We all listened attentively as Ryoko read out the announcement.
"The first five groups to go to the Great Hall will receive 100 points and the first ten students to enter the Great Hall will receive 50 points each; the ten after will receive 20 points and the ten after those will receive 10 points. The last thirty students to reach the Great Hall will be expelled." Ryoko read out the announcement before everyone's phones suddenly turned off. We tried to turn them back on but it was hopeless.
"Our phones don't work anymore." Akito groaned. "Hey, Tadashi-kun can receive the points."
"That is true but if the whole academy is dark then that means—"
"The whole school is being tested." Kaori interrupted Ryoko and finished her sentence.
"Tadashi-kun, run to the Great hall as you can see clearly." Ryoko said to me but it felt more like a command.
"Alright." I said before leaving the building and proceeding to the Great Hall.
* * * * * *
I walked through the dark streets. I could see everything which made things easier for me. From where I was, the Great Hall was only a few kilometres away from me which gave me a slight disadvantage as there would be many others who were close to the Great Hall however the darkness would make it harder for them to reach it.
I heard something fall in the distance. It didn't sound close to me but it didn't sound too far away from me. It also meant someone was here and was probably struggling.
The darkness inside the building was only a little bit brighter than the darkness you see when you closed your eyes and the darkness outside was almost the same as the inside because the school has blocked some of the moonlight.
"Tsukamoto-san, I see you are finding this test easy." I looked to my right to see Shuichi walking along with me.
"Shuichi-san, you don't seem to be struggling as well." I said.
"When I was young, the place I trained at was extremely dark at night so my teacher had me train in the night." Shuichi explained. "I'm sure you know that person, Tsukamoto-san."
"I don't know about that, Shuichi-san."
We walked through the streets and talked about other subjects until we heard a sound. The sound began to seem louder and clearer. It wasn't long until Shuichi also heard the sound.
"Tsukamoto-san, there is someone else here." Shuichi said. I then recognised the footsteps. We both looked back to see who it was.
"Harumi? You're here as well?" I said.
Harumi stared blankly at my face. She didn't seem to be the usually quiet and joyful girl I knew. Something had changed.
"Harumi, what are you doing in this dark?" Shuichi asked. Harumi glared at him before answering.
"The same thing you guys are doing, going to the Great Hall." Harumi replied. Her voice was almost brittle.
"Harumi, don't lie to me, where did you come from?"
Harumi's eyes widened and then tears started to fall from her eyes. She then tried to wipe them but they kept falling.
"Nii-chan…" Harumi's tearful voice called out to her brother. "They know…"
I then looked at Shuichi, his anger was visible on his face. I could sense the bloodlust. Shuichi then calmed himself down and looked at me. He nodded at me slightly almost as if he hadn't moved his head at all.
"They know about Ikeda Kazunori?" I asked Harumi. Harumi looked up at me. Her eyes widened and I sensed more bloodlust from her than I did with Shuichi.
"How do—"
"How do I know? Well, I know a lot about you, Ikeda Harumi. I'm not saying you were a good person but under those circumstances, I would've done the same."
"Harumi." Shuichi called and Harumi listened. "That boy, Kishimoto Akito, stay with him more. You'll learn that there are more people like you trying to work on themselves instead of doing what you're doing."
"What happened to him?" Harumi asked.
"Try to find that out, Harumi, for now, let's focus on this exam the school has given us." Harumi listened to my suggestion and we walked through the darkness together.
We walked and walked until Harumi's legs couldn't take any more walking and we rested. There was a vending machine next to the bench we rested on and I used one of my many skills to retrieve two water bottles and a can of soda. I placed my finger on the glass of the vending machine and pushed my finger slightly. The glass shattered onto the ground which made a loud noise.
I looked at Shuichi and Harumi and they stared back at me. Shuichi had a disappointed expression on his face while Harumi looked scared.
"Can you still not control your strength?!" Shuichi yelled in disappointment.
I walked to him and handed him a water bottle and Harumi the can of soda.
