Raijin, The Rank 0 of Asterisk Chapter 3

Raijin, The Rank 0 of Asterisk

Chapter 3

Memories and Void

Seidoukan Academy

Auditorium

All the students of Seidoukan Academy were in the auditorium. All the doors were locked and there
were armed men standing guard outside.

“These guys… they’re pretty serious.” Hikaru muttered as he, Arashi and Claudia all stood up.
Immediately, a bullet tore through the glass and hit Hikaru in the arm.

He grunted in pain as some of the students screamed in fear while Arashi and Claudia immediately
looked at his injury in shock.

Hikaru then knelt down while putting his hands up in surrender. 

He crawled on all fours towards one of the walls where big white cardboards were kept along with
marker pens and wrote in big letters and displayed the message from one of the open windows.

The message read, A few students will check the other students for any injury and treat them if
needed. We request that you do not shoot at us.

Nothing happened for a few moments before a powerful red laser light fell on the cardboard, burning
holes on it. The laser light stopped after some time and Hikaru turned it around.

We will not shoot as long as you don’t make any sudden movements.

“Good.” He stood up slowly and said, “Arashi, Claudia, stand up slowly. The snipers will not shoot at
us as long as we don’t make any sudden movements.”

“Are you alright, Hikaru?” Arashi asked.

“Yeah. This is nothing. As long as I remove the bullet, the wound will heal in a few hours.”

Hikaru then said loudly, “Everyone. Is there anyone who is injured? If you are, no matter how small,
raise your hand. If there is anyone who can administer first aid, I want you to stand up, very slowly. No
sudden movements.”

Slowly, about 3 dozen students stood up and many hands went up.

After coordinating the students, Hikaru and Arashi stood at the head of the group before sinking to the
floor.

“Hey, your arm is still not fine.”

“Give me a hand.” Hikaru slowly coated his hand with Prana and then sent his Prana to his left arm.

Electricity coated his left arm. “It’s temporarily numb.”

Hikaru then slowly removed the bullet from his left arm and held it in the palm of his right hand. He
observed the bullet closely and levitated it a bit.

“These guys, they’re experts.”

“Huh?”

“Look at it closely.” Hikaru said.

“Hard to do with the blood covering it.” Arashi said.

“Yeah. But I saw it. The bullets, they don’t have any symbols or markings or any make or model
number or anything. Nothing which will identify it. We can’t trace it back to anybody.”

“And?”

“Even if they get caught, we won’t get any information, like who employed them. And I doubt they
would tell us anything if we ask them nicely.”

“Yup. So what do we do to pass the time?”

“How about-”

The door swung open with a slam and a dozen armed terrorists barged in.

Hikaru stood up slowly along with Arashi.

“Yes? What do you need?”

The apparent leader ignored the Student Council President and shouted, “This thing is big enough!
Bring them in!”

Suddenly, many female students were brought in at gunpoint, obviously scared.

“Queenvail?” Arashi questioned as he recognised the pink and white uniform.

Suddenly, both he and Hikaru ran towards the group, pushing aside the terrorists.

“Sylvie!”

Leaning on another person and walking slowly was a purple-haired girl with purple eyes. She looked
very injured and also very weak. Hikaru could make out the stains of blood on her uniform quite easily.

Arashi gently scooped here up in his arms and laid her on the floor gently, laying her on his uniform
jacket.

“What happened?! Who did this?!”

“The idiotic bitch tried to fight our leader. He didn’t even break a sweat.” The apparent leader said with
a glee-filled voice.

Hikaru kneeled next to her.

“Get me some water! Immediately!” Arashi shouted.

A bottle of water was in his hands immediately and Arashi gently put the bottle to her lips, letting her
drink the cool water slowly.

“Arashi, her injuries are severe.”

“I know! What do we do? With the level of expertise, we can’t-”

“I’ll try something. It worked previously. I’ll try a modified version of it.” Hikaru then removed his jacket
and threw it to the ground.

Arashi looked quite shocked at the scars running along the length of his arms. His T-shirt stuck to his
body while half of his arms were left uncovered.

The scars of various wounds were present on his arms. Are those scars from knife stabs?

Hikaru then took the coat and rolled up the sleeves halfway. There were pockets inside the sleeves
and something was inside them.

Hikaru then removed something from the pockets and Arashi looked at it closely.

“Hey, is that a knife?”

“Yes.”

He positioned the knife at his left arm and numbed it again. In one clean movement, the knife was
lodged inside his arm, making Arashi move to remove it, withholding a gasp.

“Are you mad?!”

“Wait.”

His left arm glowed with Prana and Hikaru moved his left hand to Sylvie’s body, hovering above her
forehead.

As he watched, her wounds started to close and heal slowly, while Hikaru panted in exhaustion. Once
her last wound closed and started to heal, Hikaru sat back and removed the knife before letting
Claudia wrap a bandage around the wound, tying it tightly.
He thanked her with a tired smile and said, “I know what you are going to say. I knew what I was doing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I tried this once already.”

“I will believe you this time then.”

Hikaru looked at the girl on the ground and said, “She is asleep. She will wake up in a few hours.”

He looked at the leader and asked, “Can you bring the teachers here? The younger students are
scared. It will reassure them. Please.”

“Fine.” He answered, a bit rudely. “Oi, get those stupid teachers here! Both the schools! Once that is
done, go outside and stand guard!”

“Y-yes sir!”

Arashi asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?!”

“Like I said. Most of the younger students are scared. Having the teachers around will reassure them.
Also, we can have them look after the students while we make plans.”

A few minutes later, the auditorium was filled with teachers and students, many of them scared out of
their wits.

Hikaru, Arashi, Claudia and Kyouko sat in a circle, Arashi glancing at Sylvia every now and then to
check on her condition.

“Kyouko-sensei, it’s better that we don’t make any moves right now.”

“We can’t stay like this forever, Narukami.”

“Yeah? If we make sudden movements, then we’re dead. I’m not getting a bullet in my arm or
anywhere near me for that matter. And we don’t know who the leader is and how powerful he is.”

Suddenly, an oppressive pressure bore down on them, making most of them fall  unconscious and the
stronger ones to still stay conscious but most of them were shaking in fear. The doors opened and a
man with an oppressive and overbearing aura stepped in.

He wore a black cloak, black gloves and boots, and a black mask covering his face.

His cold golden eyes were visible through two slits in the mask. His black hair went past his shoulders
and there was an emblem on the cloak.

