Murai's hands trembled as he took his stance.
I don't wanna hurt him. He's a Sensei but he's probably Tier 4, maybe even Tier 5...
"I can't control it, Sensei." His voice barely made it past his throat. "What if something goes wrong?"
"Don't worry about me. Release everything you've got." Ryo didn't flinch.
Murai nodded and bent his head down, closing his eyes.
Suddenly, the temperature in the hall dropped.
Honshitsu began to swell around him, crushing down on everyone present, except Ryo.
Itsuki took a step back instinctively. Beside him, Daimon steadied himself against the wall while Sayaka remained perfectly still, her gaze fixed on Murai.
Murai's body convulsed. His eyes opened, glowing a deep crimson. Then, without warning, his body collapsed to the ground like a marionette with severed strings.
Crack! Crack!
Murai's limbs twisted at impossible angles, his spine arching backward.
"What's happening to him?!" Daimon shouted.
Ryo lifted one finger to his lips. Moments later, Murai's body began to rise. His bones snapped back into place one by one. He stood slowly, shoulders rolling back, neck tilting side to side.
Then he raised his head.
A smile stretched across his face, too wide, the corners of his mouth reaching past what human skin should allow. "Well, well, what do we have here?" The voice that came out wasn't Murai's.
The entity swung its arm lazily to the side.
BOOOOM!
The impact tore through the hall. Training equipment shattered, wooden beams splintered, and the stone floor cracked in jagged lines spreading outward like a spiderweb.
Itsuki felt the shockwave slam into an invisible barrier just inches from his face. Heat radiated from where the attack had been stopped.
What... What the hell is that thing?! That pressure... if Sensei hadn't protected us...
"Wh-who is that?" The words stumbled out of Itsuki's mouth. He had never felt such overwhelming power, such raw, murderous intent coming from one being.
Ryo answered without looking back. "That, I assume, is the inner spirit of death."
"You intrigue me, human." The spirit licked the blood dripping from Murai's arm. "Since I have been called upon, I suppose it is to kill you. "It glanced at the three students. "And those three peasant humans... or maybe I should not bother. They are weaklings."
Ryo took three steps forward. The barrier around the students dissolved into motes of light.
Wait, why is he removing the protection?! Itsuki's mind spiked out of fear.
"Come at me, spirit."
"Isn't that rude?" The spirit tilted its head. "But..."
In an instant, it vanished.
"...IT WON'T MATTER CAUSE YOU'LL DIE ANYWAY!"
The spirit materialized directly in front of Ryo, unleashing a storm of strikes. Fists, claws, kicks, each attack blurred together, moving faster than Itsuki's eyes could follow.
But Ryo dodged them all.
Every strike missed by mere inches. Ryo moved calmly, almost lazily, weaving through the onslaught with minimal effort. His arms hung loose at his sides.
After a while, he began to smile.
The spirit froze mid-strike. "May I ask what is so funny, peasant?"
"Ah I see… It's all because I haven't brought out my full power yet." Frustration warped the spirit's voice. "This body is too weak! What tier even is this peasant human at?"
"Ah well, I guess I'll have to kill you like this even if it takes all—"
Ryo moved.
For the first time since the fight began, he used his true speed. One moment he stood across the room; the next, his palm pressed firmly against the spirit's chest.
CRASH!
The spirit flew backward, slamming into the wall with enough force to shake the entire structure. Cracks spread out from the impact point like frozen lightning, and chunks of stone rained down.
"You talk too much for a spirit." Ryo lowered his hand.
If that thing had finished speaking... if it had set the time for Sensei's death... everyone connected to the inner spirit of death would come for him. Innocent people controlled by something they can't resist. Sensei stopped it before that could happen…Itsuki thought to himself as he watched the spirit's form flickered, dissolving like ink in water. Murai's body pitched forward and hit the ground hard.
Itsuki stared at the destruction surrounding them. Wooden beams hung at broken angles from the ceiling. The floor had split open in multiple places, revealing the stone foundation beneath. Black scorch marks decorated the walls in chaotic patterns.
And Ryo stood there unharmed, he didn't even break a sweat.
He took out the spirit of death with just one hit… What tier do you have to be to do that?!
"The spirit was weak because Murai is still Tier 1." Ryo dusted off his sleeves. "If it had access to more power, the outcome might have been different."
Daimon found his voice first, though it came out shaky. "If the spirit had more power to draw from... would the fight have lasted longer, Sensei? Or would you still have won?"
Ryo smiled, tilting his head slightly. "Well, that's a story for another day." He walked over to Murai's unconscious body and lifted him effortlessly. "For now, let's get this boy to the healing ward."
He glanced back at them. "Follow me."
- - -
The healing ward was located in the eastern wing of the Academy, a separate building connected by a covered walkway. As they approached, the smell of medicinal herbs grew stronger.
Ryo stopped before a wooden door with strange carvings along its frame.
"Itsuki, open the door if you please."
Itsuki stepped forward and gripped the handle. The door swung inward with a soft creak.
Inside, the room was filled with shelves lined with jars, vials, and dried plants.
And standing near a counter, grinding something in a mortar, the pestle rotating in smooth circles, was a girl with short white hair.
She looked up, her eyes meeting with the first person who walked in, Itsuki.
Wait... Isn't that?... that girl from before I think her name was emm…
Nieves… Anaxagoras…