Breath hitched in every chest as Rion's gaze locked onto the purple monstrosity's eyes. It wasn't a mere look; it was a metaphysical weight that made the air around Rion simmer with tension. Suddenly, the clouds parted with a brilliant light; Alex descended like a meteor from the twilight sky, her scream piercing the silence:
"Take this, you filthy beast!"
She thrust her palms toward the earth, unleashing a crushing gravity wave of thousands of tons. It should have ground bones to powder, but the monster remained standing, a mocking, unshakable smirk etched onto his lips. Meanwhile, Amani lunged forward to form a human shield for Instructor Manata and Mr. Toby, while Atsuri slipped like a breeze behind the beast, brandishing the "Faizon" blade to force it away from them.
Despite their combined efforts, the monster looked as though he were watching a mere entertainment show. He turned coldly, and with a movement too fast for the eye to follow, he crouched and leapt—piercing through the gravitational pressure as if it were a feather—to reach Alex's level in the sky. He reached toward her terrified face and whispered in a demonic tone:
"Welcome to hell..."
With a devastating blow, he sent her hurtling toward the stone walls like a broken doll. Atsuri screamed in horror, "Aleeex!" He dashed forward, using his maximum wind energy to catch her limp body before she struck the rubble, a scene that made every heart stop.
The monster landed with terrifying stability, then bowed gracefully, placing a hand over his chest in a mocking salute:
"Greetings, mortal humans... I am Dafron. I am honored to meet my meals for the day."
Rion and Atsuri exchanged a look laden with despair. Atsuri whispered in a choked voice:
"Rion... we have to retreat. His power exceeds everything we know." But before they could take a step, Mira and the others arrived, their faces pale and hearts pounding with terror.
Amani charged with desperate defiance, stabbing at Dafron's chest with her spear, but the blade didn't even scratch his purple skin. Atsuri yelled, "Get away from him, you fool!" but it was too late. Dafron seized Amani's hand in his massive grip, his manic laughter shaking the ruins:
"Beautiful... my main course will be a young maiden."
In a fraction of a second, Rion turned into a blur of speed, delivering a suicidal kick to the monster that forced him to release Amani. She stumbled back, clutching her trembling wrist, while Atsuri wondered in his soul with gnawing anxiety:
(Can this boy truly face a demon like this?)
But Dafron gave him no time to think. He lunged like a cyclone, distributing strikes that were invisible to the eye. Rion struggled to survive, parrying and maneuvering, until the unthinkable happened. With a flash like lightning, Dafron coldly severed Rion's arm, then drove his fist into Rion's abdomen, the punch piercing through his body and exiting through his back, drenched in crimson blood.
A funeral silence fell. Dafron withdrew his stained hand and kicked Rion's lifeless body, tossing it into the rubble like a discarded rag. Toby cried out in bitter despair: "Dammit... he was killed before my eyes and I am helpless!" while Mira's scream tore through the air:
"Rioooon!! Nooooo!!"
Dafron stood, coldly wiping the blood from his hand:
"Now... I shall toy with you as I please. I truly didn't expect to find a rare 'Froken' specimen in such a boring place."
But, before he could take another step, the earth shook with an unprecedented tremor. From the depths of the rubble, a horrific pressure erupted—a dark aura that made everyone feel as though they were suffocating, as if the very air had turned to lead. Thick dust billowed, and from the heart of the destruction, a creature emerged that no human eye had ever beheld.
His skin was silver, his muscles corded as if sculpted from steel, and his eyes... they were the eyes of a hungry tiger, burning with predatory fire. A demonic grin spread across his face, revealing sharp fangs ready to rend flesh. His legs were no longer human, taking the form of a predatory wolf's limbs, and upon his left shoulder rested a glowing skull pulsing with an eerie light.
"That isn't a monster..." Toby whispered, his limbs shaking, "That is a demon risen from the pits of hell."
Mira murmured in disbelief:
"Is that... Rion?"
Meanwhile, Touka watched the scene in stunned silence, thinking:
(This is it... the full Froken transformation. The power that everyone fears.)
