In the following time, Issei and his two friends understood the meaning of hell.
After being brutally beaten, not a single person in the whole class spoke up for them, not even the teacher acknowledged them.
Not only that, but the student council also sent a notice. Due to the malicious rumors spread by the three, it caused significant harm to August and other female students.
From now on, the three of them had the responsibility to clean all the male toilets and garbage in Kuoh Academy.
Starting today, after school, their time was dedicated to cleaning all the male dormitories in the entire school and clearing all the trash on every floor.
Moreover, each of them received a severe disciplinary record, with their enrollment retained, but under probation.
And that wasn't the worst part. The 'truth revealed' about this incident made countless male and female students, especially those who had experienced 'heartbreak', furious.
It was evident that they were being used, and at one point, they were on the brink of despair.
Issei truly experienced what it meant to be a victim of school bullying.
After finally recovering, he went to the infirmary with his two pitiful friends, only to be beaten up by a group of people who appeared out of nowhere.
After everything was over, they found that the infirmary was closed, and the teacher was nowhere to be found.
Returning to the classroom, their desks and chairs were covered in a mess, backpacks and textbooks thrown into the trash bin, drawers stuffed with garbage.
The three of them understood that it was the work of their classmates, but they didn't dare to retaliate. They were only three people, and they didn't even know who did it.
They could only silently endure everything.
All of this was observed by August, who responded with a cold smile, knowing that this was just the beginning.
After enduring until the end of the school day, the three still had to go and clean, as not doing so would result in immediate expulsion.
The entire Kuoh Academy was not small, and the three had to clean it thoroughly. By the time they finished cleaning, the day would be over.
In this way, they once again encountered retaliation from many vindictive individuals within the school.
The toilets they had just cleaned turned into a mess again, and some even went to the extent of dumping trash from the bins, scattering it everywhere.
Several people specifically targeted them, creating chaos behind their backs right after they finished cleaning one area.
As time slowly approached evening, with the sun almost setting below the horizon, within the Kuoh Academy, Issei, Motohama, and Matsuda still hadn't gone home.
They couldn't go home anymore. From the end of classes until now, they had been working continuously, but now, everything was ruined.
"Motohama, I'm really exhausted. I have no strength left."
"I regret it so much. Why did we spread those rumors?"
"I'm so hungry... I want to go home."
"Motohama... Matsuda..."
"Matsuda... Hyoudou..."
"Hyoudou... Motohama..."
The three of them tearfully hugged each other. They were at the bottom of the hierarchy in this academy and could only seek comfort in each other.
*Click*
At that moment, the sound of a camera shutter echoed.
"Haha, I've got a big scoop! The perverted trio are three perverted homosexuals. Tomorrow's headline is sorted."
He was a member of the news department, originally intending to capture the three in a miserable state, generate attention, and ride the wave of popularity. Little did he expect to come across such a significant news piece.
"Somebody was secretly filming."
"We just..."
"Hand over the camera1"
Issei, perhaps driven by a day of accumulated frustration, angrily roared at the person who was taking photos.
"Scum!"
With that, he threw a punch, knocking Issei to the ground. Having been beaten by August, then attacked again on the way to the infirmary, and working the entire afternoon, he had no strength left.
"You bastard, I'll take you on."
"Let go of Hyoudou."
Seeing Issei being beaten again, Motohama and Matsuda rushed over in anger.
Unfortunately, they were not as resilient as Issei. The opponent quickly subdued them, followed by another round of brutal beating.
After beating the three, the assailant spat on the ground and left.
In the corridor, Issei, Motohama, and Matsuda huddled on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, wondering why it always had to be them.
They had forgotten that their reputation in Kuoh Academy had long been tarnished, and now, with such a good opportunity, everyone wanted to trample on them.
Moreover, in the larger context, everyone joined in the act of undermining them. If you didn't have problems, you were considered an outlier. The fate of outliers was to become the next target of bullying.
So, even if many people had no personal conflicts with them, for the sake of self-preservation, they had to take action against them.
"If I had power, if I were like that bastard, it would be so much better. I'd make everyone who bullied me pay the price."
[Boy, do you really want power?]
"Of course."
[What if this power comes at the cost of your life?]
"I don't care. Right now, there's no difference between me and being dead."
[In that case, as the current host of the Red Dragon Emperor, I'll give you a chance. After all, my host, the Red Dragon Emperor, can't die so pitifully.]
Buzz!
The next moment, a powerful force emanated from Issei's body. In that instant, he felt invincible, like a god capable of anything.
[Boost!]
A crimson dragon claw gauntlet appeared on Issei's arm. Accompanying it was a massive magical power, not conjured out of thin air, but one produced by sacrificing Issei's life.
As Ddraig who had just resided within Hyoudou Issei, had said, as his host, he couldn't die so pitifully. Even if it meant using up his life force, it was better than being helpless.
___
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