Chapter 13 — Evaluation Day
The next morning felt… normal.
Too normal.
Which, in this world, meant something was about to go very wrong.
The sirens didn't blare. No sky tore open. No celestial pressure crushed the air.
Instead—
A single aircraft descended.
Black. Sleek. Silent.
State-Level Franix.
Designation: F-001.
Human Name: Stalle.
Comparable to Rank 1.
The hangar doors opened with a metallic groan, and she stepped out.
Tall. Pale. Silver hair cut short. Eyes cold, calculating. Unlike the other Franix, she didn't carry the disposable aura of mass production. She moved like something sharpened.
Cynthia, watching from a distance, exhaled slowly. "So they sent their first."
Reina folded her arms tighter. "She's here to evaluate him?"
"Yes," Cynthia replied. "And today… he's allowed to fight back."
---
Training Hall
The hall was massive—reinforced alloy walls, gravity stabilizers humming faintly. Built to withstand Rank 1 class combat.
Kazuo stood in the center.
Yawning.
Actually yawning.
One hand scratching the back of his head lazily.
Opposite him stood Stalle.
No wasted motion.
No expression.
Her presence alone made the air feel sharp.
"You are the hybrid," she said flatly.
"I guess," Kazuo replied.
She tilted her head slightly. "You do not appear impressive."
Kazuo blinked once. "You don't look very friendly."
A few technicians coughed nervously in the observation room.
---
Observation Room
Seraphiel sat comfortably in a chair.
Wings hidden.
Third eye closed.
Eating.
Actually eating.
A bowl of fruit balanced casually in her lap as she watched with bright, almost eager eyes.
Commander Amanda glanced sideways at her, perplexed. "You seem… relaxed."
Seraphiel popped a piece of fruit into her mouth. "Mm. He'll be fine."
The doctors were far less calm.
"He's never fought a Rank 1 equivalent while unrestricted."
"The Franix 001 is calibrated for lethal suppression."
"What if he loses control?"
Seraphiel waved a hand lazily. "Then she dies."
The room went silent.
She smiled sweetly.
"I'm kidding."
She was not kidding.
---
Back to the Arena
A buzzer sounded.
The fight began.
Stalle vanished first.
A blur.
She reappeared behind Kazuo, elbow aimed at his spine with enough force to split a mountain.
Kazuo leaned slightly.
The strike missed.
Not dodged violently.
Just… moved out of the way.
Stalle's eyes narrowed.
She accelerated.
Strikes raining down—knees, fists, palm thrusts, V-NILE-enhanced aura flaring around her body like compressed lightning.
Kazuo blocked some.
Absorbed others.
A kick landed against his ribs—
Crack.
His body shifted.
He stumbled.
Then straightened.
"Oh," he muttered. "That one hurt."
Stalle pressed forward, relentless.
Unlike angels, she fought with human efficiency.
No wasted energy.
Every movement optimized.
She caught his jaw with a clean right hook—
His head snapped sideways.
Blood splattered.
Reina flinched in the observation room.
Cynthia leaned forward.
Seraphiel smiled.
Kazuo slowly turned his head back.
"…You're strong."
And then—
He moved.
Not flashy.
Not explosive.
Just fast.
Stalle barely registered the shift before his hand caught her wrist mid-strike.
Her eyes widened for the first time.
He twisted gently.
Her shoulder dislocated instantly.
She countered with a knee—
He stepped inside her guard.
A palm to her abdomen.
Not dramatic.
Not explosive.
But her entire body lifted off the ground.
The air left her lungs violently as she skidded across the reinforced floor.
Silence.
Kazuo stretched his neck casually.
"Are we going serious or…?"
Stalle stood slowly.
Her aura intensified.
V-NILE saturation spiked.
Veins darkened beneath her skin.
She vanished again.
This time she didn't hold back.
The impact cratered the floor.
Shockwaves rattled the observation glass.
Kazuo blocked with both arms—
The floor beneath him cracked.
He smiled faintly.
Then he punched.
One punch.
Stalle flew.
She hit the far wall hard enough to embed herself halfway into reinforced alloy.
Her arm hung limp.
Blood trailed from her mouth.
