"Everything is perfectly in order, President Tanaka," Itami replied, his voice unnaturally even, devoid of its usual nervous energy. "There is nothing to see. The corridor is clear."
His body remained perfectly still, a silent, unmoving barrier. The faint, high-pitched sobs of Maya, though muffled, still echoed from further down the hallway.
Kenji, confused and increasingly uneasy, stared at Itami, a dawning realization that something was profoundly wrong beginning to creep into his mind.
"Itami, what are you talking about? I just heard—" Kenji started, taking another step forward, his concern overriding his caution.
Before Kenji could finish his sentence, Itami moved.
It wasn't the clumsy, nervous movement Ren was used to. It was a blur of unnatural speed and precision. Itami's hand, impossibly fast, shot out, not in a punch, but with fingers splayed, aiming directly for Kenji's throat.
There was a chilling, almost predatory intent in the sudden, silent strike.
"Kenji! Look out!" Ren roared, his voice raw with alarm. He had seen the subtle shift in Itami's eyes, the cold, calculated intent, and his imperial instincts screamed danger. Without a moment's thought, Ren lunged forward, pushing Kenji violently out of the way.
The attack, meant for Kenji, now targeted Ren. Itami's hand, still moving with terrifying speed, changed its trajectory, aiming for Ren's chest. Ren braced himself, his mind racing, desperately trying to recall Li Wei's movements from the previous night, the ancient words she had muttered.
He focused, channeling a desperate, primal will.
A faint, ethereal glow, weaker than Li Wei's but undeniably present, shimmered around Ren's outstretched arm. A raw, unrefined burst of energy, like a sudden gust of wind, erupted from his palm, colliding with Itami's outstretched hand.
The impact was not physical, but energetic. Itami's attack was deflected, his hand pushed aside by an invisible force.
He stumbled back a step, his unnervingly calm expression faltering for a split second, replaced by a flicker of surprise.
"What was that?!" Kenji gasped, scrambling away, staring at Ren with wide, bewildered eyes. He had seen the faint light, felt the strange ripple in the air.
Ren ignored him, his gaze locked on Itami. The faint glow around his hand faded, leaving him breathless, but the realization was electrifying. He could use it. He could use his power, even in this weakened state. It was not as refined as Li Wei's, but it was there.
Itami recovered quickly, his flat eyes now holding a chilling, predatory focus. The faint smile returned to his lips, wider, more unsettling. "So, the Emperor reveals his true colors," Itami's voice resonated, still flat, but now laced with a cold, mocking amusement. "A desperate display. But futile."
He moved again, faster this time, a dark blur. He didn't use the arcane shadow tentacles Ren had seen on Sakura, but his movements were imbued with an unnatural agility, a cold, precise efficiency. He launched a flurry of strikes, a series of quick, targeted jabs and open-palmed thrusts, each aimed at Ren's vital points.
Ren, relying on instinct and the faint echoes of his ancient training, dodged and parried, his body moving with a newfound fluidity. He tried to replicate Li Wei's spell, muttering ancient words under his breath, focusing his will. A small, erratic burst of energy flared from his hands, deflecting one of Itami's strikes, but it was inconsistent, difficult to control.
"Ren! What are you doing?!" Kenji yelled, utterly bewildered, watching the strange, silent battle unfold before him. The muffled cries of Maya still echoed from further down the hallway, a terrifying backdrop to the bizarre confrontation.
Itami pressed his attack, his movements becoming more aggressive, more relentless. His eyes, though still flat, held a chilling determination. He was faster, stronger than any normal human, a puppet imbued with a dark, unnatural power. Ren realized with a grim certainty that Itami was not holding back. This was a fight to incapacitate, to subdue.
A powerful kick aimed at Ren's midsection forced him to block with both arms, sending a jolt of pain up his shoulders. He stumbled back, gasping.
"You cannot win, Kaelen," Itami's voice resonated, devoid of emotion. "You are weak. Alone. Your power, a mere flicker. My master's will is absolute."
Ren glared at him, defiance burning in his eyes. He might be weakened, but he was still the Emperor. And he would not yield. The fight had truly begun.
The corridor became their arena. Itami moved like a perfectly calibrated machine, each punch, each kick, each block executed with chilling precision. He flowed, a dark current, around Ren's defenses, aiming for exposed joints, pressure points. Ren, however, was no stranger to combat. He fought with the disciplined grace of a seasoned warrior, his movements a blend of ancient martial arts and raw, desperate instinct.
He parried a lightning-fast jab with an open palm, redirecting Itami's force. He ducked under a sweeping leg kick, countering with a low, sweeping strike of his own that forced Itami to hop back.
"Your moves are predictable, Emperor," Itami's voice was a flat drone, devoid of effort. "Relics of a bygone era."
Ren didn't reply.
