30 Invasion! Part II

"Oh no. I must hurry," Ono Haruka whispered, her voice filled with urgency.

Like a nimble shinobi, she moved swiftly, her body propelled by a sense of purpose. A mother's anguished cry pierced the air, her face etched with sadness and worry, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her beloved daughter had vanished without a trace.

Haruka, a counseling teacher at First High, harbored a secret identity beneath her ordinary facade—a covert investigator for the Public Department of Safety.

"The timing... and Sayaka's disappearance," she murmured, her words tinged with frustration.

Deep down, she sensed a definite connection between Sayaka's sudden vanishing and the enigmatic organization known as Blanche. Her tireless investigation was reaching its climax.

In synchrony with her thoughts, a beep emanated from her terminal. The results of her investigation had arrived.

Chaos reigned within the school grounds, an atmosphere of disorder and confusion. Utilizing her training as a student of the Yakumo shrine, Haruka effortlessly neutralized intruders who dared disrupt the tranquility.

"Sensei! Help!"

A feeling of helplessness and concern washed over her.

Three female students approached, their uniforms dirtied and disheveled. Haruka's heart ached at the sight of them. She was not only a counseling teacher but also a mentor to numerous students, and witnessing their suffering weighed heavily upon her.

"Oh, my god. What happened to you three?"

She asked, genuine worry lacing her words as her gaze focused on the trio. Observing their distress, regret gnawed at her for the hardships they had endured.

"The Library! Please, we need your help! There's a trapped student."

Honoka's tear-streaked face quivered, her hands trembling uncontrollably. Her two companions appeared equally distraught.

Haruka's complexion grew pale. A sense of foreboding washed over her as she realized that the library held the key to this catastrophe.

Honoka's voice trembled as she shared the harrowing details, "Morisaki-kun ventured into that place. When I looked inside, I witnessed multiple lifeless bodies lying motionless. The worst part is, we're unable to locate Haku-san." Her words were interspersed with tears, making it difficult for her to continue.

Haruka's trembling fingers betrayed the lingering effects of her recent encounter.

Memories of the day she had followed Haku, driven by an insatiable desire to unravel the enigma shrouding his ambiguous identity, flooded her mind.

She had gravely underestimated the lurking danger.

Her throat still bore the haunting sensation of that suffocating grip, a chilling reminder of the malevolent power radiating from the boy who stared up at her with eyes ablaze—a gaze devoid of innocence.

Contemplating these thoughts, she stood before the three distressed girls.

But should she worry? Strangely, an inexplicable sense of reassurance washed over her, as if Morisaki, the hapless student who had unknowingly ventured into danger, would remain unharmed.

"Ono-sensei, what's happening?"

A deep voice shattered the chaos behind her.

She turned to face the familiar figures of Tatsuya, Miyuki, Leo, and Erika—students with whom she had forged a deeper connection over time.

Confusion etched their faces, mirroring the questions swirling within Haruka's mind

---

Serge's mind boiled with rage, his finger trembling on the trigger. He couldn't contain the urge to unleash a storm of bullets upon the figure standing before him.

The source had claimed that the headmaster of First High was out of town, so why was he here?

No matter, he needed to finish this quickly.

"Let's do it! We can retrieve the data from the other room," he declared.

"Fire!"

With a resounding roar, a bullet, charged with destructive magic, soared toward the figure.

Serge cared little for the collateral damage; another room with the same functions awaited him.

But fate had a cruel twist in store for him today, leading him to the wrong room.

"What the hell is happening?" a voice stammered.

"Where did the bullets go?"

"Is this real magic?"

Relieved, they assumed their target had fallen victim to the bullets. Yet beads of sweat defied gravity, cascading down their foreheads.

Serge's heart raced, confirming his mistake—the wrong room.

"Is that all?" a calm voice echoed.

Not a single piece of the room's interior had been marred by the hail of bullets.