The emblem of Void Order. A white void sucking in everything around it.

Hikaru started shaking uncontrollably and Arashi placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hikaru, you alright? What happened?”

Hikaru’s head was down and his hair was covering his eyes. Unnoticed by everyone, he reached for
his Orga Lux while his face twisted with anger and hatred. His hair slowly spiked up while lightning
crackled in the air. The sound of lightning crackling was clear in the silence and Hikaru stood up slowly,
stepping out of the circle and walked towards the man. He took the Narukami in his hand and
activated it, the pitch-black blade pulsing angrily with energy. The terrorists around him started to fire
at him, only for their efforts to fail. The bullets which were fired at him all stopped in mid-air and fell
down to the ground, useless.

The teen suddenly lunged at the man, his sword poised to strike.

“YOU BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU!”

The white kimono and hakama appeared again along with the black dragon. Suddenly, the teen was
blasted back by an unknown force.

A loud crash echoed as the teen was thrown into one of the steel lockers, denting them from the force.

He fell down and weakly tried to get up. The man appeared before him suddenly before kicking the
teen in the gut and the head.

“You are that brat who escaped, all those years ago. I remember you, you were frozen in fear. Your
stupid parents had to protect you.”

“D-don’t in-insult them!” Hikaru spat out weakly, along with coughing some blood.

“What will you do? You are still weak. Your parents were killed by me that day. You are still weak,
because you lack hatred. You lack resolve, boy. And you lack power. That is why you cannot harm me.
That is why you cannot touch me. You cannot stop me! You cannot stop us! You will just lay down and
die, watching as your friends, your family, everyone you care about will die. They will die and you will
be too weak to protect them. Once you are truly broken, only then will I kill you.”

The blue-haired teen fell unconscious while Arashi ran towards the teen, brushing past the man and
standing protectively before Hikaru, the Crescent Moon in his hands. 

“Leave him alone!”

“I have no use for him. I will leave him and when I break him, only then will I kill him. Until then, he will
live in fear of me.”

The man left the room, leaving many unconscious and scared students and teachers, an unconscious
and injured teen and three thoroughly confused people concerned for the blue-haired teen.

XXXXXXXXXX

Seidoukan Academy

The leader of Void Order sat at a desk, while a few others sat to his right and left, all of them wearing
black cloaks and masks.

“My lord, was it really necessary?”

“Master Reaper, who is that boy?”

“That boy is the son of our primary target. And now, an obstacle but nothing more than a weakling.”

“Then we should kill him right now.”

“Do not bother wasting time with those weaklings.” The man now known as Reaper said authoritatively.

“Yes, Master Reaper.” All of them echoed.

They discussed their plans for a long time, the dangerous plans concerning Asterisk slowly coming to
fruition.

Auditorium, Seidoukan Academy

Many of the students and teachers, who were still conscious anyway, were quite shocked and scared
at seeing the strongest student of their academy getting tossed around like a ragdoll.

“That Narukami… he was beaten like a ragdoll.”

“Who was that guy?”

“What did he talk about?’

Meanwhile, said Narukami was waking up slowly, resting against the wall.

Arashi and Sylvia were right next to him. “Hikaru!/ Hikaru-kun! Thank god you woke up!”

The teen rubbed his head, still disoriented. He tried to get up, only for Arashi to hold him down.

“Where’s he?!”

“He left. Stay down. You’re not going anywhere!”

“But!”

“You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

Hikaru seemed to recognise the tone in his voice and obeyed, slumping down against the wall. “Fine.”

“Who is he?”

Hikaru was conflicted for a few seconds before he said, “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.”

“Fine. He was the guy who fatally injured my parents. He was about to kill me but my mother stopped
him and somehow manipulated her abilities to cause an explosion. He and I were injured. My parents
died. Then he tried to send some assassins after me but I killed them while under Narukami’s control.”

“Wait, stop there. Your parents were killed or at least, almost killed by him. And he tried to kill you but
failed.”

“Yes.”

“And then he tried to have you killed afterwards but failed.”

“That’s correct.”

“And when you saw him, you lost control of your emotions and attacked him, resulting in you getting to-”

“Tossed around like a ragdoll, yes. Don’t remind me of that. I’m getting that enough from the students
whispering among themselves.”

“Sorry. But how strong is he? And his ability…”

“I guess it is to control gravity.” Hikaru said, wincing a bit as he moved.

“Gravity?” The violet-haired girl asked, confused.

“Sylvie here could not touch him. I can understand that a bit because she is not as fast as you or me.
However, even Hikaru couldn’t get a strike in.” Arashi summarised. “He was controlling gravity. Basic
physics, any two things have gravity acting between them. So he controlled the gravity between you
and him.”

“That’s right, I guess. I felt a force pushing me back when I tried to attack him. That’s the only
explanation possible.”

“Apart from telekinesis.” 

“No. Even though it is possible, in this case, Sylvie, it’s wrong. Because if he used telekinesis, then I
would feel weightless or something, not a force resisting against me. That means he used the
surroundings to stop me.”

“But I didn’t feel anything like that.”

Hikaru immediately looked up, his neck almost suffering from whiplash. “What?!”

Arashi then said, “If what you both say is true, then he has two abilities. Just like Hikaru.”

“Then it’s hard to beat him.”

“Beat him? We can’t even touch him, Hikaru.”

“I will kill him, one way or the other, Arashi.” Hikaru said with anger clear in his voice.

Any further discussion was cut off by the screen in the auditorium coming to life. The Void Order’s
emblem appeared on one of the screens while the second screen had a video feed.

“That’s us. The whole of Seidoukan Academy’s cameras, at least the parts where there are people.
These guys are professionals.”

“Arashi’s right. Look outside, at all the entrances, there are members of the Stjarnagarm. However,
they can’t enter, because the Void Order has hostages. If they even try to take one step into
Seidoukan grounds, they will start killing us. And that’s not their only plan.”

“If my guess is correct, they are trying to destroy Asterisk. And the best way to do that is-”

“Blow up the ballast tanks. Those things are the ones keeping Asterisk afloat. If the ballast tanks are
destroyed, then Asterisk will sink.”

“And they blew up all the airports and ports too. No one can escape from the island.”

“Correction. We can’t escape, Arashi.” Hikaru said darkly. “The IEF executives, Stjarnagarm
executives, anyone who is someone in Asterisk will be able to stay safe. Helicopters and airships are
present in here.”

