[ HARU'S POINT OF VIEW ]
Glancing beyond the window of the classroom I was in, my thoughts drifted away from the lecture that the rest of the class and I were having. The sun shone brightly as usual, even as it slowly sank beyond the skyline. The sports field was empty, with only a few pigeons occasionally stepping foot before flying away immediately.
What a boring day.
I sat at the back of the class, barely listening to the teacher's words as he scribbled letters on the board with a piece of chalk. My classmates—most of whom were half-asleep, while some were taking notes—seemed just as weary. This had been my life since entering high school.
"Any questions?" Our teacher turned to us, tossing the chalk perfectly onto his desk.
The class denied in unison.
"Alright. Then the test will be tomorrow," he continued. Audible yawns and the screech of plastic chair soles against the tiled floor filled the silence as everyone prepared to leave. "Don't forget to review chapters five to eight. Class dismissed." With that, he walked out of the room.
I grabbed my bag and pushed myself up from my chair.
"Yo, Haru."
I felt a light tap on my shoulder as Kazuki, my close friend, called my name. Casually, I turned my head toward him, only to be met with his ever-enthusiastic face.
"Let's head to the club together."
I nodded. Kazuki and I were in the same club. These "clubs" weren't like the ones you'd normally find in high schools. Each consisted of a group of five to eight people with abilities that complemented each other—hence, working perfectly as a team. If I had to choose a word to describe it, the closest would be a "guild" or "party."
Club work varied depending on the abilities of its members. Some specialized in labor-intensive tasks such as construction, demolition, or other heavy industrial work. Others were specifically formed as rescue teams or medics. As for our club, we specialized in combat.
After walking down the stairs and stepping out of the building, Kazuki and I traversed the campus toward the club fields. Students were scattered across the grounds, everyone busy at this hour of the day. Quite surprising, if I do say so myself, that an entire day of academic work hadn't drained all their energy.
My ability was by no means exceptional, and Kazuki wasn't any different. We considered ourselves "average" in both ability and skill, and society had labeled us the same. Not that I cared, but Kazuki had always been a passionate guy. Even though he didn't deny that his ability was far from strong, he still refused to give up on his dream of becoming a Sentinel.
"Hey, Haru," he said as we walked.
I didn't feel like looking at him, so I just responded with a simple, "What?"
There was a short pause before he replied. "Do you think we'll get expeditions soon?" His usual energetic tone had faded.
An expedition, huh... Kyoto High had a program for clubs called "expeditions," where members were sent on missions related to their specialty. If they completed these expeditions, not only would the school pay them, but they'd also earn credit points on their report cards—valuable when applying to Sentinel agencies. Ever since our club was established, not a single expedition request had graced our mailbox.
"Maybe the school hasn't recognized us yet," I replied shortly. "Let's just focus on training for now."
He let out a sigh. "But it's been six months," he said. I silently hoped he wouldn't randomly throw a tantrum. "I wanna test my skills in real missions."
"Well, it would be nice. But as we are now, we wouldn't survive even a Code Yellow expedition."
He fell silent. Did I just ruin the mood? I was just stating facts.
We continued walking toward the training field when suddenly, a disturbingly loud explosion echoed through the air. The world seemed to stop—every student in the area turned their heads toward the sound.
In this day and age, monster appearances were common, and the procedures for dealing with them had been practiced for thousands of years. Normally, people would glance at the commotion, call the Sentinels, and calmly leave. But something about this felt terrifyingly different.
"What the fuck?" my friend whispered a little too loudly as he instantly turned toward the explosion behind us. "A monster?" he mumbled, gazing into the distance.
Seconds later, the rumbling of the ground—caused by the thousand footsteps of students running toward us—filled our ears. It seemed like they were trying to flee from something. Dust clouds formed in the distance as Kazuki took a few steps back and looked at me.
"I think we should run," he said.
"No shit."
