I raced to the rooftop with a cube in hand.
Why?
Because I knew it all, those guys are from DarkMatter and they're after Yu.
I got to the door of the roof but hesitated before entering, I gripped the cube in my hand as Occlusion entered into it causing it to reshape itself into my Ballista, Odin, the sound rifle I stole from Xenon. As I readied myself to open the door, I recalled the memories of the shooting it the first time.
I killed someone...it didn't matter whether he...Xenon was good or evil. He was human...but I already know...that dwelling in the past will never take me forward!
I kicked the door open and took aim, remembering the several times I had trained with Yu and Amanai. I walked in gun in hand as I spotted my target.
He stood in the middle of the roof staring at the sky, almost like he didn't notice me...or rather he didn't care.
"Don't you find space, delectable?"
He asked me but I didn't answer, making sure not to let down my guard.
"Don't you find it intriguing that we live in a world far away from Earth?"
I decided to answer, "I've never lived on Earth so I wouldn't know.", I said without lowering my aim.
"Oh...", he said as he looked down.
I watched as he slowly turned to me, he was tall and had a large frame with a face that looked like it was in its late-40s.
"Say...did you know that 80% of the universe is made up of dark matter?", he said as he stared at me.
I shook at the words he emphasized, dark matter.
"Oh, you know. Say... why do you have a gun in your hand and yet have no intent of killing me?"
"Huh?!", I blurted out.
The instant those words came out of my mouth, he vanished.
Wait what?!
In an instant, I was sent flying across the floor. I hadn't even caught my breath when I felt a boot strike my gut. I coughed up blood as I was slammed into a wall.
So fast! I can't even see him!
I stood up to catch my breath but immediately shot at the sight of him. He dodged the pellet of air as he appeared above me and kicked me into the ground.
"Guh!", blood blurted out of my mouth as I was slammed to the floor.
Wait! He's an Occlude alright! So, what's his Ballista?! Is it a-
Before I could even think I was kicked into another wall.
"Do you know I came to the roof on purpose?"
"?!"
"It was so I could lure in the eavesdropper...", he paused as he dashed towards me, "to kill them."
I widened my eyes at the revelation.
I was tricked! He knew I was watching them! I was so naïve...I should have asked Amanai for help...I am so-
"Execution."
I heard those words as a black fist was slammed into my chest, the force struck my heart and sent me flying towards the door. I crashed into it and began to black out.
"Pathetic. You can't even stand your ground in a fight; you can't even bring yourself to kill. It's loathsome that someone like you became the Hybrid, the ace of Dark Matter."
Ace? Yeah right. I'm so weak...am not like Yu or Amanai am not as strong or smart as them...am just plain old Iguro...
Just as I accepted fate, I recalled words I'd heard a long time ago.
Strength starts from the mind. Your mindset is what's keeping you weak.
The man turned to the roof, "How dull.", he looked down as he noticed the match going on downstairs, "It's already been 15 minutes."
But then he felt a strong pressure, he turned back to look at the boy who was emitting the heavy pressure. Iguro had gotten up and was aiming Odin at him.
This power? Has he grasped the true meaning of Occlusion?
"What is your name?", Iguro asked.
My name?
"Guillotine.", the man said as he peered at Iguro, trying to scrutinize what emotion the boy was feeling.
Why?
"Guillotine...eh? Die.", Iguro said without an ounce of hesitation as he pulled the rifle's trigger.
Guillotine raised his hands to protect himself as he was hit with a massive shockwave. The blast was akin to that of a Sonic Boom, shattering everything around him including the very air itself but due to its low magnitude, it could barely be heard from the field.
Guillotine was blasted off the roof and began to fall but he immediately created a platform of black mass as support.
"Guessed as much. Your Ballista manipulates Dark Matter and by using it to compress space-time coordinates you can move at highspeed. That punch from earlier you simply just used the repulsive properties of dark matter to create that incredible force.", Iguro explained as he took aim.
Impressive. Was this boy hiding his abilities so that he could gauge mine? Really impressive but still...