“Hikaru-kun, why attack only Seidoukan and Queenvail?”

“One. They are near. Two, and I mean no offense, Queenvail is not a place known for fighters. Three,
there is someone on the inside helping them out, planting the explosives around Seidoukan. Four, the
security of Seidoukan, when used properly, grants them an advantage. Five, Jie Long is too big and
too strong for them to take. They don’t have enough manpower to attempt an attack on Galahadsworth
while simultaneously keeping watch over the hostages. Lewolf and Arlequint are impenetrable. Six, the
other schools need some sort of transport. The moment they step out, they will be blasted to pieces.”

“But if they take some students-”

“The students will be written off as martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the ‘greater good’ of Asterisk.
They don’t care about students like they care about themselves. That’s a cold, hard fact of Asterisk.”

“Quite a morbid thinking you have.”

“Arashi, you know that too. We are, right now, just sacrificial pawns for them. And the reason they can’t
do anything, is because there are many ‘pawns’ for them who are useful. Me-the guy who defeated the
Rank 3 with almost no injuries in record time and went on to become the first unranked student to
become a Rank 1; you-someone whom the Guard Captain herself invited to join the Stjarnagarm-and
the Student Council President; Sylvia, Claudia, and many others. That is the only thing keeping us
alive.”

“However, that won’t be enough afterwards. If things start to get rough, they will abandon the island
and us. That’s the eventual fate left for us.”

“Wait. You said that Arlequint and Lewolf are impenetrable. Why?”

“Arlequint will have many traps and puppets and all laid out for them to give a grand welcome to these
guys. They will lose more than they will gain. Lewolf… tell me you haven’t forgotten about last year’s
Lindwurm winner.”

“Ereshkigal.”

“Right. Miasma… odourless, tasteless, poisonous, transparent. By the time they even step towards
the gate, half of them will be dead. And the other possibility, the road leading to Lewolf will be
collapsed. They won’t have any means to enter. Jie Long has many hand-to-hand fighters along with
their Doashi experts. And they have the Banyuu Tenra as well. So they can’t take Jie Long.”

“You know quite a lot, Hikaru-kun.”

“I do research a lot. From the time I decided to enter Asterisk, I have been researching about the
academies and their locations, everything.”

“I see.” Sylvia muttered.

“Well, right now, there’s nothing we can do.” Arashi said with a sigh.

“So, tell me, Hikaru. How do you know Sylvie?”

“She is a childhood friend. And how do you know her?”

“She is like a sister to me. Wait, childhood friend. And both of you forgot to mention this to me when
you had obviously met at the meetings… why?”

Hikaru had an interested look on his face as he leaned a bit forward.

“Ho… now that is interesting. I didn’t hear about your past even once till now, Arashi.”

“You won’t like it. My past, well, before I met Sylvie, is pretty dark.”

“It doesn’t matter, Arashi.”

“You may come to hate me.”

“Hey, I killed people and I don’t see you hating me.” Hikaru said and then punched the teen in the
shoulder. “Just tell me.”

“Where should I begin?” He put a hand to his chin and thought deeply.

“Let’s see. Firstly, my name is Arashi, not Kaito.”

“We already know that, onii-chan.” Sylvia said, tilting her head cutely in confusion.

“Well, someone *cough* Hikaru *cough* thought that Kaito was my name and commented that it
sounded lame.”

“Hey, you spoke it differently.”

“I was raised in the US. And that’s why I speak and write it like that.”

“Continue.”

“As you may know, I am a Dante and my power is control over darkness. I awakened it the first time
when I was lost in the woods at night. And my parents hated Genestella very much.”

Hikaru could already see where this was heading to and said, “They neglected and abused you, right?”

Arashi removed his uniform jacket and shirt, revealing his toned body. However, there was one more
thing that made the violet-haired girl gasp and the blue-haired boy clench his fist in anger.

Many scars littered his body, including the torso, arms and back.

Knives, lashings, hammers and… pliers.

“Not just my parents, my family was a large joint family. I was the only Genestella. My uncles, aunts,
brothers and sisters, cousins, all of them.”

“Seriously, you have a messed-up family.”

“Don’t I know it?”

He then buttoned up his shirt again, leaving the jacket at his side. “Like Hikaru, I had my Orga Lux
before entering Seidoukan Academy.”

“How did you find it? I had mine because my mom was its previous wielder but that’s not the case with
you, right?”

“My parents neglected me very much and I got some part-time jobs and exploring. I self-studied at the
library and since my place was pretty rural, there were forests and caves near. I found this in a cave.”

“Cave?”

“I manipulated the darkness inside the cave and had no difficulty finding the deepest part of the cave.
Once I touched it, however, that’s when shit went to hell.”

They gestured for him to continued.

“Crescent Moon’s price is torment. It torments the user by making them hear the screams. The
screams of all the previous wielders and also the screams of the people whose blood was spilled by
the Crescent Moon.”

“Meaning, all those who killed and were killed using the Crescent Moon.” Hikaru said.

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“When did you get it?”

“When I was 5 or something, I guess.”

“I’m impressed, Arashi. Though I am more powerful than you, you are stronger than me.”

“Don’t those words mean the same thing, Hikaru-kun?” Sylvia asked in confusion.

“No. Even something with power is useless if it can’t be controlled.” Arashi said wisely.

“Arashi has the mental strength to not go insane from the Crescent Moon’s price. If what he said is
true, he is one of the few to use it effectively.”

“No. I lost control once.”

His voice had a grim tone as he continued. “They pushed me too far once. Almost dislocated my arm.
I lost control. My anger and hatred controlled me. Everything was drowned in darkness. I simply sort
of spaced out. When I woke up again, I had the Crescent Moon in my hand and those people lay dead,
cut to pieces.” He spat the word with venom.

“Then you fled to the US.”

“And that was where I met Sylvie, when I was 8.”

“I will tell it from here. He saved me from being bullied.”

“I just let them be enveloped in darkness and led away Sylvie.”

“Hmm… so that was where Sylvie was. She used to live in Tokyo in my neighbourhood before my
parents were killed. Were you taken in by Ursula-san?”

“Yes. She taught me to control my powers and emotions. When I was the appropriate age, I came to
Asterisk and entered Seidoukan Academy.”

“And you drastically changed the academy.” Hikaru added.

“You could call it that. I exposed the corrupt guys and had them thrown in jail. Then I was unanimously
elected President.”

