Crack!
Isaac's right arm had been torn off.
There was no bloody scene—only scattered metal and wires.
His right arm wasn't flesh, but a mechanical prosthetic.
Blankly staring at the sparking stump on his shoulder, Isaac turned his gaze on Rinji, whose eyes glowed blood-red.
Pulling the broken mechanical arm from his own chest, Rinji's wound rapidly healed.
"…So, boy, before coming to this era you were just a high school student, right?"
Seeing Rinji's increasingly savage eyes, Isaac sighed.
"Don't you think your level of power is absurdly out of place in an ordinary school life?"
Swish!
Rinji's answer was a sudden punch to his face.
Isaac tilted his head to dodge, then countered with a kick to Rinji's stomach.
But at that exact moment, Rinji grabbed his knee with both hands, twisted his body, and swung his heel down toward Isaac's head like an axe.
Even so, Isaac dodged again.
"Sorry, boy, but you must return to your own era."
Sidestepping the blow, his eyes hidden under bangs were finally revealed.
The sky was pouring rain and whipping with strong wind.
But to Isaac, the raindrops seemed frozen in midair.
He walked toward Rinji slowly, and as the drops touched his body, they scattered into mist.
And Rinji seemed frozen in place before him.
"You've done well, but…"
Isaac raised his hand to strike.
But the Rinji that appeared still had those crimson eyes shifting toward him.
"Hm?"
In the instant Isaac hesitated, Rinji lashed out at incredible speed.
"Urgh…"
Isaac staggered back, clutching his left eye with his remaining hand.
It wasn't fatal, but his left vision was gone.
In Rinji's hand was a bloody mechanical eyeball.
With a crazed grin, he squeezed it to pieces in front of him.
"…Should I say, not bad for my son?"
Having lost his right arm and left eye, Isaac now looked truly crippled.
But staring at Rinji's twisted grin and sharp teeth, he laughed instead of frowning.
"By now you've noticed. Your nature is no different from a bloodthirsty beast," Isaac said. "Why protect students who have nothing to do with you? That's not your job. You're no hero."
But Rinji didn't seem to hear.
In a flash he vanished, his right leg whipping at Isaac's head.
Clang!
Isaac blocked with his left arm, but the impact still drove his body into the ground, burying him to the knees.
Without stopping, Rinji yanked him up by the collar, slammed him down, then pinned him and raked at his head like a feral beast.
"…That's enough."
Despite the savage assault leaving no marks, Isaac smiled from beneath him.
"I've seen your answer. Now I can rest assured."
Boom!
A surge of force sent Rinji flying. At the same time, Isaac jabbed a finger into his chest.
Rinji's eyes widened in shock, then dulled. The crimson glow slowly faded.
Thud.
With a light sound, mud mixed with rainwater splashed up from the ground.
Rinji fell straight onto the ground.
Isaac patted the dirt off himself, walked over to where Rinji lay, and said with a smile, "I've already seen your determination, but if you want to challenge your father, you still need more practice."
Saying that, he turned and walked back toward the inn.
"Don't worry, what I said earlier about killing everyone in Class 3-3 was just a lie. I only wanted to see what choice you would make. Actually, there's another way we can…"
Before he could finish, Isaac suddenly felt something was wrong.
He quickly turned his head and found that at some point Rinji had already stood up.
The blood-red glow in his eyes shone even brighter than before, though now there was no madness in them. The only change was his golden hair, which had grown long down to his waist.
"Hey… you've got to be kidding me…"
After the initial shock, Isaac couldn't help but laugh.
"It's still not the time for you to show up."
---
"Misaki-san, where are you going!?"
It was now dinner time, and Chibiki was stopping the students from leaving the hall.
Outside, heavy rain poured down along with fierce winds. The inn's doors were tightly shut, and with such dangerous weather combined with the surrounding mountains and forest, it would be easy for students to get into trouble if they went out.
Yet at that moment, Chibiki saw Mei putting on a raincoat and preparing to leave. He panicked and rushed to stop her.
"Sorry, Chibiki-san."
Facing him, Mei's tone was unusually firm.
"Takamine's life is in danger right now. I must go find him."
"Takamine? He's not here?"
Chibiki froze and immediately looked around the hall for him. Sure enough, Rinji wasn't there.
Just as he was turning his attention to the other students, Mei ducked her head, slipped past him, and rushed out the door.
When she opened it, the rain slammed directly into Chibiki's face, forcing him to raise a hand to shield himself. By the time he reacted, the only thing he saw was Mei running into the storm.
"Misaki!!"
Hearing his shout behind her, Mei didn't look back. She ran through the rain, heading straight for the forest.
"Takamine, even if it's just you… please, you must be safe!"