However, the student handbook had long since been destroyed, and Bronya had no means of contact on hand. "This won't do. We can't just wait for the Chairman to find us, can we?"
Her silver-pink eyes wandered for a moment before finally settling on the floating unit beside her. Emmm...
"Heavy Rabbit~"
Unfortunately, it had no intelligence; it was merely a manifested Spirit Armor. Otherwise, Heavy Rabbit's expression... would probably have been quite interesting, right? Actually, that might not be impossible?
"Decided. I'll go learn programming later. But for now, I should figure out a way to contact Teacher Ning Yin first."
Over at Broken Blade Academy:
"Blazing Heaven Earth Dragon King Flame!"
A gigantic flaming greatsword nearly fifty meters long came slashing down. Its light and heat brought scorching temperatures that nearly melted the earth itself.
The few who could still move instantly dodged aside, leaving Kurogane Ouya alone to face that terrifying strike.
Just then, a storm began to rise.
"Moon Severing Sky Dragon Claw!"
The wind continued to gather, compressing into a sharp sword. Kurogane Ouya wielded the sword of storm, like a giant dragon's claw, and met the flaming greatsword head-on.
"Boom—!"
The storm and flames collided, sending terrifying energy ripples scattering in all directions. Shattered ground was hurled into the air, remaining trees were uprooted, and even the distant buildings began to sway precariously.
The dreadful sight resembled the descent of a natural disaster, leaving everyone dumbstruck.
Once they came to their senses, the group swiftly began rescue efforts. Even the people from Dawn Academy did the same.
If casualties occurred, the nature of the incident would change: from an initial competition into a vicious assault. More importantly...
—Their goal was to establish Dawn Academy and reclaim the right to train Blade Dancers from the Alliance. The teachers and students of Broken Blade Academy were, after all, also part of the Far East.
After everyone withdrew to a safe distance, Kurogane Ouya, who had been holding back and deliberately maintaining the stalemate, suddenly increased his output.
"Impossible!"
Bit by bit, the storm overwhelmed the crimson flames. Stella, renowned for possessing the "World's Strongest Magic Power," was truly being suppressed by her opponent at this moment.
In the end, the flaming greatsword let out a mournful cry, breaking apart section by section and scattering into countless fireballs.
Meanwhile, the sword of storm drove straight forward, bearing down on Stella head-on like a passing typhoon!
"Rumble—"
Having been defeated head-on, Stella had no time to dodge. She covered her entire body in Magic Power, barely managing some protection before the sword of storm blasted her away.
A savage trench stretched across the earth, as though some terrifying beast had gnawed through it.
"Too green!"
Kurogane Ouya sheathed his blade and stood still, his face full of displeasure. "What I was looking forward to wasn't such a one-sided battle, but a fight that could pressure me and make me stronger."
"Looks like I expected too much from you. Stella Vermillion, you're simply not qualified to be my opponent!"
Roar—!
Through her hazy consciousness, Stella seemed to hear... a roar that did not belong to this world.
—If you truly desire power, seek it within your own heart.
Vaguely, Stella recalled Bronya's earlier words. Of course I desire power! But... my heart?
It was an incomparably scorching wasteland. The ground was cracked, orange-red lava flowing through the fissures. Yet there, a massive creature slept.
It was like a creature from fantasy, impossible to describe in words. Yet the moment she saw it, Stella already knew its name—dragon!
Can I... really do this? With a trace of doubt, Stella tentatively pressed her hand against it.
Outside, Kurogane Ouya felt a wave of disappointment. After defeating Stella, he prepared to walk away.
Just then, his raised foot suddenly stopped. Sensing something, Kurogane Ouya turned around.
"..."
Amid the silence, Stella slowly rose to her feet. Flames ignited out of thin air across her body, and her entire being gave off a strange sense of presence. Then...
"Roar, roar, roar—"
A heaven-shaking roar.
What followed was an extremely violent shockwave! Vast stretches of earth were torn up, while scorching heat swept through the surroundings.
—Stella, remember, you might get a little irritable then.
A little irritable...
So that was what she meant. Perhaps because of that trace of doubt, perhaps because of a sliver of insecurity, Stella lost control. "I... Ikki, run...!"
She used all her strength to issue that warning. Then... the savagery of Dragon Kind surged into her heart. Human eyes transformed into dragon pupils, and an oppressive force born from the very level of life swept across the entire area!
"...This really is..."
Ouya unconsciously tightened his grip on his katana, his body trembling slightly. This familiar feeling was exactly the same as back then! That tyrant!
Everyone else had withdrawn. Only Ouya remained—he wanted to face that fear from back then, and overcome it!
"Roar, roar, roar—!"
A terrifying blaze came crashing down from all directions, leaving no room to evade.
The earth itself was baked molten, with parts of it even crystallizing into glass-like formations.
Yet facing such terrifying heat, Ouya endured it with nothing but his physical body! The clothing on his upper body was burned away entirely, revealing scar after scar.
—Heavenly Dragon Armor! It was originally a layer of storm armor covering the body, used to resist outside attacks.