[Sukunahikona [S]

[The power to manipulate subatomic particles, altering the scale, mass, strength, and density of both organic and inorganic matter.]

With his primary magic, he shrank their bullets effortlessly.

A smile crept across his face as he spoke. "Allow me to return your bullets."

Miraculously, the bullets reversed course, hovering in the air at the same velocity at which they were fired.

"Shit!"

"Arghh!"

Their bodies convulsed in pain, succumbing to their wounds.

"Hoh. Magic barriers, three layers, it seems. Are you truly willing to risk your life to protect yourself?"

Haku chuckled.

Before him, Serge was enclosed in a three-layered [Barrier].

'What kind of magic was this? To shrink and restore the bullets...'

Serge, undeterred by Haku's presence, lunged forward with his fist empowered by [Reinforcement] magic, his body propelled by [Acceleration].

"Yes! Bring it!"

Haku exclaimed as if he had stumbled upon something rarely found.

[Unknown [C+]

A purple aura, suffused with magical energy, enveloped Haku's right fist, casting an eerie glow in the dimly lit room.

Rising to his feet, Haku welcomed Serge's attack.

-Boom!

Their fists collided, sending shockwaves reverberating through the unfortunate surroundings.

The unsettling sound of bones cracking filled the air.

"Arghh!"

Serge was expelled from the room, crashing into the library hall's staircase.

His right hand shattered, bones twisted in unnatural angles.

Damn it! I need to retreat for now, he silently cursed, struggling to stand while invoking [Accelerate] magic to escape.

As he rose to his feet, an afterimage materialized before him in a blur.

Haku's kick sent Serge hurtling back down to the ground floor.

"I didn't even have time to put a barrier," Serge muttered, crawling towards the exit.

His previous deadpan expression had given way to desperation, a desperate attempt to survive the monster before him.

Haku grinned, savoring the sight.

"Serge Lachapelle, a defector from the French special magic unit," Haku remarked, approaching Serge. His voice dripped with disdain. "You came here because of Blanche, but your true intention lies with the Juumonji Clan, doesn't it?"

Serge trembled as Haku passed him, looming before him with a hint of pity.

Raising his gaze, Serge was astonished.

"You're... just a student?"

A nameless student had effortlessly bested him like an amateur, despite being aware of Serge's background.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Haku asked, tilting his head.

The purple aura encased his right arm once more, granting him the strength to lift Serge's heavy body with ease.

"T-Telekinesis—ugh!" The aura, previously enveloping Serge entirely, constricted around his neck, choking the life out of him.

He struggled, gasping for breath.

"Just one question: where is Mibu Sayaka?" Haku's playful smile had transformed into a serious one.

All along, doubts plagued him.

He had anticipated Sayaka's appearance alongside the Agalite primary team, led by the kendo prodigy Tsukasa Kinoe.

Haku had observed the entire raid through his [Elemental Sight], yet Sayaka remained conspicuously absent.

He couldn't track her down, her magic eluding his senses as it once did.

Something had gone awry; he had miscalculated.

"Kuhhk! So, you're Yuki Haku! And you actually think that girl will live through this after what you've done to me?"

Desperation seeped into Serge's threat, leading Haku to surmise that Sayaka had suffered a grim fate.

"If you disclose the location of your new base, I'll grant you a swift death," Haku offered.

When he finished speaking, dozens of [Ice Spears] materialized, hovering around Serge.

"B-Bastard! You think I'm bluffing!"

Serge screamed as if his life hung in the balance.

"I am not bluffing either," Haku retorted, wagging his index finger.

-Stab!

An ice spear impaled Serge's thigh.

"ARGHH!"

It was the cry of a desperate man.

Haku's expression remained unchanged, his fiery gaze icy cold.

"You have ten seconds before Jarvis locates your whereabouts."

Serge's breath came in ragged gasps, his pupils trembling with pain and the coldness radiating from the ice spear lodged in his leg.

