The field stank of iron and ash.
Six creatures had fallen, their bodies reduced to nothing. Only empty scars marred the stone where they once stood. The silence that followed pressed down like a weight, as though even the air feared to disturb what had just unfolded.
Ren's chest rose and fell in sharp heaves. His right shoulder burned from the claw wound, blood still dripping steadily. His palm trembled faintly, dark motes dancing between his fingers before vanishing.
He kept his stance firm, eyes scanning the surroundings. Is it over?
The ground rumbled.
His heart sank.
From the fissures, more shapes stirred.
One, two… four… eight.
Eight new beasts dragged themselves out, their bodies even larger, their claws gleaming with sharper bone. They hissed as they crawled, their pale eyes fixed on him like predators scenting prey.
The crowd broke into panic.
"More of them?!"
"There's no end—"
"They'll kill us all—"
Mira's voice cut through the chaos, brittle but firm. "Quiet!"
The students fell back into uneasy silence, though their fear was palpable.
Watson's brows furrowed. His glasses caught the dim light, hiding his eyes. "It makes no sense. Someone summoned them or what?"
Mira shot him a look. "What is this?"
Watson did not answer. His gaze returned to the field. "Whatever it is, will Ren hold them? What is Yato doing? What is in his mind?"
Ren grit his teeth, eyes narrowing at the new beasts.
Eight this time. Stronger. Faster.
His body screamed at him to stop. Each use of the black sea chipped away at his stamina. His core felt bloated, unstable, the energy inside writhing like a chained beast demanding freedom.
Yet retreat was not an option.
If he fell back, the creatures would break through, and the crowd behind him would scatter like sheep before wolves.
He inhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"Then I'll continue."
The first of the eight screeched and charged.
Ren moved, forcing his legs to respond. He sidestepped, blood dripping from his sleeve. The beast's claw tore through where he had been a second earlier.
He raised his hand. Darkness erupted.
A lance of void shot forward, piercing the beast's throat. Its body convulsed before disintegrating into ash.
Another beast leapt at his flank. Ren twisted his arm, calling forth the spiral again. The vortex of black shredded the beast midair, fragments scattering like sand.
But the effort left his knees weak. His vision swam.
The black sea pulsed violently. His veins screamed.
"I can't sustain this pace."
The third beast slammed into him before he could recover. Its claw raked across his chest, tearing cloth and skin. Blood burst from the wound.
Ren staggered back, coughing. Pain lanced through his ribs.
The beast lunged again.
His eyes sharpened. His palm clenched.
Dark tendrils whipped out, wrapping the creature. They coiled tighter, slicing into its flesh. The beast shrieked, thrashing wildly before collapsing into void.
Ren dropped to one knee, breathing ragged. His body trembled.
Three down. Five remain.
The crowd's murmurs grew louder, desperate.
"He's bleeding too much!"
"He won't last—"
"Someone help him—"
But no one moved. Not a single student dared step forward.
Their eyes were fixed on Ren, but their legs were frozen in place.
Mira bit her lip until it bled. Her hands clenched uselessly. "Why is no one moving? He's—"
Watson's calm voice cut her off. "Because stepping forward now means death. You see it, don't you? Those creatures aren't like the first ones. Each is stronger. He is barely holding the line."
Mira's nails dug into her palms. "And yet he fights."
Watson adjusted his glasses. "Which is precisely why we cannot. What is Yato and his team doing?"
Her head snapped toward Ren, fury in her eyes.
But Watson's tone did not waver. "If we interfere, we will disrupt his rhythm. We'll die. He'll die. Right now, the best chance anyone has of survival… is him."
Mira's throat closed, her breath shuddering. Her gaze turned back to Ren, heart hammering with helplessness.
On the other side, Yato's team whispered urgently.
"Leader, look at him. He's bleeding everywhere. Yet the power keeps growing. That has to be an awakening!"
Another leaned forward. "Ren is awakened, right? He must be!"
Yato's eyes narrowed, unblinking. "Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
His gaze stayed locked on the battlefield. "What you are seeing is not ordinary awakening. His energy does not expand, it devours. The more he uses it, the hungrier it becomes. So it's better now to avoid him. If we go there, his powers will devour us too."
His voice was quiet, but his team felt the weight of his words.
The fourth beast charged Ren.
This time, Ren did not dodge. His body could not move fast enough.
The claws closed in…
He raised his hand, fingers trembling.
"Black Flame."
The words spilled from his lips like venom.
The black sea roared inside him. His veins burned. His palm ignited… not with light, but with shadow.
Flames of void burst out, devouring the beast whole in a single instant. Its scream was cut short, erased along with its body.
The fire lingered, clinging to Ren's arm. It burned without heat, without smoke, only void.
The crowd gasped, stepping back as one.
Even Mira's eyes widened. "That… that's not normal fire…"
Watson's tone was sharp, almost reverent. "No. That is darkness given form."
Ren staggered. His knees nearly buckled. His arm shook violently, the black fire still crawling over his skin.
It doesn't stop. It doesn't want to stop.
He clenched his teeth, forcing his will against the flames. Slowly, painfully, they receded, dissolving into the air.
His chest heaved. Blood dripped from his wounds freely now, his clothes torn and soaked.
Four beasts remained.
The fifth and sixth charged together, claws slicing through the air.
Ren's body moved sluggishly, but his mind remained sharp.
Left flank faster. Right one heavier. Strike between them.
He thrust his palm forward.
The black spiral erupted again, wider than before. It caught both beasts at once, shredding them into fragments.
But the backlash nearly collapsed him. His vision went black for a heartbeat.
He stumbled, catching himself barely.
Two left.
The seventh circled, waiting. The eighth crouched low, saliva dripping from its jaws.
Ren steadied his breath. His heart thundered painfully. His wounds screamed with each motion. His core writhed violently, as though about to split.
He knew.
"One more strike. That's all I have left."
The beasts lunged together.
Ren's eyes blazed with cold determination.
He opened his arms. The black sea surged forth, unrestrained.
"Devour."
The word echoed like a tolling bell.
The ground split beneath him. From his body burst a storm of darkness… tendrils, flames, spirals all at once. The wave of void slammed into both beasts, swallowing them whole.
Their screams vanished in an instant, erased.
Silence fell.
Ren stood swaying, body trembling uncontrollably. His vision blurred. His blood dripped freely. His veins felt torn apart, his core nearly ruptured.
The field was empty. No creature remained.
He exhaled once, heavily.
"It's… over."
His knees buckled. Darkness crowded his vision.
The last thing he felt was the ground falling away beneath him.
And then…
warmth.
Someone caught him.
His head tilted weakly. Through the haze of unconsciousness, he saw Yato's face above him, calm and unreadable.
"You fought well," Yato murmured quietly, words only Ren could hear.
Then the black sea inside him went silent.
Ren collapsed fully, unconscious.