The battlefield had fallen completely silent.
Broken buildings surrounded the academy like ruins from an ancient war. Blood stained the shattered ground while the wounded students struggled to remain conscious. Nobody could continue fighting.
Yura leaned against a broken wall, her right arm hanging powerless at her side. Every breath felt like a knife piercing her chest, yet her eyes never left the battlefield.
"...Sensei..."
Kimimaru tried to stand once more, but his legs refused to obey him. The repeated use of Astral Lock had pushed his body beyond its limits.
"Damn..."
Kairo clenched the Black Spartan, using it to support himself. The Black Monarch had completely disappeared, and his Yami refused to manifest again after receiving such overwhelming backlash.
"...I can't..."
Griffin laughed weakly while lying on the broken ground.
"...Looks like... we're spectators now."
Aoi, Yuki, Daiki, Tyouro, Oko, and the remaining students could only watch.
The fate of Reikosha Academy...
Now rested on one person.
Shougo Takahano.
He calmly stood between Akira and every injured student. His torn uniform fluttered in the cold wind as Hikari and Yami slowly revolved around his body.
Akira quietly watched him.
"...You've chosen to fight alone."
Shougo adjusted his gloves.
"I was never alone."
He glanced behind him.
"My students are still standing."
Yura lowered her head.
"...Sensei..."
Akira slowly raised the Aether Reaper.
"I see."
Without another word...
She vanished.
BOOOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath Shougo's feet.
He disappeared at the exact same moment.
A silver flash collided with a golden flash.
KRRRAAAAAANG!!
The shockwave alone shattered the remaining classroom windows throughout the academy.
Neither fighter could be seen.
Only flashes of silver, gold, and black repeatedly erupted throughout the battlefield.
High above the academy—
BOOM!
Another collision.
The clouds split apart.
Akira swung the Aether Reaper downward.
Shougo twisted his body in midair, allowing the blade to narrowly pass before striking with Hikari-coated fists.
Akira blocked.
Another explosion echoed across the sky.
They disappeared again.
The students desperately followed the battle.
"...I can't even see them..." Daiki whispered.
"They're too fast..." Griffin added.
Kimimaru closed his eyes.
"No..."
"I can barely sense them."
Another impact shook the academy.
Shougo suddenly appeared behind Akira.
Yami gathered around his right arm.
He struck.
Akira turned instantly.
The Aether Reaper blocked his attack.
Their spiritual pressure exploded outward.
The ground beneath them collapsed into another enormous crater.
Shougo refused to stop.
He unleashed a relentless combination of Hikari and Yami, switching between blinding speed and overwhelming destructive force. Every strike carried enough power to destroy buildings, yet Akira continued responding with impossible precision.
Punch.
Kick.
Palm strike.
Elbow.
Yami.
Hikari.
Akira answered every technique with a single movement of the Aether Reaper.
She wasn't overpowering him...
She was matching him.
Shougo smiled slightly.
"...You're incredible."
Akira answered calmly.
"So are you."
Suddenly—
Shougo accelerated.
His speed doubled.
Then tripled.
Golden light completely surrounded his body.
Even Akira's eyes followed him more carefully now.
He appeared above her.
Then below.
Then behind.
Then directly in front.
Countless afterimages filled the battlefield.
"Hikari..."
His voice echoed everywhere at once.
"...Radiant Barrage."
Hundreds of light-infacted strikes descended simultaneously.
Akira's Aether Reaper moved faster than ever before.
Silver arcs danced across the battlefield.
Every punch.
Every kick.
Every slash.
Every strike.
Blocked.
Yet each collision forced Akira another step backward.
The students slowly realized...
Their teacher...
Was pushing Akira back.
Yura smiled through the pain.
"...That's our Sensei..."
Kairo clenched his fist.
"Keep going..."
For the first time since the battle began...
Akira's breathing became slightly heavier.
A tiny crack appeared along the handle of the Aether Reaper.
She looked at it briefly.
Then back at Shougo.
"...You've exceeded my expectations."
Her silver eyes began glowing brighter.
An overwhelming pressure erupted from her body.
The entire battlefield trembled violently.
Shougo immediately understood.
"...She's still hiding something."
Akira slowly lifted the Aether Reaper.
"This battle..."
She took one quiet step forward.
"...has finally become interesting."
Shougo remained perfectly calm.
But inside...
He had already reached his conclusion.
He now understood something that none of his students had realized.
No matter how hard he fought...
No matter how many techniques he used...
There was only one way...
To truly stop Akira.
He silently closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"...Not yet."
He whispered so quietly that nobody heard him.
"...Just a little longer."