đźź Chapter 68:
🟧 Haizen's POV:
Just as I was about to fall, Number Three was crushed under a sudden burst of gravity. I seized the moment and grabbed the broken edge of the third floor to stop myself from dropping any farther. When I pulled myself up, I found that the owner of that ability was the handsome bald-headed guy… Number Five.
I had no idea why he was here, but his arrival was definitely a relief.
Number Three was still pinned to the ground by the gravity pressure. He looked toward Number Five with a mixture of shock and fury, his jaw clenched tightly as he glared at his former comrade.
"Brenty… is that you? I can't believe you joined them!"
Number Five merely smirked, cold and unimpressed.
"Amazing that you recognized me, Capto. Even though I'm way less handsome now. Don't blame me — I was never loyal to anyone in the first place."
I retrieved my sword while Number Five examined my wounds as if he were some kind of doctor.
"Man… you're covered in injuries. Good thing I came."
"How did you know I was here?"
"The lizard dragon told me to patrol around the academy and watch for trouble. I noticed your fight with the big guy. Honestly, I wanted to just watch from afar, but… you were getting destroyed out there."
"I see…"
Well, his presence would be useful, at least.
Number Three struggled to rise despite the gravity, while Number Five was starting to tire from using his ability. He warned me:
"I can't hold him down much longer. Get ready to strike as soon as I stop."
"Got it."
I dashed toward Number Three as he slowly pushed himself up. The gravity halted, and I aimed straight for his neck. But he released his air blades to block me and slipped away from my strike.
We both dodged each other's attacks. Number Three backed off slightly, then looked at his former ally with a mocking, disdainful expression.
"You know, Brenty… you always looked like someone clueless about everything happening in the gang. Like you were never one of us to begin with. That's why I despised you."
But Number Five seemed utterly unfazed.
"I never cared about what went on in the gang anyway. Having enough to stay alive for tomorrow was all I needed. And since I'm not welcome there anymore, I figured this place suits me better."
Those words clearly annoyed Number Three. He slammed his fist into the ground and snarled:
"Fine, then I'll bury you along with your new friends, traitor."
They were the last people who should talk about betrayal.
I turned to Number Five and asked:
"Can you use your gravity again?"
"I just used it for too long. Give me a bit and I'll try."
Aside from his ability, Number Five was… pretty much useless.
But Number Three was clearly exhausted — he was panting heavily. He'd burned through a lot of energy using body enhancement, healing, and his air-blade Skill. As for me, I still couldn't use Shadow Style.
He hesitated to attack — unlike earlier. I took advantage of it and rushed in. He didn't try to dodge. As my blade neared his stomach, he smiled with a strange, unsettling grin.
"You've fallen right into my trap, swordsman."
Suddenly the floor beneath us shattered completely. He'd used his blades to carve a circular cut around us, sending both of us crashing down to the second floor — separating me from Number Five.
"Tch… he tricked me."
Before we even hit the ground, he kicked me away.
Of course — he wanted to finish me before Number Five could reach us.
He didn't waste time. He launched his air blades again — but unlike before, they were fewer and slower. He was using them as a distraction.
He hurled chunks of debris from the third floor at me. I cut through them, expecting him to appear behind the rubble — but instead he appeared behind me, unleashing blades once more.
He was relying on his skill far more now, like he wanted to use up every last bit of his mana. His blades weren't as sharp anymore; the strike to my back didn't do much damage.
I charged forward again. He retaliated with another wave — but this time, I didn't dodge. I let the blades hit me if that meant landing an attack of my own.
My sword pierced his chest. He hadn't anticipated that at all.
His wound didn't disappear — he couldn't heal now.
I provoked him on purpose:
"Take a look at yourself. You're falling apart."
"You're one to talk… you're covered in wounds."
"Don't compare yourself to me. I can still stand. But you? You can't endure more than one or two hits."
He fell silent for a moment, as if contemplating something — then lunged again. He aimed a punch but surprised me with a sudden kick to the wrist holding my sword. The blade flew away.
He wanted me unarmed.
He didn't stop there. He drove his knee toward my stomach, but I blocked it with my leg — only for him to headbutt me unexpectedly, dropping me to the floor.
"Now we're even," he said mockingly.
Seriously… was he holding a grudge over that headbutt from earlier?
Still on the ground, I kicked his leg and knocked him down. I tried to get up to retrieve my sword, but he grabbed my ankle and dragged me down again. I kicked him in the face, but he refused to let go…
Until gravity crushed him once more.
Number Five had arrived.
I finally pulled myself free. I asked him:
"Where did you come from? I didn't see you jump down from the hole."
"Uhhh… I used the stairs. Obviously."
"Oh… right. The stairs. I forgot about those."
Well, I'd recovered some mana. I could probably use Shadow Style again.
I told Number Five to stop his skill.
"You can stop now. I'll handle him myself."
"You sure?"
"Yes. I'll finish this with my next strike."
He canceled the gravity.
Number Three slowly got up again.
I stepped forward, sword in hand.
"This next attack will be my last. Are you ready?"
He smiled, eyes sharp with determination.
"Good. I was stalling earlier to recover some energy. This will be my final attack too. Let's see which wins — your sword or my wind blades."
My heartbeat pounded violently. If I failed here, it was over.
I gathered every last bit of mana into my blade.
The falling stones from the broken floor above signaled the start.
We both charged—
I zig-zagged, black aura crackling from my sword.
He unleashed the largest air blade he had used in the entire fight — powerful enough to split the second floor in half.
Cut.
His legs were severed instantly.
I followed with another strike to his chest.
His attack was massive — but too slow.
I dodged with a leap, while he couldn't react fast enough to avoid mine.
It was over.
Number Three, bleeding heavily, looked at me with a faint, almost genuine smile.
"Not a bad fight… swordsman. In the end…"
His words faded as his eyes closed and he stopped moving.
Despite everything, he accepted his defeat.
In the end, he wasn't an unbeatable monster; even before Number Five arrived, I had already drained his energy.
I collapsed, gasping for air — but the second floor began to crumble from our final clash. Number Five grabbed me and carried me out of the academy before the entire level collapsed.
I can't help wondering what Takeru and that prince are doing now.
I should probably catch up with them.