"I pushed my finger too hard." I said.
"How did you get that strong, Tadashi-kun?" Harumi asked as she looked at me as if trying to analyse me. "I read a novel where the main character was extremely strong because he went through some extreme training in a secret place."
Harumi must've meant that she felt that I had also gone through some extreme training which is correct however I didn't gain everything from there.
"You're pretty strong as well, Harumi, I'm sure you've had your experiences which made you as strong as you are now." I said. I then remembered a question I asked myself some time ago. "How heavy are the weights on your leg?"
Harumi looked at me and smiled.
"Right now they're around twenty kilogrammes but that day we fought they were fifteen." Harumi explained before asking a question. "What about you?"
"My weights? They are around the same as Akito's but probably a bit more heavier."
"So what are they?" Harumi asked as she grew impatient and curious.
"Sixty." I said. I could see Shuichi glaring at me from the corner of my eye as I had just lied to his younger sister but Harumi was more than impressed by my strength.
"Sixty! You're extremely strong." Harumi exclaimed. "Did you have those weights on in the Physical Exams?"
"Yeah and so did Akito."
"This "Kishimoto Akito" boy you keep speaking of, Tsukamoto-san, is he truly that mysterious as you say?" Shuichi asked me. Harumi looked at Shuichi before looking back at me to hear my answer.
"If Akito went through the training you, Ikeda Shuichi went through then without a doubt he would be on par with probably the lesser ones of the First Generation." I explained. "Akito hasn't been through much physical training however the things he has experienced will make him strong mentally."
"What's the "First Generation"?" Harumi asked. Both Shuichi and I looked at Harumi.
"You'll find out sooner or later, Harumi." Shuichi said which somehow stopped Harumi from asking about the First Generation.
"Are you the one I am supposed to kill?"
* * * * * *
I looked behind Tsukamoto to see a large man standing behind him. He was extremely large, probably eight feet in height or more. His white shirt seemed as if it was stuck on his body because they were so tight. He had short brown hair and glaring emerald eyes. His forearms were the size of an average person's thigh. He had a square face shape and looked at Tsukamoto with bloodlust.
"Who are you?" Tsukamoto asked.
I stared at the large man in front of Tsukamoto. I could tell he was extremely strong however if I let Tsukamoto deal with this man then surely he would be killed and then his identity might be exposed so I have to defeat this man.
"Tsukamoto-san, let me deal with him—"
"Wait your turn." The man stared at me. I could feel my body almost tremble at his eyes which glared at me with bloodlust.
"Go on then, defeat him." Tsukamoto said. I got up from the bench. My sister held me tightly but I held her hand and looked at her. She knew what I meant just from my facial expression and let go of me.
"Tsukamoto-san, stay back and protect Harumi." I said to Tsukamoto and he listened. I then took off my trench coat and gave it to Harumi. I then unbuttoned the sleeve of my shirt and loosened my tie and got in a stance.
"Oh, karate." The man laughed as he then got into a boxing stance.
The man then ran towards me at an extremely fast speed. I couldn't dodge him because of how fast he went so I kicked him however he dodged it.
I thought from his large body that he wouldn't be able to be as fast however I was wrong. This man was able to move freely without any difficulty while being so large.
The man then spun around and kicked me with his heel however I stopped his heel and elbowed his leg but it did nothing. I then grabbed his leg and tried to knock him off balance however he lifted my whole body off the ground without any difficulty.
"You're extremely strong." I said as I let go of his leg and delivered a fatal spinning heel kick which caused some damage to him.
He then threw a front kick in my direction and it almost hit me but I dodged it. I then spun my body and kicked his torso and then attacked him with my left foot with a low roundhouse kick.
"I underestimated you." The man said as he leapt back in pain.
He then leapt towards me and grabbed my arm. I then spun my body again and used the momentum to throw his arm to the ground and then elbowed the back of his head. I then used the opportunity to punch his face and uppercut his jaw. He then pushed me aside as if I weighed nothing and then tried to punch me but the punch was blocked. I looked up to see Tsukamoto holding the man's fist with only two fingers.
