Revenge pact

"My Tier? Well... to be honest I don't know." Adonis let out a nervous chuckle, his gaze darting toward the spitfire before him.

"You don't know." Amber raised her eyebrows, it was clear she didn't believe a word he said.

"Just look into your 'being' and check, it's pretty easy. C'mon, hurry up." Her impatience evident, Luna shouted.

"It's not that simple." Adonis sighed.

"Then what is it?" Maxwell, now curious himself, decided to join the interrogation.

RUSTLE RUSTLE

{You're lucky.}

Alarmed by a sudden movement in the nearby vegetation, everyone in the group except for Adonis turned their attention toward the source of the noise.

They instinctively drew their weapons, preparing for battle despite their fatigue.

The creature to exited the foilage and stepped into the light was someone no one would've expected to see, well almost everyone.

Emerging from the foilage, a tall girl with an exquisite rose-beige complexion and captivating orange eyes came into view, her form adorned with dirt, branches, and leaves.

Her appearance was strikingly distinct from the other magic knights on the expedition.

Instead of the modernized Roman-style armor, she opted for simple leather attire accented with elegant white fur. Following closely behind her were three fellow young magic knights, dressed similarly and exuding a shared sense of purpose under their leader's guidance.

"Hey, One-Shot!" Luna greeted the Tenth Rising star, her voice laced with a subtle hint of disappointment, realizing that it wasn't a powerful magic beast or monster that had tracked the large group down.

Upon hearing the dreaded nickname, Wendy's irritation became evident as she scrunched her eyebrows.

'Strange.' Amber studied the girl with short strawberry-blonde hair in front of them before her eyes drifted to the other members of her group.

"We never would've expected to find such a large group, we just followed the scent of food." Wendy raised her eyebrows and glanced toward the kebab that Maxwell, who now appeared disinterested, held in his hands.

'She's lying, she was following us the whole day, or rather she was lightly tailing Amber's group and didn't anticipate that our groups would merge.' Adonis chuckled to himself and then followed suit, deciding to enjoy the meat along with his oblivious friend.

"What do you want?" Lutz, his hand still firmly gripping the hilt of his rapier, locked eyes with Wendy, his hostility growing even though they were meeting as allies.

'Your instincts have always been amazing, Lutz...' Adonis nodded in acknowledgment before resuming his silent indulgence in more kebabs alongside Maxwell. Their shared love for food served as the only means of communication between them.

"How friendly, you joined teamed up with another group yet you're hostile towards me? Especially a team with commoners!?" Wendy's grin took on a menacing edge as she fixed her gaze on the Seventh and Eighth Rising Stars.

Despite her discriminatory attitude, they cheerfully continued to enjoy their meat without paying much heed to her.

"How do you know Vindicta and Aster aren't the ones in our group?" Amber raised an eyebrow, setting aside her suspicions about Adonis and shifting her scrutiny toward the tall girl. This newcomer grabbed an empty log and settled in comfortably with her four-person squad.

"What're you implying?" Sitting beside Wendy, a male member of Class 1A named Carl, with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, grew defensive. His hostility rivaled that of the Fourth Rising Star.

"That you were actually following us," Lutz spoke bluntly, his intense gaze locking on Carl's.

"That's a strong accusation. Dontcha' think?" Leaf, a member of Class 1B, chimed in. The mannish boy had broad shoulders and a burly build, his speech carrying a distinct and strange accent.

"Could we all just calm down... You're being loud and there are dangerous beasts nearby. We'll all just spend the night together and go our separate ways in the morning." Adonis, striving to embody the character he was shaping for himself within the Academy, began to speak.

'They're all so sloppy.' He suppressed a disappointed sigh.

"Vindicta's right." Supporting her leader, Vera managed a loud whisper.

"Whatever, let's just go to bed... It's late." Her will to fight quelled by her nap buddy, Luna rose from her seat and began to make her way toward the wooden shelter she'd be sharing with Amber.

'That's one loudmouth gone, time to put the others to sleep too...'

***

11 years ago,

Alex City- Miravulum Kingdom, Empire of Caelum

A doll-like toddler, donned in brown shorts, black leather shoes, and a simple white shirt, impatiently stood outside a grand stone building.