Her breathing ragged.
The buzzer rang automatically.
Match over.
---
Observation Room — Tension Shifts
Amanda blinked twice.
The Vice Commander slowly lowered his binoculars.
The doctors stared at their readings in disbelief.
Kazuo stood calmly in the center of the hall.
Not even breathing heavily.
Seraphiel set her bowl aside and stood.
"See?" she said cheerfully.
Amanda swallowed.
Then, gathering courage, she turned toward Seraphiel.
"How certain are you… that when he ascends… he won't kill you?"
The room froze.
Even the doctors stopped typing.
Seraphiel paused mid-step.
Then slowly turned.
She smiled.
Soft.
Amused.
"Records show Isom was the 'useless' ruler," she said lightly. "He didn't create the angels directly. He simply… gave power."
She placed a hand lightly over her chest.
Blushed.
Actually blushed.
"I, in particular, was made by him."
The commanders stiffened.
"Made?" Amanda repeated carefully.
Seraphiel nodded.
"To be comfortable."
She touched her curves casually, almost playfully.
"A cuddle bunny," she added with a straight face.
Silence.
Amanda blinked once.
Twice.
The Vice Commander coughed violently.
Seraphiel continued, utterly serious. "Isom liked comfort. Warmth. Softness. I was crafted to embody those things."
Amanda slowly turned her head toward the arena.
Where Kazuo stood calmly.
And Stalle was broken on the floor.
She blinked again.
"…That one?" she whispered.
Seraphiel smiled brighter.
"Yes. That one."
---
Back in the Arena
Kazuo walked over to Stalle.
She tried to push herself up.
Her arm trembled uselessly.
He crouched beside her.
"…You okay?"
She glared. "I lost."
"Yeah."
He reached out instinctively.
Placed his hand lightly against her shoulder.
There was no glow.
No dramatic light.
No chant.
Just—
A subtle shift in energy.
Stalle's eyes widened.
Her shoulder realigned.
Bones fused.
Bruises faded.
Internal bleeding stopped.
Her breathing normalized.
She stared at her own hands.
"…What did you do?"
Kazuo blinked.
"I… don't know."
He stood.
Walked away.
Nonchalant.
Back to his usual resting spot against the wall.
Like nothing happened.
---
Observation Room — Scientific Breakdown
Amanda slowly turned back to Seraphiel.
"Why," she asked carefully, "can an angel hybrid heal a human?"
Seraphiel tilted her head.
"Oh. That?"
She walked casually toward the exit.
Then paused.
"You humans use mana incorrectly."
The doctors leaned forward instantly.
"Angelic regeneration works by multiplying negative energy against itself," she explained. "Negative × Negative creates Positive."
She tapped her temple.
"To heal another… you multiply that positive energy twice against itself and then apply it against the target's negative field."
She smiled.
"Simple math."
The room stared blankly.
"…What?" one doctor whispered.
Seraphiel giggled softly.
"Negative squared becomes positive. Positive squared amplifies. Apply against foreign negative field."
She shrugged.
"You're overcomplicating it."
Then she turned.
And quite literally—
Bounced as she walked toward the exit.
Light, almost playful steps.
Leaving the scientists frozen, already scribbling equations furiously.
"Negative squared… positive squared…"
"Is that… dimensional inversion theory?"
"How are angels this mathematically advanced?"
---
Hallway
Seraphiel approached Kazuo.
He was leaning casually against the wall, eyes half-lidded.
"You healed her," she said.
"Apparently."
"You didn't mean to."
"Nope."
She smiled.
"That's good."
He looked at her.
"…Why?"
"Because it means you're remembering."
He stared for a moment.
Then yawned again.
"…I'm tired."
She laughed softly.
"You would be."
She walked beside him.
For a moment, they looked almost normal.
A boy.
A girl.
Walking down a hallway.
But behind them—
Seven continents watched.
Scientists calculated.
Franix recalibrated.
And somewhere far beyond space—
A ruler observed.
Because today proved something dangerous.
Kazuo wasn't just adapting.
He wasn't just surviving.
He was beginning to restore.
And restoration…
Was far more terrifying than destruction.
The end...