Bab 41: CHAPTER 40 - Malevolent Presence (4)
Akihiko looked at Ren with a smirk, and in a blink, he was sent flying by a strong gust of wind. However, Ren expected it to happen and was prepared. He wasn't blown too far, as he used his magic to bind his feet to the roof and used it as leverage to prevent himself from getting blasted.
"Ba-bastard! Are you out of your mind!" Ren wasn't surprised but still questioned why the crazy guy would do something without thinking. He knew that Akihiko doesn't care about consequences and would do anything as long as he feels like it.
"Well, they do call me that," Akihiko replied, still with his smirky expression all over his face.
Ichiro, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded by the situation. Firstly, he was surprised that Ren would even offer to be his sponsor. He wondered how much Ren had talked to his family about him that he would go and inform him right away of their decision.
"You better be prepared," Ren said as he became enraged and decided to take on Akihiko's threats.
"Prepare for what? Can you even hit me?" Akihiko mockingly said. Since he started school, no one had ever beaten him up nor laid a single hand on him. His whole body was enveloped with a swirling vortex, and if someone dared to touch him, they would experience the cut of millions of blades.
"Don't think because your Aerochrysalis technique, it can protect you all the time," Ren stated. He was aware of the wind vortex covering Akihiko's entire body. Such a technique can't protect him all the time.
"Well, see if you can try to break it," Akihiko was eager to see if Ren was strong enough to defeat him. Honestly, he knew he wasn't strong enough, as he was easily beaten by Emi, and he could easily beat Emi.
The school rooftop became the stage for a clash of elemental forces as Akihiko, a master of wind magic, faced off against Ren, a formidable earth mage. The air was charged with anticipation, and the wind howled with an almost sentient excitement.
Akihiko stood with confidence, his hand raised as he summoned the protective shield of around him. The swirling vortex of magical wind encased him like a translucent cocoon, shimmering with iridescent hues. Across from him, Ren took a defensive stance, his earth magic ready to counter the upcoming assault.
Ren's first move was to manipulate the rooftop itself. With a focused gesture, he caused the ground beneath Akihiko to quake, sending shockwaves through the solid surface. The very earth seemed to rebel against the wind mage, attempting to disrupt his concentration. Yet, Aerochrysalis held firm, the magical winds absorbing and dispersing the seismic energy.
Undeterred, Ren shifted his strategy. He raised his hands, and from the rooftop emerged sharp, crystalline spikes made of condensed earth. These earthen projectiles shot towards Akihiko with impressive speed, each one aimed at breaking through the protective shield. However, the wind magic was swift in response, manipulating the air currents to deflect and divert the incoming spikes harmlessly away.
As the battle intensified, Ren's frustration grew apparent. Determined to find a weakness in Akihiko's defense, he channeled his earth magic into the very air around them. Dust and debris lifted from the ground, forming a swirling vortex of gritty particles. Ren hoped that the abrasive nature of the suspended matter would erode the magical winds.
Despite Ren's relentless efforts, Akihiko stood unwavering within his protective cocoon. Akihiko held strong, sensing an opportunity, he seized the moment to counterattack. He released a burst of tornado toward Ren.
Caught off guard, Ren attempted to erect a defensive wall of earth, but the tornado tore through with relentless force. Ren found himself buffeted by the winds, struggling to maintain his footing on the now tumultuous rooftop.
As the wind and earth clashed in a spectacular display of magic, it became evident that Akihiko's mastery of Aerochrysalis had prevailed. The rooftop battle echoed with the howling winds and the resonating clash of elements, leaving the outcome hanging in the balance.
Ichiro, who witnessed the whole battle, was in awe. Akihiko was indeed someone he shouldn't trifle with or make his enemy. Ren had used up all his energy and couldn't even lay a hand on Akihiko. He wondered if anyone was strong enough to beat him. To Ichiro's surprise, someone was strong enough.
