Chapter 32: Timeskip and Shrek
" Are you Done? " a handsome 12-year-old boy with white hair and a black combat t-shirt, leather pants, black boots, and a red coat asked as he lounged on a pile of corpses." Do I look like I am done? " retorted another 12-year-old, his attire consisting of a black sleeveless zippered turtleneck underneath a midnight blue formal vest, paired with black leather pants, dark boots concealed by teal gaiters, and a black coat adorned with neon blue serpentine patterns and three distinct coattails while he was typing something on a purple cuboid thing.
" Alright, I've got the number, " the boy stood up, revealing a face nearly identical to the red-coated boy's. These boys were none other than Nero and Ren, and it had been three years since the Skysea Alliance tournament. " How many numbers are left before we obtain the coordinates? " Nero leapt down from the pile of corpses and asked, as the Brothers were in the midst of searching for the numbers of the first coordinate mentioned by their father which they started looking for when they broke through Rank 30.
" Three more, but by the looks of it we won't be able to clear the last one until we both reach Devil trigger " Nero replied with a wry smile, at the start they thought that getting the coordinates would be easy but their father somehow managed to put a formation with progressively stronger creatures, posing a challenge for brothers that got harder with each successive coordinate. " Aria, How fare are we from that ? " Ren inquired. [ Not much, in probably 1 week you both would acquire Devil trigger. It's suppose to unlock at 50% bloodline awakening. While at it, check your status ] Aria informed and displayed their status.
[
Name: Nero
Age: Almost 13
Martial Soul: Yamato
Rank: 42
Bloodline: Sparda ( 49% unlocked )
Legacy: The Alpha and The Omega ( 2nd Phase acquired, 3rd phase available at Rank 70)
Spirit Ring Configuration: ⚫⚫⚫⚫
Spirit Soul: Iblis ( 25,000 years ), Qliphoth ( 20,256 years )
]
[
Name: Ren
Age: Almost 13
Martial Soul: Demon sword Dante
Rank: 42
Bloodline: Sparda ( 49% unlocked )
Legacy: The Dark knight ( 2nd Phase acquired, 3rd phase available at Rank 70)
Spirit Ring Configuration: ⚫⚫⚫⚫
Spirit Soul: Zyris ( 26,568 years )
]
" Ghrr!..Ghrr!.." The sound caught the brothers' attention and they both looked around scanning the area, from the surrounding small hills creatures that appeared to be a mishmash of multiple beasts squashed together emerged. " I almost thought they decided to give up, but looks like I was wrong," Nero commented as he summoned Yamato. " How the hell did you assume that? Those guys would always send a party to greet us," Ren retorted, summoning Dante and smirking. " Still the same rules?" Ren asked, and after Nero's affirmation, both of them disappeared in a blur of afterimages, ready to engage in battle.
' Slaughterhouse ' was the proper description for what transpired next. Both brothers eliminated every creature like a chicken on a chopping board. Nero's movements were a blur, teleporting and reappearing, leaving behind a trail of fallen bodies that couldn't be tracked by the naked eye. Meanwhile, Ren's assault looked like a dance performance, his swift movements with his Yin-Yang guns and Demon sword Dante turned the battlefield into a blood feast. " Puchi! " the last creature dropped dead as two red and blue summoned swords impaled it's skull simultaneously.
Nero and Ren shifted their gazes the lifeless creature and then looked at each other with raised eyebrow, [ Both of your attacks simultaneously killed it. So, it was a tie, ] Aria immediately declared the result as she knew they both were gonna start arguing over who won. This wasn't the first time situation like this had arisen, both brothers started this competition of kill count since the first time Arlo's enemies began sending minions like these to the coordinate locations as they couldn't attack the brothers directly.
" Buzzzz. " The vibration of Nero's soul watch caught the attention of the brothers. " Is it time? " Ren asked Nero who nodded indicating that it was the time for both of them to separate. " Nero, it's alright. We both knew this day would come, and I also want to experience the world on my own. After all, I didn't have much time for that in our previous life. Besides, we're not saying goodbye forever," Ren reassured Nero, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. " Take care of yourself, you idiot," Nero said as he pulled Ren into a hug. " You too, my idiot brother," Ren replied, returning the hug with a chuckle.
"Swish!" Nero used Yamato to open the portal to Shrek City, having the coordinates already in mind. Just as he was about to step through, he turned to Ren with a teasing grin and said, "Hey, try not to stay a lonely bachelor, alright? I don't want my brother to kick the bucket as a virgin ". "You..." Ren began to retort, but before he could continue, Nero vanished through the portal. A few moments later, Ren couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head in amusement.
-----
"Xie Xie, did you send him a message? If he doesn't show up on time, you'll have to pay the price," Xu Xiaoyan warned Xie Xie in a threatening tone. "How is that my fault?" Xie Xie responded in bewilderment. "Hmph! Obviously because you're not as handsome as Brother Nero," Xu Xiaoyan retorted, giving her reason and leaving Xie Xie dumbfounded.
"Swish!" Just as Wu Zhangkong was about to call Nero, the sound of a portal opening resonated, and Nero stepped out from it. "Even though it's not the first time, I'm still amazed at how he can just open portals like that, especially when his martial soul has nothing to do with spatial control," Xie Xie exclaimed in astonishment, a sentiment shared by the rest of Class Zero.
