Seven Elements
Posted In Orphanage

Wuss! The knife was thrown from the maid's hand, right towards Rhys' back, before darting right over Zaid's black hair.

Rhys could feel the wind behind him, he flipped over the body, caught the knife with one hand, and threw it back right into the maid's face. Zaid had already evaded.

The maid caught him again, the tip of the blade almost pierced the middle of his face. He then teleported.

The maid appeared right behind Rhys, her knife-wielding hand already in midair, about to stab Rhys in the back neck.

However, Rhys stomped his feet, jumping far away with the help of the wind, the blade hit the empty air. Then Rhys who was still in the air turned around while landing, followed by his hand which was enveloped in a green aura, he let out a stance. On each sidelines of his fingers appeared a wooden kunai(¹), he swung both hands to the side, throwing 8 kunai at once, attacking him back.

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Footnote (not below, anyway):

In accordance with its title 'Seven Elements'. The elements in this story are water, fire, ice, lightning, wind, earth, and plants. While the roots, leaves, wood, and something that is part of the plant, or includes plants, are categorized into plant elements. So wood is not one of the elements here.

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The maid let out a quite strong wind-like stance, the 8 kunai flying towards her turned in different directions.

You notice from the top, the 8 kunai are stuck in 8 different points, forming 8 cardinal directions with the helper as the center.

In the eight kunai it grew a dark green root that quickly extended, creeping, about to bind the maid that was right in the middle.

Unexpectedly Rhys, the maid came forward, catching one root that was about to bind her from the front, while the other seven roots missed, instead binding each other.

"Thank you!" exclaim that maid.

The helper pulls the root, the kunai at the end of the root that sticks to the floor of the board is attracted and loose. The maid then swung the kunai root, using it as a weapon.

He continued to swing his ancient roots to and fro, sometimes approaching, sometimes moving away, the kunai roots seemed to have melded with him, making Rhys unable to get close, just dodging and dodging.

The two continued to fight freely because the stone-walled room was spacious, 20×20 square meters. The sky reached 10 meters.

Zaid was already standing on the outskirts, watching the two dueling in the distance. He looked around for a moment, thinking the room was strange; it was spacious, stone-walled, with a real wooden floor, but it was empty, completely empty.

This should be the living room, Zaid thought, but it can't be this big. This place is empty, nothing.

The seven kunai roots that were binding to each other suddenly disappeared, Rhys had already reabsorbed the plant magic energy that he formed into the roots and kunai earlier. But, the kunai root grasped by the maid did not disappear.

Looks like, Rhys thought, he had already first channeled his plant magic energy into the kunai root I formed, that's why when I reabsorbed my energy, then, the kunai root he held did not disappear because there was still his plant magic energy.

Zaid looked back at the fight between the two, until he was saturated. He sat down and leaned his back against the stone wall.

"Hhhhhhhh, my God, it's been half an hour they've been fighting" muttered Zaid, "but I can't be sure who will win." Zaid also sighed. He's really bored.

"No one will win, son." Zaid could hear the voice of the wet hoarse grandfathers. The voice was not loud, but close to him.

Zaid turned his head to the side and found the old dwarf who was also sitting next to him, he was a little shocked. "When have you been here?"

"since half an hour ago, I'm sorry to surprise you, son," the old dwarf replied without allowing a glance. Focus on the spectacle.

"Oh, it's okay." Zaid scratched his non-itchy head. "But, by the way, why did you say 'no one will win'?"

"Hmmm... You see for yourself, son, does the expression of the two seem serious?"

Zaid watched Rhys and the maid's expression closely, in fact, the faces of the two of them only looked 'slightly serious' not really serious.

Zayd thought for a moment. "Hmmm.I guess, they were both quite serious in the fight, but I saw both of them as having no intention at all to injure or let alone kill the opponent. Each of the two seemed to think their fight was just a fight or a competition. Determine win-lose without injuring or killing intentionally."

"Yep, more or less like that," said the old dwarf. "Even this fight is just a joke, son. Not a match like you said. What is a match for if there is no prize? They do it sometimes, consider it an exercise."

"Receive this!" Seru. In between the fingers of the servant's hand formed an ice kunai, he then threw it towards Rhys, making it again, throwing it again, continuously up to 8 times. A total of 64 ice kunai flew towards Rhys, queuing up to stab him.

Rhys released ground energy, damming it into a thick earth wall, protecting it from the waves of ice kunai.

