The observation room buzzed with tension as students, staff, and officials watched the screens as what was supposed to be a routine exam turned into chaos. The screens showed students being attacked, not just by the expected shadow monsters, but by one of their own.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed, as his mind began to race.
Gabriel: (to himself) So this was their plan all along? But why now? What do they stand to gain from this?
Haruto: Well, this just got interesting.
Jason: (wide-eyed) What the...
Lisa: (stunned) Karla was a member of the Kaimi Daja?
Gabriel then stood to his feet and then spoke to everyone else, demanding their attention.
Gabriel: ATTENTION EVERYONE! Please stay calm and remain on your seats. We'll handle this attack.
Gabriel quickly turned to the Hunters presentat in the room with him.
Gabriel: Jason, Haruto and Marlo. I want you three to go and rescue all the students participating in the exams. Also if possible try and capture any invader you come across. Even one of them is good enough.
Haruto: Roger that.
Jason nodded.
Marlo: Let's move out.
The trio dashed out of the room, urgency in their strides, but Jason couldn't shake a nagging feeling that gnawed at him afterwards.
Jason: (to himself) This all feels too planned. And the only Level 1+ Hunter isn't here... it's too convenient… Something isn't right.
After the three of them left, Gabriel turned his gaze to Lisa and Koichi.
Gabriel: Lisa and Koichi, I want you to stand outside and defend this building from the shadow monsters that are heading this way.
They both nodded.
Lisa: Got it!
The two of them rushed out and Gabriel turned to look at the room of people who were tensed and shock by how fast things had turned.
Gabriel: (to himself) Good. That should handle the situation. But why would they attack now? What do they stand to gain by doing this? And a student was a member of the Kaimi Daja?? So many questions to ask but I'll deal with them when this is resolved.
Haruto, Marlo, and Jason sprinted toward the exam battlegrounds, their senses heightened as they approached the sounds of chaos. Shadow monsters were already closing in, snarling as they caught sight of new prey.
Haruto: (grimacing) Yikes, they look hungry.
Marlo immediately reached for his jacket and pulled out two daggers.
Marlo: We're not going to let them have their way!
Before they could engage, a loud crack rang out. A single bullet shot past them, piercing through several shadow monsters, dropping them instantly. They glanced back, spotting Koichi perched atop a nearby building, sniper rifle in hand.
Koichi: (yelling) Keep moving! We've got this area covered!
Haruto: (grinning) I think I'm in love.
Jason: Move, you idiot!
Relieved, Haruto, Marlo, and Jason pressed forward. Behind them, Lisa and Koichi maintained a deadly rhythm; Lisa smashing into the ground with earth-shattering force, and Koichi sniping any monster that got past.
Lisa: Let's do right Koichi!!
Koichi: Right behind you!
Lisa Arimoto's technique, Gravikinesis, allows her to alter the weight of herself and anything she touches. With a single adjustment, her strikes become monstrously heavy, each punch landing with crushing force, capable of breaking through even the toughest opponents.
Koichi Mura's Clairvoyance grants her vision across vast distances. Paired with her sniper training, she doesn't need a scope. She sees her targets perfectly and never misses.
******
Back at the battle grounds, John, Takimo and Rin noticed the sudden increase in shadow monsters. They fought back but grew wary of the overwhelming numbers.
Takimo: Something's wrong... where did all these monsters come from?
Rin: This was supposed to be a controlled exam. There's no way the academy released this many.
John responded with a sense of urgency in his voice.
John: We need to regroup with the others. It's not safe here anymore.
Takimo: Right.
But as they began to retreat, a cracked glass sphere rolled into view. Kazemaru stumbled out, bleeding from his left shoulder and barely conscious, and Terry lay beside him, a sword embedded in his chest.
Rin: (horrified) KAZEMARU!
John: (rushing forward) TERRY!
Takimo: Kazemaru, what happened?!
Rin: (grabbing Kazemaru, voice trembling) W.. who did this to you?
Kazemaru struggled to form the words in his words as he gripped his shoulder tightly to prevent more blood loss.
Kazemaru: It... it was Karla.
Rin & Takimo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Takimo: What?!
Rin: If this is a joke Kazemaru, stop it.
Kazemaru: Why would I joke at a time like this? The Kaimi Daja launched a full scale attack on the school. Karla is a member of the Kaimi Daja too and she's the one who stabbed Terry in the chest.
The group's shock quickly turned to dread.
Takimo: Karla is a member of the Kaimi Daja?
John: (gritting his teeth) We need to get out, now!!
Rin: Right! We can't afford to stay here anymore.
Kazemaru: (coughs blood) Let's hurry. I was being chased by one of them before I found you guys. We have to move before he catches up to us.
John suddenly looked forward.
John: We're already too late for that.
The air grew heavy as Giles appeared, slowly emerging from where Kazemaru's glass sphere had rolled from.
Giles: (bemused) Didn't think you'd get this far. Seems you ran to your friends for back up huh? Unfortunately, they can't save you.
Everyone tensed up.
Rin: This energy... he's a Shadow!
John stepped forward in front of everyone else.
John: You guys go. I'll hold him off.
Kazemaru: (weakly) No, you don't understand... his technique...
Giles pulled out a dark, tattered book and quickly drew something in it and afterwards he turned the open page towards the people in front of him.
Giles: [BLACK: ARTISTIC ANIMATION]
From the book, a swirling blast of darkness erupted, screaming toward them. John planted his feet and fought back with his gravity technique, but even that wasn't enough to stop it.
On pure instinct, Kazemaru threw up a wall of glass around himself and the others. The barrier flared into existence just as the blast hit.
It held, but only for a few seconds.
Cracks spider-webbed across the surface. Kazemaru gritted his teeth and poured everything he had into it, reinforcing the barrier with layer after layer of glass. But the dark energy kept shattering it again and again.
No matter how much he rebuilt, the blast kept breaking through.
It was only a matter of time before it reached them.
Kazemaru: (strained) I can't hold it...
Takimo: (to himself) Am I going to die here?
Kato flashed in his mind.
Takimo: I never got to reach him.
As the blast bore down, Rin immediately stood to his feet and acted on instinct.
Rin: [WHITE: BEAST SYNTHESIS – APE!]
Takimo: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RIN????!!!!!!
Rin broke into a sprint toward Kazemaru and the shattered barrier and at that exact moment, the final layer of glass gave out.
With a thunderous crack, the barrier exploded apart and the dark blast forced its way through, surging forward like a tidal wave of shadow and fury.
And then—