Chapter 57: Chapter 16

Seijirou’s fist crashed into the last masked student’s jaw, the sound of bone meeting knuckle echoing through the entrance of the school building.

The man dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, and Seijirou exhaled, rolling his shoulder as he glanced around the corridor littered with groaning bodies.

"That’s all of them," he muttered, brushing dust and blood from his uniform.

Rindou adjusted her skirt with an annoyed grunt, then stomped one of the downed students on the chest for good measure.

She took a long breath, her face flushed both from exertion and the lingering ache deep in her lower body.

The memory of what happened earlier in the student council room flashed in her mind, and her face turned crimson.

Seijirou looked over, surprised she was still moving fine. "You fight better than I thought, especially without your shinai."

Rindou smirked, pushing a stray strand of black hair from her face. "I told you before, didn’t I? Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself. I’ve got a black belt in karate, I just don’t use it much, as I feel like Kendo is much more elegant."

Seijirou chuckled. "Right. I guess there is a reason you are called the Crazed Gorilla."

"What!?" Rindou exclaimed in anger, "Who’s calling me that!? I’m going to rip them apart!’

"Well, I don’t know. I just caught wind of it." Well, the players called her that in the game due to her insane combat power and her relentless fighting style.

She would literally beat up any thugs even when they’re already down.

He chose to change the topic and looked ahead. "Come on. We need to get inside and find Suzune."

She nodded, wiping the sweat from her forehead. They took a few steps toward the entrance when suddenly a familiar voice cut through the air.

"SEIJI!!!"

Seijirou froze, his head immediately snapping up, and his pupils contracted when he spotted someone he knew very fall up there.

Suzune, her blonde hair flying wildly, her uniform torn, with blood staining her sleeve, was falling from the second floor window, clutching a terrified Rei in her arms.

"SUZUNE!"

He didn’t think. His body moved before his mind caught up as he sprinted, then jumped, kicking off a lamppost and a fallen sign to gain height and momentum.

The air whooshed past his ears as he caught both girls mid-fall, twisting his body to take the impact himself.

They crashed into the ground hard, the sound of the impact cracked through the air, but Seijirou rolled, absorbing most of the shock, before landing on one knee with both of them in his arms.

Pain shot through his body, but he gritted his teeth, ignoring it, and exhaling sharply. "Got you."

He gently set them down.

Immediately, Rei collapsed on the ground, her legs trembling uncontrollably as tears welled in her golden eyes.

"We... we almost died..." she whispered, still shaking.

Suzune, however, didn’t move away, jer trembling hand gripped the front of his shirt tightly.

Her breathing was ragged, her face pale, eyes half-lidded, and she looked at him as if confirming he was real.

"Seiji..." she whispered, her voice breaking. Her fingers brushed his cheek, trembling, smearing a little blood on his skin. "I knew you’d save me..."

"What the hell were you thinking!? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! What if you jumped a little moment earlier!? I would’ve already been inside the building and wouldn’t be able to save you!"

Suzune acted as if he didn’t hear him, simply caressing his cheeks and muttering his name.

Seijirou stared back, jaw tightening as he finally took in her injuries, the bruises on her face, the cuts on her arms, the exhaustion in her posture.

His expression darkened with restrained fury.

Before he could speak, Suzune muttered again, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Seiji... Seiji..." she repeated, clinging to him as if she’d vanish if she let go.

Behind them, Rindou crouched to help Rei, her own expression conflicted, she supported the pink-haired girl gently, but her gaze lingered on Seijirou and Suzune.

The way they held each other... the emotion in Suzune’s voice... the intensity in his eyes.

Her lips tightened. Are they... together?

Her chest sank as realization hit. Then... I’m the other woman? And she just realized it now that she had already given everything to that man! Seijirou probably already knows her body better than herself!

Her face flushed crimson again, not from exertion but from the thought that she might have just taken another girl’s boyfriend.

’I-I didn’t know... I mean, he didn’t say anything... right?’

She looked away, helping Rei to her feet, trying to push the thought out of her mind, but she couldn’t stop the sting in her chest as Suzune continued to cling to him, whispering his name like a prayer.

