n

n

n

"Hey, why did you st--

"

nAppearing behind Kevin, Emma entered the living room, and just when she was about to speak, she stopped halfway through her sentence and gasped in shock.

nFollowing Emma, Amanda entered the room, and similarly to Emma, she gasped in shock.

nThree sets of eyes all focused on one individual.

nStanding in the middle of the room, holding Jin by the throat, Ren's figure could be seen.

n

"Jin!

"

nScreaming, Emma took out her short swords and circulated her mana, following which a strong yellow hue started emanating from her body.

n

"Get away from J--

"

nJust when Emma was about to lunge at Ren, Amanda put her hand on her shoulder and stopped her

n

"Don't...

"

n

"W-hat!?

"

nAngrily turning around, pointing towards Ren, Emma glared at Amanda and shouted

n

"You're just gonna stand here and let him do that to Jin! what is wrong with you!

"

nShaking her head, Amanda looked at Ren with a complicated expression.

n...Those eyes.

nThose were the same eyes that he had when he killed Elijah.

nThough she may come across as heartless in Emma's eyes, in reality, this was all for her sake.

nShe could still vividly remember those eyes...the same eyes that killed Elijah back in the after-party.

n...If Emma fought against him, she stood no chance.

nGlancing at Kevin from the side, Amanda thought

n'Who is stronger...?'

n-Thud!

nDropping Jin's body on the ground, Ren raised his hands and said

n

"...He's still alive

"

nLooking at Jin's passed out figure on the ground, warily glancing in Ren's direction, Kevin spoke

n

"What did you do to him?

"

nLooking back at Kevin, with his hands still in the air, Ren coldly said

n

"I merely did what needed to be done

"

nFrowning at Ren's words, Kevin looked at Ren in the eyes and said

n

"...and by that do you mean almost killing him?

"

nShaking his head, Ren looked down at Jin.

n

"If I really wanted him dead, he'd already be dead

"

nFollowing Ren's cold words, the room became quiet. Not even a pin drop could be heard as Kevin and Ren stared at each other.

n

"Emma...

"

nBreaking the silence was Kevin's voice as he glanced at Emma who was behind him.

n

"Okay

"

nUnderstanding his motive, Emma put her shortswords back into her dimensional space and quickly moved to where Jin's body was.

nSeeing Emma move, Kevin took out his sword and pointed it in Ren's direction. Without taking his eyes off of him, he said

n

"If you try anything funny...I won't hesitate to kill you

"

n

"...

"

nIndifferently glancing at Kevin, Ren didn't respond and just looked at Emma who was slowly moving closer.

nArriving before Jin's body, Emma warily glanced in Ren's direction.

nLooking back at Kevin, and after making sure Ren wasn't going to make any moves, she placed her finger on Jin's neck and measured his pulse.

nAfter a couple of seconds, turning around, Emma sighed in relief and said

n

"He's still alive...

"

nNodding his head, Kevin asked

n

"How's his condition?

"

nGlancing back at Jin, Emma carefully looked at his body before saying

n

"...Not so good, he's heavily injured and has exhausted all of his mana

"

nFrowning, Kevin looked at Jin's body before looking back at Ren

n

"Now, tell us why y-

"

nBooom—!

nCutting Kevin midsentence, just as the tension in the room was about to reach an all-time high, a loud explosion resounded across the room.

nThe whole place shook.

n

"Wh-at?

"

nStaggering a couple of steps, Kevin, Emma, and Amanda all turned their heads in the direction of where the sound came from.

n-Step -Step -Step

nAppearing from the other side of the door, holding a huge axe that was about the size of two people, a black-clad individual entered the room.

nBehind him, a huge hole appeared on the wall as dust and debris flew everywhere.

n

"Another one?!

"

nStaring at the black-clad individual, Kevin, Emma and Amanda immediately got into battle positions as they warily glanced at him.

nFrom his demenour and aura, they instantly knew that he was different from the other people they fought before.

nIf the others were like soldiers fighting a war, this man felt like a general that stood above his soldiers.

nHe was definitely on a league of his own...

n'...so the boss has finally come'

nLooking at the black-clad individual who had entered the room, Ren instantly recognized who he was.

nHe was the 'boss' that Kevin and his party were supposed to fight to end the Hollber arc.

nHe was a borderline ranked individual, and only after bitterly fighting with their life on the line did Kevin and the rest defeat him.

n

"Things couldn't have become more troublesome...

"

nStaring the black-clad individual before him, Kevin couldn't help but complain.

nFrom the people that attacked him in his room to Jin and now this. Things were starting to becoming more troublesome with each passing moment.

nLooking at Emma and Amanda, Kevin nodded

nNodding back, Emma took out her shortswords and Amanda took out her bow.

nSuddenly, a red hue shrouded Kevin's sword. Slowly, the more Kevin held onto the sword, the more intense the hue around the sword became.

nSneaking a glance at Kevin's imposing figure, Emma spoke

n

"Can you tone it down a notch?

"

nLooking at Emma, Kevin smirked and said

n

"Not a chance.

