The second-year holding up Tsukuru stood still as a statue.
It was as if his body was still trying to process what had just happened.
Then, his face scrunched up in a look of pure agony.
Instantly, he let out a loud scream that echoed throughout the assembly hall.
"AGHHH!" He screamed.
He let go of Tsukuru, letting him fall back to the ground, and his hands clamped down around his nether region.
The boy took in a few deep breaths, before he then looked back at Tsukuru, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.
"YOU!" He roared.
He reached his arm out in front of him, hand open.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!"
Tsukuru's eyes narrowed, as he saw water begin to appear in the boy's palm.
Seeing it, Tsukuru smirked.
This was a perfect chance to test the effectiveness of his new Polycarthimine uniform.
He reached down, and zipped his blazer all the way up to his face.
The second-year sent out a blade of water out from his hand
However, the second it made contact with the blazer, the blade of water imploded.
It was like watching a water balloon hit a brick wall, with the water rebounding off of the sides.
It was as if the blazer was repelling the water.
The second-year's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!" He yelled.
Tsukuru, meanwhile, had taken the time that the second-year was preparing and launching his attack to do something of his own.
'Sorry, Quinn.' Tsukuru thought. 'But I kinda need to borrow this back for a moment!'
He used the System's mental commands to place the Intermediate-Tier Knight Gauntlets back in his System's Weapons Tab.
A System prompt appeared, which he replied 'yes' to.
A new System message appeared, telling him that the Knight Gauntlets were back in the System.
Then, with another mental command, he equipped them.
Another System prompt appeared, which he also thought 'yes' to.
Pixels began to envelop his hands down to his forearms.
The pixels clustered together into the form of the gauntlets.
There was a flash of light.
When it faded, Tsukuru was wearing the Knight Gauntlets.
A System message appeared, telling him that his Strength Stat had shot up from "11"all the way to "18".
Seeing it, Tsukuru smirked.
Meanwhile, the three second-years looked on in surprise.
Not only had they just watched their fellow classmate's water blade have no effect on Tsukuru's blazer, but they had also seen a pair of slightly-metal gauntlets appear on his hands.
Despite the appearance of the gauntlets, as second-year students, they were quite familiar with Beast Gear, and thus, could sense the Beast Energy coming off of them.
A moment later, Tsukuru vanished.
The second-years began to look around wildly.
"Wha?!" One of them sputtered. "Where'd he go?!?"
Instantly, Tsukuru reappeared in front of the second-year who had been holding him up.
The same one whose pride Tsukuru had greatly wounded.
The boy looked down at him in pure rage.
Suddenly, Tsukuru clenched his fist, and pulled his arm down.
He then jumped in the air.
As he jumped in the air, he began extending his arm upwards in an uppercut.
His fist made contact with the second-year's chin, the force propelling him off of the ground.
"Shoryuken!" Tsukuru yelled, imitating a move he had seen in one of his video games.
A moment later, the second-year went flying through the air, landing a few feet away on the ground, now unconscious.
A System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[50 XP awarded. XP: 280/400]
The two second-years watched wide-eyed, as Tsukuru sent one of their classmates flying with a vicious uppercut.
The next moment, Tsukuru turned to them.
He was…at a crossroads.
He had quickly come to the realization that he shouldn't use his daggers in this fight.
If he hit the second-years in the wrong place and caused a critical injury, or actually killed one of them, he knew the consequences would be severe.
Additionally, these were second-years.
They knew how to use Beast Weapons.
He'd just be arming them.
Then, the memory of Quinn taking down that second-year standing next to the board by hitting him with the Beast Stone came to mind.
Tsukuru smirked.
He reached his left arm out to the side, and activated his Ability once again.
But instead of creating replicas of his Beast Dagger, he instead created two ten-pound Glathrium balls, which appeared under his left arm.
He activated his Video Stasis Skill, enveloping them in auras of glitching pixels, causing them to levitate in mid-air under his extended arm.
While the two second-years were still in their stunned stupor, Tsukuru swung his arm out, sending the Glathrium balls flying at the two remaining second years.
The iron balls hit each second-year in the gut with the force of a cannonball, lifting them off the ground, and knocking the wind out of them.
They both fell backwards on the ground, unconscious.
