The black armored limousine glided with near-silent precision through the bustling, neon-lit avenues of Lock Night City.
Inside the spacious cabin, the air was heavy with unspoken words. Lina sat directly across from me, dressed in the pristine uniform of Golden Star Academy—a pleated charcoal skirt, a crisp white silk shirt, and a tailored burgundy blazer bearing the school's polished golden crest. Her long pink hair was tied back neatly, but her fingers betrayed her nerves, constantly fidgeting with the seam of her cuffs.
Every few seconds, her amber eyes would dart up toward me. The fear that had once ruled her gaze had softened, replaced by a storm of hesitation, wonder, and lingering confusion from our talk earlier that morning.
Leaning back against the plush leather seat, I stared out the tinted window while running dual streams of consciousness. In the quiet background of my mind, my microscopic army continued its relentless, exponential march:
Plaintext
===================================================== SWARM STATUS PANEL ===================================================== [User]: Ryuk (Amar) [Active Bacteriophage Clones]: 340,000 / 1,000,000,000 [Colony Status]: Micro-Cluster (Tier 0) [Host Bio-Sync]: 100% Stable =====================================================
Over three hundred and forty thousand microscopic clones were now cycling through my bloodstream in perfect harmony with every pulse of my heart. My cellular structure felt denser, my senses sharper, and my physical stamina infinitely more resilient than that of any ordinary Martial Apprentice.
"Amar," Lina's soft voice broke through the silence.
I turned my head, meeting her gaze. "What is it?"
"Arthur... his family isn't someone you can easily dismiss," she said, biting her lower lip with genuine worry. "The Vance family runs three of the largest martial training dojos in Lock Night City, and his uncle is a commanding captain in the city garrison. If... if Vice Principal Rosette and the Vance family convene an emergency disciplinary hearing against you today..."
"They can convene whatever they want," I replied smoothly, my voice completely unbothered. "A barking dog outside the estate doesn't dictate the owner's rules, Lina."
"I'm serious!" She leaned forward slightly, her brow furrowed. "You deployed restricted military firearms at your gates yesterday! Rosette has always despised how you act above the rules because of your trustee seat. What if they try to suspend you, or strip your status?"
Looking at her troubled expression, a faint, genuine smile touched my lips. Despite the misunderstandings, the fear, and the chaos of yesterday, her first instinct was still to worry about my safety.
"Let them try," I said softly, reaching across the small space between us.
Lina stiffened for a fraction of a second, but she didn't pull away as my fingers brushed against the back of her hand. Her pulse fluttered rapidly beneath her soft skin.
"As long as you stand behind me, Lina," I said, locking my dark eyes with hers, "no one in this academy—or in this city—can touch either of us. Just trust me."
A subtle blush crept up her cheeks. Flustered, she looked down at our hands, unable to hold my gaze.
Clack.
The limousine slowed to a gentle halt. Ronald's calm voice came through the intercom from the front cabin. "Master Ryuk, we have arrived at the academy gates. The central plaza is unusually crowded."
I glanced out the window.
The main square of Golden Star Academy was packed with students. Crowds had gathered near the central fountain, whispering animatedly while glancing at floating holographic news screens. Flashy, high-end transport shuttles bearing noble crests were parked along the walkway, and private security guards in armored uniforms were stationed near the steps of the Grand Auditorium.
"It seems our welcoming committee has been waiting," I said dryly, adjusting the lapels of my dark uniform coat.
Ronald stepped out and opened the door, standing at attention with a white-gloved hand resting against the frame.
I stepped out first.
The second my polished black boots touched the stone pavement, the chatter across the courtyard died down like a snuffed flame. Hundreds of eyes instantly locked onto our car.
"It's him... Amar is really here!"
"Look at who he brought with him—it's Lina!"
"Did you see the broadcast? The Vance family demanded an emergency sanction from the Board of Trustees!"
"Is it true she triggered an energy phenomenon yesterday, or was that just a rumor?"
Ignoring the sea of murmurs, I turned back and offered my hand to Lina.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Lina placed her hand in mine and stepped out into the bright morning sunlight. The natural radiance lingering in her newly awakened meridians drew stunned gasps from several senior students nearby.
"Chin up, Lina," I whispered near her ear. "Walk like you belong here. Because you do."
Drawing strength from my words, she lifted her head and matched my stride as we walked side by side toward the Grand Auditorium. The students parted immediately, forming a wide path without anyone daring to block our way.
As we reached the base of the grand marble staircase, the heavy auditorium doors swung open.
Standing at the top of the stairs was Arthur Vance.
His uniform was crisp, but his face was twisted in cold fury. Flanking him were four senior enforcers from the Student Council, all wearing Martial Practitioner badges, along with a broad-shouldered, imposing man in an armored garrison trench coat—Arthur's uncle, Captain Vance.
Arthur took a step forward, his eyes burning with venom.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here today, Amar," Arthur sneered loudly, ensuring his voice carried across the entire plaza. "Abducting a student, bringing illegal military-grade weapons into city limits, and trying to cover it up... your money won't save you today."
Captain Vance stepped up beside his nephew, resting a heavy, calloused hand on the pommel of his spirit saber. An oppressive, suffocating aura of a Martial Master erupted from his body, rolling down the stairs like an invisible tidal wave and forcing several weaker students in the front row to stumble backward in panic.
"Amar Roy," Captain Vance bellowed, his voice grating and harsh. "By order of the Board of Trustees and the City Security Bureau, you are summoned to the disciplinary tribunal. Surrender your spatial storage, submit to an energy restraint collar, and hand over Miss Lina for immediate imperial assessment."
A dead silence fell over the plaza.
Beside me, Lina grabbed my sleeve, trembling slightly under the crushing weight of the Martial Master's pressure.
I didn't move an inch.
Deep within my bloodstream, three hundred and forty thousand bacteriophage clones flared with microscopic, icy power, effortlessly neutralizing the gravitational pressure bearing down on me.
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Arthur and Captain Vance with cold, piercing eyes.
"An energy restraint collar?" I asked, my voice smooth and chillingly clear. "Captain Vance, it seems one night of plotting with your disgraced nephew has made you forget your place."
I took a slow, deliberate step up the first marble stair.
"Before you try to put a collar around my neck... you'd better make sure your own neck can survive the blade."
While the standoff at the base of the stairs reached a boiling point, Lina suddenly gasped, clutching her chest with a trembling hand.
Underneath the collar of her academy uniform, a weathered silver pendant—the only keepsake left by her late mother before the family massacre—began to burn with a sudden, searing warmth against her skin. A faint, azure-gold glow seeped through the weave of her silk shirt, completely unnoticed by the surrounding crowd, whose attention was entirely locked onto the confrontation between Amar and Captain Vance.
A strange, ancient pulse rippled through Lina's newly expanded meridians, causing her heart to hammer frantically against her ribs.
Then, deep within her sea of consciousness, a calm, ethereal, and commanding female voice resonated like the gentle chiming of jade bells:
"At long last... a successor has finally awakened the bloodline seal. Little girl, do not be alarmed. I am a remnant soul of an ancient immortal from the Celestial Dragon Palace. Fate has guided us together, and from this day forth, I shall guide you back to the pinnacle of this world..."
Lina's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in sheer shock as the mystical female voice echoed endlessly inside her mind.