The night air felt wrong.
Not simply cold.
Not merely heavy.
Wrong.
The entire street seemed trapped beneath an invisible pressure that pushed down on everything around it. The streetlights flickered violently overhead, casting unstable shadows across the broken pavement. Cracks spread through the road where spiritual energy had erupted moments earlier, and fragments of concrete lay scattered everywhere from the previous battle.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
At the center of the street stood the creature.
The Calamity-Class.
Its towering form seemed to absorb the surrounding darkness. Black tendrils drifted around its body like living smoke, moving without wind or reason. The hollow void where its face should have been remained fixed upon Serena.
Watching.
Remembering.
Waiting.
Then—
It shrieked.
The sound exploded across the neighborhood.
It wasn't merely loud.
It was wrong.
The shriek carried a frequency that seemed to bypass the ears and strike directly at the mind. Every person present felt it reverberate through their bones.
The nearest house windows shattered instantly.
Glass exploded outward.
Then the next building.
And the next.
Storefront windows cracked and burst simultaneously as the horrific sound wave traveled through the district.
Car alarms erupted throughout the street.
Dogs began barking frantically in distant neighborhoods.
Even the air itself seemed to tremble.
Yuma instinctively covered his ears.
The pain was immediate.
Sharp.
Like needles being driven into his skull.
"Ugh—!"
Stud nearly fell out of the air.
"WHAT IS THAT NOISE?!"
But the one affected most wasn't Yuma.
Or Stud.
Or even Alumna.
It was Serena.
The moment the scream reached her—
She froze.
Her body began trembling uncontrollably.
Not from physical pain.
Fear.
Pure fear.
The dagger in her hand shook visibly.
Her breathing became uneven.
Rapid.
Shallow.
Her eyes widened as old memories clawed their way back to the surface.
Rain.
Darkness.
Blood.
That face.
That thing.
That same horrible scream echoing through the night.
Years ago.
The night it nearly killed her.
The night twenty-one Geists died.
The night that haunted every birthday since.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
"Serena."
Yuma immediately moved beside her.
But Serena barely heard him.
The world around her felt distant.
Muffled.
Like she had fallen back into that nightmare again.
She hated this.
She hated herself for this.
Every year she promised herself it wouldn't happen.
Every year she told herself she was stronger now.
That she was a Geist.
That she hunted monsters.
That she wasn't the frightened little girl from eight years ago.
And yet—
One look.
One sound.
One glimpse of that creature.
And the fear returned.
The same fear she could never fully bury.
"Serena."
Yuma's voice sounded distant.
His hand gently touched her shoulder.
She flinched.
For a moment she almost pushed him away.
Then she realized who it was.
Yuma.
Not the monster.
Yuma.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Her breathing steadied slightly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to remain standing.
Across the street, Alumna observed everything silently.
The creature.
The destroyed surroundings.
The fear in Serena's eyes.
And Yuma standing beside her despite clearly being afraid himself.
For several seconds he said nothing.
Then—
He looked toward Yuma.
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Unchanging.
"Yuma."
Yuma turned immediately.
"Yes, Sensei?"
Alumna's gaze remained fixed on the Calamity-Class.
"What you are about to witness..."
His voice lowered slightly.
"...is the highest level of being a Geist."
Yuma froze.
The highest level.
Not a lesson.
Not a training exercise.
Not theory.
The pinnacle.
The destination every Geist spent their life chasing.
Alumna slowly continued.
"You will train."
The pressure in the air intensified.
"You will bleed."
The Calamity-Class began moving forward.
One step.
The asphalt beneath its feet cracked.
"You will suffer."
Another step.
The shadows around it expanded.
"And one day..."
Alumna finally looked directly at him.
His normally emotionless eyes carried a rare intensity.
"...you will reach this level."
Yuma felt his heartbeat quicken.
Then—
Alumna removed his coat.
The black fabric drifted through the air.
Stud barely reacted before it landed directly on top of him.
"Hey!"
The tiny poltergeist struggled beneath the heavy cloth.
"I'm not a coat rack!"
Alumna ignored him completely.
For the first time since Yuma had met him—
His teacher stood without the long coat that always concealed most of his equipment.
A simple black combat uniform remained underneath.
And attached to his waist—
Was a sword.
Or rather—
Part of one.
Yuma blinked.
There was no blade.
Only a black handle.
A weapon that shouldn't exist.
A sword without a sword.
The Calamity-Class suddenly screeched again.
Its body shifted.
Preparing to attack.
But Alumna remained completely still.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
His hand reached toward the weapon.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the handle—
The atmosphere changed.
The spiritual pressure exploded outward.
Yuma's eyes widened.
Even Serena looked up despite her fear.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Not violent.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Perfectly controlled.
Like standing beside a sleeping volcano.
Power.
Pure power.
Alumna drew the weapon.
The result was almost absurd.
The handle emerged from its sheath.
But still—
No blade existed.
Only empty space extending from the hilt.
Yet Alumna held it as though an invisible sword were present.
Then—
He raised it.
Pointing the weapon toward the sky.
His voice echoed across the ruined street.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Each word carried authority.
"Black Blade from ancient time..."
The darkness around him began moving.
Spiritual energy gathered from every direction.
The streetlights flickered violently.
The Calamity-Class stopped moving.
Watching.
Listening.
"...hear my call."
The invisible sword began humming.
A deep vibration spread through the air.
"Lend me your power..."
Black energy erupted around Alumna's body.
"...to purify the calamity before me."
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Wind exploded outward.
The darkness surrounding him condensed around the empty blade.
"Arise."
The energy intensified.
The entire neighborhood trembled.
"The power of Cybernetic Protocol."
BOOM.
The invisible blade ignited.
A crimson edge burst into existence.
Pure red energy formed from the hilt outward.
One meter.
Then two.
Then three.
The blade radiated terrifying power.
Its red glow illuminated the street like a second sun.
Black energy coiled around Alumna's body.
Flowing across his uniform.
Wrapping around his arms.
His eyes opened.
And for the first time—
Yuma understood why people called Alumna one of the strongest Geists alive.
Because the man standing before him no longer looked human.
He looked like a weapon given form.
A being forged solely for battle.
The Calamity-Class suddenly took a step backward.
The first sign of fear it had shown.
Stud stared in absolute disbelief.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
Even Serena forgot her fear for a moment.
Her eyes widened.
The pressure pouring from Alumna was unlike anything she had ever witnessed.
The crimson blade hummed softly.
Waiting.
Hungry.
Ready.
Alumna lowered the weapon.
Pointing it directly toward the Calamity-Class.
His expression remained completely calm.
Professional.
Like a soldier beginning a routine assignment.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Then he spoke.
His voice carried clearly across the silent street.
"Calamity-Class."
The red blade glowed brighter.
"Hextia Type."
The black aura surrounding him surged.
The creature shrieked in response.
But this time—
The sound didn't matter.
Because something stronger stood before it.
Alumna took a single step forward.
The pavement shattered beneath his foot.
His crimson blade pointed toward the monster.
His eyes remained calm.
Focused.
Certain.
Then he declared:
"Alumna reporting to duty."
The red blade erupted with power.
The night itself seemed to tremble.
And for the first time since arriving—
The Calamity-Class looked uncertain.
Alumna's gaze never wavered.
"About to engage."
And then—
He vanished.