ziyan frowned and said, "What's wrong? Can't I ask for no reason? Don't forget, I'm here to supervise you on behalf of Zixue. If you have a bad attitude towards me, I'll go back and tell Zixue not to bother with you."

  Dizzy, I really can't deal with her. I helplessly said: "Sister, what do you want to do? You must be transferred from the women's team to here, making me the target of public criticism. Look at their eyes on me, each one is like a wolf."

  Ziyan let out a soft laugh and said, "Are you scared? Who made you have an attitude towards me, I'm doing this on purpose, how about it." Her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming at once, leaving me stunned. But her words made me shiver, and I quickly looked away, no longer paying attention to her. After all, Ziyan is a top beauty, I couldn't possibly have any improper thoughts towards her, that would be unfair to Zixue.

  The first day passed quickly, and the centurion in charge and the vice dean discussed it and decided to set up camp in a nearby forest. The 10 dragon knights didn't even meet with us, but instead rested on their own around us, taking on the responsibility of protecting us.

  The bonfire warmed us up, and everyone sat in several large circles around the fire. Zi Yan took out a box from her bag and handed it to me, saying: "Here, good stuff."

  I opened the box and found that it was filled with exquisite pastries. I frowned and said, "Thank you, but I can't accept this. You eat them yourself."

  Ziyan pouted and rolled her eyes, saying: "This was personally made by Zixue for you, if you don't eat it, return it to me." After that, she reached out to grab it.

  As soon as I heard it was made by Zixue, I immediately pulled the pastry box to my side and said: "Since it's given to me by Zixue, how can you take it back and not give it to me?"

  Ziyan didn't force herself, took out a fruit from her bag and started eating. I carefully picked up a piece of cake from the box, put it in my mouth, the sweet cake with a hint of rose fragrance, instantly left a lingering aftertaste, and I couldn't help but say how delicious it was.

  Ziyan looked at me with a hint of tenderness in her eyes.

  Everyone finished eating and drinking, the deputy director ordered us to return to our tents for rest. I smiled at Ziyan and said: "You won't even sleep with me together, will you? If you're willing to come, I wouldn't object, hehe."

  Ziyan's face suddenly turned bright red, she covered her face and said: "You're shameless." She turned around and ran away, while running still saying: "Your smile looks really good."

  After hearing her words, I couldn't help but shake my head. I feel that Ziyuan has changed a lot recently and is no longer as aloof as when we first met. Instead, she seems to be intentionally getting close to me. It's better to keep some distance from her, otherwise, if Zixue misunderstands again, I'll be in trouble.

  He crawled into the tent and said to me, "You're quite something, one arrow and two eagles, you've got Bixue and you won't let go of Biyan, the school's number one beauty is also being pursued by you, impressive, really impressive."

  I slapped my palm past, and Feng asked me to hold it with his hand. I laughed and scolded: "You'd better not talk nonsense, when the time comes, Li Wa will find me to fight with you, and I have nothing to do with Ziyan, she just replaced Zixue to take care of me, do you think I want her to follow? It's almost annoying, except for going to the toilet and sleeping, she sticks to me like a sticky rice cake at all other times, it's really loyal."

  Feng asked with a smile, "That's right, the sisters have a good relationship, and there are girls in the team too. If you run away with someone else, how can Ziyuan explain it to her sister?"

  I snorted and said, "Am I that kind of person? You're just making things up about me. You're almost as bad as Feng Yun."

  Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. The sound of laughter comes from outside the tent, "Who's talking about me? Definitely no good words." The curtain is lifted, and Feng Yun also slips in. Originally the tent was small, and when Feng Yun came in, there was only room to sit.

  I said: "It's me talking about you, I'm saying that the skill of the person who edited the script is quickly catching up with you."

  "Fengyun feigned surprise, looking at Feng and saying: 'I didn't know, big brother, you actually secretly learned my unparalleled divine skill.' Fengyun's comical expression immediately made us burst out laughing."

