The infirmary lit up first.
Not lights.
Fire.
Light spilled outward from within.
Unstable brightness.
Edges trembling.
Like space itself had been torn open.
The walls turned gray.
Then rapidly charred.
Cracks spread along stress lines.
The next moment—
an entire section collapsed inward.
Flames burst out through the breach.
Air was forced apart.
A wave of heat spread outward,
carrying dust and debris.
Broken structures were thrown out.
Rolling across the ground.
Striking.
Then stopping.
No one remained nearby.
The perimeter had already been cleared.
Only the continuous sound of collapse remained.
Repeating in low-frequency tremors.
Iosef's gaze locked onto the direction immediately.
No full scan.
No evaluation of other areas.
Judgment converged instantly.
The infirmary.
Priority raised to maximum.
He turned.
Started moving.
Speed increased.
The path was already complete before motion began.
A straight line.
The ground was fractured.
Debris scattered irregularly.
Some areas unstable.
He did not detour.
Did not slow down.
Each step landed directly in damaged zones.
Precise footing.
Stable center of gravity.
Fragments were pushed aside.
Sliding outward.
No interference with the next step.
His breathing did not change.
Rhythm steady.
The air temperature rose rapidly.
Each inhale carried resistance.
But did not affect movement.
He advanced.
Flames began to cover both sides of the path.
Not fully sealed.
But the space compressed.
The corridor narrowed.
He entered directly.
Heat currents swept past him.
Clothing edges stirred.
But did not linger.
Speed unchanged.
The infirmary windows were already shattered.
Frames twisted.
Glass completely gone.
Edges still radiating heat.
He did not stop.
Body lowered.
One step—inside.
Landing.
The interior had lost its original structure.
Ceiling collapsed.
Steel frames twisted.
Some hung midair.
Unstable.
Ready to fall again at any moment.
Medical equipment crushed.
Beds overturned.
Wires severed.
Occasionally sparking faint light.
Then swallowed by flames.
The air carried the mixed smell
of disinfectant and burning.
Dense.
Irritating to inhale.
The moment he landed,
Iosef completed his assessment.
Structural layout.
Load points.
Collapse trends.
Remaining stable zones.
All information integrated instantly.
Target locked.
Center-right.
A pile of debris.
Irregular internal gaps.
He moved directly toward it.
No probing.
No pause.
Stopped.
Raised his hand.
Ability activated.
Gravity control.
Range minimized.
Only covering the target structure.
Not lifting as a whole.
Layer-by-layer dismantling.
Top debris—
force redirected.
Vertical pressure turned lateral.
Support points failed.
Fragments slid out slowly.
Falling aside.
No impact.
No shockwave.
Second piece.
Same method.
Third.
Order stable.
No disorder.
His pace did not change.
Not faster.
Not slower.
Everything remained controlled.
Layer by layer,
the structure peeled away.
Pressure gradually released.
The space below began to reveal.
Head outline.
Shoulders.
Elena.
She was trapped between a tilted steel frame and debris.
Her body compressed.
Breathing extremely weak.
But present.
Iosef did not stop.
He continued clearing remaining structure.
This layer—tighter.
More complex force distribution.
He reduced movement range.
Increased precision.
Reordered sequence.
First—remove lateral pressure.
Then—release vertical load.
Finally—handle main support point.
Each step avoided chain collapse.
The final load-bearing piece shifted sideways.
Compression released.
Space opened.
Iosef bent immediately.
One arm reached in.
Supporting her back.
The other secured her neck.
Preventing movement.
Force applied.
He pulled her out of the wreckage.
Clean motion.
No dragging.
No secondary injury.
She was fully freed.
Iosef stood.
Turned.
Left.
No backward glance.
Stepped out through the window frame.
Landed.
Continued forward.
Speed steady.
Flames continued spreading behind him.
Collapse sounds persisted.
But distance increased.
Elena's body rested against his shoulder.
Her breathing was extremely weak.
But still present.
Iosef's pace did not change.
Rhythm fixed.
Uneven ground—
he stepped across directly.
Debris displaced.
