Once again, Mizuko lived up to the goddess's expectations. She had expected him to figure this out and arrive at the most logical conclusion. "You're on your own."
Rentaro chuckled softly, not only was he used to this, he had expected this beforehand. Before they all died and got transmigrated, he saw through Mizuko but kept quiet all this while.
He realized that the only time Mizuko spoke to him was during biology classes which he understood well, but Mizuko not so much.
In order to retain his position as the top of the class, he befriended Rentaro for one purpose only and once he achieved what he wanted, he stopped talking to him with the excuse that he was apparently busy.
"Hey!" A bold voice echoed through the classroom, causing them to simply stare at the individual who called out to them.
"Just because he wasn't able to awaken a Soul-Type doesn't mean you have to belittle him!"
As aforementioned, most students had already left the class, but before Daichi could leave after his daily 200 push ups. He heard the scuffle behind him.
"Oh? I guess you'd view our opinions as belittling because you're just like him, talentless." Mei put bluntly again.
"In truth we're just advising him, someone with no talent at all shouldn't get involved in matters that'll kill him."
As Yui spoke, Ren's infuriation grew bigger. He didn't know Rentaro but as a guy he felt his pain, or he thought he did.
"He-" Before he could express his displeasure, Mizuko placed his right hand on his shoulder, indirectly silencing him.
"There's no point in yelling Ren, it won't change the outcome. Let's go, we have much more important things to plan for." He said in a calm demeanor, having no intentions of dragging an outsider into this.
"Tsk." With a grunt, they all walked past Daichi, leaving him annoyed at their actions to their classmate.
"Hey!"
"Let it go, there's no point in dragging it out further even more." Rentaro, who was the victim of their abuse said with his arms crossed.
He wasn't bothered by their actions because they were right, not because of the fact that he was talentless. They weren't on earth anymore, the presence of supernatural abilities meant any wrong move could result to his permanent end.
"I can't believe it, you're just gonna let them troll you like that?" Daichi said, expressing his displeasure.
"No, but it's pointless when I can't do anything. They all awakened a magnitude of impressive Soul-Types and judging from the proctors face, their ranks are not a joke. If they wanted it, they could fatally injure us. If we want to survive, we have to take a different approach." He replied.
All his life, he had always been protected by the law even after the death of his parents. Now there was nothing that could protect him in this new world.
"I guess you're right, I'm Daichi by the way, Daichi Ryuu." He said, introducing himself properly.
For a few moments, Rentaro gazed at him with his hands in his pockets. "I know, the proctor introduced us by names during the selection process." He put bluntly before leaving the classroom.
"Wait!" Daichi voice echoed through the classroom as he called out to him. He picked his school bag.
Together, they both left the school compound which was presumably empty.
"It's been a year since I transferred to this school, I've always been observing you since I came."
"And why is that?" He asked with a gentle voice that made it unclear if he actually had interest in his reason.
"You've always been so distant from everyone else, even when Mizuko requests for your aid you were still so distant."
He chuckled softly at his response. "So even the previous inhibitor of this body went through the same thing? Nezuna, you sly bitch." He thought.
Before he could respond, a huge bolt of lightning descended from the sky several meters in front of them, causing an explosion which scattered debris of rocks and gusts of winds everywhere occured several meters in the path they followed.
The school was isolated from the public due to it's involvement with the Soul-Hunters in order not to attract attention to them, it was located directly behind a forest in the outskirts of Starhaven. Most students here attended majorly due to the closeness of the school to their various homes. In order words, they were mere commoners.
Both boys were shaken by the explosion as it was an unexpected occurrence, Rentaro however immediately maintained his composure.
"What was that!?"
"I don't know, but it's best we don't find out." Rentaro replied bluntly, not wanting to place himself in any unnecessary banter.
"Come on! People might be in trouble!" Daichi insisted, racing swiftly to the area the high rise of black smoke emerged from.