"

nWatching Kevin, Emma, and Amanda getting into fighting positions, Ren slowly backed off into the corner of the room and just stared at the black-clad individual that had entered the room.

nFixing his grip on the sword, Kevin spoke.

n

"Support me.

"

n

"Support? Please, that's Amanda's job...

"

nRebutting playfully, Emma winked at Amanda and dashed towards the black-clad individual.

n

"My job is to beat him...

"

nVuuaam—!

nHowever, as soon as Emma moved, a strong bloodlust suddenly expanded from the black-clad individual. Following the bloodlust, a humongous pressure came crashing down on everyone. A jet-black hue expanded from the black-clad individual's body and hurled towards them like a tsunami.

nCrossing her arms, Emma shielded herself from the pressure.

nTaking a few steps back, Emma looked back at Kevin and Amanda.

nBoth their faces became extremely grim.

n

"This is much more serious than I thought...

"

nStepping forward, Kevin fully released his ranked pressure.

n

"Let me

"

nFeeling Kevin's pressure, Emma couldn't help but look at Kevin in shock. Amanda too was shocked as her brows couldn't help but jump.

n

"y-ou broke through?

"

n

"...yes, not so long ago

"

n-Baaam!

nTensing his calves, the ground below Kevin cracked and his body shot like a cannon towards the black-clad individual.

n

"Khhh...

"

nAppearing in front of the black-clad individual, Kevin cut down diagonally with his sword.

n-Clank!

nBut right before his sword could connect with the black-clad individual, as though standing under a cascading waterfall, Kevin felt a tremendous force hitting his sword as his body was swept away.

nHe didn't even have the chance to scream before finding himself flung in the air.

n-Bam!

nFlying across the room Kevin struck a wall

n

"Kuuuaahhh...!

"

nSpitting saliva, for a split second, Kevin lost consciousness due to the tremendous force of the impact.

n

"Kevin!

"

nLooking at Kevin, Emma and Amanda worriedly shouted

nFortunately, after a couple of seconds, Kevin managed to get up...but he didn't seem to be in a good state as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

n

"Hey, are you okay?

"

nWiping off the blood in the corner of his mouth, Kevin nodded his head

n

"I'm fine… Kuhh.

"

nStaring at the black-clad individual before him, Kevin's grip on the sword increased.

n

"...He's strong

"

nSolemnly looking at the black-clad individual that did not move an inch from his position since flinging Kevin away, Emma asked

n

"How strong?

"

n

"At least D or C- rank...I'm not sure

"

n

"That strong?

"

nNodding his head, Kevin held his sword with one hand as he painfully held the side of his chest.

n'I probably fractured a couple of ribs, damn it'

nGritting his teeth, Kevin looked at Amanda.

nNodding her head, Amanda extended the string of her bow.

n-Woosh! -Woosh! -Woosh!

nReleasing the bow, three arrows shot in the direction of the black-clad individual. As each arrow shot, the air split apart creating a whistling sound.

nAt the tip of each arrow, mana was carefully concentrated to increase its destructive power.

nAs the three streaks of light made their way towards the black-clad individual, Kevin looked at Emma who looked back at him.

nAs if they read each other's minds, they dashed towards the black-clad individual from both the left and right flank.

n-Clank!

nRaising his axe, the black-clad individual blocked Amanda's arrows and hacked it towards the ground.

nBooom—!

nAs soon as the axe met the ground, the whole place shook. The ground split apart and debris fell everywhere.

nJumping up, Kevin swung his sword towards the black-clad individual's head, whilst Emma went for his feet.

n

"Block this!

"

n-Baam!

nStomping his foot on the ground, the ground below the black-clad individual's feet cracked.

n

"khhaaaa...

"

nHalting her movements, Emma crossed her arms and blocked the debris that was shooting towards her.

n-Clank!

n

"huaaaaa!

"

nBlocking Kevin's sword from above, the black-clad individual screamed and flung Kevin away.

n-crrrrrr

n

"Huff...hufff...damn it!

"

nSliding across the ground, Kevin heavily panted for air. Due to his previous fights, signs of exhaustion were already starting to show on his face.

nLooking beside him, Kevin saw Emma in a similar situation to his.

nDespite the fact that the fight had only just started, they were both already too exhausted to continue...

nThe situation was starting to become dire.

nGritting her teeth and turning her attention towards the corner of the room where Ren's indifferent figure stood, Emma couldn't help but glare at him and shout

n

"hey you! Why aren't you doing anything!?

"

n

"...

"

nIgnoring Emma, Ren's eyes remained fixed on the black-clad individual.

nSeeing Ren ignore her, just as Emma was about to curse at him, Kevin's voice stopped her

n

"Leave him be

"

n

"But...

"

n

"There's a much more pressing matter than worrying about him, moreover...

"

nLooking back at Ren, Kevin said

n

"...the fact that he's not interfering is much better than him attacking us from behind

"

nGritting her teeth, Emma nodded her head.

n-Woosh! -Woosh!- Woosh!

nOnce again, from behind, Amanda shot arrows, signalling for Emma and Kevin to continue

n

"Let's go

"

nDashing once again towards the black-clad individual, Emma and Kevin once again tried to split their attacks.

nThis time, Kevin aimed for his heart whilst Emma aimed for his sides.

n

"Huuuuuuuua!

