Victor rushed up the stairwell with his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
He reached one of the highest points in the school—an area near the rooftop but still under the protective barrier.
He clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white.
The metallic seal covering the building stretched far above him. It was a solid unbreakable layer of mana-infused alloy that had locked them inside.
Victor took a deep breath before planting his feet firmly.
His fist slammed into the metallic surface, sending a sharp vibration up his arm.
Victor gritted his teeth.
He pulled back and punched again.
Each impact sent shockwaves up his arm, but the metal remained unaffected.
"Come on, come on, break!" he growled before throwing another punch.
The students below watched in shock as he relentlessly assaulted the barrier.
Miss Adler's voice echoed up from the ground floor.
"Victor! Stop this at once!"
Another punch. Nothing.
Another. Still nothing.
Sweat dripped down his face.
His father was out there so he couldn't remain stuck in here.
"Victor, if you don't stop this right now, I will have you expelled!"
Victor's fist stilled mid-air.
Slowly, he turned his head and stared down at her.
Miss Adler stood with several other teachers, displaying expressions of fear and anger.
But Victor's expression was unreadable.
For the first time ever, Victor looked dead serious.
The intensity in his gaze was enough to make the teachers flinch.
One of them, who had been marching forward, suddenly stopped and backed away slightly.
They had never seen this side of him before.
Victor exhaled slowly.
Then, he turned back around—and kept punching.
After another few minutes of pointless hits, Victor knew this wasn't working.
His fists had turned red and slightly bloody but the seal hadn't budged.
'Alright. I need something sharper.'
Without hesitation, he ran back down the hall and sprinted toward the cafeteria.
Students watched in confusion as he pushed past them, heading straight for the kitchen area.
"Borrowing this!" Victor grabbed a steel knife from the counter and ran off before anyone could stop him.
Back at the top floor, he gripped the knife tightly and channeled Qi into his arm.
"Shadow Crescent Strike!"
He swung with full force, sending a crescent-shaped wave of shadowy energy crashing against the metallic seal.
For a moment, Victor thought it hadn't worked.
A small dent appeared.
His eyes lit up. "It's working!"
But it wasn't enough.
The metal was too strong.
Victor panted and tightened his grip on the knife.
'Damn it. I need more power.'
Then—someone stepped beside him.
"I'll help," a familiar voice said.
Victor's head snapped to the side.
She had appeared out of nowhere, standing confidently with her chestnut hair flowing behind her.
She smirked. "I know what it's like to want to protect someone you love."
She lifted her hand, and in an instant, her flying fox, Echo, materialized beside her.
The little creature's fur shimmered as its body glowed with a mystical light.
Echo lifted its head—
And then, from its tiny body, a radiant wave swept outward.
The moment it touched Victor, he felt his strength double.
System notifications appeared in Amara's line of sight.
[ SYSTEM BOOST: FOX'S EMBRACE ]
Energy Reserves: Boosted Temporarily
Victor's entire body felt lighter and his Qi surged to new levels.
He had one more shot at this.
"Alright," he muttered while raising the knife again.
With a deep breath, he gathered every ounce of Qi he could muster—
And unleashed his strongest Shadow Crescent Strike yet.
The blade glowed intensely as cracks formed along its surface—
But the crescent of dark energy erupted forward, slicing through the metallic seal.
A sharp screech filled the air causing everyone below to cover their ears as an exposed gap appeared—
But it still wasn't big enough.
Victor collapsed to one knee, panting.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
Victor turned, and Danny was standing there.
His best friend met his gaze and nodded.
Danny took a deep breath—
Then he proceeded to rip off his uniform jacket, revealing his slightly muscular, Berserker-built physique.
His system interface flickered to life, glowing a deep crimson.
[ SYSTEM BOOST: TITAN'S FURY ]
Impact Force: Maximized
Danny took a step back and planted his feet firmly on the floor.
His muscles bulged and his veins glowed red as raw Berserker energy coursed through his body.
Then—he leapt into the air.
The floor slightly cracked beneath him as he propelled himself toward the weakened metallic seal and arched his right arm backwards before swinging it up with full force.
His fist collided with the opening—
The force of his strike sent shockwaves through the room as the barrier groaned under the sheer impact.
A huge section caved inward, exposing an opening just big enough for Victor to slip through.
Danny landed heavily and reverted to his normal appearance.
"There," he panted while grinning at Victor. "That should do it."
Victor stared at the opening above with an expression of determination.
He turned back to Danny and Amara—and nodded in appreciation.
Without wasting another second, he climbed up—
Victor gripped the edges of the metallic opening and used his upper body strength to pull himself up and out of the school.
The moment his feet touched the outer surface of the barrier, the cold wind of the silent city brushed against his skin.
Finally, he was outside.
But before he could even process the moment, a pair of hands grabbed his ankle.
Victor whipped around, only to see Danny and Amara trying to climb out after him.
"Victor, you are not doing this alone!" Danny growled as he prepared to jump through the gap.