He focused, his mind a whirlwind of remembered forms and techniques. He used the school corridor's narrow confines to his advantage, forcing Itami into tighter spaces. He unleashed a flurry of rapid-fire jabs, a blur of fists that seemed to multiply in the air, each one aimed at a different point, a technique designed to overwhelm and disorient.
Itami, for the first time, seemed slightly flustered, his perfect composure momentarily ruffled as he was forced to weave and block with frantic speed.
Kenji watched, utterly mesmerized and terrified.
The sounds of the fight were minimal – the soft thud of a blocked kick, the whisper of air displaced by a punch, the occasional grunt from Ren. But the sheer speed and power of their movements were undeniable. It was like watching two inhuman dancers, their every motion imbued with a deadly grace. He saw the faint, erratic shimmers of energy around Ren, the way Itami seemed to anticipate every move, a chilling, calculated intelligence in his vacant eyes.
Itami, regaining his footing, suddenly changed tactics.
His movements became less about direct strikes and more about overwhelming pressure. He launched into a relentless barrage, a whirlwind of fists and feet, each strike carrying an unnatural weight. Ren found himself pushed back, forced to defend, his own counter-attacks becoming less frequent. He could feel his body straining, the limitations of his current form becoming painfully apparent.
"You cannot maintain this, Kaelen," Itami's voice was closer now, a cold whisper in his ear. "Your spirit is weak. Your body, fragile."
Itami feigned a high kick, drawing Ren's guard up, then pivoted with impossible speed, delivering a devastating, open-palmed strike directly to Ren's solar plexus. The blow was precise, powerful, and utterly devoid of mercy.
Ren gasped, a choked, agonizing sound. He doubled over, his lungs screaming for air, his vision blurring. The impact felt like a sledgehammer, knocking the wind out of him, sending a searing pain through his entire torso. He stumbled back, collapsing against the lockers, sliding down to the floor, gasping, unable to move.
Itami stood over him, his face impassive, his eyes flat. "It is over, Kaelen. Your resistance is futile." He raised his foot, preparing a final, decisive blow.
As Itami's foot descended, a primal roar tore from Ren's throat. It wasn't just anger; it was a surge of ancient power, a desperate, unyielding will that had been dormant for centuries. A blinding, golden light erupted from Ren's body, enveloping him in a radiant aura. The air crackled, the very tiles of the corridor vibrating. The light was pure, incandescent, pushing back the shadows, banishing the cold.
Kenji shielded his eyes, utterly awestruck. The sheer power radiating from Ren was immense, almost overwhelming.
Ren pushed himself up, slowly, painfully, but with a newfound, terrifying resolve. His eyes, once shadowed with weariness, now blazed with a golden light, reflecting the raw power surging through him. He was no longer just Ren, the student. He was Kaelen, the Emperor, fully awakened.
"You will not touch my sister," Ren's voice resonated, no longer human, but a deep, commanding roar that echoed with the weight of empires.
"You will not corrupt my friends. And you will not break me."
He moved. Not with the frantic energy of before, but with a terrifying, controlled power. He was a golden blur, faster than the eye could follow. Itami, for the first time, flinched, a flicker of genuine fear in his flat eyes.
He tried to block, to defend, but Ren was too fast, too powerful.
Ren's fist, wreathed in golden light, connected with Itami's chest. There was no sound of impact, no physical force, but a blinding flash of light and a ripple of pure energy that slammed into Itami. Itami's body stiffened, his eyes widening in a silent scream.
The unnerving composure shattered, replaced by a look of profound agony. The subtle shadow that had clung to him, the faint malevolence, visibly recoiled, twisting and writhing as if in pain.
Itami staggered back, his movements no longer precise, but jerky, uncontrolled. The unnatural stillness that had defined him vanished, replaced by a desperate, tormented thrashing. He clutched his chest, his eyes wide, a faint, human flicker of fear returning to their depths.
The shadow within him was screaming, trying to escape the purifying light of Ren's awakened power.
With a final, guttural cry that was half Itami's, half something else, the dark energy within him convulsed, then burst outwards in a silent, smoky expulsion.
Itami collapsed to the floor, unconscious, his body limp. The unsettling stillness was gone, replaced by the familiar, vulnerable form of his friend.
Ren stood over him, breathing heavily, the golden light around him slowly receding, leaving him drained but triumphant. He looked at Itami, then at Kenji, who was staring at him, utterly speechless, his jaw hanging open.
The muffled sobs of Maya still echoed from down the hallway.
"Kenji," Ren said, his voice returning to normal, though still strained. "We need to go. Maya needs us." He turned, his gaze resolute, and began to walk down the corridor towards the source of his sister's cries, leaving the unconscious Itami behind. Kenji, still in a state of profound shock and awe, could only nod, scrambling to follow the boy who had just unleashed a power beyond anything he could have imagined.