We sprinted away as fast as we could. Everyone around us did the same. We weren't sure what was going on, but our instincts told us we needed to get out of there.
Mere seconds later, screams drowned out every other sound. Rhythmic thuds vibrated through the ground, growing louder and louder. It was getting close.
Total chaos enshrouded us. I no longer recognized where we were running. As if caught in a stampede, we blindly followed the wave of the crowd—until even Kazuki vanished from my sight.
The screaming got louder as a huge shadow fell over us. I could hear the crunch of bodies behind me, and the ground wasn't just shaking—it was rattling hard. I turned to see a giant, twisted monster: a massive, human-like creature with shiny black skin and long, powerful limbs that crushed everything in its path. Its claw marks on the ground were enormous—each one was the length of a grown man—and when it opened its mouth to growl, the sound hit like a blast of wind, almost knocking me over. Its cold, split-iris for eyes swept over the chaos as it tore through the crowd, leaving a trail of blood.
I moved with the panicked crowd, blending in as everyone else ran. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a girl fall to the ground. She was crawling desperately and screaming for help while people kept pushing past her. For a split second, I paused.
"Somebody!" she shouted. I didn't know her—she was probably from another class. The safe bet was to keep running like everyone else. But for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder: what if I tried to help her? My legs just refused to move.
But it was too late. Even the girl had already given up, staring up at the monster that was about to slice her into shreds. In that moment, it seemed like only she and I were left. I figured that once the monster was done with her, I'd be next—yet my legs wouldn't budge. My hand twitched, itching to do something—anything.
Then a powerful shockwave from a massive collision slammed into me, pushing me back. I instinctively covered my face with my arms, and when I looked up as the dust settled, I saw a student levitating off the ground—mid-air—blocking the monster's enormous hand from reaching the girl.
"Stand up and run," he ordered, barely turning his head toward her. Even at that distance, I could tell he was straining to hold his position.
"Thank you, Saitou-san!" the girl shouted as she ran past me, teary-eyed. That was Saitou Masashi, a third-year. He'd shoved the monster's huge arm aside with sheer strength before landing a solid punch to its face mid-air, sending it stumbling back. Rumors and hearsay were all I had to go on when they called Saitou the strongest in Kyoto. Every word about him was steeped in praise and respect. Now, having seen him in action, I can say that this guy was truly special.
Each time laser beams shot from his eyes, striking the monster's skin, I could feel the air growing hotter. Bit by bit, he was burning through its thick skin. At this rate, it was obvious he could take the monster down on his own. I almost flinched when he suddenly turned to me.
"You! It's not safe to stay here!" he shouted over the chaos and then turned back to the monster.
I realized my hands were still in my pockets. Pulling one out, I scratched my head. "Sorry. Want me to call for backup or something?"
He twisted sharply in mid-air, dodging an incoming attack before countering with a powerful punch to the monster's jaw. "Thank you, but no. Just get yourself to safety," he replied, never once taking his focus off the fight.
So, not only was he strong, but he was also kind and modest.
Anyway, I had no reason to stick around, so I turned and ran, putting as much distance between myself and the battle as possible.
Eventually, I slowed down when I spotted a group of students clustered together, all staring at something in the distance. There was a commotion up ahead, hidden behind the crowd. I couldn't see what was happening, but the way their legs trembled and their teeth clenched pretty much gave me the idea. The ground shook beneath me, each tremor growing stronger as I moved closer. And then I confirmed it, I saw what had them frozen in place—another one. Just as massive as the first, its hulking form towering over the students who dared to stand and watch. Its deep, guttural breathing rumbled through the air, and with every step, the ground trembled.
Four students—Kyoto High students—were already fighting it. The rest of us could only watch. It was obvious why. The second any of us set foot in that battlefield, we'd be dead. Those four weren't just any students; they were members of Saitou Masashi's club. The strongest club in Kyoto High—and in the entire city.