"YOU BITCH!"

Just then, the familiar sound of Basuta’s bellow echoed across the courtyard as his massive frame came crashing down from the upper floor.

The impact rattled the ground, dust flying, the concrete cracking under his weight, jis rolls of fat quivered like waves, but to everyone’s surprise, he landed perfectly balanced, not even limping.

"V–Vice Principal!?" Rindou blurted out, her blue eyes widening. "What the hell—how is he unharmed after that fall!?"

Her disbelief was mirrored in Rei’s wide golden eyes, the girl froze behind Suzune, trembling as the grotesque man straightened his tie and adjusted his cracked glasses with an eerily calm smile.

Seijirou instinctively moved forward, stepping between the girls and Basuta.

His expression hardened. "So it really is you, you disgusting pig. I really shouldn’t have hesitated and eliminated you sooner."

Basuta’s grin stretched, exposing yellow teeth. "Kageyama Seijirou... I was wondering if you’d interfere."

He opened his arms mockingly, his voice dripping with arrogance. "How about this? Hand over the miko candidates, and I’ll forget this little inconvenience ever happened."

For Basuta, offending Seijirou was simply not an ideal situation. Seijirou’s parents were very influential, and if they use their authority, calling over the police to arrest him even without any evidence or reason was as easy as snapping their fingers.

And although Basuta believe that his god was invincible, Basuta himself was not that strong. At least, he can’t dodge a bullet if he tried to resist the arrest.

Seijirou’s reply was immediate. "How about you shut your mouth before I make you eat your own fat, you damn pig?"

Basuta’s face twitched, his false composure cracking. "You dare talk to me like that, you insignificant brat!? That’s it! Who cares if your parents are influential! At worst, I’ll hide in the mountains!"

The air thickened as a foul black mist surged from Basuta’s fingertips, flowing like smoke into the mouths and noses of the unconscious masked students scattered across the ground.

Rindou’s eyes widened in horror. "What’s he—!"

Before she could finish, the students convulsed violently, their bodies jerking as their veins turned black.

Their eyes snapped open, glowing crimson, and their broken limbs twisted unnaturally as they stood again.

Suzune whimpered. "W-What the hell!? What’s with that supernatural shit!?"

"A-Are they ghosts!?" Rei stuttered, her eyes widening in shock.

Basuta let out a booming laugh that shook his fat shoulders. "Behold! The divine gift bestowed upon me by my lord! The power to manipulate and command the lost souls of the weak! This is the power of a go—"

He never got to finish.

A sharp crack split the air as Seijirou’s kick smashed into his face.

Basuta’s head snapped back, spit and blood flying as his massive body toppled, hitting the ground with a wet thud.

"Save your sermon," Seijirou said flatly, lowering his leg. "I don’t care what god you’re yapping about. If you’re the one controlling them, taking you down should end it."

Basuta writhed, clutching his bleeding nose, his entire body trembling with rage.

"Y-you dare... strike me!?" He forced himself to his feet, grunting heavily as his bulk swayed like a collapsing tower. "I’ll make you regret that, you arrogant brat!"

He roared, fhe air warped around him, and a violent gust burst outward, his flesh twisted, his skin crawling with fur.

Then, his ears stretched upward into feline points, and his nose reshaped into a short, twitching snout.

Sharp fangs jutted out from his mouth as his fingers curved into clawed paws, his suit tore apart at the seams, revealing grotesque rolls of fur-covered fat.

Basuta laughed maniacally, drool dripping from his fanged mouth. "Behold, the power of a god! The body of a divine beast!"

Seijirou stared blankly for a second, then let out a dry, disgusted sigh. "God? You look like an obese alley cat that ate a washing machine."

Rindou blinked, her jaw dropping slightly at his bluntness.

Even Rei managed a short, nervous laugh through her fear.

Basuta’s laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by furious snarling. "You... you dare mock me!? You dare mock the god I believe in!?"

"God, huh?" Seijirou cracked his knuckles, eyes narrowing. "Don’t believe in that god yet, Basuta."

He went to a fighting stance, grinning. "I’ll take my time and show you...what god you should believe in."