Dafron took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with a pleasure he hadn't known in ages, and said:
"It seems that finishing you... won't be as simple as I thought, little Froken."
In the heart of the Grand Council Chamber, where interests collide and fates are woven in solemn silence, Headmistress Dalia sat in her plush chair at the head of the oval table. She wasn't just an academy director; she looked like a military commander in the robes of a high-ranking diplomat.
Her commanding presence began with her appearance; she wore a long, light beige coat that draped with dignity to mid-calf, left open at the front to reveal an inner sternness, while the black trim along its edges defined her strength. A wide black belt cinched her waist, its metallic buckle reflecting the dim hall lights, and on her left lapel sat a small white rose—a symbol of hope besieged by cold decisions.
Beneath the coat, her high-collared black shirt suggested mystery and fortification, completed by straight white trousers with black side stripes and tall boots covering her knees. Even her hands did not touch the coldness of the hall directly; they were encased in black gloves that added to her untouchable aura.
Suddenly, without warning, Dalia's body was seized by a strange tremor. It wasn't physical pain, but a "sting" in the energy fabric around her, as if a silent scream had echoed in the depths of her soul. She looked up sharply, her eyes flashing, at the exact moment a council member, Mr. Jister, stood to hurl his words like bullets:
"Lady Dalia, the disturbances in Kenimar have reached an intolerable limit. Resources are collapsing, and the island is in danger. I believe it is time to direct the Academy's forces toward the immediate liberation of Valdoris... You know well that reclaiming that region would be the greatest gain for us all."
Dalia replied in a resonant, calm tone that carried an unmovable weight:
"Mr. Jister, I read the reports just as you do, and I am aware of the gravity of the situation. However, I am not in the business of turning my students into fuel for a war they didn't choose. Those who decided to fight did so of their own free will, and I will not send a single soul to its death for political goals that haven't been clearly presented to them."
Jister flared with rage, slamming his fist onto the table:
"Lady Dalia! The Academy's existence on this island isn't for picnics or innocent education! We are here for a reason higher than the whims of teenagers. He who lacks the courage to risk has no value among us. This isn't a game, and you, more than anyone, know the dark truth behind these walls!"
As Jister shouted, Dalia's sensation of the strange energy intensified, turning into a disturbance that gnawed at her composure. She no longer heard Jister's words; she heard a heart beating rapidly in the distance... Rion's heartbeat.
She stood up very slowly, ignoring the Council's disapproving glares, and walked toward the giant window. She stared at the far horizon, where the island's sky met its mysterious sea, her eyes reflecting a deep-seated tension.
Jister cried out in resentment:
"Lady Dalia! We are in the midst of a crucial meeting, and your blatant disregard for us is an unseemly slight to the Council!"
Dalia turned toward him slowly, a calm smile masking a brewing storm, then sat down again, saying:
"My apologies... I felt a disturbance in the mana balance for a moment. Please continue, I am listening."
Jister cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure:
"Fine, as I was saying..."
But Dalia's mind was not in the hall. Her soul was soaring over the ruins, watching that distant explosion, whispering to herself in a voice filled with pain and hope:
(May fate protect you all... I feel a grim shadow crawling toward the city... Rion, you mysterious boy, I am counting on you and what you hide in your depths.)
The battlefield had turned into a theater of horror such as Kenimar had never seen. Dafron charged at Rion like a devastating purple hurricane, striking with a ferocity that could have crushed mountains, but Rion—in his new form—stood like an immovable peak. He didn't budge an inch; he parried the attacks with a terrifying coldness, as if Dafron's blows were nothing more than dust motes scattered by the wind.
Suddenly, in a moment of stillness before the storm, Rion struck back with a single punch. It was a monumental blow; a shockwave exploded with it, sending Dafron reeling back, spitting blood and rage, as the first traces of terror began to creep into his glowing eyes.
"It seems I won't be able to settle this duel alone..." Dafron muttered, his brow furrowed, evil dripping from his voice.
From his back, a dark, viscous substance began to flow, taking shape before the terrified eyes of the onlookers into nightmarish creatures—tall, featureless ghouls with hollow eyes and mouths twisted into monstrous, bone-chilling grins.
