(Rachel's POV)
Slash!
A student's eyes widened in shock as the barrier device activated and she was transported back to the ship before she was even aware of the attack.
Rachel stood proudly at the shore of a lake but there was irritation in her eyes as she glanced at the weapon in her hand.
"It doesn't feel right…" Rachel muttered softly as she held the sword in her grasp and swung it around a few times.
Sword cultivators channeled their qi into their personal weapons to perform attacks and this created a spiritual bond between the weapon and the wielder.
Modern science had long disproved the theory of weapon spirits, but each sword cultivator spoke about their blade as if it were alive.
Rachel's sword was one of the thirteen holy blades of the church and it had been her partner ever since she was chosen as a saint candidate.
She never brought out that weapon when sparring with Sophie and Astrid as the sword would only be held if she were attacking with killing intent.
Who could say what the results would have been if she was allowed to use her real blade during the sparring sessions instead of a training sword.
Naturally, the swords that she had been using during the entrance exam was taken from one of the supply crates, but they seemed to be a bit too fragile.
Channelling her righteous qi into the weapons caused tiny fractures to appear so Rachel had to fight her enemies using normal attacks.
Her temporary base was a small man-made hut at the shore of a lake due to the abundant supply of fishes and freshwater present in the area.
The lake was by no means small and several cultivators had visited her location, but most did not actively look to engage in combat.
Everyone was waiting for the zone to shrink at the later stages of the exam, so it made no sense to risk elimination by fighting unknown opponents.
The day was surprisingly peaceful as no more students came to her location so Rachel decided to hunt for some food.
Quafes technically speaking did not need to consume nutrients but Rachel much like the rest of her race wanted to mimic human behaviour.
She slashed down a branch from one of the nearby trees and stripped the bark with well practiced motions to create a fishing pole.
Her hand shifted into her liquid form and changed into the shape of a string with a hook that she attached to the pole.
It was a good day to fish and Rachel soon caught two medium sized fishes that had rainbow coloured patterns on their spines.
Many of the examinees were going through constant battles and conflicts but Rachel's area was more akin to a safety bubble and she spent the majority of her time lazily fishing.
"Ahh it seems to be almost time," Rachel smiled gently before piercing a hole through the brains of the fishes and storing their bodies in a container.
Gentle afternoon sunlight streamed down on her face and Rachel basked in the warm glow before entering the hut to perform her daily prayer.
She had formed a contract to borrow the power of the Archangel Raziel and it was a sign of her devotion to the church to pray often.
But it was also a duty that she was quite happy to perform.
When her parent died, and she became an orphan….it was only the church who willingly took her in and gave her a home.
The Nephilim Church was an organisation comprised of different factions and undercurrents with each believing in a different perspective of the church's teachings.
Saints and demon knights were given power by higher level entities whose identities were linked to the angels and demons of the old Abrahamic religions.
As for what these beings truly were…. only the pope was aware of the truth.
Rachel just followed the principal of staying true to her own moral code and this may have been why she was chosen as Raziel's saintess.
Archangel Raziel was known as the 'Keeper of Secrets' and a saint had not been chosen by him for over five hundred years.
He was known to be a neutral observer of the heavens and took a liking to the stubborn yet kind girl during the holy ceremony.
Rachel was blessed with his aura of truth ability that could distinguish the nature of all beings who stood in her presence be it good or evil.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel began to chant a version of the scripture that she had modified,
"Archangel Raziel first and only of his name."
"The keeper of secrets who watches over the heavens and the river of time."
"This humble servant promises to fulfil your will and only use this great strength to do good deeds for the ones I care about."
Solemn chants echoed around the lake and two angelic wings sprouted from Rachel's back while trumpets sang in the background.
(Site 013- Sector Gamma- Temporary shelter of group designated X-3019)
"Truly we will be in the top one thousand for sure!"
"John check your weapons to make sure there aren't any issues."
"Captain we managed to take down ten squads so far. I think it's safe to say there is no one in site 13 who could possibly be our match!"
Loud laughter and merry conversations could be heard coming from a group of students sitting down around an open fire.
This was clearly a powerful team as all of the students were fully armed with a variety of weapons and armour.
Some even had bloodstains on their bodysuits which they did not bother to wash away as it enhanced the fierce intimidation effect.
A piece of meat was slow roasting over the fire while one of the students coated its outer layer with spices and oil.
This caused a delicious smell to be present at their location which would alert nearby predator beasts, but it was obvious that the team members were confident about their strength.
The group was formed with several noble children leading at the helm. It was fortunate that their meadow had several participants that were allies on the transport ship.
Their powerful group attracted more cultivators to join for protection which created a false sense of security and might.
From the outside, one would see a group of twenty to thirty students of the qi spirit and body stages relaxing and enjoying themselves.
But…
There was one detail about the scene that did not seem to be quite right.
A mysterious girl was walking quietly by each student in the area and reaching down to pick up their weapons right off their bodies.
She would also stop and search their bags for any useful supplies before taking them out and placing them in her spatial storage ring.
There seemed to be something strange about the situation as no attention was drawn to the girl's actions as her victims would continue laughing and chatting as if nothing had occurred.
One student got up suddenly and bumped into the girl, but he just looked around in confusion as the girl just moved pass him without hesitation.
She moved almost like a phantom with her feet seemingly dancing through the camping area in a specific pattern of movement.
The girl was of average height with beautiful dark black hair, a slender physique and thick glasses that covered her eyes.
Her face seemed to be shrouded in a white fog- like mist that caused any person that viewed her figure to immediately struggle to recall what she looked like.
"Damn….it seems like I've already pushed the limit of the storage capacity of this ring," Qiana spoke with a frown.
Even though she did not control the volume of her tone, it was like none of the cultivators nearby could hear the words that she spoke.
Qiana gave a small sigh and picked up as many weapons as she could before abruptly leaving the area without a sound.
House Abazin always stood by their principal philosophy that protected their noble lineage for generations.
The greatest strength…. was to accomplish your goal without confrontations. To be as silent as a shadow but to cast your influence in the darkness.
Ten minutes passed before cries of shock and anger rang out from the forest but Qiana had disappeared to find another group of victims.
Several unlucky teams would be having a sleepless night ahead of them.
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