“And that’s where I come in. In your first year as President, I arrived at Asterisk.”

“And you made some chaos which I had to deal with.”

“Don’t blame me. Blame the idiots who wanted to challenge me.”

“Fine, fine. But you were really powerful.”

“Thank you, Mr.Former Rank#1.”

“Wait! Former?!”

“I beat him when I joined Seidoukan, 2 months after the start of the term. And I’ve been Rank#1 ever
since.”

“I still remember that battle.”

“First time I had to go all-out.”

“What happened? I want the details!” Sylvia said, almost leaning over the two teens.

“Calm down. I’ll tell you.” Arashi said as the responsible one and started narrating their battle.

Flashback

1 year earlier

Seidoukan Academy, Hikaru’s house, Training Room

Hikaru and Arashi stood opposite each other in the middle of Hikaru’s training room, each of them
standing in their respective stances.

Hikaru held the Narukami in a loose grip, both of his hands crackling with electricity while his hair
stood up from the charge in the air. His eyes were gleaming a dangerous blood-red colour, with a
shade of blue visible under the red.

The katana was held at his waist level, the blade aimed at the ground. Arashi stood calmly, his
Crescent Moon held in both hands, one of the edges aimed at the ground and the other at the air.

Both of them spoke at the same time with grins on their faces.

“I Arashi Kaito/Narukami Hikaru, challenge you, Narukami Hikaru/Arashi Kaito, to a duel!”

The system accepted the duel and a timer started, counting from 5 seconds.

At the last second, both of them leapt at each other, their blades colliding, creating sparks.

“Screw the stupid timer!”

Hikaru suddenly shouted, “Rakurai!” and a bolt of electricity flew at Arashi, who jumped back a few
meters, evading the bolt completely.

“Have to try better than that. Dark Feather!”

Sharp feathers made of pure darkness flew at the younger teen. 

“Denko Sekka.”

A burst of lightning accompanied his words as he suddenly appeared before Arashi, poised to strike.
His slash was blocked by the double-bladed scythe and he grunted at the other’s strength before
jumping back a few meters as he saw the smirk on Arashi’s face.

Moments later, the feathers returned and he cursed before swinging his sword at the feathers. An arc
of lightning clashed against the feathers, bringing the two attacks to a stalemate. “Rai Genko!
(Lightning Arc)” He then jumped up after feeling a presence behind him and shot Arashi, who was
directly below him, a heated glare.

A fist made of darkness collided with his back and sent him flying into a wall.

“Ouch!” He exclaimed as he stood up before swinging his katana again, using Lightning Arc at the
incoming feathers.

He rushed at Arashi and swung his sword straight at the Crescent Moon. A blade met his katana and
he smirked with excitement.

“Say, why didn’t you participate in any of the Festa?”

“Huh?” Arashi asked, standing his ground.

“You are strong. If you wanted to, you could have achieved a Grand Slam or something. Why didn’t
you fight in the Festa?”

“Who knows?” Arashi replied with a smile, jumping back from a slash that would have destroyed his
badge.

“You won’t mind if I go on the offensive this time, do you?” His question brought a laugh from the
younger teen as he said, “This is a duel, do what you want.”

The double-bladed scythe in Arashi’s hands was a dangerous and deadly weapon. The style used by
the Student Council President was one never seen before and extremely effective in battle. By the
end of 5 minutes, Hikaru was sporting many cuts and rips on his uniform and a few cuts on his arms
and legs. He was also panting slightly while glaring at his opponent.

Arashi was standing in a relaxed manner, leaning on the Crescent Moon stabbed into the floor. He
was relatively less winded compared to his opponent, the only visible damage being a few rips in his
uniform jacket from the slashes of the Narukami.

On the sidelines, Claudia, who was in her uniform like the other two, watched with a concerned gaze
as the two students locked themselves in a clash again.

Suddenly, Hikaru’s sword flew into the air, knocked aside. The Crescent Moon headed towards the
badge pinned over the teen’s heart before Hikaru smirked and a fist lashed out. The strong punch to
the gut made the older teen jump back a few metres and Hikaru then said, “The Crescent Moon… now
I remember why it felt that way. Each time the Narukami and the Crescent Moon clashed, there was
an odd feeling of nostalgia. The two Orga Lux had clashed before. And they used the same style.”

“You felt it too?”

“Yup. And now I have a strategy to beat you. The Infinite Crescendo is your technique. My mother
used the same technique on me, except she used a double-naginata. It works with-”

“It works based on the opponent’s momentum. You block one end and the other end comes at you
with the added momentum of the block. Eventually, the speed is so great that-”

“It can’t be blocked. And that is when you go in for the kill. But unfortunately for you, I have the counter
for it.”

Hikaru suddenly disappeared and appeared behind Arashi, his left leg already moving into a
roundhouse kick. The handle of the Crescent Moon blocked the kick. Suddenly, Arashi was blown into
a wall at the far end of the room in an explosion of dust and debris.

A burst of dark feathers from the cloud of dust cleared everything and forced Hikaru to move around
the field before finally taking the Narukami and cutting all the feathers into pieces.

“Now that hurt like hell!” Came Arashi’s voice from the dust cloud, followed by a pair of hands made of
darkness.

The black ethereal dragon appeared before the hands and rammed into the two hands making them
dissipate.

The double-bladed scythe came flying at him and he spun on his feet, avoiding one blade while
parrying the other with Narukami.

A kick to his left side made him widen his eyes as the Narukami was knocked out of his hands and he
was thrown to the side, hitting a wall. A large fist slammed him from above into the ground, making
him cough as his ribs cracked from the power behind the hit. The familiar feeling of his Prana healing
the wound reassured him as his Regenerative powers got to work, slowly healing his wounds. The
Narukami appeared in his hands in a small crackle of lightning and he cracked his knuckles as Arashi
took the Crescent Moon in his hands again.

“Looks like I have to put a bit more effort.” He said to himself as lightning surrounded him and danced
in visible arcs.

“Kanmuru.” As Arashi ran at him, swinging his scythe covered in dark energy, making the scythe more
deadly, a katana moved at inhuman speeds and blocked it.

“What?!”

He continued with the other end and it was blocked again. With a grunt of frustration, he continued his
assault, increasing the speed and power behind the strike every time. However, the blue-haired teen
blocked each attack with a grin on his face.

“How the hell did you get this fast?!”

With the grin never leaving his face, Hikaru spun around and kicked the scythe up before using the
momentum and landing a roundhouse kick on the Rank 1’s right shoulder.

