The Hideout's capital, the land of peace, was built on the thought that power doesn't determine a person.
Unlike the world outside of the capital, where hierarchy also determines power, the capital founded a school that didn't focus on the powers or abilities of each person.
The society got used to this sort of lifestyle, but that also meant they weren't ready for sudden invasions.
As long as anyone could remember, no one had gotten past the protective invisible sphere that surrounded the capital. Someone had to have been pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Help me!" Someone yelled on the first floor of the school.
Yamikuro squeezed himself through the panicked crowd, trying to save the people in danger.
As cheesy as it sounded, that's what he had to do as the hero for the weak ones.
Ever since Yamikuro was seven years old, he had been fighting the Hunters in the other world.
He was seen as a rebel, as a kid to stay away from. They feared and despised him for trying to change the system created by Lucian Daichi.
Fighting the Hunters and saving Resonants, that's what he had done, and that's what he was prepared to do once again.
Yamikuro reached the first floor, seeing the grey Hunters rush in.
The air felt cold, too cold for a summer day. The hallway lights flickered faintly overhead, and a strange static buzz crawled under Yamikuro's skin.
He could hear the shallow breathing of students still hiding nearby behind lockers, under stairwells, in broom closets.
"No more." He said quietly, raising his hand in front of himself, almost like it was an instinct.
Yamikuro remembered his meeting with Honor and gaining control of the Darkness' power through that.
But he hadn't had the chance to really put his powers to the test, considering how dangerous they were.
But there was nothing to stop him.
All the students had already fled the first floor.
"I can't let you hurt any more people."
The Hunters noticed Yamikuro standing before the stairs, staring them down.
"Why isn't he running?" One of them muttered.
Yamikuro remained still, his hand stretched before him with his eyes shut.
The name of the move came to his mind like an instinct, as if it were something he was supposed to yell out.
"Manumbra Tenebrae."
The air hummed, and a low rumble echoed across the first floor.
Dozens of purple hands burst from the ground. More bloomed from the walls. The ceiling cracked as hands poured out like vines in reverse.
The Hunters barely had time to react before the hands found their ankles, wrists, and weapons.
"What the hell-?!"
They struggled, but it was like drowning in the arms of the dead.
Yamikuro opened his eyes slowly, the lines under them glowing faintly.
"You're not going any further."
Without having to kill them, Yamikuro had an idea. It was risky, but he was willing to take it-
Snap!
The Hunters, whom Yamikuro caught, had arms and legs twisted.
They were no longer able to move or attack unexpectedly.
He didn't want it to feel good. But it did for a moment, the lust of killing still existed deep within. The snap of bone beneath his power echoed louder than it should've.
'Stop...' He grabbed onto his head, trying to control his thoughts.
He didn't want to kill.
And he didn't want to hurt people.
Though this time he had to choose between saving helpless students or letting them die. He decided to protect those who couldn't do it themselves.
But the war wasn't over.
In class B201.
Kaminari laid his head on his arms, sitting on his seat.
Suddenly, someone started banging on the door.
One of the girls in the class broke into a scream as one of the Hunters stepped in, their arms glowing bluish-green.
Before the Hunter could raise their arm-
Zap!
They were electrocuted, standing for a few seconds before collapsing on the ground.
Kaminari stared the Hunter down with a cold look, his body acted within seconds of them coming in. His hand crackled with electricity.
The rest of the class was shocked, standing frozen as far away from the door as possible.
"What's going on?" Kaminari asked, confused as to why a Hunter was in the hallway.
He was about to turn around and ask one of his classmates, but realized it was pointless.
Kaminari had to find Yamikuro.
He rushed to the hallway on the second floor to see something he wished he hadn't ever seen.
One of the students had been kicked against the corner of the hallway, blood spilling down their body.
The body wasn't moving. For a second, Kaminari was a young child again, standing there frozen, watching blood spill from the people he loved most.
Kaminari immediately rushed over to the student.
He was still breathing.
'Thank goodness.' Kaminari thought to himself.
But since they were in a corner, that meant Kaminari was easy to trap.
When he looked away from the student, on both of his sides, stood a dozen of the Hunters.
Fear didn't even cross his mind. He wasn't the one in danger. A smirk crawled across his face, uninvited but earned.
Yamikuro wasn't here to contain his power to stop him from killing the Hunters, like from the time they fought Lucian and his Hunters.
Kaminari stretched both of his hands in front of him as he stood up.
One of the Hunters responded similarly, but he was too slow.
"Fulmo Frapo."
Electricity shot out to both sides, electrocuting the Hunters in an instant.
If there were more of them, he would've needed to use his trump card. The move he saved for The Watcher, the man who killed his parents, and his friend.
Kaminari picked up the wounded student, carrying him in his arms.
There was one person who could heal the student's wounds: Ivy, one of the elites, and a third-year student at this school.
Meanwhile, Kazuhiko faced Gisurd, the man behind this invasion, in the courtyard.
He could hear the distant screams and feel the presence of the powers coming from the school behind him.
"I have to get over this before any more casualties can occur," Kazuhiko said aloud, clenching his fist.
This was no longer about old grudges. Kids were dying, his students.
He couldn't lose anyone else. If anything, he had to be the only casualty in all this.
Gisurd cracked his neck.
"You're speaking as if you could kill me."
"Save your energy on fighting, don't run your mouth, blabbing nonsense-"
Kazuhiko took off, charging at Gisurd in what felt like the speed of light.
The impact of the punch sent Gisurd flying into the ground, grass, and mud, flying all around.