In the end, for creatures who worship strength, language is the palest thing of all.
Just like male lions meeting on the wasteland, the one who decides their status is never the one who roars louder or has the smoother mane.
It is the one whose fangs and claws are sharper, the one capable of tearing open the other’s throat.
Therefore, as a battle maniac, Amou Kirukiru not only understood this truth deeply, but was also a fanatic believer in it.
“A wise choice.”
“Your desire has reached me.”
“Although right now, you are still nothing more than an unpolished stone…”
“As long as you follow me, there will come a day when even the gods in heaven will marvel at your edge.”
“Now, stand.”
After Heimer finished speaking, he looked toward the glass window.
His gaze passed through layers of school buildings and landed on a quiet direction deep within the academy.
There, an extremely faint yet unusually sharp presence was probing the situation on this side.
At the same time, after hearing his words, Amou did not put on any unnecessary airs.
She stood up neatly and casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
“Next…”
“Come with me to meet the others.”
Heimer wasted no more words and turned to leave.
Amou froze for a moment, then followed two steps behind him, her tone carrying undisguised arrogance.
“The others?”
“In this academy…”
“Is there anyone else worthy of your attention?”
This was not arrogance.
It was a statement based on fact.
After all, in this academy that she had ruled for so long, the so-called Five Supreme Swords had all become defeated opponents beneath her feet.
In response…
“Whether they are qualified is not for you to decide.”
“It is for me.”
Heimer’s calm voice drifted over.
Amou immediately cast aside her doubts and followed him with extreme obedience.
After all, this was the judgment of the god who was stronger than her.
…
…
The corridors of Aichi Symbiosis Academy were spacious and bright.
However, at this moment, the corridor that should have been filled with noise was unusually silent.
Although the divine pressure that had felt as if the sky itself were collapsing had already been withdrawn, the lingering fear still kept the ordinary students hiding inside their classrooms, too afraid to show their faces.
Now, only two figures walked through the hallway, one in front and one behind.
Their footsteps echoed through the silence, sounding especially clear.
“They’re here.”
Heimer suddenly stopped.
His gaze turned toward the corner at the end of the hallway.
There, two figures blocked the path they had to take.
The one on the left had short black hair and wore a black school uniform with a red collar.
What drew the eye most was the white Hannya mask covering the upper half of the girl’s face.
It was fierce, twisted, and carried an ominous presence, hiding her face completely while revealing only a pair of bottomless eyes and tightly pressed lips.
Onigawara Rin.
Aside from that, the girl’s right thumb rested against the tsuba of the katana at her waist.
An inch of cold steel had already been exposed.
It was the opening posture of someone who could draw and slash at any moment.
By comparison, the girl standing half a step behind her on the right had a much weaker aura.
She had short pink hair and tightly gripped a black telescopic baton in her hand.
Although she was also wearing a uniform that carried the privilege of being armed, and although a badge symbolizing her status was pinned to her chest, her slightly evasive eyes and faintly trembling legs completely exposed the unease in her heart.
Onigawara Rin.
One of the core members of the Five Supreme Swords, the armed rulers of Aichi Symbiosis Academy.
And her follower.
The second seat of the Five Swords.
Mozunono Nono.
With a single glance, Heimer recognized the identities of the two girls blocking the path ahead.
…
“Stop!”
“Unknown man.”
“How did you sneak into this academy?”
“And…”
Onigawara Rin’s gaze passed over Heimer and landed on Amou Kirukiru behind him.
Through the eyeholes of the mask, one could see her pupils suddenly shrink.
“Amou Kirukiru…”
“You’re actually following behind this man?”
“That doesn’t seem like your style.”
Seeing this scene, Onigawara even found it somewhat absurd.
The Empress, who was so arrogant that she placed no one in her eyes except herself and had defeated every one of the Five Swords in the entire academy, was now walking half a step behind this man.
Onigawara had never seen Amou take such a posture, not even when facing the Headmistress.
“What I do has nothing to do with you.”
“Also, move.”
“I don’t have time to play children’s games with you right now.”
Hearing this, a flash of viciousness instantly crossed Amou’s narrow eyes.
After all, she had just found a new goal known as a god.
She was currently in a state of feverish excitement.
Now, faced with doubts from someone who had once been defeated by her, Amou’s only reaction was irritation.
She wanted to crush her.
After all, although she was as docile as a cat in front of Heimer, that did not mean she had lost her claws and fangs before everyone else.
Because of this, the violent aura that Amou had barely suppressed immediately showed signs of breaking loose.
“Children’s games?”
“After such a huge abnormality just occurred, the entire academy has entered its highest state of alert.”
“As one of the Five Swords, I have a duty to eliminate all uncertain factors.”
“Amou Kirukiru, even you cannot ignore the school rules at a time like this.”
Onigawara had clearly been stung by that phrase, and her voice rose.
The fingers resting against the tsuba also tightened slightly.
“Moreover…”
“The aura around this man is dangerous.”
“I must investigate his identity.”
After saying this, Onigawara’s gaze locked firmly onto Heimer.
That sharp instinct made Heimer look at her a little more highly.
After all, when animals faced a natural predator, they often had two responses: flee, or fight with everything they had.
Onigawara Rin had clearly chosen the latter.
“You want to investigate him?”
Amou let out a scoff and had just been about to step forward to teach this ignorant fool a lesson.
But then…
A hand extended in front of Amou.
Heimer stopped her.
After all, since this trip was for the sake of recruiting Familia members, running into her here was actually a good opportunity to try recruiting her.
Onigawara’s talent in swordsmanship was not bad either.
It just barely reached his standard.
However, Onigawara’s heart as a swordsman was in chaos.
That was because Heimer, combining his previous-life memories with the information fed back to him, knew the reason she wore that oni mask.
Her mother hated how much Onigawara resembled her father, who had eloped with his lover.
Because of that, she had been forced by her mother to wear an oni mask ever since she was young.
Even after leaving home and living at the academy, that habit had not changed.
This was not good.
Because it ran counter to the ancient sword school Onigawara Rin practiced: Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu.
This ancient sword style placed great emphasis on spiritual cultivation and the tempering of courage and heart.
Its transmission text, Jūakkuhi, clearly forbade ten flaws of the heart, including arrogance, greed, and fear.
During training, practitioners were required to perfect their character through inner cultivation.
The school believed that progress in swordsmanship had to be accompanied by moral refinement.
Practitioners in the Edo period had to realize the state of “sword and zen as one” through wooden-sword training, combining technical practice with Zen meditation.
However, the current Onigawara Rin had clearly gone against the very spirit of the ancient sword style she practiced.
She had sealed herself beneath the mask and tried to gain a false sense of security through its external ferocity.
That, in itself, was a form of escape.
And the sword would never smile upon one who ran away.