Rolling.
Stopping.
Path remained straight.
No detours.
Air temperature gradually dropped.
Leaving the core burning zone.
Airflow returned.
Breathing resistance reduced.
At some moment—
Elena's breathing changed.
Very slight.
But clear.
Her eyes opened slightly.
Not fully.
Consciousness briefly returned.
She spoke.
Very soft.
But complete.
"…didn't expect… this."
Iosef did not look down.
"Don't speak," he said.
Tone steady.
"We'll be at the hospital soon."
His pace did not change.
No acceleration.
No slowing.
Elena exhaled lightly.
As if confirming something.
"You're still… the same…"
Her voice fragmented.
"Judge first… then act…"
Her hand slowly lifted.
Very slow.
It rested on his arm.
No strength.
Just contact.
Iosef did not respond.
She spoke again.
"Father…"
Pause.
Breathing shallow.
"I leave him… to you…"
"Watch him…"
"Don't let him… lose his humanity…"
Each sentence short.
Long intervals between them.
She was maintaining consciousness.
But fading.
Iosef's pace remained steady.
No change.
He did not interrupt.
Her hand moved slowly.
Touching his face.
There was a wound there.
Cut by debris earlier.
Her fingers rested lightly.
"You're hurt…"
Her voice was faint.
Iosef did not respond.
She continued.
"If you have the strength… use your ability…"
The sentence did not finish.
Her voice stopped.
Her hand lost support.
Slipped down.
Her breathing halted for a moment.
Then returned.
But weaker.
Iosef's step changed once—
barely.
Not stopping.
Just slightly reduced rhythm.
Next step—
more stable.
Slightly slower.
But no halt.
"Almost there," he said.
Tone still steady.
No fluctuation.
Elena did not respond again.
Her breathing became shallower.
Intervals lengthened.
Final exhale.
Very light.
No inhale followed.
End.
Her body fully relaxed.
No residual response.
Iosef continued forward.
No stop.
No downward glance.
Maintaining the same rhythm.
A few seconds later—
he stopped.
At the outer boundary.
Firelight far behind.
Only unstable glow remained.
He looked down.
Confirmed.
Pulse—none.
Breathing—none.
Conclusion established.
He did not attempt resuscitation.
Did not re-evaluate.
Only stood for a moment.
Wind passed from the side.
Carrying away remaining heat.
The surroundings grew quiet.
Distant collapse still continued.
But faint.
He adjusted his arms.
Held her securely.
Standard motion.
Unchanged.
Then turned.
Continued forward.
Direction changed.
Target—hospital.
Path still the shortest.
He entered the road.
Scattered people appeared.
But no one approached.
His state explained everything.
He entered the hospital directly.
No explanation.
No pause.
He handed her to the medical staff.
Clean motion.
They took over.
Examination began.
Equipment connected.
Rapid pace.
Within seconds—
a result formed.
But not spoken.
No need.
Iosef did not remain.
Did not wait.
The moment of confirmation—
his judgment was already complete.
He turned.
Left.
Returned to the outside.
Firelight still spread in the distance.
Unstopped.
At the same time—
Inside the academy,
collapse continued.
Corridors fractured.
Structures fell.
Flames spread.
Air trembled.
Ros was still moving.
Body pressed to the ground.
Arms exerting force.
Then releasing.
Slow movement.
But continuous.
Her breathing remained shallow.
Not rapid.
Not chaotic.
As if freed from a previous rhythm.
She moved forward.
No goal.
Only leaving.
Flames passed by her side.
Did not attach.
As if repelled by something.
Her fingers touched the ground.
Rough.
Cracked.
Powder clung to her skin.
Not removed.
She continued.
Step by step.
Dragging her body.
Leaving the collapse zone.
In the distance—
on another path—
Seven was approaching.
Not fast.
But continuous.
His breathing steady.
Eyes closed.
Within three meters,
space structure fully captured.
Forward vibrations.
Air changes.
Flame spread paths.
All calculated.
He moved in one direction.
No deviation.
No hesitation.
Distance closing.
And the academy—
still burning.