White Reaper walked slowly forward.
His steps were steady, in control. No rush.
The sound of his boots echoed softly in the silent night corridor, like the ticking of a death clock.
That rotten hero took a step back.
Sweat began to bead on his face. His eyes stared sharply… but filled with unease.
Wavering.
"White Reaper, huh...? HAH! WHAT KIND OF NAME IS THAT!? WHAT A STUPID NAME!!"
he shouted loudly, trying to mask his fear with volume. But his voice… cracked.
Without warning, he attacked.
Magic exploded from his hand. His sword swung violently toward White Reaper.
But....
Clang!
White Blade rose slowly.
Blocking the attack... without budging an inch.
"Hmm..." Kazuki muttered flatly.
His gaze was calm.
His smile faint.
Not the expression of someone fighting for their life… but someone enjoying a little show.
To Kazuki... this wasn't a battle. This was just a scene in a script… that he wrote himself.
He glanced at the rotten hero from beneath the hood of his black cloak.
"Attacking without introducing yourself… what a clown."
His smile widened just slightly.
Not out of joy, but because this… was getting interesting.
The hero staggered back a few steps.
His breathing turned ragged. Panic and anger mixed in his eyes.
White Reaper kept advancing.
His steps slow.
White Blade swung lightly, reflecting the moonlight with a cold aura… slicing the air.
"I don't like dragging things out," Kazuki said quietly.
His flat tone pierced the night. No need to raise his voice… to cut deep.
"I'll end this... right now."
The hero gritted his teeth.
"Tch!"
Suddenly, he injected something into his neck.
A poisonous substance. A brutal magic-boosting drug.
His body began to tremble. Muscles tensed. His eyes turned bloodshot.
"YOU THINK YOU'VE WON, HUH!? DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!! I'M A HERO!! AND YOU'RE JUST... A SNOT-NOSED BRAT!!"
Kazuki simply stared back.
Unfazed. Unintimidated.
His smile remained faint.
His gaze... like a writer watching an actor fail at improvisation.
"I'm not scared of something like that..."
His eyes gleamed coldly from beneath the shadow of his hood.
"Because I'm the one controlling this story."
The hero leapt.
Charging with all his might.
Kazuki dodged effortlessly.
Blocked the next attack… with one hand.
Clang!
Steel clashed against steel. But the power… was unbalanced.
Kazuki closed his eyes for a moment.
His voice, flat.
"No different than before."
One line, crushed all pride.
Thud!
A direct kick struck the hero's chin.
His body lifted into the air. Thrown.
Crashed hard onto the ground.
Kazuki slowly raised his sword.
A white-purplish aura began to engulf White Blade.
The wind swirled. The ground trembled.
The air tightened.
Magic pressure... exploded.
The wolf-eared slave girl who had been dragged away earlier… could only freeze. Her body shook violently.
Kazuki gave a slight smile. His gaze remained cold.
"I don't really mind…"
He muttered lightly.
"As long as I look cool."
His eyes gazed straight downward.
"It's time… for the performance to end."
The hero's eyes widened.
His breath hitched.
He could feel… the end.
"WHAT IS THIS!? THIS AURA... THIS AURA ISN'T HUMAN!!"
But it was already too late.
Kazuki raised his sword high.
"ALL... LIGHT FADE..."
"...DEATH BLOOM."
A burst of white-purplish light obliterated the spot where the hero stood.
No scream.
No remains.
Death Bloom.
A spell created by Kazuki himself.
Once it activates… nothing survives.
And amidst the destruction…
only one figure stood.
White Reaper.
His cloak fluttered slowly.
The slave girl… fainted under the brutal magical pressure.
Kazuki glanced at her briefly.
Then stepped into the shadows of a narrow alley.
His footsteps vanished in silence.
As if... he were merely an illusion of the night.
Or… a living shadow that transcended the logic of this world.
The next morning.
The academy was still on break.
Kazuki walked leisurely down the street with Rean and Lucien.
The sky was clear. The atmosphere, peaceful.
As if… nothing had happened last night.
In his mind...
Death Bloom...
That skill was too dangerous.
If released without control… this world might be completely destroyed.
But...
That won't happen.
Because I'm the one who controls it.
A faint smile appeared on Kazuki's lips.
Not a happy smile.
But the smile… of someone who knows he doesn't belong in this world.
"Hey Kazuki! Let's go over there!!" shouted Rean, pointing at a magic game stall.
Lucien joined in, "They say there's a magical potential measuring device that looks super cool!"
Kazuki looked at them blankly.
"…What's even over there?"
Soft tone… empty.
But they didn't care.
With excitement, the two of them grabbed Kazuki's hands from both sides.
"Oi, don't pull me like that..."
But Kazuki didn't resist.
He just… gave in.
In his heart, he muttered:
"Well… let's just call this part of the daily background character script."
White Reaper… alias Kazuki Altherion, was dragged along toward the stall.
His face remained blank.
As if this was just… a small part of a much bigger story.
While they played, Kazuki's eyes glanced toward a corner shelf.
That item… was interesting.
His hand moved swiftly. Almost unseen.
One mini crystal slipped into the pocket of his cloak.
Collection expanded.
Faint smile.
Suddenly...
From a distance, a man ran frantically while holding a pouch of gold coins.
He bumped into several pedestrians, then headed straight for Kazuki.
"…Eh?"
THUD!
The man crashed into Kazuki.
Before running off, he slipped the gold pouch into Kazuki's hand.
"Hold this..."
Then vanished into the crowd.
Kazuki peeked inside the pouch.
Wide smile.
"Yay... free gold."
But then...
"HEY!!"
A loud voice came from the opposite direction.
A guard pointed straight at Kazuki.
"That's the thief! That damn brat! GET HIM!!"
Kazuki stood still.
Blank expression.
I knew it...
Two guards immediately tackled Kazuki.
BAM!
His head hit the stone. But his face… remained calm.
"KA..ZU..KI!!"
Rean and Lucien rushed over.
"HE'S INNOCENT!! He's been with us the whole time!!" Rean shouted.
"Yeah! We're witnesses!! He couldn't have stolen anything!!" Lucien added.
But the guards didn't care.
They mercilessly kicked both of them.
Rean and Lucien were flung. Fell.
Didn't move.
"REAN! LUCIEN!!"
Kazuki looked at them.
His eyes… slowly darkened.
In his mind...
Is this how the world treats background characters?
Well then...
It's time... for me to rewrite the script.