A well-placed palm strike to the gut then blasted the teen away a few metres and Hikaru then
answered, “Kanmuru. It increases my speed.” Electricity was crackling from the teen’s right palm,
which was stretched out. Arashi grunted as he stood stunned for a second before shrugging it off.

“Then I have to get faster than this speed! That’s all!”

“Nope. By controlling the electric pulses in my body, I am increasing my own speed. Right now, we are
fighting to beat each other. It basically translates to hostile intentions. I am sending electric impulses
directly from my brain to the parts of my body.”

“That completely bypasses the nervous system.” Claudia commented.

“Correct, Enfield-san. It bypasses the nervous system and is even faster than reflexes. Less than 0.3
seconds.”

“Less than 0.3 seconds?”

“To “perceive, understand, respond” is a reflex. The time and the speed with which we accomplish this
process is the speed of reflexes. For normal humans, I’d say that is about 0.4-0.5 seconds. For
beginner and amateur Genestella and for practitioners of martial arts, generally anyone who keeps
their body and mind in good shape, it’s 0.3 seconds. For practised Genestella like Page Ones, it is 0.2
seconds. For Genestella of immense power and skill, like I, you, Enfield-san, and some other powerful
people, 0.1 second is the lowest and the limit, that too because we can use our Prana to aid our
movements and alter our body and mind.”

“I can sense a “but” there.” Arashi said, slowly understanding where this was going.

“I’m getting to that. For me, I can use my Prana, convert it into lightning directly and also control the
electric impulses in my body. With that, I can speed up my movements.”

“Subsequently, you can also speed up your reflexes.”

“Yup. When I use Kanmuru, the highest speed I can get is 0.01 second but moving at that speed will
directly injure me. And 0.05 seconds is the normal speed when I use Kanmuru.”

“That means…”

“In the same time that you can land a single attack on me, I can land two attacks on you. In the time it
takes for you to defend against one attack, I can land another one.”

“Dangerous.”

“Useful.” Hikaru countered.

“But what about that move you used today?”

“What? This?”

Suddenly, many phantoms of the blue-haired teen appeared as he walked forward.

“I don’t know the name or the method or anything. What I know is that it involves Prana. And I copied it
from my mother. Since I knew how much Prana she had, I was able to use mine in proportion.
However, it involves sounds of a frequency that the human ears cannot hear.”

“Then can I name it?”

“Fine. Go ahead. If I don’t like it, I won’t use it anyways.”

“Since you are walking uniformly and it involves sounds, the phantoms can be related to echoes. So…
Rhythm Echo.”

Hikaru considered it for a moment before saying, “Good. I like it. Anyway, let’s continue. This technique
is more of an intimidation technique than anything else.”

Suddenly, the teen disappeared and appeared behind Arashi, tapping him on the shoulder.

“You shouldn’t get distracted.”

Arashi jumped forward immediately, twirling around. 

Hikaru was standing behind his previous spot and was pointing towards him with a finger.

“Huh?”

“Look behind.” Hikaru’s voice came from behind him before a palm strike hit him in the back,
electrocuting him.

“Itsuzushi.”

As Arashi fell to his knees, the Hikaru before him disappeared.

“It was a phantom.” Suddenly, his voice turned cold as he asked, “Why are you not fighting seriously?”

“I do not want to.”

“Are you underestimating me?”

“No. If I lose control, then I may hurt both you and Enfield-chan.”

“Trust me. I won’t be hurt. If there’s one thing I believe in, it’s my power.”

Both Arashi and Claudia found it a bit odd for his usage of words but kept their thoughts to themselves.

“And I won’t lose to you, Arashi.” He skipped the honorifics. “Right now, we are two equals on the
battlefield. And for that, please use your full power. I will go all-out as well.”

He held the Narukami before him and said, “Obey, Narukami.” As the burst of electricity faded, he was
clad in the white kimono and hakama and had his hair spiked up, a white aura of lightning covering
him, much like the Kanmuru. The black ethereal dragon started to form around him, wrapping around
him like a cloak of power.

Arashi then sighed. “Enfield-chan, if you feel any danger, run. Narukami, you too. Run away if it
becomes too dangerous.” With his warning given, he stood up with the Crescent Moon acting as a
support and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, as Prana rose around him, darkness
started to accumulate at his back.

As it started to take form, Hikaru observed it with interest. “Wings?”

Black wings, resembling an eagle’s, were sprouting from Arashi’s shoulders, giving him the
appearance of a… “Ah, that is where you got your title from, Datenshi-san.” Hikaru said and then
smiled. Slowly, a black outfit, resembling Hikaru’s outfit, just like his black kimono and hakama,
appeared around him.

An orb of pure darkness formed in his left palm and he let it expand, covering a spherical area, just
touching Claudia, who moved a safe distance from the dark sphere.

“Yami no Sekai.” Arashi’s voice echoed around the sphere as Hikaru closed his eyes, forgoing them
and focusing on Arashi’s voice.

Where is he? I need to cut off the darkness. I can’t see in this darkness properly.

Suddenly, a heavy weight was laid on his katana as the air before him shifted. He swung up on instinct
before swinging his sword in a circular arc while shooting arcs of lightning through his blade.

“You can detect me even in this darkness, huh? If you beat me, I won’t regret giving the Rank 1
position to you.”

“I’m honored, Arashi.”

“Say, can I call you by your first name? Since we are friends and all, calling you by your father’s-”

“Sure.”

“And since you are calling me by my first name anyway, I don’t have anything to say about that.”

This brought out a surprised shout from Hikaru. “What?!”

“I grew up in the US mostly. So I am accustomed to writing my name like that.”

“That’s a relief.”

A laugh rang out before Arashi’s voice came again, “Well, Hikaru, what do you think?”

“Those wings of yours are giving you speed. The air shifted as soon as I swung into that arc. And I
couldn’t feel you for some distance.”

“You are using your lightning to enhance your senses.”

“Redirecting is the correct word. I am redirecting the energy from my sight, smell and taste, to my ears
and skin.”

“You don’t need those?”

“I can’t see in this pitch-black darkness anyway. The smell, well, Claudia-san’s perfume is the only
thing I can smell. And as for taste, we are fighting, not eating at a gourmet restaurant.”

Chuckles came from both Arashi and Claudia, before Claudia said, “I didn’t think you would notice my
perfume, Hikaru-kun. And you are calling me by my first name. But please remove the honorifics.”

