[Days Later]
The morning light hit Azariah's face through the windows as the target day finally came on.
Today was the day for the inauguration of societies. A day where no classes would be held, so teachers would not be present.
The seniors, committees, and societies had to manage the rush and discipline.
And yet, unlike every other year, this was going to be much more hectic. And tragic.
Waking up, Azariah walked over to the bathroom and quickly took a shower in silence.
As he dressed, he made sure to wear the mana vest that he had bought when he left the academy underneath his clothes.
They were slim, invisible vests that protected you from most attacks, though the cheap ones Azariah bought didn't last long.
He initially bought them for the dungeon only, but he had two left, so he ought to save them for the occasion.
Azariah took a deep breath as he recounted the plan for today. The attack from Rosalith, of course, wouldn't just begin at the start of the event.
It would be sudden and disruptive, at a time where the rush would be at its peak and chaos could ensue easily.
Up till this point, he had been practicing his Pixelation and Umbrakinesis. He was going to use Umbrakinesis a lot in the minor fights today.
Paired with his archment, these two were his basic fighting utilities along with the revolver.
Azariah couldn't afford to use Pixelation and the foundation in normal fights. They were his biggest cards.
The elements of surprise that would allow him to decrease the gap in ranks in major fights.
Except that, all he could count on was his plan and luck.
If he was being honest with himself, he was quite nervous. Coming to this world, it had all been easy for him up till this point.
He knew that this was going to be a day where he was going to face some harsh realities of the world.
Regardless of how much he planned or whatever he tried to do, there was no denying the fact that there was going to be bloodshed.
Maybe he might die. It was a possibility that Azariah needed to cope with.
He wasn't Yvan. He wasn't the main character. This wasn't the game. He had no cheats or plot armor.
If even a single blade touched his neck and went through, it was over.
Done.
These weren't just going to be any easy battles like before.
At the end of the day, whether he came back alive or not, he didn't know. So all he could do was maybe pray to any god out there.
And try his best to stay alive.
With that, he took a deep breath and went outside.
***
All over the academy, heaps of stalls had been placed and countless groups of students roamed about.
It was never this packed. Not even at orientation.
It was as if the academy had just suddenly decided to enroll a whole new batch. But the truth was, many of the students weren't even students.
Within the cheers and laughter that could be heard on the fair day, there was an element of hate and mischief lurking about.
Trying to strike at any moment.
Azariah came to the entertainment area of the academy, so far the most packed area of the institution.
All the major stalls and refreshment points were placed in this huge place that was now bustling with an army of students.
Within such a large population of students, the size of the Disciplinary Committee was small.
It was unusual. No matter what, the society event was never this packed at any year.
The Regulation Committee was not prepared to control such huge masses.
'The patrollers won't be able to handle any outbreak.'
That was a confirmed thing.
Azariah had to go against both the Academy Council and the Regulation Committee to convince them to not hire any new students.
Only trusted people such as friends could be brought, but nobody else.
You wouldn't know who was a Rosalith spy, and the moment they heard about the plans, everything would be foiled.
It was why before leaving that building, Azariah informed them to be ready to bear losses.
They could not go into this event trying to save everyone. That would result in an even major loss.
They needed to be ready to suffer as much as possible. Only by accepting 'what's gone is gone' could they try to save 'what was about to be gone'.
Coming to the corner of the area, Azariah spotted Yvan, who was eating a cup of ice cream with his back against the pillar.
'This dumbass is always eating sweet or cold stuff.'
He was famous as an addict for them.
He was dressed in proper clothes that made him blend into the crowd like any normal student enjoying the event.
"Any unusualities?" Azariah asked as he leaned against the other pillar, opening his terminal to make himself seem busy.
For today, no patroller was wearing a badge so it was easier to stay hidden.
"Not so far." Yvan took a bite of his ice cream, his eyes running around the area.
"Hmm, this is funny."
"What is?" Yvan asked as he lended Azariah a cup of ice cream as well.
"Why is the event going so peacefully?" The latter asked as he looked around, opening the ice cream.
"Maybe because it's too early. They are probably waiting for the right time."
Azariah nodded but then asked,
"Yeah but it's too peaceful. There are no signs of tension at all between the 1st-year students. It's as if all the hate has suddenly disappeared."
He took a bite of his ice cream.
Yvan nodded.
"You're right. In fact, I don't see any first years at all here." He looked around.
A bad premonition rose up in Azariah's chest as he looked around.
Yvan was right.
Except for the ones enrolling into the societies, no other first-year students could be seen around the area at all.
'What the hell?'
Where had they gone?
As Azariah took another bite of the ice cream subconsciously, he suddenly shivered.
"Achoo!" He sneezed, wiping his nose.
'Why am I even eating ice cream in the cold weather?'
Which kind of dumbass would try selling ice cream in December?
It was then that a realization suddenly hit in Azariah's brain.
He looked at the ice cream's ingredients.
'Perozine. Caution: Can block mana channels for a while due to its intense coldness.'
He turned to Yvan with a horrified look on his face.
"Where did you get this ice cream?"
Yvan, though confused, pointed to the end of the lane trying to find the stall.
"Huh, wait. Where did it go??"
Following his gaze, Azariah saw no stall at the end of the lane but an empty space.
Before he could react, a sudden shadow crossed his face the next moment, making his eyes widen as he turned to Yvan.
"Yvan!"
The black-haired boy realized immediately something was wrong but…
As he tried to channel his Umbrakinesis, it suddenly went up into black smoke, rendering him helpless.
And then…
Crack.
A cracking sound was heard in the air as Yvan was sent flying through the air at high speeds.
BOOM!
An explosion was heard at the other part of the academy as well.
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