Provocation

"Hmph, I don't have the patience to waste words on you."

"But I'll give you a warning here, Koenji. Are you sure you want to meddle in this?" Ryuen Kakeru asked, his face darkening.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Class C boys surrounding them immediately and discreetly closed in on Koenji, each preparing for a fight.

Facing a situation of over a dozen people against one, Koenji—who should have been overwhelmed by the pressure—suddenly clutched his forehead and chuckled.

"Hehehehe..."

The eerie laughter was laced with a complete lack of fear.

It left everyone confused, and the cautious, suspicious Ryuen Kakeru even signaled his subordinates to hold off, fearing the opponent might have some unknown trump card. However, the scene that followed left everyone's faces twitching in disbelief.

His laughter stopped abruptly, followed by a flick of his elegant hair, revealing a peerless, handsome face that shone like a lotus rising from the water under the dim light of the streetlamp.

He held a small mirror high, and a clear, slightly melancholic cry rang out toward the sky.

"Ah, why must someone as radiant as I be tainted by the smoke of this mortal world? Why must I be touched by such filthy people? Is Heaven jealous of my beauty?"

"Very well, come. Let me feel just how much you crave the embodiment of beauty."

"Damn it, that's all he had to say?" Ryuen Kakeru gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling like he was being played for a fool.

Furious, he kicked a stone on the ground and shouted coldly, "Damn it, he's just a lunatic. Boys, give him a good beating! The surveillance cameras can't see us here!"

"Yes..."

"Beat him up!"

With that, the group, already brimming with pent-up frustration, didn't hold back.

They threw their full strength into their punches and kicks, aiming directly at Koenji.

In an instant, Koenji's figure was swallowed by the crowd.

Seeing this, Ryuen Kakeru turned his head as if he had expected it, then looked coldly at Kushida Kikyo, wanting her to see clearly the consequences of defying him.

However, the next second, to everyone's surprise, several pained cries suddenly erupted from the midst of the grand, chaotic fighting sounds—though they were so brief they sounded like auditory hallucinations.

But Ryuen Kakeru was no fool; sensing something was wrong, he turned around, and his eyes immediately blazed with rage.

"You idiots, look closely before you swing!"

The group had been surrounding and beating each other for half a day, while Koenji was already gracefully reclining on an old tree, watching them quietly.

"Damn it, when did that guy get over there?"

Despite their confusion, the group quickly surrounded the tree.

Just when they thought he had nowhere to run, they were left dumbfounded as Koenji, moving like Tarzan, used the elasticity of a branch to leap several meters away, landing steadily on another large tree.

Even Ryuen Kakeru couldn't help but click his tongue at such an absurd jumping ability.

He truly hadn't expected such a powerful figure to be hidden in a lowly Class D. While surprised, a surge of killing intent rose sharply in his eyes.

Yes, that was right. Since he, Ryuen Kakeru, had discovered someone who could threaten Class C in the future, he had to eliminate him.

While the target was still just an unremarkable Class D student, he would destroy him tonight, no matter the cost. That was Ryuen Kakeru's unique, direct, and simple way of handling things.

"Boss, that side is taken care of!"

At that moment, Albert's voice rang out from afar.

Ryuen Kakeru felt a surge of joy; he had arrived at the perfect time.

Albert, drenched in sweat, exhaled lightly and stretched the muscles of his bare upper body, producing a series of dense, cracking sounds.

"How was it? Was the fight satisfying?" Ryuen Kakeru asked.

"Haha, that kid was pretty tough, but I couldn't use lethal moves, so it was boring."

"Is that so? No matter. See that guy over there?"

Ryuen pointed at Koenji in the tree, his expression turning cold. "I authorize you to use any lethal move you want. It would be best if you could finish him off in one go!"

"Are you sure that's okay?" Albert hesitated, seeing Ryuen Kakeru display such a terrifying demeanor for the first time since enrollment.

"It's fine. As long as you take him out, I'll handle the aftermath."

"But be careful, this guy isn't ordinary. His physical strength is likely not inferior to yours. Don't let your guard down."

"Understood. If the boss says so, then it's fine!"

Hearing this, Albert clenched his fists. He wouldn't underestimate anyone his boss specifically warned him about.

"But when it comes to physical strength, I am the strongest!"