"

n-Clank! -Clank! -Clank!

nHolding onto his giant axe with both hands, the black-clad individual spun around blocking Amanda's arrows.

nAs if a cyclone had entered the room, the black-clad individual spun madly. As he spun, everything near the black-clad individual, like a magnet, started getting sucked in his direction.

n

"khhhh...

"

n

"aahhhhhh! he's using a skill!

"

nHalting their steps, Emma and Kevin tried to stop their attacks, but it was to no avail as they found their body getting sucked towards the black-clad individual.

n

"Kevin I can't hold on!

"

nLooking at Emma struggling figure. Kevin turned back and looked back at Amanda who kept shooting arrows like there was no tomorrow.

nBoth of their faces were incomparably pale.

nIt was evident that they were too fatigued. Any longer and they would no longer be able to hold one...

n

"Do I have no other choice?

"

nGritting his teeth, Kevin hesitated for a second before activating Overdrive

nActivating Overdrive, Kevin felt every fiber of his body exploding with energy. His muscles bulged, and his veins became more apparent.

nPower coursed through his body.

n

"Khhh...

"

nGritting his teeth and enduring the pain, Kevin glared at the black-clad individual and propelled his body forward.

n

"haaaaa!

"

nNoticing the change in Kevin, the black-clad individual stopped spinning and confronted Kevin head on

n-Clank! -Clank! -Clank!

nSword and axe matched!

nAs they clashed, after a few seconds, Kevin and the black-clad individual had already exchanged no fewer than three hundred strikes

nKevin's strikes were fluent and fast, whilst the black-clad individuals were slow and heavy.

nAs they fought, neither budged an inch. They were currently in a complete stalemate.

nCuts and bruises appeared on both bodies as they continued to clash.

nBlood spilt everywhere.

nNeither had the edge, but it was only a matter of time...

nLooking at Kevin, Ren knew that he wouldn't last long.

nThe more Kevin fought, the more his veins became more prominent. His muscles twitched and spasmed with each passing second that they fought.

nIt was evident that Kevin was suppressing tremendous pain to retain his current state.

nAs Ren continued watching the fight like a spectator, his eyes slightly paused on Jin's body.

nIn the novel, Jin was supposed to be fighting with Kevin, Emma, and Amanda. With his help, they managed to defeat the boss and become heroes of the academy.

n...However, Jin was no longer here.

nJin's absence was showing. Kevin, Amanda and Emma weren't enough to fight the black-clad individual.

nFrom the way things were going, Kevin and the rest would soon die.

n...Ren knew he had to step in.

nHowever, currently, he needed to look for an opening.

nHe knew that with his current strength, the only thing he could do was find an opening.

nThat's why he waited.

nLike a predator. Ren was waiting for the right moment to strike...and that moment had finally come.

n...

nFeeling the effects of Overdrive wearing out, Kevin's body suddenly gave out and was helplessly flung all the way towards the other side of the room.

n-Baaam!

nCrashing against a wall, Kevin fell to the floor.

n

"Khhh...

"

n-Step -Step

nLaying on the ground, Kevin looked up towards the black-clad individual who was heading in his direction

nArriving before Kevin, the black-clad individual raised his axe casting a large shadow over him.

nStaring at the giant axe above him, Kevin couldn't help but think

n

"Is this how I die?

"

n-Wooooooosh!

nHowever, just as the black-clad individual's axe was about to hit Kevin, a tremendous whistling sound could be heard from behind him as a silver streak of light quickly headed in his direction.

n

"Kevin!

"

nFollowing Amanda's last-ditch attack, Emma appeared from behind the black-clad individual as both her daggers were dyed in a tremendous yellow hue.

n

"Die!

"

n

"Huuuuuuu!

"

nNoticing the tremendous power coming from the arrow and Emma's shortswords, the black-clad individual screamed and a black sphere surrounded his body.

n-BOOOM!

nAn enormous explosion shook the whole room, and debris flew everywhere.

nAfter a couple of seconds, once the debris and dust cleared up, Kevin, Amanda's and Emma's figures could be seen passed out on the ground.

nNext to them, the black-clad individual, with the aid of the axe, stood with one knee on the ground.

nHis clothes were all torn, and his figure was soaked in blood. No longer did he look as imposing as before...

nThough he was alive, he sustained heavy injuries.

n

"Huuuuuaa

"

nWith the aid of his axe, the black-clad individual tried to stand up.

n-Click!

nThe first movement of the Keiki style : Quick flash

nHowever, before he could do so, hearing a clicking sound coming from behind him, his vision first became dyed in white before darkness overtook it.

n-Thud!

nWith a large thud, the black-clad individual's figure fell face-first on the ground. Appearing from behind him, holding onto his sword, Ren's indifferent figure appeared.

nTurning towards Kevin, Emma and Amanda who were still alive but passed out on the ground, Ren said

n

"Thanks

"

n