Chapter 77: Zutarts

There are moments when one wonders if everything they’ve lived through was nothing more than a long preparation… to be crushed.
War, honor, discipline, and power are often mistaken for absolute virtues, but on the battlefield, everything comes down to a single question: Who is willing to break first?
It’s not about muscle, nor rank, nor fame. It’s the heart—that invisible organ beating in every decision—that determines whether you’ll be the hunter or the prey.

Zutarts is not just another academy. It is the reflection of the fear the weak feel when they gaze upon the unattainable. A hostile ground, ruled by those who were born knowing they would be exceptional.
And yet… what’s truly terrifying is not their strength, but their calm.
A calm that screams in silence that they don’t need to scream.

What if the real enemy isn’t the other, but what one fears to awaken within oneself?
What if the battlefield is merely a mirror where doubt disguises itself as a rival?

In this round, names no longer matter. Only the echo of what we were able to endure… and what we were willing to lose will remain.

Because this won’t be a test of technique or strategy.
It will be a test of the soul.
——————————————————————————————————————————
The wood creaked softly under the weight of the carriage as tall trees rushed by on either side. The group remained silent, yet the tension was easy to feel—an invisible thread connecting their gazes, their held breaths, their scattered thoughts.

Aphrodite was the first to break the silence.

“As you already know, this battle will be difficult,” she said firmly, her eyes sweeping across each of them. “We’re facing an academy with four gold-rank students. Moreover… we’ll be fighting on terrain they know like the back of their hand.”

Shu looked up, alert. Unease crept across his features as Aphrodite continued.

“However, there’s something even more concerning: Takahashi Kazukane.”

“What about him?” Shu asked quickly.

“Against Shamqui, he was the only one who fought.”

“What? What do you mean?” Lowa interrupted, frowning.

“Zutarts also participated in a team battle in the previous round against Shamqui,” Aphrodite explained. “But according to the reports, the only one who moved was Takahashi. The rest of the team… didn’t even stand up.”

A second of absolute silence followed.

“And was it a crushing victory?” Shu whispered.

Aphrodite nodded.

“Then… that guy isn’t even in the top three?” Shu murmured in disbelief. “What kind of monster is he?”

“Who knows. At least we know Yohei will be at his level,” Aphrodite said, glancing sideways at the white-haired boy. “The problem is the others. We don’t know their abilities, but it’s clear that Zipacna, Tepztli, and Xunaan aren’t there by coincidence.”

A thunderous noise suddenly shook the carriage, making it rattle as if lightning had struck nearby.

“What the hell was that?!” Lowa shouted as everyone jumped from their seats.

No one needed to answer. They rushed out of the vehicle, instantly feeling a dense, suffocating energy slowly emerging from the forest. The air itself seemed to grow heavier with every step that presence took.

“Hey, hey… is that thing even human?” Lowa whispered, swallowing hard.

“It can’t be,” Yohei muttered. “That’s… a demon.”

A chill ran down Shu’s spine. The scene felt familiar—almost identical to the first time he’d witnessed Edén’s power overflowing. But this time…

“It’s ten times worse,” he thought, his face pale.

Edén, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes. There was something about that energy… something he recognized. Something that, though it frightened him, also sparked a buried flame deep within his soul.

“Damn it… why am I excited?” he thought, as a faint smile crept onto his face.

A voice broke the silence.

“Hey… can you tell me what you’re doing here?”

The group turned toward the figure emerging from the trees.

“You’re… Zipacna, right?” Aphrodite asked cautiously.

“Yeah, why the faces? You look scary,” he replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t you see that demon approaching?” Lowa said, pointing toward the dark presence.

“Oh, that…” Zipacna sighed. “I told it a thousand times not to train around here. But you know how it is—doesn’t listen.”

“Do you know that demon?” Zef asked, frowning.

“How rude,” Zipacna laughed. “It may seem terrifying, but I assure you it’s a good person.”

“A person?” Yohei repeated, incredulous.

Lowa took a step back, but it wasn’t enough. The figure appeared out of nowhere at her side: a boy with fire-red hair and a piercing gaze, so close he let out an involuntary scream.

“Lowa!” Shu shouted, running to her.