His low, raspy voice echoed coldly. As he spoke, Albert, filled with battle intent, took a deep breath. The next second, a low, beast-like rumble emanated from his throat.

This was the first time he had unleashed the limit-state he only used during life-or-death matches before enrollment.

Seeing this, Ryuen Kakeru smiled with satisfaction. This was exactly why he had chosen him to be his right-hand man.

"Snap!"

As he clasped his hands together, Albert's muscles began to bulge visibly. As the sound grew more frequent, a strange, dark sheen appeared on his skin, and he seemed to grow a size larger.

"Are you ready to die?"

Having completed his warm-up, Albert felt his strength reach its peak, his back leg coiling as he prepared to lunge.

"BOOM!"

With a blast of air, Albert unleashed his full physical potential, leaving no time for anyone to react. Sprinting at high speed, he not only sent two of his own classmates flying before they could even process what was happening, but then performed an incredible feat, stepping onto the slanted trunk of a tree and leaping into the air.

A lethal, powerful elbow strike aimed directly at Koenji's head.

"Oh~ where did the school find a gorilla?" Koenji squinted, clearly not expecting a guy who looked like a chimpanzee to come charging at him.

"Heh, the force is decent, but the technique lacks any sense of beauty, so I refuse to accept it."

As he spoke, facing this astonishingly powerful blow, Koenji was no fool and naturally dodged to the side.

"Damn it, have the guts to fight me head-on!"

Seeing this, Albert refused to give up and continued his assault, but every time he thought he was about to make contact, the other party would narrowly dodge him by the thinnest of margins.

This feeling made him incredibly irritated; despite them having similar physiques, how was this guy so absurdly agile? It was as if he had no weaknesses at all.

In the distance, seeing the opponent constantly toying with Albert by exploiting his weaknesses, Ryuen Kakeru realized that if this stamina drain continued, even if they could win a head-on fight now, they would surely be defeated later on.

At that moment, Ryuen Kakeru suddenly thought of the hostage, Kushida Kikyo. "If I use her... heh~"

But as he turned his head to look, aside from two unconscious lackeys on the ground, there was no one else there.

"Damn it, when did..."

Ryuen Kakeru's eyes widened in disbelief. The hostage who had been just a meter behind him—how had she managed to knock out two of his men and slip away without him even noticing?

While feeling frustrated, he understood that if there was no other way, he would have to resort to some ruthless tactics.

"Kaneda, give me the bag."

The boy beside him, who was adjusting his glasses with a slightly sleazy expression, hesitated as he held the dark, heavy bag. "Boss, this is our trump card. If we expose it like this..."

"Tch, hand it over, enough talk."

"Look around, besides that Koenji, is there anyone else?"

Kaneda looked left and right; there was indeed no one, but for some reason, he had the lingering feeling of being watched, making him feel extremely uneasy.

Of course, Ryuen Kakeru, having obtained the bag, didn't think that much. Since he was determined to take him down, using any means necessary was the only way to go.

"Heh, let's try this."

Ryuen Kakeru sneered as he pulled a black tranquilizer gun from the bag, then signaled his men to distract the target while he snuck around to the rear.

"That guy, I knew he was a lunatic."

From a dense patch of bushes in the distance came a resentful, low whisper from Ibuki Mio.

Hearing this, the boy who had emerged from the shadows as if stepping out of the night chuckled softly. "What, you knew what was in that bag all along?"

"Master, n-no, I only heard that it contained some contraband that violated school rules."

"I just didn't expect it to contain a gun."

"Hmph, this guy doesn't care about the class at all. If this is discovered, Class C will surely fall apart." As she spoke, Ibuki Mio's eyes were filled with disappointment.

"Oh~ it seems you're quite fond of your current class after all."

"Mm..."

"And what about you, Kushida?" Rinya turned his head, looking at her with an ambiguous smile.

Hearing this, Kushida, who had been silent and lost in thought after witnessing Koenji's absurd hidden strength, clearly didn't expect her master to ask such a question. However, after a brief hesitation, she subconsciously nodded and replied with a "Mm" as well.

Hearing the two girls' responses, Rinya smiled knowingly and didn't say anything more.

Shifting his gaze, he watched as Koenji, who had yet to notice the anomaly, was about to be attacked. Instead of worry, his face gradually filled with anticipation.

"Are you qualified to make me move~"

"Koenji~ put on a good show for me, let me watch closely, hehehehe..."