“Hard to ignore when you practically clinged to me all the time when you entered my house. And since
I am calling our stupid president over there-” “Hey! I am not stupid!” “-by his name, I think it is fair to
give you the same privilege, fair lady. And I will drop the honorifics, fine, Claudia.” Hikaru said bluntly,
making her pout, though it was unseen by him.

“Oh, woe is me.”

Hikaru then said, “Now back to the battle. Blitz Regen (Lightning Rain)!”

Suddenly, bright flashes appeared in the sphere as lightning bolts rained down, hitting everything
around him.

“Ouch!” Arashi shouted as he was electrocuted by the falling bolts of lightning.

“Sooo Arashi, how does it feel to be electrocuted?”

“Very shocking.” He answered, eliciting a giggle and a raised eyebrow from Claudia and Hikaru
respectively. “You seriously don’t have a better pun than that?”

“Hey!”

“And for that, I will smack you on the head, once at least.”

Suddenly, bolts of lightning started to appear randomly in all directions. “Claudia, you may want to take
a few steps back.” Hikaru suggested.

“Are you trying to hit me by chance or something, Hikaru? Woe is me, to think you underestimated me
that much.”

As the lightning bolts appeared randomly in random directions for a few more minutes, Hikaru
chuckled and said, “Now, I’ve found you.”

Suddenly, the clash of blades echoed in the room as the Narukami met the Crescent Moon in a clash
of sparks.

A surprised yell was heard from the Rank 1 of Seidoukan while the unranked student cackled.
“Joy is me. I’ve found the idiot that I want to kick around.”

Suddenly, a big crash was heard as Hikaru came barrelling out of the sphere of darkness, flying past
Claudia and into a wall.

“Hikaru-kun!”

“I’m fine, Claudia.” Hikaru stood up and gripped the Narukami in his hands again. He hit me with those
wings. I cannot use my sight. My previous tactic may not work. And he still is not as injured as me. I
need to hit the wings strong enough to ground him. Or maybe electrocute him strong enough to force
him to land so that he will be grounded. Then I can use my hearing to find him.

“Blitz Regen!”

The rain of lightning occurred again, making Arashi yell again as he was hit by a few bolts.

Suddenly, all the bolts converged to one location. As I thought, the darkness was messing with my
senses. He is to the right of where he was when I estimated his position. His Prana, when turned into
darkness, will make my senses dull. That’s why I was off by a few feet when I tried to hit him with that
last attack. And that’s why I was smacked by those wings of his. He can see clearly but I can’t even
hear clearly or even feel the changes in the wind clearly. However, now… I can feel the wind truly.

Hikaru then smirked as Arashi screamed from being electrocuted before the darkness disappeared
and Arashi stood in the middle of the now non-existent sphere.

His clothes were singed and slightly smoking and his hair was spiked up from the charge.
The Crescent Moon was sparking from the lightning attack.

He used the Orga Lux to partially absorb the attack. However, that last attack used the Narukami’s
power as a medium and amplifier. There is no way that it could be absorbed fully.

“Hey Arashi, both of us are pretty tired. So why don’t we finish this with one final attack?”

“Y-yeah. I agree.”

Prana exploded around them before shrouding them in their respective elements.

A lightning dragon surrounded Hikaru as the Kokuryu(the black ethereal dragon, literally meaning
black dragon) coiled around him before both of the dragons disappeared into the Narukami’s blade.

A dark aura surrounded the Crescent Moon and Arashi and both of the blades seemed to extend
before the aura merged and became a big scythe.

“This is the Crescent Moon’s strongest attack. It’s the first time I’ve used it.”

“This is the first time I fought seriously with the intention to win, no matter what. Arashi, no matter
what, no matter how this battle ends, I-”

“I had fun too, Hikaru.”

Both of them ran at each other, swinging their respective weapons at each other.

The Narukami and the Crescent Moon met in tremendous clash of lightning and darkness. The energy
released started to form a bright sphere and exploded as both of the duelists screamed in
determination.

“Reaper!”

“Narukami-ryu Ikazuchinotsurugi!” (Narukami Style Lightning Blade)

Both of the attacks clashed against each other.

As an explosion ensued, the sound of a badge shattering was somehow heard by all of them and a
voice announced the words desired by all three of them.

“End of duel. Winner, Tatsuya Narukami Hikaru.”

Claudia sighed in relief as the voice was heard and Hikaru and Arashi both fell to the ground on their
backs, their Orga Luxes both flickering before deactivating and sealing themselves. Both of their battle
outfits were ripped at various places, the sleeves of their kimono already ripped to pieces.

“Hah… I won, Arashi. Told you that I would win, right?”

“Yeah. Now you deal with the fame and dread of a Rank 1.”

“Please spare me the fangirls and everything.”

“Even if Claudia-chan is one of your fans?”

“Claudia is fine. She is my friend before a fan. Same with Setsura.”

“Heard that, Claudia-chan? He’s fine with you.”

“Stop that, Arashi-kaichou.” Claudia said as she helped both of them up into a sitting position before
handing each of them a few bottles of water.

They chugged the water immediately. Claudia looked at a screen that popped up and said with a
giggle, “You’re famous, Hikaru-kun.”

“What do you mean?” He asked as a screen popped up before them all.

“What the hell is this?!”

A Stunning Victory! The New Student Takes the Academy by Surprise! Narukami Hikaru the
new Rank#1 of Seidoukan Academy as of this moment!

“How the hell did this spread so far?”

“Look, there is a video as well.”

At Claudia’s words, Hikaru manipulated the screen and opened the video, before closing it immediately
with a frustrated expression.

“I’ll sue the announcement system for this.” He grumbled.

Arashi and Claudia laughed at Hikaru’s expense while he sighed and stood up before helping Arashi
up.

“I’ll take a leave today.”

“Me too.” Arashi mirrored Hikaru’s sentiments.

“Then, I’ll call Setsura-san to take care of Arashi-kaichou while I look after Hikaru-kun~” She said in a
sing-song voice.

She didn’t need to call her as Setsura herself came rushed into the training room, stalking over to
Hikaru and Arashi before jabbing a finger in Arashi’s chest.

“Explain. Now.”

Hikaru chuckled internally at that scene. I knew that Setsura-nee liked Arashi. And now that he lost,
she is angry.

“Arashi, a piece of advice.” Hikaru leaned in and whispered. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Go along with whatever she says.”

