“I won’t step aside.”
Aetin stood firm in front of Celes, his gaze unwavering as he met Kurokami Akane’s cold stare head-on.
If he couldn’t even protect Celes right in front of him, how could he hope to complete the rest of the mission?
He absolutely could not give up here.
“Stubborn, aren’t you?”
Kurokami Akane looked at Aetin’s obstinate stance, a trace of helplessness slipping into her icy voice.
Before the words finished, her figure moved with lightning speed—a swift side kick precisely struck Aetin’s waist and abdomen, sending him flying to the side.
Though she said she would cut down anyone, including him, Kurokami Akane was not one to kill innocents recklessly.
Her attacks were meant to eliminate “threats,” not to harm “bystanders.”
“Aetin… classmate…”
Though Celes was weak to the point of barely moving, seeing Aetin knocked down again brought a surge of worry to her pale face.
She struggled to turn her head in his direction.
Kurokami Akane paid no attention to Aetin this time.
Her gaze locked back onto Celes as she slowly raised the Black Katana in her hand.
The blade shimmered with a chilling glow in the dim light.
Her voice was low and steady, carrying a near-cruel calm.
“Don’t hate me.”
The blade sliced through the air, carrying the will of judgment, mercilessly descending upon the defenseless Celes.
By now, Celes had exhausted all her strength, barely able to stand even with Aetin’s previous support.
She understood the danger the “witch” could bring and was fully aware of Kurokami Akane’s duties as the disciplinary committee president.
Facing this final strike, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes before she resigned herself, closing them as if accepting her predetermined fate, waiting for death’s arrival.
“Clang!”
However, the anticipated searing pain of the blade slicing through flesh did not come.
Instead, a clear, sharp metallic clash rang out.
Celes’s long eyelashes trembled, and tentatively, she slowly opened her eyes.
What met her gaze was Aetin, somehow struggling back up, kneeling on one knee, using his body to firmly shield her.
The black-haired youth gripped the unremarkable longsword tightly, holding the blade above his head.
At the critical moment, he forcibly blocked Kurokami Akane’s fierce, unmatched slash.
Yet Kurokami Akane’s strength far exceeded what Aetin had imagined.
Moreover, his condition was terrible—his stamina depleted.
Despite his desperate grip, the longsword could not fully withstand the downward force from Kurokami Akane’s single-handed strike.
As her expressionless face steadily applied pressure, Aetin’s body began to sway violently.
His knees nearly touched the ground—he was about to collapse.
Crack…
A faint but chilling sound of splintering broke the tension.
Cracks appeared on the surface of the ordinary longsword in Aetin’s hands, spiderwebbing rapidly across the blade.
Clearly, the sword was about to shatter.
Once the longsword broke, Aetin, defenseless below, would be wounded by the razor-sharp blade.
“Aetin… classmate… enough… don’t protect me anymore… since I’m destined to become a witch… it’s better to die now and end it all… that’s best for everyone…”
Behind him, Celes witnessed everything.
Tears burst forth uncontrollably once more.
She watched Aetin’s trembling back and the cracked blade, her heart aching as if torn apart.
“And… and just now… I actually thought about hurting you… I’m really scared… scared that when I completely blacken and lose control someday, I’ll end up hurting you… If that really happens… I… I’d rather die now… Otherwise, living would be worse than death…”
“I don’t agree… didn’t you promise me? To live well… to live a brilliant life that belongs to you…”
Aetin gritted his teeth, resisting the overwhelming force above, squeezing out his words through clenched teeth with unwavering resolve.
At this life-or-death moment, Celes could no longer suppress her feelings.
She embraced Aetin from behind, crying and revealing her deepest heart.
“But it’s because of you… that my life is brilliant! If you were gone because of me… I would never forgive myself… absolutely not!”
“Is that truly how you feel? Or is it just despair making you give up on yourself? Celes, do you really not want to live? Are you really willing to end it all like this?”
Feeling the warmth of tears and her trembling body behind him, something inside Aetin stirred.
“Of course I want to live. There are so many things I haven’t done yet… I haven’t truly experienced love… so many things I want to try… but… but if living means sacrificing you, Aetin… then I don’t want that future… I’d rather not have it…”
Celes pressed her face against Aetin’s trembling back, holding him tighter, as if trying to merge with his body.
Her cries were filled with endless grievance and longing.
Hearing Celes’s heartfelt confession, Aetin’s emotions were completely infected.
An instinctive desire to protect and a promise slipped out without hesitation.
“Then I’ll stay with you forever. I won’t let you go through blackening again. I’ll make sure you always feel safe and never have to worry about blackening again. I’ll help you become an ordinary girl—to enjoy your youth and live your own life.”
This promise wasn’t driven solely by system missions; it came from deep empathy and understanding of Celes’s harsh, lonely fate.
At this moment, Aetin sincerely wanted to save this girl, to pull her from a predetermined tragic destiny—even without any mission, he would have made the same choice.
“Aetin… classmate…”
This heartfelt vow gradually wiped away the despair and sorrow on Celes’s face.
Her pupils dilated, and a mixed light of hope and emotion burst forth.
In that instant, she seemed to regain the courage and faith to live.
The girl struggled, using the last of her strength to shakily stand up, extending cold, trembling hands that firmly covered Aetin’s tightly gripping sword hand.
At that moment, the boy and girl together mustered all their strength, lifting up, jointly resisting the heavy Katana of Kurokami Akane.
“I… I want to live! I want to live together with Aetin…”
Celes looked into Aetin’s eyes, her voice quivering with tears but resolute.
“That’s right.”
Aetin’s face lit up with relief as he applied force again.
Through their combined effort, the Black Katana of ruthless judgment was slowly lifted.
Watching this near-suicidal display, Kurokami Akane’s crimson eyes flickered with a complex emotion.
She finally sighed softly, withdrew her wrist, and ceased applying pressure on the blade, decisively sheathing the Black Katana emitting its dangerous aura.
“This sour stench of bonds… how utterly… detestable.”
Kurokami Akane shook her head, her tone carrying faint, barely perceptible helplessness as she muttered to herself.
“Senior Kurokami… you… are you willing to let Celes go?”
Aetin, sensing the pressure above vanish, paused in confusion and looked at Kurokami Akane uncertainly.
“It’s not that simple. If you want me to let you go now, fine. But, transfer student Aetin, you must take responsibility—bear the full burden of preventing Celes from blackening again.”
Kurokami Akane glanced at him expressionlessly, her voice returning to its usual cold tone.
“I will.”
Without hesitation, Aetin solemnly nodded and made his promise.
This time, his answer held no doubt—not just because of system tasks, but because it was the truest desire of his heart.
“Words alone are meaningless. Starting tomorrow, report to the Disciplinary Committee and become my subordinate. Monitor Celes closely, ensure she never loses control or blacks out again.”
With a sharp clang, Kurokami Akane sheathed the katana completely.
Her words paused slightly as her crimson eyes fixed unblinkingly on Aetin, her tone carrying an undeniable warning.
“But remember, if Celes blacks out again… then don’t blame me for being ruthless. This is the final ultimatum.”
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