Chapter 31: Unleashed Fury and Bonds Strengthened
" Yes, I am awake Xiaoyan," Nero called out to Xu Xiaoyan from inside the room. " I wanted to inform you that Teacher Wu called you and your brother to the hall room," Xu Xiaoyan relayed the message. " Okay, we'll be there in a moment," hearing Nero's reply Xu Xiaoyan walked away. After Xu Xiaoyan left, Nero and Ren freshened up and then made their way to the hall room.
" Tap..Tap..Tap.." The sound of footsteps caught the attention of Wu Zhangkong and Class Zero who were discussing something. Their gazes shifted towards the source of sound. Class Zero went in a momentary lapse of concentration seeing Nero and Ren getting along so well as just yesterday they were literally stabbing each other guts. " Hi!, You all should already know me but still I should introduce myself properly. I am Ren this idiot's brother " Class Zero were brought back to the reality by Ren's introduction. Before anyone else could react, Nero interjected, "He meant to say he's the idiot brother."
Ren shot a fake smile at Nero and retorted, "Are your ears ringing, dear Brother?" Nero didn't hold back and replied, "Maybe, but not as much as your brain is spinning." ' Are you two really brothers ' was the unified thought of Class Zero as apart from the looks the brothers were literally like each other's bane.
The brothers exchanged a moment of silence before Ren raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do we really want to do this now?" Nero responded with a smirk, "You're right, Now is not the time " then, shifting his gaze towards Class Zero, he continued, "Yes, he's my brother, Ren ". Tang Wulin was the first to respond and exchanged greetings with Ren, and soon everyone else followed, except for Gu Yue. The brothers weren't surprised by Gu Yue's behavior, considering Nero had defeated her without breaking a sweat.
"Are you two alright now?" Wu Zhangkong asked with a hint of concern in his voice. After all, they had confronted a Soul Emperor, and there was a chance they could have been seriously injured or worse. "We are fine, just a nap took away all the injuries and exhaustion," Ren replied, reassuring Wu Zhangkong. He nodded in relief as from yesterday he had been blaming himself for not noticing the Evil soul master.
" Nero are you both Twin Brothers ? " Xu Xiaoyan asked in curiosity as Nero and Ren were almost the same age and their faces were almost same. "No!" Nero and Ren responded in unison. "Then, who is the oldest?" Xie Xie quickly chimed in. Nero and Ren exchanged a glance before answering, "That is still undecided."
" The Skysea alliance committee decided to split the prize between the both of you but since you are brothers they are a little confused. So, What are you gonna do? " Wu Zhangkong shifted the conversation to the matter of the tournament's final reward and asked Nero and Ren for their decision. " Let the Academy take all of it and if Wulin or anyone else need something from it then the can keep it " Nero replied in a nonchalant time as he didn't really need anything and since their father himself clarified Ren's identity in the projection then Aunt Yaozhu and everyone else would also fully support Ren.
"But Nero, wouldn't it seem like I am taking advantage of your hard work?" Tang Wulin asked with a hint of hesitation. On one hand, he knew there was something in the reward that could help him break his second seal faster, but he also didn't want to exploit Nero's victory. "It's fine, you can take whatever you need, and it's not like this guy fought legendary battles to win," it was Ren who answered as he also knew what kind of personality Tang Wulin had. "Yeah, go ahead," Nero chimed in. Seeing that the Brothers were genuinely supportive about him taking the reward, Tang Wulin nodded and thanked both of them multiple times as the unsealing of his bloodline was a crucial point to his strength.
" Ren, Are you gonna stay with Nero? " Wu Zhangkong asked Ren as it was crucial to the training plan he would prepare for Class Zero. Ren nodded in response. Wu Zhangkong then proceeded to instruct everyone, "Alright, pack your belongings. We will be leaving for the Academy in one hour " . " Mr. Zhangkong, Ren and I need to meet with my Aunt. We'll arrive at the academy tomorrow," Nero raised his hand and informed. They still had to share their father's message with Aunt Yaozhu and Grandpa Zhou. Wu Zhangkong nodded as he trusted Nero to be in his own.
