Holberg's night was shrouded in blood and screams. The sky was painted crimson, and in the streets nothing remained but fire and rubble.
Students screamed, some running away, others collapsing in fear where they stood.
Suddenly, three A-rank criminals emerged from the shadows. Their dark silhouettes merged with the bloody aura spreading around them, making the atmosphere even more suffocating. They walked toward the students.
At that moment, a step echoed across the stone pavement.
Arthur.
From the shadows, he appeared, his icy blue eyes gleaming behind the white mask. Shinkai no Yari was in his hand, though it was clear he was restraining his power. Each step was firm, but measured.
The students held their breath. They knew the Masked Teacher could split the world in two with a single strike, but they were here…
If Arthur unleashed his full power, the students would be reduced to ashes as well.
One of the A-rank criminals lunged forward. He swung his massive axe toward the corridor where the students stood.
Arthur flared in an instant.
His spear came down like thunder. Yet he focused its sharpness into the narrowest point, so the impact's echo did not shake the students.
The axe-wielder was thrown back, blood spurting from his chest. But he did not die.
Arthur's eyes dimmed for a moment.
"If I had used my full power, he would already be dead. But here… I cannot."
The criminal rose, letting out a wild scream, and attacked again. After only a few more blows, Arthur subdued him, but the fight had lasted far longer than it should have.
Donna's Arrival
A burst of light erupted in the sky.
Circles of violet magic lit up half the city. Shields formed around the students, protecting them from falling debris.
Donna.
Her crimson hair flowed like fire, and chains of stellar magic poured from her hands. With a single gesture, the sky split with lightning, and the second criminal turned to ash before the students' eyes.
Donna appeared beside Arthur.
For a brief instant, her eyes locked onto the blue glow, then swept across the battlefield.
"You're restraining yourself, aren't you?" she whispered, hurling spell after spell.
Arthur gave no reply. He spun his spear, aiming it at the third criminal's throat.
But Donna had already received her answer from his silence. She knew the Masked One was concealing his true power, binding them with his own body.
The third criminal charged into the students.
Arthur moved like light itself, stepping in front of them and blocking the path with his spear.
Donna sealed the field with chains of magic, walls of fire rising up.
The battlefield was filled with light and shadow.
Arthur's controlled strikes crashed like thunder, while Donna's spells tore the sky apart.
Even when they attacked together, the difference between them was clear. Donna did not hold back, letting the earth quake with every spell. Arthur, however… cold, measured, restrained.
The students could not look away.
"Witch Donna is using her full power… so why is the Masked One fighting with only half?"
The questions spread in hushed whispers.
Arthur, meanwhile, quietly glanced at his wrist.
The bracelet was dim. There was no signal from Ren. While a storm raged within him, outwardly there remained only that ice-cold masked figure.
The third criminal, wounded, roared with fury. A blood-red madness flared in his eyes.
Donna tightened her magic chains.
"Arthur, move!" she shouted.
Arthur stepped back. Donna raised her hands toward the sky.
The violet stellar magics merged, and a massive pillar of light descended upon the criminal.
The explosion shook half of Holberg.
The students covered their ears and squinted their eyes.
When the dust cleared, the criminal was gone.
Only in the midst of the ruins stood Arthur and Donna, back to back, piercing the silence with blue and crimson eyes.
Arthur (inner voice):
"Ren… wherever you are, hold on. Here, every step must be made with caution. Finding you will not be easy… but I will never leave you alone."
Ren's Perspective:
"In the novel, this didn't happen. Jin can't die."
At the same time, in the center of the dormitory grounds, sounds of high-level combat rang out. Which meant Arthur could not reach Jin in time before he died. At that moment, Ren made a decision.
Activating [The Monarch's Indifference] once again, I opened the door and walked toward Jin's room.
I had one goal, only one.
To prevent Jin's death.
…
Jin's figure was surrounded by many black-clad enemies, yet he moved among them with mastery and skill.
It was as if he were a ghost… his silhouette melting into the shadows, reappearing behind each of the black-clad men he ambushed.
—Shhh!
Appearing behind one of them, Jin swung his dagger at the back of the man's head.
As the dagger sliced forward, its image blurred in the air, moving with lightning speed.
It was so fast that its afterimage lingered for an instant.
—Clang! —Clang!
"Ghh… damn it!"
As if they had predicted his attack, two black-clad figures suddenly appeared at Jin's sides, striking from both right and left.
Dodging low, Jin slipped between the two and lunged forward.
—Slash!
—Rip!
As he slid through, deep cuts appeared on both their calves, Jin carefully targeting their legs to hinder their movements.
Staggering from the cuts, Jin's intended victim—another black-clad enemy—drove his sword downward.
—Roll!
Jin rolled to the side to deflect the blow, tensed his core, and launched himself upward with the strength of his back.
—Clang! —Clang!
In midair, Jin twisted his body powerfully, spinning like a wheel while parrying strikes coming from every direction.
—Boom!
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Landing on the ground, Jin wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, gasping deeply.
Looking at the five men before him, Jin's face hardened.
Even though he was stronger than them, it felt as though he were fighting an insatiable beast.
No matter how hard he tried, the black-clad fighters instantly countered his attacks and struck back with even more terrifying combos.
His breathing grew heavier with every passing second.
By his estimation, he could last at most five more minutes.
If he stayed longer, he would collapse from exhaustion.
—Sip!
Frowning, Jin pulled out several potions from his storage space and drank quickly.
Though he could restore stamina and mana with the potions, he had not expected a situation like this, so he only had a few on him.
Even with potions, they could give him only a bit more time to fight.
They were no true solution to his current situation.
—Clang! —Clang!
As Jin parried the black-clad men's attacks, his mind raced desperately for a solution.
Looking around at his now-ruined room, Jin searched frantically for anything that could aid his escape.
Finding nothing, he gritted his teeth and glanced at the skill section of his status window.
Damn it.
If only he had more skills…
Though he had many thanks to his family, he was only allowed to choose two.
Any more, and the elders of the family would complain; skills were limited and the demand too high.
The reason he had chosen these two was because they suited the Assassin class best.
…And precisely because his class was Assassin, he was now at a disadvantage. His class was built for killing enemies from behind in secrecy, not fighting them head-on.
This was not his field of expertise…
Right now he was using [Eye of Light], and though everything around him slowed down, he was barely hanging on.
This was mainly because his mana consumption was far higher than usual.
If not for the few potions he carried, he would already have lost.
Jin hesitated as he looked at [Mana Heap].
Though destructive, the skill would consume all his remaining mana. If it didn't kill them, he would be finished.
Worse yet, he no longer had any [Mana Recovery Potions], meaning this option could only be used when standing at the edge of death.