KNOCK KNOCK

With a cheerful smile on his face and his large brown eyes glistening with childish excitement, Oizys knocked on the imposing oversized door.

The one to open the grand door was a tall woman with flawless tanned skin, clad in a long white dress that accentuated her mature and elegant figure. The lady gazed down with warm black eyes and discovered the excited toddler, forcing a smile to grace her perfect visage.

"You must be Oizys, all Lutzy does is speak about you!" The woman spoke, her voice exuding a gentle and caring tone that reminded Oizys of his mother.

'Lutzy?'

"Hello Lutz's mom, can Lutz come out to play?"

"Yes, he's on his way. He's just packing up books he shouldn't be long."

"Thank you!"

A few minutes later, a 4-year-old Lutz van Alexia, dressed similarly to Oizys, emerged from the grand building, wearing a matching grin to his waiting friend.

"Hi, Oizys!"

"Lutz!"

After exchanging simple high fives, a tradition they had developed, the two children turned away from the tall lady and ventured toward the garden adjacent to the grand gate that encircled the Alexia estate.

"Don't go far you two, make sure to stay in the estate!"

"Yes Mom!'

Having ventured deep enough into the garden to evade the watchful eyes of Lutz's mom and the numerous butlers, maids, and guards patrolling the estate, Oizys turned to his best friend and flashed a mischievous grin.

"You ready?"

"I don't know Ozzy, I think Mom will be really mad when she finds out that we left the estate," Lutz said nervously.

"How's she going to find out?"

"I don't know, mother's always find out." With absolute fear in his eyes, Lutz shuddered.

"True..." Oizys frowned, the image of Pan Hermes scolding him for not making his bed that morning still fresh in his mind.

"But, if we never explore we'll never get to become powerful rangers!" Identifying a way to persuade his indecisive friend, Oizys grinned.

"You're right!" Being the simple child that he was, Lutz's eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the word "ranger."

"But how are we going to leave the estate? There are so many people on watch."

"I have an idea." When Eurodos had dropped him outside the gates earlier that morning, Oizys had seized the chance to scrutinize the estate both from the outside and within. His naturally curious mind couldn't resist this opportunity and had meticulously examined it, instinctively searching for any vulnerabilities. Now, he was determined to exploit these vulnerabilities to make a relatively undetected escape...

{Wake up dumbass.}

***

The present.

Guided by the surprisingly friendly counsel of the Devil God, Adonis snapped awake to a terrifying sight—a fearsome one, yet one he had anticipated nonetheless.

'They move quickly.'

The purple-haired youth discovered himself ensnared by massive vines that sought to constrict his every movement.

As his gaze shifted to the other members of the sizable group, Adonis realized they were all entangled by these thick, magically created vines. Strangely, at their feet lay large empty syringes oozing a mysterious dark green liquid, evidently injected into every one of them.

"How didn't you know HE was part of the group!" Wendy screamed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't check the shelters... Plus, we never anticipated their groups merged." Timidly, Jessie replied, her voice growing weaker with each word.

"It's okay, we can just double HIS dosage, no triple it to be safe." Leaf panicked.

'So I was right, they're Norse spies.' Adonis concluded.

***

Extra Information:

Rank: Pink-Blue Rank

Edible?: No

Drops: none

Weaknesses: Blunt force and Elemental magic.

Behaviour: Typically travels, extremely hostile even to other Kokos.

Habitat: Forests

Attacking style: Primarily punch or grab using their massive arms and might employ their legs when desperate.

Abilities: 'Rage'- The angrier they get the faster and stronger they get. This rage activates when the beasts start beating their chest repeatedly.

Description: These beasts resemble mutated gorillas, with notably enlarged fangs. They possess black fur with a subtle tinge that reflects their rank; for instance, a Pink Rank Koko exhibits a faint pink hue in its fur. The size of these creatures varies according to their rank, with Pink Rank Kokos being approximately three times the size of regular gorillas, and their strength correlates with their size.

Note: Like many other magic beasts, Koko also has an inherent rank limit, regardless of the number of magic crystals or humans they absorb.