"What's your name?" Tsukamoto asked the man. The man looked at him and smiled.
"Ochiyama Kazuo."
Ochiyama? Ochiyama Ryuuji's brother?
"I'll let go now and I'll let you finish this fight, Shuichi." Tsukamoto said before letting go of Ochiyama's fist. His fist then came towards me but I dodged it.
I then threw a punch which hit Ochiyama's face and then pushed his head back. Ochiyama then tried to kick me but I held his leg.
"When did you get so strong?" Ochiyama laughed.
He then broke his leg out of my grasp and threw a heel kick at me which was too fast for me to dodge. I blocked the kick with my forearm and then punched his abdomen. I then kicked his head and then spun my body in the air and kicked his head again.
"You might be stronger than that girl." Ochiyama said as he spat out the blood which was in his mouth and then threw a punch at me.
I then dodged the punch by tilting my head sideways before grabbing his arm and throwing him onto the floor. Ochiyama landed on the hard ground on his face.
I punched the back of his head repeatedly on the ground before delivering a fatal kick. After the kick, he didn't move anymore. I then crouched down and lifted his head to see if he was conscious but his whole face was covered by his own blood so it was hard to tell.
His arm then twitched and I then saw it move to me. I grabbed his arm and tried to keep it in place but even with my grip strength it wasn't enough. I smashed his face again into the ground before grabbing his arm and snapping it.
"He'll wake up soon." Tsukamoto said as he walked towards me with my trench coat in his hands.
The rain started to fall on us now. I hoped that it would wash off the blood on my face and hands but the rain wasn't heavy enough and now.
Tsukamoto picked up Ochiyama with one hand and threw him in a dumpster nearby.
"You picked him up with a single hand?" I said.
"I've thrown heavier things." Tsukamoto replied with the same poker face he always had. "Let's go."
This is the strength of one of them?
"Let's go, Nii-chan, we haven't got much time left." Harumi said who was now beside Tsukamoto.
"Yeah, let's go."
* * * * * *
We walked through the streets of darkness with an awkward atmosphere, fortunately, Harumi then broke the silence with a question.
"How did you throw that man with a single hand?" Harumi asked.
She didn't ask why we threw him in a nearby dumpster and did not take care of him completely but why I could easily throw the man a few meters?
"Your brother went easy on him. He could also do exactly what I did." I replied.
"Oh, my brother's that strong." Harumi sighed in awe as she cast a glance at her brother and then looked back in front of her. She then went close to my face and whispered, "You know there's someone following us right?"
I was aware that someone was following us however if their presence was so easily exposed then they must not be someone strong.
We kept walking as the rain fell harder. Our footsteps could easily be heard now because of the small puddles which formed recently.
Shuichi then looked at me and I looked back at him. His eyes slowly widened and now I knew what kind of danger we were in.
"HARUMI!" Shuichi yelled as he grabbed her and covered her with his coat. "Tsukamoto-san, there's multiple of them."
I looked around and I could easily see the bright glaring eyes watching us from the rooftops. There wasn't a person to be heard which meant there wasn't anyone around.
A man then dropped down from the rooftop and he had something in his hand. Shuichi covered Harumi and kicked the man when he got close. The impact sent the man flying into the wall of the building behind him.
"Protect Harumi, Shuichi." I said as I took off my coat and placed it on the ground.
The rain fell hard on me and now my clothes were stuck to my body revealing my athletic physique which I had tried to hide. I felt Harumi's eyes on me.
She knows now.
A man dropped next to me and I kicked him in his ribs. I heard a crack which meant that I was good at controlling my strength.
Around twenty people surrounded me now and from their breathing sounds they all seemed to be males. They all had masks which covered their heads and a hood. They also all wore the same dark black clothing so they didn't stand out.
One of them leapt towards me from my back. I turned and kicked him with my heel. My kick had landed on his ribs. I then punched the man and the impact of my punch made his body make a cracking sound.