Still, we couldn't pass through the gate until they took it down. The front yard was a mess—massive ice spikes were erected on the ground, and shattered splinters were scattered everywhere. Kugiwara Ryosuke had frozen the air around the monster's arms, coating them in thick, solid ice that stretched all the way to the metal railings on the road. It locked the creature in place for a few seconds—just enough time for Ueda Nozomi to leap into the air and swing her sword at its head.
The blade barely left a shallow cut. In the same moment, the monster shattered the ice like it was nothing.
Ueda landed smoothly, immediately putting distance between herself and the creature. She and Kugiwara exchanged a few words—probably discussing their next move, though none of us could hear them.
These monsters have never shown up in this city before. Normally, Masashi's team would've handled a situation like this in minutes. But this time? The fight was dragging on, and the monster looked like it was merely getting started. The front yard of the school was barely recognizable now—just a battlefield of ice, debris, and destruction.
"What the fuck!? Look!" someone from the crowd screamed, their voice raw with panic. "Over there!"
For a second, everyone hesitated, searching wildly for what he was pointing at—until a deafening roar tore through the campus. A monstrous, guttural sound that sent shivers down our spines.
And then we saw it. The third monster climbing, clawing its way over the school walls.
"Another one!?"
"Where the hell are the Sentinels!?"
"What code level is this!?"
The ground trembled as the creature landed, heavy and menacing. Even the teachers stood frozen in fear, making no move to help. It was obvious—they were leaving this fight to the students.
Then, from behind us, the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Everyone! Listen up!"
Yamada Kenzou, one of Saitou's club members, appeared, breathing heavily. Behind him, Narumi Shiho alertly followed close.
"We're sneaking you out in small groups," Yamada said, barely catching his breath. "Follow me and don't— do not —draw the monster's attention."
For a second, a glimmer of hope flickered across everyone's faces—only for it to shatter into pure chaos.
Students shoved and clawed at each other, each one desperate to be the first to escape. Screams filled the air, fists were thrown, nails dug into arms. The line turned into a frenzied, scrambling mob.
"P-Please, calm down, everyone!" Narumi pleaded, but her voice was swallowed by the deafening panic.
"Let the girls go first!"
"The principal is my relative! Let me out!"
"I'll fucking pay you—just take me out of here!"
Some of the more responsible teachers tried to regain control, pushing students back, shouting orders. But others—even the adults—took advantage of the chaos, using their authority to secure their own escape.
The situation spiraled further and further out of control, the screams blurred together.
Silence fell over us as Yamada smashed his metal-fist through the wall, punching a gaping hole in it. His expression darkened as he stared down at the debris, while Narumi, too scared to come any closer, watched with wide, anxious eyes.
"You fucking pigs," he barked, his voice seething with anger. "My friends are risking their lives for you, and you can't even cooperate."
He pulled his fist free from the shattered concrete, and in a flash, his other hand had turned to metal too. "Fine then." Sparks flew as he slammed his fists together. "You wanna stand beside me? Come on—let me bash your pathetic, useless fucking brains."
No one dared speak; everyone just stood there as Ueda and Kugiwara battled the two monsters.
"K-Kenzou..." Narumi's voice trembled as she placed a hand on Yamada's shoulder, worry etched on her face.
Yamada sighed before saying, "Twenty students only. Come on."
The twenty students closest to them stepped forward and then quickly ran off under Yamada and Narumi's watch. Outside the school hall, hundreds of us waited—and evacuating just twenty at a time would take forever. Still, it was the safest way to get everyone out.
I wondered, where's Kazuki? Is he even alive?
Ueda dashed to the side, narrowly dodging a heavy smash that slammed into the ground. As we watched, it became clear the monsters were deliberately moving toward our hiding spot instead of focusing solely on Ueda and Kugiwara.
