Jester burst from his seat. Already activating [Sprint!].
He utilized a sudden surge of Glitch energy that made him appear as a dark afterimage. A blur of movement that moved to the opposite direction of everyone else.
The [Thunder Nunchaku] in his hand crackled with faint, internal energy. Its dark stick and the gleaming metal chains whirled like the buzz of gigantic bee.
The Werewolf Demon was momentarily surprised by the lone boy daring to charge at it. The demon turned its attention from the other students. It snarled. Dropping into a predatory crouch.
"Clown!" Vale shouted. His voice was sharp. But even as he shouted, his own Soulheart Gear materialized... the [Stormlord Lute].
He didn't hesitate either. His nimble fingers flew across the strings. Weaving a strange melody that was harmonious yet discordant at the same time.
The air around the Werewolf Demon began to shimmer. Distorted. A high-pitched wail filled the classroom. A mental storm assaulting the creature's senses.
The demon recoiled. Clutching its head. A low whine escaped its throat. Its movements became sluggish. Its savage focus broken. Vale had succeeded in creating a Mental Storm attack.
It was all the opening Jester needed. He closed the distance in a blink. The [Thunder Nunchaku] whistled. A blur of motion.
It struck the demon's snout with a heavy crack that echoed through the room. The beast stumbled. A howl of pain replacing its earlier whine.
Jester pressed the attack. A flurry of strikes. Each one was aimed at vital points.
Meanwhile, the other classmates also drew their Soulheart Gears. Either inspired by Jester's sudden, furious charge. Or perhaps just driven by their own terror and desperation.
Daisy summoned her [Cyber Ghostbird]. A metallic, yet ethereal hummingbird form that pulsed with green light. She gritted her teeth in grim determination. Her Soulheart Gear couldn't achieve full advantage in a place devoid of technological object like this class.
But, it didn't mean that she was completely useless. She aimed her ghost bird at another demon that had just breached the crumbling wall. A lithe, agile Werecat Demon. One whose eyes were glowing with malevolent cunning.
"Attack!" Daisy yelled. Her ghost-bird shot forward. A screech of eerie tearing metal accompanying its flight.
The demon snarled. Expecting a physical attack. But the [Cyber Ghostbird] phased through the demon's head. Generating a wave of intense, high-pitched feedback. A sonic shriek that destabilized its demonic nervous systems.
The Werecat Demon shook its head. Momentarily blinded and disoriented.
The classroom was designed for mathematical equations and literary analysis. But, it was now a confined battleground.
Desks were overturned. Chairs shattered. Broken glass crunched underfoot. The air was thick with dust, demonic stink, and the metallic tang of blood.
Here, every movement was restricted. Every dodge a tight squeeze between obstacles. It was an arena ill-suited for the brutish combat. One that was now unfolding within its walls.
Jester was a blur of calculated violence. His [Thunder Nunchaku] hammered the Werewolf Demon with loud and relentless strikes. CRACK! BANG! CRACK!
The Werewolf Demon was still struggling against the mental static. The one Vale's [Stormlord Lute] was pouring into its primitive mind. It tried to swipe wide. Randomly attacking.
Jester dodged low. The massive claws was tearing through the space where his shoulder had been milliseconds before.
His [Thunder Nunchaku] continued delivering punishment combo. BANG! CRACK! CRACK!
He wasn't aiming for a display. Only damage. And [Toon Momentum] build up for its devastating [Thunder Blast].
And the awakened transcenders in the classroom was more than just Vale, Daisy, and him. Their other classmates were also joining the battle.
Liam, who took Fighter specialization, roared and charged past Jester's flank. His Soulheart Gear, the [Silverstar Sword], materialized in a flash. It was heavy, straight, and clearly designed for direct combat.
He dodged the Werewolf's flailing claws. And drove the blade of his sword deep into its thigh. Drawing a geyser of viscous, blackish blood.
Jester didn't miss the opportunity. He rotated and swung his weapon. Using his full power to deliver his [Thunder Nuchaku]'s great skill. [Thunder Blast]!
BOOM! A sonic boom erupted.
The attack connected with the Demon Werewolf's neck. The air vibrated. A concussive force slammed into the demon. The powerful damage dealt by the sonic burst severely deformed its neck and burst its eardrum.
It roared a painful rage. But the roar was immediately suppressed by a chaotic-sounding music. The Mental Storm. Dragging the monster back to its dazed state.
Vale, standing amidst the ruined desks near the back wall, barely blinked. His white hair framed face was locked in deep concentration.
He wasn't playing a grand melody. Just a repetitive, dissonant, three-note chord. The air around him shimmered with pale, bright purple arcane energy. Mana. Focused purely on maintaining the debilitating mental assault.
Around them, the other students were also activating their precious, Soulheart Gears.
Their faces were pale masks of fear and rage. They had trained for this conceptually. But the reality was a brutal, up-close fight for breath. After all, it had just been a little more than a week after they awakened their Soulheart Gears.
