Chapter 7: When Darkness Smiles… A New Monster is Born
As Ryoma walked across the academy's main courtyard, he felt a gaze watching him.
Before he could turn around—
"Ryoma!"
Akari jumped in front of him, placing her hands on her waist with a confident grin. Her voice was light and playful.
"I knew you'd come! Hahaha, I totally called it!"
Ryoma raised an eyebrow, ignoring the playful tone in her voice, then replied coldly, folding his arms.
"…What?"
Akari laughed again, tilting her head slightly.
"That's all you have to say after all this time? I expected a way more dramatic reaction! Like, 'Oh, Akari! I never expected to see you here! What an honor!' Or something like that!"
Ryoma took a deep breath, looking at her blankly.
"…No."
Silence.
Then—
"Pfft—Hahahaha! Of course, you'd say that!"
Akari shook her head, stepping back slightly. But for a brief moment, her eyes flickered with something different. As if she were studying him. Trying to understand something he wasn't saying.
"So… how was your trip here? I bet Saito wasn't exactly fun company, was he?"
The Selection Test Begins
After Ryoma and Akari's reunion, it wasn't long before they were all called to gather in a massive courtyard inside the academy.
Dozens of students stood in a wide circle, most with nervous expressions, waiting for the test announcement.
At the center stood one of the examiners—a tall man with a sharp, cold gaze. His voice was firm and unyielding.
"Listen carefully! None of you are official students yet. Today, we decide who stays and who gets thrown out."
A tense silence spread through the crowd.
The examiner continued, his tone low but razor-sharp.
"You will be placed in teams of three and sent into an isolated zone filled with dangers. Each team must complete at least three tasks to pass. Now, let's begin team assignments!"
Team 9: Ryoma, Akari, and the Mysterious Boy
When the teams were announced, Ryoma stood next to Akari, who was still smiling confidently.
Beside them was their third teammate—a boy about fifteen years old with gray hair and dark, calculating eyes. He barely spoke but didn't seem weak in the slightest.
Akari grinned. "Ohhh! So we're a team? Nice! Just don't slow me down, okay? I refuse to fail!"
The boy glanced at her before speaking in a quiet, measured tone.
"…Aizen."
Akari paused, then smiled. "Aizen, huh? Nice to meet you!"
Ryoma, on the other hand, wasn't too interested. But something about Aizen felt… off.
There was an unsettling air around him—something Ryoma couldn't quite put into words.
Into the Isolated Zone: The Beginning of Chaos
As soon as the test began, Ryoma found himself in a dense forest, the trees unnaturally massive, a thick fog curling around them like a living thing.
"…This place isn't normal."
Aizen muttered, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.
Akari shivered slightly. "This place gives me the creeps… I can't believe we have to survive here for a whole day."
Aizen (calmly): "Stay focused. This isn't a camping trip."
Ryoma (coldly): "It won't be that bad… at least not yet."
But what they didn't know was that something far worse was waiting for them.
Transformation: The Birth of an Ashin
A few meters away, a man lay on the ground, writhing in agony.
His eyes were wide, his breathing ragged. His screams grew louder, before turning into a deep, guttural wail—filled with indescribable pain.
The man: "No… No… Not me… NOT ME!!"
Suddenly, his body twisted unnaturally.
Dark veins pulsed across his skin, his limbs stretched grotesquely, and his flesh tore apart—revealing a writhing mass of shadows beneath.
Then—
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
He lost all traces of humanity.
His entire body became a thick, black mass, with razor-sharp limbs and blazing cracks of fire where his eyes should be.
His voice distorted into something inhuman—filled with torment and rage.
An Ashin was born.
Rank: Medium-tier.
But even that was enough to slaughter everyone in the area.
The First Kill
Ryoma (stunned): "…What the hell is that?!"
Aizen (low voice, firm): "An Ashin… Medium-rank."
Akari (nervous): "This is bad… really bad…"
There was no time to think.
The Ashin moved, attacking the nearest student in a blur of black light.
The student never even had a chance to react—within a single second, his body was ripped to pieces.
Screams of terror filled the air.
Blood splattered across the ground.
Even the strongest students froze in place.
The instructors watching from outside the zone paled.
Instructor 1: "Wait… That wasn't part of the test!"
Instructor 2 (tense): "That Ashin wasn't one of the controlled ones! What's happening?!"
Before anyone could intervene, the Ashin turned toward Ryoma's team.
It roared, its voice warping the air itself—before lunging at them with insane speed.
Aizen reacted first, his fists flaring with Akaino—a crimson energy burning around his hands. He punched forward, shattering a massive tree in the process—
But it barely scratched the Ashin.
Aizen (frustrated): "Damn it… It's stronger than I thought."
Akari (grinning despite the danger): "Then we'll just have to make it regret facing us!"
She dashed in, spinning mid-air and delivering a powerful kick—aimed right at its head.
The Ashin barely flinched.
And Ryoma?
He was the weakest one among them.
He tried to throw a punch—
But the Ashin caught him with a single hand and hurled him across the battlefield.
He slammed into a tree, pain exploding across his body.
But the worst pain—
Was the realization of how weak he was.
The Moment Everything Changed
Ryoma lay on the ground, staring at the dirt beneath his fingers.
"…Why?"
He lifted his head slightly, watching Akari and Aizen fight with all they had… while he?
"…Why am I the only weak one?"
His fingers clenched. His breathing quickened. His mind spiraled.
"…Why… why… why why why why why why why why WHY WHY WHY?!"
A silent scream echoed in his soul.
"If I can't evolve…"
His mind flashed back—
His mother's face. Her screams. The blood.
Then—
"Damn it… DAMN IT… DAMN IT!"
Something inside him snapped.
The Ashin lunged, its speed beyond human limits.
Everyone saw it. Even the instructors.
Instructor 3 (shouting): "THE ASHIN IS MOVING! WE NEED TO INTERVENE!"
Instructor 4 (calmly, yet eerily focused): "No. Wait."
Instructor 3: "What?! Are you insane?!"
Instructor 4: "…This is a chance to see his true potential."
Silence.
But deep down… they all knew he was right.
Everything Slows Down: The Dagger Awakens
The Ashin lunged at Ryoma.
To everyone, it looked like his death was guaranteed.
Even Akari and Aizen couldn't react in time.
But just as the Ashin reached him—
Something glowed.
A glint of steel.
"CLACK!"
The Ashin suddenly staggered back.
Ryoma was still standing.
But he wasn't the same.
In his hand—
Was a legendary dagger, black with glowing blue engravings.
And its blade was buried in the Ashin's neck.
The world fell silent.
Then—
A dark-blue light erupted from the Ashin's body.
Everyone froze.
Even the instructors.
Ryoma finally lifted his head—
His eyes were different.
No fear. No hesitation.
Only the cold, overwhelming gaze of a predator.
And in a voice that sent shivers down everyone's spine, he spoke:
"You've gone too far."
(End of Chapter)