'Reaper' tightened his fists, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as the storm raged above. Rain battered the rooftop, cascading in sheets as the tsunami surged through the academy grounds below. Screams echoed between the crashes of water and collapsing stone, guards yelling over one another in desperation, scrambling to save whoever they could.
A droplet slid into both of 'Reaper's' eyes, but instead of blinding him, the downpour seemed to sharpen his vision. The chaos became distant. All that remained was the woman before him.
The commander stood poised, her black cape whipping behind her in the wind. Bandaged hands clenched at her sides, her long black hair tied into a tight bun. The scar over her left eye glistened from the rain, and her pale red eyes narrowed like a dragon's locked onto him.
She gave a slight tilt of her head. "What's your name, so I know what to assign a coffin to."
"Just call me Reaper," he replied, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Commander Roza Varn," she answered evenly, her voice calm but edged like a blade. Her hands twitched beneath the soaked bandages as she mirrored his step.
"We're in agreement then, no Seals, no Contracts, no Incantations. No aura," he said, locking eyes with her, his voice low and cold.
"Use it if you're scared I'd beat your ass," she said, a grin forming. "Which I will either way. But sure, it's optional."
'Reaper' let out a quiet chuckle and took another step. "Very well. Shall we begin?"
Before the final word left his mouth, she launched forward. Her boots splashed through the water pooling atop the rooftop as she sprinted toward him.
'Reaper' met her head-on, thrusting his left fist forward. Roza pulled back her right arm and threw her punch. Their fists collided with a heavy crack, a burst of water spraying outward from the force. Roza immediately leapt back two inches, dropped to her hands, and caught the edge of the roof for balance. She twisted her body and swept both legs out in a wide arc, aiming to knock him off his footing.
'Reaper' leapt into the air, twisting his torso mid-flight. His right leg extended as he came down with the weight and force of a war hammer, aiming to end the fight in a single blow.
Using what little grip her hands gave her on the slick rooftop, she flipped backward, arching over his leg just before it crashed down. Her boots landed with feline grace. 'Reaper's' kick struck the roof hard, shattering the wooden beams beneath. The whole church groaned under the impact, a few tiles splintering away as cracks rippled through the structure.
They said nothing. Both stood still, their eyes reading one another, movements calculated down to breath and muscle twitch.
'Reaper' inhaled once, then vanished forward with a sudden burst of speed. He appeared at her side, his fist cutting through the air.
Roza twisted, ready to counter with her own strike, but 'Reaper' shifted his weight and feinted the punch—his leg snapped upward instead.
Her eyes widened for a split second. Reacting to the sudden change, she raised her right leg and met his mid-kick. The clash of shin against shin rang like struck steel. Without missing a beat, she clamped his leg between hers and slammed it downward, dragging his momentum with it. 'Reaper's' body sank slightly under the sudden weight, despite the heaviness of his own frame.
'She's pretty strong.'
Without wasting another second, Reaper yanked his leg back, forcing Roza off balance. Their limbs were still entangled, but as her weight shifted, he adjusted the water density in his body—redirecting it into his arm. His fist grew heavier by the moment, each muscle compacting with crushing intent as he swung it down toward her skull.
Roza twisted beneath him, eyes flashing upward at the descending blow. She shifted her head to the right just in time. His fist narrowly missed her face, slamming into the rooftop with explosive force. The impact shattered two thick wooden beams beneath the shingles, sending splinters flying and causing the entire structure to groan under the strain.
Rain poured endlessly, each droplet adding to the soaking battlefield. Over the rooftops and hills in the distance, another massive tsunami rose, casting a wall of moving water into the sky.
Roza narrowed her eyes, having sensed the unnatural weight behind his strike. Her leg, still hooked with his, tensed with sudden strength. She braced herself and yanked hard, catching him mid-recovery and dragging his body downward.
Reaper stumbled, losing balance for a brief moment. Roza immediately unlocked her leg and leapt back, her boots splashing in the rain. She didn't risk following up. Not yet.
'He's... durable, but also not durable? Strange. It's like the weight of his body shifts wherever he wants it. That leg earlier felt like a stone pillar, but now it's light. And that punch? That fist felt like a damn mountain crashing down.'
Her eyes sharpened as she tracked him. Reaper stood slowly, rain sliding down the length of his soaked cloak. He flexed his knuckles, then fell back into stance with a grin stretched across his face.
"I haven't had fun like this in a good ole fist fight in years!" he said with a laugh, voice cutting through the downpour.
Roza didn't respond. Not with words. Not even with an expression. She remained focused, her dragon-like pupils following every subtle twitch in his arms and legs, dissecting his frame, trying to predict the trigger behind his shifting weight.
Reaper scoffed at the silence, rolled his eyes, and surged forward again.
In just two blinks, he was on her.
Roza slid back, pivoting on one foot as she bent backwards towards the roof beneath her. Her torso arched forward, stomach turned toward him as she twisted just enough to avoid his incoming fist. It whistled past her chest and knocked a button clean off her soaked white suit, sending it clattering into the rain.
Taking the opportunity without hesitation, Reaper funneled all the water density in his body into his left foot. With a twist of his hips and a surge of force, he launched a devastating kick.
Roza's eyes widened in disbelief. A sharp jolt of pain erupted through her right leg as the impact landed, she was hurled backward like a ragdoll, her body flung across the rooftop by a single, overwhelming strike.
She hit the roof chest-first with a sickening thud, the breath knocked from her lungs. Her body rolled twice before coming to a halt. Rain splattered against her face, mixing with the thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of her lips. She coughed violently, blood spattering the tiles beneath her.