They all came at me at the same time now. One threw a punch at me and another went for an axe kick. I leaned back to dodge the axe kick and stopped the punch with the sole of my shoe. I then pushed the punch back and kicked the man next to me which sent the man flying.
Four men came towards me wielding a knife in each hand. I grabbed the arm of one of the men and grabbed his neck. A man almost stabbed me with his knife but I used the man I was holding as a shield. The knife was now stuck into the man.
I then took the knife which was in the man's body and the knife he was holding and used them for my own gain. I held one upright and one upside down.
"More of them?" I muttered to myself.
I analysed all the blind spots the "assassins" left. To me, they were in plain sight. I used to wonder why people couldn't also see the rays of light leading to their openings but I quickly realised that it was an ability only I and probably a few others had. There were also other abilities I had which were extremely rare such as my intellect or my reaction time which was quicker than most people's.
I leapt forward and dropped down to the ground. I saw a knife fly over me.
So slow.
I grabbed the knife and threw it at one of the "assassins". As I swiftly leapt through the crowd, I slashed the "assassins" and even though I had cut many of them they still haven't moved. I then stopped. I stood still as I watched the "assassins". They weren't moving. I then realised that the droplets of the rain seemed to be stopped in the air.
"Ah shit."
I had accidentally concentrated.
I smacked my head a few times until the rain seemed to become faster and the "assassins" started to move. Slowly the speed of the "assassins" movements became quicker.
They all started to look around as if they were trying to find someone. They then found me and they all started to charge at me. Their blood was dripping to the ground yet they still continued to fight.
An "assassin" had gotten close to me and tried to stab me. I held the blade with my index finger and my thumb which had stopped the "assassin" completely. With my middle finger and my ring finger, I pushed the blade down which broke it. As the "assassin" slowly glared at me another "assassin" also tried to stab me but the blade shattered as soon as it touched my skin.
"Who…are…you…?" The man's voice was shaky, his eyes showed fear and his body started to twitch.
There were multiple "assassins" now around my body. Their bodies were all twitching in fear as they stared at their knives which had broken from just touching my skin.
I grabbed the arm of one of the "assassins" and it broke instantly.
Ah shit.
I kicked the man back and got into a stance so I could completely analyse the whole "battlefield".
* * * * * *
I watched as Tsukamoto fought a whole group of assassins on his own. Although I knew he was capable of much more it still amazed me how such a boy could be so strong. I held Harumi in my arms as I smiled at Tsukamoto.
You've grown.
He got into his stance, the stance with which he had won so many battles—his left arm in front with his right arm a little bit behind it and his left leg in front of his right leg.
His hands were not clenched too hard and were loose so the parts of his palms were showing. The rain had wet his hair so now his hair was covering his right eye and a part of his left eye. His bright blood-red eyes shone brightly at his enemies as he glared at them, analysing all the fighting patterns and blind spots.
"Nii-chan, who is he?" Harumi asked softly as she caught a glance of Tsukamoto.
I smiled before I gave her my answer.
"He goes by many names but the name you know him by is Tsukamoto Tadashi but the name everyone knows him by is 'The Demon of Blood'."
At a speed which even I struggled to see, Tsukamoto elbowed one of the assassin's faces and then used the momentum to spin his body and kick the man behind. Soon the whole group of assassins were laying on the ground unconscious, all because of one boy.
"Shuichi, let's keep going there might be more." Tsukamoto said as he picked up his coat from the floor and dusted it. The coat then suddenly became dry as if there wasn't any water on it in the first place. I copied Tsukamoto and brushed my own clothes and they became dry in an instant!
"Work of Kinoshita Akihiro." I said as I stared at the clothes in awe.
We walked through the streets and although it was dark we didn't have many issues. I held Harumi's hand as we walked.
"Tsukamoto—"
I felt Harumi stop so I looked back to see her. I saw a hand holding down Harumi's shoulder. I felt myself being absorbed in rage.
"Don't touch my sister."