Chapter 104: The Black Reaper Corps
Time had passed, and on this very day, Zoro, Kageha, and Kuroha were returning to the sect from a particular mission with wounds all over their bodies. Kageha looked at Zoro and couldn't help but speak about something that had been on his mind.
"Zoro Aniki… I think that it's time that we all rested for a bit. We've had a few close calls these days while piling on injuries, ya know. More than that, I think it's time that you also ask the others for more aid, especially with this particular thing recently…"
Zoro paused and then looked back at Kageha with sharp eyes. Kageha couldn't help but fall back a bit with lowered eyes. Kuroha, on the other hand, marched in front of her twin brother and walked up to Zoro, staring him in the eyes.
"Kage nii-chan speaks truth, Aniki. It's best not to move irresponsibly, lest you worry the others. Also, you know that they all would gladly help us if we ask."
Zoro at that moment couldn't help but waver for a while.
Zoro, while generally cold and callous to outsiders, was a lot softer to those people he called comrades, but even he still placed them in categories. Elton stood at the pinnacle in his heart as his best friend. Christy was similarly so, though he recognized her more as Elton's woman, whether they said it or not. While he hated to admit it, Ramiro was pretty much almost on the same level as the former two.
Everyone else overall were just friends, even though he was somewhat distant towards them.
Then there were these two twins…
Kageha and Kuroha were little kids from his past who similarly went through terrible things regarding experiments, but they got off much easier. During a certain time period, it was Zoro, with the help of various others in the church, who secretly aided him in releasing a lot of the so-called secret slaves and experiments. Due to this, it was impossible to capture them all and reinforce the same programming, spells, and experimentation upon them, thus how the twins were a part of the group that was able to move about so freely.
Zoro initially didn't care too much for them. No, to be honest, he did care for them back during the time of escape, but with time breeds new dangers, so he wasn't sure that they could be trusted. So he was cold to them, much to their frustration. He was also very vaguely aware of Kuroha's feelings towards him, but he told himself that he would not be blinded by such things. In the first place, he currently wasn't really able to with his current condition.
As more time passed and they worked together with numerous life-and-death scenarios, including as far back as the war in the Bright Blade Sect up until their battles now, Zoro could no longer deny that these twins were truly very sincere. Erica and Christy had constantly confirmed that through various magics, which to this day astonished Zoro.
Recently, they'd managed to once again kill numerous members of the Night's Light Devouring Church along with people from the Sussuri Oscuri Association, who had a secret base with kids and teens around their ages who were similarly in the midst of experimentations. There were many dead there, but the still living were in a much better state compared to even Kageha and Kuroha back then.
And after deadly trials trying to lead them to at least a somewhat safe area, those kids were brought to an area just outside of the sect. The problem was that they were uncertain what to do with them, but more than even that, there was another problem. They seemed to wish to follow Zoro as their esteemed leader. Even for him, this gave him a headache and put him in a bind since while he was cold and callous, it's not like he was heartless.
Zoro, after a small bit of silence, let out a small sigh before he raised his hand. Kuroha slightly flinched in response, but she felt a calloused palm rubbing the top of her head and then slightly down the left side of her face before he gave an answer.
"The two of you are right. Perhaps it is time that I really put more effort into actually relying on those guys."
Kuroha stood there with her face flushed, still wearing her cold expression, but it was obvious to those who knew her well enough that she was very happy. Her hands slightly trembled as she fidgeted just a little with her legs.
Energetically in sync, Kageha and Kuroha said to Zoro, "Yes, Aniki!"
The next day, the White Star Radiance group in the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect all moved to the location where Zoro said the kids were currently located. Christy was still in closed-door cultivation, so she wasn't here.
"We greet you, Zoro Aniki!!" shouted all of the children once they saw that Zoro had arrived along with the others.
Zoro just looked at them all and told them to be at ease while once again explaining the situation to Elton and the others.
"Hmm… Well then, we will begin a bit of an examination. Amberleaf. Shayleaf. Both of you enchant this room, create a double-layered barrier with sound cancellation, and grow those vines to sprout along their bodies," Erica commanded.
"Kukufufu, certainly, Erica! I will show them this Princess' might!" said Amberleaf in exaggeration.
"Yeeees! Coming right up, Sister Eri!" said Shayleaf.
The kids began to panic a bit at the turn of events, wishing to fight back before Zoro swiftly gave a command.
"You are all to be still and do as you're told. Whatever it is they're doing, you will let them."
The kids froze but were still filled with mixed emotions and uncertainty.
"Aniki, what exactly is going on? Why are they doing this?" asked Kageha in confusion, as if echoing those children's voices. They all looked over, wishing to know this answer.
"For what other reason than to root out possible spies and traitors among this group. Their numbers are too large to just probe them independently the way I've had you two constantly checked. Plus, Christy isn't here to make things easier," Zoro said with a serious face.
"Ehhh?" Both Kageha and Kuroha exchanged glances, slightly shocked, seeing that they really didn't know that they had actually been checked out so deeply. It's not like they didn't know they were being vetted, but going by Zoro and how thorough he was, there was a chance that this might have been a thing since long ago through various means. He probably never truly trusted them until Erica broke through and Christy appeared.
"Yes, it's as Big Brother Zoro has said. While I can never be like Christy and her all-incredible Aka Boshi No Tengan, I have become much more adept at using magics to delve into the psyche and check for trash. Not to mention, certain Elven Nature magics seem to also be very useful in this way! If Christy were here, things would be much faster and easier, though," Erica said with a cold yet excited expression on her face.
"Eri, please try not to go too hard on them since they are victims, after all. You too, Shay and Amber. We must also decide on their placement as well since we can't just integrate them into the sect," said Elton as he came over with a warm smile and lightly chided Erica.
"Yes, El Onyem!! I will do as you say."
In the blink of an eye, Erica's cold expression melted into that of a sweet and innocent girl, though those in the White Star Radiance paid it no mind, while the rescued kids had somewhat mixed expressions on their faces. A few of the girls in that group had understanding expressions as they looked back and forth between Elton and Zoro with secret thoughts.
"Yes, anything for Brother Elly! Alright, Amber, let's gooo!!!" said Shayleaf in glee.
"Hmph! Kufufu, I only answer to the i-incredibly h-h-handsome Brother Elton! Are you trying to boss me around or something?" said Amberleaf in her usual speeches.
Ramiro, his fangirls (?), and the others were just there watching the scene with interest and preparation, just in case something happened.
In the end, all of the children seemed to have come out clean, which made everyone, especially Elton, breathe a sigh of relief. Later, with authorization from the sect, they were able to buy housing in a nearby area under the sect's jurisdiction.
The children overall were already forcefully trained in martial arts imparted to them by the Church, along with certain cultivation methods. As core disciples, Elton and friends were able to impart some of the non-restricted arts and cultivation methods of the sect to them. Kageha and Kuroha even voluntarily decided to lead them from time to time.
As time went on, they also began to go on some of the missions that Zoro went on, along with the Twins, and interestingly enough, their various skills really came in handy, whether it was darker assassinations, espionage, hunting of beasts or people, and working alongside other sects or groups within the same mission. Their growth was also incredible, as they all ranked between the Silver Tier 3 level and below with only a few of the weakest and youngest being Bronze Tier 5. There were about 18 of them in total.
After a stretch of time further into the future, this group would come to be known as White Star Radiance's Daoist Black Devil Blade's Black Reaper Corps.