The magic circle's glow intensified, a cold promise of my fate. Vysis's words—E-Ranks are useless, my skills worthless—crushed any lingering hope. The soldiers' bows trained on me, their threat clear: step out, and die. My classmates stood silent, none willing to risk defying the goddess for an air mob like me. Kirihara's cold dismissal, "Finish this already," echoed the room's sentiment. I was expendable, a footnote in their hero saga.
A leather bag landed at my feet with a soft thud. "Your unique item," Vysis said, her voice dripping with false benevolence. "All heroes receive one." My classmates stirred, surprised an E-Rank like me got anything. Vysis explained they'd collected these items while we slept to prevent chaos, promising to distribute them later. Mine, she claimed, only emitted light—useless except as a glorified torch or sellable trinket. "A mercy for the Disposal Ruins," she mocked.
She turned to the class, arms wide. "See my mercy? Even the weakest get a chance!" Her words twisted, rallying the others. "You're better than him, chosen heroes! Above D-Rank, you're superior to Touka Mimori!" Her speech ignited their egos, especially the B, C, and D-Ranks, who clung to their status above me, relieved they weren't the sacrifice.
I understood now. I was the scapegoat, the E-Rank sacrifice to boost their confidence, to make them feel "lucky" compared to my doom. The Disposal Ruins weren't a chance—they were a death sentence, a place where monsters worse than the three-eyed wolf waited, where my "failure frame" skills and pitiful +3 stats guaranteed my end.
Sogou's voice broke through. "This is wrong!" She strode toward Vysis, eyes blazing. "Mimori-kun's our classmate! You can't discard him!" Zakurogi, panicking, tried to stop her. "Sogou, it's his fault for being E-Rank!" She snapped back, "You're our teacher! Protect your students!" Her courage stunned me, a flicker of warmth in this cold chamber.
Vysis's smile didn't falter. "S-Rank Ayaka-san, don't interfere." In a flash, she darted behind Sogou, her sword slashing at her neck. Sogou twisted, dodging with manga-like reflexes, and countered, knocking the sword away with a fluid martial arts move. "I'm not so easily defeated," she said, voice steady.
But Vysis was faster. "The sword was a feint," she purred, her fist slamming into Sogou's stomach with brutal force. Sogou crumpled, gasping, her S-Rank strength no match for the goddess's speed. The class gasped, Kirihara's eyes narrowing, Oyamada smirking, Yasu's grin unwavering. The Takao sisters watched, Hijiri's gaze calculating, Itsuki's tense.
Vysis loomed over Sogou. "Don't waste your potential on the unworthy." Her words silenced the room, a warning to all. Sogou struggled to rise, clutching her stomach, her defiance flickering but unbroken. The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons, ready to enforce Vysis's will.
My heart pounded, rage and despair clashing. Sogou's stand, however brief, sparked something in me. I wasn't just air—not yet. My leather bag, my "useless" skills—, , —were all I had. If the Disposal Ruins were my end, I'd face them on my terms, prove I could survive where they expected me to die.
Vysis raised her hand, the magic circle blazing. "The ritual begins!" she declared, her voice a mix of triumph and menace. The light enveloped me, my classmates' faces fading—Oyamada's sneer, Yasu's mockery, Sogou's pained resolve, Kirihara's indifference, the Takao sisters' calm. I gripped the leather bag, its faint glow my only companion.
I'd show them. E-Rank or not, Mimori Touka would claw his way out of the ruins. They'd regret writing me off.