On the other hand, the maid also continued to send wave after wave of ice kunai that bit by bit destroyed the earthen wall protecting Rhys.

Rhys who had taken refuge behind the earthen wall clung his hands to the wall, and drained the earth energy, and, 

the maid sent the package of ice kunai continuously; Rhys also continued to reject the 'package', he continued to repair the wall of the land. 'The 'Courier' and 'buyer' kept sending and resisting for up to 5 minutes.

"Is the man's hand not sore?" Chirps Zaid. He saw the maid keep swinging her hands alternately for the last 5 minutes, throwing an ice-kunai that she formed between her fingers.

"Where do I know. I don't care" said the old dwarf.

Zaid looked to the side. "Oh, yeah, actually, who's this grandpa? Why could it be here? And also that person, who is that person?"

Oh, sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Oako."

"Eco?" Zaid misheard because, the old dwarf's voice is less clear.

"Ahoa!"the dwarf was a little upset. "I am Oako, the maid in this house who is fighting there is Master Zhang Xiao, my master"

"Oh," said Zaid. He thought for a moment. "meaning Master Zhang is what Father actually meant by him?" He refers to Rhys as his father, as Rhys ordered on the street.

"'Dad'? Rhys your father?"

"Oh, e. He's my foster father" said Zaid.

Apparently he knew Uncle Rhys, Zaid thought.

"Oh, no, no, no!" muttered Oako the dwarf. As if chanting, he repeated the word 'no' for another 10 times a bit faster than the previous one.

feeling that Oako is strange, Zaid asked, "What's wrong with you? Why do you keep saying 'no'?"

"son," said Oako, "Do you know what this place is?"

"no," replied Zaid shortly.

"this is Orphanage, son."

Hearing the words of the orphanage, Zaid immediately understood. Maybe I'll be put in the Orphanage, Zaid thought, but maybe Uncle Rhys has a plan behind all this.

Seeing Zaid's displeased expression, Oako continued saying 'no' anymore.

Zaid did not care whether he would be entrusted or not, he focused on watching.

Zhang Xiao still continued to form ice kunai 4 after 4 and threw it, but there was something different, unbeknownst to Rhys who was behind his wall, Zhang Xiao threw two kunai forward, and he threw the two kunai forward, the other two kunai Iya threw horizontally upwards, then he teleported, dzing.

Hearing the sound of teleportation, Rhys turned back, like he was ready to fend off. But he didn't see anyone.

It turned out that Zhang Xiao was exactly 7 meters above the Rhys, he teleported over the kunai he had just thrown, using it as a pedestal. Zhang Xiao controlled the wind so that he would not fall quickly, he kicked a kunai that was his pedestal above, now, one kunai was shot horizontally from top to bottom, darted past Rhys' left ear from behind and stuck it on the floor of the board.

"You won" Rhys said without turning around. His gaze was fixed on the kunai earlier.

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

Zhang Xiao who was in the air landed slowly with the help of the wind, then Zhang Xiao removed the white cloth covering his head, revealing his partially gray hair. He also took off the mask on his face that was exactly like a female face, revealing his real face; his eyes were narrow, his skin was slightly wrinkled white, his eyebrows as well as his mustache and beard were fused to look thick, some were gray, some were already gray, just like her hair.

Zhang Xiao cleaned his clothes that were slightly dirty by the dust, then cupped his hands. "As always you are alert and not easily deceived, it is an honor to see you again, Mr. Rhys."

"I have one request," Rhys said as he turned around. He decided to go straight to his goal.

Although it seemed disrespectful, Zhang Xiao paid no heed. "What's that?" Zhang Xiao said. He knew Rhys was not into pleasantries, so just said 'what is that?'.

"Please take care of the boy." Rhys turned his head then pointed at Zaid a few meters there who was immediately shocked, as well as Oako next to him.

As expected, Oako's mind, she looked at Zaid. Zaid's expression looked flat.

"Train him a little harder than the others" Rhys said. "Next year I'm going to enroll him in a magic academy. I hope he passes the selection. About who he is, who his parents are, where and so on just ask the child.

"Alright," Zhang Xiao said.

"I'm saying goodbye." Rhys cupped his hands, then he walked towards the door, opened it and left.

While Zaid, he did not expect to be entrusted. I don't care if I have to stay here, Zaid thought, but what kind of people are here, I don't know, hmm?

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...