Finn, Jester's classmate for Rogue specialization, utilized his strange [Shadow Mallet]. He slammed the rubber-looking hammer into the floor. Not hitting the Werecat Demon directly. But nailing its shadow. Stopping its movement for a few seconds.
Maya, a Sorcerer specialization student, wielded her iridescent [Firemaker Paintbrush]. She didn't paint canvases. She flicked blobs of viscous, burning crimson paint that ignited instantly upon impact. Toward the Werecat Demon temporarily held by Daisy's [Cyber Ghostbird] and Finn's [Shadow Mallet].
Nearby, Clara ignored the melee entirely. The small, fiercely determined girl used her [Runemaker Quillpen] to draw arcane symbols onto the blackboard. She was setting a runic magic circle. Attempting to weaken the demon inside the classroom.
The fight seemed to be going well. Unfortunately, Daisy and Finn weren't strong enough to hold the Werecat Demon for long. It broke against the [Cyber Ghostbird]'s possession and [Shadow Mallet]'s restraint.
It ignored Maya's crimson paint charring its body. Instead, it jumped and charged at Daisy. But a tall shadow blocked it.
It was Mr. Thistle, the math teacher. He finally pulled himself out from under the collapsed partition. His face was smeared with dust and minor abrasions.
He gripped his strange [Abacus Shield] made of hardened wood and clicking beads. The shield flared with a weak yellowish light ward. He was a transcender. Yes. But he was clearly not a frontline fighter.
"Hold on, Kids! Help is coming." Mr. Thistle yelled. Trying to boost the students' spirit. He bashed the Werecat Demon with his weird shield.
Noah, the big guy from the Barbarian specialized class, threw his [Blazing Cauldron] Soulheart Gear to the Werecat Demon.
BANG! It struck the Werecat's head. Breaking its balance.
Not missing the chance, Daisy's [Cyber Ghostbird] entered the demon's body again. Tearing into its mind with cyber-psychic attack.
But the creature was adapting faster than they expected. It ignored the stabbing pain in its mind and charged forward.
"Dammit, stay still! You overgrown dumb cat!" Daisy spat. Scrambling backward over overturned chairs.
Mr. Thistle blocked the demon again. But the Werecat Demon swiped claw. Leaving four deep gouges in the arm of the teacher.
"Benevolent Goddess of Wisdom blessed the faithful. Heal!" Bethany, the timid girl from Acolyte specialized class, mumbled as she clutched her luminous [Healing Gemstone].
Her attempts were obvious. A prayer to recover the health of the injured. Including Mr. Thistle.
Several students and Mr. Thistle glowed in deep silver color. Their injury was healing rapidly.
The Werecat Demon shifted his target to Bethany. It was about to pounce at her.
However, Gareth deployed his [Illusionary Gyroscope]. The spinning contraption threw flickering, holographic doubles of Bethany all over the room. Making it harder for the Werecat Demon, already targeted by many, to pin down its targets.
Mr. Thistle and the students were holding the line. Against the two Werebeast Demons. But it was still very hard for them to win.
Most of them were just Novice Transcenders. Only Jester, Vale, Daisy, and Mr. Thistle were Initiate Transcenders. Almost all of them were teenage students. Not hardened veterans. They were fighting on pure, desperate adrenaline.
Then, a sudden, powerful shadow dropped into the room. It was the third, unannounced enemy. It arrived suddenly. And broke the balance.
It wasn't a charge or a burst through the wall. It was a silent, black plummet from the exposed roof rafters directly above. A Werebat Demon.
It was lean, heavily muscled. With leathery black wings and a face like a mutilated pug. Equipped with natural sonar and lethal, razor-talon feet.
The Werebat didn't engage the students. It went straight for the most obvious non-student threat. Mr. Thistle.
Thistle, focused entirely on blocking the Werecat's next swing, never saw it coming. The Werebat Demon struck with the speed of a guided mortar. Its talons ripped through the back of Mr. Thistle's neck and spine.
Mr. Thistle's shouts of encouragement choked into a gurgling wheeze. He dropped his [Abacus Shield]. The numerical beads scattered across the floor with a hollow clatter. Silencing the fight for a chilling moment.
The teacher crumpled. His life was extinguished before he hit the ground.
The Werebat shrieked. A high, piercing sound that cracked the last intact window pane. It immediately jumped and circled up toward the ceiling, satisfied with its swift kill.
The sight of the dead teacher broke the students' already stressed morale.
"Mister Thistle!" Liam screamed. Momentarily forgetting the [Silverstar Sword] in his hands.
Jester saw the collective loss of focus. The widening eyes of terror. He didn't have time for grief. The Werewolf Demon had benefited from the chaos. It drew a breath for a concentrated counterattack.
No. Not today.
Jester had to finish this now. Before the beast fully recovered.