George's entire body trembled uncontrollably as the pain spread through his arm.
His wrist had been crushed beyond recognition, yet Max's grip never loosened. Blood continued running down the blade buried through Max's left palm, dripping steadily onto the cracked classroom floor.
George stared at him with wide, horrified eyes.
"What... what are you...?"
Max didn't answer.
His expression remained completely empty.
There wasn't even the slightest hint of anger on his face.
That terrified George more than anything else.
He had seen people lose their temper.
He had fought people driven by rage.
He understood those emotions.
But this...
This wasn't rage.
It wasn't hatred.
It felt as though the person standing before him wasn't thinking at all.
As if something else had taken control of his body.
George's breathing became uneven.
"No..."
His voice shook violently.
"No, stay away..."
Max slowly raised his free hand.
His fingers curled into a fist.
George's heart nearly stopped.
He instinctively tried pulling away, but his trapped arm refused to move.
"Please..."
Tears streamed down his face.
"I... I was wrong..."
His voice broke completely.
"I'm sorry...!"
The white eyes continued staring at him without the slightest reaction.
Max's fist rose higher.
George completely broke.
"PLEASE!!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!"
Nobody in the classroom moved.
Nobody dared to.
The pressure filling the room had become overwhelming.
Even Chris, who had struggled against George moments earlier, could only watch in stunned silence.
Casey's heartbeat pounded inside her chest.
She knew that look.
She had seen those white eyes once before.
Only once.
Several months ago.
Back when Jack had pushed Max too far.
She had prayed she would never see them again.
Yet here they were.
Exactly the same.
Max's fist stopped at its highest point.
For a brief moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
Then it came down.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The classroom shook violently.
A crater spread beneath George's body, the concrete collapsing under the force of the punch. Fine cracks raced across the surrounding floor as dust burst into the air. The nearby chairs resting against the walls shifted slightly from the shockwave, scraping across the floor with a harsh screech.
The windows rattled from the impact.
When the dust finally began to settle, George lay motionless at the center of the crater.
Blood covered the broken concrete beneath him.
His body no longer moved.
Max remained standing over him.
His white eyes never left George's unconscious figure.
The pale aura surrounding his body continued drifting through the classroom like smoke.
Casey slowly let out the breath she had been holding.
"He... he did it..."
Relief briefly appeared on her face.
Then she noticed something.
Max wasn't stepping back.
He wasn't relaxing.
Instead...
His fist slowly began rising again.
Casey's expression froze.
"No..."
George wasn't moving.
The fight was already over.
Yet Max continued preparing another punch.
Fear rushed through Casey's body.
Without thinking, she sprinted forward.
"MAX!"
She threw both arms around him from behind, wrapping them tightly around his waist before he could strike again.
His raised fist stopped.
The entire classroom held its breath.
Casey's grip tightened as tears filled her eyes.
"He's already down."
Her voice trembled.
"You already won."
Max didn't respond.
His body remained completely still.
The white aura flickered faintly around him.
Casey rested her forehead against his back.
"Please..."
"Don't do this."
"I know you can hear me."
Several long seconds passed.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Nobody even breathed loudly.
Then...
Very slowly...
Max's clenched fist loosened.
His arm lowered to his side.
The pale aura surrounding him began fading little by little.
The frightening pressure filling the classroom gradually disappeared.
Casey smiled through her tears.
"Thank you..."
Max blinked once.
The endless white faded from his eyes.
His pupils slowly returned.
Confusion briefly crossed his face.
Then every bit of strength left his body.
His knees gave out beneath him.
Casey caught him before he could collapse onto the broken floor.
The classroom finally breathed again.
The sunrise could be seen from the shattered windows.
In the distance, the sound of approaching sirens echoed through the academy.
The police.
The ambulances.
Help had finally arrived.
The sound of sirens grew louder with every passing second.
Students who had remained frozen in shock finally began moving again.
Several rushed toward the shattered window to check on Wayne.
Others surrounded the injured Ironfall student who had been stabbed earlier, doing everything they could to slow the bleeding until help arrived.
