Rei's predatory grin faltered, his eyes gradually dulling from bright crimson to deep, lifeless black. His body stiffened as pain shot through his skull—another violent headache tearing through him as the transformation began to recede. He clutched his head, falling to his knees as the agony pulsed behind his eyes.

  The claws retracted, the fangs shortened, and his posture became more human again. His breathing turned ragged, each inhale a desperate gasp for air as his body fought against the strain of the transformation.

  Kage leapt from the stands, landing effortlessly between the fighters. His sudden appearance sent a small shockwave across the training ground floor, momentarily halting the tension. The dust settled around his polished shoes as his keen eyes swept the battlefield, noting Sama's cockatrices beginning to fade as the summoner's concentration shifted to the unexpected interruption.

  "You, summoner," Kage said, eyes narrowing slightly behind his designer shades as he observed Rei's pained state. "Can your unicorn rejuvenate others?"

  Sama gave a nod, his expression remaining composed despite the tension in the air. With a graceful gesture, he summoned the unicorn from the Other World. The mythical creature materialized in a shimmer of light, its silver mane flowing as if caught in an ethereal breeze. It stepped forward, hooves making no sound against the concrete floor, and lowered its spiral horn toward Rei.

  A soft light enveloped Rei, who was barely clinging to consciousness after his transformation and battle with Raiden. His body showed signs of strain – though his wounds had healed themselves, the effort had clearly taken its toll. A deep exhaustion pulled him under, his body barely responding as the unicorn's healing energy surged through him. For a moment, he swore he was slipping away—but then, warmth flooded his veins, stitching together the damage in his muscles and nerves. His breath steadied, but his limbs still felt like dead weight.

  Raiden pushed himself up from the ground, his mind reeling from the fight. Despite his lightning-enhanced reflexes, he found himself shaken by what he'd witnessed. His blind eyes, still crackling with residual electricity, turned toward Rei with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

  What the hell did I just fight? he thought to himself, the question repeating in his mind as he recalled how Rei's body had changed, how the wounds had closed with unnatural speed, how something had looked out through Rei's eyes that wasn't entirely Rei. He outsped me. No one has ever done that before. His electromagnetic signature completely changed—became something else entirely.

  Raiden's pride stung, but more than that, a shiver of unease ran down his spine. Whatever Rei had become during their fight wasn't normal, even by the standards of Concept users.

  As Rei's consciousness slowly returned to normal, Sama and Gojima took their leave for the night. The tension in the air remained, thick enough to cut with a blade, even as they gathered their belongings and headed for the exit. Kage watched them disappear into the evening before turning to his team, his usual smirk intact but his tone more serious than his casual demeanor would suggest.

  "I have a sneaky suspicion that the old man doesn't like us," Kage muttered, keeping his statement vague to avoid alarming Raiden and Hiro. The reference to Shoto was clear enough for Rei to understand, but obscure enough to prevent unnecessary questions from the others. "We need to be ready for what's to come. Especially you, Rei."

  Raiden and Hiro exchanged glances but remained silent. There was clearly more at play than a simple training session, but neither pressed for details. Some things were better left unasked, especially when dealing with someone like Kage.

  Kage continued, stretching his arms overhead as he spoke, the gesture betraying none of the gravity of the situation. "I'll go talk to the old man and see what came from our first mission. Friday evening, you brats will come to my quarters and begin training." His gaze flicked to Hiro, who had been watching the exchange with uncharacteristic stillness. "Hiro, expect to be healing these two."

  At the mention of healing, Hiro's demeanor instantly shifted back to his usual self. His tongue began to salivate, gills fluttering with excitement as he gleefully licked Rei's face without warning. The sudden wet sensation jolted Rei back to full awareness, his face contorting in disgust as he attempted to shove the axolotl-boy away.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Get off me!" Rei protested, wiping his face with his sleeve.

  Kage shook his head, standing up and walking toward the exit. "This guy is so damn weird," he muttered, leaving his team to sort themselves out.

  Raiden and Hiro helped Rei up once Hiro had finished his "treatment." Despite his annoyance, Rei found his strength returning more quickly than expected. Whatever bizarre properties Hiro's saliva contained, they seemed effective.

  "I'm fine now... Thanks," Rei said grudgingly, steadying himself. "What happened? The last thing I remember clearly was grabbing your lightning spears."