"Ueda-san! Kugiwara-kun!" Saitou Masashi's voice cut through the chaos as he streaked across the field. In a flash, he landed a sucker punch on the first monster and then blasted the second one with laser beams from his eyes. Despite wounds scattered across his body, he showed up with a smile—almost as if he were relieved to see Ueda and Kugiwara still in the fight. His presence seemed to lift his friends' spirits too.
"Yes! Masashi is here now!"
"We're saved!"
The students behind me erupted in cheers. I had to admit, his arrival was a game changer—he was absolutely wrecking the monsters.
A few moments later, Yamada and Narumi returned.
"Next batch! Quick!" Yamada barked.
Twenty more students were evacuated. Everything seemed to be going well. At this rate, maybe we'd make it through the calamity—if you ignore all those who already didn't.
After Yamada and his group left, I turned back to the battlefield—and saw Ueda take a direct, fatal hit from one of the monsters. She was flung against a wall, buried under rubble. I heard Masashi shout her name as he raced toward her.
But then, one of the monsters caught him by the leg, slamming him into the ground. It hoisted him up and pounded him down like he was nothing more than a battering ram.
In a burst of panic, Kugiwara unleashed a burst of ice spikes, freezing everything in front of him.
"Hey, hey, what the fuck is going on? Weren't they winning just now?"
"Pull your shit together, Masashi!"
"What the hell are they doing!?"
The crowd went wild again. I sighed—this was battle, after all. One small mistake, and everything crumbled, no matter how much advantage you thought you had.
The monsters shattered the ice spikes Kugiwara had set up, then started sprinting toward him.
"Fucking move, idiot!" someone shouted from the crowd.
"What the hell, why are you just watching?!" another voice joined in, until a chorus of angry shouts filled the air.
Kugiwara stood frozen as he watched death march toward him. But before the monsters could reach him, Saitou grabbed him and took off into the air. I heard a collective sigh of relief ripple through the onlookers.
That relief, however, was short-lived. The monsters now barreled full speed toward us—only the distance between us and them was keeping us alive. With that gap closing, our chances dropped drastically.
Then Yamada appeared, his body turning to metal as he clung to one of the monster's legs. In a desperate attempt to slow it down, he anchored his feet against the concrete, even as he was dragged along. Narumi was likely by Ueda's side, using her ability to heal her. That explained why they hadn't come back yet.
"Let's get out of here! They've gotten too close!"
"Yeah, there's no use hiding anymore!"
Was I the only one who thought that was a stupid idea? Apparently so—everyone started running off in a panic.
We would have all been done for if Saitou-san hadn't body-slammed the first gigantic monster away. The other monster's legs were frozen to the ground, giving him the chance to blast lasers into its head, wounding it badly enough to make it bleed. Soon, the evacuees were scrambling back to our hiding spot, terrified.
How many minutes had passed? Where were the Sentinels? Even Saitou was clearly pushing his limits.
Then the other monster grabbed Yamada and tossed him aside like a toy. Out of nowhere, Ueda popped up and managed to stab it in the eye, blinding it. Saitou poured every last bit of strength into one final laser beam—a blast so bright we had to cover our eyes. The heat nearly reached us, eating into the monster's flesh until its skull got penetrated. It collapsed, dead, as blood gushed from its head.
The remaining monster had already broken free from Kugiwara's ice spikes, slamming Saitou mid-air. Ueda immediately aimed her sword at it, but before she could strike, another punch hit her. She was sent flying for the second time—and I had no idea how she was going to survive that.
Exhausted, Saitou tried to fly over and rescue his junior, but his strength was nearly spent. The raging monster caught him in mid-air. I watched as his eyes glowed red in a desperate attempt to fire off laser beams—but nothing came. The next sight horrified the shit out of everyone: the monster grabbed Saitou's head and crushed it like a tomato, blood and brain matter leaking out between its fingers. Then, a deafening silence fell over the crowd as we watched our only hope get tossed aside like a ragdoll.
Now, no matter what we did, we were gonna die.
Everyone was frozen in disbelief. But Saitou was just a kid like the rest of us. Even with the powers he had, without years of fighting experience, his chances were slim.
