["Keep up the great work. I believe in you!"]
The moment Adam disappeared, I felt the balance of power shift.
'So he ran…' Serena thought in a fraction of a second.
This was bad.
It wasn't just a loss in numbers… it was a gap in the rear, a blind spot I could no longer trust to be covered.
I hadn't placed Adam in the back because I trusted his strength. It was simply that if he were attacked, I would know immediately.
The battle shifted from a tactical exercise… to a fight for survival.
"Change of plans! Defensive formation!" My voice rang sharply through the Cardinal. "Chloe, to my right! Ethan, to my left! Don't let them split us!"
But Team Theta was faster. They moved as one, like wolves that had caught the scent of blood.
They were familiar… Class Alpha students.
I studied them carefully.
I could recall their names somehow—they had passed through my ears more than once.
The large boy at the front charged forward. Broad-shouldered, with short brown hair and a stubborn expression.
"Grrgh!" With a muffled shout, he activated his skill.
"Shiiik!"
I watched his skin harden, turning into a gray granite color, gaining a dull sheen under the dim sky.
Liam Brook.
Beside him, emerging from the shadows—
He was slender, his movements quiet like a ghost. Messy black hair covered his right eye, while his left gray eye was sharp as a blade, scanning the battlefield coldly.
The brush in his hand moved swiftly, and the shadows beneath Liam's feet began to stir unnaturally.
Zayn Wilder.
I had seen him before… when he moved his brush, creatures emerged from the shadows and came to life.
'A shield and a summoner. Classic tactic,' I analyzed quickly.
'They're using the physical fighter as cover while Zayn weaves his magic. We need to break this formation before they establish control.'
"Ethan! You can't let them dictate the pace!" I shouted. "Break through their defense—now!"
"Leave it to me!" Ethan roared as he stepped forward.
He cracked his neck, then—
"Fwoosh!"
His body erupted in a blazing golden aura, each step distorting the air around him.
There was no hesitation.
In an instant, he surged forward like a flash.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
Ethan's star-infused fist collided with Liam's stone-covered arms.
The impact sounded like shattering rock, and the shockwave alone stirred a cloud of dust, forcing us all a step back.
"Ugh!"
I saw cracks begin to form across Liam's stone armor, yet he held his ground, letting out a muffled groan.
He stopped him.
'Incredible durability… holding even against Ethan, who stands a sub-rank above.'
'This won't last long.'
This was exactly what Zayn wanted.
While Ethan was fully engaged with Liam, Zayn used the opening.
"Grrrr!!"
From the shadow cast by Liam's massive frame, a creature leapt out—a simple shadow beast, a wolf made of black ink.
It didn't charge at me.
It flanked.
"Chloe!" I called, but she had already seen it.
"Not so fast, puppy!" Chloe laughed, that twisted smile spreading across her face.
"Fwoosh!!"
From nowhere, she lashed out with a whip of pure electricity.
"Tsssshh—BAAM!"
The electric whip wrapped around the shadow wolf and tore it apart instantly into scattered ink.
But at that moment—
Another figure emerged from behind a pile of rubble.
A girl with wild hair and sharp, hawk-like eyes. Her movements were fast and fluid, like a feral cat, heading straight for Chloe.
Luna Ferris.
"So, you're mine!" Chloe grinned, sparks dancing across her hands as she prepared to face her.
Despite Chloe's enthusiasm, Serena frowned.
"Tch…"
They had succeeded.
They split us.
Now the battlefield had fractured into three separate fights.
Ethan versus the shield-and-shadow duo. Chloe against a new opponent.
And me…
I felt him before I saw him.
A chilling sensation, as if a lens had been focused directly onto my soul.
I turned.
He stood only a few meters away.
Calm. Wearing elegant glasses. A confident smile on his face.
Not in a combat stance.
Observing.
Waiting.
Toru Kaneki…
'So this is your role,' I thought, a chill running down my spine.
What an impressive execution.
If Adam hadn't run, he would never have slipped behind me unnoticed. At the very least, he would have been exposed.
Adam… I will definitely be reporting you to Professor Aurora.
Even so, Toru had made excellent use of the opening.
'Unacceptable.'
And yet… I was bound by the same logic.
If I saw a clear weakness in the enemy team, I wouldn't hesitate for even a second to exploit it.
"Well then…" I whispered as mana began gathering around me.
"Fwoosh!"
A cold aura manifested out of nowhere.
"If that's what you want… so be it."
I raised my hand, coating it in a thin layer of sharp ice.
[Spiritual Storm Blade]
**
The battle had now split.
To the east, Ethan, with an angry roar, prepared to unleash his full power against Liam's stone wall and Zayn's shadow tricks.
To the west, Chloe danced within combat.
And at the center, Serena advanced toward what appeared to be the enemy team's leader.
There was no room to retreat.
No time to plan.
Only battle.
[Perspective: Zayn Wilder]
To defeat an opponent, you must understand them.
And to understand light, you must study the shadow it casts.
The brighter the light, the deeper and clearer the shadow.
"I see your shadow perfectly, Ethan Riddle."
From behind Liam's massive shoulder, I observed our target.
He was a mass of pure light—blazing stellar energy screaming its presence.
But to me, all that brightness was merely a distraction.
What I truly saw was the long shadow it cast behind him…
A shadow of arrogance, overconfidence, and absolute reliance on brute force.