  Raiden's expression grew serious. "You... changed. Your eyes turned red, and you moved differently. Faster. Stronger. You caught my face with one hand and slammed me into the ground. Then Shoto showed up and you went back to normal."

  Rei frowned, trying to process this information. "I felt myself slipping away," he admitted, his voice low. "Like someone else was taking control. I had visions—memories of battles I've never fought, of a warrior I've never met." He rubbed his temples, the phantom pain of the headache still lingering. "I'm sorry, Raiden, Hiro. I didn't mean to hurt either of you."

  Raiden and Hiro exchanged confused glances, unsure how to process this revelation.

  "Whatever it was," Hiro added, his tone unusually somber, "it wasn't normal healing. Your body... it was like it reconstructed itself at a cellular level."

  Meanwhile, Kage strode purposefully through the Academy halls, heading directly for Shoto's office. Without bothering to knock, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The older official was working at his desk, surrounded by stacks of paperwork and digital screens displaying Academy data.

  "Old man, we found out about the disappearances in Shibuya, and my team has yet to get paid. What's the hold-up?" Kage leaned against the desk, his tone filled with amused irritation as he deliberately disturbed the carefully organized documents.

  Shoto's eyes twitched, his composure visibly straining at the intrusion. His gaze held nothing but contempt as he looked up at Kage. "Nobody from the underworld dictates orders to someone of my ranking."

  Shoto was not a man to be trifled with—one of the oldest tenured members of the Academy, who had risen through the ranks from a field hero to one of its highest officials through decades of dedicated service. His weathered face bore the marks of countless battles, each line and scar a testament to his unwavering commitment to protecting the city and its citizens.

  Order. Structure. Discipline. These principles had guided Shoto's entire career. Heroes weren't just warriors or vigilantes in his view—they were symbols of stability, guardians who gave citizens peace of mind through their professionalism and adherence to proper protocols. The Academy existed to instill these values, to create heroes who would uphold the traditions that had kept society safe for generations.

  Until Haikito had beaten him for the position of Chairman—Shoto, who had been the favorite, the natural successor, the embodiment of the Academy's ideals. That defeat still burned within him, a constant reminder of how the institution he had dedicated his life to was being led down a dangerous path. Honorary licenses handed to assassins and unknowns, brutal combat methods encouraged, tradition tossed aside for Haikito's mysterious agenda.

  The words from Kage were delivered with all the authority Shoto could muster, but they only seemed to entertain Kage further. He chuckled, adjusting his shades with theatrical slowness.

  "Your rank means nothing if it isn't determined by strength. Myself and that bastard Haikito are leagues beyond you. Maybe after I deal with him, I'll set my sights on you too, Mr. Shoto."

  The threat, casual as it was delivered, hung in the air like a physical presence. Shoto's face darkened, years of discipline barely containing the rage building within him.

  "Get out. Now."

  Kage ignored the warning, his smirk widening as he picked up a pen from the desk, twirling it between his fingers. "Hold on, old man, I'm not done. Pay me and my team by tomorrow, or else Jumba won't be the academy's only concern."

  With that, he dropped the pen and turned on his heel, exiting with the same casual disregard with which he'd entered, leaving Shoto alone with his growing rage.

  After the door closed, Shoto's carefully maintained composure finally cracked. His fist slammed onto the desk, sending papers scattering to the floor. The pen Kage had handled snapped in his grip, ink spattering across important documents.

  This was exactly what he feared—the corruption of the Academy's purpose and principles under Haikito's leadership. Bringing in assassins, granting licenses to unknowns with monstrous powers, bypassing the trials that ensured only the worthy became heroes. Haikito was turning the Academy into something unrecognizable, something dangerous.

  Shoto rose from his desk, moving to the window overlooking the Academy grounds. Night had fallen, casting the training facilities and dormitories in shadows. For decades, he had watched generations of heroes train here, had guided the institution toward becoming a beacon of order in a chaotic world. He had sacrificed everything for the Academy—family, personal ambitions, even his own health through countless battles.

  All for what? To see it handed to a man whose methods and motives remained shrouded in mystery, whose first acts included elevating killers to the rank of hero?

  "Just you wait, Kage," he whispered to the empty office, his voice trembling with fury. "You and that boy will be gone."

  His reflection stared back at him from the window—a man who had given everything to an institution that no longer valued what he stood for. But Shoto was not finished yet. If Haikito wouldn't protect the Academy's traditions and standards, then he would do it himself, by whatever means necessary.