A System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[100 XP awarded. XP: 380/400.]
A group of nearby second-years halted their attacks on a group of first-years, having seen the display.
Two of the three instantly grit their teeth in anger, and rushed towards him.
"Wait!" The third yelled out, his hand outstretched, screaming at them to stop.
Seeing them racing towards him, Tsukuru created a new set of two Glathrium balls, before sending them flying towards the running second-years at lightning speed.
The two second-years' eyes widened, as they saw the balls hurtling towards their faces.
'Oh, shit.' One thought in their last second.
The Glathrium balls hit the two students in their faces, sending them flying backwards.
Blood spurted everywhere, as the Glathrium balls broke the second-years' noses, and sent teeth flying.
The two second-years fell to the ground when they landed, now fully unconscious.
Tsukuru let out a smirk.
"Thanks for the free XP, idiots." He muttered under his breath.
Instantly, a new System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[100 XP awarded. XP: 480/400. You have Leveled Up. You are now Level 4. XP: 80/800.
You have received 1 Stat Point.
You have received 1 Summon Point.
Your Elite Pawn Grade Haunted Knight has received 1 Pawn Point. Pawn Points: 1/15.
Your Pawn Grade Harpie has received1 Pawn Point. Pawn Points: 1/5.]
A moment later, Tsukuru took a step forward.
As he did, the remaining second-years around him stepped back, giving him a wide berth.
They all exchanged glances.
They now realized that maybe this fight wasn't gonna be as easy as they thought.
Meanwhile, down the hall, Peter ran with all his might.
As he ran, tears welled up in his eyes.
"This is all my fault!" He choked out.
The only reason Vorden had been tied up on that slab had been because of him.
The other day when Mono had dragged him out of the dorm room, they had come to him with…a proposal.
Help them get Vorden to the assembly hall, and they would grant him the protection of the second-years.
Peter knew that if he refused, the second-years would simply torture him until he agreed anyway, so what was the point?
After the combat classes had ended, Peter had asked Vorden to go with him to the assembly hall to help him practice.
When they got there, the second-years were lying in wait to ambush Vorden.
They had all jumped Vorden.
But then, Vorden had surprised Peter by pushing him away.
"Run, Peter!" Vorden yelled. "I'm sorry, this is MY fault!"
Vorden had thought that the second-years had come to get payback for him attacking them one-by-one in his free time, trying to slowly weaken Mono's group.
Not knowing what to do, Peter ran out of the room, only to be forced to return later with the rest of the students.
Then, when Peter saw Quinn, someone who he believed to be as weak as him, stand up to the second-years, he felt a deep pain in his heart.
He had betrayed them.
Peter knew he had to make things right.
That's why as soon as the chaos broke out, when Mono commanded the second-years to attack the first-years indiscriminately, he bolted out the door.
Peter ran and ran, until he eventually reached the teachers lounge.
Inside, Sergeant Faye and Sergeant Shizuka had been talking about something.
Being the only two female Sergeants among the first years, they had quickly become friends, despite Shizuka's…quirks.
However, just as they were in the middle of a heated discussion, the door to the room was forcibly swung wide-open.
They both turned in surprise to Peter, who was panting heavily.
"Second-years…have first-years trapped in the assembly hall…" He huffed, speaking in clipped words as he tried to catch his breath. "Fighting…please…help."
He continued to take deep breaths.
Sergeant Fay's eyes widened.
She instantly jumped to her feet.
"What did you say?!" She replied.
However, next to her, Faye felt…a dark pressure,
It was the kind of feeling one felt after they had kicked a hornet's nest, and were now facing down an entire army of pissed off wasps, eager to sting.
Slowly, Faye turned to her.
Shizuka had a dark expression on her face.
Seeing it, Peter gulped, and instinctively took a step back.
He had seen that look before when Tsukuru got heated.
Shizuka grit her teeth, and clenched her hands so tight, her nails were cutting into her skin.
Suddenly, Shizuka got to her feet, causing Faye to take a step back out of fear.
"If any of them has so much has touched little Tsu-Tsu…" She growled in a dangerous tone, adjusting her cap. Her face morphed into the look of a snarling animal. "I'll bury the ones responsible in a hole so deep, they'll be fossils by the time they're found!"