The morning was ordinary…ordinary to a suspicious degree.
Sheena and Iris walked side by side through the halls of the Celestial Academy. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, and the voices of students blended into a familiar noise that had long since lost its meaning. Curiosity still gnawed at their minds—the scene beneath the rain, the motionless body on the swing—but without a word, they agreed to ignore it.
Not every mystery is pursued.Some are left to suffocate on their own.
Classes passed with unsettling smoothness.Theories of power.Principles of control.Calculations of internal energy consumption.Then came training.
At the academy, power was not forbidden—it was sealed.
There was a difference.
An invisible seal imposed by a single person, rarely seen, yet undeniably present.Capable of shutting down the flow of power in any student who stepped beyond permitted limits.No explosions.No recklessness.Power was used only when it was allowed to be.
Then evening came—and with it, the Response System Evaluation.
A vast, circular hall.Its floor black and polished, like a dark mirror.At the center stood a massive device, resembling a crystalline core surrounded by interlocking rings of light.
This was the system.
The Response System was not power itself.It was a mirror.
It measured:
• The body's adaptability• The mind's interaction with energy• The soul's ability to "respond" when power is summoned
Every student possessed some form of response—simple, complex, dormant, or explosive.
Except those…who had nothing to answer with.
Names were called, one after another.
Until a name was spokenthat had not been uttered in a year and a half.
Ozuki.
Silence.
Then whispers.Then stifled laughter.Then open disbelief.
He was already standing there, at the back of the hall.No one had noticed him.
Slightly tall.Thin.Holding an old black staff.Simple clothes.A sports cap hiding his eyes.
Like a shadow someone had forgotten to erase.
He stepped into the examination circle.
The system activated.Light.Vibration.
Then—
Error.
The system shut down.
A cold, emotionless message appeared:
"This entity is incompatible with the Response System.Completely outside the range of synchronization."
Silence…then an explosion of laughter.
The system continued, scanning the body:
Extensive muscular damageBones healed incorrectlyNervous pathways failing to respond as required
Final result:
"Body: Broken."
Blindness was not mentioned.Loss of sensation was not mentioned.
As if the system itselfrefused to look any deeper.
Anger spread faster than mockery.
A student stepped forward—tall, confident, eyes shining with arrogant certainty.
He spoke loudly:
"You worthless piece of trash…You don't belong in the Elite Class.You don't belong in this academy at all.You rely on connections alone."
He took another step closer.
"I challenge you to a duel.I'll break you—so you remember your place."
Cheers erupted.Hatred found its outlet.
Sheena felt a strange tightening in her chest.Iris said nothing, but her eyes hardened.
Ozuki… did not speak.
But he stepped forward.
The Duel Arena
A digital battlefield.Everything manifested through simulated energy—but pain returned at ninety-nine percent authenticity.
The opponent chose his weapon without hesitation:a long, segmented spear.
His ability was well known:absolute mastery of weapons.
Any weapon he held became an extension of his body.No wasted movement.No hesitation.
Ozuki did not choose.The staff was already with him.
They faced each other.
The signal sounded.
The opponent attacked immediately.Thrust. Spin. Side strike.
Ozuki barely avoided the blows, his body lagging half a second behind every motion.A strike hit his shoulder.Another his leg.
The audience laughed.
"Look at him!""He can't even fall properly!"
Then—without warning—
Ozuki's body moved.
Not through his eyes.Not through his mind.
But as if something ancient had awakened.
A short step.A precise shift.The staff became a point.
One thrust.
Clean.Silent.Into the gap of defense.
The opponent froze.
It wasn't powerful.But it was perfect.
Then—
A tearing sound.
Ozuki's arm… could not endure.
Neural response severed.Bone cracked.Muscles—scarred by old wounds—collapsed.
The weapon fell.
The arm remained raised.Dead.
Ozuki dropped to one knee.
The referee announced:
"Unable to continue."
The duel was over.
After the Duel
Tension.Silence.
Then… laughter.
Objects thrown.Filthy words.Mockery.
"Even when he wins—he loses!""A broken monster!"
Before anything could reach him—
An ice wall formed.
Absolute cold.Frozen air.
Iris stood with her hand extended, her eyes devoid of mercy.
Sheena stepped closer to Ozuki.
"Who are you…?"
It wasn't pity.It was confusion.
Iris said coldly:
"What are you waiting for?Let him leave.There's no place for him here anymore."
Ozuki did not answer.
He let his dead arm hang in the air.Gripped his staff with the other hand.
And turned away.
His footsteps were silent…as if he had never been there at all.
The Question of the Class
If this body is broken to such an extent…then what is the thingthat still remembershow to kill?