Chapter 34: A Bloodstained Reckoning

Ryo had just returned, eager to meet his friends and fiancées. As he walked through the academy, he suddenly heard a voice—a familiar one. His heart pounded. Then came a scream. His body moved before he could even think. He knew that voice.

It was Ai.

Without hesitation, Ryo sprinted toward the source. When he arrived, his blood boiled at the sight before him. Ai was cornered, trembling in fear as a group of students surrounded her. But these weren't just any students.

They were the same ones who had tortured and murdered him in his past life.

The memories hit him all at once. The unbearable pain as they cut off his fingers, sliced his ears, shattered his limbs, and finally tossed him into a lake to drown like discarded trash. And now, they were doing the same to Ai.

One of the boys sneered at Ryo, completely unaware of who he had provoked.

"Oi, get lost and leave that human here. We were just having some fun—don't worry, we jus—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ryo appeared in front of him in an instant, his eyes radiating fury. He grabbed the boy by the head and hurled him with such force that he smashed through several walls, landing in the academy's training field. The others barely had time to react before Ryo did the same to them, sending their bodies flying one after another until they all crashed into the training grounds.

They groaned, attempting to get up. One of them clutched his head. "What the hell!? You broke my—" He paused, his injuries already healing. "Heh, just kidding. It's already—"

Ryo was in front of him before he could finish, slicing off his arms and legs in an instant. The others tried to stand, but Ryo cut them down before their regeneration could take effect. Then, he began to strike. Again and again, his fists rained down on them, bones breaking under the sheer force of his wrath.

He could have killed them instantly.

But that would have been too merciful.

Their screams filled the air as he exacted his vengeance, the same pain they had once inflicted on him now returned a hundredfold. Every student in the training ground bore witness to the brutal spectacle.

By the time he finished, their bodies were unrecognizable, twisted beyond saving. With a final blow, Ryo ended their miserable existence.

Silence fell over the field.

Then, hurried footsteps approached. Selena, Seyra, and Ai arrived alongside the Vampire Lord and the Dragon Emperor. Ai had called for their help, fearing for Ryo's safety. But what they found instead was a battlefield drenched in blood.

Ryo stood in the center, his body soaked in crimson, his eyes cold and merciless. He turned slowly, his gaze piercing through everyone present.

Then, the instructors arrived. But instead of reprimanding the dead students, they turned their attention to Ryo, their faces filled with rage. "You dare slaughter students of this academy!?" one of them bellowed. "You're under arrest!"

Ryo's eyes narrowed. He remembered these instructors. They were the same ones who had turned a blind eye to his suffering, the same ones who had laughed as he was butchered in his past life.

He chuckled darkly. "Try it if you can."

The instructors lunged at him, their intent clear. They weren't here to arrest him—they were here to kill him. But Ryo was faster. Before they could even react, he overwhelmed them with sheer force, tearing through them like they were nothing.

In mere moments, they lay dead at his feet.

And then, the true powers of the academy arrived.

A powerful presence filled the air as the academy heads descended upon the battlefield. A vampire, a dragon, an elf, a dwarf, a demon, a spirit, a fairy, and even a priest from the Holy Kingdom—all the leaders of the academy's respective factions had gathered.

They gazed upon Ryo, their expressions unreadable.

And so, the confrontation truly began.

Author's note:

What would you guys have done in that situation do you think he did the right thing back there???