Survival to Godhood 31 Leo vs. Hiro

"Good morning Hiro."

"Glad to see you looking better."

Hiro motioned Leo to follow him. Walking through the metal ship impressed him. This entire vessel was all built by humans. It reminded Leo of the beastmen's spaceship but had a more rustic feel.

"Here is the mess hall. Let us eat first then I will show you around the castle."

"Castle?"

"Oh yeah, that is the name of the boat we are on. It is called the Bloodstone Castle."

Leo sat down with Hiro and enjoyed a simple porridge for breakfast. Lucy came into the mess hall and smiled upon seeing Hiro and Leo. She grabbed a plate quickly and sat down with them.

"Lucy, don't sit so close to Leo. Give the boy some breathing room."

"Hmmph." She retorted, but still slid over on the bench her and Leo were sharing.

"Like I was saying Leo, this ship is a cruiser. Us knight uses this as our home base. There are five ships in total as of now. The two battleships are named Archangel and Demon. The destroyer is named Impaler after Reiners great ancestor. The last ship an old boat called an oil tanker. The tanker changed into our civilian ship. It is named the Life-giver. It holds the humans not part of navy or Knights."

"Sounds like you have a lot of humans here?"

"Yeah, we have about 200 civilians, 900 sailors, and 11 knights including you."

"There is no one cuter than me though," Lucy said.

"She only gets away with everything because our leader the Fleet Admiral is her father."

"Hmmph. Leave papa of this."

This relaxed conversation reminded him of the times he was with Joe, Samantha, and Shadow. He didn't even know if any of them were dead or alive. He knew he had to go back when he was stronger and find them or revenge them.

"Leo why the serious expression?" Hiro remarked.

"Nothing, just thinking about the past."

"I understand. I lost my entire village to a fish monster. If the Renegades didn't show up, I'd be dead too."

"I guess we both rescued by them."

"True."

"You two know I'm still here too," Lucy said puffing her face.

Leo and Hiro chuckled. They finished their food and Hiro continued his tour. The two them showed Leo the entire ship. The arms room, the hanger, the communications room, and the top deck of the boat.

Looking out, Leo only saw an endless blue ocean. The twinkling of the sun on the water blinded him, but he kept staring outward. This was a sight he never saw before.

"How far does the ocean reach?"

"Pretty far. We are currently in the dead middle of this one. There are five vast oceans on earth."

"Hiro, Papa said he wants to meet Leo."

"Well Leo, you heard her. Let's head to the Bridge."

Walking into the Bridge of the ship Leo saw many sailors. A helmsman was steering while the Fleet Admiral sat behind him.

"Hey, Papa we are here."

The man called Papa stood up and looked at the three who entered. The old man with blonde hair and wrinkles that showed his age. The grey in his hair and beard gave him a dignified air. The medals on his chest sparkled, and Leo knew this man was a true leader.

"Thank you, Lucy. Thunder Knight." Mr. Nightengale nodded towards Hiro. "This must be our new knight. I heard your name is Leo."

"My full name is Leonardo, Sir." Leo felt like he was meeting the king of the human race.

"Ah, good name. Good name. So, Leo, you have decided to join us, have you. Good. You are given the rank of Captain 3rd Class and the title Panthera Knight. Do you accept to serve the Renegades faithfully?"

Leo thought about his purpose to repair Sprite and answered. "Yes. Yes, Sir."

"Alright then, you are assigned to Team Thunder. Hiro is your superior. My daughter will also be joining you. Two days from today, you three will embark on the mission Lightning Heist. Hiro the details will be delivered to you later."

"Yes, Sir."

"You three are dismissed." Hiro and Leo left, but Lucy stayed behind. The stern face of the Fleet Admiral turned into that of a father. "What do you want now?"

"Ah Papa, I don't want nothing."

"Oh silly girl, I know you better than you know yourself. You want something for that boy, Leonardo, don't you?"

"I just want to be allowed in the artifact room."

"Why do you want to go in there? None of the artifacts accepted you."

"I just want to look around, Papa."

"Lieutenant."

"Yes, Sir."

"Escort Lucy to the artifact room, here's the key." The Fleet Admiral gave his key to the sailor, and the man escorted Lucy to the room. Thinking about it, this is the first time he saw Lucy show so must interest in a boy. She followed Hiro a lot as a kid but grew out of that quickly. "I will ask her later," he told himself.

Walking back down below deck, Hiro said, "Leo, want to stretch your legs and head to the training room?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

Moving towards the center of the ship a large metal re-enforced room was built. Leo looked around, and it reminded him of the cells he had been imprisoned in.

"Here we are. I want to see what you are capable of doing. I won't use my sword. You will use your fist to let me know all I need."

Something felt weird to Leo. "Oh yeah, at this moment Sprite would tell him the power level or some warning," Leo thought to himself.

"Lightning Fist." The punch connected and Leo slammed into the wall. "Don't zone out when fighting Leo."

Picking himself up, he knew that Hiro barely used any strength and the punch was still at Peak Mana Fighter. That told Leo he was at least a Core Builder realm.

"Rock Stomp." Kicking the ground the vibrations flung him forward. "Ascending Sun!" The yang mana uppercut came quickly because he propelled himself forward.

Hiro blocked it with his palm. A loud *thump* was heard. "Kaze Kick." Hiro twisted his right leg while holding Leo's fist. His leg connected and launched Leo tumbling.

Leo was getting up when a Lightning Fist punched him in face throwing him into the wall again.

"Leo you make an excellent punching bag for me," Hiro said making fun of him.

Leo got up wobbly. He tried to get his breath under control. Without any earth, weapon, or sprite Leo felt helpless. He used to be confident in facing stronger opponents, but right now he realized he was weakling.

Without even thinking of a strategy he charged at Hiro. He jumped into the air and yelled, "Descending Moon!"

"Lightning Fist." The punch blocked Leo's kick. "Kaze Kick." Then the next attack landed on Leo's hip throwing him into the wall.

Hiro looked over a little disappointed. Was this the fearless warrior he saw in the arena? Each attack felt weak and not calculated. What would happen during the mission if he fought like this? Hiro looked over and saw Leo knocked unconscious.

Pressing the intercom, he said, "this is Hiro in the training room. Send a medic."

Chapter end