That shadow…
Would be my canvas.
He cracked his neck.
"Leave it to me!" Ethan roared, bursting forward like a golden meteor.
It wasn't a reckless charge.
It was a focused strike meant to crush anything in his path.
He headed straight for Liam.
'A direct choice… logical, from his perspective.'
I raised my brush.
With a quick stroke, I painted a wall of shadow in his path.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
He tore through it without slowing.
'Confirmed. High penetration power. Defense is useless. Simple energy. Valuable data.'
Liam emerged from the fragments, fully braced, his arms coated in [Stone Skin].
"I was just warming up," Ethan said with a confident smile.
He lunged again, his fist glowing brighter.
"BOOM!"
The punch collided with Liam's arms. I heard the stone groan under the pressure.
"Ugh…!"
Liam staggered a single step back.
'Incredible power. But every attack creates an opening. Every light casts a shadow.'
Now… it was time to paint within those shadows.
I began my work.
[Ink and Shadow Art] Rank: B
Description: Allows the user to generate special ink from their energy. When applied to surfaces and shadows, it can manifest into forms and affect the environment.
My brush moved through the air as I unleashed my creations.
"Grrrr…!!"
From three different shadows, three creatures leapt forth.
[Basic Shadow Beasts]
Wolves made of black ink.
They weren't merely creatures—they were extensions of my brush.
Tools to guide my opponent's movement.
A dance.
The first forced him to shift his path, exposing his right side.
The second attacked that opening, forcing him to turn.
The third leapt toward his face, forcing his gaze upward.
I painted around him, forcing him to move along my canvas, draining his energy and pushing him toward his next mistake.
In that instant—
An electric whip appeared.
"Tsssshh—BAAM!"
It wrapped around one of my wolves, tearing it apart.
Yet Ethan didn't even turn to help his team.
'I thought someone would be weaker.'
I already knew of his naive, heroic nature…
Trying to distract him away from Liam was pointless.
"Annoying," I muttered, realizing I was wasting energy.
Instead of continuing the game, Ethan chose the fastest solution.
He unleashed a wide [Energy Pulse] from his body.
A golden sphere formed in his hand.
"Fwoosh!"
"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!"
A wave of golden light exploded in all directions, erasing my wolves from existence.
He wiped the canvas clean with brute force.
Crude… but expected.
Immediately, I looked down.
Before releasing that pulse, he had stepped precisely over a small patch of black ink I had left behind.
My signature.
I smiled.
'Easier than expected.'
I raised my brush and gave the command.
"Faaash!!"
A massive shadow hand burst from the ink.
'Got him.'
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
The shadow hand wrapped around Ethan's ankle.
I saw his body lose balance for a split second.
At the same time, Liam charged forward.
His stone armor was cracked, but he was ready to endure another blow to deliver a decisive strike.
A perfect sequence.
The trap had closed.
Victory was within reach.
But I had forgotten a fundamental rule when dealing with stars.
They cannot be contained.
They explode.
"Get off me."
Ethan didn't shout in anger.
He commanded.
A command directed at himself.
He didn't try to pull his leg free.
He didn't waste time resisting.
"Fwoooooosh—Tsssssh!"
Instead, he detonated [Stellar Radiance] from his entire body—not as a wave, but as a continuous aura of golden fire.
The shadow hand burned instantly, turning into black ash.
It wasn't just burned.
It was erased.
That overwhelming light was toxic to my shadows.
'He sacrificed a large amount of energy just to break free,' I thought, narrowing my eyes. 'Desperation… or absolute confidence?'
He didn't give us time to analyze.
The moment he broke free, he ignored me entirely.
As if I no longer existed.
His focus locked onto one target.
Liam Brook.
"Your turn," Ethan whispered, his voice eerily calm.
Then, with astonishing speed, he condensed that blazing aura into his right fist.
"Fwoosh!!"
His fist transformed—from warm light into a miniature sun.
White. Blinding. Burning.
He lunged.
He didn't aim for the body.
He didn't aim for the head.
He aimed for the largest crack in Liam's arm.
The weak point created by his first strike.
[Star Shot: Close-Range Version]
It wasn't a punch.
It was a singularity of golden energy.
"KRAAAAAK—BOOOOOOM!"
The sound wasn't impact.
It was an internal explosion.
"BOOM!!"
Liam's [Stone Skin] shattered completely—not into chunks, but into dust.
"GAAAAH!!"
The force didn't stop.
It pierced through and sent Liam's massive body flying like a rag doll.
"BAM!!"
He crashed several meters away, hitting the ground unconscious, faint smoke rising from his injured arm.
The "wall" had fallen.
"…"
Silence fell over our section of the battlefield.
I stood there, looking at Liam's fallen body… then at Ethan.
He stood in place, a confident gleam in his eyes as he looked at me.
'He won this round,' I admitted.
'But to consume that much mana… just to take down one opponent?'
A smile crept onto my face.
Even with Liam down, Ethan had spent a massive amount of energy.
The canvas had changed.
The balance had shifted in my favor.
The battle had turned from a tactical exchange… into a direct confrontation.
One versus one.
'He's still exhausted,' I thought, raising my brush. 'I can still win. The war of attrition isn't over yet.'
It seemed… I would have to give it my all.
Ethan Riddle—the prodigy who awakened an A-rank ability from the start.
I licked my lips slightly.
I wonder…
what it feels like to bring down a genius like you…