But Ouya did the opposite. He compressed the storm inward, imposing an excessive burden upon himself to temper his physique.
An ordinary person would probably have died long ago. But Ouya had endured through sheer willpower!
Because of that, his physical capabilities had improved by leaps and bounds. He could even withstand those flames with his bare body alone.
Unfortunately... it was meaningless.
!!!
Suddenly, Stella shattered the crystallized earth beneath her feet and charged before Kurogane Ouya in an instant.
The phantom of a dragon claw faintly appeared around one hand. Wrapped in flames, it smashed viciously into Ouya's chest, and the tremendous force blasted him away.
"Boom, boom, boom—!"
A string of explosive impacts rang out as Ouya bounced across the ground several times, his body plowing savage trenches through the earth.
That was not all. Upon his scar-covered chest, a delicate fist mark gave off a charred aura. The burning pain pierced to the bone, waves of intense agony washing over him and drawing a muffled groan from his throat.
"Roar, roar, roar—"
And this was not over yet. The phantom of a giant dragon gradually enveloped the girl.
"My, no wonder you insisted on having me rush back." A terrifying gravity descended, suppressing Stella.
Ning Yin activated her Spirit Armor, Crimson Phoenix. Her folding fan half-concealed her face, giving her a seductive air. Unfortunately... she was a little too young.
"...A major repair job..."
Beside Ning Yin stood Chairwoman Kurogane, smoking a cigarette with a gloomy expression—the true person in charge of Broken Blade Academy had returned.
How Did You Two Even Manage This?
It had all been planned out long ago. According to the original plan, they should have already accomplished their goal and withdrawn by now.
As for the Demon who had escaped fate... hadn't Edelweiss already gone to stop him?
Unfortunately, White Night had intervened and held Edelweiss back. That caused Hei Nai and Ning Yin to return far earlier than expected. Then... this became rather awkward.
A wave of gravity pressed down. As the attackers, everyone from Dawn Academy was caught red-handed and pinned to the ground.
"How should we deal with you?"
As she spoke, the gravity of the Ground Binding Formation increased further, causing even the ground to sink slightly.
"Nene."
Hei Nai's voice rang out, causing Ning Yin to restrain herself somewhat. The rapidly increasing gravity came to a stop. "Fine, fine. Then Xiao Hei, I'll leave these people to you."
A ringtone sounded from within her kimono pocket. Ning Yin's personality was not suited to questioning people anyway, so she left.
Ning Yin took out a teacher's handbook, casually swiped open the caller display, and said, "A number I don't recognize. So who could it be? Moshi moshi~"
"Teacher Ning Yin?"
A calm voice with a milky undertone. Well, that milky quality was simply too distinctive. Ning Yin recognized it immediately. "It's Xiao Niya."
"What is it, what is it? Where's Xiao Bai? Isn't Xiao Bai there?" Ning Yin was still quite interested in the situation over there.
"...He's dead."
"I see, Xiao Bai died again."
Ning Yin nodded calmly. At some point, she had gotten somewhat used to White Night's "deaths." It was basically his usual sit-up routine.
The scene shifted to Bronya's side:
Amid the ruins, Heavy Rabbit extended an electronic screen and began communicating with Ning Yin.
Communication was just a type of signal frequency, wasn't it? What was so difficult about that? Could my all-purpose—forced to be all-purpose—Heavy Rabbit really not simulate something like this?
The facts proved that Heavy Rabbit could indeed do it!
"Does Teacher Ning Yin have time? Bronya's side... mm, Bronya's side needs help."
Bronya glanced at Edelweiss beside her, then silently added, "Also, if possible, don't notify anyone else. Teacher Ning Yin should come alone."
"My, does Xiao Niya have something shameful going on?" Ning Yin's interest was instantly piqued.
Emmm...
"In a sense, yes."
"Huh, really? I was just saying it."
Ning Yin had not expected Bronya to admit it. But that no longer mattered. She was more curious about what had happened now. "All right, I'm coming right away!"
"Are you still at the previous location? Oh, Xiao Niya, do you need me to bring you some clothes, or anything else?"
"No need. Just come."
"Okay, Xiao Niya. I'll be right there."
Once they had agreed, Ning Yin silently ended the call and first went over to Hei Nai to give her a heads-up. "Xiao Hei... what's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Phew~"
Hei Nai held a cigarette between her fingers and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, her tone carrying a hint of weariness. "Behind them... is Teacher Moon Shadow."
"...Is that so."
After learning this, Ning Yin no longer sounded as cheerful as before. Her tone became slightly complicated. "Then those kids have all been released too?"
Hei Nai did not answer. She merely smoked in silence. Seeing that, Ning Yin understood.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that for now."
After all, Ning Yin recovered her mood quickly. "Xiao Niya contacted me just now and asked me to pick her up, so I'm leaving first."
Ning Yin immediately ran off, the hem of her kimono swaying slightly as she hurried along in a fluster. But before long, a little head poked out from beside the doorframe. "And Xiao Hei, stop always thinking about all that nonsense."
"What did Xiao Bai say before? Ah, I remember. The academy's major repairs are all up to you, Xiao Hei~"
Before you continue