"Are you two alright?"
The students couldn't help but ask, glancing at the guards' disheveled appearances.
"We're fine. To receive Lady Asaka's favor is an honor."
The guards laughed proudly, casually dusting off their clothes and straightening the noble linings beneath their uniforms.
"Hah..."
Exhaling, one of them felt nothing but satisfaction.
So what if they had to grovel before that woman? These students still had to treat them with respect.
They relished this feeling.
To curry favor with the Tsunayashiro Clan, these so-called Shin'ō Academy geniuses humbled themselves before mere guards.
Though they weren't of noble birth, these foolish lowborns still bowed to their masters, their eyes filled with admiration—not just for the nobles they served, but for the attendants at their side as well.
That intoxicating sense of superiority made them forget their place, as if they were no longer mere servants but true aristocrats, while those beneath them were destined to serve.
What drove them to kneel wasn't loyalty—it was something far more repulsive.
...
From the woods, the sound of birdsong gradually mixed with faint, muffled groans and the bright, manic laughter of a young woman.
"Lady Asaka has started..."
"I wonder if the young lady will reward us once she's finished?"
As if recalling something particularly enjoyable, the guards exchanged knowing smiles.
...
The students remained silent, staring at them.
It was only then that they realized something—these two guards weren't bad-looking. Even Tetsuya Sugikami, standing among them, could be considered handsome.
However, after witnessing Masatsuki Aozaki's appearance, their perception of beauty had been temporarily skewed, making them overlook the three men entirely.
Just as the guards were about to speak, they suddenly froze.
They noticed the students weren't looking at them anymore.
Instead, they were staring past them, their faces twisted in terror.
A gust of wind howled through the trees, sending a chill down their spines.
Slowly, the guards turned around—
Their eyes widened.
Not far away, deep in the forest,
A massive creature with a white mask hovered in the air. Its enormous, pale wings beat against the wind, stirring up a violent gale.
One of the guards swallowed hard, his hand slowly moving toward his weapon.
"Heh heh..."
The monster laughed.
Then, in a blur, it lunged toward them.
...
The soft, lilting sounds rose into an ecstatic crescendo.
Deep in the forest, the eldest daughter of the Tsunayashiro Clan moved with reckless abandon, her hands slicing through the air like a bloodthirsty banshee. Her nails raked mercilessly across the young noble's body.
Her expression was wild, her face twisted with a sick, euphoric smile.
Slash!
Snap!
Two sharp sounds overlapped.
Tetsuya clenched his teeth, his body covered in thin, overlapping cuts.
The pain was searing, but he didn't dare make a sound.
He bit down hard, forcing a smile onto his handsome face—one that barely held.
This woman is insane!
"What? Enjoying yourself? You bastard!"
Asaka Tsunayashiro suddenly roared, clawing at his face with both hands, her grip tightening with each passing second.
"You worthless man! What kind of expression is that? You should be looking at me with defiance!"
"Take a good look at yourself—do you see anything remotely like a man in you, you pathetic excuse for one?"
The noble heir understood immediately and adjusted his expression.
Hatred, disgust, disdain—these were the emotions he truly wanted to show.
But the person in his mind wasn't the arrogant woman before him. It was his father—the ever-distant head of the Sugikami family.
Why him? Why not another member of the clan? Why did he have to bear the cost of their ambitions?
Rage flared within him. He wanted to resist, but the woman seized his wrist before he could act.
"Very good! Very good!"
Asaka sneered and slapped him across the face.
"That's the look I want to see! You wretched men should always wear that expression before I break you completely."
Satisfied, she rose to her feet.
The noble tried to follow, only to be forced back down by the heel pressing into his chest.
"What's the rush? The real fun is just beginning."
Her smile was sickeningly sweet.
She picked up her Zanpakutō and traced its cold edge through the air. The gleam of the blade sent a chill down the noble's spine, instantly snapping him out of his daze.
"Enjoy it while you can. You're about to experience pleasure like never before."
Looking down at him with cruel amusement, she pressed the blade to his chest, cutting a shallow line into his skin.
But just then—
She saw it.
The reflection in his wide, terrified eyes.
He was staring straight at the sky.
"Hm?"
A strange scent filled the air, making her frown.
A scent she knew all too well.
The scent she loved most.
Blood.
A thick, overwhelming stench of blood.
She lifted her head.
Two bodies lay before her—her own guards.
Dark red liquid pooled around them, staining the ground. As her gaze stretched further, more corpses came into view, their numbers growing with every second, until the crimson hue swallowed her vision entirely.
Screams echoed through the forest.
Amidst the carnage, a tall figure in a blue-and-white school uniform walked leisurely through the blood-soaked ground. Long black hair billowed behind him like the cloak of a phantom untouched by the filth of the world.
In an instant, the chaos around them fell into an eerie silence.
Asaka's eyes widened in shock. A choked gasp escaped her lips.
"You…!"
She locked her gaze onto Masatsuki Aozaki, who hovered in the air, while the corner of her eye took in the devastation around her.
Dismembered limbs littered the once-vibrant forest floor. Further beyond, desperate cries for help rang out—wails of agony, frantic voices shouting:
"Find Lady Asaka! A Hollow has broken through!"
A Hollow?
Where?
It wasn't here.
Then—
A bone-chilling realization seized her.
Her skin prickled. Her scalp went numb.
...
"Shin'ō Academy student, Masatsuki Aozaki. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Tsunayashiro."
With a warm smile, Masatsuki extended a hand to the woman trembling on the ground, the perfect image of a refined gentleman.
"Whoosh!"
The sharp whistle of steel slicing through air.
Asaka swung her blade at him.
Masatsuki simply raised two fingers, effortlessly catching the incoming strike. With a light flick, the blade was knocked aside.
"Not bad accuracy. Pity your strength and speed don't match."
"You… You…!"
Seeing her attack fail completely, Asaka's heart pounded in panic. She stumbled back two steps, but forced herself to maintain her composure.
"Masatsuki Aozaki, what do you think you're doing?! Don't forget who I am!"
Masatsuki let out a quiet chuckle.
"What I'm doing? Don't you think that's a rather funny question?"
He deliberately let his gaze roam over her, then winked playfully.
"What do you think, Lady Asaka?"
She froze for a moment.
Then, unbelievably, she forced a flattering smile onto her face.
"I… I'm willing! Please spare me! No matter what you want, I'll comply!"
As Masatsuki stepped closer, the glow in her eyes changed.
From fear—
To murderous intent.
"Die!"
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake