The city quaked violently as Ryuu stood alone in the middle of the devastated battlefield, cradling Ryoko in his arms.
Tears streamed down his face as the overwhelming grief and fury consumed him.
Around him, the other students, including Rajin and Tomoki, lay sprawled across the ground, completely unconscious.
There was no way they could have survived the immense shockwave of power that had erupted from Ryuu moments earlier.
"Aramiya Ryuu! Stop right there!" A voice boomed from behind him.
Shinju Hayato, a respected and seasoned warrior, appeared on the edge of the shattered lake, his expression a mixture of urgency and fear.
"If you don't stop, the entire city will collapse!
Think about the innocent people and children living here.
If you keep going, they'll all be caught in the destruction!"
Ryuu's eyes, now glowing with an intense azure light, turned toward Shinju.
His face twisted in rage as he roared back,
"SHUT UP!!"
The pure, fearsome energy emanating from Ryuu sent a wave of terror through Shinju, who could feel his very core shaking.
The raw intensity of the aura was so overwhelming that even a veteran like him struggled to withstand it.
His knees buckled under the pressure, forcing him to the ground as sweat poured from his brow.
(What… what kind of power is this?)
Shinju's thoughts raced.
(It's far stronger than anything I've ever encountered.
This is no ordinary magic.
If I don't stop him, the entire city—and everyone in it—will be obliterated.)
Shinju tried to rise to his feet, but his limbs trembled uncontrollably under the weight of Ryuu's power.
His body was failing him, succumbing to the pressure in the air.
"Aramiya-kun, please! Think about the people in the city! They've done nothing to deserve this!"
Shinju pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.
But Ryuu was beyond reasoning. His voice thundered again.
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
As Ryuu's shout echoed across the battlefield, the ground beneath them split apart, jagged cracks spreading like a spider web.
The sheer force of Ryuu's power caused Shinju to collapse completely, blood seeping from his mouth and eyes.
Even someone as experienced as Shinju had never felt anything like this.
It was as if the very essence of destruction had been unleashed.
"WHAT PEOPLE?!"
Ryuu bellowed, his voice dripping with rage and despair.
"THEY TOOK RYOKO AWAY FROM ME AGAIN! YOU TALK ABOUT SAVING THE CITY?!
I'LL DESTROY THIS ENTIRE WORLD IF I HAVE TO!"
Ryuu lifted his hand, and a small azure flame flickered to life at the tip of his finger.
Despite its size, the flame radiated such concentrated energy that the water in the lake evaporated instantly, and the surrounding earth began to disintegrate.
Shinju, watching helplessly, was paralyzed with horror.
He could feel the catastrophic power contained within that flame.
(If he unleashes that… there'll be nothing left of the city… of anyone.)
The flame slowly grew larger, feeding off Ryuu's seething hatred.
The ground around him crumbled, and the air itself seemed to shudder with fear.
Ryuu's heart was consumed by vengeance, his once gentle eyes now filled with nothing but pure malice.
Shinju closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable destruction.
Then, suddenly, a soft voice broke through the chaos.
"Ryuu…"
It was faint but unmistakable. Ryuu froze in place, his eyes widening in shock.
He looked down at Ryoko, still lying in his arms.
A small, white flame burned on her forehead, glowing with an ethereal light.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she gazed up at him with warmth and tenderness.
"Ryuu… you're here… I've waited so long to see you again…"
Her voice was weak, but filled with emotion.
Tears glistened in her eyes as she reached up and gently touched his face.
Ryuu's heart ached. Tears welled up in his own eyes as he tightened his grip on her hand, his rage beginning to ebb away.
"I'm sorry you had to wait so long… But soon, I'll make things right. We'll be together again, just like we promised.
But you have to wait a little longer… Just a little more time."
Ryoko smiled softly, her eyes full of understanding.
"I'll wait… I'll wait as long as it takes. I'm happy just to see you again.
But please, Ryuu… calm down. This isn't the time. We still have our dream to fulfill."
As her words sank in, the azure flame that had burned so fiercely on Ryuu's forehead slowly detached and floated toward Ryoko's white flame.
The two flames merged, their light intertwining, and Ryuu's glowing aura faded away.
The azure lines that had snaked across his body vanished, and his eyes returned to their normal color.
The wound on Ryoko's abdomen began to heal, the dark energy that had once surrounded her dissipating into the air.
With the tension lifted, both Ryuu and Ryoko collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. The battlefield fell silent, the earth finally ceasing its violent trembling.
The city, which had teetered on the brink of destruction, was safe once more.
A short while later, Shigeru and Akiko arrived at the scene. The devastation before them was almost too much to comprehend.
The forest had been obliterated, the lake evaporated, and the ground was reduced to jagged, broken fragments.
"What… what could have caused such destruction?"
Shigeru muttered, his eyes scanning the scene.
He spotted Shinju lying motionless, blood trickling from his mouth and eyes. Shigeru's heart skipped a beat.
(Did… did Aramiya-kun do this?)
"Honey!" Akiko called urgently.
"They're all injured! We need to get them to the hospital, or their lives could be in danger!"
Without hesitation, Akiko used her wind magic to carefully lift the unconscious students and carry them to safety.
.
.
.
By nightfall, they had all been rushed to the hospital, and though still unconscious, their lives were no longer in immediate danger.
In an isolated hospital room, Shinju slowly opened his eyes, feeling weak and disoriented.
Standing by the window, watching the moonlight stream in, was Shigeru, smiling softly.
"S-Shigeru…? Where am I? What happened on the battlefield? What about the people in the city?"
Shinju asked, his voice hoarse.
"Everyone's safe,"
Shigeru reassured him.
"Akiko and I found all of you unconscious when we arrived, but no one was hurt. The city's fine."
Shinju let out a sigh of relief but soon found himself reflecting on the events.
"Did… you understand now?"
Shigeru asked, his gaze still fixed on the moon outside.
Shigeru turned, his face serious.
"That's why I kept the truth about Aramiya-kun's dual elements a secret from the association."
Shinju's eyes widened but he smiled weakly.
"So you really knew, huh?"
Shigeru nodded.
"If the association had known, they would've taken Ryuu in for testing, trained him to become nothing more than a weapon.
And if that power had awakened within him under their watch… no one would've been able to stop him.
The world would've been plunged into chaos."
He paused, the weight of his words settling over them both.
"I'm afraid… not even he would've been able to control that kind of power.
You must understand now, after experiencing it firsthand."
Shinju fell silent, his thoughts heavy as the two men reflected on the danger that lay within the boy they had sworn to protect.
The moonlight illuminated their somber faces as they both contemplated what the future might hold for Ryuu—and for the world that would one day have to face the power hidden inside him.