"One."

-Stab!

"UAHHG!"

"Two."

-Stab!

"Stop! I'll tell you. Please, stop!"

In the end, Serge relinquished his pride under the torment. True to his word, Haku ended Serge's suffering with a swift decapitation.

With a resounding crash, Serge's lifeless body collapsed when Haku released [Unknown] upon him.

Haku glanced toward a towering pillar, sensing someone's presence.

"Come out," he commanded, his voice cold and unwavering.

Trembling, a male student emerged from the shadows, his face drained of color.

---

Morisaki, trailed by Eimi, Honoka, and Shizuku, arrived at the library.

"What in the world...?" Honoka gasped, her hand instinctively covering her mouth as she averted her gaze.

The scene before them was horrifyingly distinct from the rest of the campus, where intruders and injured staff only bore minor injuries like scrapes and sprains.

But within the library, the sight was truly terrifying.

It was a one-sided massacre.

Bodies of concerned faculty were scattered everywhere, creating a haunting tableau.

The scarcity of teachers and staff hindered any swift countermeasures against the terrorists, just as the number of capable students willing to fight was limited.

"What should we do? I think I sensed Haku-san's presence using my magic," Shizuku said, her trembling hands clutching each other tightly.

"Mama, I promise I'll be a good girl," Eimi muttered, her face drained of color.

Realizing that it would be impossible for the girls to enter, Morisaki made a decision.

"The three of you, find a teacher or a senior student who possesses strength. I'll go in and search for him," Morisaki declared.

"N-No! Did you not see what happened here!?" Honoka attempted to stop Morisaki.

"Tsk! I saw it, okay? Look, I've got goosebumps too! I'm not planning on engaging in combat, alright? I'll just extract him and get out quickly," Morisaki retorted.

And so, Morisaki ventured into the library alone.

Not wanting to waste any time, Eimi, Honoka, and Shizuku hurriedly set out to find help.

"Ugh! This is disgusting," Morisaki muttered as he stepped into the library, his feet almost slipping on the blood-soaked floor.

"Tsk! Where should I begin?" he pondered aloud.

The library was engulfed in an eerie darkness, with flickering lights adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

"Damn... This place is massive. Gives me the chills," Morisaki shivered, his eyes scanning the vast expanse of bookshelves stretching out before him.

His mission was clear: find the survivors hidden within the library.

-Boom!

A sudden loud noise reverberated, shattering the concrete silence.

"Enemy," Morisaki whispered, his face filled with panic. He tightly gripped his Special CAD and swiftly sought refuge behind a nearby pillar.

"I didn't even have time to put a barrier."

A deep, resounding voice reached his ears, causing him to freeze in place.

But it seemed the owner of that voice was in trouble.

Should I take a peek to see who it is?

"Serge Lachapelle, a defector from the French special magic unit. You came here because of Blanche, but your true intention lies with the Juumonji Clan, doesn't it?"

Wait, there he is! What was he doing, fighting alone against the enemy?

Morisaki thought, arrogantly.

Despite acknowledging that he was no match for Haku, dealing with a terrorist single-handedly seemed overly confident and reckless.

As relief washed over him, Morisaki cautiously peered from his hiding spot.

From a distance, he caught a glimpse of someone crawling desperately.

What he witnessed was a sight he had never seen before.

The power exuding from him sent shivers of fear down his spine.

Beneath Haku's deceptive facade of sheep-like innocence, a devil lurked in disguise.

He could hear the screams and cries of grown men, filled with agonizing pain.

Damn it! How much longer do I have to endure this?

Morisaki cursed his own limitations.

A few seconds passed, and as Haku achieved his objective, the screams ceased.

"Come out," Haku's voice commanded.

Morisaki's breath caught in his throat.

Mom, I will be a good boy.

Morisaki made a solemn promise deep within his heart as he resignedly stepped forward, revealing himself to Haku's gaze.