Casey remained on the floor, supporting Max with both arms.
His breathing had become shallow, and blood continued soaking through his uniform from the wound beneath his ribs. The dagger had long since fallen from his hand during the chaos, leaving a deep puncture through his palm as well.
She brushed a few strands of hair away from his face.
"You idiot..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"You always do this."
Max didn't answer.
His eyes remained closed.
Within moments, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway outside.
The classroom door burst open.
Several police officers entered first with their weapons drawn, immediately scanning the room.
"What happened here?"
No one answered right away.
The destruction spoke for itself.
Blood stained the tiles in several places.
Shattered glass covered the area beneath the broken window.
One officer immediately noticed George lying unconscious inside the crater.
"There!"
Two officers rushed toward him while another knelt to check for a pulse.
"He's alive."
The officer looked over his shoulder.
"Call for another stretcher."
Behind them, paramedics hurried into the classroom carrying medical equipment.
One group immediately surrounded the stabbed Ironfall student.
Another rushed outside toward Wayne.
A third approached Casey and Max.
One of the paramedics knelt beside them.
"Can you hear me?"
Casey looked up.
"He's unconscious."
The paramedic quickly examined Max's injuries.
His expression changed almost immediately.
"He has a stab wound beneath his ribs."
His eyes shifted to Max's left hand.
"And his palm..."
The wound looked horrific.
The blade had pierced completely through it.
Blood still dripped steadily onto the floor.
The paramedic frowned.
"How did this happen?"
Casey lowered her gaze.
"He..."
She hesitated.
"...he grabbed the knife."
The paramedic blinked.
"With his bare hand?"
Casey silently nodded.
The man stared at the wound for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief.
"We need to move him now."
Several paramedics carefully lifted Max onto a stretcher, making every effort not to worsen his injuries.
As they carried him toward the door, Casey stood and immediately followed.
A police officer stepped into her path.
"Miss."
She stopped.
"We'll need your statement."
Casey glanced toward Max as the stretcher disappeared into the hallway.
"I'll tell you everything."
Her voice remained calm.
"But after I make sure he's okay."
The officer studied her for a moment before stepping aside.
"...Go."
She nodded gratefully and hurried after the stretcher.
Meanwhile, another group of officers handcuffed George despite the fact that he remained unconscious.
One officer looked down at the crater and shattered windows.
"What kind of fight happened in here...?"
None of the students answered.
Most of them were still trying to process what they had witnessed.
Chris leaned against the wall, pressing a cloth against the cut on his arm.
His eyes remained fixed on the trail of blood leading out of the classroom.
He replayed the scene over and over in his mind.
The white eyes and crushing grip.
The punch that had shattered the floor.
"...Max."
He quietly muttered the name to himself.
"What exactly are you...?"1
Not far away, several students whispered among themselves.
"I thought he was E-Rank."
"So did I."
"Did you see what happened to George's wrist?"
"I don't even want to think about it."
"What... was that white aura?"
Nobody had an answer.
Before long, George was secured to another stretcher and carried from the classroom under heavy police escort.
Even unconscious, the officers treated him as though he could wake up at any moment.
The ruined classroom slowly emptied.
Blood still stained the cracked concrete.
The shattered window allowed the cool night air to drift inside along with the sunlight.
For everyone who had been present, the classroom would never look the same again.
Neither would their image of the quiet E-Rank student from Blackridge.
The weakest student they had laughed at had protected everyone when nobody else could.
But the power he revealed that night was something none of them could explain.
And perhaps...
Something they would never forget.
Present Day — Ironfall Academy
"...And that's everything that happened."
The girl(Annie) finished speaking and let out a long breath.
For a few moments, nobody inside the classroom spoke.
Even though the incident had taken place the previous night, remembering it still left everyone unsettled.
Some students instinctively glanced toward the damaged side of the academy where workers had already begun replacing the shattered window.
Others simply stared at their desks in silence.
Lily remained seated without saying a word.
Unlike everyone else, she wasn't thinking about Max's strange transformation.
