As Sato and Megumi ducked for cover, Irina and Butterfly were already at the side of the white-haired hero, the three of them standing together against the blood-soaked maniac.
"Three versus one, now that doesn't seem fair, does it?"
With a wave of his hand, the blood of the fallen students spilled onto the soccer field, pooling into three puddles. The surfaces rippled violently until from them rose blood clones, taking the shape of the heroes standing before him.
"This will be harder than I thought."
Butterfly's expression tightened with unease. With a flicker of mana, two daggers formed in her hands. She raised them into a defensive stance, her body tense, prepared to strike at any moment.
"Fear not, my sister-in-arms. Stand with me, and together we shall claim this battle."
The white-haired hero stood with his katana drawn, his voice solemn as he spoke.
Irina, on the other hand, remained silent. Flames coiled and flickered around her body, her gaze fixed coldly on the enemy.
Out of every hero out there, I end up stuck with a bug and a rusty blade. That's just perfect…
A moment of silence fell over the field. Seconds ticked by until the white-haired hero made the first move, and the others followed. Steel clashed, echoing through the air, as the battle erupted. The maniac only stood back, smiling while his blood clones fought in his stead.
While everyone else was fighting, Sato and Megumi hid behind a wall inside the school, watching the fight from a safe distance.
"Do you think they will be okay…Sato?"
He was absent-minded, not even hearing Megumi's words.
I wonder if Asahi is okay…He said he will be fine, but I haven't seen him anywhere since.
Suddenly, Sato felt a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch.
"I'm sorry, Megumi, I was just thinking…"
But when he turned, it wasn't Megumi. It was Asahi, standing right there.
"Asahi !!"
"In the flesh!" he answered with a smirk
"But how?"
Asahi then began to explain what had happened after Sato left.
"In the hall, that maniac cut down everyone in his path until he reached me. But right before he could land the blow, Blueblade intercepted, parrying his strike and forcing him back. After that, they started fighting, and that's what led us here."
"What do you mean 'cut down everyone in his path'?" Megumi snapped, furious.
Asahi's tone dropped heavily. Even for him, it was hard to recall the sight of students being slashed, one after another, right before his eyes.
"He killed every student that stood in his way…"
"And what about that samurai? You're an exis, right? And Blueblade is your hero! Why didn't he do anything to protect them!?" Megumi erupted.
"And how did you expect him to? The three of them are already struggling to protect us. How could anyone protect dozens at the same time?"
Megumi was frustrated, at a loss for words, until Sato placed a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to face him, he said nothing—he only shook his head slowly.
"I know… I know he's not the one I should lash out at, but this is unforgivable…"
"We will get through this."
Sato tried to comfort Megumi but it didn't seem effective, after all, as the council president, she felt responsible for everyone in the school.
As for Sato, he was frustrated too, but not because of his dead classmates. What ate at him was his own weakness, his fragility. He knew the only reason he was still alive was because those three were holding that monster at bay.
On the battlefield, chaos erupted as everyone clashed with their own clones. Irina unleashed a barrage of violet fireballs, their light tearing through the air. Her clone raised walls of congealed blood, shielding itself before retaliating, hurling searing spheres of crimson that lit the ground ablaze.
Meanwhile, Butterfly's daggers flashed toward her clone, who slipped past them with ease. Beside her, Blueblade's katana clashed against its mirror, sparks flying with every strike.
"Yes, dance for me!"
The maniac was watching them with a smile on his face, unbothered, knowing that nobody could touch him.
For a while, the battle dragged on, blow after blow, neither side gaining the upper hand, until the point where Irina felt her strength wane.
This isn't good. I tried to conserve as much mana as possible, but these bastards show no sign of giving up.
Her purple flames devoured everything they touched, yet her clone adapted, severing the burning parts of its body so the fire dissipated into the air.
Seeing her breathing grow heavier, with a silent signal, the clones shifted positions, crossing paths in a blur. Irina now stood against Blueblade's reflection, Butterfly against Irina's, and Blueblade against Butterfly's.
Blueblade's clone closed in fast. Irina, slowed by exhaustion, barely dodged the blade by a hair's breadth, only to take a brutal kick to the stomach. She was sent flying, crashing hard against the school wall.
"Irina!"
As Irina crashed into the wall, Sato stormed from cover, rushing toward her.
"No… you idiot."
Asahi reached out to stop him, but it was too late, Sato was already gone.
"So, you decided to leave your… how should I put it… safe spot."
The blood-soaked hero already knew where the children were. He just wanted to toy with them, to make them reveal themselves.
Once Sato reached Irina, he knelt to check if she was alright. Black blood dripped from her mouth as she clutched her stomach with one hand, the pain clearly overwhelming her.
Even though it was a direct hit, the wound didn't seem fatal.
A puddle of blood raced across the field, stopping beside Sato. From it, the maniac emerged, leaning close and whispering in his ear:
"Hello, little mouse…"
With the last of her strength, Irina formed a flame in her palm and hurled it at him, forcing him to stumble back.
"Easy there now… we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."
As he spoke, a knife materialized in his hand. The others were still locked in battle with the clones, and Irina was in no condition to fight any longer.
"This game is wonderful. I get to kill anyone I want, and even with those so-called 'rules' in place… nothing happens. At first, I tested it with one, maybe two students from here. And when nothing happened… oh, it was so much fun."
"You psycho!" Sato clenched his fist and stepped forward with one foot.
"Psycho, you say? Then let me prove you wrong. I'll grant you two more minutes of life. After all, it's not every day I get to harvest the blood of such a hero. Tell me—am I not a saint?"
He no longer looked at Sato, but at Irina. As he stepped toward her, Sato moved into his way, arms spread wide, refusing to let him pass.
"Listen, kid… you're already testing my kindness," he sighed.
"I'm not letting you get to her!"
"Very well then… if you want to die so badly,"
The maniac flipped one of his knives into the air, snatching it back in a reverse grip, ready to strike Sato
"Be my guest!"
Sato closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was coming…
Amidst the clash with the clones, Blueblade had been listening closely to what was unfolding between Sato and the maniac. The instant he saw Sato step between Irina and danger, he pulled back.
"Kunoichi, hold them off for a moment!"
He raised his katana in front of him. Concentrating while he stood perfectly still.
"Axiom: Endless Blue!"