Tap. Tap. Tap.
Julian's footsteps grew loud. Louder. He ran faster, quicker. There was a small opening that he had.
Planning. Planning for days upon days led to this moment.
While the headmaster's back was turned, he gripped his knife as tightly as possible.
Clang!
His knife clashed with Gervem's forearm. The toughness of his skin was almost like a sword, nearly shattering his knife.
In an instant, the headmaster bolted for it.
"Lionel!"
"On it!"
"Leonore!"
"Roger."
The two chased after the headmaster.
The moon was especially pale, casting the only light in the dark night sky. It illuminated the faces of the two boys.
"I have nothing against you. But it's my responsibility to neutralize you, Julian."
He held onto the knife.
The moonlight bounced off the knife.
It was a cold night. Julian's grip was weak and sluggish, so he had trouble holding the hilt of the knife. Quickly, he tried to pull away.
Gervem's grip was far too strong.
He released his grip on the knife.
His hair grew white, and his eyes shone green.
Julian dashed past Gervem.
"Not so fast."
Gervem was quick to chase after Julian. With his naturally enhanced strength, he caught up quickly, leaving Julian cornered.
For Julian to even try to attempt to fight Gervem without any powers was crazy.
***
"The headmaster will definitely involve some people. People from the student council. After all, who doesn't want to die?"
The trio sat in Julian's dorm, listening intently.
"So you guys will chase after the headmaster, while I fight off the first opponent."
"Woah, woah. Without that... spirit thing, though. Will you be able to... beat them?" Lionel interjected. It wasn't out of pity, but genuine worry.
"Probably not. At least not on regular terms. I'll have to make a gamble, later on. You guys just focus on killing the headmaster."
"Got it!"
"We'll be on it."
***
That gamble that Julian was talking about...
He had two methods he could rely on. He could try using his [Sin] release, or he could try and wake Ailas up.
But for now, he just had to fight.
Fsh!
He threw a swift kick, brushing Gervem's nose. It did a minimal amount of damage.
"My turn."
Gervem threw a punch.
It was easy to read, and basic. But it was so fast, that there was nothing that Julian could do about it.
"Keuk!-"
The strike sent him into a wall, transforming it into rubble. He slid down the wall, slowly.
It was one strike, but Julian could already feel himself bleeding.
"Ptoo." he spits blood out to the side.
Julian picked the knife up from the ground, surging toward Gervem.
It was only his body. He was strong and fast. His senses weren't all that sharp.
Slsh!
The quick, slicing motion generated enough force to pierce his skin. Julian slashed at his chest, sending him back.
That slice was followed by another slice, in the opposite direction, creating an X-mark on Gervem's chest.
But the slices were pretty shallow.
Julian came in close, grabbing Gervem's collar and twisting his body.
He attempted to throw him over his shoulder, but it was like... lifting up a mountain.
"Haah... I'm done playing now."
Gervem threw Julian deeper into the hole he had already made, pushing him into the building.
Everyone already clocked out of work.
"Gy-gyaaa..."
Crsh!
Gervem picked Julian up off the ground, pushing his fist into his stomach.
A sharp pain traveled through Julian's body.
There was not enough time for him to scream, though. The punch to the gut was followed by another throw, this time, onto the ground.
He collided with the floor, like a train.
The pain rippled through his body, yet again. It was that same feeling he felt when he was thrown by that orc, just at a larger scale.
⏤ So... he's comparable to an orc? No... he's comparable to a thousand orcs... I didn't expect him to be... this strong!
Julian could barely make any thoughts.
Gervem was no different from Beiric. Senseless individuals, who appeared pretty normal on the outside, but loved violence more than anything.
⏤ This is the personality you've been hiding... the whole time.
There was a satisfied smirk staining Gervem's face. It looked almost as if it didn't belong there. Uncanny.
Gervem stomped. Blood trickled down Julian's head. He was face-first into the ground, and each stomp drilled him further and further into it.
As he got stomped on, he felt his hold on consciousness slipping.