Nor was she thinking about George's defeat.
Her thoughts were focused on something entirely different.
After a short silence, she finally looked up.
"So what happened to George afterward?"
Annie shrugged.
"The police arrested him."
"They took him away after the paramedics confirmed he was still alive."
Another student nodded.
"There were police officers all over the school."
"And ambulances too."
"I've never seen so many emergency vehicles gathered in one place."
Someone else spoke from the back of the classroom.
"I heard George still hasn't said a single word."
"They tried questioning him, but he refused to answer everything."
Lily rested her chin against one hand.
"I see..."
Her eyes slowly lowered toward the floor.
Pieces of the story were already arranging themselves inside her head.
Another student sighed.
"I just hope Wayne and the others recover quickly."
"The doctors said Wayne's injuries weren't life-threatening."
"He broke a few bones after falling through the window, but he'll recover."
"The student George stabbed is stable too."
Several students nodded in relief.
Lily quietly stood from her seat.
"Thank you."
The students looked toward her.
"You're leaving?"
She smiled politely.
"I need some fresh air."
Without waiting for another question, she stepped out of the classroom.
The hallway felt much quieter than before.
Her footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor as she walked toward the staircase.
Her expression gradually became thoughtful.
"So George stayed inside the classroom for quite a while..."
She spoke quietly to herself.
"He didn't attack anyone immediately."
Her pace slowed.
"He listened."
She replayed everything she had just heard.
George had entered the gathering peacefully.
He had remained silent.
He hadn't drawn his dagger.
He hadn't threatened anyone.
Everything only changed after the conversation shifted toward Nameless School.
Lily stopped halfway down the staircase.
"...That's strange."
She folded her arms.
"If his goal was simply to attack students, why wait?"
Why sit there listening?
Why reveal where he came from?
Why argue with them first?
None of those actions matched someone whose only objective was violence.
George had wanted something else.
He hadn't come looking for a fight.
The fight had happened after something triggered him.
Lily slowly resumed walking.
"Then what was his real objective?"
She considered every possibility she could think of.
Was he gathering information?
Was he searching for someone?
Was he spying on Ironfall Academy?
Or had he been sent to deliver some kind of message?
The more she thought about it, the less convinced she became that George had acted alone.
Someone had sent him.
Someone had known he would be there.
Someone had expected something to happen.
She stepped outside into the academy courtyard.
The cool morning breeze brushed against her face.
Students gathered in small groups, discussing the previous night's incident in hushed voices.
Teachers continued speaking with police officers near the main entrance.
Yellow caution tape still surrounded part of the building.
Lily barely noticed any of it.
One particular detail continued bothering her.
"...Mark wasn't there."
She stopped walking.
"Everyone important attended that gathering..."
"But Mark didn't."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
It might have been a coincidence.
Or perhaps it wasn't.
If George had truly been searching for someone...
Could Mark have been his target?
Or had he expected someone else to appear?
Lily let out a quiet sigh.
"I don't have enough information."
She glanced toward the academy gates.
"If I want answers..."
"...I'll have to ask the people who were actually there."
Only one place came to mind.
Blackridge, Alan.
After all, students from both schools had attended the gathering.
Someone there might have noticed something everyone else had overlooked.
Perhaps Daniel.
Perhaps Mark.
Or perhaps...
Alan.
Lily hesitated for only a moment before making up her mind.
"There's no point standing here."
She quietly walked toward the academy gates.
Whatever George's true purpose had been...
She intended to find out.
Meanwhile — Blackridge
The afternoon sun hung high above the training grounds, casting long shadows across the open field.
Unlike Ironfall Academy, Blackridge had never cared much about appearances.
Its buildings were older.
Its facilities were simpler.
Everything about the academy reflected practicality rather than luxury.
What mattered here wasn't how impressive the campus looked.
It was the students who trained on it.
Near the center of the field, two figures stood facing one another.
Mark smiled as he rolled his shoulders.
"You've gotten stronger."
Daniel chuckled while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I'd be disappointed if I hadn't."