Weaving a sigh, Rentaro followed behind him. There was truth to his words, the path the explosion occured in was the only path that every student used to go home.
Arriving at the scene, the eyes of the two individuals expanded in astonishment. The flames spread from tree to tree and most of the trees had already burnt down.
Laying unconscious in front of them, were the same students who abandoned Rentaro and a man wielding a black rod in his hand.
"W-What is this?"
On hearing their voices, the man turned to face them instantly. A dreaded expression appeared on his face as he laid eyes on Rentaro, almost as if he had seen a ghost.
"Hey, do you mind telling me... How you are all still alive?" He asked, specifically directing his question at Rentaro.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the murdering psychopath in front of them was one of the accomplices of the proctor.
"I-isn't that one of the proctor's accomplice?" Daichi stuttered.
The man returned his gaze back to the four students, Mizuko, Mei, Yui and Ren. Even after getting caught in the blast caused by the lightning bolt that took them off their feet, they were still breathing.
"They are still breathing even after I used the rod of Zeus? Tsk, I guess it's to be expected, after all the boy who awakened an A-rank Soul-Type is with them."
Experience was on his side, this man also possessed an C-rank Soul-Type much like Ren, but in terms of experience and growth he far surpassed all of them.
Hearing his words, Rentaro's eyes expanded in disbelief. There was only one place he had ever heard such a weapon, not to mention that this whole concept seemed a bit familiar to him. It was one of the last novels he read before he died.
'Rod of Zeus? Soul-Energy? Xen Academy? I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner.' He thought.
Everything mentioned so far took him back to a single book, a novel named [A Perfect Ascension]. Being an antisocial being in his previous world who spent all his time reading as he had little to no friends, A Perfect Ascension was the very last book he read before he died, unfortunately he hadn't gone past chapter 68.
The events were similar except.
"Before this scene the main character, awakened an A-rank Soul-Type, then on his way out of school he was attacked by a man just like now and almost got dispatched by him. However it isn't the same plot, I wonder if the five of us transmigrating here is the cause of that?"
He contemplated in his thoughts as a loud voice brought him back to reality.
"Rentaro!"
"Huh?" Returning to reality, a bright light illuminated the environment causing both boys to gaze at the sky. To their utmost shock, they found a huge lightning descending towards them.
Their instincts to survive took over them, ignoring the shock that left their body numb for a brief moment. Just before the lightning struck the ground, they both leaped instinctively to their sides.
The impact of the lightning with the ground created a sonic boom which dispersed several shockwaves all around them, and also indicated that the sound barrier had been shattered.
The shockwave drove the boys further backwards before they could crash into the ground.
"I don't know know how you five lived, but it became a huge risk after you discovered my plans, letting you breathe poses a huge problem for me." The man said, spinning the black rod in his hand.
He couldn't care less about Daichi, his only focus was on the five transmigrated students. Although he had to get rid of him later.
'I see.' Rentaro thought as he got to his feet.
"I was wondering what five students were doing laying dead in the back of the school, it was you wasn't it?" He added as he stood up slowly to his feet.
"Sorry, but I have no idea what plans you're talking about, besides next time you want to kill somebody, don't leave their dead bodies behind a building." He said, deliberately mocking him.
"Hey kid." His voice got deepened, obviously enraged by his remarks.
"Why won't you stay dead!?." He uttered, disappearing from everyone's field of vision.
"What!?"
"Gh-Bleh!" Before Rentaro could even process what happened, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, almost as if his ribs were cracked, a mouthful of blood forcefully ejected from his stomach.
The man who appeared to be a skilled Soul-User utilized a speed incomprehensible to their naked eyes.
"Rentaro!" Daichi exclaimed at the top of his voice, the body of Rentaro flung backwards in the air like a rag.
The man didn't stop there, he extended the rod in his hand and shot another powerful bolt of lightning directly at Rentaro.
"Rentaro!" Without a second thought, Daichi rose to his feet swiftly, trying his best to reach him before the lightning does.
