A shrill siren suddenly tore through the campus, echoing without restraint. Anyone unfamiliar with the place would have thought it was an air raid.
Strictly speaking, dragons did have wings, and Cassell Academy had suffered dragon attacks before.
But this wasn't one of them.
Black-clad tactical teams carrying M4s surged out from one side of campus, charging forward. From the opposite direction-centered on the chapel-figures in dark red uniforms poured out to meet them head-on.
Black versus red.
Any other color meant immediate fire.
The first exchange dropped people instantly. Blood mist burst into the air. Bodies fell and twitched on the ground. Gunfire roared nonstop. In an instant, the elegant Nordic academy had become a battlefield.
"Squad One engaged! Enemy count over twenty! Firefight ongoing!"
"Squad Two needs fire support! They've got a machine gun!"
"Where's the briefcase nuke?! Get it out here!"
Radio chatter overlapped in chaos. Hearing the word nuke, Lu-lying prone on a rooftop with a sniper rifle-didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He knew it wasn't real. It wasn't a nuclear weapon, nor was it some massive Frigga bomb. Its purpose was simple: if you detonated it in the enemy core, you won.
Still.
Watching someone sprint across a battlefield holding something called a "nuke" was terrifying.
Lu tracked the man through his scope. He didn't make it far before being dropped.
Lu shook his head.
The Lionheart Society had a strong sniper too. Charging head-on like that was brave, but it turned you into a target.
As for the Student Union's sniper?
It wasn't Lu.
Even though he realized his aim was actually pretty good, he had no intention of showing it. He'd decided from the start to coast. Their real sniper was Nuonuo. One shot, one kill. She was evenly matched with Lionheart's Su Qian.
Lu yawned and casually took down another target.
Hit one.
Miss one.
Perfect.
Not too eye-catching.
Despite having a Spirit Language, using it was another matter. He planned to drag things out, then hand his "contribution" over to his Boss at the end. That way, he wouldn't look weak as an S-rank, but also wouldn't stand out.
Then he froze.
Since when did he-lifelong invisible man-need to worry about hiding talent?
"Squad One, change route. Jump from the third-floor corridor window. Advance through the bushes."
"Squad Two, leave five behind for defense. Don't save ammo. Everyone else, jump and flank."
"Squad Three-"
At the Lionheart command post, Morin stood on an elevated platform, calmly issuing orders. Every instruction flowed directly into each member's earpiece.
No hesitation.
No dissent.
No I don't care what you think.
Before the Day of Liberty began, Chu had brought Morin before the entire Lionheart Society and announced his immediate appointment as Vice President and field commander. Some reacted instinctively with resistance.
Then Morin ignited his Golden Eyes.
He scanned the room once.
Silence followed.
It felt like something ancient and noble was looking down at them. The pressure crawled along their spines.
Chu Zihang was an undisputed leader. His decisions carried weight. Once everyone learned Morin's Spirit Language, objections vanished.
Divine Calculus.
With Morin present, it was like having Norma on the battlefield.
Now that the real fighting had begun, they finally understood how terrifying he was.
Dozens of squads.
Different tactics.
Constant adjustment.
Under his command, Lionheart moved like a precision machine.
The Student Union, by comparison, was chaos.
"I really love half-breed physiques," Morin muttered. "Third- or fourth-floor jumps are effortless. The tactical options are endless."
He looked aside.
"But this only keeps us in a stalemate. With those two snipers and this terrain, casualties will stack up. The chapel is the strongest point."
"Feint at the chapel. Send a unit to eliminate the sniper in the other building."
Lu Mingfei had overlooked one problem.
His definition of coasting was wrong.
This wasn't a game.
Landing one hit out of every two shots against moving targets at Captain America levels effectively made him a sharpshooter.
Lionheart only had Su Qian trading kills with Nuonuo. Morin's command had improved efficiency, but it was being dragged down by one factor.
Lu Mingfei.
This wouldn't work.
It was turning into a war of attrition.
Morin didn't want Lu to drift through this. If he wanted to change that "loser kid," pressure was necessary. Mingze applied pressure, but always with a purpose.
Morin didn't care about that.
He just wanted Lu Mingfei to change.
To shed that loser aura.
It was happening.
Not enough.
Under the gaze of dozens in the command room, Morin pulled out his phone and made a call.
The vibration caught Lu's attention just after he dropped another Lionheart member. His eyes lit up.
