Combat class.
Those two words alone were enough to make the entire academy vibrate with excitement. This wasn't theory. This wasn't diagrams or bullshit power charts. This was where reputations were made, shattered, or permanently written into legend.
The arena was massive—open-air, layered with barrier formations, reality anchors, spatial locks, and about twelve different "please don't destroy the planet" enchantments.
Students were buzzing.
This was their playground.
For me?
This was a crime scene waiting to happen.
"Instructor's rules are simple," the combat teacher barked, a scarred veteran whose aura screamed I survived five wars and I'm still pissed about it. "Pairs will spar. No killing. No permanent damage. Barriers are active. If I say stop, you stop."
Yeah. Sure. Love that optimism.
Names started getting called.
"Minato Sato — Aoto Tanaka!"
Cheers.
Shockwaves.
Lightning crackled.
"Chiyo Watanabe — Charlet Frost!"
People screamed like they were watching gods descend.
Every pair was hype. Balanced. Flashy. Carefully selected.
Then…
"Lane White."
The entire arena went quiet.
I felt it instantly—that subtle oh-shit ripple through the crowd. People leaned forward. Some backed away. A few idiots started whispering prayers.
I swallowed.
"Paired with…" the instructor paused, checking the tablet.
And that pause?
That pause was evil.
"…Kurokami Rei."
The world stopped.
No cheers.
No screams.
Just pure, primal fear.
I turned.
And saw her.
Long black hair falling past her waist.
Red eyes—flat, cold, empty.
No smile. No expression. No visible emotion at all.
She wore the academy PE uniform like it was a funeral outfit. On her back?
A katana.
Not ceremonial.
Not decorative.
The kind of blade that remembers blood.
Around us, students were already praying.
"I'm sorry," someone whispered.
"Lane's dead."
"That's the Black Killer…"
"She once knocked out a senior by looking at him."
I heard someone sob.
Her presence was… wrong.
Her mana and spiritual energy weren't just high—they were compressed. Refined. Heavy. Like standing next to a star on the verge of collapse.
People said she rivaled the Six Heavenly Stars.
Others said she rivaled the headmaster.
Rumors claimed she'd been offered a place on the Student Council.
She rejected it.
Offered the highest class.
Rejected.
Reason?
"Irrelevant."
She didn't care about ranks. Titles. Fame.
She just wanted to fight.
And now she was walking toward me.
Slow. Calm. Silent.
I was sweating bullets.
Teacher, I screamed internally, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!
She stopped a few meters away.
Red eyes locked onto me.
For a second, the entire arena felt like it was holding its breath.
"…You're Lane White," she said.
Her voice was flat. Emotionless. Almost bored.
"Y-Yeah," I replied. "That's… that's me."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You don't feel like anything."
I forced a laugh. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
The instructor coughed. "Match will begin in ten seconds. Non-lethal engagement only."
Rei's hand rested on the hilt of her katana.
The blade hummed.
Not with mana.
Not with spiritual energy.
But with intent.
"Tell me," she said quietly, eyes never leaving mine. "Are you hiding your power?"
I hesitated.
If I said no, she'd attack full force.
If I said yes, she'd attack harder.
"…Define power," I said carefully.
For the first time—
Just the faintest twitch.
The corner of her lips moved.
Not a smile.
But interest.
"Good," she said. "At least you're honest."
The countdown echoed.
Three.
The crowd leaned back.
Two.
The barriers flared brighter.
One.
"Begin!"
Rei moved.
She didn't dash.
She didn't charge.
She simply disappeared.
And reappeared right in front of me, katana already drawn, blade inches from my throat.
The air split.
Space screamed.
Students gasped.
The instructor's eyes widened.
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
The blade stopped.
Frozen.
Less than a centimeter from my skin.
Rei frowned.
"…What?"
Her katana was shaking.
Not from resistance.
But because reality around me refused to let it move closer.
I sighed.
"Yeah… this is why people pray."
I gently raised two fingers and pushed the blade aside.
No force.
No energy.
Just denial.
Rei jumped back instantly, eyes wide for the first time.
The arena erupted.
"What the hell was that?!"
"She stopped Rei barehanded!"
"No mana spike! No spiritual fluctuation!"
The instructor whispered, "Impossible…"
Rei stared at me.
Not with killing intent.
But something far more dangerous.
Curiosity.
"…You're not weak," she said.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Neither are you."
She slowly sheathed her katana.
"This fight," she said calmly, "is no longer a mismatch."
She looked directly at me.
"It's interesting."
And for some reason?
That scared me more than the blade ever did.