However, a blinding light illuminated the grounds before resulting in an another explosion which gave rise to a cloud of black smoke.
"That's one down although I killed two of them, with the noise the bolts of lightning has caused the authorities should be on their way. I have to kill these five and flee as soon as possible." The man thought, approaching the five individuals clutching his rod tightly in his hand.
"Hmph." As he raised the rod above his head to slaughter them,
"Why?"
A voice stopped him.
"What!?" He recognized that voice, but simply refused to accept it.
As the black smoke cleared out, Daichi stood in it's place with Rentaro kneeling right next to him, his body shimmering with a fearsome silver glow.
The man was at a loss for words, but he immediately maintained his calm and began laughing as soon as he realized what was going on.
"I see, you're the student who couldn't awaken a Soul-Type despite your high level of Soul-Energy. I wondered why your Soul-Energy didn't leak out after that, I guess the Orb helped you temporarily. But now that it's leaking, you'll soon be dead!"
With a sideways back and forth motion of his head, Rentaro struggled to regain his hearing. The previous lightning bolt left him hearing triple, presently Rentaro could hear three noises in his head.
"Why?" Daichi asked again, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes, he current emotion? Rage, his anger rose to the surface as the self proclaimed teacher attempted to kill him as well as his classmates.
A time limit was set, so the man had no time to engage in meaningless conversations. Therefore, he plunged forward at Daichi, utilizing stupendous speeds before aiming his rod at his chest.
"Persistent lot!" With a firm thought, he drove towards rod at his chest.
POW!
Daichi grabbed the rod with his left hand, the force of the rod being caught swiftly creating a faint sound that echoed through the environment.
"What!?" The man couldn't believe his eyes, how on earth was he able to catch the rod at such speeds? That wasn't the only thing he noticed.
"What? What's this? His Soul-Energy isn't leaking!?" Upon close observation, he discovered Daichi's Soul-Energy wasn't leaking in anyway, infact it was one of the most refined and stable energy he had ever come across.
"Hmph." He smiled, not necessarily anticipating this at all.
Before Daichi could counter, a bolt of lightning generated by the rod ran through his body instantly.
He shrieked desperately in pain, the bolt of lightning contained a total of 1 million volts which was strong enough to incapacitate an elephant.
His eyes turned white and he swiftly fell unconscious, his body still shimmering with the glow. The man swiftly tossed him towards the other four unconscious kids.
As soon as Rentaro regained his hearing, he was met with a knee to his stomach. The man proceeded with a series of punches and kicks at his stomach, and face respectively. The force of all the attacks blew him off his feet and towards the other kids.
This was his way of payback for mocking him earlier.
"There's no escape for you anymore." The man said slowly as he raised the rod into the air, instantly forming a huge dark cloud in the sky above them.
His arms and legs trembled greatly, he knew this wasn't from the barrage of blows he received earlier. It was something else,
'Is this... Fear?'
'Why...' He muttered in his thoughts, laying battered and bruised on the ground. All his life he had been pushed aside, beaten to a pulp in every orphanage that took him in. He thought after being transmigrated into another world it'd be different.
But it was far worse.
'Ever since I was born the world never accepted me. I was weak, average and I accepted it quickly knowing there was nothing I could do about it.'
Slowly, he rose to his feet, blood dripping down from his head and down his arms. He couldn't care less about the other four teens that transmigrated with him, but he knew one thing.
'No more, if I'm going to survive in this world, I'll need more than willpower. We're not on earth anymore, to survive... I need strength.' With his final thought, the blood that dripped down his arms covered his whole thumb.
Then,
From the dark clouds, a huge lightning bolt descended down, racing swiftly towards the unconscious students.
"Die!"
Just then, a translucent blue screen glitched in Rentaro's line of vision.
[You have fulfilled all conditions for the Second Awakening!]
[You have successfully sealed the blood contract!]
[Summoning: Volton is now available]
[Summoning: Volton...]