"Even though you have dissected my Ballista, you still can't counter it."
"Maybe you don't understand yet, I don't need to counter it. All I need to do is show you...the difference of power."
"Foolish boy.", Guillotine said in a deep voice as his left eye began to accumulate black mass.
Approximately, 300 seconds before the blast.
"Ceil...Iguro still hasn't come back...", Amanai said slightly worried.
"What?", Ceil said, snapping her attention off the match.
"Iguro's still gone."
"He's probably just excreting in the lavatory.", she said disinterestedly.
"Ceil!", Amanai shouted, an action which attracted glances from some in the crowd.
She shrunk back at the stares. Ceil heaved a sigh before pulling Amanai out of the crowd and to the hallway.
"Look Amanai...am sure Iguro's not mad at you or anything. If he were the kind of guy that will back off just from a little teasing then you wouldn't have dated this long.", Ceil said with a sincere smile.
"Ceil...thanks...I really needed to hear that..."
"You know Amanai...I really envy you."
"Ceil..."
"You have a guy that truly loves you all I have are marriage suitors who couldn't care less about me...", she said with tears in her eyes.
Ceil comes from a wealthy family so of course; she has arranged marriages with men who are only after her parents' money or for some...her body...
"Ceil...", I said as I pulled her into a hug, "...you're not alone..."
"Amanai...could...Yu like me?"
I shivered at her question. I knew that she liked Yu but he already likes someone else...Mari. I shouldn't answer her but if she finds out the truth later, she'll be devastated. I should tell her that her love is...
"Ceil...Yu is-"
BOOM!!!
A powerful blast could be heard from the roof, the blast was so loud that we dropped from the impact. Shaken, we looked up to the roof and saw a man standing on air and we saw a familiar figure.
"Iguro?!", we both exclaimed.
I wanted to rush up to the roof but then we heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from the classrooms. We immediately rushed towards Class Y and saw the cause.
We fell at the view of the scene. Sakayanagi had released a scream and collapsed after witnessing it.
Our class leader, Honami Sakurako was laying lifeless on the floor of the strewn classroom with a large and deep slash mark across her torso.
"Honami!", Ceil screamed as she threw up on the floor.
I stared at her corpse with colorless eyes.
Who could have done this? Why? What's their goal? What's their purpose? Why Honami? She didn't have to die.
It shouldn't have been Honami.
She didn't have to die.
It shouldn't have been Honami.
She didn't have to die.
It shouldn't have been Honami.
She didn't have to die.
"SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!", I screamed in disbelief.
I didn't want to accept it. Not this. Not this reality.
Why?
Why did this have to happen?!
"Beautiful Death isn't it.", a strange voice said causing all three of us to snap our head to the source.
A teenage boy in a black outfit, armed with black gauntlets, leaned against the wall as he spoke. To Sakayanagi and Ceil, he was the murderer, a stranger but to me he was beyond that because I knew from his badge that he was undoubtedly from the Dark Matter Group.
"Man, she was beautiful, even in death. The way she closed her eyes as she accepted fate was amazing...she didn't have to die.", he said as he stared at her with a sad look.
I couldn't make sense out of what he was saying, but yet I asked.
"So why...why did she die?"
"It was all part of a plan, I never wanted to kill her.", he said as his eyes looked downcast.
"I don't understand.", I said both annoyed and confused.
"It was all part of my plan, she was in the way so I had to kill her even if I didn't want to.", he said with a sigh.
We stared at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.
"You're...you're a monster!", Sakayanagi cried with tears in her eyes.
"You! Die!", I screamed as I used Ambience Frost which froze the door and part of the hallway but not him. He hadn't moved but yet my attack didn't reach him.
"What?!"
"Hmm...ahahaha!", he laughed hysterically before saying, "Did you think you can harm me?"
In an instant, he closed the gap between him and I, we were so close that I could feel his breath.
Alarmed I threw a kick which he dodged, he flipped backwards and sat on a table.
"So which beauty should I kill first.", he said as he positioned his fingers like a camera and looked at Ceil, "Hmm...how about you?"