“Screw you, Hikaru. I’m in this trouble because of you.”

“Right. I’ll solve this on my own. But you’ll follow whatever I tell you.”

“Fine.”

“Then, you have been saved.”

He took Setsura’s hand and dragged her away to another corner of the room. Arashi looked at the new
Rank 1 with jealousy in his eyes, which was clearly noticed by Claudia.

As they talked about something in low voices and returned to them, Arashi noticed that Setsura was
blushing brightly and Hikaru was smirking.

He sent a message to Arashi with hidden gestures. Don’t worry. I smoothed everything over.

Arashi understood his words and asked, What did you do?

Setsura will make you something for lunch. I told her that you would have treated her if you won the
match, But since you lost, you were sad. And thus you regretted not treating her.

What?! When did I say something like that?!

Just shut the hell up and go along with it.

A-alright. Sorry. Please continue.

Good. Now, since you were regretting not being able to take her out on a date-

Wait what?! A date?!

Just shut the hell up! So she is taking some pity on you and will cook something for you tomorrow and
help you recover from the ass-kicking that I gave you.

Arashi sighed before glaring at Hikaru. He mouthed something to Hikaru and the latter smirked. You
will kill me? Nope. Don’t tell me that you didn’t want her cooking for you. I know that you like her. No,
don’t deny it. It’s too obvious to Claudia and me.

Hikaru then went towards the door. “I’ll take some rest in my room. There are a few guest rooms if you
want to stay here.”

He left with a yawn and went to his room, navigating while half-asleep.

Flashback end

“So that’s how it is.” Hikaru ended with a small smile, his previous bad mood almost disappearing from
the pleasant memory.

Suddenly, Arashi smacked him up the head.

“What do you mean I like Setsura?”

“Don't you?” Hikaru asked with a challenging smirk.

Sylvia had a devious smirk as she looked at Arashi and said, “Soooo Onii-chan has a crush on this
Setsura person.”

“Sylvie! Not you too!”

Hikaru laughed at Arashi's expense as he became flustered at Sylvia's questions.

“Hikaru, how long do you think we will be in here?”

“Don't know. It has been almost two days. And the students haven't eaten any food or gotten any sleep.”

“And any attempt to negotiate for the food was in vain.”

“Arashi, he wants to show us fear. We can't demand anything. But there is one thing we can do now.
Arashi, you have charisma. Sylvie, you too. If you try to reassure the students that nothing will happen
to them, then they will be able to at least sleep soundly.”

“Good idea.”

As the two Student Council Presidents tried to reassure the students, Hikaru glanced at the doors and
the windows. Even if we try to escape, the snipers are a problem. And we can't escape the leader. The
situation puts us at a disadvantage.

2 hours later

“Any success, Arashi?”

“Nope.” He replied dejectedly.

“These guys are too extreme. And it's almost two days.”

Even if Arashi tries to negotiate with them, they won't agree. Right now, we are just sacrificial pawns.

The Rank 1 clenched his fist in anger before looking up at the door.

“He's coming.”

“Who?”

Arashi's question was answered as a crushing pressure bore down on everyone suddenly.

“The leader of these guys.” He answered his own question before the door opened and the leader
stepped in.

He sat down in a vacant chair and said in an authoritative voice, “You, Student Council President, you
made some demands, correct?”

“And?”

“I will give you a chance to make those demands come true.”

His voice made the clever ones alert and suspicious.

“Your Rank 1 will fight in a death match.”

The said Rank 1 stiffened at his words before gripping his katana tightly.

“The access to dorms is 1. Food is 5 for 1 day for 100 people. Bedding is 5 for 100 people.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Arashi growled.

With a laugh, the leader said, “You, boy, have to kill my subordinates and then your demands will be
accepted.”

All of the people stiffened at his words, none more so than Hikaru.

He means me. I… I have to kill?

“If you do not accept, then I will kill everyone, starting with the two girls and the boy you hold so dear.
And then I'll kill the girl who is currently in Tokyo.”

Hikaru stood up slowly and said, “I have to kill your subordinates? Then what about all the assassins
you sent after me? All of them died.”

“Those were not as useful as the ones I have here. But… I will grant 4 people access to their dorms to
get what they need. And I will remove the snipers. You, boy, will get one phone call.”

After a few moments of silence, Hikaru asked, “Arashi, Claudia, Sylvie, can you come with me for
some time? I need help.”

Arashi nodded slowly and stood up. “Let’s go.”

20 minutes later

Hikaru’s house

“Hikaru-kun, you have a mansion on Seidoukan grounds?”

“My mother asked this as her wish when she won the Phoenix Festa. A part of this unused land. And I
had a house built here since I was going to join Seidoukan anyway.”

“I see.” Sylvia replied absently as she looked around.

“Claudia, Sylvie, in the two rooms in the back, there are some blankets and food. And there are bags
too. Take all the food rations and put them in bags along with bottles of water. And take all the blankets
there are and put them in a big black box. You will find the box next to the wardrobe where the blankets
are. The rations will be in a storage freezer. Claudia, you left a few pairs of your clothes here. You can
take them. Also, take a few pairs of clothes for Arashi and me. Sylvie, you can choose what you want.
Arashi, come with me.”

The two teens went inside towards the training room, leaving the two violet-eyed girls in the living room.

As Arashi and he arrived at the training room, Hikaru punched in a code in the keypad next to the door
and a part of the wall split open, revealing a rack with… “Luxes?”

Hikaru took a duffel bag at the right side of the rack and started throwing all the Luxes inside the bag.
“Arashi, there is another bag at the left. Put all the Luxes in the bag. Now.”

His voice left no place for questions and he did as asked.

2 minutes later, they were finished and headed towards the storage room to help the two girls.

Hikaru placed the two bags containing the Luxes at the side and started helping Claudia with the
blankets, while Arashi and Sylvia collected the rations.

In a matter of 15 minutes, they were standing in the living room. All of them held a bag or another.

“We have two pairs of extra clothes each and food which can be distributed to all of the students if
properly rationed. And blankets for all of them, if they are willing to share.” Arashi said to Hikaru.

“I have all the Luxes with me.” Hikaru said. “And I can move the box with the blankets. You guys go on
ahead.”

He placed his hand on the metal box before slowly stepping back. A thin tendril of electricity connected
his palm with the box and he raised his hand up, making the box levitate in the air. “And now, we can go.”

30 minutes later

Seidoukan Auditorium

The four students entered the auditorium again, where the same scene greeted them.

