The Gathering of the Strong

“Do I have to do this again? How many times have I told you—he only acts that way, and that’s all there is to it! If you can’t win, it’s because of your own ability, not because I failed to give you enough information! Do you understand?!!!”

The voice echoed through the Sky Striker Academy’s strategy room. The one unleashing his fury was none other than Akk.

“If only I hadn’t come to this place… if only I could have stayed in peace.” (Akk)

In stark contrast to Akk’s rage, a girl with cold, golden eyes simply said:

“Do it.”

Akk was about to shout again when a cold slash cut through the air—bringing everything to an abrupt end.

...

Back in the present, Akk was relaying combat information to Zoah. Zoah was just about to strike when the boy standing opposite spoke:

“I’m only here to delay you for a moment. I have no intention of fighting. Consider this a greeting for the upcoming battle.”

He turned to leave, but it wasn’t going to be that simple. Akk immediately blocked his path, dagger in hand, and thrust forward. The opponent raised his sword to block, but his technique was completely inferior. Akk’s relentless assault forced him back a step. When he finally raised his head, a straight kick from Akk sent him flying, blood spurting from his nose.

Seeing this, Zoah charged in to finish him off—but an arrow suddenly whistled toward him, forcing him to retreat. The enemy seized the chance to escape. Akk was about to give chase but suddenly stopped, turning instead to ask:

“You alright?” (Akk)

Zoah replied without hesitation:

“Forget about me—wasn’t that fighting technique just now… kinda insane?” (Zoah)

Still wearing her icy expression, Akk answered:

“If you don’t have a powerful ability, you have to make up for it with something else.”

They then began discussing Crow’s group. Akk revealed that Crow was the type willing to do anything to achieve his sole goal: becoming a leader like Hitomi—the current leader of this peaceful civilization.

Though lacking a powerful ability, Crow compensated with intellect and strategy. Akk admitted Crow had worked hard, but compared to a few other exceptional individuals in the academy, he was still mediocre. Those individuals had no interest in power or leadership, but in terms of strength, they were far superior.

Their journey led them to the area where the monster resided. From outside, the stench of blood was overwhelming. Zoah could hear screams and the clash of battle from within. Acting on instinct, he shouted:

“Let’s help them!” (Zoah)

He rushed forward, but Akk grabbed his arm.

“What is it?!” (Zoah)

Zoah’s question was answered when Crow’s group emerged from behind, surrounding them both. With his usual confidence, Crow said:

“I really regret letting you get away last time. Why not end it all right here?” (Crow)

This time he wasn’t alone—he’d brought his teammates. Akk and Zoah prepared to fight, but more students soon began arriving.

From the crumbled cliffs, a blond-haired boy appeared. The spirit behind him burned like fire. He was Kleith—one of the strongest students in the academy.

Moments later, a long-range punch split the air, smashing what remained of a ruined structure. A boy with a body glowing red and black steel gloves stepped forward.

“Who’s that?” (Zoah)

“One of the few who’s on par with the blond one. His name is King.” (Akk)

Following King was a petite girl in a hoodie, clutching a white teddy bear. Akk noted that she, too, was among the top first-year students.

“Looks like that’s all for now.” (Akk)

“So that means there are other strong ones who haven’t shown up yet?” (Zoah)

“That’s right.” (Akk)

Everyone was gathered. Akk told Zoah to go inside first, leaving the outside to her. Zoah flatly refused—he didn’t believe someone without a special ability could hold her own against such powerful opponents.

In this world, people were judged primarily by the strength of their abilities, and only secondarily by the information they possessed. Just as in real life people often judge each other by looks and money, here, the “overpowered” nature of one’s ability was paramount. It wasn’t hard to see why Zoah underestimated Akk.

Not wanting to waste time, Akk promised to follow right after, then shouted:

“Don’t hesitate! Someone will die if you don’t get in there now!”

Zoah said nothing more. Drawing his sword, he slashed apart the obstacle ahead.

Before him lay chaos—corpses scattered, blood pooling everywhere. In front of the monster, Cecilia—the white-haired girl—was protecting Cid and Ken. Zoah immediately charged, swinging a strike toward the beast.

The monster responded with a full-force slash and a deafening roar. The collision of their blows sent shockwaves ripping through the ground, dust billowing into the air.

From afar, King observed and murmured:

“As expected, he’s no ordinary one.” (King)

Crow’s teammate interjected:

“Let me go finish those guys. They look fun.”

The mysterious man who had previously spoken with Crow was none other than Zyfa. He possessed an extremely dangerous ability and was suspected to be the right hand—or subordinate—of the Horseman of the Apocalypse: War.

Zyfa was about to step forward when a punch from King came flying in. Though he managed to block, the impact hurled him back some distance. Regaining his balance, Zyfa eyed his opponent.

“I don’t get why you all just teamed up the moment you met. It’s like you knew each other already. But I’ll smash every one of you just ‘cause you piss me off the moment I see you.” (King)

Zyfa scoffed:

“Who the hell is this guy? Do you even know who I am?” (Zyfa)

Ever since awakening his ability, Zyfa had thought himself invincible. He might lose in intellect, but in raw power, he never accepted defeat. He had believed that if he partnered with Crow, they would become the perfect duo.

Seeing Kleith ready to move, Crow quickly spoke:

“Why don’t we just sit back and watch these two go at it? It benefits all of us.” (Crow)

Akk agreed:

“Fine by me. I still need to buy time for Zoah and Cecilia to kill the monster.”

The girl with the teddy bear remained indifferent. Kleith nodded in agreement—once the duel ended, he would act.

Zyfa chuckled:

“You all act like this fight is going to last a while.” (Zyfa)

In that instant, King was already in front of Zyfa, eyes filled with resolve, fist clenched tight. Zyfa thrust his hand forward.

“Die.” (Zyfa)

From Zyfa’s palm, a massive explosion detonated. The golden flare of it reflected in Akk’s eyes.

From this moment, it became clear—Zyfa’s ability was to generate massive explosions, triggered through his hands.