The tension in the air was like glass—ready to shatter with a whisper.
I could feel blood seeping past my teeth.
My legs felt like they didn’t belong to me.
My heart thudded like a war drum, each beat echoing in my skull.
"You know what I hate about guys like you, Ethan?" I said, my voice low, cracking—but steady.
"You think watching people suffer makes you enlightened. You think being broken gives you the right to break everyone else. But that’s not wisdom."
I raised my arm, slow and shaking, as I activated the last repellent core in my sleeve. The glow pulsed—fainter than the others, but still enough.
Ethan hissed through his teeth. "Big words for someone about to drop dead."
"Maybe I will," I said.
Then smiled through blood.
"But I’m taking you with me."
He didn’t laugh this time.
The swarm screamed as it surged behind him—a black tide of glistening legs, mandibles, clicking exoskeletons pouring toward me like a tsunami of rot.
The students screamed too.
Nolan moved like he was about to run toward me—maybe to help, maybe to die trying.
But I stopped him with a single shout. "Don’t move!"
And yanked the pin on the last explosive Qi core.
This one wasn’t a repellent.
A last resort I had crafted in secret.
Something I swore I’d never use.
The core pulsed like a heart in my hand.
Right into Ethan’s swarm.
"YOU WANT A SHOW?!" I roared.
"THEN HERE—TAKE EVERYTHING!"
I slammed the core to the ground.
A blast of primal energy erupted in all directions—pure, undiluted, unrefined.
Not a weapon meant to kill.
A raw scream of power and defiance designed to burn everything nearby and signal backup miles away.
The insects combusted mid-air.
Ethan flew back, crashing into the far wall with a strangled cry, his coat catching fire.
Blood pooling under my cheek.
Because I could hear it.
I turned my head just enough to find Ethan across the room, smoke curling from his coat, rage twisting his face. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He was panting, wild-eyed, cornered.
No strength left in my legs, no Qi left in my veins.
Just the satisfaction of knowing this was the end of his little horror show.
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Tag out... bastards."
Ethan roared, voice cracking with fury.
He took a step forward like he still had a chance.
But it was already too late.
The final crash of boots.
The hammering rhythm of someone coming fast.
That goddamn door would swing open, and I knew who it’d be.
That smug bastard in his black coat, with a sword too sharp for a teacher and a mouth too sharp for a soldier. That was who I expected.
But when the door exploded off its hinges—
Someone even more terrifying.
Professor Lena stepped through the smoke.
Her heels clacked once on the floor.
That was all it took.
Not with power, not with fire.
But with pure disdain.
Her coat was immaculate, her hair pulled back in a tight braid. No weapons in her hands. No dramatic pose. Just cold, searing eyes that locked instantly onto Ethan like he wasn’t worth the filth on her boots.
My breath caught in my throat.
She wasn’t even supposed to be here today.
I blinked slowly, my battered mind struggling to catch up.
"Professor... Lena?" I croaked.
The reason Professor Lena arrived before anyone else Rin contacted was simple.
She was already at home when the emergency message pinged across her screen.
It was near the main academy building.
And the moment she read it—
Her body moved on instinct.
She didn’t even put on her coat properly.
By the time she reached the site, her heart was still pounding.
She took in the shattered hallway—the smell of ozone and scorched stone—and her breath caught in her throat.
But even that couldn’t be called "fortunate."
Not when a fellow professor had caused this.
Still, she pressed forward, searching for the one who had sent the distress signal. The one who had somehow resisted long enough for help to come.
And then she saw him.
Kneeling on the ground.
Blood pooling beneath his cheek.
Her hand clenched into a fist at her side.
At the one who did this.
The overload crystals scattered around him were cracked and burned out. That alone told her everything—he’d pushed his ability too far. Again. Past the threshold.
Lena took a slow breath, trying to steady the heat rising in her chest.
"It’s alright now, students. You’re safe!"
A few of them jumped at her voice—then froze in wide-eyed disbelief.
"P-Professor Lena...?"
Relief flooded their faces.
They were trembling. Some still had restraints or bruises. But they were alive.
Before anyone could respond further, a cruel, familiar voice echoed from the far side of the room.
"Hah. Of all people, you called her?" Ethan chuckled, though his breath was ragged. "You really think Professor Lena is a good match for me?"
Smoke curled from his shoulders. Blood trailed down his chin. His eyes were sunken, filled with manic confidence.
Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.