The monster slowly turned its head in our direction, its jaw and shoulder muscles slackening as it crept over—as if it sensed no threat. Just when we thought we might have a chance to run, the monster began accelerating on all fours, speeding up until it was sprinting full tilt at us. The crowd fell silent as inevitable death closed in.
Then, out of nowhere, giant vines of solid ice wrapped around the monster's limbs, pinning it in place for a few seconds.
"What the fuck are you waiting for?!" Kugiwara roared, veins bulging in his neck. "Run, you idiots—run!!!"
Screams of fear surrounded me as another stampede began. Kugiwara kept freezing the monster's limbs, only for it to shatter the ice again and again. Still, he didn't stop.
I started moving too, realizing that everyone had already gone ahead. We all ran in the same direction—toward the gate—while Kugiwara Ryosuke bought us time.
As we rushed past the massive ice shards littering the ground, the air grew colder, and the slick, melting frost beneath our shoes made every step unsteady. The students with speed-related abilities had already made it out, past the gate, while the rest of us—those too slow or just plain unlucky—were left behind, still running for our lives.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar figure keeping pace with me—Narumi Shiho, one of Saitou Masashi's club members. She was gasping for air, legs struggling to move any faster. I deemed her athletic ability to be as good as shit.
Not that I blamed her for running. Leaving a comrade behind wasn't exactly heroic, but what Kugiwara was doing? That was straight-up suicide. If even Saitou Masashi couldn't take the monster down, escaping was the only real choice.
"Kugiwara is dead!!!" someone screamed from behind. With our last line of defense gone, it was only a matter of time before the monster caught up to us.
We didn't dare look back. We just kept running, clinging to the desperate hope that reaching the gate would somehow mean survival.
Then, a violent zapping sound crackled through the sky behind us. Something about it gnawed at me. I couldn't ignore it. My feet skidded to a stop as I turned around, letting the other students rush past me.
A massive chunk of metal spun through the air like a Beyblade, hurtling toward us at terrifying speed. It must have been something the monster had thrown. If that thing hit, we'd be nothing more than shredded meat in seconds.
Guess I'll take care of that.
My ability was "Barrier". I could summon a thin sheet of translucent, solid matter capable of blocking projectiles or any kind of molecule. It might have sounded like a useful ability, but in most situations, I was considered dead weight. The barrier's strength was inversely proportional to its size—meaning the bigger I made it, the weaker it became. Worse, it blocked attacks from both directions, making it useless in group fights since my teammates couldn't attack while I was protecting them. The best I'd ever done with it was barely stopping bullets.
Still, right now, it was exactly what I needed.
The barrier had to be the perfect size. Too big, and it would shatter on impact, letting the metal tear through us. Too small, and the projectile would slip past, causing casualties.
I extended my arm forward, focusing on the space in front of me. From its center, the golden-yellow, holographic barrier began to materialize, spreading outward from thin air. It hovered, waiting for impact.
The metal hit. My barrier shattered like glass. The shockwave from the impact sent me stumbling backward, but it had done its job. The metal slab ricocheted off, slamming into the ground far from us. I did it—I had just saved hundreds of lives.
"Haru!" A familiar voice rang out behind me, followed by hurried footsteps. Kazuki tapped my shoulder, his breathing uneven. "Holy shit, you saved us." His voice was laced with shock, tinged with disbelief.
I turned to him. "Kugiwara's dead."
"Yeah, I heard." He replied quickly. "Let's go. We're the only ones left behind."
I nodded, and we broke into a sprint toward the gate. But as I thought, it wouldn't be that easy.
The ground trembled beneath us. The thunderous footfalls of a sprinting giant closed in fast. Our strides were nothing compared to its speed and in mere seconds, it caught up to us.
Before we got squashed like pests, I swiftly turned around and summoned a barrier to block its enormous hand. Up close, I noticed fragments of Saitou's skull stuck to its skin.
