The following day, the arena was not merely a battlefield; it was a stage for the display of supreme powers. Rion sat in the stands, his eyes tracking every movement with clinical precision, thinking to himself:
(Let's see how those who sit at the peak of the pyramid—the elites of the upper classes—truly fight.)
Nearby, in the seats reserved for the elite (Class S), Alex sat with her usual elegance. Catching sight of Rion, a friendly smile broke through the tense atmosphere:
"Hello, Rion."
Rion replied curtly:
"Hello."
"And why so distant?" she asked playfully. Before he could utter a response, she waved her hand through the air. Rion suddenly felt gravity abandon him; his body rose and was pulled smoothly through the air until he settled into the seat right next to her.
He looked at her with suppressed astonishment:
"Why did you do that?"
She replied, adjusting her posture:
"Because the one fighting now is Amani, and I thought you'd be good company to watch her with. The view of the fight is clearer from here, isn't it?"
He shrugged with feigned indifference:
"Fine... as you wish."
Amani Walter and Atsuri Rika stepped into the combat zone. Amani looked like a knight stepped out of legend; her dark black armor accentuated her sleek frame, and in her hand was the legendary spear "Viin," its purple blade pulsing with a mysterious energy. Atsuri, meanwhile, was wrapped in an eerie calm, gripping the blade "Faizon," from which cracks of blue mana emanated.
Alex asked Rion curiously:
"In your opinion, who will settle this encounter?"
Rion thought for a few seconds before answering:
"I think it will be Amani."
Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise:
"Really? Intuition or analysis?"
"I don't know... just a feeling," he said, shifting his gaze back to the arena.
Alex laughed confidently:
"Your bet is a losing one, Rion. The winner will be Atsuri. Not because Amani is weaker, but because she is far too kind... she hates causing pain, and she can be quite foolish in judging situations."
The fight began. Atsuri lunged like a biting wind, using air currents to accelerate his blade. The strikes of "Faizon" were so fast they left echoes in reality. In contrast, Amani parried the attacks with breathtaking fluidity; her spear "Viin" tore through mana barriers with ease, yet she remained strictly on the defensive.
Rion commented as he watched:
"Atsuri relies entirely on his weapon and speed, while Amani possesses an absolute defense... but she isn't attacking."
"Exactly," Alex agreed, "Amani has the power to crush him, but she lacks the will."
Suddenly, in an unexpected turn, the duel ended with Amani dropping her spear and suffering a sudden defeat.
Rion's eyes widened:
"What? That fast?"
Alex murmured sadly:
"That's Amani for you... always finding an excuse to lose and avoid hurting her opponent."
The two combatants ascended to the stands. Atsuri was fuming with rage:
"When are you going to get serious? Is this a fight worthy of an S-rank?"
Amani replied with an irritating coolness as she polished her armor:
"I told you, the spear slipped from my hand... do I control the laws of friction now?"
Atsuri exhaled in frustration:
"Slipped?! What a pathetic excuse!"
Alex stepped in to de-escalate:
"That's enough, Atsuri... let's welcome our new companion, Rion Grein."
Atsuri looked on in surprise:
"When did he join Class S?"
Amani replied cheerfully as she approached Rion:
"Wow! A handsome new boy? This is much better than seeing Yuya's arrogant face every day!"
Alex laughed:
"No, he's not one of us yet. I'm the only one who invited him."
Amani said with mock disappointment:
"What a shame..." She then grabbed Rion's hand with a wide smile: "How about I pull some strings with Dalia for you? She loves me and wouldn't say no to a request of mine!"
Atsuri shouted:
"It's not that simple, Amani! Stop acting like a child!"
Alex sighed, looking toward the sky:
"This is our reality... constant bickering and empty boasting. I don't know how we're supposed to protect this island with such a lack of focus."
Rion asked her quietly:
"How old are you all?"
Alex thought for a moment:
"Amani and I are twenty-three, Atsuri is twenty-four, and the absent boy, Yuya, is twenty-one."
Atsuri withdrew in anger, while Amani asked Rion about his plans for the break.
"I'll be staying at the Academy," Rion replied.
"As for me, the sea is calling," said Amani, while Alex preferred to wander through the city of "Kenimar." They departed, leaving Rion alone. He gazed at the sky through the glass ceiling, a vague sense of danger gnawing at his chest.
Meanwhile, Headmistress Dalia's official car was making its way toward the Council headquarters. Instructor Iris was watching the road with unwarranted anxiety.
"Madam... don't you feel this heaviness? As if a dark aura is hovering around us?"
Dalia replied with steady calm:
"I feel nothing."
"Strange... I have a feeling that something hideous is about to happen."
Dalia smiled with certainty:
"Even if it does, I trust my students... especially Rion. He has the survival instinct we need."
The next morning, silence reigned in the library. Rion sat across from Mira, who was immersed in a fairy tale about a rabbit carrying a pocket watch.
"A nice story," Rion remarked, "as for me, I'm reading about a boy who transported to another world."
They talked for a moment, but suddenly, Rion slammed his book shut. He stood tall and headed toward the window, his features turning sharp as a blade.
"What's wrong, Rion?" Mira asked anxiously.
"Maybe I'm imagining things... or..."
CRASH!
A terrifying explosion rocked the Academy to its foundations. Glass shattered and columns of smoke billowed from the neighboring district. Without hesitation, Rion leapt from the window, surrendering his body to gravity in a terrifying freefall before landing heavily and bolting toward the source of the sound.
Mira screamed:
"Wait, Rion!" She then ran toward the stairs, cursing her luck: "Dammit! I'm not reckless like you... wait for me!"
In the public market, Instructor Manata was joking with Instructor Toby about the price of apples, before the explosion turned laughter into screams of terror. They ran toward the devastated square, and they wished they hadn't.
Amidst the dust stood a monstrosity they had never seen before. It was hulking, with deep purple skin and oval eyes radiating madness. Its long purple hair fluttered behind it as it gripped a poor civilian, licking the body with demonic brutality, face covered in blood.
"Stop!" Manata screamed, activating her mana shield and attacking, but the strike vanished against its skin as if it were nothing.
Toby rushed to help, but with a single movement, the monster hurled him violently, crashing him into the ground and shattering his bones. Manata rushed to treat him, screaming:
"Toby! We have to protect the people first!"
At that critical moment, Rion arrived. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes taking in the bloody scene: the two instructors collapsed, and the monster laughing amidst the corpses with a terrifying grin. The real nightmare had begun.