A heavy silence filled the Shadow Academy.
After the previous mission, every gaze had turned toward **Arata**.
Some looked at him with fear,
some with jealousy…
and some—with the eyes of someone facing a threat.
**Ren Shiroyama** stood quietly in the middle of the training yard.
His cold aura formed a thin layer of frost on the ground.
"The boy from Kurogane,"
he said without turning around,
"will you fight me?"
A stir spread through the students.
Arata stepped forward.
"If this is your way of getting an answer—then yes."
Kaito sat on a high platform.
"No restrictions,"
he said with a faint smile.
"But remember—this isn't a game."
The bell rang.
Ren attacked immediately.
**"Frost Step!"**
He slid through the air and vanished, appearing behind Arata in the next instant.
A sharp icy strike—
But Arata had already bent down.
*So fast…*
Arata thought.
His body reacted on its own.
**"Resonance—Flow."**
The ground beneath his feet rippled like waves.
Ren lost his balance.
"Interesting,"
Ren said with a smile.
"So this is your power."
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
**"Frozen Domain: Silent Field."**
The entire yard transformed into a circle of ice.
The air froze.
Breathing became difficult.
The students stepped back.
Arata's fingers began to go numb.
The warmth inside him started rising again—dangerously.
*Not… now…*
Suddenly—
A scream.
Outside the yard, a **black crack** opened in the air.
A cursed creature crawled out—
and behind it… a human.
"**Dark Organization!**"
someone shouted.
Ren clenched his teeth.
"We'll fight later."
Kaito's voice echoed.
"Students, fall back."
But the cursed creature was too fast.
It lunged straight toward a student.
Arata moved forward without thinking.
He raised his hand.
**"Resonance—Second Pulse."**
The wave was even deeper this time—
The air screamed.
The cursed creature was half-erased…
But Arata dropped to his knees.
Blood began to flow from his nose.
Ren caught him before he fell.
"You're an idiot,"
Ren said.
"But… not weak."
Kaito appeared.
With a single strike, the crack in space closed.
Silence spread again.
Kaito looked at both of them.
"Remember this moment."
"Because next time…"
His smile disappeared.
"Someone will die."
Far away, in the darkness—
A man from the Dark Organization whispered,
"We got the data."
"Now the real hunt will begin."
⚡ To be continued…