"Boss!"
"I just sent three squads your way," Morin said casually.
"H-Holy crap, thanks for the warning!" Lu grabbed his rifle, ready to run.
"I said that in the Lionheart command room," Morin added. "Everyone heard it."
"I'm calling to tell you not to run."
"Boss, you don't have to do your lackey like this!" Lu wailed. "If I messed up, just say it!"
"First reason," Morin said evenly. "You're too much of a threat. If we don't take you out, winning will be difficult."
"I'll start aiming at the Pacific Ocean!"
"No. You're doing fine," Morin replied. "Just not fine enough."
He walked to the window, eyes on the battlefield.
"Second reason. I want you to stop cowering."
"You're an S-rank."
"Show them."
"I don't have any abilities!" Lu shouted, panic rising, firing on an enemy trying to breach the stairwell.
"It's you who doesn't understand your abilities," Morin said softly.
"If you don't wipe out those three squads-don't call me Boss again."
"No running."
The call ended.
Lu stared at the phone.
Blocked.
"Hello? Hello?!"
No response.
Lu swallowed.
Below him, Student Union forces had stationed defenders around their S-rank sniper.
And now-
Three full squads were storming his building.
"This isn't the chapel!" Lu's scalp tingled. "Why are you guys listening to the Boss so well?!"
He wanted to run.
Then Morin's words echoed.
His feet stopped.
Like Sun Wukong drawing a circle around Tang Sanzang.
Except this time, Wukong was driving demons straight at him.
Tang Sanzang just wanted to chant sutras on his white horse.
Monks weren't meant to throw punches.
Then the vision from the little devil surfaced.
The musclebound hero vanished, replaced by a refined monk in a cassock. The monk stood inside his circle, chanting-until demons approached.
He stood up.
Tore off the robe.
Threw a SHORYUKEN.
Muscles bulged.
The art style was awful.
The little devil's voice echoed.
Lu hesitated.
Lose his Boss and run?
Or wipe out three squads?
To be honest-
He was starting to believe it.
That he really was S-rank.
Power surged within him. Vast. Deep. Like an ocean. It filled him with confidence, even though he hadn't yet faced another Spirit Language.
Footsteps thundered toward his floor.
After a long silence, Lu let out a breath.
"So this is what they mean by being forced into a life of crime."
He turned.
Golden Eyes ignited.
After blocking Lu, Morin issued another command.
"No one else targets the S-rank. All units, full assault on the chapel."
"Senior, you can move."
Chu, who had remained in the command room, stood.
He paused.
"Are you sure Lu can handle it?"
"Some people only move when pushed," Morin replied. "He's that kind."
"I understand."
Chu led his team out.
Inside the chapel.
"What's going on? The S-rank is being swarmed!"
"At least twenty on his floor!"
"We'd need double that to retake it!"
"We'd have to pull chapel defenders-impossible!"
"The enemy is advancing across the entire line!"
Chaos filled the channel.
Then a voice cut through.
"This is Caesar."
"Ignore the S-rank. Engage Lionheart's main force."
"Believe in the S-rank."
Dark red surged forward again.
Black met red.
This was the final clash.
No hesitation.
Only one thought remained.
Advance.
"They've committed everything," Morin said after reviewing the field. "Defense is meaningless now."
With one command, even Lionheart's office staff pulled weapons and charged.
Dispatchers.
Logistics.
It didn't matter.
With Morin present, standing around was pointless.
This was Cassell Academy.
A school for half-breeds.
An organization of violence.
Morin didn't go out.
He stepped onto the balcony to watch.
His phone rang.
"What?" he answered.
"Hey, handsome. Dinner date?" a sweet voice purred.
"When?" Morin replied.
"I'll be in the States soon."
"Fine."
He chuckled.
"Planning to kidnap me for my body again?"
"If you want, I wouldn't mind."
Top floor of Lu's building.
Gunfire roared.
Blood mist burst.
The last man fell.
Lu Mingfei stood among the bodies, Golden Eyes blazing.
Expression calm.
Gaze indifferent.
He walked to the window, surveyed the meat grinder below, then picked up his rifle and turned away.
Twenty black-clad figures lay behind him.
Shock lingered on their faces.
They hadn't expected this.
"Inverse..."
The word escaped him, ancient and unfamiliar.
Lu began descending the stairs.
His target-
The center of the battlefield.