Rise Of The Anti God

"Good morning, children. Everyone, lineup." Shania spoke as they entered the field.

Damien saw more than fifty kids whose ages ranged from seven years to youngsters around seventeen years.

"Aunty Shania!! Good morning!" Some of the kids shouted in excitement while the youngsters bowed deeply with respect. They quickly fell in line as they stood in an ordered fashion before Shania.

Damien noticed that despite how powerful Shania was, it seemed as if she interacted with the kids frequently and had a close relationship with them.

Usually, powerhouses would be too stuck up and arrogant that they would think it was beneath them even to talk or look at people with inferior cultivations or status.

But if one saw the way Shania was interacting with the children, they wouldn't believe that she was a Peak Level Heaven Ethereal Realm practitioner.

Now he could see from where some of Triton's nature was coming from.

Shania smiled with a warm expression and said, "Ahaha, you are all quite energetic today. Well, that's good since you all will be having a new teacher to teach you alchemy and weapons training." 

She pointed towards Damien and continued, "Though this young man here is only seventeen years old, he is very talented and an Elite disciple of the Xeton Ethereal Foundation who volunteered to join our cause."

'Volunteered? More like bribed…' Damien wryly chuckled inwardly, but he was grateful that Shania didn't make him look bad. She could have said that the Forsaken took considerable efforts to recruit him or something.

But she made it sound as if he was too kind to sit still and watch the injustice going on in the empire.

Everyone let out loud gasps of astonishment, and they knew some of the people in the Forsaken were tied to the Xeton Empire in some way or the other. Otherwise, it would have been too hard for the Forsaken to gain inside information.

But they had never seen such a young Elite disciple who was going to become their teacher.

They all knew how prestigious an Elite disciple's status was, and they were more grateful to Damien for sacrificing all that to join their cause. 

After all, those working or involved with the Xeton Empire in another identity would have to always stay vigilant and risk their lives.  If, by some chance, they were exposed, then their life was not the only thing they were going to lose.

Even their families won't be left alone, and everyone related to them would be tried and executed.

At the same time, had they not been involved with the Forsaken, they could have lived a comfortable and respectful life for the rest of their lives. So the children were informed by their parents or others, the sacrifices the main fighters in the Forsaken make to protect them.

Shania went on, "But the most amazing thing is that he is a Lighting practitioner!"

Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment, and their eyes sparkled as they gazed at Damien.

Some young girls and boys shouted in excitement, "Big Brother….ah, sorry, Master Damien, can you show us some lightning?"

"Yes, yes, Master Damien, pleeeeaseee…" An eight-year-old girl earnestly asked as she looked up at him."

Most of the kids joined in and eagerly asked as they had only heard legends of a Lightning practitioner who lived thousands of years ago. They heard stories of how the world would rumble under his might and how his lightning could strike and destroy his enemies as if they were receiving retribution from the heavens.

Even the youngsters were looking at Damien with expectant gazes as they were inwardly excited to see the prowess of a practitioner with the mystical Lightning seed.

Damien smiled in amusement and seeing these energetic kids reminded him of some events in his previous life where he would visit schools and colleges to have a talk, and they would, in the same way, request him to show his prowess.

But those times, he would be standing before tens of thousands of students or maybe even more. Compared to that, he felt that these kids numbering more than fifty were just perfect for him to interact with.

He said as he waved his hands, "Okay, okay, everyone settle down. I will show you."

He subtly activated Undying Wrath and raised his palm. If he wanted to display his prowess, he would obviously make sure to put in a decent effort.

*Crackle*

Bright purple lightning streaks danced in his palm and soon spread over his entire body, engulfing him in purple lighting.

"Woahhhhhhh…." The mouths of the kids went wide in amazement, and even the ones who looked cold and reticent couldn't take their eyes off from the mystical Lightning streaks shimmering all over Damien.

"It's so pretty and beautiful…" Some of the girls mumbled in a dazed fashion. In their eyes, Damien looked like a Lightning Prince who was sent to the mortal plane by the heavens.

Even Shania found it intriguing to look at such radiant lightning streaks. Even if she was a powerhouse, just like others, this sight was new to her, and seeing it up close was a new experience for her.

She wondered what Damien's true origins were and didn't believe that it was simply by luck he was born with a Lightning seed.

The others could feel the power seething through those beautiful lightning streaks and knew that they must be deadly enough to scorch the earth.

After seeing Damien's lightning up close, every one of them wished they had a Lightning seed. They imagined the things they could do if they had one and be as impressive as Damien.

He dispersed his lightning as he said, "Now that you all have seen them, why don't we start the alchemy class?"

"Ahhh...we want to see moaaaree!" Their excited expressions deflated as Damien dispersed his lightning. 

"Alchemy is boring…" Some mumbled with dispirited expressions.

"Boring? Who taught you alchemy before this?" Damien asked in simple curiosity.

One of the kids spoke up, "It was Master Drake. He is too scary and…"

"Scary? Is that how you speak of someone who imparted you with precious knowledge?" A disgruntled voice sounded from the side, and Damien saw Drake coming over with an irate expression.

The kid who spoke up shrunk backward, and so did most of them when they saw Drake.

'Seems like someone doesn't know how to teach people but only knows to scare them.' Damien could guess how Drake taught students.

Drake turned to look at Shania and said in a dissatisfied tone, "Aunty Shania, this was supposed to be my class. How is it fair to suddenly hand over the class to a newcomer?"

Shania sighed and said, "Drake, it's not up to me. Master Triton ordered this, and he must have had a good reason."

Drake furrowed his brows, "Does that mean I am not fit to teach them? I am an already passed out Elite graduate of the Xeton Ethereal Foundation. Master Triton must have been mistaken somehow. Otherwise, he wouldn't have replaced a first-year newbie with me."

Before Shania could reply, Damien stepped in as he smirked, "Do you think age equals knowledge? Age is not a measure of knowledge or wisdom. If I see a hundred-year-old person and have something to teach them, I will teach them. If I meet an eight-year-old boy and he has something to teach me, I will learn. Don't let the age of a person fool you. I am sure, as an Elite disciple who graduated from the Xeton Ethereal Foundation should have understood that. Or am I wrong?"

Shania had an expression of praise as she heard his words. She felt that Triton's decision to make Damien a teacher was not without reason.

Drake's lips twitched as he stared menacingly at Damien, "A nobody who came from the Rong Empire wants to teach me? What do you know of alchemy even before you joined the Xeton Ethereal Foundation? I was tutored by the best alchemy experts in the empire from the age of seven. I bet you couldn't even find one of these experts in the Rong Empire. No, as far as I have heard, even Rank 5 alchemists could only be spotted once in a blue moon."

Drake was annoyed that someone junior to him wanted to question his knowledge so brazenly.

Damien faintly smiled, "You are right. Our Rong Empire doesn't have many experts in any field, nor did I even have an alchemy teacher to guide me. I got by because of my own hard work and persistence. I had to learn everything by myself and through trial and error. But still, I somehow made it till here. Just because one learns something without having access to resources doesn't mean they can't learn it. The only limitations in learning any field are something you decide."

A few meters away, an exceptionally handsome young man was listening to their conversation, especially Damien's words, as he slowly walked towards them.