In an instant, just like before he closed the distance between, he and Ceil but this time he had a knife in hand, going straight for her neck. I immediately reacted by creating a wall of ice between them. He stopped.
He's too fast!
"Wait...your turn I want to play with you last...", he said as he smiled at me.
"You're disgusting...Ice Stalagmite!!!", I shouted causing a huge deposit of ice to grow from the ground, edging straight for him.
"Oh?", he dodged it and immediately stood on the ceiling, upside down.
Huh?! Wait...!
"What the fuck?!", Ceil exclaimed, bewildered.
I remarked that this was the first time I had heard Ceil swear but then Sakayanagi stood up regaining her composure.
"I know what it is...your Ballista.", she said as she pointed at him.
Eh?!
"Eh?!", I was so surprised that I blurted out my thoughts.
"Sakayanagi...I don't...understand...", Ceil said confused.
"My dear Ceil you may not understand what am about to say but you should listen...you too Amanai.", she said, almost like she was ordering us.
"What do you know, Sakayanagi?", I asked as I narrowed my eyes.
"Oh...dear Yu hasn't told you...oh well no need beating around the bush...I am an Observer, he's an Occlude and I know what is his Ballista.", Sakayanagi said as she narrowed her eyes at him. He smiled at her as he observed us.
"Observer? Occlude? Ballista? Am not following...", Ceil said confused.
"Ceil, stand back and watch.", Sakayanagi ordered.
"What? I don't understand! Explain to me what's going on!", Ceil yelled at her.
"Later.", I said.
"Oh..."
"There's a monster in front of us...we have to beat him first.", Sakayanagi said as she glared at him.
"Oh...am so scared.", he said faking fear.
"So... Sakayanagi what is it?", I asked trying to confirm my own suspicions.
"At first glance his Ballista seems to manipulate Gravity...", Sakayanagi spoke.
"That's right!", I said.
"That's wrong.", she said cutting me off.
"Huh?", I asked confused.
"His Ballista doesn't manipulate gravity, because if it did, he would have killed us all from the start but he didn't. That's proof that it doesn't manipulate gravity but instead dark matter no... dark energy!", she said as she dissected his Ballista.
His eyes widened in surprise as he applauded her, "Amazing...! You carefully analyzed and dissected my Ballista with just a few observations but...I have to ask...how did you know that it was dark energy and not dark matter?"
"I saw black energy accumulate on your clothes and on the ceiling. When you closed in on Ceil and Amanai, you didn't move...instead you used the negative properties of dark energy to erase the distance, if it was dark matter there would have been black mass and you would have repelled them instead."
We stared at her in awe, she had just broken down this guy's seemingly difficult Ballista. As expected of number one in academics of our entire school, Sakayanagi has an overall rating of B but in reality, has a physical ranking of D but has an A in social ability and an S in academic ability. She was the most intelligent person in HighEnd.
"Oh well...I guess there's no point hiding it. Everything she said is true, my Ballista is called Cronus, it has the ability to generate dark energy within any medium and... for the record my name is Charlatan, a cadre of the DarkMatter Group. Now that you know all the info... I certainly will have to kill you all...", he paused before saying,
"Swindler's Cage.", as he snaped his fingers.
In an instant, dark energy appeared on the ceiling and floor of the classroom, simultaneously. Like a piece of metal stuck in the attractive field of two magnets equal in power, we were suspended in air, including Honami's body.
"Huh?!", the three of us exclaimed before a sharp pain coursed through us, "Ngh!!!"
The attractive force of the dark energy was so powerful that it began to pull the three apart, trying to get one part of them to one side.
Like a tug of war.
"Ack!"
Sakayanagi was the first to cough up blood, her body which was her greatest weakness could not stand the force acting on her.
I have to do something quick! If not, Sakayanagi could-
SPLURT!!!
I spat out an even greater amount of blood and as I looked down, I was stabbed with a black blade.
Charlatan smiled, "Let's see how you guys would be escaping gravity."