The aftermath of Dante's outburst was far from contained.
Even though Instructor Richard had restored the physical structure of the Martial Arts Hall with his mysterious power, the atmospheric shockwaves of Dante's fury still echoed across the eastern sector of the campus.
In the neighboring training halls, panic reigned. Students leaned against smooth stone columns or sprawled across floorboards, clutching their chests and coughing. The sudden, suffocating weight had felt like a mountain collapsing directly onto their lungs. Even though the cracks in the walls had zipped shut and their physical injuries had vanished, the heavy, metallic residue of Dante's energy still hung thick in the air.
Frantic whispers spread like wildfire among the crowd.
"Did you feel that gravity?"
"It felt like my ribs were caving in!"
"What kind of monster is hiding in the Martial Arts Hall?"
Instructors rushed between the halls, trying to restore order, but even their hardened expressions betrayed deep unease. That raw, crushing pressure didn't belong to any ordinary student—it felt ancient, wild, and violently destructive.
On a high courtyard roof overlooking the eastern grounds, two senior instructors stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the Martial Arts Hall.
"An outburst of that scale..." one murmured, his eyes narrowing. "It was terrifying."
"If Richard doesn't resolve this quietly," the other replied grimly, "the higher council will intervene. And none of us want them meddling on campus."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Back inside the Martial Arts Hall, silence sat.
The only sound was Dante's shallow, labored breathing. He lay face down on the restored floor, drenched in cold sweat, his face deathly pale.
Rio sat nearby beside his sister, his hands tightly clenched in his lap. He kept his eyes fixed on the wooden floorboards, unable to bring himself to look at the instructor. Every passing second felt like a hot iron burning into his conscience.
He had caused this. All because of his reckless curiosity. All because he wanted to "confirm a suspicion."
Mia sat a few feet away, her palm pressed against her stomach. Her physical wound was completely gone—healed by Richard's power—yet her nerves still burned with the ghost of agonizing pain. Her expression was rigid, her teeth grinding together in silence. For the first time in her life, she had been violently, utterly overpowered... and by a human.
Dabi and Smith knelt beside Dante, watching his chest rise and fall. They had tried calling his name and shaking his shoulders, but it was useless. Dante was trapped in a slumber so deep his body barely seemed present.
Instructor Richard stood motionless near the edge of the ring, his hands clasped behind his back. His aura alone pressed down on the room like an invisible anvil. He didn't speak, but his silence was far more terrifying than a shout.
Nobody dared to make a sound.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Minutes stretched into an agonizing hour. The tension in the room didn't fade—it thickened.
Rio occasionally stole a glance at Richard, who hadn't moved an inch since restoring the hall. He stood like a dark statue carved into the air, radiating absolute authority.
A few curious students who dared to peek through the doorway immediately sprinted away, suffocated by the residual energy leaking from the room.
Finally, a low, painful groan broke the silence.
Dante's fingers twitched against the floorboards. His breathing hitched, and slowly, his eyes fluttered open. The blinding blue fire had extinguished, leaving his dark eyes hazy and confused.
"Where... am I?" Dante muttered, pressing a trembling hand against his throbbing forehead.
Rio immediately shifted forward. "Dante! You're awake..."
Dante blinked several times, staring at the pristine, untouched hall around him. The floor was solid, the stone walls were smooth, and there was no blood. For a split second, he convinced himself it had all been a bad dream.
Then his gaze landed on Mia sitting in the corner, clutching her stomach and staring at him with pure venom.
Flashes of memory slammed into Dante's mind—Mia's surprise strike, the agonizing crunch of his jaw, the sudden blackness, and then a searing, demonic rage that took over his body. He remembered the feeling of crushing air, the sound of splintering bone, and the horrific sight of his own arm buried through her torso.
Dante's blood ran cold. He looked down at his clean hands, his chest heaving. "I... I did that?"
Nobody answered. The terror in their eyes spoke for them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Instructor Richard finally turned, his steps slow and measured as he walked toward the group. His voice hit them like cold iron.
"Now that you are conscious, perhaps someone would care to explain what transpired here."
No one dared to meet his eyes.
Rio swallowed hard, forcing himself to step forward. "Sir... it wasn't intentional. We were just sparring, and then something triggered inside Dante. He—"
"Triggered?" Richard's voice cut through the air like a razor blade. "You expect me to believe an apocalyptic release of power was a simple accident?"
Rio's throat locked up.
Dabi quickly stood up beside Dante, his voice trembling. "It's true, sir! We were all here! Dante didn't mean to do any of this, he lost control!"
Smith nodded frantically beside him. "Yes, sir! It was an accident!"
Richard's cold gaze shifted to Dabi, then to Smith, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you comprehend the gravity of what occurred? His aura nearly leveled this entire building. Students in three adjacent halls suffered severe internal injuries. Some were seconds away from death."
A suffocating chill descended on the room. Dante's face turned paper-white.
Richard stepped closer, his eyes glowing with a faint, sharp light that seemed to strip away their secrets. "You are fortunate I arrived when I did. Another minute, and every single one of you would be dead."
Rio clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to take the full burden—it was his scheme, his fault—but fear held his tongue hostage.
"I can trace the remnants of three distinct spell signatures in this hall," Richard said smoothly. He pointed a finger at Dante. "One from you." He shifted his finger to Mia. "One from you." Finally, his piercing gaze locked onto Rio. "And a faint mind-transmission signature originating from you. Care to explain?"
Rio froze. Dabi and Smith turned to look at him in shock.
"I..." Rio lowered his head, unable to maintain eye contact. "I sent a mind-transmission to my sister. I wanted her to provoke him during the spar... to test his power."
"Test his power?" Richard echoed, his tone dropping to a dangerous register. "You risked the lives of everyone in this sector to satisfy your personal curiosity?"
"I didn't think it would go this far," Rio whispered, defeat heavy in his voice.
"Intentions mean nothing when the outcome is catastrophic," Richard stated coldly.
Dante sat on the floor, his hands trembling violently as he stared at the ground. "I don't even remember most of it, sir... It felt like something else grabbed hold of my mind."
Richard looked down at Dante, his harsh posture relaxing by a fraction. "That, I can believe. However, responsibility remains. Uncontrolled power is nothing more than a weapon aimed blindly at everyone around you."
Richard turned his back, taking a few slow steps toward the entrance before stopping. "Do any of you grasp what you've done? You've drawn the eyes of the entire academy. If the senior board takes hold of this incident, none of you will remain students by nightfall."
Dabi clenched his jaw and took a step forward. "Sir! Please... punish me instead! I'm the oldest here, I should have stopped them from fighting!"
Richard glanced back at Dabi with cool disdain. "You? You couldn't even stand upright under his pressure. Do not overestimate your importance."
Dabi flinched, falling silent.
A heavy silence settled over the room once more. Richard paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his spine. The rhythmic click of his boots against the floor sounded like a slow countdown.
Rio's heart hammered against his ribs, sweat dripping down his temples.
Finally, Richard stopped pacing. He turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping across the trembling group—Rio, Mia, Dabi, Smith, and Dante.
"You have caused mass destruction, endangered dozens of lives, and attempted to lie to cover it up," Richard said, his voice quiet yet commanding. "And yet... what erupted here today was rare. Formidable."
His eyes settled on Dante, whose faint blue aura flickered weakly beneath his skin, unstable and raw.
"There is potential here," Richard continued. "But potential without discipline leads only to ruin."
Richard took three deliberate steps toward them, his shadow looming large over the floor.
"So tell me..." Richard leaned down, his piercing eyes locking onto theirs. "...what do you think your punishment should be?"