The Bleeding Winter

The night stretched on, quiet except for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant waves crashing against the shore.

The others had long since gone to sleep, but Akemi remained in the yard, her body moving fluidly as she trained.

Whenever sleep refused to come, she turned to magic-practicing until exhaustion finally took over.

Just as she unleashed a particularly bright spell, a flat, unimpressed voice cut through the darkness.

"Dumbass."

She nearly jumped, but the voice was all too familiar.

With a sigh, she turned around.

"Oh, Aiki. What brings you up this late?"

Aiki stood with his arms crossed, his silver hair slightly ruffled from sleep, his expression completely unreadable.

"Obviously, you dumbass,"

he muttered.

"Your magic-and the damn noise-woke me up."

His gaze sharpened.

"Go to sleep. I don't want to wake up to that racket again."

Akemi simply smiled.

"Sure. Goodnight, Aiki."

With a quiet huff, he vanished, slipping back into the shadows without another word.

Weeks passed, and the training continued relentlessly.

Then, one day, Takuma received an unexpected call.

Reika.

The Number 3 herself.

"So, I heard you're back to training again,"

She said, a spark of intrigue in her eyes.

"I want to help.

Not just with the training-but to test their power myself."

Then she added.

"And since you're my friend, I assume you won't say no."

Takuma sighed but agreed, knowing her skills were beyond valuable.

The moment she set foot on the island, the air changed.

A biting cold spread through the yard, the ground beneath them frosting over in an instant.

It was as if winter itself had descended upon them, thick and merciless.

The students shivered, their breaths turning to mist in the air.

Then, at the center of the yard, she appeared.

Reika stood tall, her presence undeniable, the very source of the unnatural chill.

Ice magic flowed from her effortlessly, powerful yet controlled.

It was no surprise she had claimed the third spot in the top ten.

She greeted them casually, joking and laughing as if she weren't freezing the entire area with her mere presence.

The first day, she did not train them.

Much to Takuma's frustration, she spent her time observing, teasing them, and barely lifting a finger.

But the second day?

She woke them up before sunrise with a voice that cut through the cold morning air like a blade.

"Dracula has taken over a small town near his domain,"

she announced.

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Takuma's expression darkened.

His hands clenched at his sides as memories of the past clawed at his mind.

Reika continued, her tone serious.

"With his power growing, many have refused to stand against him-even under the orders of the King of Takion and the Queen of Arthuria.

The weight of this battle may fall on us-the top ten."

She paused, letting the words sink in.

"Which is why I need you all to be as strong as possible.

If we lose, someone must be ready to take our place."

Akemi, who had bonded with Reika surprisingly quickly, raised a fist in the air, her voice ringing with determination.

"Don't worry! Under Takuma's guidance, and with our combined strength, we won't fail you!"

A fire ignited in the others as they echoed her determination.

And so, the training intensified.

They fought, sparred, and pushed themselves to their absolute limits.

But then, during one of their breaks, Reika smirked.

"I have a fun idea."

The students, exhausted, barely lifted their heads.

Reika's smirk widened as she pointed at Takuma.

"Let's spice things up.

You all want to see him fight, don't you?"

Silence.

Then, in unison, their tired eyes widened.

Takuma.

Fighting.

Something they had never witnessed before.

Aiki was the first to stand, followed quickly by Yagami, Hiritsu, and Akemi.

Takuma raised an eyebrow, sighing as he stretched.

"Guess I don't have a choice, huh?"

Reika's grin was nothing short of mischievous.

"Not at all."

Excitement surged through the air.

Reika and Takuma stood at opposite ends of the yard, their gazes locked, the weight of their history pressing between them.

They had fought countless times before, but ever since they had risen to the top 10, they hadn't faced each other.

Now, the moment had come.

The students sat in the middle of the yard, keeping a safe distance.

Some were wide-eyed with anticipation, others whispering to each other about what they might witness.

Takuma turned to Aiki.

"Get my weapon."

Aiki vanished in an instant.

A second later, he reappeared-this time holding two large buckets of blood.

Hiratsu and Akemi's eyes widened in shock.

"W-Weapon? What weapon?"

Hiratsu stammered.

"That's just... blood."

Aiki, unfazed, tilted his head.

"You'll see."

Without hesitation, he tossed the buckets toward Takuma.

The moment the blood touched the air, it halted mid-fall, defying gravity as if held by invisible strings.

Then, as if alive, it twisted and coiled around Takuma's outstretched hand.

