Kanzaki stared at the office enveloped by the Sealed Field. He took a deep breath, then slowly spoke. "There are ways to break the Sealed Field. Three, in fact. But I honestly doubt we can pull it off."
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to him, their gazes full of expectation and urgency.
Ando, standing nearby, couldn't help urging him on. "Kanzaki, hurry up and tell us. What are the three ways? We won't know if they'll work until we try. We can't just stand by and watch Shibata stay trapped in there."
Kanzaki looked at the firm gazes fixed on him and sighed before finally speaking. "The first way is to break the Sealed Field with overwhelming force."
"But," he continued, "the gap between our abilities and the power of this Sealed Field is too great. There's no way we can break it."
Kanzaki's words stirred a commotion among the group. They began whispering to one another, discussing whether the method was feasible.
Some furrowed their brows, while others shook their heads. Clearly, they weren't optimistic about the plan.
"Can we really do it?" someone asked doubtfully.
"Yeah. We're just students, and this field was set up by a teacher. Can we really break it?"
Kanzaki knew that if he simply said they could, they would probably believe him and fight together to give it a try.
But he knew they couldn't. How could he give them hope, only to make them despair afterward?
So he simply stood there in silence, waiting for them to give up on the idea.
But to his surprise, Sumida Makoto spoke up. "All right. We should at least try. Otherwise, I really won't be able to accept it."
The others nearby immediately agreed with a roar.
"Right. Let's do it together."
"There's strength in numbers. Maybe we really can break it?"
"We should at least try before giving up. We can't just give up right away."
Seeing most of the group fired up, Kanzaki sighed helplessly and wanted Ichinose to step in and stop them.
Unfortunately, Ichinose was on their side, too.
He sighed helplessly. "But we don't have anyone who can concentrate our strength."
To his surprise, Beppu Ryota spoke up timidly. "I... I think my ability can guide... guide everyone's energy."
Kanzaki looked at him helplessly. Why was he willing to speak up at a time like this? He'd refused to say anything before, but now, when Kanzaki didn't want to waste their efforts, someone was eager to join in and do something foolish.
With no other choice, they formed a semicircle, each person placing a hand on Beppu. They focused their minds and gathered the energy within their bodies, trying to find a way through. Beppu stood at the front. His expression was fearful, but a hint of resolve showed in his eyes.
"One, two, three." Kanzaki counted softly. When he reached three, they all exerted their strength at once, sending their energy into Beppu and trying to shake the powerful Sealed Field with their combined force.
Waves of energy surged through the air, and tension showed on their faces.
Their powers converged, forming a powerful shock wave that hurtled toward the Sealed Field's barrier.
However, the Sealed Field only trembled slightly before settling back into stillness. The barrier remained unbreakable, as if their efforts had been no more than a feeble attempt to stop a cart with their arms.
"H-How is this possible?" someone gasped, staring at his hands in disbelief.
Kanzaki lowered his hand. His expression remained calm, but a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He had expected this result, but he had still hoped a miracle might happen. Sadly, it had all been in vain. Miracles didn't come so easily.
"We did our best," Kanzaki said quietly. There was no blame in his voice, only a quiet acceptance.
They stepped back a few paces and looked at one another. Disappointment showed on their faces, but their eyes still gleamed with determination.
"Kanzaki," one of them said, breaking the silence. His voice carried a hint of urgency and hope. "Tell us the second way."
Kanzaki turned to face them. His expression gave nothing away; he remained calm. He took a deep breath, then slowly spoke. "The second way is to find the Sealed Field's Weak Point Node. In theory, every Sealed Field has a weak point. Just a little energy is enough to disrupt the entire field."
"Unfortunately, we aren't strong enough to detect the path of the energy flow, so..."
Itozawa's eyes lit up, and his voice carried a hint of excitement. "My ability might let me see the energy flow and find the Weak Point Node."
Once again, Kanzaki was left speechless. He couldn't help roaring inwardly. Why was it that whenever he said something was impossible, someone had to jump out and prove him wrong?
Still, he kept a smile on his face. "All right, Itozawa, give it a try. Remember, don't push yourself."
Itozawa nodded, then closed his eyes and focused, sensing the direction of the energy flow.
His brows knitted together, and his expression shifted with the changes in the energy. It seemed as if he were drawing a complex diagram of the energy flow in his mind.
His hands trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Clearly, this wasn't easy for him.
The others stood quietly to one side, all eyes fixed on Itozawa. They knew that whether this attempt succeeded might determine whether they could break the Sealed Field.
As the seconds ticked by, the tension in Itozawa's expression grew. His body began to tremble slightly, and it was clear he was devoting all his energy to finding the Weak Point Node.
At last, Itozawa opened his eyes. He looked tired, but there was also a hint of excitement on his face. "I found it." His voice trembled slightly. "The Weak Point Node is in the center of the office ceiling."
The moment he finished speaking, delight appeared on everyone's faces, but it was soon replaced by disappointment. The fact that the Weak Point Node was there meant they were powerless to do anything. Not only could they not break through the school office just to save a classmate, but even if they had the resolve to do so, there was no guarantee they could break it.
Someone still refused to give up and asked Itozawa, "Itozawa, since you can see the energy flow, could you follow its path and guide a small amount of energy to the node?"
Itozawa shook his head, indicating that he couldn't.
Kanzaki added, "Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to do what you're suggesting. The Weak Point Node is independent of the entire energy flow. It's precisely because there's an unavoidable point with no energy that a tiny amount of energy can break the whole field. So it has to be broken from the outside."
The atmosphere fell silent, and everyone seemed to lose heart.
Just then, Ichinose spoke up. "Everyone, don't give up so easily. Kanzaki, tell us the third way."
Kanzaki nodded, a thoughtful look flickering in his eyes. He knew this method might be their last hope—and the most difficult one.
He slowly spoke, his voice calm and clear. "The third way is to find an energy that counters the ability of Class C's homeroom teacher and use it to interrupt his energy flow."
He continued explaining, "Every Ability User has a specific energy frequency and attribute. If we can find an energy that counters his, we can cut off the energy flow and make the field collapse. But we know nothing about Class C's homeroom teacher's ability, so..."
Disappointment was written all over their faces, and their movements grew sluggish, as if all their strength had been drained away.
Just as they were hanging their heads, at a loss for what to do, Ichinose suddenly suggested, "Let's go ask Hoshimiya-sensei for help."
"Class C's homeroom teacher was able to activate a field without any scruples, which means there aren't any other teachers in the office. So Hoshimiya-sensei must be in the Teacher Dormitory. I can go there and find her."
Ichinose's voice was gentle, but her words carried a firm resolve. Determination gleamed in her eyes; she had clearly already made up her mind to act.
Itozawa and the other students exchanged glances, hope rekindling in their eyes.
They knew this might be their last lifeline, and their only chance to save Shibata.
They quickly pulled themselves together and prepared to follow Ichinose to the Teacher Dormitory to seek Hoshimiya-sensei's help.
Before you continue