Night had quietly settled over Aryavarta Union Medical College.
The corridors of Hostel 6 were unusually calm. After days of protests, arguments, and tension, most students had finally retreated to their rooms, trying to escape the chaos that had taken over the dormitory.
Inside his room, Akshat Aether sat at his desk, reviewing a few scattered notes.
His mind wasn't fully focused.
Too many things had been happening lately. The protests. The pressure from Hostel 1 supporters. The way the weaker students had started looking at him like he was their only hope.
Akshat slowly leaned back in his chair.
Things are moving faster than expected…
Just then—
A soft sound slid across the floor.
Shff…
Akshat's eyes immediately shifted toward the door. A small envelope had been pushed underneath it. He stood up slowly and walked over. The envelope looked plain. No decoration and no address.
But at the center of it was a strange symbol.
A sword. Drawn in sharp, deliberate strokes of dark ink.
Akshat raised an eyebrow.
"…What is this?"
He opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper inside.
There were only a few words written on it.
Short.
Direct.
Traditional Duel.
Come Alone.
Location: Old Junkyard.
And at the bottom—
A name.
Ryuki
Akshat stared at the paper for several seconds. Then he let out a quiet breath.
"…You're kidding."
He rubbed his temple slightly.
"A duel invitation?"
For a moment, he genuinely thought someone was messing with him. It sounded like something from an old samurai film. But the name on the paper made the situation different.
Ryuki.
The leader of Hostel 6.
Akshat's expression slowly changed. The casual amusement in his eyes faded. "…So she finally decided to move." He folded the paper neatly and slipped it into his pocket. There was no point ignoring something like this.
If Ryuki had sent the invitation herself, she clearly wanted a confrontation.
And if he refused… it would only show weakness. Akshat grabbed Alexander's jacket and quietly left the room. The abandoned junkyard sat on the outskirts of the city.
A place long forgotten by time.
Broken fences leaned against rusted metal structures. Old vehicles were piled on top of each other like skeletons of machines that had died decades ago. The wind moved slowly through the empty space, carrying the smell of rust, oil, and damp concrete.
Akshat stepped through the open gate without hesitation. The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly. The place was completely silent.
Too silent.
As he walked deeper into the junkyard, something immediately caught his attention.
He stopped.
His eyes slowly lowered toward the ground.
Dark stains covered parts of the concrete.
Blood. Not just a few drops.
There were many stains.
Some scattered across the ground.
Some splashed against nearby walls.
Others smeared across metal surfaces as if someone had struck them repeatedly.
Akshat crouched down slightly.
He touched one of the dried marks with his fingers.
The pattern wasn't random.
The blood marks appeared in repeated clusters.
His eyes narrowed.
"is that the marks of…Knuckle training?"
Someone had been striking solid surfaces with their bare fists.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until their skin broke open. Until the blood soaked into the walls.
Akshat slowly stood up.
His gaze moved deeper into the junkyard.
Then—
He saw her.
Standing beneath a flickering industrial light.
For a moment, the scene almost looked unreal.
A lone feminine figure stood calmly in the middle of the rusted metal landscape.
She wasn't wearing anything extravagant.
Just a tight compression training shirt and simple shorts.
Yet the way she carried herself made the entire environment feel tense.
Her posture was perfect.
Balanced.
Like someone whose body had been trained to move with lethal precision.
In her right hand, she held a katana.
The blade reflected the dim light above, sending faint silver flashes across the junkyard.
Akshat slowly approached.
The closer he walked, the more clearly he could see her face.
Her features were striking.
Sharp yet elegant.
There was a quiet beauty in her appearance, but it wasn't a soft kind of beauty.
It was something far more dangerous.
The beauty of a warrior.
Her eyes finally lifted and met his.
Cold.
Focused.
Unwavering.
The leader of Hostel 6, Ryuki.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The wind moved faintly between the rusted metal piles around them.
Finally— Ryuki broke the silence.
"You came."
Her voice was calm.
But there was a sharp edge beneath it.
Akshat slipped his hands casually into his pockets.
"You sent a duel invitation with a sword symbol," he said lightly..His eyes briefly glanced at the katana she held.
"…I figured curiosity was worth the trip."
A faint smile touched Ryuki's lips.
"Good."
She slowly lifted the katana.
The blade angled slightly toward him. "I prefer opponents who don't run."
Akshat looked around the junkyard again.
His eyes paused on the blood stains across the walls.
"…All that blood," he said quietly.
"it's Your training?"
Ryuki didn't deny it.
Instead, her grip on the katana tightened slightly.
"Yes."
Her voice became colder.
Every trace of casual conversation disappeared.
Her gaze locked onto Akshat with deadly focus.
"Because tonight…"
The air between them suddenly felt heavier.
"…I am here to kill you."
The junkyard fell completely silent.
And for the first time that night—
The duel truly began.
The wind moved quietly through the abandoned junkyard. Rusted metal sheets rattled faintly somewhere in the darkness, and the weak industrial light above flickered every few seconds, throwing long shadows across the blood-stained ground.
Between those shadows stood Ryuki, holding a katana with steady hands.
Her stance was flawless. Balanced. Prepared.
Every muscle in her body was ready to move. A few meters away, Akshat Aether stood calmly.
There was no visible fear in his expression. Only curiosity. He looked at the blade pointed toward him, then back at Ryuki's face.
"You want to kill me for what exactly?" Akshat asked. His voice was calm, almost casual.
Then a faint smirk appeared on his lips. "…Can I at least know the reason?"
He tilted his head slightly. "Consider it my final wish."
For a moment, Ryuki remained silent.
Her eyes stayed locked on him, sharp and unmoving.
Then she finally spoke. "The leader wants you dead."Her voice was flat and Cold. "That is my final mission."
Akshat narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her expression.
Ryuki continued. "Once it's done… I will finally be free." Her fingers tightened around the katana's grip. "Free from his cage."
Akshat frowned. "…Cage?"
The word lingered in the cold air. For the first time since their meeting began, something shifted in Ryuki's expression. A faint shadow crossed her eyes.
"You wouldn't understand." Her voice lowered. "You can't imagine the pain."
She paused for a brief moment. "The suffering I've endured." Her gaze sharpened again as she looked directly at Akshat.
"If I kill you tonight…" Her voice hardened. "…I can save my sister's life."
Akshat blinked once.That answer genuinely surprised him. "…Your sister?"
His brows furrowed. "How the hell is your sister involved in this bulls*it?"
For a split second, Ryuki's jaw tightened.
The small crack of emotion disappeared instantly. Her face returned to that cold, disciplined calm. She slowly raised the katana higher.
"Enough talk."
The blade pointed directly toward Akshat's chest. The killing intent in the junkyard became heavy. Almost suffocating.
"Now…"
Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"…Die."
End of ch 38
To be continue...
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