In a blink, Akihiko was sent lying flat on the ground.
"Idiot! What are you doing?"
Ichiro looked up in the sky. He was surprised to see one of their teachers floating down towards them.
"You—" Akihiko slowly looked up and glared at the woman who had hit him so hard without any fear at all.
"Miss Nakamura?" Ren, who was slowly pulling himself up, stood up. He was badly wounded and had severe open wounds.
"You think because you're so strong, you can just bully people." Miss Nakamura didn't allow Akihiko's mischievous behavior to pass. She used her own wind magic to manipulate the wind and sent him flying into the wall. "You better think of what you just did."
Akihiko tried to fight back, but his sister's wind control was too formidable for him to break. "Forget this!"
Ichiro, on the other hand, continued to watch everything in amazement. He thought no one was strong enough to beat up Akihiko, but he had forgotten that he was in a world where there are always stronger people just around the corner.
"Miss Nakamura, please, let him down," one of the teachers pleaded as they feared the consequences of beating up Akihiko.
"Everyone, calm down already. Ren, what is the meaning of this?" Vice-Principal Kiyoshi asked, seeing how badly wounded Ren was. He knew Akihiko did it, but why did Akihiko suddenly get enraged when he had been laying low for a while now.
"He just attacked me out of nowhere. I was just talking to Ichiro." Ren pointed at Ichiro, who seemed lost in the current situation.
"Me?" Ichiro pointed at himself, confused as to why he was suddenly involved in their quarrel.
"Takahashi, what happened here?" Vice-Principal Kiyoshi asked angrily at Ichiro. He needed to shift the blame onto someone and not get the two families involved with each other. It would be an endless battle if such a thing happened.
"Don't get him involved, you old fart!" Akihiko glared at the vice-principal, knowing he planned to put all the blame on Ichiro.
"Nakamura-sama?" one of the teachers nervously looked at the boy still glued to the wall by Miss Nakamura's wind magic.
"You bastard! What did you call the vice-principal just now?" Miss Nakamura couldn't believe what was happening. Akihiko wasn't the type to start a fight.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Akihiko showed no fear to his own sister nor to the teacher. He wasn't afraid of any consequence. He knew his sister wouldn't do as much as she did earlier.
"You—" Miss Nakamura looked at her stubborn half-brother. How did she end up having such a stubborn brother when all of them got along so well.
"What, if you got nothing to say to me, get this off me," Akihiko pointed at the wind holding him back, its unseen force proving unyielding.
Miss Nakamura eventually lost her restraint on Akihiko. Even if she held him down, he would eventually be released, as they needed to send him back to class. She then looked at Ichiro, who seemed puzzled by everything. She realized that he must be the reason for Akigiko's suspicious behavior. While Akihiko was fond of Ichiro, she doubted it was to the point of getting into a fight. Suspicion filled her gaze as she and her sister locked eyes.
"Whatever you're thinking, get rid of it. It's not what you think!" Akihiko glared angrily at his sister. Even without her saying a word, he could tell she was pondering if he was in love with Ichiro.
Everyone looked perplexed as to what the siblings could be talking about. In the end, everyone was left with a warning: the two must never cross paths until the mock battle. If they did, the consequence would be suspension, barring them from participating.
Only Ren seemed disturbed by the news, as Akihiko didn't seem to care about the consequences.
"Ichiro, what happened?" Ren asked.
Ichiro, following Ren from behind, was about to enter his class, not wanting to walk next to him.
"Senpai, it's fine. I really don't know what happened between them. Everything unfolded so fast; I couldn't grasp the concept of the situation."
"By the way, are you free this weekend?" Senpai Fujimoto inquired.
"Why?" Ichiro wondered why his suddenly new homeroom teacher was interested in him.
"If you're free, meet me at this place," Senpai Fujimoto said, handing him a piece of paper before leaving.
"What is this all about?" Ichiro wondered as he opened the paper and read in his thoughts what was written.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone