The Battle of Words (Part 2)

Tang Yu's temples throbbed, and black spots began appearing at the edges of his vision. His Emotion Points were dropping at a rate of 500 per second. At this rate, they would be depleted in less than five minutes.

Just as he was considering whether to risk exchanging for a new ability, an unexpected savior appeared-Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Ayanokoji, who had been absent the whole time, quietly appeared in the back row of the audience. When his gaze met Tang Yu's, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

The next second, Tang Yu felt a strange mental pulse coming from Ayanokoji's direction, like a sharp sword piercing Tsukishiro's mental fog.

[Third-party mental intervention detected]

[Nature: Neutralization/cancellation]

[Emotion Point consumption reduced by 80%]

Tang Yu's pressure eased abruptly. He had no time to think about how Ayanokoji had done it. Seizing the opportunity, he prepared his closing statement.

"Now, please welcome Class D's fourth speaker, Tang Yu, to give his summary." The host's voice rang out.

Tang Yu stood up and faced Tsukishiro Shuhei. Their gazes clashed in the air as invisible mental forces collided fiercely.

"Honorable judges, fellow students." Tang Yu's voice was steady and powerful. "Before we conclude, I'd like everyone to consider one question: when we reduce 'ability' to scores and rankings, what do we lose?"

Tsukishiro's fingers tapped the table again, but this time Tang Yu was ready. He activated his newly unlocked "Combat Emotion Resonance" ability, turning the fear the audience unconsciously felt toward Tsukishiro into a force of resistance:

"We lose the ability to understand the complexity of human nature, the patience to appreciate different paces of growth, and, ultimately... the soul of education."

Sweat beaded on Tsukishiro's forehead. He clearly hadn't expected Tang Yu to counterattack. The mental tug-of-war made the water glasses on the judges' table tremble slightly. Students nearby rubbed their temples, feeling an inexplicable headache.

"Class D is called a 'collection of defective products,' but it's these very 'defects' that help us understand the pain of being misunderstood and teach us that everyone has battles no one else knows about."

Tang Yu's gaze swept across the audience, pausing on Karuizawa, Horikita, Hirata, and others. "Ability shouldn't be a tool for dividing people into ranks. It should be a beacon that illuminates each person's unique value. Thank you."

The applause lasted nearly a minute. Even some Class C students reluctantly joined in. The judges whispered among themselves, clearly impressed by Class D's performance. Only Tsukishiro Shuhei, expressionless, wrote something down, his glasses reflecting a cold light.

As the scores were being tallied, Tang Yu felt dizzy-the mental battle had taken too much out of him. Karuizawa quietly supported his arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Tang Yu managed a faint smile and looked toward the back of the audience. Ayanokoji had already vanished, as mysteriously as he had appeared.

The head judge stood and announced the result: "After deliberation, the winner of this Debate Tournament is... Class D!"

The Class D students cheered. Several girls even hugged each other in excitement. Horikita Suzune wore a rare smile, and Hirata Yosuke excitedly waved his fist. Tears glimmered in Karuizawa's eyes as she clutched Tang Yu's hand. "We won!"

Tang Yu nodded, but his attention was fixed entirely on Tsukishiro. The man at the judges' table slowly rose to his feet, a strange smile on his lips. He mouthed three words to Tang Yu: "Just you wait."

After the award ceremony, Tang Yu made an excuse to go to the restroom and slipped out of the noisy auditorium alone. He needed fresh air and a quiet place to think. As he turned the corridor corner, a figure appeared silently in front of him-Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Not bad. But this is only the beginning." Ayanokoji's voice was still calm.

Tang Yu looked straight into his eyes. "Who are you, really? What was that just now?"

Ayanokoji glanced around and lowered his voice. "A product of the White Room, just like Tsukishiro. The difference is... I escaped."

"The White Room?"

"An experimental program to artificially raise exceptional humans." A rare hint of emotion entered Ayanokoji's voice. "Tsukishiro was a product of the seventh term. I was the only survivor of the eighth."

Tang Yu processed this shocking revelation. "Your ability is..."

"Mental resistance and mimicry." Ayanokoji answered briefly. "Tsukishiro specializes in mental manipulation. I can resist and mimic anyone's ability patterns. That's why I was able to briefly counteract his interference with the entire audience."

Tang Yu suddenly understood. "So you've analyzed my ability too..."

"I have, but I can't copy it completely." Ayanokoji shook his head. "Your system is too unusual. That's also why Tsukishiro is so interested in you-he wants a sample of your ability."

The two walked in silence along the empty corridor. The noise from the auditorium in the distance stood in stark contrast to the quiet here.

"Tsukishiro won't let this go." Ayanokoji stopped. "Today's failure will only make him resort to more extreme measures. Especially against Karuizawa Kei-her ability to recover emotionally is also a research target."

Tang Yu clenched his fists. "I'll protect her."

"You need more allies." Ayanokoji handed him a note. "These are the names of students on campus who may have the potential to resist Tsukishiro's influence. I'll try to contact them."

Tang Yu glanced over the list. Several names were familiar: Katsuragi Kohei (Class A), Kanzaki Ryuji (Class B), and even Ryuen (Class C).

"Ryuen? But he's clearly working with Tsukishiro..."

"He was forced to cooperate." Ayanokoji corrected him. "Tsukishiro threatened him with Mind Control. Ryuen now has a nanocontroller implanted in his body by Tsukishiro, but that also means he wants to break free from Tsukishiro more than anyone."

Tang Yu remembered the fear in Ryuen's eyes yesterday and suddenly understood. He was just about to ask something else when the system suddenly sounded an alarm:

[Emergency School Board meeting initiated]

[Agenda: Special measures concerning "abnormal students"]

[Danger level: Extremely high]

"I have to go." Ayanokoji seemed to sense it too. "Tsukishiro has already started his next move. Be ready. At any moment, there could be-"

His words were cut off by a piercing announcement: "Tang Yu, please report to the principal's office immediately. I repeat, Tang Yu, please report to the principal's office immediately."

The two exchanged a glance. Ayanokoji said quietly, "Don't meet them alone. Insist on having a witness present, preferably the media."

Tang Yu nodded and turned toward the principal's office, quickly checking the system status as he walked:

[Current Emotion Points: 85600/∞]

[New ability: Group Consciousness Link (temporary)]

[Effect: Can synchronize the thought patterns of multiple people, creating a synergistic effect]

[Cost: 10000 points/minute]

This was a powerful new ability, but the cost was staggering. Tang Yu didn't know what he would face next, but one thing was clear-Tsukishiro Shuhei had launched an all-out war, and this battle would decide the future of Class D, Karuizawa, and even the entire school.

Standing before the principal's office, Tang Yu took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Whatever awaited him inside, he was already prepared to fight.