Arthur & Donna's Front
As the first rays of the sun lit the scorched walls of Holberg, the city was still cloaked in smoke. The clashes had lasted until dawn, but at last, the sinister aura that had blanketed the night slowly began to fade.
Arthur stood silently amid the ruins, hidden behind his mask. The tip of Shinkai no Yari was still stained with blood, yet his eyes swept across the battlefield. With that cold blue light, he scanned the crowd of students, searching for one in particular.
Ren.
He glanced at his wrist. The thin metal bracelet was silent—none of the panicked vibrations from the night before remained. No matter how hard he focused, there was no signal. His eyes tried to pick out his brother's silhouette among the hundreds of students. But Ren was nowhere to be seen.
Beside him stood Donna, weary yet still upright. As she wiped the bloodstains from her hands, she glanced at Arthur.
"All night, your eyes were searching for someone," she said carefully. "You didn't even try to hide it."
Arthur gave no reply. He only looked back at his wrist. Donna tilted her head knowingly, as if she could read the silence behind the mask.
"So, even the Masked Teacher has someone he's attached to…" she whispered, then turned to rescue a few students trapped under rubble with violet magic.
Arthur tore his gaze from her and fixed it on the horizon. Only one thought filled his eyes:
Ren… where are you?
Students & Academy's Front
By morning, Holberg's campus was as silent as a graveyard. The screams from hours before had given way to muffled sobs and groans. Students huddled together in corners of the hall, wrapped in blankets, leaning against one another.
Some were still frozen, staring blankly into space. Some had lost their closest friends, some their siblings, others their lovers. The same thing could be read in all their eyes: fear and disbelief.
The professors formed healing circles for the wounded. Hospital tents overflowed with students. In one corner, Kevin sat in silence, his fists clenched so tightly his nails drew blood in his palms. Emma and Amanda quietly comforted a few sobbing students.
Yet whispers were already spreading through the corridors:
"The Witch Donna unleashed her full power…"
"The Masked Teacher cut down dozens of criminals alone…"
"If not for those two, we would all be dead."
Every student had seen something different, but one truth was shared: Holberg was no longer safe.
And as the sun rose higher, the masked man still wandered silently through the shadows, his eyes searching for someone.
Arrival at the Hospital
On the morning after the massacre, Holberg Hospital was still tending its wounds.
Ambulance sirens shrieked occasionally, echoing like screams, as stretchers were carried in heaps before the emergency entrance. Inside, the stench of antiseptic mingled with the smell of blood. Along the corridors, the weary faces of both students and professors could be seen.
Arthur entered with heavy steps. His white mask glimmered faintly under the dim lights, his blue eyes sweeping silently across the crowd. To everyone else, he was the figure of a mysterious teacher—but within, he thought only of one thing:
"Ren… where are you?"
He glanced at his wrist. The bracelet was still dim. No glow, no vibration. It told him Ren was still alive, but it made pinpointing his location impossible. The muscles in Arthur's jaw tightened.
George's Intervention
At the end of the corridor, a massive shadow loomed.
A bald man in sunglasses, built like a fortress, stepped forward with heavy strides, blocking Arthur's path. The aura he radiated was no ordinary one—it was like a lion defending its territory.
"Stop right there!" George roared.
"You have no record. No right to be here. Remove your mask and reveal who you are."
Students began to whisper. Some stared at the piercing eyes behind Arthur's mask, others admired George's sheer presence.
Arthur said nothing. He planted Shinkai no Yari against the floor. Cracks spread across the tiles, the air grew heavy. George's knees bent against his will.
"This pressure…" he muttered. "You can't be just a teacher."
Yet he did not back down. Raising his fists, his aura burst outward as he lunged forward.
Arthur made a single motion. The spear cut through the air, and the pressure of it repelled George's punch, shaking the walls.
"What—?!"
George's eyes widened in shock. His knees nearly buckled as Arthur's blue gaze crushed his aura completely.
"If he were serious… I'd already be dead."
George clenched his teeth. His pride refused to let him back down so easily. He gathered strength again, launching a punch so heavy it split the ground beneath him.
This time Arthur didn't even raise his spear. He simply lifted his hand.
Catching the enormous fist in his palm, the corridor fell silent. George's roar was cut off in his throat.
"Enough."
With just that one word, Arthur's will hurled the man back. George staggered, crashing into the wall. Pain shot through his shoulder, sweat poured from his brow.
The students froze in disbelief. Before the clash could escalate further, Donna arrived.
"Enough!" she snapped.
Her crimson hair flowed as she stepped between them, her magical pressure filling the hall. She shot George a sharp glare.
"George, stand down. He is a guest professor invited by the headmaster."
George stared at her in shock. "Guest professor? You can't trust someone with such power!"
Donna's eyes narrowed, her voice sharper still. "As long as he is under my protection, you will not question him."
George still glared at Arthur with anger, but said nothing more. He stepped aside. Arthur continued forward without a word.
Monica's View
Further down the corridor, a new aura emerged. Warm, orange light, tinged with a faint perfume.
Monica Jeffrey. The "Sunset Witch."
As she walked among the students, her eyes suddenly fell on Ren. A curious expression appeared on her face. But before she could take a step, a chill shot down her spine.
Arthur had appeared at her side in an instant. Silent, yet radiating a crushing presence.
Monica's eyes widened. "That speed… that pressure…"
Though she was an SS-rank hero, her instincts screamed:
"If this man intended to strike me, I'd already be dead."
Arthur's icy blue eyes locked onto hers. The silence suffocated everyone in the corridor.
Donna rushed between them. "Monica! You have no business with my student. And this man is a guest professor of the Academy. Do not question further."
Monica smiled, though the tension on her face was impossible to hide.
"Very well. For now."
As Arthur turned to leave, Monica's lips whispered:
"To hide such power so masterfully… that is no ordinary feat. Masked Teacher, from which hell did you walk out?"
Arthur stopped. He turned his head slightly, his blue eyes piercing her once more.
"The roads to hell… are open not to those who know their names, but to those who dare to walk them."
A cold shiver stabbed through Monica's heart. Her smile did not vanish, but the spark in her eyes was extinguished.
Donna intervened sharply. "Enough! This hospital is meant to be a place of safety for the students. Do not fill it with shows of power."
Ren's Perspective
From the corner, Ren had watched the entire scene. When Monica's eyes fell on him and Arthur appeared instantly at his side, his heart pounded.
"My brother… once again here to protect me."
But worry gnawed at him as well.
"If he keeps unleashing such pressure in front of everyone… the identity behind his mask will be revealed sooner or later."
He looked at his wrist. The bracelet was dim.
But he knew very well—Arthur's eyes were searching for him.