“Is that the best you can do?” Shun asked, his voice dripping with menace. “Pathetic.”

He loosened his grip on Ryuji’s collar and delivered a swift kick to his abdomen. The blow sent Ryuji staggering, but before he could recover, another strike hammered into his back, a brutal kick delivered by one of Shun’s shadow puppets.

The double impact rattled his body, nearly sending him to the ground. Yet before he could collapse, another puppet’s shadowy arm shot out from below, halting his fall. With ruthless precision, it pushed him upward and drove its heel into his chest, forcing the remaining air from his lungs and launching him into the sky.

What followed was a merciless display of precision. Shun’s shadow expanded into a vast, perfect circle at his feet, and ten puppets emerged. Silent, cold, and obedient, they leapt into the air and began their cruel dance, each one striking Ryuji like a ragdoll, bouncing him from one to the next in an unrelenting rhythm.

With each puppet’s attack, another rose from the shadows to continue the assault, a seamless cycle of violence executed without pause or mercy.

The relentless onslaught continued until the final puppet delivered a crushing downward kick, sending Ryuji hurtling toward the ground at his father’s feet. He struck the earth with bone-rattling force, carving a crater in the dirt and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, Ryuji lay motionless, embedded in the ground, broken and breathless.

Shun towered over him, perfectly composed, his breathing steady, as if the entire fight had cost him nothing.

Ryuji struggled to draw in a full breath, coughing and gasping as pain coursed through his nerves. His body shook violently, and though he tried to rise, all he managed was lifting himself a few inches from the ground, utterly spent.

“Weak…” Shun said, his tone laced with anger. “Pathetically weak!”

“If only you’d listened to me. If you’d stayed at the tower, you’d be as strong as me by now,” he snapped.

His son didn’t respond, still struggling to steady his breathing.

“What the hell did you even accomplish in the last two years? Playing hero at the guild? Playing king at school?!” the lord shouted mockingly, his face twisted with anger.

Ryuji stayed silent; the pain was too much to bear, and his thoughts scattered before he could speak.

Shun sighed, easing his expression as his composure returned. He glanced toward the crowd, then up at the headmaster. A scoff left his lips, followed by a cocky grin, before he raised his arm and snapped his fingers.

At the snap of his fingers, the wind seemed to stop. It bent to the lord’s will, swirling into a cage of fog that closed around him and his son, sealing them in and muffling every sound.

“Steady your breathing, kid,” Shun said calmly. “We don’t have much air in here.”

Ryuji forced his breath into rhythm, straining his battered body until he managed to rise to his knees. He looked up at his father, bruises darkening his face and arms.

“W-What… what did you do…?” Ryuji asked, his voice weak between shallow breaths.

“I used wind magic to block all noise in and out of this area, a trick I learned years ago from an old friend,” Shun replied.

“Now, answer me, kid.” He stepped closer and crouched beside Ryuji.

“Why are you fighting me in this half-assed form?”

Ryuji flinched at his father’s words. He looked down, teeth clenched but said nothing.

Shun exhaled.

“Maintaining that form drains your mana and weakens you, mana you can’t afford to waste while fighting me. So why use it?”

“I…” Ryuji hesitated, struggling for an answer.

“Are you afraid your classmates will fear you? Worried your friends won’t accept you?” Shun asked softly.

Ryuji stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the dirt beneath him.

“I understand, kiddo. No matter where you and I go… we will always be feared… we will always be hated,” Shun said quietly, his voice carrying a trace of sympathy.

“T-That’s not true! My friends… t-they’d understand!” Ryuji cried.

“Is that so? What happens if you lose control again, completely this time?” Shun’s tone hardened.

Ryuji flinched.

“How many of your friends, your classmates, or innocent people will have to suffer before someone stops you? You being at the tower is a matter of public safety!” Shun said firmly, his words cutting deep.

Hearing his father’s words, Ryuji hunched his shoulders and clenched his fists, seething with frustration at himself.

“You said your friends would understand? Then let’s test that theory,” Shun said, his voice low and dangerous.

Ryuji gasped as his father waved his hand, commanding the fog cage to dissolve into the air. And in an instant, Shun drove his knee into Ryuji’s nose, the impact cracking bone and throwing him backward.

He hit the ground hard, beaten beyond belief and unable to fight back. Even so, he refused to give in or reveal his secret. His vision blurred, his eyes fluttering as he struggled to stay conscious.

Sawano and Yuki watched in horror as their friend lay on his back, rage burning inside them as they fought the urge to rush in.

Shun approached until he stood over Ryuji, then turned toward the crowd.

“Ryuji Sato!” he shouted.

“I, Shun Sato, Lord of the Tower, hereby find you guilty!” His voice thundered across the arena, sending shockwaves through the stands and fueling his friends’ anger even further.

“For the crime of threatening the fragile peace of regional politics, I hereby sentence you to death!” he shouted.

He raised his sword in a reverse grip by the pommel, aiming the tip at his son’s heart.

“May you repent in death!” he said, menacingly, lowering the blade toward him.

