The headmaster opened the door and walked out of his office. He turned his head to face 'Reaper' and smiled. "Maple is just finishing some small things I asked her to do. She'll be out in a little. Shall we have a talk? I need to inform you of everything that's going to be changing about your position."
'Reaper' instantly felt something was off. He leapt backward, his hand reaching for the sabre at his waist. A screech of metal rang out as he drew it, raising the blade in a fluid motion. His eyes flicked to the spot where he had just been standing, keeping the headmaster within his view at the same time.
The place where he had stood radiated with faint, near-invisible waves, accompanied by a sound like nails dragging along a chalkboard.
"So you know," 'Reaper' said confidently, shifting into a combat stance, ready to fight.
"I knew the moment you stepped onto academy grounds," the headmaster replied. His voice was low, yet clear, humming through the air as though it resonated within the bones of the building itself. "Every vibration within these walls... I hear them all. When I choose to listen, nothing escapes me. Even your heartbeat—it's steady and calm, like gentle waves brushing the shore. Interesting."
Golden aura surged from his hand, crackling softly as it took shape. An elegant blade of golden light formed and hovered just above his palm. He raised it before his face, eyes narrowing as he slid a finger along its edge.
"Eternity tolls the warning bell," he murmured. "Each chime echoes into silence when the waves of sound surrender."
The golden light around the blade compressed, sharpening into a dense, nearly invisible rhythm. Rings of distorted air shimmered outward like ripples across a still pond. Streaks of black flickered along the blade's surface, hissing faintly. The headmaster smiled—and pointed the weapon directly at 'Reaper.'
"Are you ready for a duel?"
'Reaper' smiled faintly and nodded once. He raised his sword upright, the tip of the blade aimed toward the ceiling.
"Blood seeks flesh. Flesh-flies are drawn to the body's disturbances. Blood speaks to those who listen. Bloodbend."
The sabre's blade darkened, turning into a deep, pulsing red. Reaching into his Arbiter: Vault, he retrieved a small glass bottle and shattered it against the weapon's edge. Thick blood spilled across the metal, feeding into its grooves. The blade lengthened in response, and a luminous ring of distorted white and gray light formed around the entire weapon, warping the air like heat rising off scorched stone.
He leveled the sabre toward the headmaster, then tossed the blood-slick shards onto the ground. The moment they hit, he surged forward.
The headmaster lunged forward. Their blades met in a clash of metal against metal. Sparks flew as one of the rings of distorted air expanded and transferred into the sabre. 'Reaper' jumped back and launched his sabre toward the headmaster.
The headmaster tilted his head to the left, just enough for the steel blade to pass by a mere inch. He looked back toward 'Reaper' and lunged forward again.
Leaping into the air, the headmaster activated [Waveless Kick] and began to fall from above, his leg extended as ripples of air surged around it.
'Reaper' leapt back, dodging the kick perfectly as the floor cracked open, revealing the level beneath.
'Reaper' activated [Tide Spear]. A spear made of water shimmered into his hand as he gripped it tightly and laughed. He shoved the tip of the spear into the floor, activating [Flood Gates]. Water began to form in droplets across the space between them. The ceiling flooded instantly. Windows to 'Reaper's' left and the headmaster's right cracked open, and rain began pouring into the level.
'Reaper' leapt into the air and threw his spear at the headmaster, activating [Tide Spear] again and holding onto the new one, aiming to waste time and allow more water to flood in.
The headmaster raised his aura blade and made contact with the incoming spear. It shattered on impact. A chorus of sounds echoed through the hallway as the headmaster activated [Sounds of Dawn], forming a vortex of sound that protected him from the rising water.
"For fuck's sake," 'Reaper' grumbled, clearly wanting it to be over quickly.
He released his spear. Water poured down through the hole the headmaster had created, flooding the level below as it rushed down the staircase.
'Reaper' raised his hand and snapped his fingers, whispering, "O' water, drown these lands before me and shatter the world with tsunamis."
A golden light erupted after he whispered the incantation. Clouds formed overhead, and a tsunami touched down instantly this time. Unlike the last time he used this incantation, there was not even a second of delay. The roof of the academy shredded apart as the massive wave crashed down into the large hallway. 'Reaper' stood atop the surge, whispering another incantation.
