The wind howled above the dry land as Ozaki and Yamato dropped down from the sky. The giant bird had thrown them out from its beak. Their feet hit the ground hard, sliding along dust and cracked earth. Ozaki landed on one knee, gasping, while Yamato stood firm but clearly frustrated.
Ozaki stood up slowly, brushing off his coat. His expression was tight and focused.
"This isn't anywhere close to the battlefield."
Yamato looked around, jaw clenched and eyes sharp.
"That bird... it stopped us from going back."
Ozaki touched the side of his arm. There was a faint glow—his teleportation magic—but it flickered and faded.
"It poured magic on us. It locked my ability."
Yamato let out a low, angry breath. His fist trembled.
As they stood still, a golden light on the ground caught Yamato's eye. He walked over and bent down.
"A feather..." he muttered.
It pulsed gently with energy. Ozaki stepped closer.
"That's from the bird. It's leaving a trail. We can use this to track back."
Yamato didn't reply. His teeth were clenched. His aura started to heat up around his body.
---
A few minutes later...
With a flash of light, Ozaki grabbed Yamato's shoulder and teleported them back.
They reappeared at the battlefield—and froze.
The ground was cracked. Stones were shattered. Trees had been broken in half. And lying on the floor were Sora, Chella, Lumei, and Ichiha—defeated.
Sora was unconscious. Her body had marks from a powerful clash. Ichiha was beside her, not moving. Lumei and Chella were awake, but barely. Their bodies were trembling from fatigue. Dirt and blood covered their clothes.
Yamato's eyes widened.
His breathing grew fast.
"What... what happened here?"
Ozaki's face turned pale. He stepped forward, trying to sense their condition.
"They fought with everything they had… but they were still defeated."
Yamato looked around.
"Where's the enemy? Where is he?"
No one answered. Only silence remained.
Ozaki moved to check on Chella. Her voice was weak.
"It was... Rujer," she said softly. "He came out of the bird... and he teleported you two... away..."
Yamato's fists shook. His heart pounded in his chest.
"He did this to you?"
He turned his gaze to Ichiha, who had a small stream of blood from his mouth.
Yamato's chest rose and fell. His breathing was deep and heavy.
Ozaki placed a hand on Yamato's shoulder.
"Yamato... we can still fix this. Let me heal them—"
Yamato turned toward him.
His eyes were dark.
No... they weren't just dark.
They were completely black. No iris, no light—just a deep void.
His body began to shake—not from fear, but from boiling rage.
Ozaki backed up a step, eyes wide.
Yamato's aura exploded.
A black wave burst out of him, shaking the ground. It was wild. Untamed. Terrifying.
Chella and Lumei could only stare. They had never seen this side of Yamato before. Even in training, he never let his magic lose control. But now—there was no control left.
Yamato took a step forward, his foot cracking the earth beneath him.
His fists were clenched tight. His mouth was closed, but his teeth were grinding.
Ozaki raised a hand.
"Yamato... calm down. I know how it feels—"
Yamato snapped, his voice low and deep. "Don't."
The air grew heavier. The pressure from his aura was too much for even Ozaki to stay completely still.
Far away—thousands of miles away in the school realm, Master Regns stood in the middle of training.
Suddenly, he froze.
His students—Renji, Diago, Mira, Leah, Kiro, and Seouk—all stopped too, seeing the expression on their headmaster's face.
Master Regns turned his head toward the sky.
"That aura..."
His eyes narrowed.
The students looked at one another.
"That power... it felt like a god."
Master Regns clenched his staff.
"No… not a god. It's rage. Pure, blank rage."
Back at the battlefield, Ozaki struggled to keep his stance. Yamato's aura was still rising.
The air shimmered. Stones started to float off the ground.
Even though Ozaki was scared, he stepped forward.
"Yamato... I let them get hurt. That's my fault. But you can't lose yourself here. Not now."
Yamato said nothing.
His arms fell to his side. His body was glowing black, surrounded by dark mist. His expression was completely blank.
Ozaki, trying to keep steady, looked around at his team.
"I need to heal them before anything worse happens..."
He crouched down beside Ichiha first and began using his healing magic.
Yamato didn't move.
He just stood there... like a storm waiting to explode.
Ozaki looked up at him once more.
"I'll fix them."
Yamato said nothing.
His face was still.
His heart? Lost in a void of fury.