The scene shifted back to Rover.
After she finished discussing the Day-Switching Ceremony with Mornye, something suddenly went wrong on the researchers' end.
They had discovered an intruder near Haiveisha, the Academy's humanoid weapon. As Haiveisha went berserk, some of the Research Institute's equipment had also failed.
Most of the people at the Research Institute were researchers. Even with vehicles to take them there, no one could guarantee those "bookworms" would be able to stop Haiveisha.
"We've pulled up the surveillance feed near Haiveisha! There's a student there!"
Inside the Research Institute, Rover and Mornye saw the student on the feed.
It was Lynae.
"This is bad! The train to the Research Institute has stopped because the Voidmatter Magnetic Storm contaminated its power supply! There's a student aboard!"
At the same time, Mo Bai appeared on another surveillance feed.
"That's the new student recommended by the Black Shores!"
Once they identified Mo Bai by his appearance, several researchers went pale.
The Black Shores, the world's largest organization fighting Threnodians, had helped build Star Torch Academy.
At an academy devoted to finding ways to fight Threnodians, the occasional loss of a student was unavoidable.
It sounded cruel, but that was the world they lived in...
Threnodians held their ground, and the Lament never ceased.
Never mind dying in the pursuit of knowledge. Even someone who thought they were safe at home could be killed the next day by a meteor strike without warning.
Some had proposed that both Threnodians and the Lament were tests.
They tested whether humanity was worthy of moving forward.
That was all.
"Quick! Find a way to contact that new student!"
A teacher at the Research Institute immediately gave the order.
Casualties in the fight against Threnodians might be unavoidable, but it was the boy's first day at the Academy!
If he died like this, wouldn't Star Torch Academy be held accountable?
"That new student's Tacet Disc doesn't have a Terminal. We can't reach him..."
The researcher checking the feed trailed off.
It was almost unthinkable. How could anyone in this day and age not have a Terminal?
Fortunately, when they saw Mo Bai summon a Shikigami and escape danger, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
After seeing what had happened, Rover volunteered to take a Research Institute vehicle and stop Haiveisha.
Haiveisha's ultimate target was the Research Institute. Rover would not let that happen.
Beep, beep.
On the battlefield, Haiveisha looked at her blade after delivering a slash.
She seemed surprised by the result of that strike.
Whoosh!
While Haiveisha stood stunned, she sensed a threat behind her.
Clang!
She swiftly swung her blade to block the attack, only to find that her opponent was as strong as she was, despite her being an artificial weapon.
Clang.
Once she fixed her gaze on her opponent, she saw a student with black hair and golden eyes.
"Rover?!"
Lynae recognized her at once. Rover had arrived on a vehicle and launched a surprise attack from the air.
But Rover did not respond to Lynae's astonishment.
On her way there, she had seen Haiveisha attack Mo Bai.
He had come here for a friend, only to meet that fate.
Yet Lynae's presence here made no sense. It contradicted the reason she had given for leaving Mo Bai and Rover earlier. Something was suspicious...
Rover did not want to suspect a friend, but she had to look at this rationally.
Rover was formidable, and with Lynae's help, the two of them brought Haiveisha to her knees. For now, she was no longer a threat.
But that did not mean it was over.
"..."
Neither of them spoke after defeating Haiveisha.
Normally, Lynae would have greeted Rover like an overexcited golden retriever.
But they had just watched Mo Bai disappear.
And the one responsible...
"So why are you here now?" Rover asked bluntly.
Lynae clenched her fists and lowered her eyes.
"I..."
Rustle!
Just as Lynae opened her mouth to explain, the shadows nearby suddenly stirred.
They deepened until they looked like black mud.
Rover immediately drew her Swift Blade, but then seemed to remember something. She sheathed it and ran over.
"Phew! I nearly suffocated in there!"
Mo Bai emerged from the shadows and gulped down air.
Just before Haiveisha's attack could hit him, he had urgently pushed his Ten Shadows Technique in a new direction.
At its core, the technique let him interact with shadows. After turning the Divine Dogs into half-shadow forms earlier, Mo Bai had gained a deeper understanding of his ability.
So, at the instant his enemy's attack was about to strike, he sank into his own shadow.
It sounded like an unbeatable trick, but it had limits.
Once inside, Mo Bai felt as though he were drowning. Holding his breath was the only way to stay there longer.
All he could do then was pray the Academy sent help soon.
His grasp and use of his ability still left much to be desired, so he could only pin his hopes on outside help.
Fortunately, help arrived in the end.
"Whew. Rover, you're here. Thank goodness."
Mo Bai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rover standing before him.
Then he spotted the robot's body nearby.
It was riddled with bullet holes and blade wounds, the slashes particularly conspicuous.
Yep, Rover really was something else.
"Mo Bai, are you all right?"
Seeing him unharmed, Rover breathed a sigh of relief too.
"Yeah, I'm completely fine. Hey! Lynae, you still owe Rover and me an explanation for standing us up!"
After answering Rover, Mo Bai looked at Lynae behind her, hoping she would speak up and ease the awkwardness.
After all, he had chosen to split up with Rover earlier, only to land himself in this embarrassing mess soon afterward.
But when Mo Bai looked at Lynae, he found that the usually sunny golden retriever looked grim.
Had something happened between her and Rover?
Hadn't they just fought together?
"What's going on here?"
Just as Mo Bai was puzzling over it, the scholars from the Research Institute finally arrived.
Before you continue