Monday morning.
The school felt far more crowded than usual.
Since the crack of dawn, the area in front of the school had already been packed with vehicles belonging to parents attending the graduation ceremony.
Sleek modern electric cars lined the parking area neatly, some of them still displaying holographic navigation panels that had yet to be fully turned off.
The school's camera drones flew low through the air, recording the graduation ceremony from every angle.
The school building itself looked far livelier than usual, with decorations spread across almost every area. Congratulatory banners stretched along the corridors, synthetic flowers decorated the main stage, and the giant digital screen in the middle of the field continuously displayed the names of this year's graduating students.
The atmosphere that was usually filled with academic pressure had now transformed into noisy happiness.
Teachers who normally looked strict and busy now seemed much more relaxed. Some of them were even laughing together with students while taking photos.
Meanwhile, the third-year students were truly making the most of their final day.
Some were busy taking selfies, some were crying emotionally, some were laughing way too loudly, while others were occupied writing messages and impressions in their graduation books.
And in the middle of all that excitement, Rafka's mother looked like one of the happiest people there today.
The woman sat confidently in the front guest seats wearing her best outfit. Her hair was neatly styled, and her proud smile had barely disappeared since the event began.
Every now and then, she glanced toward Rafka with the satisfied gaze of a mother finally seeing her son graduate.
Rafka himself became awkward several times because of it. "Stop staring at me all the time," he muttered quietly while scratching his cheek.
But his mother only smiled even wider while giving him a small wave.
Rafka immediately looked away in embarrassment.
The ceremony went on for an absurdly long time.
The principal's speech, the teachers' representative speech, the foundation chairman's speech, the student council speech, the honor student speech, the parents' representative speech, there was even a small musical performance that somehow felt longer than an actual concert.
Rafka nearly fell asleep standing up several times. Then, after actually dozing off for a moment and waking back up, he muttered tiredly, "When is this going to end? There've already been way too many speeches." The huge yawn he had been holding back finally escaped. "Don't tell me the president's speech is next?"
But eventually, after all the exhausting endless speeches were finally over, they officially graduated.
For a few seconds, Rafka simply stood there silently while staring at his graduation certificate.
"FINALLY!" he almost shouted victoriously in the middle of the field.
The heavy burden that had been weighing on his shoulders for so long seemed to disappear instantly.
He truly felt relieved.
No more exams, no more homeworks, no more staying up all night memorizing math formulas that felt specifically designed to torture humanity.
And most importantly, now he could actively become an ARMOR Knight without having to worry about school anymore.
"It feels like I just got released from academic prison," he muttered emotionally.
"Hey! You're Rafka, right?!" a loud shout suddenly cut through his thoughts.
Rafka reflexively turned around.
Standing there was a tall young man with a handsome face and an incredibly striking aura of confidence.
His blond hair was neatly styled, his build athletic, and his expression overflowed with self-assurance like the protagonist of a popular teen drama series.
It was Kenny, one of the most famous students in school.
In some ways, his presence even surpassed Ayu's because unlike her mysterious nature, Kenny clearly had no problem standing out.
Even antisocial Rafka knew who he was despite barely knowing much about Ayu before.
But what shocked him even more was that Kenny apparently knew him too.
Rafka blinked blankly. "Huh …?" he muttered quietly. "He knows me?"
Kenny strode closer before sharply pointing at Rafka's left hand. "Because of you …," he said emotionally, "I failed to obtain the Agni armor!"
Rafka's body instantly froze. "Huh?"
His brain stopped functioning for a few seconds.
How does he know about Agni? And what does he mean by failed to obtain it? Could it be …?
"Ah, I can't hold it in anymore!" Kenny interrupted while stepping forward with an ambitious aura. "You! Fight me!" His eyes burned with competitive excitement. "If you lose, hand that ring over to me!"
"WHOA! HOLD IT!" Rafka reflexively jumped backward.
Kenny shouted, "SUIT UP!"
A bright green light instantly exploded from the ring on Kenny's right hand.
WHOOOM!
Green energy spun rapidly around his body.
Pieces of armor began appearing one after another with sharp mechanical sounds.
Arms, chest, shoulders, legs.
Until Kenny's entire body was fully covered in aggressive green armor resembling a praying mantis.
Several students immediately screamed in shock.
The crowd instinctively backed away while raising their phones.
"WHOAH!"
"THAT'S AN ANIMA DRIVE?!"
"RECORD IT! HURRY!"
"KENNY HAS AN ANIMA DRIVE?!"
Without wasting another second, Kenny attacked immediately.
SWING! Two sharp blades emerged from both his arms before slashing rapidly toward Rafka.
Even the air itself sounded like it was being split apart.
Rafka reflexively leaped farther backward. "Hold on! Hold on!" he shouted in panic.
The second attack came even faster. SWISH! The green blade nearly sliced across his cheek.
Rafka could feel the sharp gust of wind passing only centimeters from his face. "Is he seriously trying to cut me in half?!"
While continuing to dodge, he tried analyzing the green armor.
"A praying mantis," he muttered.
He had once seen its prototype at an ARMOR technology exhibition.