Without another word, Daniel stepped forward and threw a straight punch toward Mark's face.
Mark shifted his head slightly, allowing the punch to pass harmlessly beside him before countering with a kick aimed at Daniel's ribs.
Daniel raised his forearm just in time.
The impact forced him back several steps across the dirt.
Before he could regain his balance, Mark was already in front of him again.
Another punch came.
Daniel blocked.
Mark followed with an elbow.
Daniel leaned backward just enough for it to miss before spinning into a roundhouse kick.
Mark ducked beneath it.
The exchange lasted only a few seconds, yet neither managed to land a clean hit.
Both jumped backward at almost the same time.
Daniel laughed.
"You still make everything look easy."
Mark smiled.
"You've improved a lot."
Daniel scratched the back of his head.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
Mark folded his arms.
"A few months ago, you couldn't keep up with me for this long."
Daniel grinned confidently.
"Guess who won the tournament then?"
Mark laughed.
"I knew you would say that."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Despite being rivals, there was no hostility between them.
Both wanted the same thing.
To become stronger.
To push each other further.
Mark looked toward Daniel again.
"I feel there's something"
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"You mean?"
Mark rubbed his chin.
"Just feeling like something big will happen."
Daniel pointed at himself confidently.
"Don't worry we are the strongest B rank in City will solve any problem with ease."
Mark immediately shook his head.
"I don't think so it'll be that easy."
Daniel sighed dramatically.
"There you go again."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Then both burst into laughter.
Their rivalry had become one of mutual respect.
Neither underestimated the other anymore.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed across the training grounds.
Daniel looked toward the academy building.
Someone was running directly toward them.
"Daisy?"
She finally reached them, slightly out of breath.
Daniel's smile faded.
"You look worried."
"What happened?"
Daisy placed both hands on her knees as she tried to steady her breathing.
For a few seconds, she couldn't say anything.
Finally, she looked up.
"Ironfall Academy..."
Daniel frowned.
"What about it?"
She swallowed.
"It was attacked last night."
The smiles disappeared from both boys' faces.
Mark immediately straightened.
"What?"
"There were several injured students."
"The police were called."
"Ambulances too."
Silence settled over the training ground.
Daniel exchanged a glance with Mark.
Neither needed to say anything.
Something serious had happened.
Daniel picked up the jacket he had left on a nearby bench.
"We're going."
Mark nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Daisy looked between the two of them.
"Just... be careful."
Daniel smiled reassuringly.
"We will."
A short while later, the two left the academy together.
Neither spoke much during the journey.
Both remained lost in thought.
If Ironfall had truly been attacked...
Then the situation was far more serious than either of them had imagined.
By the time they arrived outside Ironfall Academy, most of the emergency vehicles had already left.
Only a few police officers remained near the entrance.
Yellow tape surrounded part of the building.
Students gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
Almost uncomfortable.
Daniel slowly looked around.
"...This doesn't look good."
Mark silently agreed.
The two walked through the front gate together.
They had barely taken a few steps before another pair of footsteps echoed behind them.
Neither sounded hurried.
Nor cautious.
Whoever it was walked with complete confidence.
Daniel turned first.
Mark followed.
A young man stood several meters away.
He wore a plain black shirt.
His hands rested casually inside his pockets.
His black hair framed a calm, unreadable face.
Nothing about his appearance stood out.
Yet something about his presence immediately felt different.
Dangerous.
The young man calmly studied both of them for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Which one of you is the leader?"
Mark's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Who are you?"
A faint smile appeared on the young man's face and disappeared immediately.
"Me?"
He tilted his head ever so slightly.
"That's none of your business."
Neither Daniel nor Mark liked that answer.
The stranger continued before either of them could respond.
"I only need one thing."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"And what's that?"
He answered.
"...Jin."
Daniel froze for the briefest moment.
Mark noticed the reaction immediately.
The stranger didn't miss it either.
He continued calmly.
"Bring him to me."
Silence settled between them.
Then he added one final sentence.
"When you find him..."
"Tell him Gary is looking for him."
The atmosphere changed instantly.