“Who are these? Do you know them, Zipacna?” the red-haired newcomer asked casually.

Shu, still stunned, couldn’t understand how such overwhelming energy had approached without anyone noticing.

“I told you last time,” Zipacna replied nonchalantly. “They’re from GODS institute. We’re facing them in a few days.”

“Oh, I see,” the red-haired boy said, studying them as if they were some odd species.

Then his tone changed.

“But… are they really fighters?”

Confusion was immediate.

“Why would you say that?” Shu asked suspiciously.

“You… you’re really weak,” he declared without hesitation.

Stares turned cold. Yohei stepped forward and grabbed him hard by the shirt collar.

“You… what the hell did you say? Say that again if you’ve got the guts, runt.”

Zipacna hurried to intervene. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Must be a misunderstanding, right?”

“No,” the boy said, keeping his gaze fixed on Yohei. “They really are weak.”

Yohei’s fist trembled with anger and he was about to throw it… but Aphrodite stepped forward, firm.

“Stop, Yohei! If you hit him before the match, you’ll be disqualified. Is that what you want?”

With restrained fury, Yohei released the boy and moved back toward the carriage.

Aphrodite took a deep breath. “I’m very sorry about what happened.”

“No, it’s our fault,” Zipacna said with a nervous smile. “He started it. It’s my fault for not shutting him up sooner.”

Then the boy turned to Edén and stared at him. So intently that Edén couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.

“Do I have something on my face?” he asked.

“You… you’re really interesting.”

Zipacna tapped his head with a sigh and began dragging him toward the forest. “Idiot. You have to learn to control yourself.”

Before leaving, he turned one last time. “Go straight ahead. You’ll soon find Zutarts institute’s building. Professor Quetzalcóatl will be waiting for you there.”

“Uh… okay,” Aphrodite answered, still a little baffled.

The group climbed back into the carriage in silence, but a thought lingered in Edén’s mind.

“Interesting?” he repeated softly.

As if that word were the beginning of something he didn’t yet understand.

The forest’s thickness muffled the sound of footsteps—but not the argument. Zipacna dragged the red-haired boy along in an almost paternal way, though the deep furrow on his brow made his irritation obvious.

“Idiot… if you keep acting like that, you’ll only make more enemies,” he scolded without letting go.

“So what?” the boy replied indifferently.

“Don’t give me that ‘so what,’” Zipacna huffed. “You need to learn how to deal with people. Otherwise, you’ll never make any friends.”

“I already have you and the professor. Why would I need more?”

The sigh that escaped Zipacna was long and resigned.
“Fool… idiot… airhead.”

“We’ll win. I’m sure of it,” the boy declared with a confident smile.

“I know.”

“This time I’ll let you have a little fun.”

“I hope so, monster.”

The scene then shifted to the Zutarts complex, where Aphrodite walked alongside a man with a calm face and wise eyes: Quetzalcóatl.

“I apologize for the trouble our student caused you. It won’t happen again,” said the god in a diplomatic tone.

“Don’t worry about it,” Aphrodite replied, glancing sideways at her students—still visibly upset. “If anything, it only motivated them even more.”

The students were training with unusual intensity, as if their anger itself kept them moving.

“So it turned out to be very good for you.”
“Then I’m glad for you,” Quetzalcoatl said with a smile.

“Why do you keep pretending, Quetzalcoatl? Don’t fool me with that fake smile.”

The man let out a small chuckle, admitting nothing.
“You seem confident. Despite scraping through the last round… do you really think you’ll be our match?”

“Who knows… maybe we’ll kick their asses in an instant,” Aphrodite said with a defiant smile.

“That’s impossible.”

Quetzalcoatl folded his arms. “You have a fine rough diamond, Yohei Aktína. But even he isn’t a match for our pair of prodigies.”

“I see you’re very confident, serpent.”
“I have my reasons.”
“We’ll see who comes out victorious, feathered serpent.”
“I look forward to seeing you fall, charming serpent.”

Their words were not the only things that clashed. Their auras met with an invisible violence that raised the skin of everyone present. The students watched them, tension barely contained.

“They don’t seem to get along very well,” Edén murmured.