Before it could reach Ryuji, the sword was deflected by a flash of azure from a familiar rapier. The lord barely regained his balance before a palm strike sent him skidding several feet across the soil. He looked up quickly, searching for the source of the attack.

Sawano and Yuki, fed up with watching their friend be beaten, leapt to his defense.

The lord smiled as he watched the two young warriors defy orders and rush forward.

“Yuki, keep an eye on him and watch our back!” Sawano called, then turned to tend to their king.

She knelt beside Ryuji and shouted, “Ryuji! Can you stand?”

His eyes still fluttered, but seeing the young tigress’s worried face gave him strength.

“I-I… I can still fight…” Ryuji whispered, his voice raspy.

Sawano extended her hand, helping Ryuji back to his feet. He grasped it tightly, forcing himself upright.

Pain etched across his face; he struggled but eventually managed to stand. Leaning on his queen, his legs trembled under his weight.

“Nice to meet you two,” Shun said, noting that the young warriors were almost exact replicas of their parents.

“It’s impressive that Ryuji managed to make some friends, despite his personality,” he added mockingly.

The warriors offered no response, standing silently as they watched, ready for any move he might make. Ryuji finally steadied himself, though he noticed Yuki’s blade trembling.

“What’s the plan, guys?” Yuki asked, his voice edged with fear at the lord’s power.

Ryuji gave a nod of thanks to Sawano for helping him rise. He stepped in front of Yuki, with Sawano close behind, forming a triangle. Together, they assumed fighting stances, bracing to face one of the three legends of the demon war.

“Oh? Three against one? That hardly seems fair,” the lord said with a mocking laugh.

Unbeknownst to them, a black, ink-like blob slithered from the lord’s sleeve, hovering above his arm. Two eyes with red irises formed within the shifting mass.

“Hey!” the abomination called out.

Sawano and Yuki stared in horror, unsure of what they were facing.

“This is a clear violation of the terms of the oath,” the abomination said, its voice nasal and unnatural.

The lord turned his attention to the levitating pool of ink.

“How is this a violation?” he asked.

“Ryuji must prove his strength as per the oath,” it said. “Having others join in means it is not his strength alone.”

“I beg to differ,” the lord replied.

“Having friends willing to risk their lives is part of one’s strength. Besides, the oath never said he must fight alone. Or is my interpretation of the oath wrong?” the lord added, his tone mocking the ink.

“Do not worry. It’s not like two more kids joining the fray will change anything,” the lord said, his eyes briefly flashed red as an evil grin spread across his face.

The abomination hovered silently. Its eyes drifted across the ink puddle, as if calculating.

“Very well. I shall allow it,” it replied in its nasal voice.

“However, any further changes or new interpretations of the oath are forbidden. The oath must be carried out as it stands,” it added, sinking back into Shun’s sleeve until it disappeared within his clothing.

“Heard that, kids?” the lord said, turning his attention back to his three opponents.

“You can join in, but three against one still seems unfair. Let’s even the odds,” he added, his tone menacing.

The moment he finished speaking, two new puppets emerged from his shadows. One wielded a shadowy sword, the other stood unarmed.

“Much better. Now, are you kids ready?” the lord asked, his eyes flashing red briefly as an evil grin spread across his face.

The kids flinched at the sight but held their ground, bracing for the lord’s assault.

“Let’s light up the sky!” the lord shouted, a wide grin spreading across his face as his puppets lunged forward.

The two puppets charged at the trio. The armed one targeted Yuki, while the unarmed one went for Sawano. They forced their way into the formation, ignoring Ryuji and striking directly at his friends.

Sawano and Yuki fought back as best they could, but the attack pushed them back, breaking their formation. Ryuji was left in the center, forced to fend for himself while his friends struggled against the puppets.

Before the lord could strike at Ryuji, a lightning-fast bullet zipped past his face, embedding itself in the soil and turning to steam. Shun looked to the stands and spotted a familiar, shy young man. One leg rested on the barrier; he stood tall with courage, pointing a finger gun at the lord.

“Very impressive. The strength, stability, and aim of your magic are top-notch, and your advanced compression is remarkable for your age,” Shun said, eyes on the boy.

“The pup has found his courage, it seems. However, you made a few mistakes. Let me show you,” he added with a cocky grin.

“First mistake. You revealed your position. As a sniper, you must remain hidden. If you fire and miss, you must relocate immediately rather than stand there and glare,” Shun continued, his tone condescending.

“Second mistake,” he said as a shadow puppet emerged from his own shadow to the boy’s left. It mirrored the finger gun, beginning to collect particles.

“You underestimated your opponent’s strength!” the puppet said, menacingly.

Nori froze in horror, finding himself at gunpoint.

“Take a nap, kid,” the lord said, firing his bullet.

Just before it struck, Michika yanked Nori backward through a portal she created, the bullet whizzing past by mere inches and heading toward Reiko.

Reiko remained still, summoning a pillar of ice that stopped the bullet completely before melting it moments later.

Shun’s puppet regarded Reiko, who smiled cockily behind the melting ice.

“You’ve gotten stronger, Rei,” it said.

Reiko looked at the shadow puppet and replied, “So did you, it seems”.