Nero and Ren took the Taxi to the place where Nero messaged Leng Yaozhu and Zhou Hongbuo to meet. " If no one knew about you, How did you survive the last 7 years ? " while sitting in the Taxi Nero asked Ren in confusion, Sitting beside Nero, Ren explained, "Sebastian knew about me. He didn't tell you because I asked him not to." He further elaborated, "But it's puzzling that Sebastian was aware of me while others weren't.". Nero pondered for a moment and made a guess, "Perhaps it has to do with the limit that Dad mentioned. Among everyone, Sebastian has the lowest Spirit Rank, so it might have been easier to inform everything to him." Ren nodded in agreement, finding Nero's reasoning valid.
Aria chimed in, offering her perspective on the matter, [According to me, all of this might be related to your father's Martial soul random effect. His actions seem to be beyond what can be accomplished through Spirit abilities alone—like fusing the core seed, creating the coordinates, and more ]. Both brothers fell into contemplation after hearing Aria's perspective." We need to locate that first coordinate as quickly as possible " Nero broke the silence as he took out the soul tool given by their father, Ren nodded in agreement as the answers to the mysteries—such as the hidden knowledge, their mother's never seen pure space energy martial soul, and more— is the place situated at the first coordinate.
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" Why do you think he called us here? Uncle Zhou " Leng Yaozhu asked Zhou Hongbuo, " How do I know? " Zhou Hongbuo responded nonchalantly, taking a casual sip of his tea. Leng Yaozhu held her head in exasperation as she didn't know what to to with her lazy uncle, he has been just relaxing and enjoying his tea without a care since the moment they got here.
" Aunt Yaozhu " hearing Nero's voice Leng Yaozhu and Zhou Hongbuo turned around but their face turned into one of a shock once they saw Ren who looked almost exactly like Nero. " Nero, who and how ? " Leng Yaozhu asked in confusion as the situation was something that didn't make any sense. " I know you both are confused about what is happening but you should see this " Nero said as he took out the soul tool and played Arlo's memory recording.
...
"Roar!..Howl!.." The moment the projection of Nero and Ren's father ended, storms began to brew in the East Sea city, resembling an enraged beast awakening from its slumber. " Uncle, Please Calm Down! " Leng Yaozhu hastily attempted to calm down Zhou Hongbuo, whose demeanor turned as cold as ice, his eyes blazing like flames from the depths of hell.
Zhou Hongbuo's rage poured out like an unleashed Tsunami. " I had hoped they weren't involved, but how dare they? " His voice dripped with wrath as he exclaimed, Leng Yaozhu didn't know what to say as she was fully aware of the depth of his anger. Yes, Zhou Hongbuo has been suppressing his anger from the moment he heard about Arlo's death; after all, how could any father remain composed after losing his son? He had been trying to maintain his composure holding on the little hope that Spirit Pagoda ruling board wasn't involved in Arlo's death but Arlo's message shattered all the chains that restrained his anger.
"Uncle, please try to control your anger. Nero and Ren are struggling to stay on their feet," Leng Yaozhu again said, making Zhou Hongbuo shift his gaze towards the brothers. Indeed, Nero and Ren were visibly struggling to maintain their balance. Nero and Ren didn't utter a sentence despite the pressure because they both knew how hard must have been Zhou Hongbuo to suppress his anger all this years. Leng Yaozhu and Zhou Hongbuo hurriedly supported both brothers as they were almost at their limit. " Sorry, Nero and Ren I let my anger blind me for a second " Zhou Hongbuo apologized, recognizing his mistake. " It's fine Grandpa, your anger is valid " Ren shook his head and assured Zhou Hongbuo.
" You two are indeed true brothers, Nero also tries to act mature despite being a kid " Leng Yaozhu commented with a smile, playfully ruffling Ren's hair. "Who would ever want to be like that idiot?" Ren shot back immediately, with Nero chiming in, "Being compared to me is like receiving a blessing." To which Ren quickly retorted, "More like a curse ". The banter between the brothers made both Leng Yaozhu and Zhou Hongbuo laugh as they couldn't hep but be amused by the dynamic between the two.
The laughter that echoed in the surroundings painted a scene even a deity's touch couldn't recreate. Perhaps this was a testament to why Vergil and Dante believed that Nero and Ren would exceed them.
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This the last chapter of East sea Arc next will be timeskip ⏱⏱..
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