A speed-type armor specializing in high-speed close-combat attacks.
"Hey!" Kenny barked while continuing his relentless assault. "Hurry up and use that armor! Fight me seriously!"
SWING! SWISH! WHOOSSSH!
The attacks became even more brutal.
Every slash genuinely felt like it was trying to split something apart.
Rafka desperately kept dodging while nearly tripping several times. "Hey, wait!"
SWING!
"Can't we talk first?!" Rafka shouted while quickly raising both hands in surrender, desperately signaling Kenny to stop.
SWISH!
"This is school, you know?!" Rafka shouted while quickly glancing around at the panicking students nearby.
But Kenny wasn't listening at all.
If anything, his eyes only grew more excited.
Rafka actually didn't want to violate Captain Rangga's orders to keep his identity hidden until he was officially introduced, nor did he dare fight recklessly.
But if this kept going, he really was going to get sliced into tiny pieces.
"Rafka!" Ayu's voice called out from the distance.
Rafka quickly turned his head.
Ayu stood among the crowd with her usual calm expression. "Just use it!" she shouted.
Rafka stared at the girl from afar with disbelief written all over his face. "You can't be serious!"
"Think of it as self-defense!" Ayu added. "Come on! Unless you want to become minced meat!"
Rafka gritted his teeth. "Fine!" He raised his left hand. "Suit up!"
A bright red light instantly ignited.
WHOOOM!
Crimson flames spiraled around his body.
Pieces of Agni's armor appeared one after another amid bursts of scorching light.
In an instant, the red armor covered his entire body.
The crowd became even more chaotic.
"Hey, that's the red armor from before!"
"SERIOUSLY, IT'S HIM?!"
"THAT'S SO COOL!"
"SO THE KNIGHT FROM BEFORE REALLY WAS HIM?!"
Even some teachers started panicking as the situation rapidly turned into a massive spectacle.
The moment Agni appeared, Kenny became even more fired up. "Good!" he shouted excitedly. "That's what I wanted!"
Rafka instantly shot into the air.
SWHOOOSH! Crimson wings spread wide from his back.
The heat of the flames immediately enveloped his body like an explosion of power far more stable than before.
Several students immediately stumbled backward in panic.
"HOT!" a female student yelped while shielding her face from the intense heat.
"Why does it feel this hot from all the way over here?!"
"That red armor is insane!"
"His flames are seriously terrifying," another girl muttered nervously as she instinctively took several steps back.
Even some teachers quickly began ushering the students farther away from the field.
"Everyone, move back immediately!"
"Stay away from the center field!"
"Don't get too close to those flames!"
Rafka raised his left hand, and a blazing red flame sword instantly materialized in his grasp.
FWOOOSH!
Red flames roared wildly along the blade.
The male students instantly erupted into even louder chaos.
"THAT SWORD IS SO COOL!"
"NO WAY, HE CAN CREATE WEAPONS TOO?!"
"THAT'S LITERALLY A FLAME SWORD!"
"BRO, THAT'S INSANE!"
Some of them were practically jumping in excitement while pointing their phones toward Rafka like overexcited fans watching an action movie come to life.
FWOOOSH!
Red flames roared wildly along the blade.
Rafka's movements now felt far more natural compared to his first battle against a Lamia.
His body moved almost entirely on instinct.
Within a split second, he had already moved behind Kenny.
His sword immediately pointed toward the back of the green armor.
Within a split second, he had already moved behind Kenny.
His blazing sword immediately pointed toward the back of the green armor.
"Give up, Kenny!" Rafka declared firmly, his voice echoing across the field as crimson flames burned intensely around the tip of his blade.
Crimson fire burned at the tip of his blade, glowing with a beautiful yet extremely dangerous red brilliance.
For a few seconds, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Only the faint crackling of Agni's flames could be heard.
Then Kenny let out a small laugh. "Heh."
The young man slowly raised both hands, the blades on his arms retracted smoothly back inside with mechanical sounds.
"I lost," Kenny admitted.
Rafka immediately let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
But the real problem was only beginning.
Now the entire school was staring at them.
Students whispered excitedly. Some were taking photos, some were recording videos, while others looked way too excited, like they had just witnessed the finals of a national sports tournament.
"WOOOO!"
"RAFKA WON!"
"THAT WAS INSANE!"
Some people were even whistling and clapping like they had just finished watching a concert.
"Do they think this is some kind of performance?" Rafka muttered tiredly.
Thankfully, his mother had already gone home earlier. Otherwise, the situation might have already escalated into World War III.
"Good job." Ayu walked over calmly. "Now we should probably run."
Without waiting for an answer, the girl immediately grabbed Rafka's hand.
"Huh? Wait!" Rafka protested as he got pulled along.
His red armor slowly turned into particles of light before disappearing back into the Agni ring.
But in the middle of their hurried escape, Rafka suddenly imagined Captain Rangga's face after hearing about this incident.
That terrifying expression, those sharp eyes, that overwhelmingly intimidating aura.
Rafka instantly turned pale. "I'm dead," he muttered quietly. "I'm definitely dead."
He could already picture himself getting scolded into oblivion.
I might literally melt like ice cream.