Dafron shouted in a booming voice:
"Attack, shadows! Tear him apart!"
Rion's response wasn't in words, but in a deep roar that shook the city's foundations—a roar that didn't come from a human throat, but from the depths of an eternal being. The earth trembled and buildings cracked. In a silver flash, Rion launched. The observers saw nothing but streaks of light cutting the darkness. In a single second, the ghouls had vanished, their limbs severed before they even realized they had been attacked.
The students froze in their places, whispering in awe:
"What speed... he's transcending the limits of logic!"
Rion pounced on Dafron again. Claws met fists, and their collision generated shockwaves that shattered stone and uprooted trees. Dafron retreated, panting, terror finally seizing his heart:
(At this rate... I'll die! How did I dare provoke a Froken?! Dammit... I have no chance against him!)
From a distance, Manata watched, paralyzed by shock. She turned to Toby with a trembling voice:
"What is happening, Mr. Toby? This fight... it isn't the fight of humans."
Toby replied, his eyes never leaving the arena:
"It's Rion... but he's fighting with the heart of a savage beast."
Suddenly, Rion stopped. He raised his hand toward the sky, and particles of energy began to gather between his palms to form a glowing sphere. Sky-blue interlaced with a vivid yellow flicker—a strange energy pulsing with an unfamiliar rhythm.
Manata gasped, taking a step back:
"Is this... real?"
Toby muttered, barely able to breathe:
"He's gathering an immense amount of mana... but..."
Manata interrupted him, her voice filled with dread:
"No... that isn't normal mana... it's Null Energy! The energy of the void that erases existence! This is impossible!"
Rion launched the sphere toward Dafron. At first, the sphere seemed slow, drifting through the air with a lethal grace. Dafron laughed in desperate mockery:
"What is this? Is this your full power? A slow ball?"
But, the moment the energy touched his body, his laughter died forever. The sphere pierced through him as if his body were made of paper, swallowed his essence, and then suddenly collapsed into an infinitesimal point, leaving behind scattered fragments of a body that once thought itself invincible.
An absolute silence fell. The silver aura faded, and Rion's body gradually began to return to its human form. His clothes were shredded, his strength spent, and he collapsed amidst the rubble, unconscious, leaving behind a field witnessing the destructive power of the "Froken."
Two days later...
Rion opened his eyes slowly. He felt a leaden weight shackling his limbs, and his head throbbed with echoes. The first thing he saw was his familiar room. Beside him, Mira was in a deep sleep at the desk, exhausted from staying up, while Trangen was dozing in the chair next to his bed, her head tilted toward his hand.
The door opened with a quietness that invited peace, and Touka entered carrying a breakfast tray. Their eyes met, and a rare, calm smile appeared on her face:
"Finally decided to wake up, sleepyhead."
Rion tried to sit up with difficulty:
"How long... have I been here?"
Touka replied in a serious tone:
"Two full days, Rion. Kairen and Mira haven't tasted sleep out of fear... we feared that energy had drained your soul, but I knew you were too tough to leave like that."
At the sound of their conversation, Trangen jolted awake. She looked at him for a second as if to confirm he wasn't a dream, then burst into tears and threw herself into his arms:
"Rion! You're alive! My heart has started beating again!"
Mira woke up in a panic, and as soon as she saw him sitting up, tears overcame her and she smiled through her sobbing:
"Welcome back, brother... and good morning."
Rion smiled weakly:
"Good morning... sister."
Mira couldn't hold back; she rushed to hug him along with Trangen, whispering fervently:
"I thought I'd really lost you... don't ever repeat that scene again, please."
Rion laughed softly despite his pain, trying to comfort them:
"Alright, alright... the room is flooded with your tears, that's enough crying."
But their response came as a single choir amidst the weeping:
"Nooooo!"
Touka placed the tray on the table and said in her firm tone that hid great care:
"Eat your full breakfast, then gather your strength. You must head to the teachers' lounge immediately... someone is waiting to meet you, and the matter cannot be delayed."
She then left the room, leaving Rion to wonder: Who is the person waiting for him after everything that happened? And what will he face now that his truth has been revealed to everyone?