"Water, Water, Water. Death follows where you go, drown all who are not worthy of breathing in your glorious sight."
The clouds above Pluvialis darkened, heavy with the wrath of the storm that was ripping across the entire continent. 'Reaper' brought his hands together in a prayer motion, then extended his right hand toward the headmaster.
Instantly, the headmaster charged forward, refusing to give him another second to chant. He appeared in front of 'Reaper' in just a single blink but was caught. 'Reaper's hand wrapped tightly around the headmaster's neck, refusing to let go. As if he knew the headmaster would rush in and extended his hand beforehand.
The headmaster's [Waveless Kick] activated as he struck 'Reaper' in the gut. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain surge through his foot, up his leg, throughout his back and up his spine. His eyes widened.
It felt as though his foot had slammed into a wave weighing a thousand pounds.
'Reaper' said nothing but threw the headmaster into the wall, causing a crack to appear as lines traveled across the entire surface. The headmaster slammed into the water below. His eyes widened as he coughed up blood, then slowly stood back up, one hand pressed against his head for a moment before he looked up—only to see the tip of a spear lined up with his neck.
"It wasn't fun dealing with you. Say goodbye to your entire academy."
'Reaper' pierced the tip of the spear through the headmaster's neck, twisted the spear three times, then ripped it out from the left, slicing his throat apart. The headmaster's head remained barely attached, hanging by threads of torn flesh, before the tsunami surged forward and lifted his body. It pulled him into an endless cycle of twists and turns, the sheer force damaging every organ as his corpse was consumed by the raging current.
'Reaper' turned his attention to the window. Outside, across the mist-choked streets and rooftops, he spotted a figure standing atop the very church he had used for surveillance. A sharp gust of wind swept past as his eyes locked onto the woman's silhouette.
In her hand was a familiar object—his pair of binoculars. Alongside them, she held something else: a crumpled pack of gum he thought he'd discarded. His gut twisted the moment he recognized it. That gum had traces of his DNA.
"Oh shit," 'Reaper' muttered, his voice cutting through the air as he surged forward. In a flash, he dove through the broken window. Waves materialized beneath his feet, crashing through the streets below as he rode them in wide, arching bursts. Each leap hurled him higher until he soared through the air, landing hard atop the church roof with a thunderous impact that sent droplets flying in every direction.
The commander stood still, unshaken by his arrival.
Her black cape flared wildly behind her in the storm, rainwater clinging to the fabric. Embroidered across its back was a new crest of the Ovaris Empire: a clenched hand wrapped around a chipped diamond, its edges sharp and jagged, shining faintly with a silvery hue.
Her long black hair, tied neatly into a bun, had strands torn loose and whipping in the gale. A deep scar ran across the left side of her face, slicing down across her cheek, ending just past her sharp jawline. Her hands were wrapped in white bandages—tight and worn, with the faint discoloration of blood. Her irises were the shape of a dragon's, glowing with a soft, dangerous light. The color was a pale red, almost pink under the flashing skies.
She wore tall black boots that splashed quietly in the puddles forming atop the roof. Her white suit was soaked through, clinging to her frame and turning partially transparent beneath the relentless rain. The fabric of her suit stretched at the chest as if the suit was too small, drawn tight over her curves, and a black tie hung down the center, slightly crooked. It was clear she hadn't had time to change into armor before being rushed to this location.
She calmly placed the binoculars and the pack of gum into her Arbiter: Vault, her expression unreadable.
"It's just for some safe keeping," she said. Her voice was rough, edged with exhaustion, like someone pushed past the brink but still marching forward out of necessity. It wasn't indifference—it was weariness, the sound of someone who no longer had time to care.
She raised her fists slowly, the motion deliberate, steady.
'Reaper' looked at her in a martial artist stance and glanced once over his shoulder at the academy now drowning under the storm he had summoned. From within, muffled cries echoed. Screams of students, gasps for air swallowed by surging tides, the sound of lungs filling with death.
He turned back to face the commander and raised his fists out of respect. A good old-fashioned fist fight. A death match without tricks.
It reminded him of home. A brutal, unforgiving place. A place that tried to kill him every day. But one he was grateful for—because it taught him the most important truth of all: So long as he was strong enough to stand, he could live however he wanted.