As Akin walked beside Stanley, he tried to focus on their conversation, though his mind drifted to Hickson.
Despite his hint of resentment toward Hickson, Akin knew it wasn't really his friend's fault.
"Though part of me dislikes him, it's just because his body was used…" he thought, still processing Stanley's probing questions about why he cared so much.
Vivid images of Lotanna and Lady Sia's deaths flashed before him, making him go cold as he struggled to contain his emotions.
"You realize the possibility of that Inn leaving his body is nearly impossible, right? Are you still sure about this?" Stanley's tone turned serious as he noticed Akin's distant expression.
"Damn right. I am!" Akin responded with unwavering resolve.
"As long as it isn't impossible, I'll beat that damn Inn out of him!" he vowed, feeling a renewed sense of determination to avenge Feya's cruelty and to rid the world of Inns.
Stanley smirked, watching Akin's fierce expression.
"You're a strange one," he thought, slightly amused.
"Anyway, we're here!" Stanley announced cheerfully as he opened the door to a dimly lit room.
A delicate, teasing female voice greeted them from the shadows. "I'm guessing this is the one, dear Stan."
Akin tensed at the unexpected voice, an unsettling sensation prickling down his spine as he saw a woman sitting calmly in the dark.
"Is she… the head of all their chiefs?" he wondered, feeling a strange aura emanating from her.
"The hell are you doing, Yuri?" Stanley asked nonchalantly, a hint of amusement in his tone, fully aware that Yuri was just playing around, mimicking the famous Six-Star Chief.
"Oh dear me. Where are my manners? My apologies. I'm Chief Loyalist," Yuri continued, a smile playing on her lips as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
Stanley, already seated, raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here, anyway?" he asked, casually.
Aware The Six-Star Chief was supposed to be there instead of Yuri.
Just then, the lights flickered on, and Akin could see Yuri laughing, her expression playful.
"Sheesh, she's good!" Akin thought, realizing he'd almost believed her act.
Yuri, still catching her breath from laughter, commented,
"I just can't help it. She's just so delicate—or rather, like a pretty princess." Her tone was light but carried a hint of mockery toward the Six-Star Chief.
"I wouldn't say that too loud," Stanley warned, though he looked amused. "Anyway, why are you here instead of her?"
"She chose me to conduct the exam." Yuri grinned, tilting her head to one side as her gaze fixed on Akin.
Her smile was unsettling, giving him an uneasy feeling.
Stanley watched her, a silent understanding passing between them. He suspected that Yuri had somehow convinced the Six-Star Chief to let her take over Akin's examination.
Rising from his seat, Stanley looked at Yuri, who met his gaze with a challenging glare, tension simmering beneath her grin.
"Well, Akin good luck!" Stanley said cheerfully.
In the small, dimly lit exam hall, Akin stood across from Yuri, who sat in a chair with an unsettlingly calm smile.
He felt on edge, noticing that her demeanor, though relaxed, was anything but friendly.
"All I have to do is touch you, right?" he asked, settling into a fighting stance as he locked eyes with Yuri.
"Indeed, and I promise you, won't even be able to come close to me let alone touch me, young inns."
Her calm, almost dismissive expression didn't waver, making Akin feel as though she was looking right through him.
"Something's off about this Chick," he thought, feeling a deep-seated unease.
Yuri had given him that feeling since the day they met.
Without warning, a punch struck him like a hammer, sending him flying backward into the wall immediately. He barely registered the attack before the impact knocked the wind out of him, leaving him embedded in a deep crack in the wall.
"What the—?!" Akin gasped, dazed, feeling the crushing weight of the blow radiating through his chest. He struggled to process what had just happened, glancing up to see Yuri still calmly seated, watching him with a menacing glint in her eyes.
"Is that all, young boy? Or should I say... young Inn?" she taunted, gentle crossing her legs with a slight smirk.
Akin forced himself up, wiping the blood from his mouth as Yuri continued to watch him, her excitement almost tangible. She grinned wider, her voice dripping with mockery.
"If you really want to kill all of your 'race,' as you claim," she said, "or even become a certified Inn killer—" she leaned forward, her gaze icy.
"Then you'll have to do better, young Inn." Yuri snapped her fingers, her gaze cold and unyielding.
Akin barely registered her words before a powerful kick came from behind, sending him hurtling upward. The rush of wind roared in his ears as pain radiated through his body. Just before he hit the ceiling, a knee slammed into his stomach, hurling him back down with a nauseating force.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Akin thought, rage bubbling beneath the pain. "How the hell am I supposed to beat her if she's this fast?"
Weakly, he staggered to his feet, his back aching, his whole body feeling battered.
"Seriously, you really get on my nerves," he growled, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Not to mention she's even faster and probably faster than Stanley."
Akin thought in anger.
Yuri's grin only widened, mocking him, challenging him.
"If that's the case, woman," Akin gritted out, his voice edged with defiance, "then I'm damn sure going to pass this exam."
But before he could finish, a leg swept up, slamming into his face with brutal force. He flew back, his head crashing into the wall behind him with a sickening crack. Time seemed to slow as his vision blurred, and an involuntary scream tore from his throat at the intensity of the impact.
"Damn it! All you need Akin is to land a hit on her, and that's it," Akin thought, in frustration his vision blurring as he gazed weakly at Yuri, who sat casually, grinning menacingly and clearly reveling in his torment.
Realizing he was utterly outmatched, unable to see where her punches and kicks were coming from, he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the ground in frustration and anger.
Screaming in determination, he forced himself to stand, only to feel a brutal sickening stomp land on his stomach, sending a shockwave of agony through his body. A gut-wrenching scream tore from him as he coughed up a torrent of blood.
"I'm sure this isn't all you've got, right?" Yuri's voice cut through, chillingly close to his ear.
Back on her chair, Yuri watched with a thrill in her eyes, her expression lighting up at the sight of his bloodied face and the clear one-sided nature of their fight.
"Come on, I am getting bored." she taunted, still lounging in her chair as if unfazed.
"This damn woman... She's insane!" Akin thought in rage, brows furrowed in anger as he noticed Yuri now casually seated with a sword resting across her lap.
"You see, young Inn," she said with a smirk, "just because your execution's been postponed doesn't mean you don't have enemies who despise you."
"Sure! But right now I'm only here to—" Akin's words caught in his throat as his eyes widened in horror.
Suddenly, he felt the cold, piercing pain of her sword driving into his back, cutting through him with swift precision. Blood immediately poured from his mouth as the force of her movement left a gust of air still resonating beside him.
"In short, we Awakeners are best suited to handle creatures like you," Yuri whispered from behind, her voice edged with a smile as she held the sword embedded in him, her gaze hardened by Akin's dismissive attitude toward her warnings.
"Well, that was easier than I expected," she muttered, yanking her sword from him, each inch sending a searing sensation through his body as he cried out in agony.
Without missing a beat, Yuri flipped back, delivering a powerful kick to Akin that sent him crashing into a distant corner.