Yes-his true magic was now revealed.

Takuma wielded blood itself.

Hiratsu's jaw dropped.

"Sensei can control blood? That's insane!"

Reika, unfazed, grinned.

"You ready?"

Takuma gave a confident smirk.

"Come at me all at once."

Without another word, the battle erupted.

Reika struck first, wasting no time.

She conjured a storm of ice daggers, launching them in waves toward Takuma.

He dodged most with ease, but one grazed his cheek, leaving a thin red line.

Takuma touched the wound and chuckled.

"You're faster than before, Reika. Maybe I should get serious."

Reika's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"That's what I'm looking for!"

Then, in an instant, they disappeared.

To the students watching, the two figures vanished, their battle reduced to blurs of movement and the deafening clash of blades.

Takuma forged a long, crimson sword from the blood, its edge gleaming under the moonlight.

Meanwhile, Reika dual-wielded her ice daggers, slicing through the air with lethal precision.

Akemi's breath hitched as she watched.

"No wonder he was able to cut out Dracula's eyes..."

she muttered.

Yagami's gaze snapped to her.

"Wait-he did what?"

But there was no time for explanations.

Takuma and Reika's movements became more intense, each strike carrying enough force to shatter stone.

Then, suddenly, the battlefield shifted-Reika froze the entire ground beneath them in an instant, turning the yard into a field of pure ice.

A moment later, Takuma countered.

With a flick of his wrist, his blood ignited with fire magic, melting the ice before it could spread further.

Reika rushed at him, relentless.

But Takuma was waiting for this.

Instead of dodging, he absorbed the impact, grabbing her wrist and throwing her down.

She twisted mid-air, planting her dagger into his shoulder before flipping away.

The students held their breath.

They were fighting with everything they had-and they were only getting started.

With a flick of her fingers, a hundred ice daggers materialized above Reika, glinting like stars in the night sky.

She fired them all at once.

Takuma dodged, weaving through the barrage, but before he could fully escape, she was already in front of him.

But unlike before, she didn't go for a dagger strike.

Instead, she rammed her entire body into him.

The impact sent Takuma skidding across the icy battlefield.

He barely had time to recover before Reika followed up with a relentless flurry of punches.

Each hit was sharp, precise, and brutally fast.

Takuma dodged as best as he could, but the barrage was overwhelming.

Then, between one of his evasions, he flicked his fingers.

Thin blood needles shot out from his fingertips, piercing Reika's skin.

She staggered. Blood trickled from her arm.

But then-she froze the wounds shut.

Reika grinned.

"I know your magic's weakness.

If I freeze the blood, you can't use it until it unfreezes."

Takuma smirked.

"Is that your blood on your arm?"

Reika's eyes flicked down.

Her own blood... was moving.

A sharp pain struck her body as she felt it being drained from her.

"Shit-!"

She froze her own limb in desperation, cutting off the control he had over her bloodstream.

She leapt backward, creating distance.

But she knew now-she was at a disadvantage.

She needed to finish the fight before he used his ace move.

Reika froze the entire battlefield again, covering the island with thick layers of ice.

She knew Takuma could counter it, but doing so would drain him.

Takuma frowned.

Smart.

Then, she vanished.

In less than a second, she was in front of him.

Her movement on ice-it was flawless.

It was art.

She was a blur of speed, attacking from every angle-left, right, behind, above.

Her fists collided with his ribs, his shoulders, his back, breaking his defenses little by little.

Takuma could barely keep up.

He needed one last move.

With a sharp inhale, he exploded with a blood barrier, pushing Reika back.

The sudden force sent her sliding across the ice, but she quickly steadied herself.

Silence.

Takuma exhaled.

Then-he raised his hand in surrender.

"I'm done."

The students gasped.

Reika blinked.

"You're surrendering?"

Takuma smiled.

"This was a fun fight, not a death match. I've used too much blood already.

If I keep going, I'll pass out."

Reika sighed in relief but smirked.

"You still had your ace move, didn't you?"

Takuma chuckled.

"Of course."

She exhaled, knowing she had narrowly avoided his true power.

Aiki, who had been silent the whole time, clenched his fist.

Seeing Takuma pushed this far made him realize something.

He had idolized Takuma for years, thought of him as the strongest.

But now?

"Maybe I shouldn't try to be like Takuma," he whispered.

Akemi turned to him.

"Huh? You say something?"

Aiki turned away, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Not your business, dumbass."

Akemi sighed.

Typical.