“Yeah…” Shu replied. “They say both were part of the same division in the special forces. No one knows what happened, but after that mission in a distant kingdom… both retired.”

“I see…”

A little later, Aphrodite met with Shu alone.

“What did you need me for?” the boy asked, somewhat intrigued.

“You’re the brain of the team. Do you have a plan?” she asked.

“I don’t.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. Even if we fight with all our strength… we’ll lose. They’re far stronger individually.”

Aphrodite clenched her teeth. “Damn it…”

“But that’s only what logic says. We have two variables that escape any equation.”

“Two?”

“Edén and Yohei. Maybe many haven’t noticed, but Edén has grown much stronger these past months.”

Shu spoke without emotion, as if reciting a mathematical formula. “I know he’s nowhere near Gold rank, much less the top three. But that demon he carries within… that power surpasses any strategy. It will be a double-edged weapon, but also our only chance.”

“Still, I don’t think Edén can control his power at will,” Aphrodite said. “And his body… it won’t withstand a long fight.”

“That’s why we need to open the path for him. If we can get Edén and Yohei to face Takahashi and Zipacna, we’ll have half the battle won.”

“And the other three?”

“With the help of the rest, maybe we can beat them. It’s a risk… but it’s the best we have.”

Aphrodite looked at him in silence, then smiled ironically. “You’re frightening. Sometimes you don’t seem human.”

“Thanks for the compliment, teacher.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, prodigy.”

One of Shu’s eyes gleamed gold as he nodded. “Yes.”

On the other side of the grounds, Edén panted as he knelt atop a hill. His sword trembled in his hands, wrapped in a dark energy that kept flickering. He forced control. He forced his soul.

“I have to get this before the battle,” he thought. “Only then can I face those monsters.”

He remembered Zipacna’s aura. He remembered the red-haired boy. He remembered his words, his overwhelming presence.

The aura around his sword shattered into a thousand fragments, and Edén fell to the ground, exhausted.

“I have to surpass myself. Fast… besides, I have other reasons.”

Kai… and Ryu appeared in his thoughts. “I will kill them.”

A burst of dark energy sprang from his body like a black flame. But then, when he lifted his gaze, he saw him — standing before him with a serene expression, the same boy from before.

“I really wasn’t wrong,” the boy said. “You are very interesting.”

“You’re the same as before… what do you mean by that?”

“Don’t you understand? That power you have is incredible.”

His eyes swept over Edén’s exhausted form. “It’s true your vessel is not ready yet. But when your body is fully honed… you’ll be amazing.”

“You’re the same, aren’t you?” Edén asked.

“The same?”

“I felt it the first time. You’re cursed… aren’t you?”

The boy smiled.

“Cursed? I suppose that’s what weak people call it. But I think I was blessed. The gods gave me this power, don’t you think?”

“I guess… you could say that.”

Edén lowered his gaze.
“Can I ask you something?”

“Tell me.”

“How did you manage to master your power?”

“Master? No, you’re wrong. I don’t control it completely yet.”

“What…?”

Edén couldn’t believe it. That colossal aura. That calm. Could he still be limited?

“I’m still far from a hundred percent. Like you, I’m holding myself back.”

“Holding yourself back…?”

“However, there’s something I don’t understand. Why did you seal the flow of your cursed energy?”

Edén frowned.
“Seal it?”

“I see… you did it unconsciously.”

“What are you talking about?”

The boy turned halfway around.
“I hope to see you on the battlefield, Edén Yomi. You’ll be a very interesting opponent.”

“Hey! What do you mean by that?”

“Bye, bye.”

“Hey!”

Edén was left alone, sweaty and confused.
“Fear? Sealed? Energy flow? What the hell is he talking about…?”

A figure stepped out from among the trees, watching the scene with his arms crossed.

“It seems he didn’t understand a single word you said,” Zipacna said with resignation.

“Yeah… it would be a shame if he can’t use his true potential.”

“If you complain so much, why didn’t you help him?”

“It’s not worth facing someone who can’t even recognize his own weaknesses.”

Zipacna clicked his tongue.
“No one understands you, Takahashi…”

The red-haired boy said nothing. He only stared at the sky with burning eyes.

“I’ll be waiting for you, Edén.”