My barrier shattered once again when the giant claws collided with it. Along with the splintering shards of my barrier, a stinging sensation shot through my head like a sudden headache.
"Shit..." Kazuki muttered, clearly losing his composure as he stared at the deep claw marks gouged into the concrete where I had redirected the attack. I had angled my barrier to deflect the force, so even though it wasn't strong enough to fully block the blow, we managed to survive that strike.
A hint of shock and confusion flashed on the monster's face when its attack was parried. It raised the same arm once more for another strike, this time with furious intensity in its punch—almost as if it just knew that I had run out of tricks. And unfortunately, it was true; that was the only way I could block its powerful blows, and it wasn't a method that would work twice.
Just when we were about to be crushed, a girl came flying in from the side as fast as a bullet. Her foot slammed solidly onto the giant's head, a kick so powerful it nudged the beast backward a bit before she landed with a backflip between me and the monster. Ueda Nozomi's uniform was unrecognizable now—torn and soaked in blood. Wounds covered her body, yet she stood there without a hint of fear. Just pure rage.
Her ability was straight up physical strength enhancement. They once compared her striking power to a shotgun blast at point-blank range—and she proved even stronger. Normally, she wielded a blade, but she arrived empty-handed. Perhaps she lost it during the battle, but did she really plan to fight with just her knuckles?
"You killed my fucking friends," she muttered, her voice burning with rage as she walked forward.
Meanwhile, I turned to Kazuki, who was still frozen in fear. "Now's our chance to run," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder to shake him awake.
He blinked, staring at me in disbelief. "W-What?"
"I said let's run. Someone's holding the monster off," I replied.
He glanced behind me. "Yeah... but..."
I knew exactly what he meant. Tightening my grip on his shoulder, I urged him, "Kazuki, we're weak. We can't do shit. The best thing we can do is run and not get in Ueda's way."
He understood—there was no time to waste. With a clicked tongue, he and I sprinted away as fast as we could while Ueda traded blows with the monster.
We almost made it to the gate, but then the sound of a concrete wall collapsing made Kazuki stop in his tracks. I looked back and saw Ueda being thrown against a wall. Motionless, she lay there as the monster prepared to deliver the finishing blow.
Ueda would have been dead—if not for a flaming chunk of rock that suddenly flew toward the monster's shoulder. It didn't hurt the beast much, but it was enough to grab its attention. That's when I noticed Kazuki had already charged into the fight, trying to delay Ueda's death.
"You gotta be kidding me," I whispered in disbelief. I knew Kazuki always dreamed of being a hero, but I never expected him to do something this stupid. Then again, I didn't know any better myself—if this kind of thing were normal, I'd never have known.
Kazuki trembled when the monster turned its head toward him. Now what? His ability to set small objects on fire, flammable or not, wouldn't boost the impact of his throws anyway.
"I'm right here, fucker!" he shouted. Even though his voice wavered, his stance remained steady, and he never took his eyes off the monster. He hurled another flaming rock at it, hitting the creature directly in the eye and making it flinch and roar in annoyance.
Kazuki never denied that his ability was far from powerful. Still, I knew how hard he worked every day to make himself useful in any situation. He had practiced his throwing skills since childhood, maximizing his range, strength, and accuracy. That's how he'd become such a formidable force in ranged combat.
Before I knew it, my feet were moving on their own. I found myself running toward Ueda to rescue her while Kazuki distracted the monster. I saw her lying unconscious on the ground—thankfully, she was still breathing. Even as I rushed, I made sure to lift her gently as I prepared to make a run for it.
"Kazuki! I got her!" I shouted to get his attention.
He turned toward me, his eyes shining and a smile crossing his face when he saw us. "Nice save, Haru!"
Those were his last words—before his body was turned into a mush of minced meat and blood splattered on the ground.
"Ka...zuki..."
[END OF CHAPTER]