  Feng whispered: "It's a pity there's no wine, otherwise, we brothers could secretly drink a few cups in the tent, which would also be a kind of fun." As he spoke, he smacked his lips a few times.

  I said: "When did you become a drunkard? Is wine so good to drink?"

  Feng asked, nodding repeatedly, "Don't you know that wine is the essence of grain, and the more you drink, the younger you'll become?"

  I shook my head, having never enjoyed it since I was young, and only occasionally tasted the flavor of wine a few times, feeling only spicy, without anything special, nor arousing my interest.

  Feng Yun suddenly stuck his head out of the tent, and it was unclear what he was looking at. Feng Xiang asked: "Feng Yun, what are you doing?"

  The wind and cloud retracted their heads, put their middle fingers to their mouths, and said, "Speak softly, what do you think this is?" As they spoke, they took out a small jar from behind them.

  Feng Wen's eyes lit up immediately, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Wine, where did you come from?"

  "Ha ha, I'm from the Magic Class, and I had a classmate who came with me bring it in a spatial pouch. What do you think? Pretty foresighted of me, huh?"

  Feng Wen nodded repeatedly, and with one swift motion, he snatched the wine jug over, saying: "Great, come on, let's have a drink." As soon as he opened the lid, a strong aroma of wine wafted out, and Feng Wen tilted his head back to take a swig, letting out a hearty cheer. His face was filled with an intoxicated expression, and he handed the jug over to me, saying: "Your turn for a sip."

  I had intended to refuse, but seeing his eager eyes, my heart softened and I took it, also taking a sip. A pungent flavor choked me into continuous coughing. Feng Yun laughed: "Old Lei, you can't be serious, someone as thick-headed as you actually can't hold their liquor."

  I smiled awkwardly and said, "You're all like this, indulging in this stuff every day." Just as I was saying that, a wave of heat surged up from my stomach, instantly warming my internal organs. My heart skipped a beat as I used the Crazy God's Fighting Aura to guide the heat towards the injured meridians. To my surprise, the previously faint and intermittent meridians actually improved somewhat. This discovery filled me with joy and I took another big swig of wine, prompting Windy to say anxiously, "Slow down, I didn't bring that much."

  "I said seriously: 'This wine seems to have a therapeutic effect on my injury, don't be distressed, let me try again.' Saying that, I handed the wine jar to Fengyun and closed my eyes to meditate."

  With the help of two cups of strong liquor, I spent a night's effort and successfully connected a meridian, restoring my strength to 70%.

  The next morning, I was woken up by Feng Wu, who asked: "How is it? Is the injury better?"

  I nodded and said: "I didn't expect wine to have this effect, it actually helped me recover a meridian, and my kung fu has recovered somewhat."

  Feng asked the wine jar to be passed to me, saying: "Yesterday I heard you say that you can heal wounds, and Fengyun and I didn't drink any, leaving it all for you. This time on the battlefield, the more power we have, the more security our lives will have. Tonight, continue your cultivation, and when the time comes, I'll give you protection. The wine has the effect of relieving muscle tension and promoting blood circulation, probably related to this."

  I grasped Feng Yun's shoulder with one hand and said sincerely: "Good brother, thank you."

  Feng Yun burst out laughing and said: "Since we're brothers, there's no need to say anything else. Let's go, it's time to set off, let's quickly pack up the tent."

  ……

  Ziyan, although she was provoked by me yesterday, seemed to have forgotten about it after a night's sleep, and continued to ride her crimson horse beside me. Her gaze kept drifting towards me, making me feel quite uneasy. I furrowed my brow and asked: "What are you always looking at me for? Do I have flowers on my face?"

  Ziyan smiled and said: "The flowers are gone, but after one night without seeing you, your complexion seems to have improved a lot, with a radiant glow on your face."

  I certainly couldn't tell her that I was drinking to drown my sorrows, as it's strictly forbidden in the army. I said lightly, "Nothing, just my kung fu skills have recovered a bit."