'W-what the hell was that?' she thought, her vision swimming, colors bleeding at the edges. Her mind faltered as hallucinations crept in, brought on by the sheer trauma of the kick. The world tilted sideways, and the thunder above seemed to hum in slow motion.
Gritting her teeth, Roza rolled onto her back. She tried to rise, but the pain in her right leg stopped her. It wasn't just bruised, the could feel it, clear as the rain around her. The bone was broken in several places. Her breath came in shallow waves, chest rising and falling as she forced herself upright with trembling arms.
Just as her vision began to steady, a shadow fell over her.
She didn't even see what it was but she felt it first. Fingers clamped around her throat with brutal force.
'Reaper' stood above her, his soaked coat clinging to his frame. His right arm, glistening with rain and tension, was saturated with compressed water. Every muscle along his forearm pulsed unnaturally. He had redirected the entire density of his body into his right hand.
"It was fun," he said, voice low and matter-of-fact, "but I've got more important business to attend to."
Roza's jaw slackened. She could feel it. That same power that shattered her leg was now coiled in his grip. She knew instantly that if he followed through, her neck would snap like brittle glass. This was death. Inevitable. Certain.
Then, before anything could happen, a sudden crack rang through the storm.
A bullet tore through the air and struck Reaper square in the back, slamming near his lung with enough force to twist his body mid-motion. His grip loosened, and he collapsed to one knee, coughing from the shock. Rain ran down his spine as blood began to bloom beneath his coat. He glanced back, taking note of them both before falling onto his stomach.
Roza gasped as air filled her lungs again. She blinked rapidly, her vision sharpening just enough to make out a figure through the blur.
Commander Nazra stood atop the church's roof, his silhouette outlined by lightning behind him. A sleek revolver, glowing faintly with electric-blue runes, smoked in his grip. He blew across the barrel, holstered it with a smooth motion, and looked down at her with a crooked smile.
"Well, Commander Roza Varn," he called, his tone casual, "looks like I've saved your ass a few times this month. You sure you're cut out to be a commander?"
Roza scoffed, the sound strained and bitter. "It was just an off moment. That's all."
A brief silence passed between them, punctuated only by thunder and rain.
"...Thank you," she finally muttered, glancing away. "For saving my life again."
Commander Nazra smiled faintly before turning around. His white cape whipped in the wind, soaked and trailing behind him like a banner of light against the storm. The straw hat on his head remained secure, held in place by thick black straps tied snugly beneath his chin.
"The guards have already saved one hundred and forty-two students," he said. "We've accounted for a total of two hundred ninety-seven."
Roza's eyes narrowed as she stared at the flowing edge of his cape. "What about the other hundred fifty-five students?"
Nazra didn't respond right away. His hands hung at his sides, fingers twitching slightly as the wind howled around them. Off in the distance, another wall of storm clouds gathered, heavy with thunder and sorrow. He looked out across the ruined academy grounds, jaw tight.
"Dead," he finally said. "All of their lungs were filled with water."
Roza lowered her gaze. Her lips parted, and she exhaled a slow, heavy breath. Her long black hair, once tied into a bun, had come undone, strands plastered to her neck and back by the rain. She reached into the soaked pocket of her suit and pulled out a spare hair tie. With effort, she raised her arms and gathered her hair into a loose ponytail, fingers trembling slightly. Then, without a word, she stepped forward—only to stumble slightly, wincing as a sharp pain lanced up her leg.
Nazra noticed instantly. He walked over, silent and smooth, before gently lifting her into his arms.
His sharp features softened as he looked down at her. His dark blue eyes shimmered under the stormlight, unreadable beneath the shadow of his straw hat. Though his hair remained hidden, there was something grounded and unshakable about him.
Roza sighed. "I can walked on my own."
"Sure..." Nazra muttered in a mocking tone, barely hiding the smirk on his lips.
Without pause, he leapt off the roof. His legs shimmered with golden aura, cushioning the fall. The air cracked faintly beneath his boots as he landed on the ground below with perfect balance, rain cascading around him.
"Do we even know who the hell that guy was?" Nazra asked, his voice steady as he walked through the storm-soaked path, boots splashing in shallow puddles with every step.
"He told me his name was... Reaper," Roza replied, her voice low, strained from pain and fatigue. "That's all I got from him."
Nazra's brows furrowed slightly as he stared ahead. The name scratched at the edge of his memory. It was somewhat familiar, but distant. He swore he had heard it before, perhaps in a report or whispered conversation, but no face or location came to mind. It was like grasping at smoke.
"Interesting," was all he finally said.
Ahead of them, the path curved toward the ruined main gate of the academy. Several hundred guards moved in organized chaos, slipping in and out of the shattered entrance. Some carried stretchers with wounded students, others guided the frightened toward shelter. The rain had eased slightly, but the air still pulsed with the weight of tension.
Nazra raised his voice, sharp and commanding, cutting through the noise like a blade.
"I'll send Commander Roza Varn to medical and return shortly! Until I'm back, continue the operation. Locate and extract all remaining students!"
The guards responded in unison, saluting with raised fists. "Yes sir!"
Without hesitation, they moved faster. Some rushed back into the darkened halls of the academy with weapons and lanterns. Others tended to the injured, using aura-imbued cloth to stop bleeding or stabilize broken limbs. Near the outer wall, a group of recorders took notes from survivors, scribbling down names, locations, and fragments of what had happened during the attack.
The storm hadn't stopped, but the response had turned into a machine, driven by discipline, urgency, and fear of what might return.