“By what you are carrying, you seem to have already made a decision, but I will wait for 10 hours, boy.
If you do not give an answer by noon, then I will kill everyone.”

The leader’s words brought him back to reality as Hikaru passed him while shaking in anger internally
and said, “I will contact your stupid lackey.”

After the leader left, Hikaru said, “Everyone, we have food and some blankets. They are not much, so
you will have to share. They are not as tasty as the cafeteria food but don’t worry.”

Arashi narrowed his eyes at his words. Don’t worry? What do you mean by that, Hikaru? And those
Luxes as well, surely you are not!

His blue eyes widened in realisation as Hikaru lowered the metal box to the ground and said, “I need
some help. There are about 500 large blankets. They will cover about 4 people comfortably. If you can
share and stay closely, you can sleep on them instead of on the cold floor. And the food needs to be
shared.” He took a small blanket and a bar of dark chocolate for himself along with a bottle of water.

He then went towards a wall and leaned on it, away from everyone before taking the bags with the
Luxes and laid them on the blanket, examining each one.

“Hikaru, what are you planning?”

“What do you mean, Arashi?” He replied evenly.

“What are you planning? I know that you are hiding something.”

“I am not.”

“Don’t joke with me!” He shouted, losing his cool.

“I am not joking, Arashi.”

“Stop, please, Hikaru-kun, Arashi-kaichou.” Claudia said, stepping in.

“Stay out of this, Claudia-chan.” Arashi snapped.

“Arashi, what I am thinking of doing is my own business.”

Sylvia and Claudia stared at the two in concern as they were unconsciously leaking Prana.

“But!”

“Didn’t you hear this expression even once in your life, Arashi? I will tell you.” Hikaru asked coldly.
“Curiosity killed the cat.”

His intentions were clear as Hikaru coldly rebuffed them and went back to checking over the Luxes. He
picked up one and activated it. In a flash of light, a big scythe came to his hand, looking just like a
Grim Reaper’s scythe, the blade and handle both colored an ominous black.

He swung it experimentally before deactivating it. He went through the same process with all 25 Luxes
and then nodded to himself.

Arashi watched the young teen with concerned eyes before taking things into his hands and
coordinating the students and distributing the blankets and food among them.

6 hours later

“Claudia, this may be a stupid question, but are there any famous or important people in here?”

“Hikaru-kun, you are answering that yourself. Right no-”

“Claudia, please. Just answer the question.”

“Alright. There are many idols from Queenvail here, including Sylvia-san and the band Rusalka too.
Many students from Queenvail are very famous.”

“And?”

“Well, there is royalty too.”

“Who?”

“Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld.”

“Lieseltania. The Crown Princess. Why is she here?”

“She wanted to join.”

“And she wanted a fucking tour of the place. Am I correct?” He asked, exasperation clear in his voice.

“Yes. Why did you ask?”

“For no reason.”

If they want to use anyone as leverages, then these people will be the first.

3 hours later

“The food supplies are finished. And the blankets are not comfortable enough to sleep.” Hikaru noted
as he leaned against a wall, where most of the students were now awake. Most of them are deprived
of sleep. And they didn’t get enough food. And there is only 1 hour left till the deadline.

“Hikaru, don’t do what you are planning to do.”

“What do you mean, Arashi?”

“You know what I mean.”

Hikaru didn’t answer and walked towards the door before knocking on it. One of their guards stepped in.

“Tell your leader. I have made my decision. Tell him to bring about 600 people.”

“Fine.”

He then turned around, locking the door but his words could be heard clearly.

“Tell Master Reaper that the blue-haired brat is ready and will fight 600 people.”

Hikaru then walked back to his previous place and picked up his Orga Lux, strapping it to his right wrist.
He then picked up 5 generic Luxes and strapped two of them to his left arm and two in his pocket,
holding the last one in his hand. He activated the Lux and the scythe appeared in his hands again.
He walked towards the door before a hand on his shoulder stopped and slammed him into the wall.

“Arashi-kaichou!”

“Onii-chan!”

Arashi was glaring at him, his Crescent Moon held in one hand and the other across his neck, holding
him in place.

“Why are you doing this?!”

His loud voice gathered the attention of many people in the auditorium.

“I am doing what I want.” Hikaru replied coldly.

“Want? Are you kidding me?”

“No.”

“Why are you doing this? This is not like you!”

“What is not like me? Killing?”

“You aren’t a killer, damn it!”

“Then you didn’t know me enough!” Hikaru shouted, unconsciously releasing a burst of Prana, throwing
Arashi back by a few feet.

He then took his phone and called Ryu.

“Ryu, this is me. Listen carefully. I want you to prepare that machine. Enough of them to keep Asterisk
afloat. I can’t say anything about their intentions.”

“Understood, Hikaru-sama. Should I have the house cleaned for you to rest?”

“Sorry, Ryu. I’m not coming there.”

“Hai? Then…”

“I’m sorry. Ryu, I am appointing you as the head of Tatsuya Corp. from today. You will have all the
authorities I have. The formal documents will be in the vault. My father had them prepared for you. He
believed in you. I think you will do a good job.”

“WHAT?! But! Hikaru-sama, you can give the announcement when you return!”

“I can’t return, Ryu.” Hikaru said sadly as a sad smile played across his face. “I can’t return to that
world anymore, not after what I am going to do.”

He cut the call even as Ryu was talking. “Hikaru-sama! What do you me-”

Hikaru then threw the phone into a bag and walked towards the door, only to be blocked by Arashi.

“Stop.”

“No. I cannot.”

“There is no returning.”

“I won’t return. Narukami Hikaru will walk down the path of blood. Don’t stop me, Arashi.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want you, Sylvie, Claudia, Setsura, the people I love, I don’t want any of them to get hurt. I will
do anything for that.”

He then walked past the black-haired teen, who collapsed to his knees, and went out the door.

A few moments later, the screen lit up and the leader, Reaper, appeared on the screen.

“Students and faculty of Seidoukan Academy and Queenvail Girl’s Academy, now, see the true nature
of a monster that was hidden among you.”

Reaper disappeared and Hikaru appeared on the screen, his hand holding the scythe.

“No… no…” Hikaru started running towards the group of people clothed in black uniforms of Void Order,
the blade of the scythe creating sparks as it was dragged along the floor.

“NOOOO!” Arashi shouted as the first drop of blood was spilled.

Then everything went red.