  "Great, you have to keep going, recovering your strength is the most important thing." She said excitedly. Seeing her excited look, it's almost more exciting than I am, truly a woman who values power. (Is that really true?)

  10 days later, I drank half of Fengyun's treasured collection (three jars of wine). My skills miraculously recovered, and the feeling of my whole body's meridians being unblocked was truly comfortable. I felt that everywhere was filled with power, and Fengyun said that with my restored powers, wherever I stood, there would be an air of a master.

  I consolidate my cultivation of Kyoshin Jutsu and Tenma Jutsu every night, and Fuu says I'm just a training maniac who doesn't even rest. He has no idea that cultivating is the best way for me to rest. I don't seek any progress, I just want to restore my meridians to their optimal state after being injured, and solidify the three layers of Tenma Jutsu and Kyoshin Jutsu that I've already mastered. I know that only by solidifying my foundation can I make greater progress.

  Because of the need to transport supplies, what was originally a journey of less than 20 days took us over a month, and we finally arrived at Stru Castle, which serves as the base for the construction of Stru Fortress. The highest-ranking officer stationed here is Rivold, Lord Riva's father. According to the vice-chancellor, there are 60 dragon knights in the fortress, plus the 10 who came with us, gathering almost all of the Dragon God Empire's power. The garrison has a total of 10 infantry legions, each with 30,000 men, 5 heavy infantry legions, 5 light cavalry legions, 5 heavy cavalry legions, and 1 legion of mages, totaling nearly one million troops. It can be said that the main force of the Dragon God Empire is gathered here. The local defense of the Dragon God Empire is now handled by reserve forces, which are undergoing intensive training. Reserve supplies are being sent to the front lines continuously.

  If it's about individual combat capabilities, human soldiers can't compare to the demon tribe or the beastmen who are born warriors, but humans have powerful magician units and dragon knight units as their backing, always maintaining an advantage in battle.

  Rivauld himself received us, accompanied by Rivauld who had been summoned.

  Rivoldr will take us to his headquarters and hold a grand welcome banquet, where Rivoldr naturally sits with us. No one would dare to compete with him for the seat next to Zixuan. I found that Zixuan's attitude towards him was not as good as mine. Always in a cold and distant manner.

  The deputy dean's table was filled with high-ranking officials from the military, some of whom were even graduates of Tian Du College. Judging by their enthusiastic conversation, I knew that our future life here would be very good.

  I turned to Riva, who had been focusing all his attention on Ziyan, and asked, "Riva, what's the current situation at the front line?" This was my top concern.

  Riva said to me, "For the time being, there hasn't been any major battles, it's all just probing attacks. However, the Beastman's Bimon army has arrived, and if they launch an attack, we'll probably have to mobilize the Dragon Knights. Don't worry, you're all my juniors, and when the time comes, I'll arrange for you to face relatively easier opponents."

  Apart from me who was lost in thought and Ziyan whose mind was elsewhere, everyone else said to Liva: "Thank you, senior."

  Riva said to Ziyuan: "There is a war here, why did the college send you?"

  Ziyan gave him a white eye and said: "How would I know? You'd better ask the deputy dean yourself."

  Riva hit a nail and said to everyone: "Everyone take action, don't be polite, these are all wild flavors nearby, I brought them back with the Imperial Guard."

  Feng asked: "Liva senior, I heard that you have already obtained the recognition of the giant dragon and became a true dragon knight. Tell us about the giant dragon."

  Feng's words suddenly sparked everyone's interest.

  Riva smiled slightly and said humbly, "Actually, it's nothing. You will all have the opportunity in the future. My giant dragon is a wind-attribute speed dragon, mainly relying on speed to attack enemies. Its wings are its best weapon."

  A third-year student said: "I'm so envious of you, senior. I wish we could have a giant dragon too someday."

  Riva smiled and said, "It's not just you who hopes for it, the country hopes even more. The more dragon knights there are, the stronger our Dragon God Empire will become." Riva's words carried a hint of superiority, although he didn't explicitly say anything, his complacent expression was clear to everyone.

  We were arranged to live inside Strasbourg Fortress, where we could see the Rhine River and how much attention was paid to us. 5 days later, I finally saw what a real war is like.

  The vice president led us 100 people to stand on the city wall of the fortress, and the Rivoldrake cavalry next to him was constantly issuing orders. Outside the fortress, there were countless warriors from the three tribes, and the vice president said to us: "Everyone pay attention, the main force of the beastmen is the bearman heavy armor corps and the leopardman raid corps, the king's card army is the Bimon army and the beast emperor's mad lion corps, while the demon tribe is attacking with various tribal cooperation, especially their dark sorcerers and fallen angel corps are the most powerful."

  "Order, the third, sixth and eighth infantry legions to reinforce the two heavy infantry legions on the left wing immediately. The entire second light cavalry legion will charge straight into the center of the demon army. The fourth and fifth mage legions will provide fire support."

  The battlefield was filled with all sorts of magic flying everywhere, the battle lasted for a whole day, our side lost nearly 10,000 people, while the two tribes of demons paid an even greater price, but it seemed that everyone had a tacit understanding, and no one sent out their own trump card army.

  Out of the hundred people from the academy, everyone except me had varying degrees of discomfort. No wonder they were all under 20 years old and had never seen such a bloody scene before. The battlefield was like a meat grinder, with the number of deaths increasing every second. Since they were long-time sworn enemies, there were almost no prisoners on the battlefield, and those who didn't return were almost all killed in action.

  I'm used to the sight of blood, so I wouldn't mind these things. Yu Yan's pale face turned green with nausea and she said I was cold-blooded. I had killed hundreds of people on my own before, and the scene of death was nothing new to me.

  The deputy director lined us up and said seriously, "Today, everyone saw what a real war is like. In war, being merciful to the enemy means sending your own life away. Only by ending the other's life with the fastest speed can you survive. I've already talked to General Rivo about this, and tomorrow, you will all participate in the battle. As for whether you can come back alive, it depends on yourselves."

  The vice president's words instantly caused a stir among us, everyone already knew that war was not a game and the training exercises in the academy were completely different. Ziyan's face turned even paler, I whispered to her: "Tomorrow you follow closely behind me, don't worry, nothing will happen."

  Ziyan's eyes looked at me with a complex gaze, and she nodded lightly.

  A student said: "Vice President, can we not participate in the battle."

  The vice president said sternly, "Are you kidding me? Since you volunteered to come forward, you should be prepared to fight. Now, you are not only students of Tiandu College, but also a resistance force against foreign invasion. Cowardice is the most shameful thing. Do you understand? If anyone dares to say such things again, they will be dealt with by military law immediately." He was indeed ruthless, but I understood his mood very well. In order to make us achieve greater progress in actual combat, the vice president had put on a stern face this time.

  After the dispersal, I called Feng Yun and Feng Wen, the two brothers, to come into the tent. I said to them: "Tomorrow is our first time participating in battle, you must not panic, remember, at the beginning when we make contact with the enemy, you will be on both sides of me. The enemies in front will be handled by me, you will take care of those who try to escape from the sides. Zi Yan will support us from behind using her light magic, so don't hold back and attack boldly. What the vice principal said is right, we must not show any mercy."

  Feng nodded and said: "We'll listen to you, boss. Tomorrow we'll all be back alive."

  The usually mischievous Feng Yun also became serious and said: "We three brothers will advance and retreat together."

  Feng Qing and Feng Yun's feelings for me are genuine, so I will naturally find a way to protect them. Ziyan is not only the sister of Zixue but also a beauty, so she must be taken care of as well. As for others, whether they can survive depends on their own luck. As long as the two tribes of demons do not dispatch their trump card troops, with my current strength, I don't need to fear anything at all.

  As I walked out, I admired the bright moonlight. Suddenly, a quarrelsome voice came from not far away, and after listening carefully, it turned out to be Ziyan and Liva.