" Was I late? " Nero asked Class Zero who shook their head making Nero breathe a sigh of relief as he didn't want to be Working student. Tang Wulin situation didn't happen because he broke his seal early with the reward of Skysea Alliance tournament. "Nero, what about Ren?" Tang Wulin inquired. "He won't be coming. We both have different things to do," Nero replied, keeping the details vague. "But won't he miss out?" Tang Wulin started, but Nero cut in, "Don't worry, he won't be at a disadvantage," reassuring Class Zero. Wu Zhangkong wasn't surprised by this, as both brothers had already explained certain aspects to him.
Everyone then boarded the soul car to depart for Shrek Academy. "Mr. Zhangkong, was everything okay?" Before entering the soul car, Nero turned to Wu Zhangkong and asked about his meeting with his teacher. Wu Zhangkong nodded, indicating that everything was fine. Nero also nodded and got into the soul car. The relationship between Wu Zhangkong and the Brothers wasn't like a Teacher and pupil but more like a friend. Wu Zhangkong was far more stronger and lively than the original timeline as he could share many things with the brothers who could understand him.
Class Zero soon reached the legendary Shrek Academy within an hour. Towering ancient city walls extended beyond their vision, resembling an enormous dragon coiled around the academy. The walls were plain and undecorated, lacking even a signboard to indicate the location. A large crowd had gathered outside the main gate, creating a noisy and excited atmosphere. However, instead of entering through the front gate, Shen Yi, who was driving the soul car, drove off to the side. After making several turns, they once again faced the wall, this time in front of a smaller gate. With the press of a button, the gate opened, revealing a new path. The soul car navigated the street, and the gate closed behind them. In this new area, a sense of peace and tranquility enveloped them, as if passing through that gate had severed their connection to the outside world and transported them to a bygone era.
" Are we in Shrek Academy now? " Xie Xie asked Shen Yi. Shen Yi nodded and further explained " This is Shrek Academy, or as some call it, Shrek Inner City. It was the original Shrek City, but after the city expanded, it became part of the academy. The entire city was built for the sake of the academy, so this is the core of the city as well as where students study. Only those recognized by the academy are permitted to enter Shrek Inner City ". Shen Yi stopped for a second to show take something out of her soul tool and then continued " Because you are Senior Brother's students, you would all be giving a special entrance examination which is a difficult than the normal examination ".
The car's speed reduced to a crawl as a massive plaza came into view. The ground of the plaza was paved with ashen-gray stones, larger than the black rocks that formed the roads. Ancient-style buildings of similar height were positioned along half of the circular plaza's perimeter. A rough estimate from just their sight indicated that the plaza had a diameter of at least one kilometer. The stone buildings were intricately carved with various figures. Enclosed within the semicircle of buildings was the plaza itself, featuring a circular, man-made pond around one hundred meters in diameter at its center. Standing in the middle of a fountain was an imposing sculpture. Nero immediately recognized the figure – none other than the child of luck from the previous era, Huo Yuhao.
"Welcome to Spirit Ice Plaza. It was constructed ten thousand years ago during Shrek Academy's expansion into the inner city as we know it today. The primary school structures for the outer court are situated here. As you might have guessed, it was named in honor of the renowned Spirit Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao. I assume you're familiar with his legendary tales, so I won't go into details. Now, let's proceed to the school building," Shen Yi informed them before guiding them toward the encircling buildings. With each step closer to the building, the sculptures carved into surface of the buildings became easier to make out.
"These sculptures represent inner court disciples. Every student accepted into the inner court is commemorated with a sculpture in their likeness, serving as a testament to Shrek's history," Shen Yi explained, redirecting their attention from the sculptures. Without allowing them much time to admire the artwork, she guided them into the building. The size of the interior immediately caught their attention. Despite being a six-story structure, the ceiling reached a height of at least ten meters. Elaborate illustrations adorned the walls and domed ceiling, captivating onlookers with a sense of grandeur that managed to remain elegant rather than ostentatious. Shen Yi continued speaking as they walked, "This building is known as House Shrek. The murals on the walls and ceiling chronicle our twenty-thousand-year history." The rest of Class Zero, except for Nero, was visibly captivated by everything around them.
After a few twists and turns, Class Zero finally reached a hall, which also served as their first test site. The hall was 20 meters high with a large mural painting on the ceiling.
Nero recognized the figure depicted in the mural as it was none other than Di Tian, the Golden-eyed Black Dragon king, The mural started emanating an unstoppable pressure shrouding the room in Longwei but before the pressure could even hit rest of the Class Zero, a terrifying bloodline energy erupted from Nero, causing the ground and walls to be full of cracks. The Mural was fine because Nero controlled his power otherwise it would have turned into a speck of dust. This bloodline power was an unconscious response of the Sparda bloodline, sensing the pressure emanating from Di Tian after all how could the bloodline of someone who defeated the entire demon world tolerate being suppressed by a mere image of a creature that couldn't even pose a slight threat to it.
Nero turned his gaze towards the eyes of Di Tian depicted on the mural. In the next instant, the golden hue within the Black Dragon King's eyes faded into white. Everyone whether it was class zero or the spectators were shocked and dumbfounded after what happened even Gu yue was genuinely shocked as the bloodline power even momentarily suppressed her.
_______________________________________
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone