The transformation was straight out of a nightmare. Aoi's body didn't just grow; it distorted. He doubled in size, his skin stretching until dozens of bloodshot eyes popped open across his chest. Solaris sigils—which were supposed to be holy—glowed a sickly purple on his skin. Then came the hands. Massive, pale arms wrapped around his own torso, and long, slimy tongues lashed out from mouths located right in the middle of his palms.
"Bow before me, you detestable creatures!" Aoi's voice sounded like grinding rocks.
Lyra moved like a flash, her blade whistling through the air as she sliced right across the monster's face. "Great," she spat, wiping a drop of black blood off her cheek. "My sister was right—we got a talker."
Elara landed beside her, sparks of Kishō dancing off her fingertips. "Yeah, let's shut him up. He's ruining our bonding time with otō-kun!"
"You shall be the first to fall!" Aoi roared, swinging his weird hand-mouths at them.
SHING.
A silent line appeared on his chest. Aurelia stepped through the dust, her Solaris blade humming with golden power. "Well, well... looks like the three of us have to kill this... whatever the hell you are."
"I am the great and powerful—" Aoi started, but his body was suddenly lopped in half.
"Sorry," Lyra said, already behind him. "Too slow for me."
The three of them went to town on him. They were absolute powerhouses, coordinated and brutal, but there was a problem. The more they hacked him apart, the more his Kishō spiked. He was grinning with every mouth he had.
"Curses," Lyra hissed.
"Language!" Elara yelled.
"At least she doesn't say 'damn' every two seconds like you," Aurelia countered, though she was breathing hard. "Enough—look at him. He's swelling!"
Aoi started to puff up, his body bubbling and growing until he looked like he was about to pop.
Over at the obstacle course, things were way quieter. Kai and Renaria were actually sitting on the grass playing chess.
Renaria moved a piece with a smirk. "Checkmate. Now, are you going to deal with that mess?"
Kai looked over at the massive, pulsing dark dome forming at the arena. "Fine," he sighed, standing up and dusting off his simple training gi. "Let me go."
He didn't run. He just walked toward the scene like he was headed to get a snack. Right as he got close, the entire arena exploded.
The blast was insane. Rubble flew everywhere, burying half the students. Lyra was thrown back and knocked out cold. Elara got pinned under a massive stone pillar, the dust blinding her. Aurelia was trying to crawl out from under a heap of bricks, her arms feeling like they were on fire.
Through the thick gray dust, she saw a shadow.
It was Kai.
He was standing right in front of Aoi—who was now a terrifying, scaly humanoid snake-thing. Aoi was throwing punches that could shatter mountains, but Kai? Kai was just... moving.
Aurelia's eyes widened. He's my age... how is he doing that? He's moving like water in a stream. Unresponsive, unrestrained. It's like the attacks are just flowing around him.
Then, it happened. In a split second—faster than Aurelia could even blink—Kai stepped in. BAM. A single punch landed on Aoi's chest.
Impossible, Aurelia thought, her heart racing. That speed... he's been hiding his strength this whole time.
Kai glanced over and saw Lyra starting to wake up. His face immediately went back to his "clumsy" look.
"Reversal," Kai whispered.
He tapped Aoi's forehead, and the stolen power from Aurelia's blood just... broke. Aoi shriveled up, turning back into a normal, unconscious guy. Kai quickly scooped up the fainted Aurelia, carrying her in both arms with a small smile. He put her down gently by a tree near the course, then sprinted back to his spot.
A few minutes later, Lyra and Elara limped up to the finish line. They saw Kai wobbling across the tape, looking like he was about to pass out from a light jog.
"Apparently he lost control and well... boom," Lyra said, rubbing her sore head.
"Yeah," Elara groaned. "Note to self: don't underestimate the weird guys."
"He was just a guy with too much power and no brain," Lyra said. Then she looked at Kai and grinned. "You did it! And it only took you like... the entire day!"
"New world record for being slow!" Elara cheered, hugging him.
Kai panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Thanks, guys."
"Come on," Lyra said, pulling them along. "Let's wake up Aurelia and get some ice cream."
They all laughed, headed for the exit. But behind them, Aurelia was still sitting by the tree, staring at Kai's back.
What Kai did takes years—maybe decades—to learn, she thought, her grip tightening on her sword. I can't even do that. How the hell did he do that?
The chapter ends with Kai looking back over his shoulder, a harmless smile on his face.
End of Chapter